In the living room, the talk is about an upcoming panel on gay marriage and an event focused around sweatshop labor.
In a bedroom, young Jews are being recruited to go on trips to El Salvador and India, while money is being raised for the genocide in Darfur.
And now, the same house has a spiritual bent as well — with the desks pushed aside and the couches moved in, it will host Shabbat dinners on the occasional Friday night for the unaffiliated. The next one is scheduled for Friday, July 7.
Liberty Street in El Cerrito now serves as headquarters to three Jewish organizations: Progressive Jewish Alliance, American Jewish World Service and a new Jewish startup called JGate.
“We wanted to go in on office space with other small Jewish organizations that needed space, but couldn’t manage regular rates,” said Rachel Biale, PJA’s regional director. “So AJWS was our most natural ally because we complement each other’s work.”
Through networking, the two organizations found out about Rabbi Bridget Wynne, who was starting up JGate, an organization meant to serve Jews who are interested in exploring their Judaism in a setting much less formal than a synagogue.
“It seemed like a particularly good fit because it’s a homey house, and it doesn’t have the barriers of institutional settings, which is what she was looking for,” said Biale.
Wynne agrees that having a house at her disposal is just perfect for the launch of JGate.
A rabbi who has worked both in congregational settings and teaching and performing independent lifecycle events, Wynne has met a lot of people who have been turned off to Judaism in their youth. And then there are those who have one Jewish parent and little background, and are afraid of being judged for what they don’t know.
She counts herself among them, as her father is not Jewish, and she grew up with no Jewish background at all.
“It was only as an adult that I got curious enough to check out organized religion,” she said. As a woman who had never seen a woman rabbi, the product of a mixed marriage with little-to-no Jewish background, and a lesbian, she said, “I had to go through various barriers to find parts of Judaism that spoke to me … I am especially sensitive to people who have to struggle to find their way into the tradition, and that’s why I’m passionate about this work.”
Her sense is that there are many people who could potentially be looking for a way back, but feel that a synagogue isn’t necessarily the right route. Additionally, she said, there is little in the way of Jewish outreach that is progressive in outlook, or that teaches a way to be Jewish other than Orthodoxy.
Wynne hopes to create a safe environment where people can encounter Judaism without having to make a more long-term commitment.
The rabbi believes that Shabbat dinners are among the most accessible of Jewish observances, which is why the house is a perfect venue.
“I also want to offer learning experiences that are accessible,” she said, as well as “things that are easy to come to and try out, without any particular commitment.”
The learning programs that Wynne speaks about are sessions on what Judaism has to say about immigration, say, or other issues of the day, which is why she feels she will benefit by sharing space with PJA and AJWS, as the constituents of both are active on a number of different social issues.
“The excitement of people when they find something so incredibly meaningful in their lives is so satisfying to me,” said Wynne, “to be able to help open a door for them.”
Information: (510) 559-8140 or (510) 839-2900 ext. 347 or email [email protected].