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		                                    Welcome		                                </span>
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		                            <span class="slider_description">Etz Chayim is an independent congregation
located in the heart of Silicon Valley</span>
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High Holy Days 2025 - 5786,

please click here for more details

 If you have any questions, please call 650.813.9094. Thank you!

 

Happening at Etz

All Events
  • Sunday ,
    SepSeptember  28 , 2025
     
     
    ETZ Talk: Gardening for Pollinators: The Philosophy at the Roots of our Etz Chayim Native Habitat Garden

    Sunday, Sep 28th 10:00a to 12:00p
    This talk delves into the art of creating a vibrant, living garden that buzzes with life. We will explore how to design a resilient, year-round habitat that provides essential food and shelter for native bees, butterflies, and other vital pollinators. Learn the key principles of plant selection and garden ecology to transform any space into a beautiful, thriving ecosystem that supports local biodiversity. In addition to sharing her deep knowledge of local garden design, Juanita and Etz Chayim member Judy Serebrin will discuss how Juanita's teachings have informed the choices and recommendations Judy made regarding our new Etz Chayim Native Habitat Garden along Alma. Juanita Salisbury is an expert in landscape architecture and ecological design dedicated to reconnecting communities with their natural heritage. As the visionary founder of the Primrose Way Pollinator Gardens and a board member for the Friends of the Palo Alto Parks, she leverages her unique academic background—a PhD in Psychology and a degree in Landscape Architecture—to create gardens that are both ecologically resilient and profoundly resonant. Through her public design work, hands-on leadership, and popular talks, she champions a deeper understanding of our landscapes, one rooted in the beauty and biodiversity of California's native plants.

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  • Wednesday ,
    OctOctober  15 , 2025
     
     
    Communings of the Spirit with Alan Marcum (Online)

    Wednesday, Oct 15th 7:30p to 8:30p
    Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, one of the intellectual luminaries of 20th century Jewish thought, was a prolific diarist. Comprising 27 volumes, his journals spanned over 60 years, recording his thoughts and his observations on topics ranging from two World Wars to the nature of God, from his teaching at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) to his sermons, from liturgy and ritual to Jewish peoplehood.

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  • Sunday ,
    OctOctober  26 , 2025
     
     
    ETZ Talk - Forbidden: A 3,000-Year History of Jews and the Pig with Professor Jordan D. Rosenblum

    Sunday, Oct 26th 10:00a to 12:00p
    ETZ Talk - Forbidden: A 3,000-Year History of Jews and the Pig withProfessor Jordan D. Roxenblum Jews do not eat pig. This (not always true) observation has been made by both Jews and non-Jews for three thousand years. Over time, the pig becomes a popular metaphor for Jewish/non-Jewish identity. This talk explores this historical development. Starting in the Hebrew Bible, where the pig is tabooed but not necessarily singled out more than other food prohibitions, we see the emergence of the pig as a symbol of Jewish identity in the Second Temple period and beyond. From the Talmud to modern television shows, we follow the pig as it forages through Jewish history. Bio: Jordan D. Rosenblum is the Belzer Professor of Classical Judaism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His most recent book, Forbidden: A 3,000-Year History of Jews and the Pig (New York University Press, 2024), won a 2024 National Jewish Book Award. According to The Wall Street Journal, “’Forbidden’ is an engaging and surprisingly cheerful study of that odd couple of the religious imagination, the Jew and the pig.” In addition, he is the author of Rabbinic Drinking: What Beverages Teach Us About Rabbinic Literature (University of California Press, 2020); The Jewish Dietary Laws in the Ancient World (Cambridge University Press, 2016); and Food and Identity in Early Rabbinic Judaism (Cambridge University Press, 2010), as well as the co-editor of four volumes, including Feasting and Fasting: The History and Ethics of Jewish Food (New York University Press, 2019); and Animals and the Law in Antiquity (Brown Judaic Studies, 2021).

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  • Tuesday ,
    NovNovember  11 , 2025
     
     
    Communings of the Spirit with Alan Marcum (Online)

    Tuesday, Nov 11th 7:30p to 8:30p
    Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, one of the intellectual luminaries of 20th century Jewish thought, was a prolific diarist. Comprising 27 volumes, his journals spanned over 60 years, recording his thoughts and his observations on topics ranging from two World Wars to the nature of God, from his teaching at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) to his sermons, from liturgy and ritual to Jewish peoplehood.

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Everyone is welcome!

We are Jews who were raised Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Orthodox, or Secular. We are Jews who have or have not been Bar/Bat Mitzvah. We are Jews by choice or part of an interfaith family. Our common thread is that we are all interested in furthering our spiritual life, singing, Jewish education and community participation.  We invite you to come to a service or one of our activities.

קהילת "עץ חיים" הינה מקום מיוחד במינו. בית חם, פתוח ומקבל אשר אינו משתייך לזרם דתי כלשהו ומורכב מחילונים, מסורתיים, רפורמים וקונסרבטיבים, משפחות יהודיות ומעורבות, ישראלים ומקומיים המנהלים ביחד חיי קהילה יהודית עשירים

BECOME A MEMBER

About Us

Located in Palo Alto California, Congregation Etz Chayim is a vibrant Jewish community, participatory and egalitarian, independent and inclusive, which melds elements from Judaism’s different branches to create our own practices. Together with our spiritual leader, Rabbi Chaim Koritzinsky, our congregants are exploring what it means for each of us to identify as a Jew (or a part of a Jewish family).

 

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Learn More

If you seek a spiritual experience within a diverse Jewish community that emphasizes worship, singing, learning, service and community, Etz Chayim may be a good fit for you. If you want to talk to someone, simply stop by or phone or office at 650-813-9094.


CONTACT US

Experience Etz

Shabbat Services

Shabbat evening services are held every Friday at 7:30 p.m. and last about an hour. Shabbat morning services are held every Saturday at 10 a.m., and with Torah reading, last about two hours. Everyone is welcome to attend either service, including services that celebrate a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

Adult Learning

At Congregation Etz Chayim, we view adult learning as a stepping stone to deeper knowledge and understanding of the rich Jewish tradition. We offer diverse intellectual, creative and spiritual programming to strengthen connections among congregants and help us integrate Judaism into our lives.

Teens

Are you a teenager looking for ways to broaden your involvement with Jewish life in the Bay Area or to make new friends or lend a hand in your community? Are you a parent thinking about the next steps of Jewish engagement for your teenager? There are many opportunities for teens, and we can help you identify the right one for you.

Youth & Family Education

We offer learning opportunities for families with children as young as two years old through high school. Building community is a cornerstone of our philosophy and mission, and our youth learning programs reflect that value.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah

We are exceptionally proud of our Bar/Bat Mitzvah program and how students and families experience the process of preparing for and celebrating this important life event. Our program is rigorous, meaningful and individualized, and serves to build community and connections among the students and families.

Community Responsibility

What inspires you to get up in the morning? What keeps you up at night? Could you answer these questions about the person you live with? Work with? Pray with? When we ask what we as a congregation wish to do in the area of Tikkun Olam, a first step is to have one-on-one conversations to strengthen relationships with one another.

Interest Groups

Etz social groups are member driven. We currently have groups who hike together, read together, sing together, and knit together, among many other activities. Have another interest? Members are always free to start their own groups.

Next Gen

Next Gen is a Jewish community of adults in their 20's and 30's affiliated with Congregation Etz Chayim. We participate in the life of the Etz Chayim community by holding member led events to explore our connections to Judaism and each other. Everyone is welcome. 

BECOME A MEMBER

Since 1995, our diverse Jewish community has gathered to worship, celebrate, learn, and share life’s joys and sorrows. We invite you to become part of this community.

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Sat, September 13 2025 20 Elul 5785