We are grateful to have shared a day of impactful dialogue, engaging panels and inspiring keynotes. We had record-breaking inperson attendance this year, a testament to your investment in our community. We are grateful for your open hearts and minds and can’t wait to continue the conversation next year.
We have been deeply touched by your expressions of support since announcing our temporary closure. Thank you for your appreciation, your commitment, your personal stories of connection, and your hopes for our future.
You’ve also asked how you can help—we are truly grateful for this question.
Most of all, we hope that you’ll come to The Museum between now and December 15 with Free Admission to see our exhibitions—the California Jewish Open, Nicki Green: Firmament, Leah Rosenberg: When One Sees a Rainbow, and Looted— and participate in our programs. We also encourage you to stop by The CJM Shop, where everything is on sale, just in time for Hanukkah. And of course, if you’re not currently on our email list, sign up at thecjm.org so we can stay in touch with you.
Moving forward, please continue to be part of our future. As a non-profit, we rely on philanthropy from our audiences, and as we look to the next year, your contribution will allow The CJM to do the work—now and ahead—in reimagining, researching, restructuring, and returning. If you’ve never made a donation, please consider one today. Your support will enable us to come back stronger and sooner.
US FOR GALLERY CHATS BEFORE DECEMBER 15
Elina Frumerman and Natalya Burd SUNDAY, DEC 1 11:30AM
Rabbi Batshir Torchio on the Mikveh
THURSDAY, DEC 12 11:30AM
Tiffany Shlain and Amy Trachtenberg SUNDAY, DEC 15 11:30AM
info@jweekly.com
Gellman
EDITOR Natalie Weinstein
NEWS EDITOR Gabe Stutman
INTERIM CULTURE EDITOR Laura Paull
STAFF WRITERS Niva Ashkenazi, Emma Goss, Maya Mirsky
ENGAGEMENT REPORTER Lea Loeb
PHOTOGRAPHER Aaron Levy-Wolins
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Andy Altman-Ohr, Sue Fishko , Dan Pine, Alix Wall
COLUMNISTS Howard Freedman, Karen Galatz, Janet Silver Ghent, Faith Kramer, Dr. Jerry Saliman, Micah Siva
ADVERTISING & PROMOTION
ACCOUNT EXECS Nancy Beth Cohen, Meryl Sokoler
ART & PRODUCTION
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR Antonio R. Marquez
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Michelle Palmer, Steve Romero
BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Allison Green
SHOP HANUKKAH AT THE CJM
Enjoy 20% off all merchandise* at The CJM Shop when you shop in person before December 15. Choose items for gift-giving or for yourself with menorahs, mezuzahs, jewelry, books, and more.
thecjm.org | @jewseum Open Thursday–Sunday | 736 Mission St, SF
DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE Carrie Rice
MARKETING ASSISTANT Holley Newmark
ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT Linda Uong
TECHNOLOGY
IT SUPPORT Felipe Barrueto
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CO-PRESIDENTS Steven Dinkelspiel, Carol Weitz
VICE PRESIDENTS Andy Rittenberg, Jerry Yanowitz SECRETARY Patricia Rosenberg
TREASURER Jane Springwater
MEMBERS Liz Berman, Alex Bernstein, Mark W. Bernstein (imm. past president), David Cornfield, Alexandra Corvin, Rabbi Joey Felsen, Howard Fine, Inna Gartsman, Alia Wechsler Gorkin, Samantha Grant, Steve Katz, Susan Libitzky, Rabbi Deborah Newbrun, Susan Sasson, Harmon Shragge, Peter Waldman
PAST PRESIDENTS Marc Berger, Lou Haas, Jon Kaufman, Dan Leemon, Adam Noily, Lory Pilchik, William I. Schwartz
EMMA GOSS | J. STAFF
Six Jewish families have filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that a San Mateo County school district did little to address the “pervasive antisemitism” their children have faced in school.
The lawsuit was filed Nov. 15 in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on behalf of the Jewish families enrolled in the Sequoia Union High School District.
The complaint alleges that school leadership at Woodside High School and Menlo-Atherton High School didn’t adequately address repeated complaints about antisemitism for months. Among the incidents alleged in the complaint are
“She would come home crying, and eventually I looked at the course material and I was absolutely shocked.”
Sam Kasle, parent
antisemitic slurs and taunts toward Jewish students, swastika graffiti and unauthorized anti-Israel “propaganda” presented by teachers.
“The school district refused to obey the law or even follow their own internal procedures to stop the harassment and cease the hostile environment which they instead allowed and enabled,” attorney Lori Lowenthal Marcus said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. Lowenthal Marcus is legal director of the Deborah Project, a public-interest law firm dedicated to “defending the civil rights of Jews facing discrimination in educational settings.”
The law firm has filed lawsuits against multiple Bay Area school districts over alleged antisemitism since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Israel and global spike in antisemitism, including one against the Berkeley Unified School District in April for allegedly allowing biased and harmful lessons about Israelis and Palestinians to be taught in the classroom.
The new complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, seeks injunctive and compensatory relief as well as a jury trial.
Sam and Andrea Kasle of Redwood City are the lead plaintiffs on behalf of their daughter, who experienced a “traumatizing” sophomore year at Woodside High School last academic year, specifically in her world history class.
“She would come home crying, and eventually I looked at the course material and I was absolutely shocked,” Sam Kasle told NewsNation journalist Chris Cuomo on Nov. 18 in a live interview.
The lawsuit alleges that her teacher, Gregory Gruszynski, whose classroom displayed a “Free Palestine” bumper sticker, routinely presented false information and narratives about Israel and Palestine and “urged students to draw a false equivalence between Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, and the State of Israel … [and] asked students rhetorically, ‘How different is Israel from Hamas?’”
“Because of his tenure, he was allowed to create his own material, review and approve his own material, and then teach it and disseminate to other social studies teachers this material,” Kasle told Cuomo.
Last winter, according to the lawsuit, Kasle wrote at least 17 emails to the school’s principal and vice principal about misleading and upsetting course materials, but he said he
describes “dominant narratives” as “the story that is told by people in power (such as men, white people, rich people).”
Another Menlo-Atherton High teacher in the math department distributed materials in fall 2023 that “gratuitously invoked anti-Israel headlines under the pretext of teaching a geometry exercise,” the lawsuit alleges.
didn’t receive an adequate response.
Another plaintiff, Margarette Kesselman, an Israeli citizen who lives in Menlo Park, is suing on behalf of her son over antisemitic bullying he reported as a sophomore at Menlo-Atherton in the past academic year.
Several days after Oct. 7, 2023, the lawsuit alleges, Kesselman’s son was on his way to English class when a group of students called him a “kike” and told him that they hope he and his family “burn in hell,” that “all Jews should die” and that “all Israel supporters should get killed.”
The lawsuit also states that multiple plaintiffs decided to take legal action after their formal complaints — filed through the state’s Uniform Complaint Procedures, which requires the district to investigate within 60 days — dragged on for months with the findings never disclosed.
Igor and Marina Bershteyn of Redwood City are also plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Their daughter, a junior at Woodside High School last school year, was harassed by students and once told to “go back to where you came from!” according to the lawsuit.
Scott and Lori Lyle of Woodside are plaintiffs on behalf of their son who was a senior at Woodside High last school year. Daniel and Jennifer Reif of Redwood City are plaintiffs representing their daughter who was a
Kesselman’s son filed an incident report, according to the lawsuit. “In response, school administrators blamed [him] for his own harassment and suggested he relocate to a different class to avoid ‘provoking’ the main antisemitic perpetrator.”
The lawsuit also describes antisemitic and inaccurate lesson plans presented last school year by an ethnic studies and U.S. history teacher, Chloe Gentile-Montgomery. Gentile-Montgomery no longer works at Menlo-Atherton and is not a defendant in the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims that in November 2023, Gentile-Montgomery presented a slide deck with “Hamas propaganda” and centuries-old antisemitic tropes. In a lesson on “dominant and counter narratives” about Israelis and Palestinians, a cartoon illustration shows a hand pulling the strings of a puppet, alongside text that
junior at Woodside High last school year. Lisa Joy Rosner of Redwood City is also a plaintiff, representing her daughter who was a senior at Woodside High last school year.
Gruszynski, Gentile-Montgomery and the Sequoia Union High School District did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Last month, a South Bay Jewish family sued University Preparatory Academy, a San Jose 7-12 charter school, as well as two Santa Clara County educational organizations and the California Department of Education, over allegations of antisemitic bullying, harassment and public humiliation on behalf of their daughter, who was then 12 years old. n
MAYA MIRSKY | J. STAFF
The Contemporary Jewish Museum’s decision to close for at least a year has rocked the Bay Area arts community.
“I just felt like it was a punch in the gut,” said ceramicist Liz Lauter, who currently has artwork on display in CJM’s California Jewish Open. “You lose your breath for a moment.”
The San Francisco museum pointed to years-long budget shortfalls, as well as declining attendance, as the primary reasons behind its Nov. 13 announcement. During the closure, CJM will cut its staff from 30 to 11. Museum leaders said they will use the downtime to “evaluate its financial framework and engage in intense planning and organizational assessment.”
Dec. 15 will be the last day CJM will welcome the public since its current site opened in 2008 across from Yerba Buena Gardens.
Artist Tiffany Shlain, who also has artwork in the California Jewish Open, said she was “not completely surprised” by CJM’s news because she’s known that museums — as well as the city’s downtown — have been struggling.
“I really hope that, in this year to restructure and rethink, it’ll come out on the other side — still there but in a new evolution,” she said.
CJM’s announcement noted that visitor numbers never fully bounced back after a yearlong pivot to virtual programming during the Covid-19 lockdowns that started in 2020.
Museums in general suffered during the pandemic, according to Paula Birnbaum, head of the museum studies master’s program at the University of San Francisco. She noted that her program has had close and fruitful collaborations with CJM over the years.
closure was announced that the political aftermath of Oct. 7 was just one of several factors that have affected the museum.
“Donors have so many things to think about, and Jewish donors today, especially. It’s been tough for all of us,” King said.
Birnbaum agreed.
“I think when there are political crises, cultural institutions can definitely suffer,” she said.
2000, was hired to help develop its current site and expand its mission after years in a small gallery space at the bottom of the Jewish Community Federation building. He oversaw the capital campaign for the museum’s landmark annex designed by architect Daniel Libeskind.
Lurie, too, attributed CJM’s closure to struggles that the museum and other venues have faced since the start of the pandemic. The lack of a return of significant foot traffic in the area also has been a problem, he said.
“I think it’s really sad,” Birnbaum said. “It has such a rich history of generosity to this community and creating stimulating dialogues around important social justice issues, using the arts as a lens to examine them.”
Birnbaum said she’s seen studies showing that only about half of U.S. museums have bounced back in terms of visitors since the start of Covid.
“It’s incredibly challenging to run a museum in the 21st century, never mind immediately following a pandemic and in the midst of a war in the Middle East,” she said, specifically for a Jewish museum.
Some Jewish nonprofits have seen donors shift money toward causes supporting Israel and fighting antisemitism since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, subsequent war and global spike in antisemitism.
David Katznelson, CEO of Jewish arts and culture nonprofit Reboot, and Roberta Grossman, executive director of documentary nonprofit Jewish Story Partners, told eJewishPhilanthropy last month that it’s not unusual for donors to switch from funding the arts to what they see as more pressing needs during a time of crisis.
Kerry King, CJM’s executive director, told J. when the
“Donors have so many things to think about, and Jewish donors today, especially. It’s been tough for all of us.”
Kerry King, CJM executive director
The ongoing war also caused some division among artists.
In April, several artists withdrew their work from CJM’s inaugural California Jewish Open in part because the museum would not divulge its funders or agree to divest from all funding sources associated with Israel.
“In our own community, there are artists and community members who are critical of the CJM, who would like to see it divest from pro-Israel funders,” Birnbaum said. “So there’s that issue as well.”
Rabbi Brian Lurie, the museum’s CEO from 1996 to
“The whole dynamic of San Francisco is in financial trouble,” he said. “I’m saddened by the reality.”
For Lauter, though, CJM’s announcement was a complete surprise. “I didn’t realize that the Jewish museum was having these problems,” she said.
CJM visitors will feel the loss, too. To many of them, the museum has never been just a place to view art. It has been a space for community.
Megan Micco of Berkeley has many fond memories of spending time there when her children were young.
Visiting CJM is about “remembering my mom, who’s no longer with us, and the memories of being with her,” she said. “Just having brunch and being with the kids, and then running around and running into friends.”
Micco said the museum’s announcement made her realize how much more you appreciate something when you realize you might lose it.
“I think there is this intersection of poignancy and memory that comes up when you think you might not have access to something,” she said. “It really provides a clarifying lens to how we look at things and how we value things.”
Brisbane artist Beth Grossman also sees the closure as a
“big loss.”
“I stayed up really late writing a love letter to the CJM,” she said, after hearing the news.
While her work has been shown at CJM in the past, Grossman said she also values it as a Jewish cultural institution and an outward-facing manifestation of Jewish identity.
“I think that a lot of times antisemitism is caused by ignorance about what it means to be Jewish,” she said. “A cultural institution like the CJM could be a place to welcome
“I think when there are political crises, cultural institutions can definitely suffer.”
people, to connect and converse and learn and understand the real diversity of who we are as American Jews.”
Grossman said she deeply appreciates CJM as a place where the Jewish story of today has been told.
“Not as an old story, not stuck in the Holocaust or in the shtetl or any of those kinds of things,” she said. “This is a culture that’s living and growing and changing and wrestling with contemporary issues.”
On Dec. 15 — the last day the galleries will be open — Shlain and artist Amy Trachtenberg will give a long-scheduled talk on connecting to Jewishness through art. The event will be sad, Shlain said, but it will feel fitting, too, to come together
By Rik Sanjour
on that day.
“Maybe there can be some ritual we can do in hopes that in a year it’s going to come back in a new form that is still going to be vibrant and powerful for the community,” she said.
While community programming will be suspended during the hiatus, including CJM’s arts education outreach, people will continue to have access to evergreen educational content on CJM’s website. The museum will also be available as a rental space.
It is free to visit the until CJM closes. The exhibits include the California Jewish Open, which includes Lauter’s sculpture of a woman’s head decorated with an ornate headdress of birds and flowers.
Lauter said she’d like to see a transformed CJM tap into the wider arts community, which is full of talented people looking for a place to show their work.
“Open up,” she said. “Become part of the community more. It’s a hungry, active arts community.” n
GABE STUTMAN | J. STAFF
UC Berkeley has scrubbed a course description from its website that praised authoritarian communist governments, including North Korea’s, and referred to Hamas as a “revolutionary resistance force.”
A spokesperson for the university said that the course description was written by graduate students without the permission of the instructor overseeing the class, or of the department chair.
The description advertised a spring 2025 writing course for undergraduates in the comparative literature department called “Leninism and Anarchism: A Theoretical Approach to Literature and Film.”
An internet archive shows the original course description visible on the website on Nov. 15. Two days later, the description had been removed, and a day after that, the names of the grad students teaching the course were removed, too.
The course remains one of 15 sections open to undergraduates taking “English Composition in Connection with the Reading of World Literature.” According to Cal’s website, the course will focus on “expository writing based on analysis of selected masterpieces of ancient and modern literature.” The section is fully enrolled.
Before it was edited, the course description promised to concentrate on current affairs, left-wing movements and what it called the “destructive imperial agenda” of the U.S. and Israel.
“With the US-backed and -funded genocide being carried out against Indigenous Palestinians by the Israeli Occupying Force, many have found it difficult to envision a reality beyond the one we are living in today,” the course description began, using a derogatory nickname for Israel’s military favored by anti-Zionists. “At the same time, we have also seen a rise in global socialist (and in particular Leninist) movements that are actively combating this destructive imperial agenda.”
Among the left-wing movements combating imperialism, according to the description, are the “Hamas revolutionary resistance forces,” as well as “Cuba, Vietnam, Venezuela, China,” and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or North Korea.
Hamas is an Islamist organization, long designated as a terrorist group by the U.S., that spearheaded the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel, the worst terror attack in the
country’s history. Hamas killed 1,200 people, committing acts of “unspeakable” violence against civilians including sexual violence, according to United Nations representative Pramila Patten, and took more than 250 people as hostages that day. Of those, 101 people remain in captivity in Gaza.
“How do we learn from the revolutionary visions set out by those who have come before us, and those who will come after?” the course description stated, listing readings from authors including Assata Shakur, a former member of the far-left Black Liberation Army currently wanted by the FBI, as well as Mao Zedong and Vladimir Lenin.
A screenshot of the original course description circulated widely online, earning opprobrium from a number of pro-Israel social media accounts that seized on its lionization of Hamas as a movement that, in the words of the course description, had shown a “commitment to anti-imperialism and anti-capitalism.”
“Glorifying terror groups in higher education is an issue that has to be rooted out at its core,” Hen Mazzig, an Israeli social media influencer, pundit and opinion writer with a large following across the U.S. and Israel, wrote on X. “Berkeley must not only remove this course but apologize to its Jewish community.”
Mazzig’s post was seen more than 130,000 times and was only one of many others like it on X.
Like most highly ranked universities across the country, UC Berkeley has groaned under the weight of repeated controversies surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that have intensified since Oct. 7 of last year. But by no means did the controversies begin with the 2023 terrorist attack and the ensuing war in Gaza, now in its 14th month.
Berkeley made national headlines during fall 2022 after leaders of its law school affinity groups determined, in protest of Israel, that they would no longer host speakers who support Zionism. That news led to a bombshell op-ed by the pro-Israel lawyer Ken Marcus titled “Berkeley Develops Jewish-Free Zones” that was shared by Barbra Streisand and other celebrities. Some progressive Jewish groups took issue with Marcus’ claim as overstated clickbait.
Controversies of a similar sort have felt at times like a steady drumbeat at Cal, which has a long, storied history of left-wing activism and radical politics. In November 2023, undergraduates studying environmental science told Dan Kalb, a progressive Jewish Oakland City Councilmember, they did not want him speaking to their class because, they said, he supported “apartheid” and “ethnic cleansing.” During the spring semester, students erected a tent encampment on the central campus plaza which, in addition to voicing support for innocent Palestinian victims of the ongoing war, glorified Hamas with large banners and referred to Zionists as colonizers and white supremacists.
Cal is facing both a lawsuit in federal court and a U.S. Department of Education investigation into allegations of antisemitism and a hostile climate for Jewish students at the university.
In a Nov. 18 statement from Cal spokesperson Dan Mogulof, the university said that the comparative literature course description was “designed by graduate students” and posted without the knowledge or consent of the department. The “matter is under review,” the statement added. The biographical pages of both graduate students on the comparative literature website were down as of Nov. 26.
“The course description was published without adequate review and has been removed from campus webpages pending rigorous academic review,” read the statement from Mogulof. “The department will review its processes for publishing course descriptions as a result of this incident.”
According to UC Board of Regents policy, the university system must “remain aloof from politics and never function as an instrument for the advance of partisan interest.” The policy adds that the use of the classroom for “political indoctrination” constitutes “misuse of the University as an institution.”
The latest controversy comes amid intensifying scrutiny of free-speech issues at American universities accompanying the second and incoming presidency of Donald Trump. In a speech to donors in September, Trump said that his administration would take a hard look at U.S. universities for what he described as “antisemitic propaganda,” and he threatened to pull their accreditation or federal funding. Trump’s approach has worried free-speech advocates concerned about protecting academic freedom and the right to protest on campus. n
MAYA MIRSKY | J. STAFF
UC Berkeley has struggled over the past year with public hostility toward Jews. The administration’s response has left some people — from students to faculty to alumni — frustrated and alarmed.
A group of graduates concerned about the campus climate decided to band together and this fall launched the Cal Jewish Alumni Network, the first such group at UC Berkeley.
“That’s what I want to do, to try to protect the environment at Cal for Jewish kids,” said Connie Unger, who graduated with a business degree in 1977 and is helping organize the network.
Doug Goldman, a major donor to Cal along with other philanthropic interests, helped launch the group. He said in an email to J. that once he and other Jewish alumni realized there was no group like it in existence, it became a “no-brainer.” He also praised Chancellor Rich Lyons for his support.
“We, along with the thousands of Jewish alumni, now have a direct path to assist us in making UC Berkeley a truly welcoming college campus for all its Jewish students, let alone its faculty and staff,” Goldman said.
Hannah Schlacter, a network co-founder who earned her MBA from Cal earlier this year, has been an outspoken critic of the university’s handling of incidents such as the violent anti-Israel protest outside of Cal’s Zellerbach Playhouse on Feb. 26.
“Advocacy for safety and inclusion is paramount.”
Hannah Schlacter, Cal alum
Schlacter testified at a Feb. 29 hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Jewish students “feel completely isolated, vulnerable and alone,” she told members of Congress. “Instead of providing a safe environment, Berkeley tells Jews to stay away from campus.”
Schlacter, a former member of Cal’s Haas School of Business Jewish student group, wants to keep working to change the tone on campus.
“I thought there was an opportunity to better leverage the alumni voice,” she told J. Unger was already involved with a different alumni network. She and her husband, Richard Unger, have been active in Olden Bears, a play on Golden Bears, the nickname for Cal’s athletic teams. “I was realizing this morning that I could be Hannah’s grandmother,” Unger said with a laugh, speaking about Schlacter.
Olden Bears happens to have a lot of Jewish members, Unger said. After the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Israel and the global spike in hatred toward Jews, antisemitism became a big theme at its meetings.
“One guest speaker … brought up the fact that there was not a Jewish alumni organization at Cal,” she said. “And I thought that was something I might be really interested in.”
The new group already has about 200 members, Schlacter said. Organizers hope to reach 1,000 members by year’s end and 3,000 by spring. Goldman is the founding president of the group, Schlacter said, adding that the alumni network is “tremendously lucky to have Doug be a part of our work.”
In helping to set up the group, Schlacter said the group’s co-founders spoke with other such networks, including the Stanford alumni who set up their own Jewish network in 2022.
The Cal Jewish Alumni Network plans to host in-person and online events and organize alumni to advocate with the administration on behalf of Jewish students. The group is in the process of becoming part of the Cal Alumni Association, which provides staffing and infrastructure support for more than 50 alumni chapters, including about a dozen
based on ethnicity, race or nationality.
The Jewish group will have multiple focuses, Schlacter said. “Advocacy for safety and inclusion is paramount.”
According to the group’s FAQ, “CJAN is concerned by any exclusion of Jews on UC Berkeley’s campus. We seek to address this issue, which includes but is not limited to: antisemitic speech, harassment, and discrimination; physical violence targeting Jews; exclusion or bias toward Jews and Israelis; and anti-Zionist hatred, discrimination, or singling out of students for connections to Israel.”
But the group won’t stop there.
“We want to also emphasize Jewish celebration and Jewish life,” Schlacter said. “This positive camaraderie is equally important to that advocacy.”
The network’s co-founders are aware they need to find the right approach to improve the campus climate.
“We can’t be a bulldozer,” Schlacter said. “We don't get to come in and assert power and influence just because we’re alumni.”
Stuart Bernstein, a Cal alum and a network co-founder, told J. in an email that he sees this as an opportunity for Jewish alumni to make change more efficiently.
“Discussions within the Berkeley community have been fragmented, with too many disparate groups attempting to communicate and mobilize through various channels, diluting the overall impact,” said Bernstein, who has served on several UC Berkeley boards, including the Haas School of Business board alongside two other network co-founders, Jerry Weintraub and Goldman, and Cal’s Committee on Jewish Student Life and Campus Climate.
Graduates can sign up at tinyurl.com/ CJAN-alumni. Members don’t have to be affiliated with a synagogue or organized group.
Membership is free.
“Whether your personal definition is based upon religion, culture, heritage, geographic origin, and/or shared ancestry, if you are a UC Berkeley alum who considers yourself Jewish, we hope you will join us,” states the group’s FAQ.
Unger said she’d never been one for affinity groups before this. “I don’t join women's groups and I don’t join Jewish groups,” she said. “But what happened on Oct. 7, obviously, and the aftermath of it, the rise of antisemitism, caused me to change.”
Bernstein said he hopes the network can become a bridge between students and alumni and offer students mentorship and advice.
“This network will not only provide support during challenging times,” he said, “but also celebrate the vibrant Jewish identity within the Berkeley community.” n
LEA LOEB | J. STAFF
Twenty-six local organizations have received a total of $670,000 in grants from the S.F.based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund to help respond to the spike in antisemitism worldwide since last year’s Hamas massacre in Israel.
Another 14 grants worth $60,000 were awarded to support the “physical, mental and emotional wellbeing” of sta members of Jewish groups “particularly a er 10/7.”
e grantees include both grassroots groups that have formed since Oct. 7, 2023, and long-established organizations, such as day schools, congregations and JCCs.
“Jewish organizations and professionals are navigating a challenging moment, and the work they do has never been more vital,” Amanda Cohen, Federation director of
“This grant is really a gamechanger for us because we’re a very small nonprofit and a newer nonprofit.”
Adrian Schrek, Farkas Center executive director
community partnerships and grantmaking, said in an Oct. 30 press release announcing the grants. “We’re proud to invest in this group of grantee partners as they fight antisemitism and care for the talented professionals who make our community thrive.”
e “Combating Antisemitism” grants focus on programs that “promote allyship, advocacy and education among Jewish and non-Jewish audiences, power grassroots community groups in schools and civic spaces, and equip educators to support their students.”
e grantees include the Bay Area Jewish Coalition, a grassroots group that formed shortly a er Oct. 7, 2023, and has been working to address antisemitism in K-12 schools across the region, including supporting a Jewish family suing a San Jose charter school for alleged failure to address antisemitic bullying, harassment and public humiliation.
Malka Productions, which organizes events focused on young Jewish adults, also received a grant. “It really helps us to continue to bring the high-profile speakers that we need who are helping to not only combat the propaganda that we're seeing digitally but give our communities the tools to have these really important dialogues,” said Malka co-founder Danielle Chetrit. San Francisco Hillel, which serves college students at SFSU, USF, UCSF, UC Law and SF Community College, will use its grant for a six-week learning group called “Kol Yisrael.”
e goal is for students to explore their Jewish identities, understand antisemitism from historical and modern contexts and establish or enhance their connection to Israel.
e Farkas Center for the Study of the Holocaust in Catholic Schools is another grantee. It will use the money to expand its Survivor Studio Project, which brings Holocaust survivors virtually into classrooms to provide testimony to middle and high school students. “ is grant is really a game-changer for us because we’re a very small nonprofit and a newer nonprofit,” said executive director Adrian Schrek.
e San Francisco Interfaith Council, which represents hundreds of congregations, will use its grant to bring together Jewish and Muslim groups and leaders and to fight the antisemitism that “was amplified with the tragic terrorist a acks of Oct. 7,” said executive director Michael Pappas.
e Brandeis School of San Francisco, a K-8 Jewish day school, will redesign and extend the Mifgash Project, which enables educators to design curriculum connecting Jewish ethics and “democratic habits of mind.”
“I appreciate that the Federation is taking what, to me, reads as a very creative kind of crowdsourced approach to how we respond to this moment,” said Brandeis head of school Dan Glass.
e Holocaust Center of the S.F.-based Jewish Family and Children’s Services will use the money to boost its Education Leadership Council, which brings together educators from across the state to learn how to teach about the Holocaust, genocide and hate.
“With this grant, we’re able to bring them together in person for a retreat for the first time,” said Holocaust Center director Morgan Blum Schneider.
Other Combating Antisemitism grantees are Marin Jewish Parents and Allies Union, Palo Alto Unified School District Jewish Grassroots, San Mateo Jewish Parents and Allies Union, SF Jews in Schools, JCCSF, Osher Marin JCC, Chabad of Stanford, Contemporary Jewish Museum, Contra Costa Midrasha, Israeli American Council, Itrek, Chochmat HaLev, Congregation Sha'ar Zahav, Jewish Community High School of the Bay, Mitsui Collective, Olamim, Palo Alto Residents' Alliance, the Mitzvah Project and Wornick Jewish Day School.
e Federation also awarded grants to meet wellness needs of professionals in Jewish groups. Grantees will use the money for health and wellness activities, retreats, fitness membership, wellness challenges and sta areas such as teachers lounges. ■
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum has added 2024 Olympic gold medalist Amit Elor to its lineup. This summer, the Walnut Creek resident became the youngest U.S. wrestler — male or female — to win Olympic gold. Elor’s bobblehead is available for preorder at tinyurl.com/bobble-elor.
LEA LOEB | J. STAFF
Brooks-Moon, Jack Anderson and Dr. Dana Weintraub. Gilbert is a former professional tennis player, tennis coach and tennis commentator and analyst for ESPN. Bay Area radio legend Brooks-Moon was the S.F. Giants public address announcer from 2000 to 2024 and the first Black woman to be the public address announcer in a World Series and Major League Baseball All-Star game. She is the Mensch Award winner. Grabow was the longtime director of athletic development for the Golden State Warriors and played college and pro soccer. Anderson is the founder of the Northern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and served as president until 2023. Weintraub is co-CEO of the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative. She also is a clinical associate professor in general pediatrics at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health and a leader in community-based evaluations of team sports to improve the health of children from under-resourced neighborhoods.
The Jewish Bar Association of San Francisco will present the 2024 Tikkun Olam Awards to Manny Yekutiel, owner of Manny’s, and Hannah Beth Schlacter, a UC Berkeley MBA who testified before Congress earlier this year about antisemitism on college campuses.
Bill Black of San Francisco has been inducted into the San Francisco Prep Hall of Fame following his 35-year career as a basketball referee. Among the hundreds of people inducted over the years, he is one of a handful of referees so honored. Black is a member of San Francisco’s Congregation Emanu-El, where he serves on the Ukrainian resettlement committee. He also serves on the finance committee of the Presidio Concordia Club and the Cal Grid Club and on the boards of the Northern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and the California Basketball Officials Association board. He regularly trains and adjudicates refs. He previously served on the boards of the JCC San Francisco and Camp Tawonga and was co-commissioner of the now-defunct Jewish Youth Athletic League.
The Northern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame has announced its 2024 inductees: Brad Gilbert, Mark Grabow, Renel
Frances Dinkelspiel has earned a Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism 2025 Alumni Award. The awards go to alumni for “exceptional journalism careers, single achievements, and contributions to education or related fields.” Dinkelspiel is an award-winning journalist and author who co-founded Cityside, the nonprofit news organization behind three Bay Area news sites: Berkeleyside, Oaklandside and Richmondside. She has also written two bestselling books: “Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California” and “Tangled Vines: Greed, Murder, Obsession, and an Arsonist in the Vineyards of California,” which the Wall Street Journal and Food and Wine magazine named as one of the best wine books of 2015.
Club Z, a Bay Area Zionist organization for high schoolers, has received a grant from the Jewish National Fund-USA to increase the scope of its work. Additionally, Club Z will collaborate with JNF to provide education on Zionism, Jewish identity and leadership to teens involved in JNF.
Robin Mencher of Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay and Dana Sheanin of Jewish LearningWorks are among 11 Jewish professionals selected for the inaugural group of Leading Edge’s new program, Leadership Lab: Collaborating With Your Board. The group will learn about partnering with boards and analyzing governance practices.
Anthony Witte of San Francisco has joined the board of directors of 18Doors, a national organization dedicated to inclusion of interfaith families in Jewish communities across North America. Witte is the founder of Witte’s End Consulting, which focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
Congregation Beth Am of Los Altos Hills is one of the founding organizations of Silicon Valley Allied for the Common Good, a broad-based community organization that aims to create a more equitable future for the area’s residents.
Brothers For Life, an organization started and run solely by injured Israel Defense Forces soldiers, brought 12 recently injured soldiers to the Bay Area to heal and connect with the Jewish community. On Nov. 7, the soldiers spoke in San Francisco about their military service and their injuries. Brothers for Life is designed to provide emotional, psychological, physical and financial support
to injured IDF soldiers beyond what the Israeli government is able to provide.
Roxanne Cohen, chief development officer of the Peninsula JCC in Foster City, has become the fourth generation in her family to donate an ambulance to Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service. The vehicle was dedicated at PJCC on Nov. 26 before its shipment to Israel.
In 1975, Sadie Auerbach Heller, Cohen’s great-grandmother, sponsored an ambulance for MDA in memory of her brother Meir Auerbach, who was murdered in the Holocaust. Cohen’s grandparents and her parents, Claire and Mike Meadow, sponsored another ambulance. Now Roxanne, her husband and their family are sponsoring one in memory of her parents and brother.
The Bronfman Fellowship is accepting applications for its 2025 program. Open to 26 high school students, the fellowship begins with a seminar in Israel between the fellows’ junior and senior years of high school, followed by monthly virtual meetings and two seminars in the U.S. The program is open to American and Canadian 11th-graders who self-identify as Jewish; no prior Jewish education is required. The application deadline is Dec. 2. For more information, visit bronfman.org. n
Every day, scientists at the Weizmann Institute in Israel pursue breakthroughs in cancer research, brain and neural science, technology, education, medicine, environmental sustainability, and other areas critical to the future of humanity.
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NIVA ASHKENAZI | J. STAFF
It was the height of the second intifada in 2001 when Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, then in her late 20s, decided to move from London to Jerusalem with her husband. eir parents thought they were crazy, she said, but the young couple knew there was no such thing as a “perfect time” to make aliyah.
It was apparently the right move. Hassan-Nahoum today is a public figure who served for six years as Jerusalem deputy mayor, helped launch a business council promoting cooperation with the UAE, and this year was named Israel’s special envoy for innovation. On Nov. 19, she spoke to about 170 people at Congregation Beth Sholom in San Francisco at an event celebrating Mizrahi Heritage Month — which is her heritage as well.
“I think my Moroccan mother prepared me for life in Israel,” Hassan-Nahoum said.
Hassan-Nahoum was born in London and raised in Gibraltar, a British territory and city on the tip of the Iberian Peninsula. Her mother, Lady Marcelle Bensimon, was of Moroccan and Portuguese descent. Her father, Sir Joshua Hassan, was a Moroccan
Jew whose family immigrated to Gibraltar in 1728. He also served as Gibraltar’s first mayor and first chief minister.
Hassan-Nahoum sat for a conversation Nov. 19 with Sarah Levin, executive director of JIMENA, to discuss her diplomacy work in the Persian Gulf, the importance of showing pride in Mizrahi heritage and issues a ecting American Jews. e event was presented by JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa) and the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest.
Levin pointed to the “intentional erasure” of Mizrahi and Sephardic narratives, particularly in le ist and anti-Zionist circles in the U.S. “How can we ensure that Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews are seen and heard in these conversations?” Levin asked Hassan-Nahoum. “Should we even be trying
to be in these conversations around diversity and intersectionality?”
Hassan-Nahoum described such discourse on the le as a “poison chalice.”
“I don’t like when [outsiders] try and divide us as a people,” Hassan-Nahoum said. “We have to talk about the beautiful diversity of the Jewish people with pride.” She later added: “People respect people who respect themselves. I learned that from my Arab friends.”
e recent event marked 10 years since Israel established Nov. 30 as its national day to commemorate the 850,000 Jewish refugees displaced from Arab countries and Iran in the years following the United Nations vote to divide British Mandate Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. A er years of escalating violence toward Jews in the Middle East and North Africa, the vote on Nov. 29, 1947, triggered waves of expulsions of Jewish citizens from Arab countries.
In an interview with J., Hassan-Nahoum said that the descendants of those Jewish refugees still lack enough public representation in Israel.
“ ere are still a lot of glass ceilings to break,” she told J. “We haven’t had a Mizrahi prime minister. ere are certain positions in government [and] national institutions that have never been Mizrahi. ese things do bother me.”
Hassan-Nahoum’s tenure as deputy
mayor ended in March, but her public role did not. She has been appointed secretary-general of the Kol Israel faction in the World Zionist Congress and became the first special envoy for innovation in the Israeli Foreign Ministry. is new role will allow her to continue her e orts to normalize relations between Israel and the Arab world.
In 2020, Hassan-Nahoum helped establish the UAE-Israel Business Council just a month before the Abraham Accords were signed by Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Hassan-Nahoum led the first delegation of Israeli o cials and entrepreneurs to both countries.
During the UAE visit, she also organized the inaugural meeting of the Gulf-Israel Women’s Forum, a division within the business council. She described the forum as “one of the most meaningful” initiatives she has been involved in.
“It was such an incredible moment,” she said. “We met these women who were like us, mothers and working women. We realized we have so much more in common than we have that divides us. We have a lot of hope for a be er future for our children. And I haven’t lost that hope. It’s going to happen and… continue happening.”
ough the forum is currently made up of only Israeli and Emirati women, Hassan-Nahoum is optimistic that more countries from the Persian Gulf and other regions of the Muslim world will eventually join.
“ e next stop is Saudi Arabia. A er Saudi Arabia? Indonesia, Oman, you name it,” she said.
As she responded to questions from audience members concerned about the influence of Qatari money on American universities and the Muslim Brotherhood’s campaigns to spread antisemitic messaging, Hassan-Nahoum also reminded them that there are people in the region who still strive for peace.
“I think the most meaningful thing for a lot of us in the advocacy space, especially since Oct. 7, is that we have so many allies, so many people who call themselves Arab Zionists,” she said. “ at’s a blessing to the Jewish people.” ■
SUE FISHKOFF | CORRESPONDENT
This year’s Z3 Conference, held Nov. 17 in Palo Alto, radiated a very different mood than last year’s event, which took place just four weeks after the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre.
In 2023, the conference, which each year examines the present and future of diaspora-Israel ties, was marked by grief, rage, helplessness and the sense that Jews were once again alone in the world.
This year’s all-day event at the Oshman Family JCC drew more attendees — 1,800 vs. last year’s 1,200 — and offered a sober assessment of what the past year has revealed about strengths and weaknesses of Jewish institutions in the U.S. and Israel. Speakers exhibited less anger and anxiety than they did last year, when many railed against the international community that so quickly turned from solidarity with Israel under attack to condemnation of its war against Hamas in Gaza.
Under the banner of “unity, not uniformity,” this year’s opening plenary highlighted the demand for the immediate return of all
101 hostages still held in Gaza — and also put a spotlight on the commitment and collective spirit of young Israelis.
Breakout sessions focused on the ongoing war and analyses of possible outcomes, as well as on the long-running issues of Arab-Jewish coexistence efforts, antisemitism on campus and the future of Zionism. But there were new areas of interest as well, including several sessions dealing with trauma and healing; the failures of Jewish legacy institutions; Jewish education postOct. 7; and the collapse of traditional alliances with other minority communities.
In his welcoming address, JCC CEO and Z3 founder Zack Bodner described the “surge” of diaspora Jews taking a stand this past year on Israel — either for or against — and urged the crowd not to think “in binary terms” about the Jewish state.
“Deep Jewish knowledge and personal connection equals Jewish pride,” he said, and deep knowledge doesn’t mean being in lockstep with Israeli policies.
“We have to embrace the complexity,” he said. “Our children are smart. We can’t continue to feed them white-washed fairy tales.”
Bodner and other speakers, at both the main and breakout sessions attended by J. reporters, spoke about the resilience of the Israeli grassroots, the people who “march against the government” on Saturday nights in Tel Aviv and then “drop everything and go down to the Negev,” as Bodner put it, to help with the harvest or to repair damaged kibbutzim.
“Oct. 7 reminded us that we don’t need a king or a leader. We know what to do,” said Z3 Project director Rabbi Amitai Fraiman, referring to the Biblical story of God giving the Israelites Saul as their king because they were incapable of leading themselves. The Z3
Project — Z3 is short for Zionism 3.0 — organizes the conference, runs a think tank and trains Jewish professionals.
Speakers also emphasized the need to move beyond words of sympathy for the hostages, their families and Israelis displaced by the war.
“Solidarity isn’t enough. We need you to take action for the hostages. We are one family; our pain is your pain. We need you to advocate as if every one of you had family held hostage,” said Alana Zeitchik, whose cousin’s husband is still held hostage in Gaza.
“We need you to speak truth to power by demanding a deal to bring them home now,” she continued, echoing those who accuse Israel’s current political leaders of caring more about military victory than the return of the captives. n
What should Jewish and Israel education look like, particularly in a post-Oct. 7 world?
The panelists in the “What Are We Teaching Our Kids?” session agreed that much Jewish learning takes place outside of classrooms — in family life, Jewish summer camps and other places where kids can start “to look at the world through a Jewish lens,” as one speaker put it.
“We need to develop not just curriculum,
but spaces in which I am constantly able to practice what it means to be Jewish today or … a citizen of the Jewish people in 2024,” said Shalom Orzach, senior educational consultant of The iCenter, which supports Israel education across North America.
The trauma of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Israel and global rise in antisemitism has brought Jews who were not previously involved in Jewish life into
conversation about Israel — whether they wanted that or not — said Ezra Kopelowitz, co-director of the Center for Jewish Peoplehood Education in Israel.
“All of a sudden, this place far away was inserted into [Jewish] lives,” he said, offering an example of a public high school student whose non-Jewish friend suddenly says: “You’re Jewish, tell me what’s going on in Israel?” That can cause the Jewish student, who is now an unwitting spokesperson for Israel, to find out more, he said. “So in many ways, Oct. 7 is a tremendous opportunity.”
Because many young Jews now feel uncomfortable in spaces that welcomed them before Oct. 7, said Orzach, they are now “looking to come home,” clamoring for a “place at the Shabbat table, at the Hillel table, at the summer camp table.” That, too, provides an opportunity for “deep introspection,” he suggested.
Rabbi Laura Novak Winer, a program director at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, said that since Oct. 7, Jewish students and educators alike have had to “navigate values that are in tension with each other,” notably universal values, such as tikkun olam and welcoming the stranger, with tribal values such as the concept that all Jews are responsible for one another.
She’s seen this struggle play out at Jewish
summer camps this year where counselors have worn kaffiyehs or T-shirts with pro-Palestinian slogans, even as they are teaching campers about Jewish values and Israeli life.
“These tensions have been so strong. Yet when I hear people saying that they want to exorcise those young people who are struggling with their understanding of Israel and their connection of what it means to their Judaism, I say let’s not exorcise them,” she said. “Let’s welcome them in and help them engage with these Jewish values and figure out how they’re going to find their pathway.”
If those values are in tension, Orzach said, then something’s wrong with Jewish education. “Can we not live in the eilu v’eilu?” he asked, referring to the Jewish tradition of accepting multiple viewpoints. “We as a people thrive on contradictions. Why have we lost that ability?”
Israeli educators shouldn’t be sent to the diaspora to teach Jews how to be Jewish, said Orbach, who like Kopelowitz lives in Israel. That’s an outmoded model “of arrogance,” Orzach said.
“Why don’t we learn more about each other?” he asked. “I’ve always struggled with Israel’s exclusive rights to tell others their story. I want to learn from your stories in the same way that I believe you can learn from mine.” n
— Sue Fishkoff | Correspondent
For Rabba Mor Shimonie, Zionism isn’t about self-definition. It’s a form of action.
“I am a Zionist, not as an identity for myself but as an active part of my life. If I’m doing something out of love and care toward Zion, I am a Zionist,” said Shimonie, the family education director at The Kitchen, an independent congregation in San Francisco.
Shimonie spoke at the Z3 Conference on a panel titled “What Is Zionism After 10/7?”
Shimonie was ordained this year through the Shalom Hartman Institute in her native Israel and moved to San Francisco this summer to work at The Kitchen. She sees the fact that she was born and raised in Israel as her Zionism.
“It’s my habitus,” she said, using a sociological term referring to the way group culture and personal history shape a person. “It’s not even that I know what it is, or I need to define it. It’s my norms, my language, my culture, my people, like everything around me, is the outcome of Zionism. It’s my life.”
Panelist Josh Ladon, vice president and senior faculty member of the Shalom Hartman Institute on the West Coast, said he sees Zionism as an integral part of Judaism. But as someone who is both a Zionist and a supporter of a future Palestinian state, he rejects “maximalist Zionists who suggest that if you’re a Jew, the only expression is a Zionism that is really full-throated.”
“Any time there’s a separation or attempt to uncouple Judaism from Zionism,” he added, “I get frustrated. And
that’s both an outside frustration, meaning with those who see themselves as non-Zionist, and a frustration with the institutional, internal Jewish world, which oftentimes can turn Zionism into exclusively a political identity and not the sort of cultural, religious, literary revolution” that he understands it to be.
Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz, another panelist, said he understands Zionism in religious terms, as the yearning for the messianic age and the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. So for him, “Zionism is not really a thing that could be defined. It’s a conversation about what kind of path we wish to take toward this divinely ordained end.”
Leibovitz pointed out that the decades-old argument over whether Israel is a Jewish state or a state of the Jews — i.e., a liberal democracy — became very heated in Israel in 2023 during the anti-government protests, which stopped only because of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre. The protests, and the argument, have recently started up again.
“It is not an easy question to answer, and however it is answered, it is going to leave a whole host of Israelis feeling absolutely disenchanted and alienated from their own project,” Leibovitz said. “And yet, this is the conversation that we must have. It’s the only one going on.”
For more than a decade, American Jews have been obsessed with the concept of “peoplehood” as the core of diaspora-Israel relations, the speakers said. At least one of them noted that Israelis have a conflicted relationship with
the idea of peoplehood, stemming from the early Zionist notion that the diaspora was “lesser than” Israel.
“Is Israel at the center? Is it a place we have to have?” said Shimonie, who uses the honorific “rabba” that emerged more than a decade ago among the small number of Orthodox rabbinic programs that began to ordain women.
“Post 10/7, we feel this [question] really strongly. Now it’s like, wait, this project — it hasn’t ended yet.”
Before Oct. 7, Shimonie said, Israelis felt as if they had inherited a building “and my project is to decorate it and manage the neighbors who don’t like me. Now I’m like, oh no, I’m still building the foundation of this imaginary building.”
The speakers generally resisted repeated questions from moderator Jennifer Mamlet, acting CEO of the JCC Association of North America, regarding what has changed in the diaspora-Israel relationship since Oct. 7.
The three panelists suggested there is not a big difference in substance.
More Jews might be having the conversation, but the basics remain as they were. Understanding what diaspora itself means and the position of Israel in that conception is the central, burning question, one constantly evolving.
“I’m deeply committed to Israel and the Jewish people being sovereign in Israel, and I believe in a version of Israel that I’m committed to make happen,” Ladon said. “It’s a Zionism of yearning, and it continues to be that way.” n — Sue Fishkoff | Correspondent
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was speaking to a hometown crowd in Palo Alto: Born in Haifa to American parents who made aliyah from San Francisco, he spent his boyhood summers in the Bay Area.
Bennett’s fluency in English and American culture puts him at ease with U.S. audiences. That was true on Nov. 17, where the standing-room-only crowd at the closing session of Z3 welcomed him warmly, laughing at his jokes and giving him a standing ovation at the end.
Bennett, 52, who served as prime minister for slightly over a year in 2021 and 2022, retired from politics to return to the high-tech world where he made his fortune, but this fall was reported to be considering a return to politics — something he floated, if fleetingly, in his address.
Responding to JCC CEO Zack Bodner’s idea of a joint gap-year program for Israeli and American Jews, he said with a broad grin, “I love it. I’ll recommend it to the next prime minister.”
Bennett lost no time before attacking the current government led by longtime rival Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Israel represented a “colossal, epic failure of the State of Israel” that Bennett called “unacceptable.”
“We failed in our fundamental mission, to protect Jews from pogroms,” he said. “It was a failure of intelligence and operations, then a total meltdown” of critical infrastructure. “We need to be clear-eyed about our failure in order to fix it.”
He has ideas about how to do that.
“What we need in Israel is a Zionist, liberal unity government, religious and secular, for the next 10 years,” he said.
Although Bennett didn’t directly answer the question about returning to the Prime Minister’s Office, he did say he had “learned his lesson” last time about the importance of keeping coalition partners happy in order to stay in power. Quoting former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson on that score, he said, “Better to have everyone in the tent,
pissing out, than outside…” He trailed off, to great laughter. Bennett reiterated his public position that Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jews, or haredim, should hold jobs and serve in the army, calling their longtime exemption from either role a “crazy business model that can’t sustain itself.”
A million haredim entering the workforce would have the same galvanizing effect that the immigration of a million Russian-speaking Jews had in the early 1990s, he said. Just as that aliyah “fueled 30 years of Israel’s growth,”
so the “internal aliyah” of the ultra-Orthodox will accomplish the same for the next 30.
Calling Donald Trump’s return to the presidency an “opportunity” because of his “unexpectedness,” Bennett praised the Abraham Accords — mediated and signed during Trump’s first presidency — for opening Israel’s path to a new position in the Middle East. He called for doubling down on efforts to bring Saudi Arabia into the fold, even as he maintained that it’s time for Israel to hit Iran hard.
Noting that Israel took out all five of Iran’s air defense systems in its latest attack in October, he said, “They will regroup, so we need to knock them out now — hit the regime with ongoing, persistent strikes on their nuclear program to topple the regime before they acquire a nuclear weapon.”
Bennett spent much of his talk praising young Israelis for showing courage and selflessness in the wake of Oct. 7. He told the story of a 21-year-old female tank commander who drove her tank 30 miles to the Gaza border and blocked a breach in the border fence, saving two kibbutzim from attack.
“On Oct. 7, thousands of reservists got in their cars and drove to the Gaza envelope, before they knew what they were getting into,” he said. Some had rifles, some had nothing. “Together with some soldiers and police, they went into battle and prevented a much bigger catastrophe. Many lost their lives.”
“Before Oct. 7, a lot of us, myself included, wrote off the younger generation as softies. But this is our greatest generation,” he said, using the term that describes Americans who fought in World War II.
“That’s Israel,” he stated. “Lousy leadership, amazing people.”
And if Israel were a company, he asked rhetorically, what would someone do?
“Change the leadership,” he concluded. n — Sue Fishkoff | Correspondent
It’s time to play offense in the battle against antisemitic and anti-Zionist propaganda. That was the conclusion drawn by a panel of expert communicators at the recent Z3 Conference.
The panel “Why Are the People of the Book Struggling to Tell a Story?” included Amy Albertson, a Bay Area social media influencer, Marnie Black, a public relations professional, and Eylon Levy, a former spokesperson for the Israeli government. It was moderated by J. staff writer Emma Goss.
Albertson, a Chinese American Jew who has nearly 39,000 followers on her Instagram @theamyalbertson, said she believes antisemitism comes from both ignorance and misinformation.
“We have to be proactive storytellers, not in reaction to what people are saying about us. But what do we want to say about ourselves?” she said.
Albertson said that many of the people who write hateful posts have never met a Jew in person. That’s one of the reasons, she said, that individuals must take it upon themselves to humanize Jews by sharing holidays, traditions and stories with non-Jewish friends, colleagues and acquaintances.
The one caveat, Albertson said, is that people between
“We have to be proactive storytellers, but what do we want to say about ourselves?”
Amy Albertson. social media influencer
ages 18 and 24 may be completely lost to the pro-Hamas propaganda on social media, which is where much of Gen Z gets the news.
“Do I have a solution for that? I’m not sure,” said Albertson.
Levy, who has emerged as a prominent advocate for Israel since Oct. 7, said that having difficult conversations offline is invaluable.
“You have to stick your neck out, because if you keep your neck down, things are only going to get worse,” said Levy, who has hundreds of thousands of followers across social media and hosts the “Israel: State of a Nation” podcast.
He suggested that individuals who want to arm themselves with persuasive talking points turn to trusted sources, such as the content he has been developing as
co-founder of the nascent Israeli Citizen Spokespersons’ Office.
“Take that information. Go to your neighbors, your colleagues, your friends, and have those difficult, awkward, uncomfortable conversations because no one else is going to do it. Otherwise you’re just going to leave them at the mercy of whatever propaganda machine is pumping poison in their brains,” he said.
Black, who for decades has worked on branding and public relations for media giants such as CNN, said it can be helpful to view the Jewish people as a brand that needs to actively promote itself.
Goss pointed out that the Jewish community is “playing defense, not offense” in the battle of storytelling in the media and online.
To that, Black suggested that it’s nearly impossible to change someone’s mind by sharing facts. The Jewish community has been arguing using reason, she said, but most people don’t form beliefs based on the rational mind.
“They form beliefs based on the subconscious mind,” Black said. “But you know what? It’s very movable, and I have a huge amount of hope.” n
—
Valerie Demicheva | Correspondent
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Growing up, Hanukkah was one of the few times that we ate doughnuts as a family — piping hot, jelly-filled, homemade sufganiyot. After biting into a dangerously hot, fresh-fromthe-fryer doughnut, there would be no going back to doughnut-shop, room-temperature fried dough. We were spoiled.
Hanukkah was the only time my mom would dare make a yeasted dough, and she’d use her ancient electric frying pan to fry one after another. My sister and I would fight to eat the first ones, covering our faces, hands, clothes, kitchen floor and dog with powdered sugar. Since then, I’ve held a grudge against pre-fried doughnuts, knowing what type of magic occurred as we huddled in the kitchen during Hanukkah.
While my family history with sufganiyot runs deep, these treats have been a longstanding tradition for Jews all over the world. According to acclaimed food historian Gil Marks, the first recipe for jelly doughnuts was written in Germany in 1485. Called “ponchik” in Polish, it was dubbed “sufganiyot” after Polish Jews brought the pastry to Israel, where it was given its new name after the Talmudic word for “spongy dough.”
A sweet yeasted dough with a red-jelly filling is the quintessential sufganiyot. I’m always inspired to think outside of the raspberry jam-jar, and so I not only inject my doughnuts with blueberry jam, but infuse the dough with vibrant berries for a new twist on a beloved holiday sweet.
Making sufganiyot at home is labor-intensive and messy, but always worth it. Here are my top tips for ensuring that this year is the year you tackle homemade doughnuts.
• I make my latkes in advance and freeze them, long before Hanukkah starts, so I can focus on frying sufganiyot fresh. Freeze your latkes on a foil-lined baking tray, and reheat at 375 F for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Make your yeasted dough the night before, and let it rise overnight in the fridge. Not only will it save time, but it is easier to roll out cold dough than room-temperature dough.
• Use a heavy-bottomed pan for even heating.
but is well worth it
• Use oil with a high smoke point. This is not the time to use your favorite olive oil! Use a sunflower, grapeseed, canola or vegetable oil for best results.
• Not sure if your oil is OK to reuse? If it is murky, has a slightly bitter, fishy smell, or begins to foam or smoke, you may want to change it.
• Don’t fill your pan too high with oil. If you have too much oil, it is more likely to splash and splutter.
• Use a thermometer to test the oil temperature, and keep it between 350 F and 375 F for best results. Remember that adding dough to your oil will cause the temperature to lower, so let the oil come back up to temperature between batches.
• Invest in a squeeze bottle (you can find one in restaurant supply stores or online) to make injecting simple.
• Enjoy your sufganiyot the same day you make them, and go ahead… have seconds (and thirds, etc.).
• Dispose of your oil safely by letting it cool to room temperature, pouring it into a nonrecyclable container and disposing of it in the garbage. Never pour oil down your drain.
Makes about 2 dozen
Total time 2½ hours
2¼ tsp. (one 7g package) active yeast
3 Tbs. granulated sugar
½ cup lukewarm water
½ cup frozen blueberries, defrosted
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. lemon zest
3½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. kosher salt
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
1½ cups blueberry jam
Vegetable oil, for frying
Confectioners’ sugar, for serving
Combine the yeast, granulated sugar and water in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a medium bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. The yeast should dissolve and small bubbles should form on the surface.
Meanwhile, add the blueberries to a blender and blend until smooth.
Add the blueberries, egg, vanilla extract and lemon zest to the bowl, and whisk until well combined.
Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until a smooth and elastic dough forms, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the butter, and mix on low speed for an additional 4 to 5 minutes until the butter is fully incorporated. The dough will be tacky but shouldn’t stick to the sides of the bowl. If it is too sticky, add flour, 1 Tbs. at a time.
Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size. You can also let it rise overnight in the refrigerator.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness. Using a 2½- to 3-inch biscuit cutter or a floured glass, cut the dough into circles and place them on the prepared sheet pan. Let rise for an additional 30 minutes.
Set up a cooling rack layered with a paper towel beside the stove.
In a large, heavy pot, heat the vegetable oil to 350 F.
Add the blueberry jam to a blender, and blend until no whole blueberries remain. This will make it easier to fill the doughnuts. Add the jam to a squeeze bottle or zip-close bag with a circular piping attachment.
Using a spatula, transfer the dough into the oil one at a time, careful not to overcrowd the pan. Fry up to four at a time for approximately 90 seconds per side, or until deeply golden. Remove the sufganiyot from the oil using tongs or a spider strainer, and transfer them to the wire rack lined with a paper towel.
Once slightly cooled, use a straw or chopstick to poke a hole into the center of each sufganiyot. Squeeze the jam into each one using the squeeze bottle or zip-close bag.
Dust the sufganiyot with confectioners’ sugar right before serving.
Note: Sufganiyot are best served fresh. If you have any leftovers, they will keep for up to a day in an airtight container.
Variation: Air-fry the sufganiyot at 375 F for 7 to 8 minutes, until golden brown. n
The Food section is supported by a generous donation from Susan and Moses Libitzky
‘This is really all about family’
Greg Bernson didn’t know exactly how much meat he’d need to run his deli in its first week. So he prepared using his best guess: 70 pounds of brisket, 90 pounds of corned beef, and 100 or so pounds of pastrami. Nonetheless, by the end of the opening week in business, Bubbala’s Neighborhood Eatery ran out of meat.
That could have been due in part to customers like Isaac Steinberg, who not only sat down to eat the pastrami and corned beef hash with two eggs, but bought a package of pastrami to take home with him, too. The San Anselmo resident said he’s been waiting months for Bubbala’s to open for business.
To have Jewish deli food not even a five-minute walk from his house is huge, Steinberg said. “I couldn’t be more excited.”
After first reading in this column in August 2023 that a Jewish deli called Bubbala’s would open in San Anselmo’s Red Hill Shopping Center, residents waited. And waited. A year and three months later, on Nov. 2, the waiting ended.
The delay was largely caused by permitting issues and the installation of the fire and alarm systems. With those problems in the rearview mirror, father-daughter owners Bernson and Janelle Loiselle are just happy they’re finally open.
I visited on a weekday during Bubbala’s opening days, and there was a constant stream of customers coming into the small counter-service restaurant, especially during lunch hour at the nearby high school. Bernson cautioned the students that if they wanted anything other than the day’s special of chicken schnitzel and fries, the wait would probably exceed their lunch break.
Bubbala’s started as a pop-up in September 2022, and back then Bernson told me he had no intention of turning the business into a restaurant. Operating out of a rental space at Magnolia Park Kitchen in San Rafael, the no-frills Jewish deli concept attracted long lines and happy customers buying staples like pastrami and less-seen offerings such as kasha varnishkes.
But the deal they had worked out with Magnolia Park had an endpoint.
pandemic took his passion to another level.
He began to realize that the North Bay was lacking serious deli (this was before Loveski opened its second location in Larkspur Landing and Ethel’s opened in Petaluma), so he and his daughter decided to do something about it.
They chose the name Bubbala’s because it represents warmth and family.
“You will always be your mother’s bubbala, and if you’re lucky enough to have kids, you have bubbalas,” Loiselle said in 2022. “This is really all about family.”
Bubbala’s has a casual vibe, with a large photo of Zayde Jack on the front door to welcome entering customers.
“We couldn’t find another spot that we liked,” Bernson said. “And I realized I don’t want to move from spot to spot.”
When the current location became available in the San Anselmo shopping center, he felt it was beshert, or destiny.
Bernson is a food industry veteran originally from Connecticut and spent most of his food career catering on the East Coast before settling in the Bay Area more than a decade ago. A true carnivore, he developed a serious passion for smoked meat, and during the Covid
Bernson admits his grandfather is a funny person to be the deli’s patriarch, though. While “he believed everything happens in the kitchen, he was a pretty terrible cook,” he said. “He put onion soup mix in the hamburger because he read somewhere that it was good. And the pot roast was always dry.” Zayde Jack kept kosher and young Greg wondered why he couldn’t have a glass of milk to go with the dry roast.
Despite his grandfather’s less than stellar food, “he was one of the nicest, gentlest people you’ll ever meet,” Bernson said. His father, meanwhile, was the family’s main cook; Bernson said he followed in both of their footsteps.
With that generational history, which foods did he feel were musts on the deli menu? “Obviously pastrami. It starts and ends with pastrami,” Bernson said. As much as he loves it, he can’t eat pastrami every day because of the high salt content and fattiness. Brisket, however, is another story.
“Our brisket is incredible,” he said.
I got a chance to taste it, and yes, it’s pretty incredible, served on a brioche roll with a slathering of horseradish sauce.
All of the rye, sandwich breads, rolls and bagels are baked by Alex Tishman’s Fire Swamp Provisions, a bakery started during Covid that I covered in July 2021.
e bagels were a sourdough hybrid at the start, but people who wanted more traditional bagels began complaining within days of opening. Bernson and Loiselle take customer feedback seriously; Tishman’s recipe has already been modified.
“And the potato pancakes have to be there, and they have to be good,” Bernson said. “ ey can’t be the deep-fried hockey pucks that you get everywhere.”
Matzah ball soup and blintzes are on the menu, though in the first few days they weren't available. e inaugural batch of matzah balls didn’t come out right (“Ninety-eight percent of the time, I make a perfect knaidel,” he boasted back in 2022), and there was no time for the blintzes.
“I’ve been trying to make them for four days,” he said at the opening. “I just haven’t had the time.”
Other dishes include cauliflower shwarma and salads — a harissa Caesar and one called “good intentions salad” with kale, cabbage, grapefruit, avocado, crunchy chickpeas and more. Luckily, his daughter’s healthy contributions to the menu are a moderating force.
“Obviously
pastrami. It starts and ends with pastrami. And the potato pancakes have to be there, and they have to be good. They can’t be the deep-fried hockey pucks you get everywhere.”
Greg Bernson, co-owner
“I never would have put [salads] on there,” Bernson admi ed. “But I think it’s fantastic.”
Loiselle, a trained pastry chef, said her father is “so good at what he does, with all the meat stu . But he wants all of these men who love meat to come in, and they’re not going to come here if their wives can’t come with them,” she joked.
Loiselle has spent the last few years cooking with Marin’s gorgeous produce. Eventually, she’d like Bubbala’s to be supplied by local farms, but that’s not happening yet. What is happening are her desserts, starting with rugelach, which happens to be her favorite cookie and is a must-try.
“It’s all fat,” Loiselle said of her exceptional dough. “It’s mostly cream cheese and bu er loosely held with flour and some nuts.” She makes a variety of ganaches for the rugelach fillings. ere are also cheesecake and cookies, and she intends to work up to cakes that will be sold by the slice.
She calls the sweets “Jewish inspired” and uses ingredients like halva or pomegranate when she can.
Despite the hiccups since opening, Bubbala’s has started to get rave reviews.
Bernson shared one Nextdoor post that said, “I moved from LA in 1984 so I’ve been spoiled by Canter’s, Nate n Al’s and Langer’s and I’ve literally been looking for FORTY years for something comparable.”
High praise, indeed.
Bubbala’s (bubbalas.com), in the Red Hill Shopping Center, 906 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Anselmo. Open 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
When we wrote last spring about Holy Sushi opening a kosher sit-down restaurant in Palo Alto, it didn’t yet have a license to sell alcoholic beverages. Now, with its recently obtained license, the restaurant has stocked a variety of sake and Japanese beer.
Rabbi Joey Felsen, who owns Holy Sushi, admits he’s not a sake connoisseur (“I’ve tried both hot and cold”), but said it is easy to certify as kosher, which is why there are quite a few kinds on o er. Wine is coming soon, too, a er distribution is arranged.
Felsen, who also writes a Torah column for J., reported that opening the restaurant “has been an exciting ride” and said most of the customers aren’t kosher, and many are Japanese. “But for the kosher-eating community,” he said, “it’s been unbelievable.” ■ Holy Sushi, 3441 Alma St., Suite 100, Palo Alto. Open 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday.
Just in time for holiday enjoyment or gifting, we are offering a celestial deal on our acclaimed wine:
93+ Points Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
“Impactful notes of Black Forest cake and ripe plums. Full-bodied, rich and spicy with seamless freshness and fantastic length.”
2018 Stardust Cabernet Sauvignon, Dellar & Friedkin Vineyard, Napa Valley.
$70 (normally $100), and $35 from each bottle sold will be donated to J.
{ If you are of a charitable mind, it’s really paying $35 for a special $100 wine. L’Chaim! }
Order a case and the shipping is free! Offer expires 1/2/25 and is only available in California.
Order at stardustwines.com
Use code J2day at checkout.
tY!F•t
OUTDOOR SEATED TASTINGS
VISIT WWW.HAGAFEN.COM OR CALL (707) 252-078 I X 3 TO RESERVE
Our Gift Shop offers a selection of Judaica for Hanukkah (menorahs, Hanukkah candles, chocolate gelt, dreidels, etc.), holidays, Shabbat, Havdallah, simchas and special occasions, including jewelry, cards, candles and items to serve all your Jewish needs.
Your purchase helps fund programs supported by the Women of Rodef Sholom.
Wishing you a Happy Hanukkah! Free delivery in Marin until December 21! GoldMedalN�Vail� Wme Sinre 1979
WE'D LOVE TO HOST YOU FOR A WINE TASTING AT OUR CHARMING WINERY IN THE HEART OF NAPA VALLEY! ENJOY A FLIGHT OF CURRENT RELEASE WINES FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR PRIVATE, GAR DEN-SIDE TABLE.
Mon-Thurs 10-3, Fri 11:30-2, Sun 10:-12:30 http://wrs-giftshop.square.site • (415) 640-7868
200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael (Osher Marin JCC)
e Bay Area Jewish community will celebrate Hanukkah throughout December — leading up to the first night on Dec. 25 — with everything from holiday concerts and cra workshops to mitzvah opportunities and public menorah lightings. Here is a taste of Hanukkah events across the region. Check out jweekly.com for more.
MONDAY | DECEMBER 2
Monthlong Hanukkah Coat Drive—JCCSF is collecting new or lightly worn coats in partnership with Compass Family Services to help support unhoused and at-risk families in San Francisco. rough Dec. 31. Bring items to JCCSF lobby, 3200 California St., S.F., 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, or purchase items from Compass Family Services Amazon wish lists. tinyurl.com/jccsf-coat-drive
SUNDAY | DECEMBER 8
“Love You a Latke”—Jewish Baby Network Hanukkah party with music, cra s, holiday goodie bags, stories, menorah lighting, jelly doughnuts and latkes. At Congregation Sherith Israel, 2266 California St., S.F. 10-11:30 a.m. $18. tinyurl.com/love-latke Hanukkah Maker’s Market—JCCSF presents holiday gi fair with handmade cra s and artisanal foods from local artists, makers and chefs. At JCCSF, 3200 California St., S.F. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/han-makers Women of Am Tikvah Hanukkah Fair— Annual holiday gi fair featuring handcra ed items from 20 artisans, Judaica, kids art activities, performances by Jon Frank Jazz Trio, Jewish Folk Chorus ensemble and singer-guitarist Sco Hill, latkes, homemade baked goods and a ra e. At Am Tikvah, 625 Brotherhood Way, S.F. 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/am-tikvah-han
TUESDAY | DECEMBER 10
“Sharing Hanukkah in the Classroom”—
Step-by-step workshop for parents and educators to learn fun and engaging ways to share Hanukkah and Jewish culture in the secular classroom. With lesson plans, cra instructions, book recommendations and a detailed resource guide. Presented by Contemporary Jewish Museum. Online. 12-1 p.m. Free, advance registration required. tinyurl.com/sharing-hanukkah
SUNDAY | DECEMBER 15
Glowing Hanukkah Pop-Up at Ghirardelli Square—Holiday event with candle lighting, singing, dancing, dreidels, hands-on cra s with local artists, doughnuts and a glowing piano performance. Wear light-up, gli ery or glow-in-the-dark outfits. Presented by JCCSF. At Ghirardelli Square, 900 North Point St., F301, S.F. 3-6 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/ hanukkah-glow
MONDAY | DECEMBER 23
Songs of Light and Joy— e Jewish Folk Chorus of San Francisco performs Hanukkah concert with songs in Yiddish, English, Ladino and Russian. At JCCSF, 3200 California St., S.F. 1-2 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/ songs-joy
THURSDAY | DECEMBER 26
JCCSF Candle Lighting—Community menorah lighting in atrium with live music, cra s and fried treats. Also Dec. 27, 30 and 31. At JCCSF, 3200 California St., S.F. 4-5 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/jccsf-menorah Lakeside Landing Menorah Lighting— Hanukkah event with games, hot chocolate and menorah lighting. Presented by Chabad of the Neighborhood. At Lakeside Landing, 2504 Ocean Ave., S.F. 4:45 p.m. Free. chabadneighborhood.square.site
SUNDAY | DECEMBER 29
Bill Graham Menorah Day—49th annual menorah lighting in San Francisco’s Union Square with live music, dreidel house, kids cra s and entertainment. Lighting each night of Hanukkah from Dec. 25 to Jan. 1, times and programs vary. Presented by the Bill Graham Supporting Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund and Chabad of SF. 2-6 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/bill-menorah Winter Wonderland Hanukkah—Celebration with menorah lighting, music, ice skating rink, festive treats, arts and cra s and more. Presented by Kaiser Permanente. At rive City, 1 Warriors Way, S.F. 2-5 p.m. Free, registration required. tinyurl.com/kaiser-han
NORTH BAY
THURSDAY | DECEMBER 5
Windsor Holiday Celebration—JCC Sonoma County Preschool and PJ Library present Hanukkah activities and public menorah lighting at the town’s 23rd annual holiday celebration. At Windsor Town Green, 701 McClelland Drive. 5-8 p.m. Free. tinyurl. com/windsor-holiday
SUNDAY | DECEMBER 8
Festival of Lights—Hanukkah celebration with gi mart, live music from Brandeis Marin day school, arts and cra s, treats from Loveski deli and more. At Osher Marin JCC, 200 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/omjcc-fest
EAST BAY
SATURDAY | DECEMBER 7
Hanukkah Puppet Show—Holiday-themed puppet show for families with babies, toddlers and preschoolers. With snacks and cra s. Bring diapers, pull-ups, wipes, children’s books and gently-used shoes and clothing for children of all ages to donate
to Hively, which provides resources and support services for families in Alameda County. At Congregation Beth Emek, 3400 Nevada Court, Pleasanton. 2-4:30 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/han-puppet-show
FRIDAY | DECEMBER 13
Family Hanukkah Shabbat—Contra CostaJCC and PJ Library Hanukkah event with Israeli-style food, holiday treats, kids activities and music. At Alamo Women’s Club, 1401 Danville Blvd., Alamo. 5:30-7:30 p.m. $18 per person, $64 per family. tinyurl. com/ccjcc-han
SUNDAY | DECEMBER 15
“Hanukkah Around the World”—Multicultural celebration featuring a variety of global Hanukkah traditions. Activities include playing Mexican six-sided dreidel game Toma Todo, creating a Moroccan-style hanging menorah, ge ing Indian henna ta oos, sampling fried treats from around the world and more. Presented by JCC East Bay, Camp Tawonga, Olamim, Maccabi Sports Camp, Eden Village West and Camp Newman. At JCC East Bay, 1414 Walnut St., Berkeley. 2-5 p.m. $24 per family. tinyurl. com/hanukkah-world-24
Hanukkah Family Farm Festival—Jewish Gateways and Urban Adamah Hanukkah festival for families with kids in grades K-5 and siblings, featuring cra s, candle making, music and movement. At Urban Adamah, 1151 Sixth St., Berkeley. 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. $9-$36, sliding scale. tinyurl. com/han-farm
WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 18
Intergenerational Hanukkah Lantern Walk— JCC East Bay presents holiday gathering for families with preschoolers and older adults to light up the neighborhood with lanterns and Hanukkah songs. Co ee, hot chocolate and lanterns provided. At JCC East Bay, 1414 Walnut St., Berkeley. 4:305:30 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/han-lanterns
SATURDAY | DECEMBER 21
Tri-Valley Cultural Jews’ Hanukkah Celebration—Holiday event with menorah lighting, dreidel spinning, games, cra s, music and latke making. Bring your favorite latke topping and a dish to share. Castro Valley location provided with RSVP. Email culturaljews@gmail.com. 5-7 p.m. $15, members free. trivalleyculturaljews.org
“Celebrate Life!”—Hanukkah party with music by Ben Kramarz and SingJam friends, prizes, sufganiyot and public menorah lighting. At Afikomen Judaica, 3042 Claremont Ave., Berkeley. 3-5 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/ celebrate-han
SUNDAY | DECEMBER 22
“Dreidels and Doughnuts”—Jewish Baby Network and Kehilla Community Synagogue Hanukkah party with singing, cra s, snacks, doughnuts and holiday-themed goodie bags. At Lake Temescal, 6500 Broadway, Oakland. 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. $18. tinyurl. com/jbn-han-party
WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 25
Hanukkah on Ice—Holiday event with ice skating, Jewish music, giant menorah and kosher food. Presented by Chabad of Contra Costa. At Civic Park Ice Rink, 1365 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. 7:15 p.m. $25, free for non-skaters. tinyurl.com/ chabad-cc-han
SATURDAY | DECEMBER 28
“Into the Dark”—Communal celebration ritual honoring Hanukkah and Kwanzaa with music, meditation and teachings from Lior Tsarfaty, Melanie DeMore, Bouchaib Abdelhadi and Laura Goldman. For ages 14 and up. At Chochmat HaLev, 2215 Prince St., Berkeley. 7-9:30 p.m. $39. tinyurl.com/ into-dark
SUNDAY | DECEMBER 8
Family Cooking: Hanukkah—Hands-on class for preschool- and elementary-age kids to make doughnuts and hot chocolate with their parents. Led by Michelle Greenebaum of Together in the Kitchen. At Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 2:30-3:30 p.m. $44 per family. tinyurl.com/ family-cooking-han
FRIDAY | DECEMBER 13
Hanukkah Story Time—PJ Library and Oshman Family JCC present holiday story time featuring children’s book “Hoppy Hanukkah,” followed by paper menorah cra . At Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 4:15-5:15 p.m. Free. tinyurl. com/hoppy-hanukkah
SUNDAY | DECEMBER 15
Latkepalooza—Hanukkah extravaganza with giant Lego menorah, bounce house, cra s, games, live music, a holiday marketplace, signature cocktail tasting, latkes, sufganiyot and more. At PJCC, 800 Foster City Blvd., Foster City. 3-5p.m. Free. tinyurl. com/latkepalooza-pjcc
Six13 Hanukkah Special—Holiday concert performed by six-member a cappella group. At Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 4:30-5:30 p.m. and 6:30-7:30 p.m. $30 kids and students, $50 adults. tinyurl. com/six13-show
“Menorahs and Miracles”—Hanukkah celebration with hands-on play, scavenger hunt, dreidel games, candle making, menorah cra s, puppet show, story time in Hebrew, Russian and English, performance by Yavneh Day School Choir and Hanukkah treats. Co-presented by Addison-Penzak JCC, PJ Library and Yavneh Day School. At Children’s Discovery Museum, 180 Woz Way, San Jose. 1:30-4:30 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/ miracles-menorahs
Hanukkah Cra Party—Hands-on event for families to create menorahs, design a dreidel and make decorations. With sufganiyot. At Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 3:30-4:30 p.m. $18 per family. tinyurl.com/han-cra
continued on page 30
Reserve your table today to ring in 2025 with Chef Mark Dommen’s festive menu, sparkling wine, and Billy Philadelphia at the piano from 7pm to midnight.
First Seating: 5:30-7pm
The evening starts with a complimentary glass of bubbly, then onto your celebratory dinner so you can get home to watch the Times Square ball drop from your own living room.
Second Seating: 8:30-10:30pm
For the late night revelers, dinner and a midnight bubbly toast, with spectacular views of the fireworks right outside the restaurant (weather permitting).
See the menu and reserve your table at onemarket.com
THE FESTIVAL OF LATKES
Throughout December at lunch and dinner, we’re serving up nine delectable “loaded” latkes to celebrate Hanukkah season. Come in for the Swiss Latke (pictured here), the Steak Tartare or the Smoked Sturgeon Rillette, to name a few favorites.
IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO PLAN A HOLIDAY PARTY A few prime lunch and dinner spaces are still available. Contact our events team at 415.777.2233 for details.
LESLIE KATZ | CORRESPONDENT
When Berkeley native Elle Gennis moved to Israel in 2022, she wasn’t sure she’d stay.
She had always felt a deep connection to the country, cultivated during summers as a Camp Newman camper and counselor, as well as a semester away from Berkeley High School spent living on a kibbutz. But she questioned whether the Israel of her younger imagination existed in real life, especially as she often found herself disagreeing with Israeli government policies.
“I didn’t know if I fully wanted to commit,” Gennis, 25, told J.
Everything changed for her on Oct. 7, 2023. Gennis was back in the Bay Area to visit family as she watched news of the Hamas terror attack unfold. She had a powerful epiphany.
Being outside of Israel during a time of crisis “really showed me something about my identity,” she said. “I felt more Jewish and more Israeli than I did American in those following weeks. I only wanted to be surrounded by other Jews who could understand what I was feeling and going through. I especially wanted to be surrounded by
Israelis. We didn’t have to say anything to each other. We just all got it.”
Oct. 7 prompted Gennis’ decision to become an Israeli citizen; she made aliyah in February. It also inspired the creation of Oosh, an online marketplace she co-founded that sells Israeli goods such as jewelry, ceramics, watercolors, hats, socks and candles — from small businesses or handcrafted by artists
“We really want to try to use our brand to help rebuild our community that has been so broken over the past year.”
Elle Gennis, Oosh co-founder
still reeling from the devastating impacts of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Gennis and her business partner, Danielle Eisenberg, met at a party in Tel Aviv shortly before Oct. 7.
“We really want to try to use our brand to help rebuild our community that has been so
broken over the past year,” Gennis said over Zoom from her Tel Aviv apartment.
Ooshbox.com visitors can shop for indi vidual gifts or select themed packages, like the Tel Aviv Oosh Box, which starts at $150 and contains four to seven items: streetwear from local brands, art prints and canvas tote bags that capture Tel Aviv scenes, and painted espresso cups that evoke the city’s lively cafe culture. The Tzfat Protection Box, which also starts at $150, assembles talismans symbolic of Israel’s mystical epicenter, including hamsas and symbols to guard against the evil eye.
Gennis, who grew up attending Temple Isaiah in Lafayette, said her goal is to make Oosh an “Israeli version of Etsy,” the popular e-commerce site that sells handmade and vintage items across a range of categories.
Gennis earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and international relations from the University of Southern California and has experience in product marketing.
Eisenberg, 33, a veteran of startups with an MBA from the University of Michigan, grew up spending summers in Israel and now
lives in New York, where the company will sell Oosh gifts at a Hanukkah pop-up market on Dec. 12. The event will raise funds for One Family, which supports terror victims in Israel.
Oosh is Israeli slang that often gets appended to names as a term of endearment. Elle becomes Elle-oosh, for example, and Danielle is Danielle-oosh.
“It feels like a nickname you would give your best friend, but people use it with each other no matter how close they are,” Gennis said. “It embodies what is so special about Israeli culture, that we all feel like family.” n
TUESDAY | December 3
“ANTISEMITISM AND OUR DEMOCRACY”—Panel discussion with Amy Spitalnick of JCPA, Tyler Gregory of JCRC Bay Area and David Bocarsly of JPAC on the topics of antisemitism and democracy. Presented by Peninsula JCC. At Wornick Jewish Day School, 800 Foster City Blvd., Foster City. 7-8:30 p.m. Free. tinyurl. com/antisemitism-democracy
THURSDAY | December 5
“RAISING BOYS”—JFCS Center for Children and Youth presents workshop for parents to learn how to meet a son’s basic internal needs to foster cooperation, confidence and connection. Online. 1-2 p.m. $30. tinyurl.com/raising-boys-jfcs
FRIDAY | December 6
“RABBIS IN ZOROASTRIAN FIRE TEMPLES”—Lecture by Simcha Gross based on his book, “Babylonian Jews and Sasanian Imperialism in Late Antiquity,” which explores how life under the Persian and Zoroastrian Sasanian Empire affected Jews, the rabbis responsible for the Babylonian Talmud and the social, cultural, and historical dimensions of their intertwined lives. Presented by the Hamid and Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies at Stanford University. Online. 10 a.m. Free. tinyurl.com/rabbis-fire
SUNDAY | December 8
JEWISH BIRTH PREP WORKSHOP—
Soon-to-be parents will learn about rituals during pregnancy, labor and delivery, choosing a Hebrew/Jewish name, circumcision, naming/welcoming ceremonies, Jewish perspectives on parenting and more. Led by Jewish Baby Network director Carol Booth, rabbis and lay leaders. Presented by JBN and Honeymoon Israel. Online. 3-5 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/ birth-prep-jbn
TUESDAY | December 10
“DISCIPLINE 101: THE POWER OF THE POSITIVE”—JFCS Center for Children and Youth presents work-
shop for parents on using positive discipline to teach children inner control and to motivate them to cooperate. Online. 7-8:30 p.m. $45. tinyurl.com/positive-power
THURSDAY | December 12
“FROM FAMILY HASSLE TO FAMILY HARMONY”—JFCS Center for Children and Youth presents workshop for parents of middle schoolers and high schoolers on ways to reduce conflict and create family harmony. Online. 1-2 p.m. $30. tinyurl.com/family-harmony
THE MIKVEH—Rabbi Batshir Torchio discusses the religious/ cultural history of the Jewish ritual bath and its contemporary uses, including interpretation as a site of transformation as explored in Nicki Green’s exhibit “Firmament.”
At Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St., S.F. 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/mikveh-cjm
AJC CIVIC LEADERSHIP GALA DINNER—Annual gala and dinner honoring Rabbi Jessica Zimmerman Graf and Dr. Jonathan Graf with the Civic Leadership Award for forging meaningful dialogue and action in support of the Jewish people in the Bay Area and beyond. With keynote remarks by author Franklin Foer. At Congregation Sherith Israel, 2266 California St., S.F. 5:30-8:30 p.m. $180 and up. tinyurl.com/ajc-gala-24
MONDAY | December 16
“DEEP INSIDE TONIGHT”—Musical by Kinsey Sicks drag quartet featuring hot topics, scandals and the recent presidential campaign in a mock newscast. For adults. At Congregation Ner Shalom, 85 La Plaza, Cotati. 7:30-9 p.m. Livestream $32.50; in-person $37.75; in-person VIP $53.50. tinyurl.com/ kinsey-sicks
CONTEMPORARY JEWISH MUSEUM, 736 MISSION ST., S.F. THECJM.ORG
CALIFORNIA JEWISH OPEN—Opencall exhibit featuring works by 47 California-based Jewish artists reflecting on their connection to Judaism, the world and their own history. Through Dec. 15.
“NICKI GREEN: FIRMAMENT”—Exhibit featuring artwork that invokes metamorphosis, fermentation and Jewish ritual. Through Dec. 15.
THE MAGNES, 2121 ALLSTON WAY, BERKELEY. MAGNES.BERKELEY.EDU
“IN PLAIN SIGHT: JEWISH ARTS AND LIVES IN THE MUSLIM WORLD”—Exhibit showcasing Jewish objects originating from Muslim lands that reflect cultural affinities and common threads between the cultures. Through May 15.
OSHER MARIN JCC, 200 NORTH SAN PEDRO ROAD, SAN RAFAEL. MARINJCC.ORG
“CELEBRATING JEWISH LIFE IN MARIN”—Retrospective photography exhibit by Norm Levin featuring framed color prints, depicting the wide variety of celebrations, holidays and ceremonies of Marin’s Jewish community. Through December.
THURSDAY | December 5
“SACRED LIGHT”—Panel discussion with Mahjabeen Dhala and Deena Aranoff, faculty of the Graduate Theological Union and the Madrasa/Midrasha Program, and gallery tour of “In Plain Sight: Jewish Arts and Lives in the Muslim World.” With brown-bag lunch. At Magnes, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Free, space is limited. tinyurl.com/sacred-light-talk
FRIDAY | December 6
“FROM THE WEST TO THE EAST”— Rabbi John Rosove discusses his memoir, subtitled “Memoir of a Liberal American Zionist Rabbi.” With Shabbat service, book talk and dinner. At Congregation Sherith Israel, 2266 California St., S.F. 7:15 p.m. Talk free, dinner $30. tinyurl. com/west-east-book
SUNDAY | December 8
“LIVING WITH OUR DEAD”—Retired librarian Jim Van Buskirk discusses Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur’s book, which recounts 11 stories of loss, mourning and consolation, collected during the years she has spent caring for the dying and their loved ones. Co-sponsored by Sinai Memorial Chapel. At Jewish Community Library, 1835 Ellis St., S.F. 2-3:15 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/ living-with-dead
SUNDAY | December 15
“TASTING FLIGHT: POEMS”—Yiskah Rosenfeld discusses her collection of poems exploring the trials of being a woman, mother and imperfectly human. At Jewish Community Library, 1835 Ellis St., S.F. 2-3:15 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/tasting-flight
“FROM OY TO JOY”—Shulamit Sofia discusses her new book, subtitled “A Soul Journey to Making the Best of Your Life for the Rest of Your Life,” which offers readers ways to cope with inevitable obstacles by using the principles of “Spiritual Aging” to better navigate the constantly changing challenges of growing older. At Jewish Community Library, 1835 Ellis St., S.F. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/oy-to-joy
THURSDAY | December 5
“WARRIORS JEWISH HERITAGE NIGHT”—Watch Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets with your friends, family and congregation. Ticket price includes Warriors Jewish heritage shirt. Co-sponsored by S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund and Chabad of S.F. At Chase Center, S.F. 7 p.m. $70$115. tinyurl.com/warriors-night
SATURDAY | December 7
HANUKKAH IN PARIS—Annual Parisian-themed holiday party and Toys for Tots drive with music by DJ Poppii, Daghe and DJ Maxwell. Presented by Value Culture and Jaffe Events. At White Rabbit Bar, 3138 Fillmore St., S.F. 7-11 p.m. $30, $15 if you bring a toy to donate. tinyurl.com/hannukah-paris
Tiffany Shlain’s “The Center Will Hold” (COURTESY)
In this series at the CJM, California Jewish Open artists discuss their influences and themes in their art currently on exhibit. Elina Frumerman and Natalya Burd discuss their shared immigrant experiences and Jewish identities on Dec. 1, and Tiffany Shlain and Amy Trachtenberg discuss the intersections of identity and heritage on Dec. 15.
11:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 1 & 15. At Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St., S.F. Free. tinyurl.com/connecting-through-art
November 29-December 22
Persian/Kurdish-American vocalist and composer Elana Sasson will take audience members on a journey through modal music with her lecture and performance of songs from Jewish communities from across North Africa and the Middle East. Her presentation, “From Sanandaj to Essaouira,” will highlight Morocco and Kurdistan as case studies, drawing archival music recordings along with her live performance. 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12. At the Magnes, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley. $25. tinyurl.com/magnes-music
SOUPER SAUCERS COOK DAY—Cook and help distribute a big pot of soup for folks in need on Wednesday nights. Presented by Repair the World, a Jewish service organization that connects young adults to volunteer opportunities with local nonprofits. At Urban Adamah, 1151 Sixth St., Berkeley. 5-8 p.m. Registration required. tinyurl.com/soup-cook-day
THE GIVING KITCHEN—Seeking volunteers to cook meals for those in need at Chabad’s kosher community kitchen. At Chabad of SF, 496 Natoma St., S.F. Times vary. Registration required. tinyurl.com/ giving-kitchen
CLOTHING DRIVE—Congregation
Sha’ar Zahav is collecting blankets, jackets, and new or lightly used clothing and socks to be distributed to the homeless by the Gubbio Project. At Sha’ar Zahav, 290 Dolores St., S.F. Weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. shaarzahav.org
STUFFED ANIMAL AND TOY DRIVE— Oshman Family JCC is collecting new stu ed animals and toys and $25 gift cards to Amazon, Safeway or Target on behalf of children impacted by domestic violence.
Donations benefit Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence. Through Dec. 10. Drop donations at collection bins in the fitness center lobby at OFJCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. paloaltojcc.org
GOTSNEAKERS DRIVE—Congregation Am Tikvah is collecting gently used, worn or new athletic sneakers to donate to GotSneakers, an organization that recycles sneakers to keep them out of landfills and to reduce chemicals in the environment. Drop o during operating hours at Am Tikvah, 625 Brotherhood Way, S.F. amtikvah.org
THE PALMS INN DRIVE—Congregation Beth Ami is collecting clean, slightly or never-worn clothing like socks, hats, scarves, gloves, sweatshirts, warm tops, jeans, rain gear, jackets, shoes, slippers, etc.
and new toiletries like tampons, pads, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, toilet paper, etc. to donate to those residing at The Palms Inn, which provides housing for veterans and people experiencing homelessness. Through Dec. 16. Drop o during operating hours at Beth Ami, 4676 Mayette Ave., Santa Rosa. bethamisr.org
MONUMENT CRISIS CENTER
DRIVE—Congregation B’nai Tikvah is collecting protein foods like canned fish, meat, chicken and beans, as well as toiletries, to donate to Monument Crisis Center. Through Dec. 1. Drop o during operating hours at B’nai Tikvah, 25 Hillcroft Way, Walnut Creek. tikvaheastbay.org
SATURDAY | December 7
DISTANT COUSINS—Havdalah followed by folk, rock and pop concert by L.A.-based trio Distant
THURSDAY | December 5
THE POLYPHONY QUARTET—Concert featuring Arab and Jewish Israeli musicians performing Haydn, Vivaldi and Handel and a selection of Maya Belsitzman’s songs. At Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 7:30-9 p.m. $30. tinyurl.com/polyphony-concert.
SATURDAY | December 7
THE POLYPHONY QUARTET—Concert featuring Arab and Jewish Israeli musicians performing Haydn, Vivaldi and Handel, with Maya Belsitzman’s songs. At Congregation Emanu-El, 2 Lake St., S.F. 7:30-9 p.m. $36. emanuelsf.org/ polyphony
HOLIDAYS WITH DUO LADINO—Holiday salon with Duo Ladino (aka pianist Ronny Michael Greenberg) and violinist Elizabeth Castro Greenberg performing seasonal music. With wine, cheese and dessert. San Francisco location provided with registration. 7-9:30 p.m. Donation. tinyurl.com/duo-ladino
Cousins. At Congregation Beth Sholom, 301 14th Ave., S.F. 6:30 p.m. $36, includes one drink. tinyurl. com/distant-cousins
TUESDAY | December 10
“A JOYFUL JEWISH NOISE”—Grammy-winning klezmer group The Klezmatics perform an eclectic mix of klezmer dance tunes, Yiddish singalongs, Hasidic spirituals and more. Also performing Hanukkah music Dec. 11. At Freight and Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. Doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. Advance $39, day of show $44. tinyurl.com/joyful-noise
MONDAY | December 16
“TOWARD THE LIGHT”—Grammy-winning klezmer group The Klezmatics perform seasonal music from their holiday album. At The Sofia: Home of B Street, 2700 Capitol Ave., Sacramento. 7 p.m. $40. tinyurl.com/klezmatics-sac
TUESDAY | December 17
“YIDDISH FAVORITES OLD AND NEW”—Klezmer trio performs popular Yiddish folk songs and newer melodies. With Cindy Paley on vocals and guitar, Zina Pozen on accordion, Asaf Ophir on clarinet and Nathan Ladyzhensky on violin. At Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 1-2 p.m. $15 before Dec. 9, $25 at the door. tinyurl. com/yiddish-old-new
SATURDAY | November 30
“THE BLOND BOY FROM THE CASBAH”—Filmmaker Antoine travels to his birthplace in Algiers, with his young son to present his new film about his childhood as a Jew in mid-20th century Algeria during the country’s civil war. At the Jarvis Conservatory, 1711 Main St., Napa. 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. $15. tinyurl.com/blond-casbah
WEDNESDAY | December 11
“THE DYBBUK: RESTORED AND LIVE SCORED”—Newly restored 1937 horror film about a young bride possessed by the spirit of her dead lover’s dislocated soul. Live score by Yenne Velt; introduction by history professor Nathaniel Deutsch. Co-Presented by JCCSF, LABA Bay Area and KlezCalifornia. At JCCSF, 3200 California St. 6:30-9 p.m. $25. tinyurl.com/dybbuk-film
THURSDAY | December 12
“JEWS AND BASEBALL: AN AMERICAN LOVE STORY”—Talk by historian Fred Rosenbaum in conjunction with film of the same name. Presented by East Bay International Jewish Film Festival. Online. 7 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/ jews-love-baseball
DAVID A.M. WILENSKY | J. STAFF
The Contemporary Jewish Museum, the delightfully idiosyncratic San Francisco institution focused on modern Jewish life and artwork, will close for at least one year, starting on Dec. 15. (See our previous issue for more, or read about it online at tinyurl.com/cjm-closing. Find community reactions on page 4 of this issue.)
Attendance at CJM never quite bounced back after the pandemic. Plus, donations are down — and there are a few reasons for that.
Personally, I have always gotten the sense that some of the usual big donors in our community would prefer a more, let’s say, normal Jewish museum. Most local Jewish museums in this country have permanent exhibits about Judaica, local Jewish history and the Holocaust. But that’s not what this museum is about. It’s right there in the name: Contemporary.
And that’s what I love about it: contemporary Jewish art and issues, always pushing the boundaries of what a Jewish museum could be. It’s the perfect museum for a Jewish community like the one we are blessed with here in the Bay Area, where we constantly push the boundaries of contemporary Jewish community, culture and spiritual expression.
We might look to the general drop in attendance and funding for the arts nationally for context; in the Bay Area we’ve lost California Shakespeare Theatre, Bay Area Children’s Theatre and PianoFight, to name just a few. Still, in the Jewish community, we should be able to mitigate that trend by appealing to philanthropists’ interest in building up and sustaining Jewish life, no?
But since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, donor dollars have been increasingly diverted to organizations focused on Israel and antisemitism, as CJM leaders acknowledged in our Nov. 15 report.
Dana Sheanin of Jewish LearningWorks spelled out the same problem in an op-ed in our previous issue. If you missed it, I highly recommend taking a look (tinyurl.com/sheanin). She writes of a national survey that found declining donations to many American Jewish organizations over the last year. And she cites the recent demise of a couple local Jewish orgs — the East Bay youth group Jewish Youth for Community Action and the Jewish Coalition for Literacy. In the case of the organization she leads, which supports Jewish education throughout the Bay Area, it led to significant layoffs.
Anecdotally, she and I have both heard of dire fundraising situations and resulting layoffs at a number of other local Jewish orgs.
I have to wonder: When big philanthropists and small donors are done saving Israel, will there be life left in diaspora communities? When they are done circling the wagons to fend off antisemitism, will there be institutions of value left to defend?
For most of y’all, these are rhetorical questions. But I know there are some significant donors reading this, and I am asking you a real question: What will be left when you’ve pulled all your dollars out of Jewish community, Jewish arts and Jewish education?
This need not be a zero-sum game. We have some incredibly wealthy people among us. If they (you) choose to, they (you) can support work that combats antisemitism and work that builds up love of Jewish culture and learning at the same time. If they (you) choose to.
Are we looking at a major crisis — or am I blowing this out of proportion? Do you know of a local Jewish organization staring into the fundraising abyss? Write to me at david@jweekly.com and tell me what you think. n
David A.M. Wilensky is director of news product at J. A version of this piece first appeared in his weekly email newsletter “Your Sunday J.” Sign up at jweekly.com/ newsletter.
Santa Clara. Zelig has 30 years of experience with Krav Maga, the famed form of self-defense developed by the Israeli military. (AARON LEVY-WOLINS/J. STAFF)
As a Jewish millennial and Federation professional, I strongly disagree with David Hazony’s Nov. 15 op-ed, “U.S. Jewish institutions have failed our young people.” Hazony contends that young Jewish voices are rising against antisemitism because Jewish institutions have abandoned them since Oct. 7, 2023.
I fear Hazony’s rhetoric could drive a wedge between these two groups at the exact moment we need them to ally more closely. Emerging voices and established institutions must (and do!) work hand in hand responding to this grave threat.
The surge in antisemitism following Oct. 7 is outside of our control. Calling today’s antisemitism a failure of Jewish institutions reads as victim-blaming and a slap in the face to every professional who has worked tirelessly to ensure a safe, resilient and thriving community. Jewish life is evolving such that young adults need not only look to institutions for engagement. As a funder of young adults’ work, I see them firsthand creating homegrown experiences and doing Jewish in their dining rooms and backyards. This is not a failure of institutional work, but a complement to it. Further, many of the young voices Hazony cites
gained their skills, confidence and networks in the very organizations he criticizes. These leaders are doing what we trained them to do: using their tools and talents to address the world’s biggest challenges.
The Young Jewish Fund is a powerful example of what individuals and institutions can achieve together. Two young grassroots leaders approached the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund to help them run a giving circle. They activated their peers, raising and allocating more than $13,000 to fight antisemitism.
Our community’s future is in strong hands with these young leaders, and institutions like the Federation will empower them with every tool to succeed through partnership and trust. The only way we’ll fight this existential threat is together.
AMANDA COHEN | DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND GRANTMAKING, JEWISH COMMUNITY FEDERATION AND ENDOWMENT FUND
Daniel Lurie, the 47-year-old philanthropist and son of Mimi Haas, has become San Francisco’s fourth Jewish
ROBERT ALTER | GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
Robert Alter is emeritus professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at UC Berkeley. He is the author of “The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary” and “The Art of Bible Translation.”
President-elect Donald Trump’s recent expression of support for instituting prayer in schools across the country is clearly alarming. Floating the very idea constitutes a blatant threat to the separation of church and state, which has been a vital principle of this country since its founding. It would take us back to benighted historical eras of the past.
It may be that Trump was simply preaching to the choir of his evangelical supporters, not making a serious proposal. And were such an initiative enacted, it would quickly be mired in the courts. But the threat is serious — as the context in which the Hebrew Bible was written itself shows us.
In the ancient Near East, the setting from which the Hebrew Bible emerged, it was a common assumption that anyone living in a particular kingdom would adhere to the cult of that kingdom’s principal deity. If you lived in Moab, you worshipped Chemosh. If you lived in the kingdom of Judah, you worshipped Yahweh.
When Ruth, in the Bible, vows to Naomi that she will follow her steadfastly, and that Naomi’s god will be her god, she is not contemplating “conversion,” as the rabbis later imagined. She is plainly assuming that should she end up in Bethlehem, with Naomi, she would worship the chief deity of
mayor at a time when San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum will close for at least a year for financial reasons. It is ironic that the late Peter Haas, who Daniel’s mom remarried, was a noted philanthropist who donated to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
The Contemporary Jewish Museum, where stories of local Jewish life are explored, has suffered as a result of rising instances of antisemitic speech and violence in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and of the Israel Defense Forces’ invasion of Gaza.
I hope that Jewish philanthropy will rally to support this important museum in its attempt to combat the avalanche of hatred. Will CJM once again become an important center of art appreciation in a city with a new mayor who will bring beauty and order back to San Francisco?
GEORGE Z. BANKS | SAN LEANDRO
JCRC’s position on antisemitism
Many speakers at this year’s Z3 Conference stressed that Zionism is an integral part of Jewish identity. To be a Zionist means to support the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland.
By now everyone must realize that anti-Zionism is our generation’s manifestation of antisemitism. Criticizing their government
that place and that country. This general practice follows the logic of polytheism: If every country had its own dominant god, formal devotion to that god was a natural part of belonging to that country.
The advent of monotheism gave a new twist to this practice. If the god to whom any given region was devoted was thought of as the exclusive God of all the world, alternatives could not be countenanced. Polytheism, by contrast, had a certain built-in tolerance.
There are countless examples, through history, of the intolerance fostered by monotheism. Catholics, repeatedly held in suspicion after the reign of England’s King Henry VIII, were subject to an array of legal restrictions, could not serve in Parliament until 1829, and were freed of all restrictions only in the 20th century. Jews, who were admitted back into England by Oliver Cromwell in 1656 after having been expelled in 1290, long remained a tolerated minority without full legal rights. It took until 1846 to rescind a law that required them to wear special garments.
These kinds of practices suggest the sinister horizon evoked by Trump and his followers in their efforts to “restore” the United States as a Christian nation — the institution of prayer in schools being an obvious part of that aspiration.
The first question the idea raises: Who would lead those prayers? Even in the deepest-dyed red states, not all teachers are Christians, and certainly not all Christians of the same stripe. Their numbers include liberal Protestants, ardent fundamentalists, Jews, Muslims, and staunchly secular people — just for a start.
A clue to this problem is provided by the evangelicals themselves. When Oklahoma sought to mandate a Bible and Bible instruction in every classroom, there were vehement objections from the evangelical community. The reason was straightforward: They did not trust schoolteachers to provide the kind of Bible instruction of which they could approve, and
has forever been a national sport for Israelis. But since Oct. 7, 2023, criticizing Israel for everything under the sun has become a universal sport.
Thank you to Marco Sermoneta, Israel’s consul general to the Pacific Northwest, for speaking at the Z3 Conference about the need for California to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism. As the consul general said, it is time for the State of California to adopt IHRA’s definition.
Can we expect California to consider adopting the IHRA definition when the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area hasn’t done so?
I respectfully urge our local Jewish Community Relations Council to adopt the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism as soon as possible. It is a powerful educational tool to share with faith partners and school boards. And then, let’s work on California.
SHEREE ROTH | PALO ALTO
I’ve read many ridiculous suggestions in my day, but Rhonda Findling’s Nov. 15 letter to the editor recommending that Jews show more sympathy for their Palestinian American neighbors by removing their Stars of David takes the cake.
The Star of David is a religious identification symbol and has
they argued that the proper setting for teaching the Bible was the church. The objections to teaching the Bible in the classroom are certainly also applicable to prayer in the classroom. That would hold particularly true if such prayers were cautiously couched in inclusive, undogmatic language. Devout Christians would surely protest that this was a distortion of authentic prayer.
But the gravest problem of this mingling of the devotional with the educational is its likely effect on students who are not part of the Christian majority. If we are to begin turning into a more decisively Christian nation — something closer to a monotheist, not polytheist, one — will non-Christian students be coerced into feeling they are somehow not fully American?
A good many decades ago, when I was growing up in Albany, New York, we regularly sang Christmas carols in class during the weeks leading up to Dec. 25. The music of many of the carols was beautiful, and I think I enjoyed it. The words were something else. As a 10-year-old, I was obviously giving no thought to theology, but when I came to lines like “Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas day,” I balked. I knew that Christ was their savior and not mine, and like many of the Jewish kids in the class, I mouthed the words rather than sang them.
If religion is to become part of public education, it is bound to make many children feel they have to behave like latter-day Marranos, going through the motions but secretly adhering to another faith, or no faith at all. This is an abhorrent prospect, one that should be resisted legally, politically and morally. It is unfortunately one of many realms in which American democracy now could be compromised. n
The views expressed on the opinion pages are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of J.
nothing to do with support for the current Israeli government, the Gaza war that Hamas started or anything else — other than identifying oneself as Jewish.
Findling doesn’t ask Palestinians and Hamas supporters to remove their kaffiyehs, face masks or red triangles, which are perceived as threatening by Jews and the many Christians who support Israel.
For centuries, Jews sought to “fit in” and “not offend their neighbors” by hiding their religion behind everything from “Hanukkah bushes” to not keeping kosher. History shows that none of this works.
Remember, the Nazis didn’t ask if you were religious or what political positions you supported. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the like won’t either.
NATHAN SALANT | FORMER EAST BAY RESIDENT HOOVER, ALABAMA
J. welcomes letters of no more than 300 words. Submissions are subject to editing. See guidelines and form at jweekly.com/letters, or email to letters@jweekly. com.
Joe Rosenthal’s iconic photo of six U.S. Marines hoisting the American flag on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima during World War II is a national treasure, recognizable to most Americans even if they don’t know the late photographer’s name.
San Francisco is hoping to change that. In October, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a resolution to add a commemorative street name — Joe Rosenthal Way — to the 600 block of Sutter Street to honor his wartime and local photojournalism.
“He represents the spirit of American Jews to me, and I revere him,” Quentin Kopp, who served as a San Francisco supervisor, a California state senator and a Superior Court judge, told J.
Born in 1911 in Washington, D.C., Rosenthal moved to San Francisco in 1932 and worked for local newspapers for nearly a decade before World War II began. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, he couldn’t enlist in the military due his abysmal eyesight but instead served as combat photographer with the merchant marine and then with the Associated Press.
He was sent to the Pacific Theater, where he covered the fighting between the U.S. and Japanese forces.
His photo “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” was shot on Feb. 23, 1945, five days into the devastating five-week Battle of Iwo Jima that led to the deaths of more than 6,000 U.S. Marine
“He represents the spirit of American Jews to me, and I revere him.”
Quentin Kopp, retired judge and Air Force veteran
and Navy servicemen and about 20,000 Japanese soldiers and sailors.
Rosenthal’s black-and-white photo was printed worldwide and largely seen as a symbol of American military success. He was awarded a 1945 Pulitzer Prize for that image, cementing his legacy. The Pulitzer site describes his photo as “perhaps the best known” image to ever win the award.
The photo was used on a war-bond poster that raised $26 billion that year, ended up on a U.S. postage stamp and served as the model for the Marine Corps War Memorial.
After the war, Rosenthal returned to San Francisco and worked at the San Francisco Chronicle. He photographed the entire range of subjects that come before the lens of a city
respond to adversity. (Rosenthal was born into a Russian Jewish immigrant family but converted to Catholicism as a young man, according to the Washington Post.)
Growing up in the 1930s, Kopp said that the adversity included stereotypes that “Jews had no military experience and that they didn’t serve in the military voluntarily, that they weren’t productive in the military.” Kopp, an Air Force vet, served during the Korean War.
photojournalist, from the renovation of the Palace of Fine Arts to Giants baseball legends Willie Mays and Juan Marichal to the Embarcadero Freeway before the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
“During the next 35 years, Rosenthal took thousands of photographs, including of local politicians, baseball heroes, celebrities, the Dan White trial and riots, a future FBI director, San Francisco’s most remote residents and many others,” Chronicle library director Bill Van Niekerken wrote in a 2020 tribute.
Rosenthal died at age 94 in 2006.
Kopp, who was the subject of Rosenthal’s lens himself, said he admired the man because he represented how Jews
Longtime local Jewish educator and historian Fred Rosenbaum noted that the 1930s and 1940s were among the most antisemitic periods in U.S. history, amid anti-immigrant, nativist and isolationist attitudes, along with the rise in the American Nazi Party.
Kopp, who serves on the San Francisco War Memorial Board of Trustees, has long sought to get the Navy to name a ship in Rosenthal’s honor — as has the S.F.-based Joe Rosenthal Chapter of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association.
In 2017, San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin — the current president of the board — introduced a resolution urging the Navy to name a ship after Rosenthal. The resolution passed. The Navy has yet to follow through, but the effort continues.
Kopp pushed for recognition for Rosenthal once again after Tom Graves, a photographer, author and chapter historian for the Rosenthal chapter of the U.S. Combat Correspondents Association, suggested that a street be named for him. Kopp contacted Peskin and Supervisors Connie Chan and Myrna Melgar — the latter whom Kopp said he knows through San Francisco’s Congregation Am Tikvah — and the trio co-sponsored the resolution, which passed unanimously in late October.
Feb. 23 will mark 80 years since Rosenthal shot the iconic moment on Iwo Jima. The date for the public installation of the commemorative street sign has yet to be set. n
continued from page 23
“Festival of Lights”—Jewish Baby Network
Hanukkah party with family menorah lighting, crafts and holiday-themed snacks. At Congregation Beth Am, 26790 Arastradero Road, Los Altos Hills. 3:30-5 p.m. $18. tinyurl. com/jbn-light
SUNDAY | DECEMBER 15
Latkes and Laughs”—Temple Emanu-El hosts comedy show featuring comedians Jeff Applebaum, Cash Levy and Julie Ash. With speakeasy, full Hanukkah dinner and latkes.
At Temple Emanu-El, 1010 University Ave., San Jose. 5:30-7:30 p.m. $54, $18 students plus $20 for speakeasy entry. tinyurl.com/ latkes-laughs-24
THURSDAY | DECEMBER 19
Hanukkah Party with Isaac Zones— Wornick Jewish Day School presents holiday concert and crafts for ages 3-5 and their families. Register by Dec. 16. Co-sponsored by PJ Library. At the Reading Bug, 785 Laurel St., San Carlos. 4-5 p.m. Free, registration required. tinyurl.com/wornick-han
SUNDAY | DECEMBER 29
Santana Row Hanukkah Celebration— Holiday event with menorah lighting, kids activities, live music and more. At Park Valencia, 3055 Olin Ave., San Jose. 4-6:30 p.m. Free. tinyurl.com/santana-han
THURSDAY | JANUARY 2
Hanukkah Train—Holiday train ride through Santa Cruz with Hanukkah music, latkes, hot apple cider, games and more. Presented by Chabad by the Sea and Roaring Camp. Meet at the merry -go-round on
the Boardwalk of Santa Cruz, 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz. 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. departures. $35-$48. tinyurl.com/roaring-camp-train
BEYOND BAY AREA
WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 11
“Vodka and Latkes”—Fundraiser with latke sampling, Tahoe Blue Vodka cocktails, appetizers, dreidel spinning and raffle prizes. For 21 and over. At Temple Bat Yam, 3260 Pioneer Trail, South Lake Tahoe. 6-9 p.m. $5-$100. tinyurl.com/tby-vodka n
BOOKS | ELI ANDREW RAMER | CORRESPONDENT
In the title story of his first book, Rabbi Irwin Keller describes his initial encounter with the Shechinah during a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago as a child.
Described in Jewish holy texts as God’s indwelling female presence in the world, the Shechinah walks slowly from canvas to canvas in a room of Impressionist paintings.
“She knew the paintings and she knew the artists. She was, a er all, their muse in a way,” he writes in his book “Shechinah at the Art Institute,” published in August. e story relates their unfolding conversation in the museum cafe, where they talk about art, beauty and the meaning of life, particularly of Jewish life, while nibbling on a light lunch and a dessert of rainbow sherbet.
e Shechinah dances her way through this dreamy, mystical, nonlinear memoir filled with stories and poems about angels, ancestors, coincidences, music and prayers. Along the way, Keller o ers his insights into Jewish life to help heal our damaged world.
Keller, who has led Congregation Ner Shalom in Cotati since 2008, was ordained in 2021 through the Renewal movement’s
Aleph rabbinical school.
He is also a co-founder of the Bolinas-based Taproot Community for Jewish spiritual seekers and artists.
e path Keller took to this iteration of his identity informs to a great extent his inventive, sometimes playful approach to Judaism as represented in his writing.
From a young age, Keller felt called to the rabbinate but came out as gay in 1982, before any rabbinic school would accept him. Instead, called by the challenges of the AIDS epidemic, he went to law school, became a social justice advocate and was the primary author of Chicago’s first gay rights legislation.
becoming a co-founder of the Kinsey Sicks, “America’s favorite dragapella beautyshop quartet.” For 21 years Keller performed in drag as Winnie. A er he stepped down from that role, his formal journey to the rabbinate began.
at Is and the Ain Sof — without end — of the Jewish mystics.
Several times Keller mentions leading Shabbat services in a skirt. To me, this is his request to all of us, in these troubling times, to step out of what is ordinary, expected and required.
In 1988, he moved to San Francisco and worked as a lawyer with the AIDS Legal Referral Panel of the San Francisco Bay Area for eight years, including five as executive director. He met his husband, started a family and took the next step in his activism by
In many of his stories, we find remarkable synchronicities that open doors to new ways of thinking and being in the world. In “Such Stu as Dreams Are Made Of,” Irwin comments that “coincidence is the Esperanto of Divine communication.” (Esperanto is the international language created by L.L. Zamenhof, a Polish Jewish pacifist in the late 1800s.) e story is an invitation to look at coincidences in our lives as having a deeper meaning than just chance events or accidents.
In “Angels and Airports” Keller rewinds us back to the moments when God called out to Abraham and Moses and when they called back “Hineni,” or “Here I am.” We can do the same, he suggests, by showing up in our lives with all of our wisdom and gi s. You don’t have to be queer or even religious in any way to be moved by Keller’s book, which is his teaching, his Torah, for our times.
One story begins, “You were meant to read these words.”
I know that I was. In fact, as soon as I finished the book, I started to read it again. I believe that you, too, are meant to read these words welcoming us to a new era in Jewish history, amid a challenging time for us all. ■
In “Evening Prayer,” he provides an opportunity to examine what the Divine means to us: God, Goddess, Nature, the Universe, All
“Shechinah at the Art Institute” By Rabbi Irwin Keller (Blue Light Press, 156 pages)
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FILM | DAVID A.M. WILENSKY | J. STAFF
I traveled to Poland in November 2006 at the age of 17 with a few dozen other American Jewish teens. One of our trip leaders, who visited Poland every November, said it was some of the worst weather he’d experienced there. It poured rain the day we visited Auschwitz, and there was mud everywhere — which set the mood perfectly.
That night we went back to a very comfortable, modern hotel. The dissonance of that day has stayed with me ever since.
Another day, after visiting Majdanek, we ate dinner at a cute, historical-feeling restaurant where a klezmer band of non-Jews played comically jaunty tunes as we ate.
The mixed feelings of both of those evenings came up in the back of my throat during two specific scenes in actor Jesse Eisenberg’s second directorial effort “A Real Pain,” which I saw at a recent Jewish Film Institute screening at the Vogue Theater in San Francisco.
The film, which is playing across the Bay Area, stars Eisenberg and Kieran
Culkin as cousins David and Benji. Once upon a time, they had a close relationship. Now all grown up, David is a tightly wound internet ad banner salesman with a wife and kids, while Benji lives in his mom’s basement and smokes too much weed. (He’s even mailed some to their Warsaw hotel so he can smoke in Poland.) Both loved their grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, very much. Now that she’s gone, they’ve decided to go on a Holocaust heritage trip.
They visit some of the usual sites in Poland with a motley tour group, including a non-Jewish British tour guide, some middle-aged American Jewish suburbanites and a survivor of the Rwandan genocide who converted to Judaism after moving to Canada. Benji and David leave the tour group early to visit their grandmother’s childhood home. Along the way, they hope to connect with each other, their shared heritage and the memory of their grandmother.
But neither can get far enough out of his own head to connect with much of anything.
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David and Benji represent two Ashkenazi male archetypes we’ve seen in many Hollywood and literary representations of Jewishness. David is the tightly wound, anxiety-riddled dyspeptic — Woody Allen with a sharper edge — right in Eisenberg’s
I felt the same cognitive dissonance when I visited Poland. I imagine many Jewish viewers may have similar experiences watching the film.
acting wheelhouse. Benji is the raw truthteller who says too much, too loudly, always at the wrong time, played by Culkin as a far less moneyed variation on his celebrated role as Roman Roy on “Succession.” Benji’s antics and outbursts drive David up the wall, while David’s jumpy close-mindedness angers Benji.
Most Jews — most people, I suppose — fall somewhere in between the two characters. Many who’ve seen the film tell me they often found the pair unbearably, awkwardly painful. I feel like I’m always one or the other, Benji or David, never in between; I found them awkward only in that they were too similar to me for comfort.
“A Real Pain” isn’t really a Holocaust film. It’s a family road trip dramedy, at turns uncomfortably funny and affectingly quiet and tragic, that confronts the way we
engage in Holocaust tourism.
And yet, when it turns its attention fully to the Holocaust, it is more touching and honest than the vast majority of films set during the Holocaust manage to be.
One scene set and filmed at Majdanek, the best preserved of the extermination camps, is nearly silent. Eisenberg allows viewers, like the characters in the film, to wander silently through the camp, confronting its sights with little commentary. Afterward, during dinner at a restaurant, a piano player interrupts an uncomfortable conversation among tour participants with an excessively upbeat rendition of “Hava Nagila.” The similarity to my own dinner the night after visiting Majdanek delivered a genuine shock.
In another scene, Benji freaks out on a train. He objects to sitting in first class, eating fine food and sleeping in nice restaurants on a trip about confronting the horrors of the Holocaust. His anxieties and jumbled emotions tumble out.
I didn’t freak out on a train, but I felt the same cognitive dissonance when I visited Poland. I imagine many Jewish viewers may have similar experiences watching the film.
Benji and David, like many American Jews, imagine they will have some flash of insight or deep connection with the past on such a trip. But I think the film itself offers a more realistic perspective — and this was my experience as well: You can go, you can see the camps, you can wrestle with the horror, but there’s no great revelation to return with. You go back to the same life you had before, and it all becomes pictures on your phone, like any other trip. n
FILM | LAURA PAULL | J. STAFF
“Porcelain War,” a new documentary about Ukrainians who use guns and art to resist the 2022 Russian invasion of their homeland, opens with a likable middle-age couple strolling in the fields on the outskirts of Kharkiv.
They converse, or are silent. They sit, or walk holding hands. They observe nature and capture with their cameras what they observe: wildflowers, butterflies, dragonflies. Their little terrier romps around them, poking its head up out of the tall grass.
The next thing you know, they are navigating the rubble of a Kharkiv neighborhood demolished by Russian missiles, gunfire and tanks.
The couple still lives there, in a small house not yet destroyed, and holds out in the incalculable hope that Ukrainian autonomy will prevail. The word “yet” is ever present in their minds, as they reveal.
The couple, Slava Leontyev and Anya Stasenko, are childhood sweethearts, co-creators of original porcelain art and — by force of circumstance — resistance fighters.
By day, Leontyev, a former member of the Ukrainian Special Forces, trains civilian recruits in weaponry. Then he goes home to his wife and sits down beside her to fabricate whimsical figurines that she paints with exquisite skill. They might be snails, baby owls or appealing little dragons that fit in your palm. Each also bears vibrant scenes of life in intricate detail.
“We’re ordinary people,” Leontyev explains, “in an extraordinary situation.”
Later we meet their friend Andrey Stefanov, a painter and fine art photographer from a town in Crimea, the former Ukrainian region overtaken by Russia in 2014 in a precursor to the current war.
Due to the entreaties of a Los Angeles filmmaking couple, Brendan Bellomo and Polish-born Aniela Sidorska, the Ukrainian couple and their friend become the subjects as well as co-creators of this 90-minute film.
The documentary, which is garnering Oscar attention, won the 2024 Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize. It also earned the audience award for best documentary feature at the 2024 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival — even though it doesn’t feature a single Jewish character.
“Our festival has a long history of showing films that demonstrate Jewish values and the social impact of people who follow the principles of tikkun olam,” Jewish Film Institute spokesperson Nate Gellman told J. “We thought that ‘Porcelain War’ was a very powerful and artful film about resistance to an assault on human rights in a war setting. Its message allied with our mission. And the audience agreed.”
“Porcelain War” is set to open Jan. 10 at the AMC Metreon in downtown San Francisco.
The story of how the film was made is part and parcel of its content. As the Russian army advanced inside Ukraine in 2022, Bellomo and Sidorska reached out to the Ukrainian artists and were astonished to learn they did not intend to leave their country, unlike the more than 8 million Ukrainians who have escaped in the 1,000-plus days since the war began.
The artists have continued to make art, despite the acute disruption of normal life, including shortages of food, power, internet and medical services.
At first, Leontyev doubted that they could work on a film under wartime conditions.
“We were already under so much stress. But Brendan
(Bellomo) and Aniela (Sidorska) convinced me that if we succeeded in making this film, my work could save more lives than I could save as a soldier,” Leontyev said in the film’s press materials. “I saw that we could do something for Ukraine and for the people that are suffering from brutal aggression, that are facing genocide.”
Leontyev was convinced to pick up his camera, which he had previously used for nature photography, and to start shooting what he saw around him. By the time the Bellomo-Sidorska team was able to get the equipment they needed
cameras to record their combat missions.
In one heart-stopping scene, a young female soldier who was an IT specialist in her former civilian life calmly attaches a small bomb to a drone and programs it to target Russian soldiers who emerge from their tank. The drone lifts off and releases its bomb. An aerial shot next shows their distant bodies lying like dark hyphens on the road. She calmly reports the 92nd Brigade’s accomplishment to her military command via field radio.
A filmgoer could easily picture this same woman tapping away on her laptop in a cafe. It’s a masterful moment of cognitive dissonance.
into Ukraine and assemble a crew, Leontyev had convinced his friend Andrey Stefanov to step in as cinematographer, and Leontyev took over as a first-time co-director with Bellomo.
“Andrey was hesitant,” Leontyev said. “But he knew the war left him no choice.”
As visual artists immersed in the realities on the ground, Leontyev and Stefanov obtained intimate, authentic footage over the course of about a year. They interviewed civilians-turned-combatants — a farmer, a contractor, a tech worker — as well as their own families and one another, yielding sober reflections.
Over and over, the subjects find ways to assert that continuing to make art is as much a part of their resistance as the guns they fire.
Importantly, at no time in the film do the Ukrainian combatants come off as bloodthirsty or vengeful. Kharkiv is less than 20 miles from the border and was one of Russia’s first targets in its invasion. The Russians expected to occupy the city in three days, but three months of fierce fighting resulted in their withdrawal. Regardless, Russian aerial bombardments and other incursions continue. Under this relentless pressure, the Ukrainians view their acts of killing as baldly necessary.
“We send out reconnaissance drones, and [the Russians] send their doomed soldiers toward our positions. When their soldiers die, Russia knows we are there,” Leontyev says. “They are not only killing us. They’re burning through their own people like fuel. It’s a horrible waste of life.”
“This is how we avoid erasure,” Leontyev says in the film.
And yet: “It’s perfectly clear that each of us who is still doing art in this country, it is because someone is holding an umbrella over us,” Stasenko says, as she sustains, with every stroke of her paintbrush, the artful life that defines her.
“It is our soldiers who are holding the umbrella,” she clarifies.
For the film’s segments that capture how Ukrainians resist incursions from Russian tank units or air attacks, Leontyev trained members of his Special Forces unit to become additional camera operators. They learned to adapt their dronepiloting skills for cinematic drone shots and to use GoPro
Scripted by Bellomo, Sidorska and the award-winning co-producer Paula Dupree Pesmen, “Porcelain War” makes a compelling case that Russian aggression has forced ordinary Ukrainians to mold themselves as soldiers to fight a war they never wanted.
More significantly, it serves as a testimony to resilient people who simply will not accept the loss of their freedom.
“It’s not that difficult to scare people,” Leontyev says. “But it’s hard to forbid them to live.” n
“Porcelain War” opens Jan. 10 at AMC Metreon, 135 Fourth St., S.F. porcelainwar.url.film
TORAH | RABBI NILES ELLIOT GOLDSTEIN
Toldot
Genesis 25:19-28:9
The first several chapters of the Book of Genesis are famous, colorful and mythic in their universalistic scope. There are the stories of creation, Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel, Noah and the flood and the Tower of Babel.
Then the book introduces a particular couple, Abraham and Sarah, and the narrative of the world’s first Jews begins to take shape. After the patriarch and matriarch die, the Torah zooms in on the lives and inner dynamics of the first Jewish families.
The Torah portion Toldot is a tale, in large measure, of sibling rivalry and parental mistakes. It focuses on the lives of Isaac and his children. In some ways, it is similar to the narrative of Cain and Abel, and even closer to the story of Isaac and Ishmael.
In all of these cases, someone is abused and/or deceived, and bad blood is established within a family structure. Yet the hope of ultimate reconciliation is always at hand. In Toldot, the younger twin Jacob deceives his aged and blind father Isaac, and effectively steals his older brother Esau’s birthright and inheritance
This is a terrible crime (and sin) in the Biblical period. Some scholars and sages have argued that the blind patriarch Isaac was actually never deceived by Jacob. They contend that Isaac only pretended to be misled because, in his heart of hearts, he knew that Esau did not have the ethical character to carry on the burden of Abraham and the mantle of leadership.
That seems like an intellectual stretch to me, especially because it lets Jacob off the hook too easily when, in my view, the Torah is trying to teach us lessons about family dynamics and moral behavior. Regardless, many of us will see ourselves or our families in this portion — the good, the bad and the ugly.
The Toldot narrative raises a number of important questions that it leaves to future generations, including our own, to try to answer.
One question is, does the end ever justify the means? Since giving an entire birthright to someone just because he was the firstborn son seems archaic, even immoral, to most of us today, can Jacob be excused to some extent for his behavior? Was he trying, in a questionable way, to simply right a wrong?
This is a hard question to answer, and people have been asking it in a variety of contexts for millennia. To my mind, Judaism doesn’t address it in a completely clear way.
On one hand, Jacob’s deceitfulness breaks one of the Ten Commandments: “You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.” (Leviticus 19:11) That is a grievous sin.
On the other hand, Jacob seems to confront and overturn an injustice, i.e., even as a twin son, he was not to be given any share of Isaac’s inheritance. It all was to go to Esau. In Judaism, fighting against injustice is an ancient principle and a prophetic command. With this understanding, Jacob was just being true to one of the tenets of his faith.
probable that human beings create our own karma — or, unfortunately and sadly, that some people do get away with bad behavior.
In the Torah portions that follow, Jacob does seem to receive punishment for his crime. He lives in fear, he wrestles with inner demons, he flees for his life from his vengeance-minded brother. This raises another question:
What is the Torah trying to teach us — that God punishes the unrighteous, or that we bring hardship upon ourselves when we sin against others?
The idea of Divine reward and punishment is commonplace in the Torah (especially in the Book of Deuteronomy): If we observe the commandments, we will be rewarded; if we break them, we will be punished.
But most of us today reject that idea. We know that bad things happen to good people and that the wicked sometimes benefit from their immoral actions. It may be more
For me, this Torah portion also raises a final question. The Jewish people are often referred to in our liturgy as “Beit Yaakov,” the “House of Jacob.” It is meant as an honor. But does Jacob, in light of his somewhat shady character, really seem like an appropriate figure for our people to be named for?
Jacob is a very complicated personality, and his character goes through a profound transformation in the course of this story. At the lowest point in his life, in the dead of night, Jacob struggles with a mysterious being. By daybreak, the being blesses him and changes the patriarch’s name from Jacob to Yisrael, “One who wrestles with God and with humans and prevails.” (Genesis 32:28)
Following this episode, Jacob reconciles with Esau.
The narrative of Jacob is a compelling tale of resilience, growth and ultimate triumph. To me, it does seem appropriate for the Jewish people to have Jacob as our namesake and role model, albeit an admittedly flawed and imperfect one. We are all flawed and imperfect. The message of the Torah is that, through the example of Jacob’s life and his personal and spiritual evolution, there is always the promise of hope. n
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IAN SILVERGLATE Son of Catherine Lau and Scott Silverglate, Saturday, Nov. 30, at Peninsula Sinai Congregation in Foster City.
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JERROLD M. KAPLAN
Nov. 17, 1938–Nov. 16, 2024
Dr. Jerrold Marvin Kaplan of Mountain View, California, died peacefully on Nov. 16, 2024, at home, one day shy of his 86th birthday. A kind and generous husband, father, and grandpa, he is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Carolyn (Sissy), his sons David and Brian, his son-in-law Daniel, daughter-in-law Stephanie and grandchildren Sam (wife Hannah), Josh, Max and Madeline. Dr. Kaplan was born Nov. 17, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois, to Meyer and Edith Kaplan. He graduated from Sullivan High School in Chicago (1955), the University of Illinois-Champaign (1959), and the University of Illinois School of Medicine (1963). Following graduation, he enlisted in the US Army as a Captain and performed his medical internship and residency (Internal Medicine) at Letterman General Hospital on the Presidio in San Francisco. Dr. Kaplan was promoted to Major in 1966, before transferring to Heidelberg, Germany, and serving as Chief of Staff for the 130th Station Hospital. Upon his honorable discharge from the military in 1970, he relocated to California for a cardiology fellowship at Cedars of Lebanon in Los Angeles, before settling in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1971 to begin his career in private practice in Internal Medicine/Cardiology. He joined a group of physicians in San Bruno, and joined the staff at Mills-Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame. He remained on the active staff at Mills-Peninsula Hospital for 52 years. He also volunteered his time and expertise at Samaritan House in San Mateo, seeing patients in the underserved community.
Jerry met his wife Carolyn (Sissy) in the Summer of 1959 in Eagle River, Wisconsin, having been introduced by her brother. They married in Chicago in 1962 and shortly thereafter relocated to San Francisco following Jerrold’s graduation from medical school. The birth of their two sons followed, and military service led the family to Germany before they settled in Hillsborough, California, where they remained for the next four decades. More recently, Dr. Kaplan and Sissy made their home in Mountain View.
Jerry enjoyed traveling with his wife, family members, and friends, visiting more than 60 countries on six continents – from New Zealand to Argentina, from the Galapagos Islands to the plains of Kenya and Tanzania, from the battlefield at Normandy to the Great Wall of China.
In the end, the essence of this fine, smart, kind man was his steadfast devotion to his family who were blessed to love him and be loved by him, and to his many, many patients, who were fortunate to call him their doctor.
Additional family survivors include Jerrold’s brothers Ronald (Adriane) and Burton (Janet) Kaplan.
KING
Sept. 13, 1930–Nov. 22, 2024
George King, lifelong resident of Oakland, California, died after a short hospital stay on Nov. 22, 2024, at the age of 94.
George is survived by his wife Janet (nee Heskin), his daughter
Susan Yakubek (Christopher), his grandchildren, Elijah, Aidan and Ezra, great-grandchildren, Daniel and Kairi, sister-in-law Rosalind (Babe) King, brother-in-law Allan Heskin (Mary Kelly), daughter-in-law Simone King, as well as many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his son, Daniel, brother Bernard and sister Goldie Steinberg.
While attending school at Oakland Tech and then Oakland High School, George worked at his family’s furniture store at 8th and Clay in downtown Oakland, continuing to work after graduation. He credited “The Store” with teaching him his ability to understand all types of people, as well as the basis for his exceptional business acumen.
In 1948, he went to study at the College of the Pacific before serving in the Marines during the Korean War. He was especially proud of his time in the Marines, as he didn’t go through boot camp to become one. Following his service, George attended UC Law San Francisco (Hastings) on the GI bill, passing the bar in 1958. He started his law practice as a sole practitioner, but later went on to build multiple Oakland law firms with a variety of law partners, including his son Daniel, and ultimately established the law firm King, King and Zatkin with his partner Michael Zatkin. He loved practicing law and did so virtually til the day he died.
As a lawyer, he would talk to anyone and advise anyone. He was brilliant at bringing adversarial parties together, and there are many stories of him making friends with opposing clients and attorneys after the legal issues were resolved.
George was married to Janet for nearly 69 years. They had an extraordinarily close relationship both working and “playing” together nearly every day of their lives, eating out nightly and traveling the world.
George was known for his quiet generosity, his unquestionable integrity and honor. He loved his family, his many lifelong friends and practicing law.
He will be dearly missed.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, Jewish Family and Community Services of the East Bay or a charity of your choice.
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HOWARD ALLEN BLOOM
Aug. 6, 1933–Nov. 8, 2024
Howard Allen Bloom, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, passed away on Nov. 8, 2024. Born in St. Paul, MN, on Aug. 6, 1933, to Nina and Alex Bloom, Howard spent his early years in St. Paul, MN before the family moved to Los Angeles in 1945. Howard graduated from UC Berkeley in 1955. While there he was a member of Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, forming many lifelong friendships.
Howard attended the School of Dental Medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. After graduating in 1961, Howard served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy Dental Corps. He met Joan Ruby in San Francisco on a blind date on Valentine’s Day 1962 and they married on June 30, 1962, just before Howard’s year-long deployment to the South Pacific on the USS Markab. In 1972, he co-founded the Serramonte Dental Group, a general dentistry practice, where he worked until 1982. He then served as a Clinic Director and Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCSF School of Dentistry until his retirement in 1995. After retiring, Howard stayed active as a consultant with the California Dental Service and with a private firm evaluating group practices until 2016.
A true California Golden Bears fan, Howard never missed a game in 50+ years, and since 1959 was always hoping for Cal to return to the Rose Bowl – Go Bears! He also followed the Oakland A’s, loved active travel, and enjoyed spending time with his friends and family.
Howard is survived by Joan, his loving wife of 62 years; his daughters, Amy Bloom Lieberman (David) and Nena Bloom (Egbert Schwartz); his sister, Shirley Dreiman; his brother, Mervyn Bloom; and his five grandchildren: Alexander, Avery, and Sam Lieberman, and Ari and Will Schwartz. He was preceded in death by his sister, Barbara Shapiro. Howard’s legacy of kindness, dedication, friendship and love will be remembered by all who knew him.
A memorial service was held at Congregation Rodef Sholom on Nov. 12. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Alameda County Community Food Bank.
FLORENCE B. HELZEL
July 28, 1921–Nov. 4, 2024
Florence B. Helzel, cherished wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend to many, passed away peacefully at 103 years of age at her home in Oakland on Nov. 4, 2024. Florence’s optimistic spirit and mantra “follow your passions” guided her life and good deeds. Florence was born in Oakland on July 28, 1921, to parents Benjamin Borsuk and Annie Nager Borsuk; she had two older siblings, Sidney and Ruth. Her father immigrated from Timkovitz, a shtetl in Russia south of Minsk, and her mother from Bacau, Romania. Her father came to America about 1905 and settled in the Bay Area in anticipation of opportunities that the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition would bring. He and her mother became grocers, first in Alameda and then in Oakland, where Florence went to Oakland High School. In 1939 she entered UC Berkeley as a freshman, but World War II interrupted her studies. She contributed to the war e ort by working for the O ice of Civil
Defense in San Francisco and the O ice of Flight Control Command at the Oakland Airport.
After the war, Florence was introduced to Leo Helzel, a young accountant, and four months later they were married. Together they forged a partnership that would last for 73 years until Leo passed away in 2019. An active volunteer at the Oak Knoll Naval Hospital and at various Jewish organizations in the 1950s, Florence also took French lessons and classes at Cal Extension. In the mid-1960s she was in the first art-docent class at the new Oakland Museum of California and served over the years on the boards of the Oakland Symphony, Achenbach Graphic Arts Council, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and the Judah L. Magnes Museum.
In her early 50s Florence returned to college, receiving her bachelor’s in art history at Mills College and her master’s in art research and curatorial studies at John F. Kennedy University. Florence’s great-granddaughter recently asked her about resuming college as a mature adult: “Were you afraid you wouldn’t fit in?” She replied, “You can’t let what other people think of you stop you from achieving your dreams. Never give up, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
With her degrees in hand, Florence began
working at the Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley, serving as curator of prints and drawings until the age of 81. She curated several pathbreaking exhibitions with accompanying catalogs and acquired numerous works of art on paper for the museum. Her colleagues describe her as a smart, determined, kind, and loving mentor.
In 1954, Florence accompanied Leo on a business trip to Paris, which ignited her passion for travel, art, fashion, and continued education. She and Leo subsequently traveled the world together. Among her most treasured trips were a visit in 1959 to Israel, ten weeks in Japan in 1967 when Leo was on a research trip for the UC Berkeley Business School, and a visit in 1980 to China as part of a Bay Area cultural delegation. Florence especially loved their annual European hiking trips, enjoyed the San Francisco Symphony and museum visits, took pleasure in weekly hikes in Redwood Regional Park, and adored their second home and friends in Palm Springs.
Always mindful of being a first-generation American and of the opportunities a orded her and her family, Florence was committed to giving back. She believed strongly that education is key to building a successful life, and the family
foundation she and Leo created has supported numerous Bay Area educational and cultural institutions and the individuals they serve. In recent years, Florence stayed active with her four-generation family, was an avid reader, especially of biographies and memoirs of trailblazing women, and a consumer of current events and politics. As she put it, “You have to keep up, to be contemporary!” Elegantly attired in her signature scarves, she enjoyed her regular reunions, in person or via Zoom, with her former Magnes colleagues and her walking group. Florence is survived by her two children and their spouses, Larry Helzel (Rebekah) and Deborah Kirshman (David); grandchildren Rachel Concannon (Jason) and Daniel Kirshman (Jennifer); great-grandchildren Riley and Jacob Concannon and Sienna and Skylar Kirshman; and several other family members with whom she maintained close relationships. The family would like to thank Florence’s devoted caregivers, Betty Irving and Tashi Gurund. A private service has been held. Contributions in Florence’s memory can be made to the Magnes Collection of Art and Life, UC Berkeley, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94720-6300; magnes. berkeley.edu.)
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BETH (WEINGARDEN) RISEMAN
March 17, 1943–Nov. 9, 2024
Beth was born in Detroit, MI, on St. Patrick’s Day, 1943. She grew up in Detroit, graduating from Mumford High School, followed by the University of Michigan (1964). She worked as an elementary school teacher, raised three children, and completed her MSW at Michigan State University. She practiced social work in Lapeer, MI, until moving to Grand Blanc, MI, in 1995. She moved to Rossmoor in Walnut Creek, CA, in 2014 to be near her children and grandchildren.
Beth met Carl Riseman at a political event in Detroit, and they married in 1965. They loved to travel, socialize, and volunteer together. Both were very involved with Temple Beth El in Flint. Beth had a great sense of adventure, a quirky sense of humor, and was daring in ways that were often delightfully surprising. Being a mother and grandmother were Beth’s greatest joys in life. She is survived by daughter Rebecca (Nick Schoen), sons James (Kate) and
Daniel (Judy Bernstein), and grandchildren Max, Josh, Elliot, Zach, Aya, Zoe, Alexa, and Olivia. She was predeceased by her parents, Leo and Geraldine (Towlen) Weingarden, sister Marcy (Bill) Dickieson, and husband Carl. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorial donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the Alzheimer’s Association, or the AntiDefamation League.
MYRNA “MITZI” NOVINSKY
Sept. 23, 1933–Nov. 11, 2024
Myrna “Mitzi” Novinsky, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, passed away peacefully at home on Nov. 11, 2024, surrounded by family and her loving caretaker, Ron. Mitzi was born on Sept. 23, 1933 in Los Angeles, California, to Jennie and Abe Berlin. She graduated from California State University, Los Angeles, with a teaching degree. She later became a Vice Principal at Belle Air School in the San Bruno School District. After her teaching career, she joined the Labor Relations Management Team
at Pacific Bell. In her later years, she returned to the teaching profession as a supervisor of student teachers at St. Mary’s College and the University of San Francisco. Mitzi had a tremendous work ethic, working into her early 80s.
Mitzi was known for her e ervescent personality and loved to entertain at her home in San Mateo Park. Mitzi loved opening her home to anyone that needed a safe place to land, a delicious Passover seder, or just someone to listen and share some motherly advice. In her younger years, she was often spotted on Burlingame Avenue, shopping for the latest fashion and makeup trends. As she grew older and spent more time at home, she kept up with the latest styles, with her TV constantly tuned to QVC and their phone number on speed dial.
Mitzi and her husband, Herman, were married for over 50 years. They enjoyed traveling all over the world and spending time with their three girls and six grandchildren. They especially cherished spending summers in Lake Tahoe, where family and friends made many life-long memories.
From the time she was in college, and through her golden years, Mitzi was always the life of the party. She loved making those around her smile. We will truly miss Mitzi’s funny comments and infectious laugh!
In the later stages of Mitzi’s life, she wasn’t able to get out as much as she would have liked. During those years she was cared for by her wonderful caretaker, Ron Nuqui. Ron gave Mitzi his love, devotion and friendship, which so enriched both their lives.
Mitzi is survived by daughters Dr. Laurie Novinsky, Lisa Ja e (Dr. Marc Ja e) and Andrea Falk (Dr. Joel Falk), and grandchildren Josh Gilbert, Daniel Gilbert (Shelby Gilbert), Alex Ja e, Adam Ja e, Jason Falk, and Rachel Falk.
A touching graveside service was held at Skylawn Memorial Park,with Rabbi Daniel Feder o iciating. He was joined by Rabbi Julia Berg and Cantor Yonah Kliger. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to Belle Air Elementary School, addressed to Sara-Maria Menendez, Principal, 450 3rd Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, (650) 624-3155.
MIRIAM “MIMI” LAVENDA LATT
Miriam “Mimi” Lavenda Latt, devoted wife and loving mother, grandmother, aunt and sister, has passed away peacefully at the age of 84 surrounded by loved ones.
Mimi was a successful trial attorney before turning her passion toward writing. Her novels appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list and garnered her international acclaim. Not one to rest on her laurels, Mimi became an incredibly accomplished painter as well.
Known for her infectious laughter and wicked sense of humor, Mimi was truly a blessing to all who knew her.
Lovingly married to her soulmate Arron Latt for 61 years, Mimi was a loving mother to her daughters, Carrie and Andi, and a steadfast companion to her husband. She is survived by Arron, her daughter Andi and her grandchildren Spencer, Haley and Bella.
Funeral services were held on Nov. 22 at Mount Sinai Memorial Park and Mortuaries in Los Angeles.
June 1, 1923–Nov. 20, 2024
One of the greats of the Greatest Generation, Alfred (Alfee) Gross, passed away at the age of 101 on November 20 in Walnut Creek, California. His positive outlook, quick wit, constant gratitude for the life he lived, and deep patriotism made him an inspiration in life and death, much loved by family and friends everywhere.
Alfee was born in Oakland, the baby of six children. He began his entrepreneurial career selling Liberty Magazines for a nickel in front of the Fox Theater at just five years old. He was a yell leader at Oakland High and played on the under-130 lb. men’s basketball team at Cal. The love of his life was Mary Lou Ferer, with whom he shared 68 happy years of marriage and a passion for family, travel, art, and bridge.
Always the first one awake at his fraternity at Cal, Alfee heard the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor early in the morning on December 7, 1941, and, along with his friends, rushed to the nearest enlistment center to defend his country. After finishing his degree, Alfee served as an o icer in the US Navy in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, escorting naval ships, searching for enemy submarines, and liberating POW camps.
Alfee and Mary had three children, Benton (Mary Jane), Goldee (Charles), and Sandy (Paula). Together with his brother-in-law, Erwin Ferer, and later with his son, Sandy, he ran AFCO Electronics. Alfee was a born salesman who built deep relationships that lasted for decades and befriended customers and suppliers around the world.
Alfee was a lifelong Oakland A’s fan, an avid tennis player (on the courts until age 91), and a life master bridge player, hosting six games a week at his home up until his final days.
In addition to his children, Alfee is lovingly survived by his grandchildren, Charlie (Kari), Lanny (William), Kelly (Chris), Abe (Abby), and Marlee (Scott), as well as by his great grandchildren Blake, Asher, and Eliana.
Please remember Alfee’s optimistic spirit and zest for living with a donation to City of Hope, an organization he has supported for the past 70 years.
MICHELLE “MICKI” COOLEY 1934-2024
Michelle “Micki” Cooley, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, died peacefully of heart failure on Nov. 4, 2024. She was 90 years old. Micki was widely admired for her kindness, compassion, and love of adventure. Known for her deep care and consideration for everyone she met, Micki was a cherished presence in every community she joined.
Born in 1934 in Tarentum, PA, Micki’s life journey took her across the country and through many chapters. After World War II, she moved with her family to Santa Monica, CA, and graduated from high school in 1952. She began her college years at UC Santa Barbara before transferring to UC Berkeley, where she met and fell in love with J. Paul Spector. They married in June 1954 and soon welcomed their son, Greg, in 1955, followed by their daughter, Rachel, in 1959.
The Obituaries section is supported by a generous grant from Sinai Memorial Chapel, sinaichapel.org
Though her marriage to J. Paul ended in 1968, Micki found love again in 1970 with Bob Cooley, with whom she shared some of her happiest years. Together, they attended and graduated from Antioch College/West to become marriage and family therapists. They embarked on explorations, including cross-country trips in a VW van, and traveled to Mexico, England, Greece, and Israel. She also worked as a cook aboard US Geological Survey ships, a job that stoked her spirit of curiosity and thirst for new experiences.
From Culver City to Camarillo to San Francisco, Micki and Bob eventually moved to Ashland, OR, where they became trusted counselors until his sudden passing in 1981.
Following Bob’s death, Micki’s work took her to Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Grants Pass, OR. During this time, she held administrator and director roles at Head Start, Stephen S. Wise Temple, the San Francisco Jewish Community Center, Peninsula Temple Beth El, and Josephine County Mental Health, providing compassionate care and early childhood education until her retirement in 2004.
Micki returned to California to spend her
later years at Stephenson House in Palo Alto and ultimately at San Carlos Elms, where she made lasting friendships and brought playfulness, lightheartedness, and fun to community events. Micki loved dressing up and, most recently, was very proud to win the Halloween costume contest at The Elms. From Wii Bowling and chair exercises to holiday parties and Saturday mahjong, nothing made her happier than her time with fellow residents. Micki’s love for music was woven throughout her life. She had a beautiful soprano voice and enjoyed singing in choirs. She particularly cherished Jewish liturgical music — a passion passed down from her father to her and her older brothers, Phil and Bob Silverman, who predeceased her. She played and taught guitar to many, sharing the joy of music with friends and family.
She was a proud and devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who never forgot a birthday or holiday, often with musical greeting cards that the children collected and cherish. And every year, Micki’s many nieces and nephews eagerly awaited her homemade strudel, a treasured family recipe she learned from her grandmother and
lovingly prepared each holiday season. Micki’s interests and passions were as diverse as they were deep. She had an abiding love for animals, a keen dedication to her Jewish faith, and a fierce loyalty to the Golden State Warriors. An enduring Democrat and close follower of politics, Micki volunteered at the polls and dedicated countless hours to encouraging voter participation, sending thousands of postcards in every election cycle since 2018.
Micki died surrounded by her family and adoring boyfriend, Bart Keavney. She is survived by her children, Greg (Ellen) Spector of Redwood City, CA, and Rachel Spector (Margot Canaday) of Takoma Park, MD; her grandsons, Max Spector (Allison) of Portland, OR, Bennett Spector (Lauren) of Portola Valley, CA, and Grant Spector (Brooke Ekdahl) of Sausalito, CA; and her great-grandchildren, Felix, Camila, Everett, and Sasha.
Micki’s warmth, generosity, and infectious love of life will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
In honor of her legacy, contributions may be made to local animal shelters, mental health organizations, or a charity of one’s choice.
MAYA MIRSKY | J. STAFF
“A $200,000 Per Year Shlemiel.”
That was a real headline in our paper 100 years ago this week, in November 1924. Who was this high-earning “shlemiel”? None other than San Francisco native son Rube Goldberg.
For years the cartoonist was a household name across America, and he’s still known today, although less for his political work and more for his namesake concept of a “Rube Goldberg machine,” or an overcomplicated, inventive and usually entertaining contraption.
But before he was any kind of famous, he was just Reuben Lucius Goldberg, born in 1883, a Lowell High School graduate and, to family and friends, a “shlemiel.”
His father, Max Goldberg, himself was no slouch.
“In reply to my query about his forbears and early life, ‘Rube’ had spoken humorously of his father’s arrival in this country sixty years ago with an old trunk and about fifteen cents,” Harry Harrison wrote in 1924. “As he was about to land the trunk disappeared, so that the practically penniless boy of thirteen made no auspicious debut in this glorious country of ours. ‘Rube’s’ father found New York a friendless, unsympathetic place, and sailed on for sixty days to Cali-
“My folks considered my efforts as foolish and useless, but being kind-hearted people, they didn’t object strenuously, and so I kept on drawing.”
Rube Goldberg, 1924
According to the Healdsburg Tribune, he had been a police and fire commissioner of San Francisco. Max Goldberg is mentioned in our social columns often and seems to have been a Freemason. In 1909 we succinctly described him as “a well known citizen in this community” and, in a 1934 profile, as one of the city’s “notable personalities.”
He told our paper he’d seen the cortege of Abraham Lincoln in 1865: “His body was lying in state at the City Hall where people filed by for a last look at the care-lined face of the dead leader. I was among them, viewing him as I went by with indescribable feelings of emotion.”
Max Goldberg was a success and, according to Rube, was not thrilled about his son’s desire to become a professional cartoonist.
fornia, where he settled down to a peaceful, happy life.”
Trunk or no trunk, Max made good in San Francisco. According to the Contemporary Jewish Museum, which had an exhibit on Rube Goldberg in 2018, Max Goldberg was at some point the city’s sheriff.
But he did eventually accede.
“I went to school in Frisco, where I made quite a record in drawing,” Rube Goldberg said in 1924. “My folks considered my efforts in that line as foolish and useless, but being kind-hearted people, they didn’t object strenuously, and so I kept on drawing and doing
other art work because I really loved it.”
He studied engineering at UC Berkeley and got a city engineering job that paid $100 a month, but he soon gave that up for newspaper cartooning, earning $8 a week
and eventually heading to New York in 1907.
“I asked Rube whether the name Goldberg hadn’t impeded his progress any,” Harrison wrote in the 1924 piece.
“‘One of my friends, also a newspaper man who had come to New York previously, urged me to change my name,” Goldberg
answered. “‘Rube, you’d better change that name to something more American. It’ll only stand in your way.’ But I refused, primarily because I felt I would be a traitor to my father, who had brought nothing but honor to it. It would probably have broken his heart had he learned that his son, in order to avoid rebuffs, had taken another name.’”
Interestingly, it seems Rube Goldberg himself changed his mind on that front by the time his children were born.
He had two sons, Tom and George. According to George’s 2007 Boston Globe obituary, Rube encouraged his eldest to adopt a new last name when heading off to college as a way to avoid the antisemites. Tom became Tom George, taking his brother’s first name as a second one. Then when young George went to college, he became George George.
Interestingly, George George went on to become a writer and Broadway producer who also produced the film “My Dinner With André.”
Although Rube Goldberg made his name in New York, there are traces of him still in his native San Francisco.
A building at 182-198 Gough Street is one that Rube Goldberg commissioned in 1911, four years after he moved to New York. In 2015 it was designated a historic landmark. According to a city report, one of the two residential units possibly was used by Goldberg as his residence and studio during visits to San Francisco, while the other was occupied by his father.
In that century-old piece about Rube Goldberg, we noted that he made an astonishing $200,000 per year. That’s about $3.6 million today, which is impressive. He didn’t make that money only with humorous cartoons, but with serious political ones, including a number about British Mandate Palestine and about Israel. He even won a Pulitzer for his political work.
But this paper was proudest of all that he was a local. Just read this summation in 1928.
“Whether with pen or pencil, Reuben Lucius Goldberg, San Francisco Jewish boy, has become the artist supreme and from what we have been reliably informed, the highest paid man in his profession in America.
“We hereabouts feel very proud of him, not so much because of the fame and fortune that has become his by his own unaided efforts, but because throughout the vicissitudes of an artist’s life he remained the same kind, genial, unassuming Reuben we knew of old.” n
