Congregation Emanu-El

Our Tikkun Leil Shavuot lineup is here! 🙌 Join us next week on Thursday, May 21st for our family program at 5:30 p.m. followed by breakout adult learning sessions from 7:00 p.m. until late! And yes, there will be cheese boards and cheesecake 😋🧀 Visit the link in our bio for details and registration.

We are proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 EarlyJ Impact Award: Nika Greenberg, Senior Director of Early Education at @congregationemanuel , and Heidi Kallen, Educator and Gardening Specialist at @ganilanpreschool at Temple Isaiah. The Impact Award celebrates Jewish early childhood professionals who bring passion, creativity, and purpose to shaping the future of our communities. Nika and Heidi truly embody these qualities. Through Nika’s visionary leadership and Heidi’s dedication in the classroom, they each play a vital role in creating meaningful, enriching experiences for children and families at the very start of their Jewish journeys. As part of this award, we are thrilled to provide a $10,000 personal prize to each honoree, along with a $5,000 award to each of their preschools to support a new initiative of their choosing. We are honored to celebrate their achievements and look forward to continuing to uplift their work, while recognizing the essential role that Jewish early childhood educators play in building and sustaining vibrant Jewish communities. See here to read more about why our Impact Award Committee selected Nika and Heidi: https://mailchi.mp/earlyj/2026-impact-award-recipients

In partnership with Rhoda Goldman Plaza, we present a Lunch & Learn with American comedic autobiographical monologist Josh Kornbluth. He will be performing Citizen Brain, an outstanding piece that explores the intersection of brain science and social justice—think empathy, ageism, loneliness, othering and belonging, and ideological extremism. We will also be taking a tour of the lovely Rhoda Goldman Plaza campus and eating lunch together. Learn more and register at emanuelsf.org.

Join Emanu-El on Thursday, April 9 for a timely conversation about the ongoing situation in Iran with writer and commentator Roya Hakakian. Roya Hakakian is an Iranian-American Jewish writer, journalist, and commentator whose work explores exile, political and religious persecution, and the struggle for freedom under authoritarianism. Born in Tehran, she is the author of "Journey from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran," "Assassins of the Turquoise Palace," and "A Beginner’s Guide to America." Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and on NPR, and she is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. Learn more and register at emanuelsf.org.

Nas Daily @nasdaily , the Israeli Palestinian social media entrepreneur whose short videos have been viewed roughly 20 billion times, apparently has as many critics as he has fans. “Every time I say Israel, I lose followers,” he’s fond of saying. But as he said repeatedly in his appearance Thursday night at @congregationemanuel in San Francisco, if he only posted what people wanted to see, he wouldn’t be true to his mission: harnessing the power of social media to bring people together, particularly in his native Middle East. “There’s content that destroys, and there’s content that builds,” he told the crowd that packed Emanu-El’s sanctuary. Describing a hypothetical video showing a Jewish person in Israel behaving badly, he said it can get 10 million views in one day on TikTok and destroy 10 million people’s perception of Israel. “It takes 10 seconds to destroy something and 10 years to build it back. So we need to make a lot more [positive] content to counter the destructive kind.” Read the story by editor emerita Sue Fishkoff at the link in bio. Photos by staff photographer @aaron_levywolins .

This Thursday, Congregation Emanu-El and Stand With Us Northern California are pleased to present a conversation with digital storyteller @nasdaily and author and activist @aija . Nuseir Yassin, the creator of Nas Daily, has built one of the largest educational storytelling platforms online, reaching more than 60 million followers across social media and billions of video views worldwide. Together, Nuseir and Aija will explore how storytelling and digital media can be powerful tools in confronting antisemitism and building understanding across communities. Learn more and register at emanuelsf.org.

After over a decade of planning and hard work, the renovation of @congregationemanuel of San Francisco is complete! Plant's scope of work included the demolition and reconstruction of the existing courtyard and basement, new gathering spaces and offices, a new lobby, repositioning and improvement of the preschool classrooms and play areas, and seismic strengthening. A big thanks to our design and trade partners, including the congregation, @markcavagneroassociates , @pageturnbull , @arupgroup , @kpff_sf , @arbmechanical , @avantirestaurantsolutions , @biggecrane , @coffmanengineers , @daleysdrywall , @degenkolbengineers , @dolanconcreteconstruction , @eocengineers , @florianindustries , @groundcontrol_inc , @huntmasonryinc Inc, @kone_corporation , @mcguireandhester , @millercolandscapearchitects , @nga_foodservice_consultants , @olsonsteelofficial , @pacificsteelgroup , @point1electrical , @pribussengineering , @sghengineering , @syskahennessy , @teecomexperience , and everyone else involved for their strong collaboration throughout delivery. Mazel tov to the entire team on a successful delivery. Here’s to another 100 years! #construction #renovation #sanfrancisco

Join us this Tuesday for the most impactful musical event of the season! Our "extended family” of gifted and beloved cantors from around the country will present an evening of music, exploring transformation and evolution: in our lives, relationships, seasons and our world. Koleinu is part of the Cantors Concert series and is funded in part by Ingrid D. Tauber and Frank Taforo.

The San Francisco Interfaith Council is holding a prayer service and vigil to honor Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and to pray for peace for all Minnesotans. Today at Third Baptist Church, you are invited to join San Francisco Interfaith Council faith leaders with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Kevin Mullin as we gather with our San Francisco neighbors in pursuit of justice. Please arrive by 4:15 pm. Congregation Emanu-El stands with the SF Interfaith Council, and we hope you will join us in our demand for change.

In this week's special episode of the Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester podcast, "In Such a Time", I sit with my former classmate and colleague Ryan Bauer, Senior Rabbi of Congregation Emanu-El of San Francisco, to discuss the differences and similarities between east and west coast Judaism. Enjoy! /episode/57PdFCXbcaFUEgv0N8E0s1?si=umRAiKnvS2GGSQMIy-fGag&t=0

Highlights from BerKalit on TOUR!! 10 shows in 11 days across 4 cities!! Thank you @congregationemanuel , @bethsholomsf , Congregation Beth Jacob, and @templeisaiahla for warmly welcoming us into your beautiful communities and adding your voices to the harmonies to bring in so much light❤️ Swipe to the end to see some of our best tour promo yet😎

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, January 19. The day before, we hope you can join us for a heartwarming, moving, awesome day with our friends at Third Baptist Church. We’ll enjoy a service, luncheon, and then head to a local ice cream shop to debrief and get to know one another. Learn more and register through the link in our bio ♥️