Congregation Chevra Thilim

Too many anonymous reviews here for my liking so let me change that by being clear about who I am. I attend the shul. I am a member. If you come here you know me. If you don’t please come and find me. I am usually sitting up the front with my eldest son. You are always welcome here.
So — having got that out of the way, some observations:
Is the shul perfect — no. But no shul ever is. Is it an eclectic mix of people along the range of observancy? — yes. Is it a nice mix of Chabad style ‘come as you are’ with ashkenaz nusach and tunes — yes. Does the veggie cholent suck — hugely! But if you are hungry there are always other options at Kiddush.
It is easy to be critical about a shul, but the fact is, people have different ways of observing their Judaism and look for different things from a Rabbi and a community. And where the community is not homogenous — and Chevra has a diverse range of congregants — it makes it a very difficult task for the leadership to balance all those (valid) individual needs. The Rabbi and Chani do a sterling job of keeping things running well.
Finally, it troubles me deeply when you see Jews attacking others in their reviews. I challenge you to elevate this conversation and treat each other with respect.“The whole of the Torah is for promoting peace, as it is written, ‘Her ways are pleasant, and all her paths peaceful.” — Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 59b.

I have no idea if they do it every week, but on each of the three shabbosim I’ve spent at Chevre Thillim they have had an amazing hiemishe hot kiddush, complete with very good cholent, kugel and a bunch of yummy salads.
The shul is super friendly, the Rabbi a true intellectual who seem to be from the alter heim and a lot of leg room. I also like the toilet flush pressure — I know this may seem like an insignificant plus for a shul, but for some reason the toilets in the south bay don’t have good pressure and the last thing you want after a good cholent is low pressure if you know what I mean.

Rabbi Zarchi is an amazing teacher and leader, bringing in a welcoming mix of humor, knowledge and seemingly photographic memory that all translates into a great place to come to learn about Judaism and grow as a member of our proud heritage. His wife Chani is a gem, putting together wonderful community events and classes for all, all while raising 5 young kids at the same time! They really have a diverse crowd, from young families and independents to long time members, and they’re growing. My wife and I love the community here, and I have been attending Chevra Thilim since I first started taking Rabbi Zarchi’s classes at the JCCSF (when it was still in the Presidio while the new building was being built), and we’ve been addicts ever since!