Renewal rabbi to lead Sonoma Shabbaton

Rabbi Shefa Gold, a leading figure in the Jewish Renewal movement, will lead a Shabbaton at Congregation Ner Shalom, a Reconstructionist synagogue in Cotati. The event, which is open to the public, begins Jan. 29 and runs through the weekend.

Gold will lead Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat services, a Saturday morning service and a Saturday night Tu B’Shevat seder. She will also offer teachings that use chant and meditation to deepen mindfulness of nature. The Shabbaton concludes with a Sunday chant and study workshop called “The Torah of Nature.”

Gold received ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. She is the director of the Center for Devotional, Energy and Ecstatic Practice in Jemez Springs, N.M. She is also on the faculty of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.

Times, fees, locations and registration forms can be found at http://www.nershalom.org/calendar/Shefa2010.html. For information, contact Spiritual Leader Irwin Keller or Administrative Director Vicki Allen at (707) 664-8622.