S.F. hotel dispute leads Hadassah to cancel event

For the first time in Hadassah’s 92-year history, the national women’s organization canceled an event that was going to take place at a San Francisco hotel because of the ongoing labor dispute.

“Healthy Women, Healthy Lives” was to take place on Sunday, Oct. 17, at the Westin St. Francis, featuring speakers from around the country, and some 300 women were expected.

“The hotel was telling us things were operating as usual, but we were sensitive to both feelings of our members and presenters,” said Andrea Rouah, executive director of Hadassah’s San Francisco chapter, noting that the local chapter made the decision.

Echoed Deborah Lopez, the chapter president: “Hadassah is an organization that is dedicated to providing and ensuring health care in Israel and the United States, and as a result, we did not feel comfortable crossing a picket line when health care is an issue in this labor dispute.”

S.F. humanitarian organization honored

The United Humanitarian Mission, an S.F.-based organization founded by Ukrainian-born Jew and former refusenik Leonid Nakhodkin, was honored this month by the city.

This year, and in the future, Oct. 1 has been declared a “Day of Humanitarians,” after resolutions passed by both the city’s Board of Supervisors and district’s Board of Education.

Nakhodkin, who was imprisoned for five years in the former Soviet Union, founded the UHM in 1998. The organization created a “Garden of Humanitarians” in Golden Gate Park, and is in the process of building an educational center there as well.

Jewbelation at Shoreline

If Jeremy Cowan has his way, Jews will not only be the people of the book but the people of the brew. The founder/owner of He’Brew Beer will celebrate his company’s eighth anniversary by throwing a beer bust on Saturday, Oct. 16, in Mountain View.

On tap, literally, will be a new limited-release brew Cowan calls Miraculous Jewbelation, which weighs in at a hefty 8 percent alcohol content.

The event will take place at noon at Shoreline Amphitheatre’s “Brew with a Boo,” a festival featuring hundreds of local and international beers.

The Shoreline Amphitheatre is at 1 Amphitheatre Parkway, near Shoreline Boulevard. Tickets: $25 in advance, $35 at the door. Information: (650) 967-4040.