Chavurot network carries Renewal spirit east of tunnel

They've got no regular place to worship, a rabbi who won't take charge and no source of revenue.

And that's just the way members of Contra Costa County's Shir Neshamah like it.

A collection of four chavurot that began forming two years ago, Shir Neshamah, Hebrew for "song of the soul," has attracted about two dozen families plus about 16 singles and couples. Participants say they've found a less structured and more spiritual Jewish community east of the Caldecott Tunnel than they encountered in traditional congregations.

"I decided there would be no money, no dues, no staff, no building," said Rabbi Sholom Groesberg, who serves as the unpaid mentor to each chavurah. "They're like children, each one has a different personality."

But there are strong similarities as well. Each group considers itself Jewish Renewal; the gatherings focus on meditation, music, dance and building a sense of community rather than a strict adherence to ritual or the details of running an organized synagogue.

Groesberg, 79, is helping each chavurah get off the ground with advice and information. But he says he has no interest in becoming a permanent spiritual leader.

"They're all autonomous and self directed," said Groesberg, who was ordained at age 64 after retiring from an engineering career.

The groups meet twice monthly at members' homes for Friday night Shabbat or Saturday morning services. To keep the gatherings intimate, each chavurah is limited to 10 families. When that number is reached, another group starts up.

Many members began as strangers. Now, some have taken excursions to the snow and are planning camping trips and regular get-togethers at the local swimming pool.

"The really wonderful thing is our kids don't feel isolated anymore," said Audrey Silverman Foote, who came up with the idea of forming the first chavurah along with her husband, Bruce Silverman, and Groesberg.

Residents of Pleasant Hill, Foote and her family had been traveling to the Aquarian Minyan in Berkeley for services but wanted a Jewish community closer to home. Three years ago, they put an ad in a newsletter seeking like-minded families, but the planning didn't begin until Groesberg saw the notice and called them.

"It's a miracle to me that it actually happened," Foote said.

Patti Liberman of Moraga says participants in her year-old Chavurah Gimmel are "like extended family."

Like most members of Shir Neshamah, Liberman was looking for a synagogue to join when she heard about the chavurah. "I was looking for a place to fit in and was really struggling because I found that most denominations were exclusive in some way or another," said Liberman, whose husband, Jim Rusk, is not Jewish.

"It isn't like a synagogue where you can kind of disappear or sit in the back," Liberman added. "You tend to look to the rabbi [and say], 'Tell us what to do.'" Groesberg "from Day 1 said, 'I'll get you started but I'm going to back off.' It forces you to take responsibility and do things you wouldn't do."

Whenever a member hosts a meeting, they're also expected to lead the service. "You have to research it, you have to decide," Liberman said. "It takes effort."

But that effort appears to be paying off. A free High Holy Days service put on by Shir Neshamah drew 130 people.

Deborah Rosen Kanofsky, who belongs to the original chavurah, remembers the panic of having to lead her first service. "Not only do you have to clean up your house and host a group of 30 people, but lead it," said the Pleasant Hill resident.

These days, Kanofsky's family looks forward to the gatherings, often organizing games like Jewish jeopardy or Jewish charades. Their chavurah has even hired a teacher and started a religious school for members' children. It meets weekly at Kanofsky's home.

"It's a very creative, hands-on experience," she says of the chavurah. Her daughters, ages 9 and 11, "loved it right off the bat. It's very celebratory."

The groups aren't without their conflicts and, over time, some families have dropped out.

Liberman says, "It's like a marriage, you never know what's going to happen."

Kanofsky acknowledges that her group has "had its ups and downs but, in general, it's one of the central parts of our lives now. We do a lot of fun things."

Jonathan Roselin of Concord says his family spent five years looking for a synagogue. He thinks they finally may have ended their search with Shir Neshamah's newest group, which formed in December. He described the chavurah as "very family-oriented, very welcoming."

Gatherings generally start with prayers and songs, followed by a special time for the children that often focuses on an upcoming holiday. Adults discuss a Torah portion and events in the news.

"It's always a very good feeling when we get together," Roselin says, "celebrating Shabbat the way it should be celebrated."