Experts to talk about environmental issues in Mideast

Numerous organizations — including the consuls general of Israel and Jordan to San Francisco — are co-sponsoring talks this month by three representatives of Israel’s Arava Institute for Environmental Studies.

Jordanian Osama Suliman and Israeli Maya Negev, as well as Rabbi Michael Cohen, director of Arava’s North American office, will speak about environmental issues in the Middle East.

Since 1996, the institute has hosted more than 400 students from around the world, including Israeli Jewish, Israeli Arab, Palestinian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Tunisian, European and American students.

Their speaking engagements are:

7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, U.C. Berkeley.
6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12 at a Tu B’Shevat seder, Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California St.
8 a.m. Monday, Feb. 13, Jewish Community Federation, 121 Steuart St., S.F.
12:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, Sierra Club, 85 Second St. #2, S.F.
4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, Jewish Vocational Service, 225 Bush St., Suite 400, S.F.

For more information, contact Roni Ben-David, Arava’s Bay Area representative, at (415) 595-4243 or [email protected].

Humanist Judaism founder to speak in Albany

Rabbi Sherman T. Wine, founder of the Society for Humanistic Judaism, will be a scholar-in-residence at Kol Hadash’s third annual weekend seminar Feb. 22 to Feb. 24 in Albany. His topic will be “Jews in the Modern World.”

Different sessions will cover emancipation and America, anti-Semitism, Zion and Israel, Jewish diversity, and the future of the Jews.

The program is open to both members and non-members.

Wine is also the dean of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism.

The seminar will take place at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany.

Information: Bert Steinberg at (415) 543-4595 or [email protected].