After traveling in Brazil, playing music, and learning Portuguese, Matan returned to Berkeley in 2010, searching for something deeper. “When I came back, I was feeling physically and spiritually alone. needed to feel connected to a world beyond my everyday life and work. I was looking for a higher purpose.” His friend Rachel Brodie suggested several synagogues in the East Bay, with CBI at the top of the list. “I went to CBI for Kabbalat Shabbat, and Rabbi Cohen welcomed me. The prayer service felt authentic and reverent, and that’s how I started coming regularly.”

Matan became a regular at Friday night services. After missing a few weeks due to illness, Rabbi Cohen called to check in. “I was touched. I didn’t have family nearby, and being single at the time, it meant a lot that someone cared about how I was doing.” That gesture solidified Matan’s sense of belonging, and the community became like family.

A musician at heart, Matan plays saxophone and clarinet but paused after his son Nadav was born. “Now that Nadav is older, I’ve started playing saxophone again.” He works as a data analyst for PG&E, ensuring electrical safety. “I love my work because it feels like I’m making a positive contribution to people’s lives.” In his spare time, he enjoys tennis with Nadav, studying Halacha, and sci-fi books and films.

With degrees in music and nonprofit management, Matan made Aliyah after college, serving in the Israeli army and later working for the Jerusalem Foundation. He says, “Judaism gives me a framework to experience meaning in my life and to connect with community.”

Nadav, now a pre-teen, shares his father’s love of music and has played trumpet for two years. “I love the songs at Shabbat services. They make me feel like this is the place I’m supposed to be.” He was invited by Rabbi Cohen to help lead prayers on Rosh Hashanah. “I was scared to sing in front of everyone, but after I did it, I felt really proud.”

Matan values the sense of belonging CBI has provided for him and Nadav. “Being a single parent is challenging, but the CBI community has been like family, supporting and enriching our lives.” He adds, “Being a father has always been my deepest desire. It’s the hardest, but most meaningful and holy role I have.”