Jewish community that centers the queer ethos
Our Vision
We are a vibrant and inclusive Jewish community that embodies a queer+ ethos while maintaining deep ancestral connection to our traditions. We host gatherings for Shabbat, Jewish holildays, and various Jewish rituals. Our programs are rooted in the values of justice and healing; we are committed to personal and collective liberation. Through ongoing learning and intentional practice, we cultivate a space that honors people of all backgrounds and fosters deep, meaningful connections and a sense of belonging. The Tzimtzum Community, established in 2022, is dedicated to cultivating meaningful Jewish environments and warmly encourages all individuals to reach out with questions or lifecycle and pastoral inquiry.
Meet Rabbi Chel Mandell
(they/them)
Chel is the founder and creative director of the Tzimtzum community, located on the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. Chel is dedicated to reimagining Jewish community through creative ritual and envisioning how Judaism can evolve for the future. They are a curator of alternative Jewish community spaces. They received smicha from the Academy for Jewish Religion CA and an interdisciplinary MFA from Sierra Nevada University. Chel was the rabbinic student in residence at The Kitchen SF (2021-2022) before taking on the role of Director of Education and Innovation at Temple Beth El in Santa Cruz. In spring 2023, Chel began working at the University of San Francisco, where they direct the JEDI certificate program and teach in the Jewish Studies and Social Justice program.
Meet
Kiki Lipsett
(she/they)
Kiki Lipsett is a Bay Area prayer leader, educator, and musician. Music and Judaism have always been interconnected for her. She currently leads Shabbat services and a bar mitzvah program in San Quentin prison. Kiki is honored to bring her cantorial skills and love of liturgy and music to the Tzimtzum community for the High Holy Days.
Meet
Sasha Perry
(they/them)
Sasha Perry is a Rabbinic student in the ALEPH ordination program, having completed the 3 year Earth-Based Judaism certification. They are not the Florida drag queen who performs under the same name. Sasha is a white Trans/queer working-class Ashkenazi jew and community organizer of over 15 years in earth/animal liberation and Palestinian freedom justice spaces. They are deeply committed to the renewal of Jewish experience and tradition within an antizionist, anticolonialist, and queer framework. They helped start the Nefesh Chevra Kadisha, and lead queer teaching and ritual around Jewish death and dying practices. As well as Queer Jews for Liberation, a Rosh Chodesh gathering and spiritual community in Los Angeles. Sasha is also a co-founder and goaltender of the Trans Wave, a trans/nb ice hockey team with members world wide, and deeply fond of cactus.
Meet Ore Ganin-Pinto
(they/them)
Ore is an ordained Interfaith Chaplain and Oreget Adamah/ Earthweaver. They identify as a white, queer, non-binary anti-zionist Jewish Animist with roots from Poland, Russia, and Morocco. Ore works in the liminal and threshold spaces serving as a spiritual companion through their work in hospice and as a ritualist and song holder with the TzimTzum Collective and Kehilla Community Synagogue in Oakland. Ore currently lives on the unceded territory of the Awas-was speaking peoples currently stewarded by the Amah Mutsun Tribal band and is deeply grateful for all the children, all the elders, and the magic of this gorgeous existence.
Meet
Reed Love
(they/them)
Reed is a chaplain and has had a spiritual counseling, ritual life cycle facilitation, and Craniosacral Therapy bodywork private practice over the last decade. They are part of the Palliative Care team at Kaiser Oakland. Reed is also the founder of We Are Stardust, an LGBTQ+ centered spiritual laboratory rooted in Jewish wisdom that uses creative practice as a tool for transformation. Reed has a Masters Degree in Jewish Studies, specializing in Jewish Values, Ethics, and Action, from the Academy of Jewish Religion of California, and received their BA from Brandeis University in Women's and Gender Studies. They completed their chaplaincy residency at St. Mary's Medical Center, and studied at Pardes in Jerusalem in a Year Fellowship Program and for two years at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies.