If you had to name the least Jewish season of the year, it would have to be summer. Holiday-wise, it barely registers on the Jewish calendar.
Think about it: Fall wins hands-down, with the High Holy Days, Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Winter comes in second, with Chanukah, Tu B’Shevat and Purim. And in spring, Passover is the highlight.
What about summer? There’s Shavuot (at the end of May this year, which means it doesn’t even make the summer-holiday cut), and then it’s two whole months before we get to Tisha B’Av, not exactly a high point of festivity. August is empty.
But there’s a hidden benefit in this dearth of festivals. No holidays means no preparation, no long hours in synagogue and no set rules or rituals. We’re free to be Jewish in a uniquely summertime way, taking an informal, spontaneous, creative and eclectic approach to celebrating identity and community.
The Bay Area offers myriad events and activities with a Jewish flavor. And the season’s laid-back pace makes it the perfect time to sample Jewish practices with your family. Here’s a “tip-of-the-iceberg” list of ideas for infusing your family’s summer with Yiddishkeit:
June
Get back to the garden. Kick off the summer with Israel in the Gardens at Yerba Buena Gardens (June 7), a celebration of Israeli culture, Israel’s 61st anniversary and Tel Aviv’s centennial, with food, music and crafts for kids.
Start and end every day the Jewish way. Teach the kids to say the Modeh Ani upon rising and the Sh’ma before bed, suggests Rabbi Micah Hyman, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Sholom in San Francisco.
Make nature your synagogue. “Any encounter with nature is an encounter with God,” observes Sharon Bernstein, cantor at San Francisco’s Congregation Sha’ar Zahav. During hikes, walks and other outdoor activities, say the Shehechiyanu with your kids or encourage them to make up their own blessings for the wonders in nature.
Get your tzedakah on. Many charitable organizations need volunteers during the summer months, so devote some free time to tzedakah, suggests Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan, spiritual leader and senior educator at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco.
Jewish Family and Children Services (www.jfcs.org) has volunteer opportunities for families, while the Friendship Circle (organized by Chabad in San Francisco and Palo Alto) gives teens in grades 8-12 the chance to get involved in community service (go to www.bayareafc.org).
Release your inner artist. Design theatrical costumes, learn gouache painting and create a miniature theater during “Family Spotlight Studios,” a series of art-making workshops (June 28, July 19 and Aug. 2) at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, for families with children 4 and older. There’s also a drop-in art-making program June 14, where you can make props for a subsequent sing-along and screening of “Fiddler on the Roof.”
The museum will also host “KIDS ONLY! Summer Art Spark,” a series of weeklong art-making sessions for children. The first session (June 22-26) features painting, sketching and three-dimensional art-making for ages 5 and 6 (there’s a session July 13-17 for ages 7 to 9 and Aug. 3-7 for ages 10 to 12). Call Heide Miller at (415) 655-7852 for details.
July
Celebrate independence. This Fourth of July, talk to your kids about the impact of Jewish ideas about freedom on American history, from the founding of the country through the civil rights movement.
Make your own movie. Aspiring filmmakers ages 15 to 19 can collaborate with professionals in the New Jewish Filmmaking Project (apply at www.njfp.org), a program of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. Completed films premiere during the festival and will later be shown at other venues nationally.
Go to the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (July 23 to Aug. 10). Tentatively scheduled this year is “Jewtoons,” a collection of animated short films from Israel and other countries, suitable for kids over 14. A Canadian film, “Victoria Day,” is also appropriate for older teens.
Have a Jewish movie night. If your kids are too young for the film festival, make some popcorn and rent classic movies with Jewish content (“The Frisco Kid,” “Yentl”) or Jewish stars (like the Marx Brothers or Mel Brooks).
Document your family history. Scan photos, documents and other family artifacts and create a digital album at the Memory Lab at the Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley (details at www.magnes.org/memorylab).
Learn about local Jewish history. Check out the Encyclopedia of San Francisco (www.sfhistoryencyclopedia.com/articles/j/jews.html), a project of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society, to learn more about famous San Francisco Jewish figures, institutions and neighborhoods from 1850 to the present.
Read Jewish comics. Visit “Rivington Street: Yiddish Culture in Comic Strips,” an exhibit of original strips by Joel Schechter and underground comics illustrator Spain Rodriguez (through July 26 at the BJE Jewish Community Library, www.bjesf.org/library). While you’re there, pick up a few good Jewish books.
August
Cheer for Jewish athletes. Watch as more than 1,000 Jewish teens from around the world compete in San Francisco in soccer, tennis, track and field, basketball and other events during the Maccabi Games (Aug. 2-7). Kids ages 12-16 can join the games as part of Team San Francisco (details at www.jccmaccabigames.org).
Take Judaism on vacation. Going on a road trip with young kids? Stock your car with Jewish music and story CDs, recommends Rabbi Camille Angel, spiritual leader of Congregation Sha’ar Zahav. Her musical favorites include Ya Elah (a women’s vocal music based in Jewish tradition), Metropolitan Klezmer and the Karen Segal Trio. She also recommends the audiobook “Joseph the Tailor and Other Tales” by Syd Lieberman.
Other good music picks include “Lift” by the Josh Nelson Project (rock), “Sing Shalom: Songs for the Jewish Holidays” by Peter and Ellen Allard (songs for young kids) and ”Refuge Rock Sublime,” an album of “Jewgrass” tunes by Mare Winningham. Or visit www.oysongs.com to buy individual songs and burn your own custom mix.
At your destination, visit Jewish museums, synagogues or other Jewish landmarks.
Create Jewish art. Dancers, artists, writers, actors and musicians entering grades 8-12 can express their creativity at the JCC Maccabi ArtsFest (Aug. 9-14, Orange County). Contact your local JCC to register.
Catch a baseball game. Aug. 27 is the San Francisco Giants’ Jewish Heritage Night. Nosh on peanuts and Cracker Jack, get a commemorative T-shirt and root for the home team with other members of the Tribe (to get in the mood ahead of time, listen to the Yiddish version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” on Mandy Patinkin’s “Mamaloshen” CD).
All summer long
Remember the Sabbath. If you count Shabbat, there are actually 13 holidays during the summer. That means plenty of time to relax with family and friends after enjoying the pleasures of what could turn out to be a very Jewish season after all.