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Friday January 25, 2008

Shorts: Bay Area

Leading Sephardic scholar to visit Berkeley

One of the world’s leading scholars on Sephardic Judaism and Jewish law will visit Berkeley the first weekend in February. Professor Zvi Zohar, who teaches at Bar Ilan University’s Law School and at the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, will speak at U.C. Berkeley on Thursday, Jan. 31 and at Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley on Feb. 1 and 2.

Zohar’s talks will reflect his perspective as both an academic and an observant Jew.

The Jan. 31 lecture begins at 5 p.m. at U.C. Berkeley’s Center for Middle East Studies, Stephens Hall, Sultan Room. Zohar will speak about his book, “The Rabbi and the Sheikh: A Tale of 18th Century Damascus.” The Feb. 1 lecture begins with a Shabbat dinner at 5 p.m. at Congregation Beth Israel. Zohar will speak at 6 p.m. Traditional Sephardic food will be served and reservations are required.

Then, on Feb. 2, Zohar will again talk about “The Rabbi and the Sheikh” after morning services conclude, at around 11:45 a.m.

Later that evening, at around 5 p.m., he will speak about what Sephardic rabbis have to say about “women, Torah and mitzvot.”

For more information or to make a reservation, contact Congregation Beth Israel at (510) 843-5246.

Jewish Democratic club to hold forum

The Raoul Wallenberg Jewish Democratic Club has invited all of the Democratic presidential candidates to attend its Monday, Jan. 28 forum.

The free 7 p.m. event will be held at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California St., and be moderated by John Rothmann of KGO radio.

Confirmed speakers include either the candidate or a representative of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel.

Health and fitness open house at PJCC

The Peninsula Jewish Community Center will sponsor a free health and fitness open house on Sunday, Jan. 27. Representatives from Kaiser Permanente, MORE Physical Therapy, Weight Watchers and others will be on hand to meet with the public. Also on tap are personal fitness assessments, healthy snacks and chair massages.

The health and fitness open house takes place 10 a.m. through 1 p.m. The PJCC is located at 800 Foster City Blvd., Foster City. For more information, visit www.pjcc.org or call (650) 212-7522.

Wanted: Teens for Tikkun Olam Awards

The S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation is seeking nominees for the 2008 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards.

San Francisco philanthropist Helen Diller established the award last year to honor California teens for extraordinary community service. The deadline for nominations is March 11. Winners will be announced in September and honored at a ceremony in November.

Nominees must engage in social action projects that reflect leadership skills and the value of tikkun olam. While nominees must identify as Jewish, their projects can benefit either the Jewish or general community. The $36,000 prize is to be used for college or furthering the teen’s work.

Nomination forms and information are available online at www.sfjcf.org/diller/

teenawards or by calling the Diller Teen Initiative at (415) 512-6432 or emailing dillerteens@sfjcf.org.

Registration deadline nears for AIDS ride

The Contra Costa Jewish Community Center will sponsor a team of bicyclists to take part in this year’s Aids/Lifecycle event, set for the first week of June. The event takes riders along the California coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and raises funds for the S.F AIDS Foundation and the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center.

Three-time Tour de France winner Greg Lemond has joined Team JCC as honorary chair, and will take part in some pre-ride events to support the team. More riders from across the Bay Area Jewish community are welcome to join. The team will raise money for the AIDS charities as well as for the JCC.

Riders should register by the end of January. For more information go to www.aidslifecycle.org, or write to JCC executive director Jamie Hyams at jamieh@ccjcc.org.

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