Sarah Ariella Kauffman's Page

How much were you at the House of Love and Prayer?

Lived There

What year(s) were you at the House?

a:4:{i:0;s:4:"1972";i:1;s:4:"1973";i:2;s:4:"1974";i:3;s:4:"1975";}

How did you meet Shlomo?

Shlomo gave a concert at Sonoma State in the Spring of 1972. I started dancing with some of the other concert goers. Finally I said to one person (who turned out to be Baruch Ring) "wouldn't it be great if services were like this?'"and he said, "they are - at the House of Love and Prayer". I started attending the House regularly during the High Holidays in 1972, made many friends, and moved in there in June 1973. I lived there until December 1975. It was one of the most unusual and rewarding periods of my life. I feel truly blessed to have been there.

What is your Jewish and/or spiritual practice today?

My husband and I are invited to a Seder every year at the home of our dear friends, Elli and Modechai Cohen. Yes, it's the same Mordechai who was a teacher at the HLP. We don't belong to a shul, but we attend High Holiday services at a Jewish renewal community in Sonoma. We celebrate Sukkot with some neighbors. I daven most mornings; some are prayers I made up, and I recite the Shema. We have mezzuzot on all our doors, and of course, we think of ourselves as Jewish.

Where do you live now?

Santa Rosa, CA

Please tell us a little about your life today.

I worked for the City of San Francisco for 27 years, mostly in HR, developing and administering Civil Service exams. My husband, Raphael, was a supervisor in the Food Stamp Program. We've been married nearly 29 years. We've been retired over 4 years, and take classes at Santa Rosa Junior College. I've studied Italian, Spanish, Biblical Hebrew, video production, film history and Voice. My husband focuses on music and art. We have a son, Daniel, who lives with his girlfriend Rachel in London. They met in SF when she was studying abroad, and he emigrated there.
Raphael and Daniel loved Shlomo, although they met him only a few times. My husband wishes he could have been at the HLP when I tell him the stories.
We also have 4 cats, and are real animal lovers.
Every summer, we go to Niagara Falls, NY, to the house where I grew up. My mother passed away in 2005 and left her house to us. We are restoring it. She had a bad fire in 2001 and had to come live with us. I was very blessed to have my Mom with me for over 3 years.

What would you like to get from this social network?

a:5:{i:0;s:43:"Share my stories about the House and Shlomo";i:1;s:20:"Read others' stories";i:2;s:26:"Reconnect with old friends";i:3;s:47:"Learn more about the House and the Holy Beggars";i:4;s:5:"Other";}

If you answered "Other," above:

I didn't want to check "other", but it won't let me join unless I type something here.