On beautiful Sunday, JCF raises $1.6 million

Gila Noam knows a thing or two about the Jewish Community Federation’s fund-raising efforts. As director of its Israel office, it’s up to her to ensure that JCF’s funding activities in the Jewish state are carried out.

But before Sunday, she had never seen what has come to be a fixture on the Jewish calendar: the event that brings in money from five counties. The 1,000 volunteers dialing for federation dollars on Super Sunday “was a phenomenon like I’ve never seen,” Noam said.

Exhausted after shuttling back and forth between the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco and the Albert L. Schultz JCC in Palo Alto, and giving at least five presentations about JCF’s overseas committee, Noam said she was “blown away.”

“You had young people and old people and those closely linked with the federation for years, and those who it was their first time, all giving up a free Sunday,” Noam said. “It’s the most concrete sign of community I’ve ever seen.”

For those Israelis who tend to think of American Jewish philanthropy only as check-writing, Super Sunday “should be videotaped,” Noam said.

It wasn’t, but it did appear on the World Wide Web at www.supersunday.org. And the annual fund-raiser raked in $1.6 million, down from $1.7 million last year.

The goal this year was also $1.7 million. Ed Cushman, JCF campaign director, called the day an overall success, saying that “when we establish a goal it’s more of our hope and instincts about what we can finish at than something that is more scientifically [based].”

Nevertheless, he said, “the problem was it was a beautiful day and we couldn’t reach people.”

Division heads and federation staffers wore yellow hard hats, and yellow “caution” tape was everywhere, keeping in line with the “Building Community” theme. Signs around the JCC of S.F. said such things as “No Shmooze Zone,” “Mitzvah Making Ahead” and “Semitic Upgrade.” This was the last Super Sunday at the JCC of S.F., since the building will be torn down later this year.

Yellow, green and orange balloons hung in the JCC’s lobby where volunteers signed in, or took advantage of the “Ask a Rabbi” booth.

Rabbi Gerald Raiskin of Burlingame’s Peninsula Temple Sholom, sounded like a circus barker as his voice boomed throughout the JCC lobby during his shift. “Let’s go! 25 cents! Who has a question?”

Rabbi Lavey Derby of Congregation Kol Shofar in San Rafael approached and asked, “What’s the meaning of life?”

Rabbis who worked the booth reported being asked all kinds of questions, ranging from the Torah portion of the week to an inquiry from a man asking whether he should marry his girlfriend.

“No one asked me where the restroom is,” Raiskin quipped.

Meanwhile, those on the phones reported success — that is, when they could find people indoors on what was an unusually warm February day at 73 degrees.

“The weather is killing us,” said George Frankenstein of San Francisco, after getting his umpteenth answering machine.

But when callers did reach their targets, they had good news to report.

“I don’t usually make so much money on a Sunday,” philanthropist William Lowenberg of San Francisco said at the end of his shift. Joking that “the commissions are good,” he said, “I take at least 60 percent.”

On a serious note, the former president of JCF added that those he spoke with all registered a deep concern for what is happening in Israel. “People are very concerned and want to keep up their support,” he said.

Emil Knopf, also of San Francisco, estimated that he’s worked about 20 Super Sundays. One person he called greeted him with, “Why haven’t you called? I’ve been waiting here,” he said. After convincing someone to increase his pledge by $1,000, Knopf said, “I’m taking 150 percent of whatever I get.”

His neighbor at the table, Peter Neubauer, hoped that sitting next to Knopf would bring in more money. “The vibes are good,” said the San Francisco resident. “Maybe they’ll rub off.”

The politicos all took their turn at the phones, with Mayor Willie Brown making a few calls early in the morning, and Supervisors Aaron Peskin, Mark Leno and Sophie Maxwell forming a supervisors’ table in the early afternoon.

Whether people responded differently when solicited by a city politician was unclear. “Someone asked me, ‘Supervisor of what?'” said Leno.

After completing his shift, Rabbi Yosef Langer of Chabad of S.F. said, “I enjoy the hustle. If I can do something for the community beyond my own four cubits, it makes me feel good.”

Jake Berliner of Greenbrae, at 15, is an old-timer at Super Sunday, as this was his fourth. Usually, kids don’t work the phones, but Berliner has done it for the past few years.

“I like knowing that I’m helping people,” he said. Noting that it was easier when he was younger, he said, “People thought it was cute to be called by a little kid.” But with his deeper voice, he said, “It doesn’t work now.”

Seth Hamlin of San Mateo, 12, worked to replenish the cups of m&ms on the callers’ tables. He also raised his pledge from $18 last year to $36 this year. “Double chai,” he said.

His mother was talking about their participation in Super Sunday, he said, “so the whole week I was thinking about raising my pledge.”

Mother and daughter Sherry Knazan of Petaluma and Dani Kopstein of San Francisco both worked the phones at the Sonoma County table.

“It’s a good way for us to spend time together,” said Knazan.

Referring to himself as “Champion Shmoozer,” Irwin Bear of Burlingame said, “What I like about Super Sunday is that you get to see people you never see.”

Diller Teen Fellow Monica McCandless of Novato, boasted, “I’m very good with the telephone.” A participant in the teen leadership program sponsored by the Bureau of Jewish Education, she was pleased to work her first Super Sunday because “we’re a direct result of where the money goes.”

And Tamar Segev of San Rafael, another Diller Teen Fellow, said: “The Jewish federation does so much for us. It’s nice to be able to give back to them.”

On beautiful Sunday, JCF raises $1.6 million

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Alix Wall