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Friday November 9, 2007

Shorts: Bay Area

Endowment head wins two awards

Phyllis Cook, executive director of the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation, will be honored with two national awards, both presented at the upcoming General Assembly of United Jewish Communities.

Cook will be presented with the 2007 Association of Jewish Community Organization Professionals Mandelkorn Distinguished Service Award, and the Community Endowment Excellence Awards, given annually to the federation that had the greatest achievement among its peer group. This year’s General Assembly takes place Nov. 11 to 13 in Nashville, Tenn.

Under Cook’s leadership, contributions to the JCF’s endowment funds and investment returns on its endowment portfolio increased the federation’s total endowment funds by almost 60 percent. Cook, who announced she will step down next year, has led the endowment for more than 23 years.

U.C. Berkeley student government OKs pro-Israel bill

The Associated Students of the University of California, U.C. Berkeley’s student senate, passed a symbolic resolution calling for a “positive diplomatic relationship” between the United States and Israel.

Despite objections from the Students for Justice in Palestine and other campus groups, the bill — authored by student senators Gabe Weiner and Scott Silver — carried the day on Oct. 31.

“The values the bill refers to are just the idea of Jewish statehood and Israel as a democratic free state,” Weiner told the Daily Californian student newspaper.

The resolution passed with an amendment noting that Cal’s student leadership does not necessarily support every action undertaken by the Israeli government.

Marin JCC, Kol Shofar start new preschool

A new community preschool in Tiburon is now accepting applications for the current school year.

The Osher Marin Jewish Community Center and Congregation Kol Shofar have worked together to launch a new preschool at the Tiburon synagogue. The preschool will incorporate meaningful hands-on experiences that foster peer partnerships, project-based learning and Jewish traditions.

It is being managed by Hadassah Goldstein, a veteran preschool teacher with more than 20 years of experience at the Osher Marin JCC and as a member of the Kol Shofar religious school teaching staff.

For information about enrollment or touring the school, call (415) 444-8046. Kol Shofar is located at 215 Blackfield Drive, Tiburon.

New fitness program for special needs kids

The Silicon Valley Jewish Community Center in January will start a fitness and recreation program for children with developmental disabilities.

“Fun and Fitness with Friends” will meet every Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. from January to May. The group is designed for children ages 6 to 12.

Children will work one-on-one with trained volunteers to complete various physical and social activities.

The program costs $100 for JCC members and $150 for nonmembers, and will meet at the center, 14855 Oka Road, Los Gatos. To register a child or to volunteer, contact Angelina at angelina@svjcc.org.

Yiddish Cat comes to San Francisco

Celeste Sollod, publisher of Yiddish House, will be reading and translating from “Di Kats der Payats,” the Yiddish version of the Dr. Seuss classic “The Cat in the Hat.” KlezCalifornia is co-sponsoring the event.

Sollod speaks at 2 p.m., Nov. 18, at the Bureau of Jewish Education’s Jewish Community Library, 1835 Ellis St., S.F., on the campus of the Jewish Community High School of the Bay. Copies of “Di Kats der Payats” and “George der Naygeriker” (“Curious George” in Yiddish) will be available for sale at the event, or at yiddishcat.com.

Professor to discuss‘Jihad and the Jews’

Rabbi Reuven Firestone, professor of medieval Judaism and Islam at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, will speak at Congregation Sherith Israel’s annual rabbinical lecture Nov. 28.

Firestone will draw from ancient Muslim texts to respond to questions such as “Can Islam reconcile itself to Israel and the Western world?” “Which age-old elements of Muslim belief work against peace?” “And which ones offer hope that peace can be achieved?”

Firestone’s lecture — “Jihad and the Jews: Is Peace Really Possible?” — will begin 6:45 p.m. at Sherith Israel, 2266 California St., San Francisco.

A 6 p.m. dinner will precede the lecture.

For more information and to make a dinner reservation, contact Aviva Hicks at (415) 346-1720 ext. 24 or ahicks@sherithisrael.org.

An afternoon for crafty women

All craftspeople have it. The drawer. Or if you’re serious, the closet. It’s the space in one’s home filled with crafty contents to be transformed into finished products — someday.

On Nov. 18, all women with a backlog of craft projects are invited to Congregation Sha’ar Zahav for the Women’s Chavurah arts and crafts day.

Beginning at 2 p.m., all who identify as women (at least some of the time, according to the event coordinators) are invited to the synagogue, 290 Dolores St., to knit, crochet, bead, draw, paint or simply be creative.

For more information, contact Sharon at purplemustard82@gmail.com.

Roundtable to discuss Abrahamic altruism

A Jew a Muslim and a Christian sit down to talk — no joke — about charity.

Rabbi Doug Kahn, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council; Munir Jiwa, director of the Center for Islamic Studies at U.C. Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union; and the Rev. Glenda Hope, executive director of San Francisco Network Ministries will hold a roundtable discussion on the charitable concepts of the three Abrahamic religions.

The dinner and discussion will be held at 5 p.m. Dec. 2 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1111 Gough St., S.F. Tickets are $20. For more information email ejacobs@jcrc.org or call (415) 957-1551.

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