A year in jail for Ex-Kol Shofar controller
Larry Mintzer, who allegedly pilfered $180,000 from Congregation Kol Shofar during his five years as controller of the Conservative Tiburon shul, pleaded guilty to embezzlement and identity theft charges on Wednesday, Aug. 15, and was sentenced to a year in county jail.
Marin County Superior Court Judge Michael Dufficy remanded Mintzer to county sheriffs immediately following Wednesday’s sentencing.
After his one-year jail term, Mintzer will be on probation for five years. He also must perform 100 hours of community service, send letters of apology to the congregation, and make restitution of a yet undetermined amount to both Kol Shofar and its former executive director, Michael Liepman.
Mintzer allegedly embezzled the money from the synagogue by using Liepman’s synagogue credit cards and signing Liepman’s name. Although Liepman did not lose any money personally, his credit rating was damaged when cards in his name defaulted. Mintzer was arrested in November 2005.
Prior to his guilty plea, Mintzer, who worked at Kol Shofar from 2000 to 2005, claimed he was a victim of age discrimination and that he was owed a large sum of money for unpaid overtime.
— joe eskenazi
S.F. B’nai Brith to install new officers
The greater San Francisco chapter of B’nai Brith will hold its annual installation of officers on Sept. 16. The keynote speaker will be Assemblyman Mark Leno. Installing officers are Frank Winston, president of B’nai B’rith’s Golden Pacific Region, and past president Emil Knopf.
Officers to be installed are: Irv Golden, co-president; Irv Abramowitz, co-president; Alan Slepoy, first vice president; Morrey Klein, second vice president and recording secretary; Paul Kadden, treasurer; John Levin, financial secretary; Tanya Nakhimovsky, corresponding secretary; Henry Haertel, warden; Natasha Kneller, guardian. Trustees are Julius Blackman, Emil Knopf, Norman Simon, Henry Small, Frank Winston and Kalman Zippin.
The event takes place 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 16 at Lakeside Cafe, 2529 Ocean Ave., S.F. For information, call (415) 752-9304.
Grief and Growing’ weekend at Tawonga
Camp Tawonga, the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center, Sinai Memorial Chapel and the Bureau of Jewish Education have partnered to create a “Grief and Growing” weekend at Camp Tawonga. The event takes place Sept. 7-9 at the camp’s site near Yosemite.
Organizers aim to provide a forum though which people experiencing grief and loss can work with skilled professionals, explore creative outlets such as arts and crafts, music, dance, and explore such physical outlets as hiking and swimming.
Registration for “Grief and Growing” weekend at Camp Tawonga can be done online at: www.jewishhealingcenter.org.
Women’s support group comes to Marin
Shalom Bayit’s Spiritual Healing Support Groups will begin meeting in Marin in October. These support groups for women in abusive or controlling relationships have been meeting in virtually every other part of the Bay Area.
Participation is free and includes discussions of topics such as power and control in relationships, different forms of abuse, the decision to remain in or leave a relationship, divorce and child custody, building a new life and how each issue relates to Judaism.
All women currently in an abusive relationship, or seeking to heal from a past relationship, are welcome, regardless of background, affiliation, or orientation. Non-Jewish women who want to discuss these issues in a Jewish environment are welcome, too.
The group will meet in a central, confidential location. For more information or to sign up call (866) SHALOM-7, which is toll-free from the Bay Area, or (510) 451-7233. Information is also available at www.shalom-bayit.org. Teens can visit www.love-shouldnt-hurt.org.
The group is co-sponsored by Congregation Kol Shofar, Congregation Rodef Sholom, the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center, and the Family and Children’s Law Center.
It is made possible by a grant from
the Jewish Community Endowment Newhouse Fund
Poet-author Danny Siegelslated at Emanu-El
San Francisco’s Congregation Emanu-El will welcome poet-author Danny Siegel for a special High Holy Days Selichot/Elul celebration open to the community. The event, titled “Ruach: Tzedakah, Tefillah, T’shuva,” takes place Sept. 7 and 8, and culminates with Selichot services that Saturday evening.
Siegel has published nearly 30 volumes of poetry, essays, children’s literature and Jewish-themed workbooks. He is also a past recipient of the Covenant Award for Exceptional Jewish Education, and has spoken to more than 500 Jewish communities throughout North America and Israel.
Known for his emphasis on tzedakah, Siegel founded the Ziv Tzedakah Fund, a nonprofit organization, which has distributed more than $12 million to various charitable causes.
Congregation Emanu-El is located at 2 Lake St., S.F. For more information, contact the synagogue at (415) 751-2535.
CopyrightJ, the Jewish news weekly of Northern California