Menschen and models

Kudos to Rabbi Doug Kahn of the Jewish Community Relations Council, who e-mailed the Chronicle about its reporting on “Israel in the Gardens.” The article focused on the few demonstrators outside instead of the 12,000 celebrants (the police estimate) inside. He got a very quick apology and a promise to look into future coverage from the Chronicle executive editor, Robert W. Rosenthal.

The S.F.-based federation’s Israel Center, which sponsored the annual celebration of Israel’s statehood, pulled out all stops with its lively fashion show of clothes by Israeli designers. Some 60 people, including Jewish community leaders, strutted their stuff down the runway that reached out into a very enthusiastic crowd. They obviously had a great time doing it. Among the models were Evie Rachelson, Meirav Yaron, Joni Block, Liki Abrams, Ann Bear, Sam Lauter, Lisa Tabak and Bob Sherman.

Laurie White, “chair of the day” for the Jewish Community Federation of the East Bay, Donna Kaulkin, Ilana Pitluck, Kim Weinstein, Jody Linick and federation Executive Director Loren Basch were among the staffers at the booth. Jonathan Wornick, who had received the organization’s Moses and Celia Lesser Young Leadership Award at their annual meeting earlier that week, took his leadership up a level, climbing on top of the table to hang banners. Involvement, it seems, is in the Wornick genes. His parents, Ron and Anita Wornick, have served on the boards of most of the Jewish agencies across the Bay.

Up close and personal

On June 29, Tad Taube will take a group to Warsaw and Krakow to see firsthand the country’s array of Jewish cultural programs. He emigrated from Poland as a young child and his Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture has helped develop and promote the renewal of Jewish life there. Participants in the tour include the foundation’s Stephen Dobbs and Shana Penn, Koret Foundation’s Jeff Farber and Sandra Edwards; Judah Magnes Museum’s Irving Rabin; Congregation Emanu-El’s Rabbi Stephen Pearce; Jewish Family & Children’s Services’ Anita Friedman; Stanford University’s Arnold Eisen; and Graduate Theological Union’s James Donahue.

Short shorts …

Mazel tov to Shifrah Aron-Dine, Zachary Ellenberg, Danielle Lerner, Jessica Levy and Mathew Schacher, fifth graders at Yavneh Day School in San Jose, who received awards for their academic talent from John Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth at a ceremony earlier this month at San Jose State University. … Steve Murray’s “Hush Up, Sweet Charlotte” — based on the Bette Davis movie with a similar name and played by men in drag — is now on stage at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre in San Francisco. “Watch Me Shine,” a musical history of the gay and lesbian experience, produced and written by Adam Sandel, is at Michael’s Octavia Lounge, also in San Francisco.

Mea culpa …

In my last column, I reported the wedding of the wrong Tamler son in Israel. It was Yoni Tamler who married Hadas Salman of Nahriya (not Dov Tamler who married Amy Bryman nine years ago). Also joining the wedding party were grandparents Rose and Ed Tamler of San Mateo and Mary Imberman of Palo Alto.

Suzan Berns, a freelance writer and publicist, welcomes your submissions of cute, poignant or informational anecdotes about you and your organizations at [email protected].