Members since 2004. We were immediately made to feel welcome on our first visit. Our kids…read moreattended religious school from K thru 12 and still keep in touch with their teachers. Beautiful building. Welcoming and inclusive congregation. Lots of fun and interesting programming with something for everyone. Happy to be part of this community.

Congreagation Sherith Israel is another congregation we had the pleasure of visiting the last time…read morewe were in San Francisco. Rabbi Jessica is a awesome and nice woman. We had the pleasure of introducing ourselves and talking about good things of our congregation back home. Lots of up and down stairs here inside the building. Parking structure is not bad either. Congregation Sherith Israel is a wonderful place, and beautiful place. People here are friendly and welcoming to all.

Thoroughly enjoyed the service here at this lovely synagogue. Beautiful music and friendly folks…read more Would definitely return. Recommended!

very welcoming. enjoy the community. cantor bernstein amazing voice. rabbi copeland very…read moreapproachable

Very friendly and outgoing people. The Rabbi is a dear! Not to mention her 'angelic' voice!read more

Lana is right about the setting at CBT. It is peaceful and understated with a beautiful big tree…read morethat you glimpse from the pews and that shades the sweet little outdoor amphitheater. Though more importantly to me, it is a welcoming community of friendly and down to earth people. Our family has made many good friends at CBT over the years. When we were "temple shopping" the friendly manner and helpfulness we encountered from the front office was an immediate plus. Adding to that, the Cantor has a beautiful voice, the Religious School Director is full of positive energy and the Rabbi always greets you with a smile (and usually by name). Though we have friends at several local synagogues, CBT feels like home to us.

This is a wonderful synagogue with a very compassionate rabbi. I love the music. The sermons are…read morefantastic. Will definitely go there for services again.

I go there to learn Argentine Tango on Tuesday nights from Leslie and Rich. The dancers are…read moreusually nice, I try to help newcomers.

This is an amazing place to discover and explore Judaism. It is the right place for you no matter…read morewhat your background is. The rabbi and his family are wonderful, and the whole community is welcoming to everyone. I grew up appreciating my culture, but with no real sense of what it all meant, and never really feeling in touch with the reformed movement my family was a apart of. Chabad brings the ancient texts, and mystical practices to life with inspiring and touching services, study groups, and get-togethers known as 'Farbrengens'. Who would have thought studying Torah and a little Stoli could be so fun... Also, Shabbat or any holiday with the Rabbi is an amazing experience I encourage you to try.

Most Synagogues that I have visited are nice and warm but among all the most impressive one by the…read morewarm, kindness and loving spirit of Judaism is in Noeh Valley. The greatest Rabbi and amazing family Potash are the best of the best when we view Tzadikim as if Gan Edem was next to us. There are not enough words to describe all the great feelings inspired by the Synagogue's Yiddischkait

I am still in disbelief that we found such a perfect temple for us! Take away the Judaism part, and…read morethis is still one of the most inclusive communities I have ever been a part of--the community here has totally brought new life into me after a few major life events. Sometimes it feels reminiscent of a really great cruise: all sorts of activities and events on the itinerary and there's always food around! ;-) My husband and I shopped around and went to a lot of different temples to get a feel of their communities, and we just kept wanting to come back here. I love how diverse this temple is, too--all faiths, all cultures, all skin colors, all beliefs--it's just simply the type of community I want my children to grow up in.

Very well organized programming, rich array of services, social activities etc but never felt very…read morewelcome so did not renew my membership after 1 year. As a newcomer I experienced a lot of clickishness, and a lack of feeling welcome at, for instance the oneg shabbats, which is where such bonding as a newcomer would take place. Interestingly I did witness, on a couple occasions, an AA person, who also appeared to be new or in process of considering whether to join, being shown great attention with a well organized welcomong committee response laying out the red carpet. I was also surprised to find one of the rabbis not to be very warm and friendly as was described in the other reviews. Whenever I saw her at an event and happened to make eye contact, her response was never warm and inviting. With such a large congregation I did not expect anything more than a smile or a hello but this did not happen-- not surprising however since this appears to be the cultural norm for Sinai's congregation as a whole. Now if I was a different demographic.... that might have made a difference!

I have visited Beth Emek a few times, since my daughters were first invited to visit while…read moreattending Sunday School at a neighboring Unitarian Universalist church, as part of an interfaith effort to help young people experience faiths other than their own. Toward this same intent, I have attended a couple of times on my own. They have always been welcoming. Friday night was more oriented toward inclusion than Saturday morning, which attendees told me and I experienced. Saturday had more language that I didn't understand. On Friday, a couple of ladies invited me to join the choir. On Saturday, I joined the lunch after service, when the Rabbi sat next to me, included me in conversation and invited me to return, adding that I would always be welcome.

I sat down on the bench. Lady came out within 30 seconds to kick me off the property. Then proceeds…read moreto call in a police squad car after I had already left the premises. I see it as poor hospitality / unhappy staff. I would not bring my children here.

My wife and I became members of Beth Sholom in 2010. I was drawn to the shul because of Rabbi Micah…read moreHyman's energy and enthusiasm, and my wife, raised in a Reform congregation, was impressed by the haimish-ness of the community. Both of us were delighted that the liturgy was in Hebrew and the services were led without instruments. (I suppose we're old school that way...but there are musical services available for folks who are into that sort of thing which, unfortunately for my wife and me, seems to be most people!) In 2012, Rabbi Hyman presided over our marriage, and many of our friends and family still talk about Rabbi Hyman being one of the best officiants they'd had the pleasure of meeting/experiencing. We're biased....but we agree! :) As a Jew who strongly identifies with the thoughtful philosophy of the Conservative movement, I'm proud of the fact that Beth Sholom has been a trailblazing congregation within the stream (e.g., setting a particularly fine example with respect to gender and sexuality considerations). And although I generally prefer to daven at home, I'm also proud that Beth Sholom provides daily shacharit and mincha minyanim. When I do attend a weekday mincha service, I often see out-of-towners who have landed at Beth Sholom to say kaddish. That's no small thing...klal Yisrael, so to speak. With a terrific new rabbi leading the congregation and a new Executive Director at the institutional helm, I feel Beth Sholom's future is bright.

I went to Beth Sholom for Yom Kippur services last year. I found the congregation extremely…read morefriendly and welcoming, and the service was excellent. The congregation is multi-ethnic, which is important to me because I come from a mixed family. The service was traditional - lots of people reciting hebrew at different places, and at one point the children's service got out early so there were kids running around. That's what a jewish holiday service should be - the focus was on the religion and our moral code, not on formalities or formalisms.

I recently moved to Alameda and although I am not an observant Jew or a very religious person I…read morehave my rituals firmly planted since childhood, One of them is lighting the Hanukkah menorah. I was unable to find candles in the usual stores so I called the local synagogue to see if they could suggest where I could purchase them. The Rabbi answered the phone and when I asked him my question he responded by saying that if I could get there in 15 minutes he would give me a box. I made it in the allotted time and scored my candles. Nice touch for the holiday. I am not sure if I will attend services but the experience gave me a nice feeling.

I have been a member of Temple Israel since 2007. I am a part of an interfaith family raising our…read moredaughter Jewish and there are serveral other interfaith families at Temple Israel (in fact over half are interfaith families). I grew up at Temple Israel and am a 4th generation member. It has many multi-generational families as members so this place must be special. Temple Israel is a Reform congregation and is the only Jewish synagogue in Alameda. It has 130 families as members so there really is a chance to get to know everyone in this congregation. This year, 2010, Temple Israel is celebrating it's 90th Anniversary. Quite an accomplishment! The temple offers several programs, mostly geared towards families, such as Tot Shabbat (shortened Friday night service for little ones once a month), Little Latkes Playgroup (Thursday afternoon playgroup for children age zero through 4), Religious and Hebrew Schools, and for adults there's the fun Jewish Chef Series, Jewish Film Series, a Women's Seder during Passover, several other seders and congregation-wide potlucks observing other holidays, picnics, and a ton of other programming for children and their families that you can learn more about on the website. Like all places of worship, it's not perfect, but it has something for everyone in addition to regular services. There is room to grow here and a chance to become involved in the Jewish community instantly. I'm glad I joined and am active in the congregation. Come check it out!

CBI is probably the best synagogue in the San Francisco Bay Area. Welcoming, friendly and…read moreenergetic. Come visit for a Shabbat and you'll see for yourself: you'll get a "CBI Shabbat welcome" and hosted meals for Friday night and Shabbat day. Kiddush is usually scrumptious - essentially a mini lunch with crackers, dips, vegetables, table wine and often cooked food too. Compared to most Orthodox Jewish communities, this synagogue is more egalitarian and women-friendly. They have womens prayer services and Torah readings, an accessible mechitza and a Maharat (along with the Rabbi). It's really a place where everyone can feel welcome regardless of background, religious level or gender.

Beth Israel is a super welcoming modern orthodox shul, someone found me a seat right away even…read morethough the shul was very crowded. The Rabbis speak very nicely and I liked the fact that the women get to take out the torah and parade it around their section - unlike many modern orthodox shuls, Beth Israel is a bit on the progressive and open side and I like that. They also had a very nice kiddush in honor of a Bar Mitzvah afterward and people at the kiddush were quick notice me as a guest and come over for a friendly chat.