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
Dates to be announced
Rabbi Ed Feinstein
Teacher, pastor and visionary leader of Valley Beth Sholom, California
February 27 – 28, 2026
Kabbalat Shabbat / Morning Shabbat / Havdalah
Parashat Tetzaveh
Rabbi Mishael Zion
Founder of Kehillat Klausner in Jerusalem & Founding Director of the Mandel Leadership Institute’s Program for Leadership in Jewish Culture
March 13 – 14, 2026
Parashat Vayakhel-Pekudei
הַחֹ֧דֶשׁ הַזֶּ֛ה לָכֶ֖ם רֹ֣אשׁ חֳדָשִׁ֑ים
This month is the first month for you: Entering Jewish Time
Taught by Rabbi Noa Kushner & Hazzan Asher Shasho Levy
Begins Wednesday, January 28th and ends with Shavuot
The Kitchen Office — 2601 Mission Street, Suite 201, San Francisco, CA
While God famously tells Abraham to leave the place he knows, and go “to a land I will show you,” God begins and sustains creation with sacred time, only adding more foundational, holy zemanim (times) as our collective story continues. This is because we connect to God (and each other) through Jewish time. Join Rabbi Noa and Hazzan Asher as we explore what it means to be Jewish through the lens of holy time: Intergenerational, calendrical, seasonal, lunar, mythic, weekly, daily and ritual, that is, moment to moment. As always, we promise to bring you the best texts and melodies we can possibly find.
This class is appropriate for both seasoned and introductory students.
Sessions are primarily on Wednesday evenings, 7:00–8:30 PM, with additional immersive weekends and holiday gatherings throughout the semester.
Classes & Workshops
Class Dates
January
Jan 28
February
Feb 6–8 — The Kitchen Escape
Feb 11, 18, 25
Feb 26–27 — Shabbat with guest Rabbi Ed Feinstein
March
Mar 3 — Purim
Mar 13–14 — with guest Rabbi Mishael Zion
Mar 18, 25
April
Apr 2 — Passover Shabbat Morning
Apr 8 — Last Day of Passover
Apr 15, 22, 29
May
May 8–11 — The Kitchen Conference
May 13
May 21 — Erev Shavuot
May 22 — Shavuot Morning
Exclusively for Kitchen members
Included in Kitchen Membership
Intro to Hebrew
Taught by Kitchen-ite Karla Suomala, PhD
Mondays, 6:30-7:30 PM
February 2, 9, 23 | March 9, 16, 23 | April 6, 13, 27 | May 4, 11, 18
The Kitchen Office — 2601 Mission Street, Suite 201
San Francisco, CA
Trying to read and understand the Siddur during services can be overwhelming. This course introduces the foundations of Hebrew as it appears in the Siddur, including letter and vowel recognition, essential prayer grammar, high-frequency vocabulary, and effective reading strategies. The ultimate goal is more meaningful participation in services. The class is designed so students can join at any time.
Exclusively for Kitchen members
Included in Kitchen Membership
Meet the Rabbis: Mishnah, Talmud, and Midrash
Taught by Kitchen-ite Karla Suomala, PhD
Mondays, 7:30-8:30 PM
February 2, 9, 23 | March 9, 16, 23 | April 6, 13, 27 | May 4, 11, 18
The Kitchen Office — 2601 Mission Street, Suite 201
San Francisco, CA
Ever wonder what Mishnah, Talmud, or Midrash are or why they are at the center of Jewish life and tradition? In this class, we’ll dig into the foundations of rabbinic literature and get to know the rabbis whose voices show up in Shabbat drashim. Whether you’re brand new or brushing up, this is a welcoming, curious, and yes — fun — way to deepen your connection to the learning that shapes our community.
Exclusively for Kitchen members
Included in Kitchen Membership
About Karla Suomala
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 Kitchen-ites studying Jewish texts.
Sepharadi & Ashkenazi Taámim Workshop
Taught by Hazzan Asher Shasho Levy
Coordinate directly with Hazzan Asher for a date & time
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. Schedule a session with Hazzan Asher Shasho Levy and 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
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