Welcome

Temple Beth Hillel, located just off Hilltop Drive at I-80 in Richmond, California is an intimate, warm and wonderful congregation of Jewish families from West Contra Costa County and beyond. Being a small congregation fosters familiarity among members and creates a special sense of belonging – an experience often missing in larger congregations.

Founded in 1946, with deep roots in Richmond, CA, Temple Beth Hillel offers a place to celebrate Shabbat (twice a month or more), the Holidays, Festivals, including a Hanukkah Latke Party, Tu B’Shevat Seder, Purim Carnival, Congregational Passover Seder and more.

The Temple offers a Religious School (grades pre-K through Bar/Bat Mitzvah year, through high school).

For adults, Rabbi Dean Kertesz leads a Kollel for adults to study a wide range of Jewish topics.  Cantor Marney Margules unites the congregation in song.

Join us for a Shabbat Evening Service at 7:30 pm on the first and third Fridays of the month. Families with small children are invited to join us on the third Friday at 6:15 pm for our lively Family Shabbat gathering. All are welcome to join us in celebrating the High Holidays, life cycles, or simply to reconnect with the Jewish community post pandemic. 

Whether you’re new to the San Francisco Bay area or a long time resident, and you’re looking for a reform synagogue to join in the East Bay, Temple Beth Hillel will always welcome you!

Welcome

Temple Beth Hillel, located just off Hilltop Drive at I-80 in Richmond, California is an intimate, warm and wonderful congregation of Jewish families from West Contra Costa County and beyond. Being a small congregation fosters familiarity among members and creates a special sense of belonging – an experience often missing in larger congregations.

Founded in 1946, with deep roots in Richmond, CA, Temple Beth Hillel offers a place to celebrate Shabbat (twice a month or more), the Holidays, Festivals, including a Hanukkah Latke Party, Tu B’Shevat Seder, Purim Carnival, Congregational Passover Seder and more.

The Temple offers a Religious School (grades pre-K through Bar/Bat Mitzvah year, through high school).

For adults, Rabbi Dean Kertesz leads a Kollel for adults to study a wide range of Jewish topics.  Cantor Marney Margules unites the congregation in song.

Join us for a Shabbat Evening Service at 7:30 pm on the first and third Fridays of the month. Families with small children are invited to join us on the third Friday at 6:15 pm for our lively Family Shabbat gathering. All are welcome to join us in celebrating the High Holidays, life cycles, or simply to reconnect with the Jewish community post pandemic. 

Whether you’re new to the San Francisco Bay area or a long time resident, and you’re looking for a reform synagogue to join in the East Bay, Temple Beth Hillel will always welcome you!

Shabbat

Join us for Shabbat

Join us in person or online – multiaccess Shabbat services first and third Friday of the month.  Online candle lighting available on alternating weeks.  Check the calendar for times.

Join Online



Religious School Updates

See what’s happening at our religious school.
Learn More

TBH welcomes you to in-person events and services

Learn More



Religious School Updates

See what’s happening at our religious school.
Learn More
Shabbat

Join us for Shabbat

Join us in person or online – multiaccess Shabbat services first and third Friday of the month.  Online candle lighting available on alternating weeks.  Check the calendar for times.

Join Online

Upcoming Events

  1. 20 Nov

    Board of Directors

    7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
    Next dates: 18 Dec | 15 Jan | 19 Feb |
  2. 23 Nov

    Lay led Torah Study (Zoom Only)

    10:15 am - 12:00 pm
    Next dates: 30 Nov | 07 Dec | 14 Dec |
  3. 24 Nov

    Religious School

    9:30 am - 12:30 pm
    Next dates: 08 Dec | 15 Dec | 22 Dec |
  4. 25 Nov

    Food for Thought Team Meeting

    7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
    Next dates: 23 Dec | 27 Jan | 24 Feb |
  5. 27 Nov

    Souper Center

    ALL DAY EVENT
    Next dates: 25 Dec | 22 Jan | 26 Feb |
  6. 28 Nov

    Office Closed

    ALL DAY EVENT

What's New

From the Presidents – November 8, 2024

president

Hello Everyone! This weekend we will be celebrating Veterans Day. Despite being a small part of the population, Jewish citizens of the United States have consistently played a key role in the nation’s military.  Benjamin Levy, Benjamin Kaufman, Isadore Jachman and John Letvitow have all won the Medal of Honor. Uriah P. Levy became the […]

A Message from Rabbi Dean for the High Holy Days – Memory and Memorial

Drashot

Most of us are aware of the Yizkor service on Yom Kippur afternoon where we remember family members and those we have loved throughout our lives and are no longer with us. But there are two other traditions of memorial particular to the High Holy Days that have deep meaning and value. The first is […]

From the Presidents – Oct. 11, 2024

president

Hello Everyone! And L’shanah Tova!  It was wonderful to see everyone at our Rosh Hashanah services and look forward to our Yom Kippur services this weekend.  We wanted to give our thanks to Rabbi Dean for leading our service for the final time and a special thanks to Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller for her assistance in […]

 

From the Union For Reform Judaism / Reform Movement

Why Israel Celebrates the Ethiopian Jewish Holiday Sigd

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Jewish Life Around the World
sigd
For many generations, the Beta Israel had longed to reach Jerusalem in a quest to renew their covenant with God and for spiritual redemption. So strong was their desire that they created a holiday as a time to pray for this miracle. They called it Sigd (meaning "worship") and celebrated it on the 50th day after Yom Kippur. This year it is celebrated today, November 4.

For Some of Us the Holidays Are Just…Hard

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Death and Mourning
star of david starry lights
As we head into the holiday season, I am acutely aware of how much different this year is going to be than previous ones. I will be celebrating without my mom for the first time. My mother died in January 2021, and I'm still dealing with the unexpected waves of grief that wash over me, sometimes out of nowhere. As I head into this first winter holiday season without her, I'm not quite sure I know what to expect, other than everything is going to be very different.

Enjoy A Crockpot Shabbat

Enjoy A Crockpot Shabbat jemerman

Entree Recipes
Photo of a chicken stew dish in a bow
As the weather begins to get chillier, many home cooks pull out their trusty slow cookers to create easy yet warm dishes. Slow cooking is nothing new. It hasn't had staying power with Jewish communities just because the resulting food is delicious; it also allowed observant Jews to keep Shabbat by kindling a fire before sundown on Friday and keeping food warm until Saturday afternoon.

The Cost of Free Land

The Cost of Free Land jemerman

Secular Holidays
The author's Great-Great-Uncle Louie Sinykin posing with men in Dakota garb in South Dakota's Black Hills. Date unknown.
When I was a child growing up in the 1980s, the story I learned about Thanksgiving followed the classic script: it highlighted amity between the Pilgrims and their Indigenous neighbors. Due to this connection, the hunger of the European settlers was met with squash and turkey.