Synagogues and Jewish journeys galore! Workshop 3, Cohort 18

Today’s workshop was all about different sects of Judaism and how they are represented in San Francisco. We began our afternoon at Congregation Emanu-El, the largest reform synagogue in San Francisco.  We received a tour of the temple from Ariana Estoque. I have been going to Emanu- El for over ten years and never knew the fascinating facts Ariana shared with us. It gave me a new appreciation for the temple and all the time the builders and founders spent constructing the temple. 

We then walked to Beth Shalom a conservative temple and received a tour from Angel Alvarez-Mapp. It was interesting seeing Emanu-El, a traditionally build, but reform temple compared to Beth Shalom, a very modern building, but a conservative temple.

Lastly we heard from Rabbi David Lazar, a conservative rabbi who lives in Israel. Rabbi Lazar’s story is a very unique one and it was an honor listening to him. He was not only engaging, funny and insightful, he was relatable, a characteristic sometimes hard for teenagers to find in rabbis.

Overall it was a great afternoon and I’m looking forward to more worships in  the future.

–Aidan Lisker cohort 18