Renna is proud to be a third generation Berkeleyan, who was raised at Netivot Shalom and attended Tehiyah Day School. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Ilana moved to Berkeley after several years in New York.

We joined CBI in 2018, right after we got married. At that time, we spent Shabbat mornings at several different shuls and communities, and frequently hosted Kabbalat Shabbat services in our living room. With the pandemic, CBI was the first of our davening communities that returned to in-person gatherings. After months of social isolation, it was powerful to daven with other people, and also to connect with other community members at the local parks on Shabbat.

We appreciate the dynamism and vibrancy of the CBI community and have felt very cared for by the shul’s members and leadership. We are especially grateful for all of the help we received when our older child was born (in March 2020, at the very beginning of the pandemic). With the births of both our children, many CBI members brought us delicious meals, helped with grocery shopping, and passed along bags of used baby clothes and toys (as is the Berkeley way).

We both have a deep love for Judaism and a strong commitment to building a Jewish home and a Jewish community. Our older child is happily enrolled at Gan Shalom, CBI’s preschool, and we are excited to be raising our kids here! We appreciate that shul members are of all ages, come from all walks of Jewish life, and that the shul is full of young kids running around on Shabbat.

We do our best to enjoy the beauty of California with local family hikes, visits to the ocean, and camping in the woods. Ilana loves learning Torah, and giving the occasional dvar Torah at CBI on Shabbat morning. She enjoys sunrise walks, paddling, and listening to Torah podcasts while cooking dinner or washing dishes. Renna loves biking, farmers markets, singing nigunim, and davening Hallel on Rosh Chodesh. She also makes excellent pickles!