Here are a few reflections that touched our hearts this year:
- “Rabbi Cat, you and our BT community are a continuing joy and a much-needed source of hope that we can work for a better world. Bless you for your ceaseless advocacy, leadership, and spiritual guidance.”
- “Tikkun Olam—we can’t do one without the other. Gratitude to Rabbi Cat Zavis. I am not Jewish, and I learn so much from her.”
- “Thank you for the spirited message of fierce persistence when it is so challenging for me to find hope or faith. I plan to join your community.”
Thank you for being a part of the Beyt Tikkun & Network of Spiritual Progressives community. We are so grateful for your presence and support in whatever ways you show up.
As we come to the end of the secular new year, we hope you will consider supporting Beyt Tikkun with an end of year donation. Beginning in 2024, Beyt Tikkun embraced a gifting model: all of our services, programs, and events are offered free of charge. While we make donation requests for membership dues and events so we can cover our costs, membership and event participation are open to all, regardless of donation levels. We rely on the generosity of those who value Beyt Tikkun’s work to contribute as meaningfully as possible, ensuring continued accessibility for all and the sustainability of our community. Unfortunately, we have not yet raised enough funds to meet our operating costs for the coming year. Can you help?
This year we reached hundreds of people through a variety of impactful events and opportunities that provided connection, learning, and healing. Some highlights include:
Judaism Beyond Zionism & Palestinian Solidarity Work
In October, 2023, we circulated a statement that garnered over 7,000 signatures calling for an immediate ceasefire. We then launched a series of educational events in which we explored Zionism and deepened our commitment to Palestinian liberation. We immediately became a Synagogue for Ceasefire and have become a leading congregation in the Bay Area promoting Judaism Beyond Zionism. Rabbi Cat and Beyt Tikkun members have regularly joined Interfaith and Jewish-led actions advocating for a ceasefire. Our Israel/Palestine Social Justice Action committee sends out a Weekly Action for Peace every week. Our Shabbat services and Torah studies provide space to reflect on the awe of the universe while struggling with how our teachings speak to this moment and crisis.
Jewish Holidays
We hosted joyful, meaningful, and inclusive holiday celebrations blending Jewish tradition with our commitment to liberation, social justice, and environmental consciousness. These included our Tu b’Shevat Seder, Passover Liberation Seder, Tisha b’Av, High Holidays, and Sukkot. All of these events were held both in person and on Zoom, making them accessible to people from around the globe. These holidays combined deep spirituality with prophetic consciousness, navigating the challenges of the times while holding grief, compassion, joy, and hope. Thus providing spiritual nourishment and inspiration for the struggles ahead.
Listening & Grieving Circles
Beyt Tikkun and the Network of Spiritual Progressives held two listening and grieving circles to provide a space for shared mourning and reflection. Participants came together in the hope of cultivating a more compassionate and loving world.
Deep Conversations with Rabbi Cat Zavis
Rabbi Cat Zavis hosted thought-provoking conversations with various thinkers, theologians, and activists, including Rabbi Shaul Magid (author of The Necessity of Exile: Essays from a Distance), Ashira Darwish (Palestinian journalist, activist, and healer), and Jonathan Kuttab (Palestinian Human Rights lawyer and activist), and others. These conversations provided participants with an opportunity to hear from Palestinians directly about their experiences, explored Zionism, non-Zionism, and anti-Zionism, the challenges and opportunities of dialogue, peacebuilding, liberation theology, and the future of Israel and Palestine.
Monthly Walk, Pray, and Eat & Community Chit Chat with Rabbi Cat
This year Rabbi Cat introduced two monthly opportunities to connect with Rabbi Cat in a more intimate way. You can join her on the second Tuesday of each month for her Walk, Pray, Eat morning prayer gathering and on the third Wednesday of the month for our Community Chit Chat with Rabbi Cat. All are welcome.
Book Group: A 100 Years War on Palestine
Beginning in September, Rabbi Cat has led a monthly book discussion group on the book A 100 Years War on Palestine. The group discusses a chapter from the book each month and is a supportive space for participants to share questions, grief, anger, compassion, and hope. Rabbi Cat created a Book Group Guide with questions to reflect upon for each chapter.
And these are just some of the incredible offerings we’ve provided throughout the year.
In 2025, we are excited to unveil a brand-new, more user-friendly website for Beyt Tikkun. The new user interface will create a smoother experience, making it easier to find and engage with resources, including recordings from our events and services. In addition, the updated site will feature a streamlined members’ page, offering easier navigation and access to exclusive content. Stay tuned for our more accessible, engaging online platform in the coming year!
Rabbi Cat often reminds us that giving and receiving are interconnected like the breath of life exchanged between humans and trees. This cycle of generosity is the foundation of a just and sustainable world––a world based on a new bottom line of generosity, care, and love.
Even as we live into a vision of abundance and generosity, we still navigate a world with tangible costs. All of our programs and services cost money. We rely on your contributions to sustain our rabbi, staff, and the resources essential to our work.
If the work of Beyt Tikkun and Rabbi Cat inspires you, if you want a community that embodies your values and that values and welcomes you, and if you want to ensure its longevity in the year ahead and beyond, please consider donating today: Donate Here
In an effort to manifest the world we envision, Beyt Tikkun donates a portion of received contributions to other organizations, amplifying our collective impact.
Your support helps us continue to:
- Offer meaningful, free programming and services to all.
- Advocate for justice, peace, and a new vision of Judaism rooted in care, liberation, and love.
- Strengthen partnerships and uplift communities locally and globally.
In this season of gratitude, even as we acknowledge the ongoing colonization of stolen lands and destroyed lives, both here and throughout the world, we invite you to join us in co-creating a loving and just world.
There are many ways to give of your generosity. If you’d like to support us in non-monetary ways—through your time, expertise, or energy—please contact Austin at austin@beyttikkun.org.
As Rabbi Cat teaches, all of us participate in bringing forth the world we yearn for, and while it may seem far off, it is unfolding in the present. Please support our congregation and community to help us continue building a world rooted in truth, justice, and peace.
Thank you for being part of the Beyt Tikkun community. Together, we are contributing to the world of truth, justice, and peace for which we long.
We’d be incredibly grateful for your support in spreading the word about our campaign! Here’s how you can help:
1️⃣ Forward this email to your friends, family, and anyone who might be interested in contributing. Every share counts!
2️⃣ Share our campaign on Facebook using this link. Let your network know why this cause matters to you.
3️⃣ Spread the word on Instagram with this link. A quick post or story can make a huge difference!
Your efforts to amplify our work and fundraising campaign means the world to us. Thank you for being such a vital part of our mission!
In solidarity and community,
The Beyt Tikkun Team
