Congregation Sha’ar Zahav in San Francisco is offering a series of events to address the “pain so many of us are experiencing” under the second Trump administration.
The Reform synagogue, founded by LGBTQ Jews in the ’70s, will host seven events, both in-person and online, on Monday evenings from Feb. 10 through March 31. “The Narrow Bridge: A Time of Perseverance” will explore emotional, spiritual, social and legal responses to the new administration on an array of issues.
Sha’ar Zahav Rabbi Mychal Copeland told J. that the idea for the series came from a support session the congregation hosted the night after the presidential election.
“The seeds were sown when I started to hear what people … were feeling, that we needed more spaces for people to process and come together in community,” Copeland said. “Especially after the inauguration, that level of worry or panic, depending on one’s personal situation, started to rise.”
The name of the series comes from a famous quote by Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, popularized by the song “Kol Ha’olam Kulo.” The lyrics are translated as “The whole world is a very narrow bridge, and the main thing is to have no fear at all.”
Each event will start with a short teaching by Copeland but will feature a variety of guest speakers.
The series will begin Monday, Feb. 10 with Copeland and Rabbi Reuben Zellman leading a “public lament” that will include “cathartic expressions of our communal resistance” and chanting from the biblical Book of Lamentations.
Local psychotherapist Karen Erlichman will lead the Feb. 24 session on individual and collective trauma for people “living under threat” and their allies. The session will focus on Jews’ intersectional identities, including being LGBTQ, disabled, elderly, a person of color or an immigrant.
Neil Grungras, founder of the Organization for Refugee, Asylum, and Migration, will lead the March 3 and 10 sessions.
The March 3 event will focus on living under “restrictive national environments” and address the question: “What can we learn from those who have lived in such countries about protecting ourselves and preserving personal freedom and safety as Jews, queer people, and Jewish queers?”
The March 10 session will address the question: “Does emigration make sense for you?” The event description states: “Many of us are wondering whether it’s time to consider moving elsewhere in the world. Would living in another country be right for you?”
San Francisco Board of Supervisors president Rafael Mandelman, who is Jewish, and Rabbi Eliana Kayelle will use the March 17 event to discuss whether California truly offers “sanctuary” under the Trump administration. “How bad could it get here in California?” the description reads.
The March 24 event will focus on the “synergistic effects of queerphobia, racism and antisemitism.” The description reads: “We tend to think about -isms and phobias as distinct phenomena. In reality, they have effects that magnify and can exacerbate each other and render us much more vulnerable.”
Rabbi Amy Eilberg will lead the final session on March 31 called “Mussar practice in a troubled time.” It will focus on Mussar, the Jewish virtue-based practice that teaches ethical living.
Sha’ar Zahav was founded in 1977 for LGBTQ Jews but has specifically welcomed Jews from the broader community for years.
For members, there is a suggested donation of $18 per session, or $80 for all sessions. For nonmembers, the cost is $36 per session, or $230 for all sessions. All of the sessions will be available online and some will be offered in person as well at Sha’ar Zahav, 290 Dolores St. shaarzahavsf.shulcloud.com/form/the-narrow-bridge