Events at a Glance
Coming Events:
September 5, Friday, 5:30 pm Meditative session with Rob Gitlin on Zoom
6:00 pm Leah Gerber on Zoom with Sing In Shabbat (dinner postponed to Sept. 12)
September 6 Saturday 9:45 am. Shabbat morning service lay led, potluck lunch
September 10, Wednesday 10:30 am Exercise Class
September 12 Friday, 5:30 pm Meditative session with Rob Gitlin
6:00 pm Shir Shabbat with Rabbi Ron Koas and Klezmer Creek
6:45 Shabbat Dinner and birthday celebration
September 13 Saturday 9:00 am. Torah Study with Rabbi Koas
9:45 am. Shabbat morning service with Rabbi Koas, potluck lunch
6:30 pm Selichot Potluck Dinner
7:30 pm Selichichot Service & Havdalah
September 14, Sunday
9 – 10 am Morning Minyan & Breakfast
10:30am – 12:30pm Torah on Trails
September 17, Wed
10:30 – 11:30am Exercise Class
112 pm Lunch & Learn
7 pm Introduction to Judaism
September 18, Thu
10:30 – 11:330am Religious Practices Committe Meeting
1 – 2pm Advocates for SSocial Justice Meeting
6:30 – 7:30pm Torah on Tap
September 19, Fri
5:30 pm Meditative session with Rob Gitlin
6 :00 pm Erev Shabbat Service with Rabbi Koas
6:45 – Potluck dinner
September 20, Sat
9:00 am. Torah Study with Rabbi Koas
9:45 am. Shabbat morning service with Rabbi Koas, potluck lunch
September 22, Mon
Rosh Hashana Eve
7:30 – 9pm Ereev Rosh Hashanah Service with champagne and honey cake
Friedman Events Center
September 23, Tue
Rosh Hashana
9:30am – 1:30pm 1st Daay Rosh Hashanah Service Friedman Events Center
4:30 – 5:30pm Tasshlich & Mincha Lake Ralphine
6 – 7:30pm Potluck Dinner & Ma’arivv Congregation Beth Ami
September 24, Wed
Rosh Hashana (Day 2)
9:30 – 11:30am 2nd Day Rosh Hashanah Service
Sunday, Sept. 28th Reverse Tashlich
10:00am – 12:00 p.m. at Doyle Park in Santa Rosa�

We are so happy that Jessie will return as our High Holiday cantorial soloist! We don’t charge for High Holiday tickets. Contact our office to RSVP.
Lunch & Learn, Introduction to Judaism, Torah on Tap, Havdallah gathering scheduled monthly, see the online calendar.
The Teddy Bear Project is ongoing… get together to craft Teddy Bears to send to Israeli children impacted by the war. Click for information and to contact Esther.
Popular Blogs
(See more blogs here)
SERVICES AND EVENTS ARE A MIX OF IN-PERSON, ZOOM AND HYBRID
Our Shabbat and festival services are a true hybrid with active participants on Zoom. We have a NEW ZOOM ADDRESS. See this page for information and links.
On two Fridays a month Leah Gerber leads a short and very sweet musical Shabbat service at 6:00 pm, concluding with our communal Kiddush at about 6:30 pm. We hope that joining as a community in this way, will lift all of our spirits, with the beauty and holiness of Shabbat. Fourth Fridays will be led by congregants.
Saturday Torah Study 9:00 am, Shabbat morning services in person and on Zoom, 9:45 am, lead by Rabbi Ron Koas and congregants. There are hearing assistance devices for in-person attendees and captioning available on Zoom. Lunches after Shabbat morning services are prepared by the Kitchen Committee with potluck donations, see food guidelines and recipes here.
Welcome to Congregation Beth Ami’s Days of Awe.
Services led by Rabbi Ron Koas, Cantorial Soloist Jessie,
and members of our congregation
All are welcome to our High Holiday services and events. We do not charge for tickets; we are grateful for donations. See information below, and do RSVP to the Beth Ami office if you are a non-member guest or bring guests. If you would like to attend our break-the-fast meal, or purchase challah or a lulav/etrog for Sukkot, see the order form below.
Call 707-360-3000 or email office@bethamisr.org.
We have prepared these pdf documents to describe and provide information on holidays and events,
One-page schedule of holiday services and events, showing dates, time, and location. 2025 High Holidays Schedule
A Guide to the High Holidays, includes Livestream link for Friedman Center services, and Zoom link for services in our sanctuary. High Holidays Guide 2025
To pay for the Break-the Fast meal, or buy challah or lulav etrog Order form HHD 2025
Tashlich with Shomrei Torah Tashlich flyer 2025
Reverse Tashlich (park clean-up) with the Advocates for Social Justice Committee Reverse Tashlich 2025
Rabbi Koas’ classes and events
- Every Shabbat morning when Rabbi is in town: Torah Study at 9 AM at CBA
- 2nd Sunday of the month at 9 AM Morning minyan services and Breakfast at CBA
- 2nd Sunday of the month at 10:30 AM Torah on Trails. Please RSVP to Rabbi Koas at 732-998-1029
- 2nd Wednesday of the month at noon to 1:30 p.m. Lunch and Learn at CBA Order a Veggie Wrap or Tuna Sandwich (box lunch, chips and a drink for $12). Please order through the office at 707-360-3000 by the Monday prior to class.
- 2nd Thursday of the month 6:30 PM Torah on Tap at CBA. We provide the drink. You provide the Nosh (Veggie only please follow potluck guidelines.)
- Introduction to Judaism / Bnai Mitzvah Class 2nd Mondays, 7:00 pm, starting January 13. How to be Jewish for beginners. A step-by-step guide to gaining an understanding of Judaism and Jewish life. Contact Rabbi Koas if you are interested rabbi@bethamisr.org.
- Havdalah at CBA on 2nd Saturday of the month: You provide the beverage. We’ll provide the Nosh. Followed by Karaoke, Game Night, or other activities. Future Havdalah nights ideas include a Painting night, Storytelling/Poetry Mic night/Movies. Send your ideas to office@bethamisr.org Put in the Subjject line Havdalah gatherings.
- And every Tuesday when Rabbi Koas is in town. Join him at the Taco Tuesday Ride For details call Rabbii Koas at 732-998-1029
Social Action, Civil Rights and Social Justice
Please join the members of the Beth Ami’s Advocates for Social Justice as we explore together:
• Have time together with your community at CBA to share experiences and perhaps some sensitive discussions.
• Explore racism and white privilege in the world today and how it has directly and indirectly been a part of our lives.
• Increase our understanding and learn how racism has molded our perceptions.
• Discover ways to be antiracist and support people of color.
• Gain tools and resources to initiate and build social justice in our community.
Social Action continues to provide food to The Palms. We are now serving hot food from crockpots in person. Social Action Committee meets periodically to plan the next Palms dinner. If you are interested in helping in any way, please contact Lyla.
We have resumed volunteering at the Redwood Empire Food Bank. You need to sign up online. We usually work the 10:00- 1:00 shift and then go out for a simple meal. This is a great activity with your children or grandkids over 13. Or for any friend.
To get more info, please call Lyla Nathan at 526-7438 or Elizabeth Jarlsberg at BA office 360-3000.
Beth Ami Israel Committee
The Israel Affairs Committee collects links and descriptions of national and international webinars and online viewing about Israel and antisemitism. The ongoing Teddy Bear Project to craft and send Teddy Bears to children in Israel.
Shofar Newsletter
Check out our current newsletter: Shofar September October 2025 for essays, news, more events and details about the events listed above. Archived issues of the Shofar are also available online.
Ongoing activities
If you need to say Kaddish or memorialize a special event, contact the office at 360-3000 one week in advance, and we will do our best to secure a minyan.
In the Social Hall: Exercise for Older Adults 10 am Wednesdays
Israeli Folk Dancing is on a break: See the Israeli Dance blog.
Congregation Beth Ami is located in Northern California,in the heart of Wine Country in Sonoma County, about one hour north of San Francisco, and about one hour west of Napa.
Some Recent Blogs
Some Food Traditions for the High Holidays
Starting on 1 Elul (eve of August 24th); some cleanse the body with foods as they clean their soul with prayers. The 25th of Elul (September 16th celebrates Hashem's Day One of Creation. Some will have two special meals with meat and sweets. On Erev Rosh Hashanah (eve...
Hot August Night Italian Feast: Sunday August 24, 6:00 – 10:00 pm
Come spend the evening in Michele Baime’s welcoming garden, sipping Grgich Hills wine, enjoying the music of Susy Boimoil Starr and Jeremy Lipsin, and dining on an authentic Italian dinner. VEGETARIAN ANTIPASTI AND CAESAR SALAD PASTA ETC. PROVIDES US WITH PASTA...
August 1, Max Bell Alper, North Bay Jobs with Justice, and Santa Rosa Mayor Mark Stapp
August 1st, at our 6:00 pm Kabbalat Shabbat service followed by a 6:45 pm Shabbat dinner At 7:30 pm Max Alper, of the North Bay Jobs with Justice organization and Santa Rosa Mayor Mark Stapp will be speaking. We hope you will attend. It will be a very informative...
Rummage Sale at Beth Ami Sunday
Rummage Sale June 22 in the back parking lot of Beth Ami, 10 a.m. to 2:00 pm. If you are a Beth Ami member, we are collecting items to sell starting June 17, and if ytou come to help Sunday at 8:00 a.m., David Kahn will have donuts and coffee for you.
Social Action Committee News
Shalom all , We had a nice meeting on Tuesday after we saw the movie , All God’s Children at the Jewish film festival. Those attending: Rabbi Miller, Judi, Marlene ,Andy, Susan and lyla. The movie is a documentary about a 5 year collaboration between a Jewish...
Beth Ami is now solar powered
The board would like to give the community an understanding of our new solar power system. Built and installed by Vital Energy, the system consists of 47 commercial solar panels that are about 110% as efficient as residential panels. There are three inverters so there...
Next up BECOMING EVE
Next up is BECOMING EVE --- MY JOURNEY FROM ULTRA-ORTHODOX RABBI TO TRANSGENDER WOMAN by Abby Chava Stein ( Memoir, 238 pgs, 2019.) Our Rabbi Ron Koas and new member, Aly Davis, want to lead a discussion/conversation about it at CBA on June 14 after Shabbat lunch....
CEO of the Redwood Empire Food Bank will be at services and lunch on Saturday, June 7 th
Allison Goodwin, the CEO of the Redwood Empire Food Bank will be at services and lunch on Saturday, June 7 th. She will give an update on the economic outlook at the food bank given the cuts in federal funding. Please come to find out how these cuts are impacting...
Shavuot Celebration Sunday, June 1
Shavuot Celebration Sunday, June 1, 7 pm ~ ? 740 Western Avenue, Petaluma Standing Together at Sinai, Again Noshing, Schmoozing, Connecting and Learning with Rabbis • Andi Berlin • Shalom Bochner • David Bush • Steven Finley • Ron Koas • Daniel Kohn and others!...
40th Annual Sonoma County Pride Parade May 31
The J Weekly posted their photo of Rabbi Koas leading the Beth Ami contingent at the Sonoma County Pride Parade as their photo of the week. We are all signed up for the Sonoma County 2025 Pride Parade on Saturday, May 31st, in Santa Rosa. It’s the 40th anniversary of...