Synagogue programs

Most Innovative Services, Best Alternative & Musical Services

When Rabbi Mark Bloom of Oakland’s Temple Beth Abraham started Rock and Roll Shabbat, he didn’t anticipate its popularity among young families. But his brainchild — which has had him spoofing numbers by the Beatles, Matisyahu and even Eminem — now regularly packs in 300 screaming concertgoers/congregants. It won for most innovative service and best alternative/musical service in the East Bay.

A hop, skip and jump down the road at Los Altos Hills’ Congregation Beth Am (the winner for the South Bay/Peninsula), another musically inclined rabbi, Josh Zweiback, fronts a five-piece band called Tizmoret on the first Friday of every month. He will also strum the occasional electric or acoustic guitar during regular services, along with fellow guitar-player Rabbi Micah Citrin.

In San Francisco, Congregation Emanu-El’s Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan says the synagogue’s vast size allows it to be more rather than less innovative. Congregants seeking something different can take in alternative services held in the synagogue’s several smaller venues, like Cantor Roslyn Barak’s jazz Shabbat, which packs in several hundred toe-tapping temple-goers every month.

For Marin/Sonoma, readers voted Congregation Kol Shofar’s services most innovative, likely due to the influence of dynamic Rabbi Lavey Derby. Kol Shofar also topped the poll for best musical service for its monthly Shir Hadash Shabbat with local song and dance man Achi Ben Shalom.

Second-place winners were Congregation Sha’ar Zahav for San Francisco, Chochmat HaLev for the East Bay and Temple Beth Jacob for the South Bay/Peninsula.

First Place

San Francisco

Congregation Emanu-El
(415) 751-2535
www.emanuelsf.org

East Bay

Rock and Roll Shabbat
Temple Beth Abraham
Oakland
(510) 832-0936
www.tbaoakland.org

South Bay/Peninsula

Congregation Beth Am
Los Altos Hills
(650) 493-4661
www.betham.org

Marin/Sonoma

Congregation Kol Shofar
Tiburon
(415) 388-1818
www.kolshofar.org

Second Place

San Francisco

Congregation Sha’ar Zahav
(415) 861-6932
www.shaarzahav.org

East Bay

Chochmat HaLev
Berkeley
(510) 704-9687
www.chochmat.org

South Bay/Peninsula

Temple Beth Jacob
Redwood City
(650) 366-8481
www.templebethjacob.org

Best Social Action Program

“If I had a hammer” is not a song about carpentry — it’s about social action. And while some Bay Area congregations engage in both carpentry and social action, the following four were voted best for their social action components: in San Francisco, Congregation Emanu-El; in the East Bay, Congregation Beth El; in the South Bay/Peninsula, Congregation Beth Am; and in Marin/Sonoma, Congregation Kol Shofar.

Emanu-El sports a wide variety of programs in the category. The congregation runs two food pantries, for instance, feeding more than 1,000 San Franciscans a month. Congregants are also heavily involved in literacy programs, a greening program and growing vegetables for the San Francisco Food Bank.

Beth El’s guiding motto is “Justice, justice you shall pursue,” and it does so through a variety of social projects. One of them is a monthly dinner for homeless men and women — financed, prepared and served by congregants.

This year, one of Beth Am’s major social thrusts was Hurricane Katrina relief. The synagogue served as a local Katrina collection center, and sent hundreds of boxes of goods to New Orleans.

In Tiburon, Kol Shofar sponsors a variety of tikkun olam programs, ranging from tree-plantings to food drives to serving hot meals for the indigent and homeless.

Winning second place were Congregation Beth Sholom for San Francisco, Temple Sinai for the East Bay, Congregation Beth David for the South Bay/Peninsula, and Congregation Rodef Sholom for Marin/Sonoma.

First Place

San Francisco

Congregation Emanu-El
(415) 751-2535
www.emanuelsf.org

East Bay

Congregation Beth El
Berkeley
(510) 848-3988
ca030.urj.net

South Bay/Peninsula

Congregation Beth Am
Los Altos Hills
(650) 493-4661
www.betham.org

Marin/Sonoma

Congregation Kol Shofar
Tiburon
(415) 388-1818
www.kolshofar.org

Second Place

San Francisco

Congregation Beth Sholom
(415) 221-8736
www.bethsholomsf.org

East Bay

Temple Sinai
Oakland
(510) 451-3263
www.oaklandsinai.org

South Bay/Peninsula

Congregation Beth David
Saratoga
(408) 257-3333
www.beth-david.org

Marin/Sonoma

Congregation Rodef Sholom
San Rafael
(415) 512-6424
www.rodefsholom.org

Best Adult Education Program

Is your Aramaic a little rusty? That’s OK. The winning synagogues in this category still want you to come to their adult education classes.

Rabbi Judah Dardik teaches most of the classes at the Orthodox Oakland synagogue that won best adult education program for the East Bay. And, he says, it’s perfect for busy professionals who don’t have a lot of Jewish background. “If they have access to the text through translations, then they can apply their thinking skill they use in law firms, business or whatever they do,” says Dardik.

Across the bay in San Francisco, where Congregation Emanu-El took the first slot for that region, Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan notes that adult education has been a long tradition there. And if you think it’s OK to drop your kid off at Sunday school and head out to the golf course, think again. “When parents enroll their kids, we have an advisory session telling them if you want to come here, you have to learn also,” he says.

And Los Altos Hills’ Congregation Beth Am, which won in the South Bay/Peninsula, was the first Reform synagogue to hire a rabbi to deal specifically with adult education (it was Josh Zweiback, and he’s still there). More than 400 adults take classes every year.

Congregation Kol Shofar took top honors for Marin/Sonoma. Both Rabbis Lavey Derby and Chai Levy teach courses, ranging from a lunch-and-learn with Derby to a women’s spirituality circle headed by Levy.

In second place were Congregation Sherith Israel in San Francisco, Congregation Beth El in the East Bay, Congregation Beth David in the South Bay/Peninsula, and Congregation Rodef Sholom in Marin/Sonoma.

First Place

San Francisco

Congregation Emanu-El
(415) 751-2535
www.emanuelsf.org

East Bay

Beth Jacob Congregation
Oakland
(510) 482-1147
www.bethjacoboakland.org

South Bay/Peninsula

Congregation Beth Am
Los Altos Hills
(650) 493-4661
www.betham.org

Marin/Sonoma

Congregation Kol Shofar
Tiburon
(415) 388-1818
www.kolshofar.org

Second Place

San Francisco

Congregation Sherith Israel
(415) 346-1720
www.sherithisrael.org

East Bay

Congregation Beth El
Berkeley
(510) 848-3988
http://ca030.urj.net

South Bay/Peninsula

Congregation Beth David
Saratoga
(408) 257-3333
www.beth-david.org

Marin/Sonoma

Congregation Rodef Sholom
San Rafael
(415) 512-6424
www.rodefsholom.org

Best Interfaith Program

Making an interfaith relationship work or bringing up Jewish children when you’re not Jewish is never easy. That’s why a number of Bay Area programs exist to help keep interfaith families involved with the Jewish community.

In San Francisco, Congregation Emanu-El topped the votes based largely on the strength of its well-respected Judaism 101 course. All four of Emanu-El’s rabbis also officiate at interfaith weddings.

Building Jewish Bridges, a program of the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay, won in that region. “The most rewarding thing is when we make contact with a couple or family … and we help them find a place where they belong,” says Alice Hale, a Bridges program associate.

Los Altos Hills’ Congregation Beth Am, which won in the South Bay/Peninsula, has a class on how to run a Jewish home that covers the basics (such as lighting candles and understanding Shabbat). The synagogue’s senior rabbi, Janet Marder, lectures on Jewish and Israeli issues at area churches and synagogues.

The winner in Marin/Sonoma, Congregation Kol Shofar, participates with area churches in community service projects; it is also a member of California Interfaith Power and Light, which promotes energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

In second place were Congregation Sherith Israel for San Francisco, Kehilla Community Synagogue for the East Bay, Temple Emanu-El in the South Bay/Peninsula, and Congregation Rodef Sholom for Marin/Sonoma.

First Place

San Francisco

Congregation Emanu-El
(415) 751-2535
www.emanuelsf.org

East Bay

Building Jewish Bridges
Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay
Oakland
(510) 839-2900 ext. 347
www.jfed.org/interfaith.htm

South Bay/Peninsula

Congregation Beth Am
Los Altos Hills
(650) 493-4661
www.betham.org

Marin/Sonoma

Congregation Kol Shofar
Tiburon
(415) 388-1818
www.kolshofar.org

Second Place

San Francisco

Congregation Sherith Israel
(415) 346-1720
www.sherithisrael.org

East Bay

Kehilla Community Synagogue
Piedmont
(510) 547-2424
www.kehillasynagogue.org

South Bay/Peninsula

Temple Emanu-El
San Jose
(408) 292-0939
www.templesanjose.org

Marin/Sonoma

Congregation Rodef Sholom
San Rafael
(415) 512-6424
www.rodefsholom.org

Best Jewish Meditation Service

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it — they may all be at one of the synagogues readers picked as tops in the field of Jewish meditation.

The Makor Or Center for Jewish Meditation at San Francisco’s Congregation Beth Sholom is something of the granddaddy of Bay Area Jewish meditation. Founded by former Beth Sholom Rabbi Alan Lew, the center provides daily meditation, weekly classes and monthly retreats.

East Bay voters seem to love Temple Beth Abraham’s Raza d’Shabbat, a unique and spiritual service hosted by Cantor Richard Kaplan four or five times a year. In a dimly lit room, participants sit around the cantor, who plays a keyboard and follows a siddur he wrote himself.

Kol Shofar’s Rabbi Lavey Derby founded the Neshama Minyan at the Tiburon synagogue around a dozen years ago, when congregants told him they couldn’t pray as deeply as they wanted to. For those who don’t come to the regular services, he says, “it speaks to the desire to have tools that allow them to reach out to the deepest part of themselves.”

Chochmat HaLev came in second in the East Bay.

First Place

San Francisco

Congregation Beth Sholom
(415) 221-8736
www.bethsholomsf.org

East Bay

Raza d’Shabbat,
Temple Beth Abraham
Oakland
(510) 832-0936
www.tbaoakland.org

Marin/Sonoma

Neshama Minyan,
Congregation Kol Shofar
Tiburon
(415) 388-1818
www.kolshofar.org

Second Place

East Bay

Chochmat HaLev
Berkeley
(510) 704-9687
www.chochmat.org

Best Religious School

When you stroll through Congregation Emanu-El’s religious school, you might think for a moment you’re visiting a camp (OK, there’s no archery, tents, open fires or poison oak, but, other than that, the analogy works).

“Ideally, you’d like to build the program you’d have wanted to go to,” says Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan, the synagogue’s senior educator. At his religious school, which was named tops in San Francisco, there are no desks, and almost no chairs. Small groups listen to teachers, teach each other or dance and sing.

And rather than split Jewish education and Hebrew classes into separate fields, Los Altos Hills’ Congregation Beth Am, which won in the South Bay/Peninsula, combines the two. “We did a lot of work and discovered they really augment each other,” says Debbie Coutant, the synagogue’s executive director.

Congregation B’nai Shalom of Walnut Creek (and its cute motto “babies to bubbes”) came in first for the East Bay, while Congregation Kol Shofar in Tiburon topped the vote for Marin/Sonoma.

In second place were Congregation Sherith Israel in San Francisco, Temple Beth Abraham’s Bet Sefer for the East Bay, Temple Beth Jacob in the South Bay/Peninsula, and Congregation Rodef Sholom for Marin/Sonoma.

First Place

San Francisco

Congregation Emanu-El
(415) 751-2535
www.emanuelsf.org

East Bay

Congregation B’nai Shalom
Walnut Creek
(925) 934-9446
www.bshalom.org

South Bay/Peninsula

Congregation Beth Am
Los Altos Hills
(650) 493-4661
www.betham.org

Marin/Sonoma

Congregation Kol Shofar
Tiburon
(415) 388-1818
www.kolshofar.org

Second Place

San Francisco

Congregation Sherith Israel
(415) 346-1720
www.sherithisrael.org

East Bay

Temple Beth Abraham Bet Sefer
Oakland
(510) 832-0936
www.tbaoakland.org

South Bay/Peninsula

Temple Beth Jacob
Redwood City
(650) 366-8481
www.templebethjacob.org

Marin/Sonoma

Congregation Rodef Sholom
San Rafael
(415) 512-6424
www.rodefsholom.org

Community

Best Place for Jewish Lectures

Throw together a speaker, a podium and an intellectually curious audience, and something good usually comes of it. The winners for best Jewish lectures are the JCC of San Francisco for the city, Beth Jacob Congregation for the East Bay, Jewish Study Network for the South Bay/Peninsula, and the Osher Marin JCC for Marin/Sonoma.

One of the great draws for top-flight lecturers in San Francisco is its JCC. Rabbi Yoel Kahn, director of the Taube Center for Jewish Life, says his goal is “to think about Jewish community and Jewish ideas in the broadest way possible.” Recent speakers have included Israeli novelist Amos Oz and Kabbalah scholar Moshe Idel.

Rabbi Judah Dardik is a one-man lecture machine at Beth Jacob in Oakland. “I try hard to consider what it would feel like to walk into that room as someone with a substantial Jewish study background, or a Jew who spent no time studying and feels very lost,” he says.

Joey Felsen is one of 12 staff rabbis and educators with the Jewish Study Network. Though based in Mountain View, JSN gets around, sponsoring classes and lectures across the Bay Area. “We show that what people consider current issues have been discussed in the Talmud,” says Felsen.

Thanks to Miki Raver, director of adult and senior programs, the Osher Marin JCC has recently hosted speakers/performers such as graphic novelist Art Spiegelman and playwright Lisa Kron. “The community in Marin responds to intellectual stimulation,” says Raver. “There’s a fascination with Jewish culture, values and history.”

Second-place winners were the BJE’s Jewish Community Library for San Francisco, Lehrhaus Judaica for the East Bay, Congregation Beth Am for the South Bay/Peninsula, and Congregation Kol Shofar for Marin/Sonoma.

First Place

San Francisco

Jewish Community Center of San Francisco
(415) 292-1200
www.jccsf.org

East Bay

Beth Jacob Congregation
Oakland
(510) 482-1147
www.bethjacoboakland.org

South Bay/Peninsula

Jewish Study Network
Mountain View
(650) 961-4576
www.jsn.info

Marin/Sonoma

Osher Marin Jewish Community Center
San Rafael
(415) 444-8000
www.marinjcc.org

Second Place

San Francisco

Jewish Community Library
Bureau of Jewish Education
(415) 567-3327 ext. 704
www.bjesf.org/library.htm

East Bay

Lehrhaus Judaica
Berkeley
(510) 845-6420
www.lehrhaus.org

South Bay/Peninsula

Congregation Beth Am
Los Altos Hills
(650) 493-4661
www.betham.org

Marin/Sonoma

Congregation Kol Shofar
Tiburon
(415) 388-1818
www.kolshofar.org

Best Fundraiser

Money: It’s the oil of the proverbial well-oiled machine. Without it, the Jewish community’s programming could grind to a halt. In the best fundraiser category, the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay’s Choices and the Phantom Ball of S.F.-based Bureau of Jewish Education took the top spots.

Choices is the East Bay federation’s annual women’s fundraiser. This year’s event not only was sold out, it raised a record $110,000. Notes philanthropy director Patti Schneider, “We asked women to come prepared to remember how they can make a difference.”

Then there’s the Phantom Ball, so named because, well, there isn’t any ball. It’s a non-event event: invitations are sent (“The honor of your absence is requested…”) and donations solicited, but there’s nothing to attend. It’s just pure fundraising for the good work of the BJE. This year’s take topped $200,000.

In second place were Jewish Vocational Service’s Strictly Business for San Francisco, and the Oakland Hebrew Day School Spring Gala for the East Bay.

First Place

San Francisco

Phantom Ball
Bureau of Jewish Education
(415) 751-6983
www.bjesf.org

East Bay

Choices
Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay
Oakland
(510) 839-2900
www.jfed.org

Second Place

San Francisco

Strictly Business
Jewish Vocational Service
(415) 391-3600
www.jvs.org

East Bay

Oakland Hebrew Day School Spring Gala
Oakland
(510) 531-8600
www.ohds.org

Best JCC

It’s no big surprise the Osher Marin JCC and JCC of San Francisco would win in this category (they’re the only local JCCs in their respective areas). But the East Bay and South Bay/Peninsula made it a horse race, with the JCC of the East Bay (formerly the Berkeley Richmond JCC) and Peninsula JCC coming out on top in those regions.

So far, the two-year-old JCCSF has exceeded all expectations, according to board president Bethany Hornthal. She attributes that success to a dedicated board and staff, and the community itself. Nearly 5,000 people enter the JCC daily for all kinds of events. “Our programming brings in an audience from all walks of life,” says Hornthal.

Also just hitting their second anniversary is the Peninsula JCC in Foster City, and President Judy Ellison has nothing but good news to report. “We now have over 10,000 members, way ahead of where we thought we’d be,” she notes.

The Berkeley Richmond JCC recently changed its name to JCC East Bay — but the North Berkeley institution continues to do what it does best: create community. Highlights include the Jewish Music Festival and the annual Shavuot tikkun.

The Osher Marin JCC in San Rafael is one of the crown jewels in the local JCC system. “It’s all about the haimish experience people have when they come through our doors,” says Executive Director Judy Wolff-Bolton. More than 1,000 daily visitors find much in the way of programming for kids, teens, adults and seniors.

Second-place winners were the Contra Costa JCC in the East Bay, and the Addison-Penzak JCC for the South Bay/Peninsula.

First Place

San Francisco

Jewish Community Center of San Francisco
(415) 292-1200
www.jccsf.org

East Bay

Jewish Community Center of the East Bay
Berkeley
(510) 848-0237
www.brjcc.org

South Bay/Peninsula

Peninsula Jewish Community Center
Foster City
(650) 212-7522
www.pjcc.org

Marin/Sonoma

Osher Marin Jewish Community Center
San Rafael
(415) 444-8000
www.marinjcc.org

Second Place

East Bay

Contra Costa Jewish Community Center
Walnut Creek
(925) 938-7800
www.ccjcc.org

South Bay/Peninsula

Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center
Los Gatos
(408) 358-3636
www.svjcc.org

Best Jewish Women’s Organization

How could Hadassah not win for best Jewish women’s organization? With 300,000 members nationally and 9,000 in the Northern California region alone, it is one of the largest membership organizations around, period.

“We have a history of providing services to Israel that no one else does. Without us, there might be no Israel,” says Deborah Lopez, president of the San Francisco chapter, one of the oldest in the country. The S.F. chapter is also dedicated to advocacy in the United States, including stem cell research and breast cancer education.

Second place went to the San Francisco National Council Office of AMIT.

First Place

Bay Area

San Francisco Chapter Hadassah
(415) 771-5900
www.hadassahsanfrancisco.org

Second Place

Bay Area

AMIT
(415) 664-6309
www.amitchildren.org

Best Jewish Men’s Organization

With back-to-back wins in our Readers’ Choice poll, B’nai Brith came in first for best Jewish men’s organization.

With 160 years of history and chapters in 56 countries, B’nai Brith one of the most far-reaching Jewish groups on earth. But as any member will tell you, B’nai Brith isn’t just for men anymore. Women can — and do — join, with the local chapter boasting several women members and board officers. Among the chapter’s prime programs, the annual Yom HaShoah memorial in Lincoln Park and the annual clothing drive. Says past president Irv Abramowitz, “B’nai Brith has a voice in the world today. They’re doing tremendous work with the community.”

First Place

Bay Area

B’nai Brith Golden Pacific Region
San Rafael
(415) 752-9304

Best Local Jewish Agency

With so many top-notch candidates, it means something special to win best local Jewish agency. Readers chose the Bureau of Jewish Education in San Francisco; the Young Leadership Division of the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay; Jewish Family and Children’s Services in Marin/Sonoma; and — look out! — we have a tie in the South Bay/Peninsula between Jewish Family and Children’s Services (Palo Alto) and Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley.

The BJE won in the city, though the agency’s reach obviously stretches farther and wider. With signature events such as the annual Feast of Jewish Learning, Book Club in a Box and the Tikea teen education program, BJE is the “tip of the spear” when it comes to helping Jews learn about their heritage, says Executive Diirector Bob Sherman.

Though only two years old, the East Bay federation’s YAD has made a splash, reaching out to young unaffiliated Jews with events such as Smooth Monday and the annual Picnic Fest. “We show them we’re not your parents’ federation,” says President Steve Berley.

The Los Gatos-based Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley serves more than 5,400 people in Santa Clara County — everyone from Holocaust survivors to recently arrived Jewish refugees. “The staff here is amazing,” says Executive Director Mindy Berkowitz. “They know their stuff and get it done.”

Tying for first in the South Bay was JFCS’ Palo Alto office. Offered services include everything from bereavement programs to parent education programs. “There’s a huge demand for our family resources,” says Director Beth Schecter. “We provide a continuum of service for all ages, from birth through seniors.”

It seems counterintuitive to have JFCS expand its role in wealthy Marin County. But Gayle Zahler, assistant executive director, says there’s much to do. “We provide counseling, emergency financial assistance and other resources. We’re a problem-solving center.”

Jewish Family and Children’s Services in San Francisco and its counterpart across the Bay Bridge, JFCS of the East Bay, came in second.

First Place

San Francisco

Bureau of Jewish Education
(415) 751-6983
www.bjesf.org

East Bay

Young Leadership Division
Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay
Oakland
(510) 839-2900 ext. 208
www.jfed.org/yld

South Bay/Peninsula

Jewish Family and Children’s Services
Palo Alto
(650) 688-3030
www.jfcs.org

Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley
Los Gatos
(408) 556-0600
www.jfssv.org

Marin/Sonoma

Jewish Family and Children’s Services
San Rafael
(415) 491-7960
www.jfcs.org

Second Place

San Francisco

Jewish Family and Children’s Services
(415) 449-1200
www.jfcs.org

East Bay

Jewish Family & Children’s Services of the East Bay
Various locations
(510) 434-7585
www.jfcs-eastbay.org

Best Place to Volunteer

J. readers seem to have enjoyed choosing the top organizations for people who like to raise their hands. Winners for best places to volunteer are Hadassah in San Francisco and Marin/Sonoma, the Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living in the East Bay, and the Jewish Chaplaincy at Stanford University Medical Center for the South Bay/Peninsula.

“When people say, ‘What can I do,’ I say, ‘What do you want to do?'” says San Francisco Chapter Hadassah President Deborah Lopez. Hadassah volunteers work with the organization’s stem cell education program, assemble a voter’s guide, and even pay home visits to elderly members.

Eve Teller of Hadassah Marin Chapter says her chapter doesn’t believe in waste. “Ninety-two cents of every dollar donated goes to where it’s supposed to go,” she notes. Her 500 members participate in a knitting club, a monthly book club and more, all to raise money for Hadassah’s work in Israel and around the world.

Volunteers have no shortage of opportunities at Reutlinger, a senior assisted living facility in Danville. They can participate in the “adopt a grandparent” program, work in the gift shop, teach yoga, or join in the weekly Yiddish group.

Stanford Medical Center’s Jewish Chaplaincy consists mostly of volunteers. From visiting the sick to comforting families, volunteers “get a sense of meaning … they wouldn’t get anywhere else,” says chaplaincy director Bruce Feldstein.

Second-place winners were Jewish Family and Children’s Services in San Francisco, Oakland Hebrew Day School for the East Bay, and Hillel of Silicon Valley in the South Bay/Peninsula.

First Place

San Francisco

Hadassah
(415) 771-5900
www.hadassahsanfrancisco.org

East Bay

Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living
Danville
(925) 964-2066
www.hjp.org

South Bay/Peninsula

Jewish Chaplaincy
Stanford University Medical Center
(650) 723-3808

Marin/Sonoma

Hadassah
San Rafael
(415) 451-7337

Second Place

San Francisco

Jewish Family and Children’s Services
(415) 449-1288
www.jfcs.org

East Bay

Oakland Hebrew Day School
Oakland
(510) 531-8600
www.ohds.org

South Bay/Peninsula

Hillel of Silicon Valley
San Jose
(408) 286-6669
www.hillelsv.org