Light and Illumination: Bringing Joy into the Winter Holidays

Hanukkah invites us to bring light into the darkness of winter through candle lighting, storytelling and of course eating special holiday treats. Join JCCSF teachers Maggid Jhos Singer and Rabbi Batshir Torchio who will lead us in sharing some sweet holiday time together. Jump on Zoom where we will enjoy sharing stories, and recipes; maybe eat a latke or jelly doughnut, and bring in the light together. There is more to these customs than meets the eye, so we will also discover how they arise from the core Hanukkah story and how the tale relates to the current state of our lives, the environment and the future.  

Maggid Jhos Singer is a gifted Jewish teacher, preacher, storyteller, pastoral counselor, chef, mixologist, and musician. He skillfully translates Torah and Jewish tradition into dynamic, accessible, relevant, and compelling ideas, provocative stories, and delicious cocktails. In one hand he holds a BA in Music from UCLA and an MA in Jewish Studies from the Graduate Theological Union—and in the other he wields a drum, spoon, and a dictionary of Talmudic Hebrew. He was ordained as a Maggid (a Jewish spiritualist) in 2002. He connects traditional rabbinic wisdom to our modern lives. 

Batshir Torchio is a rabbi, teacher, singer, ukulele and piano player, and oh so proud mother of a son and daughter – and of two supremely fluffy rescue dogs. In college at JTS in New York, Batshir discovered the writings of Rabbi Regina Jonas which catapulted her toward rabbinic ordination: “If I confess what motivated me, a woman, to become a rabbi, two things come to mind. My belief in God’s calling and my love of humans. God planted in us a cause without asking about gender.” (C.-V. Zeitung, June 23, 1938). Batshir was ordained at AJRCA in Los Angeles, where she learned with rabbis and scholars from across the broad spectrum of Jewish movements. She is moved by the translation and ownership of ancient ritual into contemporary meaning; to “make the old new, and the new, holy.” (Rav Kook) In addition to her role as Senior Jewish Educator at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, Batshir also guides tours through Israel and Poland, and is a life-cycle officiant, both locally and abroad.