Grape Jews

Saturday, July 5 at 9:30 AM at CBS

Potluck Dairy Kiddush - Lunch follows the Services

Forgiveness and Healing Across Faith Traditions
An Interfaith Symposium

Sunday July 20th at 4pm
Congregation Beth Sholom
Donations requested & refreshments served
For More Information:
707-253-7305

When my wife and I first moved to Napa in the 90’s we quickly discovered that the Valley was inhabited with Jews of all sorts. There was not really an interest on our part to get involved with Congregation Beth Sholom (CBS) at the time even thought Rabbi White was someone I grew up with since he was the uncle of my best friend in High School. Rabbi White even grew up in the same youth movement as I did (Young Judaea) and much of his service was familiar to me in style and conten,t yet because of our age and our focus, (career and each other) we were not out searching for spirituality. Overtime marriage and children became the impetus for our searching out spirituality - Rabbi White married us and our first born (a boy) had his Pidyon Haben at CBS.

Still there was a part of me that was not keen to be a part of an institutional Judaism. I had basically grown up in the “Conservative System” and felt like it had stripped much of what it could have offered up in the form of spirituality. My wife and I were looking for something else - something that was created and run by the participants. There were other like minded Jews in Napa, those that felt like CBS was not the place for them or that they needed some supplement to what CBS had to offer. The model we used was simple - we met once a month at each other’s homes for Friday Night services and a potlock and whomever was the hosting the service lead it (with everyone chipping in as best we could). Read the rest of this entry →

A Tibetan Buddhist Rinpoche (Precious Teacher) connected to the Vajrayana teachings (Red Hat Buddhist) and a great spiritual master of Tantric Buddhism will give blessings and teachings on a rare visit to the US.

Transforming Negative Emotions
2 - 4 pm
Ubuntu Restaurant & Yoga Studio
1140 Main Street, Napa 94559

Forgiveness - The Key to Resiliency
7 - 9 pm
Congregation Beth Sholom
1455 Elm Street, Napa 9455

Sponsored by Janna Waldinger & Lowell Downey
Call to reserve space (707) 257-1166 or email: artclarity@aol.com

Download the PDF of the Event here.

Come celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of Jesse Barush’s Bar Mitzvah

With Roy, Sue, Jesse and Ben on Saturday, June 7 at 9:30 A.M. Traditional Minyan at CBS. Potluck (dairy) Kiddush lunch will follow the service. Everyone is welcome.

Please join the Traditional Minyan at:

Shabbat morning services - Saturday, June 7 at 9:30 A.M. (Congregation Beth Sholom)

Services followed by potluck dairy Kiddush lunch - Families are welcome!

I will be rotating the images I put on the homepage of Grapejews.com. Send me your photo’s and I will make sure to post them! Please note I will have to crop them to 729 pixels wide and 90 pixels high to get them to fit the area on the homepage. If your picture are interesting enough I will make a Gallery of them. The current picture on the homepage is from a southwest facing view from Westwood Hills looking toward the Carneros Region of the Napa Valley.

Thanks

Louis

Since I launched grapejews.com a few weeks ago, I have for the most part been focused on posting local event information, but I hope from time to time to write about my experiences “Being Jewish” and in particular about “Being Jewish in the Napa Valley”. I think it only fair though that I properly introduce myself and give you some background information about where I am coming from - from a “Jewish Perspective”. I am hoping that you all will do the same, by commenting on this post, and together we can build up a little virtual community for discussion.

This post will focus on my non-voluntary Jewish background. To clarify when I say non-voluntary it might be better stated that it was “parent steered”. Later posts will focus on the twists and turns that my “Being Jewish” has taken since moving, marrying and raising kids in the Napa Valley. My intent is to start a running dialog on the joys and struggles about Being Jewish in the Napa Valley.

Read the rest of this entry →

The final event for the Women’s Circle 2008 is coming up next week:

“When Heaven Touched Earth”

Enjoy a hands-on demonstration of the art of Flower Arranging, in honor of the Holiday of Shavuot. Find out how flowers are linked to the holiday, and more.

Monday, June 2, 2008, 7:00p.m.
at Garaventa’s Florist & Gifts
851 Lincoln Ave.

Reservations are a must! We need an exact count.

707.320.2348 or email Chana@JewishNapa.com

Zoe was nice enough to share a photo gallery she created of various events that happen at Congregation Beth Sholom. It is worth taking a peek - she did a great job capturing the feeling and atmosphere of these events.

http://gallery.mac.com/zoekahn18/100048

Thanks Zoe!