AJWS opens

Bay Area office

American Jewish World Service has just opened an office in Oakland.

Based in New York City, AJWS provides humanitarian assistance to people in beleaguered areas of the world.

More than 70 adults and students from the Bay Area have participated in AJWS service and study trips in the past six months, in countries such as Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, South Africa, Uganda, India and Thailand.

Elizabeth Friedman Branoff, who was most recently Tikkun Olam projects coordinator at the S.F.-based Jewish Community Relations Council, will be the director of the new office.

The new position and office are made possible because of a grant from the Walter & Elise Haas Fund.

AJWS is hosting a benefit for Global Justice on Dec. 4 in San Francisco with Ruth Messinger, the national director, and project coordinators for Afghanistan and El Salvador.

Information: (510) 594-9344 or [email protected]

Jewish Pride Week

comes to Santa Cruz

Jewish Pride Week kicks off on the U.C. Santa Cruz campus on Sunday, Nov. 16 with a concert by the band Rebbe Soul and a resource fair.

The free event runs from 1 to 7 p.m. at the campus’ Kresge Town Hall.

Sponsored by Santa Cruz Hillel and a host of local Jewish groups, the pride activities include talks about inventions from Israel and contemporary Judaism along with sports events and a free Shabbat dinner.

The week winds up Nov 22 with a “Shake Your Tuchas” dance from 8 p.m. to midnight at Hillel House, 222 Cardiff Place.

Further information is available by calling (831) 426-3332.

Symphony announces shows at JCC of S.F.

An “American Radio Hour” concert, which includes the works of Aaron Copland, George Gershwin and others, will kick off a concert series by the Pacific Chamber Symphony next year.

The series of five shows will be held in the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco’s Friend Center for the Arts, starting Feb. 24 with the “American Radio Hour.”

Subsequent JCC of S.F. events include “Concertos starting with Bach” on March 23; “Echoes of Prague” featuring the music of Dvorak and Mozart on April 27; the young performers’ “Solo Star Showdown” on May 25 and “The World in Music and Poetry,” featuring Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” on June 29.

Information: (415) 292-1233.