Local Jews make ‘Forward 50’ list
A trio of Bay Area Jews made the annual “Forward 50,” the New York-based Jewish newspaper’s list of the nation’s most influential Jews.
Honorees include Michael Chabon, the Berkeley author of “The Yiddish Policemen’s Union”; philanthropist Tad Taube, president of the Koret Foundation; and Arnold Eisen, now the chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City, but a longtime Stanford professor.
ADL issues alert on Croatian singer coming to San Jose
Marko Perkovic, a Croatian singer the ADL claims has enticed his audiences to festoon him with Hitlerian salutes, will play San Jose on Sunday, Nov. 18.
Perkovic, the front man for the band Thompson, has publicly supported the Ustasche regime, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The Ustasche regime, a fascist, pro-Nazi junta that ran Croatia during World War II and obliged the Nazis, murdered thousands of Jews, Serbs and Gypsies.
David Schneider, the ADL’s regional assistant director, said Perkovic hasn’t engaged in any pro-Nazi behavior during his current U.S. tour because “he knows people are keeping an eye on him.”
Abraham Foxman, ADL national director, issued the statement: “This is a free country, and people can choose to be offensive. We are not in the business of censorship or shutting people down, but we do hope that when people understand what Thompson are all about, they will not want to hear them play.”
Israel scholarships are available
East Bay high school and college students hoping to visit the Jewish state via a recognized Israel program can apply for a need-based scholarship from the Jewish Community Foundation in Oakland.
Recognized programs include those sponsored by the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay’s Israel Center, Midrasha, USY, NFTY, Young Judea, B’nai B’rith Youth, and local Jewish day schools.
In addition, the Derek Israel Memorial Scholarship Fund (DIMS) provides tuition assistance for study at a yeshiva or other institution of orthodox learning in Israel. East Bay residents 21 years of age or older are eligible to apply to DIMS.
The deadline for applications is Dec. 5. For more information contact Marilyn Kinch at (510) 839-2900, ext. 256 or marilyn@jfed.org.
UCLA prof to lecture in Palo Alto
Saul Friedlander, the author of “Nazi Germany and the Jews, the Years of Extermination,” will speak at Palo Alto’s Cubberley Auditorium at 8 p.m. Nov. 27.
Friedlander is a UCLA history professor and former MacArthur Genius Grant winner. His speech is sponsored by Stanford’s Center for European Studies and the Taube Center for Jewish Studies.
For more information, call the Center for European Studies at (650) 724 0939 or the Taube Center at (650) 725-0577.
Fellowships for future leaders
The Professional Leaders Project is sponsoring up to 10 graduate fellowships for individuals interested in pursuing careers as Jewish professionals.
The fellowships can be applied to top master’s degree programs, particularly those with a nonprofit concentration.
The leaders project is a national, nonprofit organization whose mission is to prepare Jews in their 20s and 30s to become professional and volunteer leaders. The first cohort of fellows graduated earlier this year.
Fellowship applications are available online at www.jewishleaders.net. For more information, contact Arianna Jeret at (310) 544-4120 or at Arianna@jewishleaders.net.
Winery hosting Chanukah hootenanny
Napa-based Judd’s Hill Winery will host a Chanukah Hootenanny. Celebrating the Festival of Lights as well as the release two new Judd’s Hill wines, the event takes place noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9, at the Judd’s Hill winery, located at 2332 Silverado Trail, Napa.
The hootenanny will feature a latke bar with unusual toppings created by chef Pat Burke that can be paired with Judd’s Hill wines. Jewish surf band Meshugga Beach Party will provide entertainment.
The cost is $35 per person for Judd’s Hill Wine Club members, $50 for non-members. There is no charge to join the Wine Club. To sign up, visit www.juddshill.com. To purchase tickets, call (707) 255-2332.
Refugees can apply for HIAS aid
The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society’s 2008 Scholarship Competition is under way. HIAS-assisted refugees who arrived in the United States after Jan. 1, 1992 are eligible to apply for the $2,000 award.
Students should apply directly online. Further eligibility requirements and the online application form can be found at www.hias.org/usscholarship2008. The online application must be submitted by Feb 19.
Jewish Coalition for Literacy pushes one-on one instruction
The Jewish Coalition for Literacy is expanding to provide more educational support to schools and to encourage members of synagogues and community groups to volunteer as tutors.
The organization recently hired both Judy Pam-Bycel as a senior outreach coordinator and Helen Tinkle as program manager for the East Bay.
Pam-Bycel will develop partnerships between synagogues, day schools, community groups and local elementary schools.
Tinkler will function as a liaison between tutors and schools and help coordinate trainings and placements for volunteers.
Oakland training sessions will be held at the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay, 300 Grand Ave., Oakland, on Dec. 2, Jan. 9 and Jan. 16. For more information, contact Helene Tinkler, (510) 839-2900 ext. 272 or helene@jfed.org.
Ex-federation CEO joins Israel Policy Forum
Tom Dine, a former CEO of the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation, has joined the Israel Policy Forum as a consultant. He will deal with strategic planning, executive management, political action and fundraising.
Dine, 65, directed AIPAC from 1980 to 1993. Before coming to the S.F.-based federation, he was director of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Founded in 1993 in the wake of the Oslo accords, the Israel Policy Forum advocates for sustained U.S. diplomatic efforts to achieve a settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It sponsors educational briefings, publications and Middle East missions to help bring about a two-state solution.
Missing Jewish girl last seen in S.F.
Emily Cecilia Graeber, a 15-year-old Jewish girl hailing from St. Louis, was last seen in the vicinity of Fisherman’s Wharf on Oct. 29. Her family and friends are urging anyone who has information about her whereabouts to call (866) 495-HOPE.
Graeber did not exit a flight from St. Louis to Salt Lake City as scheduled Oct. 29, instead flying on to Oakland. FBI investigators contacted a man who sat next to her on the plane and reportedly gave her a ride from Oakland Airport into San Francisco.
Police in Syracuse, Utah, where Graeber had been living, are treating the case as a runaway situation.
Graeber is described as about 5 feet tall, 120 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She normally wears glasses with black plastic frames.
CopyrightJ, the Jewish news weekly of Northern California