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Mazel tov to the healers

The patients and colleagues of Ernest Rosenbaum have established the Ernest H. Rosenbaum, M.D. Endowed Chair in Medical Oncology in his honor at UCSF. A medical oncologist and clinical professor of medicine at UCSF for 42 years, Rosenbaum has been internationally recognized and respected by patients and providers for his important and seminal work in the area of supportive care for cancer patients.

Dr. Richard J. Cohen will be presented with the Healing Professional award at Marin Breast Cancer Watch’s annual Honor Thy Healer awards program in May. He was nominated by his patients for his compassionate care and willingness to embrace novel treatment approaches. In practice in the Bay Area for 40 years, Cohen recently received UCSF’s Dr. Charlotte Baer Memorial Award for his contributions to medical education as a member of volunteer clinical faculty. And when he’s not healing, he’s grabbing stray baseballs as a “ball dude” for the San Francisco Giants.

Connecting circuits

Former j. senior editor Janet Silver Ghent and husband Allen Podell extended their trip to Israel so that Podell could lecture at the Technion in Haifa earlier this month. He’s an electrical engineer who has taught and lectured around the world, but never in Israel. He talked about microwave circuit design to students and faculty, plus visitors from Intel and IBM. The two traveled to Israel with Rabbi Janet Marder and 42 fellow members of Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills.

Six easy memoirs

Roz Leiser, Gayle Leyton and Nancy Randall are members of a memoir-writing group they affectionately call “Six Easy Pieces.” The three, along with Alan Kaufman, Lani Silver and Adair Lara will read from their work on Tuesday, May 2, 6:30 p.m., at San Francisco’s Main Library. There’s a reception at 5:30. Get there early and ask them about the name. Call (415) 819-1342 for info.

Memoirs of a different sort … Stewart Florsheim’s latest collection of poetry, “The Short Fall From Grace,” will be out next week, published by Blue Light Press. The book is a compilation of poems that span Florsheim’s life, including many about his experiences as the son of refugees from Hitler’s Germany. It won the annual Blue Light Book Award in 2005. Diane Frank, chief editor of Blue Light Press, said the poems “knocked our socks off!” Watch for his readings in San Francisco, Clayton and elsewhere.

Things change

Stacie Hershman has left the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation after nearly 26 years. I worked with her there for 18 of them, and personally observed her caring, devotion and dedication to the federation’s work of sustaining Jewish life. During that time, Hershman led the women’s campaign, the Israel and Overseas departments, and for the last four years was the federation’s campaign director. On behalf of the community, todah rabah, Stacie!

Associate campaign director Wendy Rothenberg will serve as interim campaign director while a search is in progress.

Short shorts

Kehilla Community Synagogue member Sheila Sondik of Berkeley applies watercolor, ink and collage to crinkled paper to produce distinctive paintings. They are featured in a solo exhibition entitled “Beneath the Surface,” at the Ren Brown Collection Gallery in Bodega Bay, through April 30. … We apologize — in the last Faces, Jewish Vocational Service’s Strictly Business attendee Kelny Denebeim’s name was misspelled.

This columnist can be reached at [email protected].