Congregation B'nai Israel

Sa•ba•bah, n. 1. Hebrew slang adopted from Arabic meaning cool, groovy, it’s all good. 2. Super groovy young adults group at B’nai Israel for folks in their 20’s and 30’s.

The Young Adults of B’nai Israel has a new name. Why? Because we wanted something more original, something that says more precisely who we are.

And because “Young Adults” sounded too much like a section of the library – you know, that revolving wire rack filled with teenage romance novels.

So our group is now called Sababah: The 20-30-somethings of B’nai Israel.

WHO WE ARE:

Hello my name is Sababah

Sababah consists of people in their 20s and 30s who are interested in creating a fun and welcoming peer group within the Jewish community. We are single and married, straight and gay, with children and without. Non-Jewish friends, partners and spouses are welcome at all of our events.

WHAT WE DO:

  • Organize tables of our peers at B'nai Israel's monthly Shabbat dinner (on the second Friday night of the month).
  • Host occasional social events – wine tastings, happy hours, Rivercats games and more.
  • Connect our group with information on cool events at B'nai Israel and in the greater Jewish community -- comedy nights, film festivals, lectures, etc.

ONGOING EVENTS:

Try as we might, Sababah can only do so much for our peeps. If you’re looking for more ways to connect with the Jewish community, you may want to check out these ongoing activities…

  • GET SCHOOLED: B'nai Israel offers a ton of classes for adults - on everything from reading Hebrew to writing personal stories. Some classes meet over a few months, others are one-day sessions. And you don't have to be a Congregation member to enroll. Check out the "Torah Lishma" catalog of classes.
  • FLOOR HOCKEY: The Jewish Federation puts on a weekly floor hockey game. It’s friendly, social, non-violent yet competitive, and – uh-huh – co-ed. The stick hits the puck Mondays at 7 pm at 2351 Wyda Way. Questions? Look here for more info.
  • ISRAELI DANCING: Classes in Israeli folk dancing are on Tuesdays from 7-9:30 pm. The location varies, so click here for details. Or email Michal Kohane or call him at (916) 284-2516.
  • HEY LADIES! Join Rabbi Mona Alfi and the Women of B’nai Israel for Rosh Chodesh. Each month there's a different topic – from cultural exchanges with Muslim women to creating Jewish rituals to talks by guest authors. Potluck at 6:15, study session at 6:45. At Congregation B’nai Israel, 3600 Riverside Dr. Upcoming dates: Jan. 15, Feb. 5, March 4, April 1, May 6. More details available here.
  • TRIPS TO ISRAEL: Did you know that Jewish adults ages 18-27 can go to Israel for free? Birthright Israel organizes 10-day group trips with many diffrent focuses, at different times throughout the year. Look here for all the details. Another organizaion is putting together a summer trip for people ages 18-35 who want to experience Israel from the gay perspective. For more info on Pride in Israel click here or call (212) 303-4585.

GET INVOLVED:

Join our email list by sending a note to CBIyoungadults@gmail.com and visit us on FACEBOOK. Let us know if you have ideas for specific activities you’d like to see happen or are interested in helping us coordinate more events for this group.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

These events are brought to you by Sababah, exclusively for young adults in the Sacramento region. Keep checking back as we update with more details.

THURSDAY, JUNE 26: Sababah is bringing the He'Brew Beer company to Sacramento (the courtyard of Congregation B'nai Israel, specifically) for a beer tasting event. Come drink some kosher beer with us, learn what the pros look for in a brew, and snack on grilled goodies. Contact us if you're not our email list so we can send you an Evite for this event.

JULY: Wanna play some ball this summer? We are pulling together a minyan of sorts. We need 10 people to form a Sababah softball team that will play weeknights in the city's noncompetitive league. It's a co-ed league, so men and women are both welcome. There is no cost for you to participate because B'nai Israel is covering the team's fee. If you would like to join, please contact Sababah member Josh Basofin.

AUGUST: We would like to offer an Israeli cooking class as a Sababah event later this summer. But we're having a hard time finding a teacher/venue that fits our budget. If you know of any Israeli cooks or catering companies that might be interested in teaching a group cooking lesson, please let us know!

Sababah had no role in planning the following events but we think they sound pretty cool.

SATURDAY JUNE 7: An all-night party for young adults in their 20s and 30s. DAWN 2008 is an arts and culture festival in celebration of Shavuot and the grand opening of the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. Groove, learn, explore and mingle in the museum’s new building. See www.dawn2008.org for all the details.

PAST EVENTS:

Sababah Chanukah

Look here to see who scored the “How to Raise a Jewish Dog” book during the gift exchange at our Chanukah fest. Thanks to Moishe House for hosting an awesome party!

Our Shabbat dinners in November and January were bumpin, with about 25 of you in the house at each one. Thanks to all who came!

Brews for Jews

Cheers to all you Jews for Brews who came to our October mixer at Brew It Up. You mixed it up, brewed it up, and at least one of you even climbed under a table. (Yes, we caught that on film. Right here.)

Our July happy hour at the “L” wine bar was a huge success! Check out some photos here.