Butcher wakens from coma, transferred to rehab center

The longtime kosher butcher who was in a 24-day coma after a Dec. 3 attack is talking again, and was transferred Friday, Jan. 23 from San Francisco’s Kaiser Hospital to a Vallejo rehabilitation center.

But while Mikhail Treistman is talking, he isn’t saying much. The proprietor of the Tel Aviv Kosher Market suffered head injuries during the Dec. 3 robbery, and is often unable to recognize his family, said daughter Caroline Katz.

“Sometimes he doesn’t even know what his name is. He really talks in Yiddish and Russian only, and he says silly things,” she said. “I say, ‘Who am I?’ and he’ll say, ‘You’re my business partner. We sell chairs.'”

The Treistman family is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the gang of thieves who robbed the Tel Aviv Market. Anyone with information is urged to call (415) 553-1201 during working hours, or (415) 553-1071 after hours.

Emigres raise $150,000 for Russian Jews

Amid dancing and dining, attendees at the S.F.-based Jewish Family and Children’s Services Emigre Community Gala found time to raise $150,000 for Russian Jewish emigres in the Bay Area and Israel.

The donations will help provide scholarships and internships for youth, care for seniors, financial aid and assistance for Israeli victims of terror.

The ball, held at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco, was the third annual event.

Rabbis give postcards by the thousands to Safeway boss

A group of religious leaders, including several Northern California rabbis, delivered thousands of postcards to the Alamo home of Safeway CEO Steve Burd on Wednesday, Jan. 28. The cards urged him to return to the negotiating table with union representatives.

Safeway employees in Southern California have been on strike for the last 15 weeks, and pickets have hit some Northern California locations.

Rabbis present included Melanie Aron of Shir Hadash in Los Gatos, Jane Litman from Berkeley’s Congregation Beth El and Dana Magat from San Jose’s Congregation Emanu-El.

Israeli science institute to honor area students

The American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science plans to honor students participating in upcoming science fairs at three local Jewish schools as well as an area-wide competition.

Awards will go to top student scientists at Jewish Community High School of the Bay in San Francisco, Kehillah Jewish High School in San Jose, and Brandeis Hillel Day School in San Francisco and San Rafael. In addition, a top senior from the San Francisco Bay Area Science Fair will be awarded a scholarship to spend several weeks this summer at a science institute in Israel.

The awards, which will be presented starting Feb. 4, are intended to encourage students to study science and to raise awareness about the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel.

Israel trip to bring more than just memories back

When 17 members of San Francisco’s Congregation Beth Israel-Judea travel to Israel next month, they’ll bring a Torah back with them.

Two brothers in the congregation commissioned a Torah in memory of their parents, and they are donating it to the Jewish Day School of the North Peninsula in Foster City. The mission will visit Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and the Golan Heights.