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For those who don't know their Kiddush from their Kaddish — but wish they did — a trip through the front door of the local synagogue may be a bit daunting.

With this in mind, Rabbi Zari Weiss has created a program in which unaffiliated Jews or curious non-Jews can dip a toe in the waters of Judaism in the relaxed, haimish atmosphere of a well-stocked dining room.

"In my work as a community rabbi, I've served a lot of people who are not well-connected into the more organized Jewish community," explains Weiss, who serves the greater East Bay. "I understand that connection is not necessarily an easy or immediate process. Sometimes people need to take baby steps to connect."

Known as "Sha'arim" — "Gateways" — the program pairs those in search of a Jewish connection with host families hailing from a variety of Jewish backgrounds for a Shabbat dinner.

The inspiration for Sha'arim came to Weiss from a similar program run in Oregon by a married couple, Rabbis Gary Schoenfeld and Laurie Rutenberg. While Schoenfeld and Rutenberg host gargantuan Shabbat dinners for 40 or more at their own home in their Gesher (Bridge) program, Weiss has attracted a number of willing host families spread throughout both the religious spectrum and the East Bay.

One such host, Neska (her Hebrew first name, she does not utilize a surname), routinely hosts between "five and 20" people for Shabbat dinner, but always prepares for 20.

"If you have leftovers," says the congregant of Oakland's Orthodox Beth Jacob, "then you can always invite people over for Shabbos lunch."

After meeting Weiss in a sukkah last year, Neska heard about the Sha'arim program and figured she was a natural.

"We always have an open door at our place. I love when new people join our Shabbos table," she said. "It seems everybody has a really good time, there's lots of singing, it's very joyous.

"Having somebody new, who hasn't experienced Shabbos before, it's a treat at both ends."

Then there's Melanie Marcus of Berkeley. She grew up in an Orthodox household, considers her family to be Conservative, has Orthodox relatives over for Shabbat and teaches Hebrew at local Reform Congregation Beth El. So, as hosts, Marcus believes her family "can cater to anything."

"Shabbat dinner is always so wonderful," said Marcus, who recently moved to the Bay Area with her husband, Ben, from Columbus, Ohio. "Ben's grandmother and parents and sister are there and we always have guests. It's wonderful to be able to share it with people."

Marcus' guest at a late January Shabbat dinner was Melissa "Mel" Gallagher, a graduate student in museum studies at San Francisco State University. Gallagher — who is not Jewish, but has "history" on her mother's side — discovered the program via a flier posted at the Judah L. Magnes Museum, where she interns.

Gallagher, a recent Seattle transplant, believes this is something she has needed for a while. "I just feel ready to be more connected to traditions and to community at this point."

Currently looking for the "right rabbi to take me on" for a conversion to Judaism, Gallagher impressed the Marcus family at their Shabbat dinner with her knowledge of Jewish traditions.

"She's definitely well-read on religion," said Marcus. "A lot of what Judaism is based on and how it's survived is through traditions, so it was really nice to be able to do our part."

Shabbat is "so central that no matter where you go in this world," it "links Jews together," Marcus said. "You can be anywhere, but it's always nice to share the experience of Shabbat with somebody."

Gallagher, for her part, was dazzled by the evening's hospitality, good food and the sight of four generations sitting around the same table.

"It can be an awkward situation, not knowing anybody. But they were very willing to let me experience what they do on Shabbat and include me," said Gallagher. "I'm strongly drawn to traditions, culture and community, and that's something I find to be very strong in Judaism.

"I think this is a good program because it really gets you beyond just reading about something and actually moving on to experiencing it."

Weiss hopes the program expands to the point where "hundreds" of Shabbat dinners can be held yearly, and also aims to set up a mentor program, in which affiliated Jews can introduce newcomers into their congregations.

"So many people in the Bay Area are alone on Shabbat, and don't even have an idea that one would spend Shabbat with other Jews," said the rabbi. "My vision is to help the hundreds and thousands of Jews out there who don't really have any connection with the Jewish community."