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Thursday February 16, 2006

Faces

by suzan berns

Columnist Suzan Berns can be reached at faces@jweekly.com.

All-star support

Deborah Friend, who lives at the Jewish Home in San Francisco, is an “all-star” on the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s “Team Fox,” a grassroots community project that raises funds and awareness for Parkinson’s disease research. Friend, who has Parkinson’s, facilitates and arranges speakers for a monthly Parkinson’s support group, which she initiated at the Home. “One door may close, but another opens,” she says about how the disease has affected her life.

Music and dance

The Jewish Community Center of San Francisco has been awarded a $50,000 grant by the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation for the creation and production of a new dance composition by a young California choreographer. Dancer-choreographer Benjamin Levy has been named to create the piece, which will explore the history of his family, who emigrated from Iran in the 1970s seeking political asylum. It will be part of the JCCSF’s 2007-08 season.

In other Jewish cultural happenings, Fred Levin and Nancy Livingston and the Shenson Foundation are sponsoring “Tradition,” a concert series of the Pacific Chamber Symphony, from March 1-9. According to media contact Bennett Charles it will “venture down the joyous, creative and sometimes heartbreaking path of Jewish composers in America.” Among the featured composers are George Gershwin and Aaron Copland. Cantor Roslyn Barak of Congregation Emanu-El will sing Yiddish theater songs. Visit www.pacificchambersymphony.org for concert sites.

East Bay news

Leah Wagner and Josh Sadikman are chairing the Young Leadership Mission to Tel Aviv for the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay. Sadikman and his wife, Lisa, along with Nikki Gilbert, co-chaired the group’s Young Leadership Development retreat in January. Tova Grunes is YLD director.

In other federation news, Loren Basch, executive director of the East Bay federation, and Moses Libitsky, president of the federation’s foundation, announced the appointment of Lisa Tabak as director of the Jewish Community Foundation of the Greater East Bay. Tabak was a campaign associate at the S.F.-based JCF for nine years before joining the East Bay federation as annual campaign director in 2004.

Photo ops

Hebrew Academy’s Rabbi Pinchas Lipner and David Blumberg, a member of the local Jewish Community Relations Council’s regional committee, were guests at the White House Chanukah reception in December — and they have photos of themselves with the president and first lady available for viewing. According to Blumberg, the White House kitchen was kashered to ensure everyone could enjoy the reception. He didn’t mention whether they served latkes.

Blumberg was chatting with Gary Tobin before the JCRC’s annual gathering of committee members from all the group’s regions last month. Tobin and David Biale presented a lively debate on anti-Semitism among university professors.

Short shorts

Natalie Berg was elected president of the board of trustees of City College of San Francisco. She has served on the S.F. Community College board since 1996 and was formerly chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council … Judy Blum of Congregation B’nai Tikvah wrote to tell us that Jennie Chabon, who we said was a congregant in the last Faces, is in fact the synagogue’s cantor.

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