Sing a song at E. Bay children’s music class
Shira, a Shabbat music group in the East Bay, has started a new year of monthly gatherings for Jewish children with developmental disabilities and their families.
The music lessons begin at 10 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month from now through June at 200 Estates Drive, Piedmont.
Shira meetings blend music, art, movement and Jewish learning. Susan Rancer, a registered music therapist, has led Shira classes for several years. Joining her this year is Orit Weksler, who heads Gateway, a new initiative for Jews with disabilities organized by Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the East Bay.
For more information, contact Weksler at (510) 704-7480 ext. 764.
Jews can’t out-debate speech contest to change Passover date
Jewish organizations are expressing frustration that the California High School Speech Association refuses to reschedule its upcoming statewide debate tournament, scheduled for April 18 to 20 — smackdab in the middle of Passover.
“They were first alerted about this 10 months before [the tournament] and they’ve been rather stubborn in rescheduling this. I recognize it’s a hassle to reschedule a whole program, but they really do have an obligation not to exclude students from a particular background from participating,” said Jonathan Bernstein, regional director of the ADL.
With the Anti-Defamation League, S.F.-based Jewish Community Relations Council and Los Angeles federation unable to sway the tournament’s organizers, Bernstein said the next step is to request various school systems to express their displeasure — and for Jews to call their children’s schools and express their feelings as well.
Kol Emeth to host interfaith global warming seminar
Clergy and lay leaders of all stripes are invited to the Mid-Peninsula Interfaith Convocation on Climate Action on Sunday, Oct. 28 at Congregation Kol Emeth, 4175 Manuela Drive in Palo Alto.
Speakers include Stanford professor Stephen Schneider, one of the world’s leading experts in the field, along with a host of religious orators. There will also be presentations on small-scale solutions made by nonprofit organizations and businesses as well as copious networking opportunities.
Registration for clergy and lay leaders is free, though pre-registration is strongly requested. For information, email
lerman@earthlink.net or fax Lee Erman at (650) 948-2712.
Nominees sought for $100,000 prize
The Charles Bronfman Prize has launched its 2008 award cycle, marking the start of this year’s international quest for extraordinary young humanitarians.
The prize celebrates the vision and talent of an individual or team less than 50 years of age whose humanitarian work has contributed significantly to the betterment of the world.
Nominations guidelines and forms for the $100,000 award are available at www.TheCharlesBronfmanPrize.com. Nominations for the 2008 prize will be accepted through Nov. 30 of this year.
CopyrightJ, the Jewish news weekly of Northern California