During the first shabbat I attended, the Rabbi noticed my new face immediately and I felt welcome…read more The shabbat service framed the next 24 hours so much that I truly rested and felt grateful for being Jewish. The synagogue offers a variety of activities, each night or event I've attended has been so different from any other. Friendly, warm and welcoming people.

Reconstructionist/renewal Judaism at its very finest. This lovely community repurposed an already…read moregorgeous women's club as a sanctuary, and seems to be growing mindfully to fill a need for worship and social justice in North Bay. Don't believe me, just log onto a (mixed presence or fully online) Friday night Shabbat service sometime!

If you are seeking a place to actually be yourself and explore your relationship to Judaism in a…read moresupportive, caring community, this is the shul you've been looking for. A warm, very very welcoming, diverse and interesting congregation calls this spot home. It's constructionist, progressive LGBTQI welcoming and one of the few places of any denomination that truly seems like a place where people are attempting to make a community based on love, spirituality and compassion. Come as you are -- everyone and his or her own relationship to Judaism, religion and Jewish services is invited. Whatever your reason for coming, there is someone else there with that reason too. Also, the music is absolutely lovely and gets better every year. And, get this -- services with a sense of humor! All here in the North Bay. Who would have guessed??! Check it out!

Wonderful experience ! So much to learn, but this is where I start. Rabbi is so welcoming and kind.read more

We attended services after calling last minute before a holiday and we were blown away by the…read moreauthenticity of the Rabbi and each and every member of the community. We were welcomed without the "religion" feeling that usually comes with worshiping environments, regardless of the house of worthsip. NO Judgement, Harshness, or ickiness. :) yeah. The service felt ancient and meaningful at the same time. The Rabbi gave a speech that I felt was imbued with a universal spiritual message but also maintained tradition. After services, they had a "kiddush", sponsored and paid for by a community member where everyone dined together. No one ever asked for money, no one cared if I was a millionaire or broke. It was so lovely and unlike anything I have felt in a long time. Each person I spoke to came to chabad from a different avenue and perspective. each person had their own "story" and also there own personality, which was not squelched in any way from being a part of a "religous" community. I would say that if you are looking for a spiritual path and your spirit craves nurturing and your soul some good old fashioned ancient connection, this is the ONLY place in town! PPS- this Address is WRONG. the CORRECT ADDRESS: is 2312 Bethards Dr # 2 Santa Rosa, CA 95405 (707) 577-0277 I think this is their current linke: www.jewishsonoma.com/ PPPS. I really want to move to this community...

Rabbi Steve was the perfect choice to officiate our wedding. We cannot recommend him enough…read more  He took the time to meet with us regularly, getting to know us and our relationship, guiding us with different options for our ceremony, and helping to craft our ceremony in a way that is personalized to us and the Jewish traditions that mean the most to us. We're so grateful he invited us up to his congregation for Shabbat. We were able to see him in his element, leading the service, and got more connected to our Jewish heritage.  All the rabbis we interviewed said we would fill out a questionnaire they would use to draft their script for the ceremony, but Rabbi Steve meticulously reviewed and incorporated our responses. After the ceremony ended, my husband and I both expressed how we felt Rabbi Steve talked about important traits that we didn't have time to cover in our vows. We filled in the gaps and helped to tell our story in such a beautiful way. His guidance for the ceremony was paramount. We were able to take the Jewish traditions and tailor them in a way that felt the most connected to us -- whether that was taking them as is, finding a modern interpretation, or finding a combination. I am not exaggerating when I tell you we heard from multiple people that our ceremony was the best, most authentic, meaningful wedding ceremonies they've ever had the pleasure of witnessing.  He went above and beyond in providing kippahs for the wedding ceremony, even allowing my husband to select a beautiful woven one from Israel for him to keep as a keepsake from the wedding. Rabbi Steve was a true professional on the day, bringing in the wisdom and Jewish traditions, supporting our union, while letting us and our love truly shine. Any couple working with him is incredibly lucky. Bonus tip, ask for his script after the wedding so you can revisit his beautiful words and keep them as part of your wedding day memories.

Rabbi Steve was an incredible blessing for us both. He guided us through the wedding process, was…read morecommunicative and offered strong support for us. Completely professional with the added value of his kindness and care that we needed as an interfaith couple, as an Israeli bride and an Indian groom. The jewish ceremony was right after the Hindu ceremony and he did a beautiful job in welcoming and highlighting both cultures and people during the ceremony. Definitely recommend to work with him!

I have visited quite a few churches in Sonoma County in search of a place that felt like home…read more Christian Family Fellowship is that place. Each Sunday morning you can expect to learn something new from God's Word. This church is committed to helping each person come to know, love and serve God through in depth Bible teaching and through their one on one discipleship ministry. If you are looking for good solid teaching and spiritual food to help you mature as a Christian in an atmosphere of love and fellowship, this is the right place to be.

It seems that truth, if the idea of truth is recognized at all, is a "wax nose" to be bent and…read moreformed into something that is palatable to the greatest number of people. But, as one observer notes, truth is inconvenient. Christians proclaim the truth revealed in God's Word of the good news of forgiveness of sin found only by faith in Jesus Christ. The message of only one way to God is often challenged as being "exclusive," and so it is; Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." If you believe in Christ for your salvation and want to confidently share the truth with those you love then you must understand the basic bible message of salvation by grace through faith in a way that is rational, factual, supportable, and understandable. That is how truth is proclaimed each week at Christian Family Fellowship. What I have been learning each week enables me to share Christ boldly, gently, and lovingly with those about whom I care. Check it out for yourself.

If you are looking for a new Church. Try the Orthodox Church of America. Here in Santa Rosa is one…read moreof the most beautiful Churches I have ever been too. St. Seraphim Orthodox Church. The Liturgy is in English. Most of the congregation are converts from Protestantism or Catholicism. Where they were not satisfied so their search brought them here. I have been all over the Country to many Churches and this one is a real gem. Don't miss out. Its an authentic Church in Christ filled with the Love of God and the Holy Spirit. "God became man so that man might become divine" The Orthodox Church teaches, that the transfiguration, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ are all what it truly means to be a Christian, that mankind is now seated on the very Throne of God Himself, and being in Christ means being seated there, too. The beauty of The Orthodox Church is that It is not a faith just for the "soul" or the "heart," but for the body. The Liturgy is like being in the presence of God him Self.

Protection of the Holy Virgin is a spectacular church off of the main drag in Santa Rosa…read more Currently, new frescoes are being written (since icons are written, not painted) within the dome. There are beautiful icons of the Trinity, angels, the elders at Optina Pustyn Monastery. It's an astounding panoply. The liturgy is mostly conducted in Russian (with the exception of the English homily). The newer church is named for St. Seraphim of Sarov, the Orthodox hermit who befriended bears and other woodland creatures in the Kursk wilderness. It's a pleasant spiritual refuge.