by Suzan Berns
Who is that masked man?
During the week, he plays Jewish communal professional Benjamin Pither, director of the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation’s Business Leadership Council and Young Leadership division. But on weekends he becomes Bobby Strong, the idealistic and unflappable hero of “Urinetown,” the Tony Award-winning play now showing at Alameda’s Altarena Playhouse. Pither, who’s been acting since he was a child, has played in theaters all around the Bay Area but says his favorite roles have been Matt in “The Fantasticks,” Male Greek Chorus in Paula Vogel’s “How I Learned to Drive” and the Artful Dodger in “Oliver!” “Urinetown” runs weekends through Oct. 6. Visit www.altarena.org for information — you’ll see Pither in the photo.
Together again, for art’s sake
It’s been 20 years since Judy Grief of Berkeley recruited her friend and then-work colleague Edie Kaplan of Oakland to volunteer as a docent at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. They’re working together again — this time on an exhibit by 100-year-old metalwork artist Victor Ries at the Jewish Heritage Museum at the Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living in Danville. Kaplan’s mother is a resident at RCJL, so it’s particularly meaningful for her to be involved there. The exhibit opens Oct. 7 with a reception for the artist.
Act for Darfur
On Sept. 6, Tiburon’s Gerri Miller and Dear Sudan, Love Marin launched Darfur Fridays with a community breakfast for more than 100 faith and business leaders and public officials. The new initiative to work toward stopping the genocide in Darfur includes doing a simple action each Friday (that you’re alerted to via email) and wearing a Darfur T-shirt or hat, if you can. Marinites Terry Seligman, Alissa Ralston, Joni Platt, Gayle Donsky, Barbara Campbell, Susan Cohen, Joanne Saxe, and Wyna Baron and Martina Knee, who came from San Francisco to talk about divestment, were part of the event team. You can sign up for Darfur Fridays at www.darfursf.org or write to dearsudan2005@yahoo.com.
Short shorts
Libby Denebeim of San Francisco, who helped found Coming Home Hospice in 1987, was among the group members honored for their work with AIDS last month at California Pacific Medical Center … Marilyn Waldman and Diane Frankel, current co-chairs of at the San Francisco Public Library’s One City One Book, a city-wide book club, are passing the gavel to Jean Freeman and Sari Swig. FYI, the next book is “Cane River” by Lalita Tademy and one of many opportunities to discuss it will take place on Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the JCC of San Francisco. Visit San Francisco reads at www.sfpl.org for more info … American Jewish World Service awarded Evan Wolkenstein of Jewish Community High School of the Bay and Rabbi Dorothy Richman of Berkeley Hillel the 2007 Dvar Tzedek Torah Commentary: Lisa Goldberg Memorial Writers’ Fellowship.
Reunion-ing at the Palo Alto To Life street festival were former SFJCF pals Cindy Rogoway (now with Hebrew Free Loan), Sharon Dwek (now with South Peninsula Hebrew Day School), Mike Welch (now with Stanford University) and Wendy Rothenberg (now with Jewish Vocational Services) … Stewart Florsheim reports that Compassion and Choices of Northern California, a group he co-chairs, is holding an open meeting Oct. 7 at Berkeley Public Library. The group helps terminally ill patients make end-of-life decisions. The meeting will feature Robert Raben, their chief Washington lobbyist. Info at www.compassionandchoicesnca.org.
CopyrightJ, the Jewish news weekly of Northern California