Spiritual Fitness / כושר רוחני
Adult Education at The Kitchen
Rabbi Yosef Goldman
Announcing The Kitchen’s First Fellow in Sepharadi & Ashkenazi Hazzanut
We are thrilled to welcome The Kitchen’s first Senior Rabbinic Fellow in Sepharadi and Ashkenazi Hazzanut, Rabbi Yosef Goldman. Ordained from JTS in 2013, Rabbi Yosef is already a recognized leader and accomplished musician, with recorded albums of original work and experience leading congregations as both a rabbi and hazzan. He has taught and led communities in every Jewish movement and is most recently a teacher of piyyut at the Hebrew Union College. He is also co-founder of Kedmah, a musical-educational project reviving Sephardi and Mizrahi piyyutim through participatory concerts, workshops, and communal learning. Raised in both the Sepharadi and Ashkenazi traditions, R. Yosef’s interest in deepening his relationship with the Kitchen and learning from our way of bringing Shabbat into the world is also our zechut / honor. We pray that with God’s help, our efforts together will be fruitful.
Rabbi Yosef Goldman will joining us for the following Shabbaton:
November 14 & 15
January 9 & 10
February 13 & 14
March 20 & 21
April 24 & 25
May 8 & 9 — The Kitchen’s 2nd Annual International Conference for Sepharadi and Ashkenazi Leaders
Shabbat Guests & Teachers
We are overjoyed to welcome friends, near and far, as our honored guests, teaching us over shabbat this year, connecting Torah to our lives right now.
Rabba Mor Shimonie
Kitchen's own Director
of Family Education
October 24, 2025
Parashat Noach
December 5, 2025
Parashat Vayishlach
Rabbi Ed Feinstein
Teacher, pastor and visionary leader of Valley Beth Sholom, California
February 27 & 28, 2026
Parashat Tetzaveh
Classes & Workshops
Starting late October 2025/5786, the very best teachers we know, Kitchen-ites and our own staff, are bringing their knowledge and expertise to our community. Check out the lineup below.
Angel's Touch
The Untold Origins of the Children of Israel
Taught by Kitchen-ite Yaron Milgrom
Tuesdays, 7:00–8:30 PM
Oct 28; Nov 4, 11, 18; Dec 2, 9, 16
The Kitchen Office — 2601 Mission Street, Suite 201, San Francisco, CA
The nature of Jacob’s encounter at the ford of Jabbok – often referred to as “Jacob wrestling with an angel” – is among the great mysteries of Genesis. From rabbinic interpretations to medieval commentators to modern biblical scholars, none (but one) have offered a compelling reading nor an explanation for why this scene announces the beginning of the Children of Israel. Abraham Ibn Ezra (c. 1090 - c. 1165) rejected the received wisdom that the angel injured Jacob’s hip and presented three clues to understand the true nature of this encounter (Spoiler: Jacob and the Angel did not actually wrestle and it’s not about the hip). In this class, via the first decoding of Ibn Ezra’s clues, we will reveal not only the proper reading of these difficult verses but also how our understanding the origin of the children of Israel informs the entire epic of Genesis and Exodus.
Yaron Milgrom nearly received his doctorate in Medieval Jewish Mysticism from New York University before falling in love with the Bay Area and its produce. He still reads a lot of Torah and sometimes chants it at The Kitchen (less often than his kids). This class (and the forthcoming book) is the result of preparing Rimon, his daughter, for her Bat Mitzvah.
Exclusively for Kitchen members
Included in Kitchen Membership
Wrestling with R’ Nachman
Torah for a Broken World
Taught by Rabba Mor Shimonie
Wednesdays, 6:00–7:30 PM
Oct 29; Nov 5, 12; Dec 3, 10
The Firehouse — Anne Germanacos’ studio space in Cole Valley
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810) was a chassidic mystic, rabbi, and radical storyteller who looked directly at the cracks of modern life. In the midst of the 18th century’s great fracture — Enlightenment, secularization, and the collapse of religious certainty — he spoke to the struggles that still define our age: loneliness, doubt, alienation, despair, fragmentation, and the endless search for meaning.
In his teachings and his strange, multi-layered stories, R’ Nachman offers not a system or a dogma, but stories, fragments, and paradoxes. Not solutions but ways to wrestle: to live with paradox, to find sparks of purpose, to walk the “very narrow bridge” of existence. This 5-part series will dive into his Torah and tales as tools for confronting post-modern questions head-on.
Learn more about Rabba Mor Shimonie here
Included in Kitchen Membership
Non-members — $100
Talmud, Community, & Holiness — Exploring the Tradition with Levinas
Taught by Kitchen-ite Todd Asher Ormsbee, PhD
Thursdays, 7:00–8:30 PM
Nov 6, 13, 20; Dec 4, 11
The Kitchen Office — 2601 Mission Street, Suite 201, San Francisco, CA
Emmanuel Levinas built a modern way of reading and interpreting Talmud based in the ancient traditions created by our Sages. Levinas read Talmud to find the deeper spiritual core of our tradition; he believed that engaging with a text in communities of readers was the foundation of our continuity as a people and of our Jewish way of being in the world. Continuing what we started last spring, this fall we will explore a new section of Talmud together, bringing our own insights and questions into conversation with Levinas’ read of the Sages.
A note from Todd on the course: It would be very helpful to have a foundational knowledge of Talmud and Torah for this course. If you’re unsure if this Talmud & Levinas discussion and study series is right for you, let’s talk!
Learn more about Todd Asher Ormsbee here
Exclusively for Kitchen members
Included in Kitchen Membership
Back to the Sources: Starting with TaNaKh
Taught by Kitchen-ite Karla Suomala, PhD
Mondays, 7:30-8:30 PM
Oct 27; Nov 3, 10, 17, 24; Dec 1, 8
The Kitchen Office — 2601 Mission Street, Suite 201, San Francisco, CA
Join us for a 7-session journey into the TaNaKh — Torah, Prophets, and Writings — the foundation of Jewish life and identity. Together we’ll explore its origins, structure, and stories, asking how Torah shapes a people, how the Prophets call us to justice, and how the Writings give voice to faith and reflection. Whether these texts are familiar or new, you’ll discover fresh ways to connect with our tradition and its enduring meaning today.
Karla Suomala earned her PhD from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute on Religion and before moving to the Bay Area, she was a religious studies professor, teaching a wide range of courses in Judaic studies and Hebrew Bible. She has continued this work in community and academic settings, particularly in adult education programs focused on making Jewish tradition accessible to diverse learners. Today, she is also a tech consultant working to bridge the digital divide for older adults and people with disabilities. Karla can’t think of anything more exciting than spending time with Kitchenites studying Jewish texts.
Exclusively for Kitchen members
Included in Kitchen Membership
Introductory Hebrew
Taught by Kitchen-ite Karla Suomala, PhD
Mondays, 6:15–7:15 PM
Oct 27; Nov 3, 10, 17, 24; Dec 1, 8
The Kitchen Office — 2601 Mission Street, Suite 201, San Francisco, CA
This 7-session course in the Fall is designed for adults who want to feel more at home both in the Hebrew of the Siddur and in basic Modern Hebrew for conversation and reading. Together we’ll build the tools to approach Hebrew in two living contexts: the language of Jewish prayer and today’s spoken Hebrew.
Karla Suomala earned her PhD from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute on Religion and before moving to the Bay Area, she was a religious studies professor, teaching a wide range of courses in Judaic studies and Hebrew Bible. She has continued this work in community and academic settings, particularly in adult education programs focused on making Jewish tradition accessible to diverse learners. Today, she is also a tech consultant working to bridge the digital divide for older adults and people with disabilities. Karla can’t think of anything more exciting than spending time with Kitchenites studying Jewish texts.
Exclusively for Kitchen members
Included in Kitchen Membership
Hebrew Club
Taught by Merav Rozenblum & Rabba Mor Shimonie
Wednesdays, 7:30-8:45 PM
Oct 29; Nov 5, 19; Dec 3, 10, 17
The Firehouse — Anne Germanacos’ studio space in Cole Valley
Picture this: a cozy, relaxed space where Hebrew flows as easily as wine, led by a brilliant teacher who makes learning fun. If you’ve dabbled in Hebrew before and want to level up, this is where it’s at.
This isn’t your typical Hebrew class — it’s a vibrant, engaging experience. Each session kicks off with a lively, thought-provoking discussion led by our incredible teacher. From there, it’s all about conversation — entirely in Hebrew! You’ll chat with two partners each week: one whose Hebrew is stronger (so you can soak it all in) and one whose Hebrew isn’t as strong (so you can share what you’ve got).
No lectures. No pressure. Just pure Hebrew fun. This is a conversational club and not a language instruction class, while every level is welcome, you’ll be most comfortable if you can speak basic conversational Hebrew.
Merav Rosenblum has spent nearly 30 years teaching Hebrew to adults and teens around the world — from Jerusalem to Moscow, Madrid to San Francisco. She currently teaches at the Jewish Community High School of the Bay and Ulpan USF, and she’s a skilled translator and interpreter. Her teaching style? Warm, approachable, and endlessly energizing. Hebrew doesn’t just get taught — it comes alive.
Kitchen Members — $50 for the entire series,
$10 for single session
Non-Members — $100 for the entire series,
$20 for single session
Sepharadi & Ashkenazi Taámim / Trope Drop In Clinic
Taught by Hazzan Asher Shasho Levy
Thursdays, 3:00-4:00 PM
Oct 30; Nov 6, 13, 20; Dec 4, 11
The Kitchen Office — 2601 Mission Street, Suite 201, San Francisco, CA
Has it been a while since you chanted torah? Want to learn from the beginning or brush up? Stop by our drop-in series to learn or relearn how to chant torah in the Sepharadi and Ashkenazi traditions. No matter your level of chanting — you do need to know how to read Hebrew letters and Torah — we’ll work on the system of pronunciations and cantillation/trope marks that create the melodies and how they relate to the text of the torah. After this course, you’ll be able to chant sections of the torah without vowels or cantillation marks, i.e., it’ll be no sweat when the gabbai calls you up to read torah on Saturday mornings.
Learn more about Hazzan Asher Shasho Levy here.
Exclusively for Kitchen members
Included in Kitchen Membership
Coming soon
Making Mom’s Mahmoul: Baking as a Remembrance of Home — A Hands on Workshop offering Traditions in Syrian Baking
Taught by Kitchen-ite Nina Safdie
Date & Location to be announced
Taught by Kitchen-ite and accomplished baker, Nina Safdie, this session will offer participants a chance to learn how to bake a Mahmoul, a delicious, cookie originating from Syria. Once baked, we'll enjoy some on site and also bake enough to providefor our community, adding to the sweetness of our Shabbat on the following Friday night.
Registration coming soon.
The Kitchen is known for pushing boundaries, and our project of creating a third edition of our Siddur is no different. This spiritual guidebook will be the first ever in North America to include an integration of Sephardi and Ashkenazi prayers into a single nusach.
Text arrangement, translation + transliteration by Leora Koller-Fox & Hazzan Asher Shasho Levy
Editing by Hazzan Asher Shasho Levy & Rabbi Noa Kushner
Designed by Chen Blume