Lots to celebrate
Jennie Rose celebrated her 104th (!!) birthday at the Jewish Home recently with a giant cake (among other goodies), along with her son Larry Letofsky of San Francisco, plus numerous relatives, including some visiting from Minneapolis. She moved to the Home three years ago at 101 and is oldest among six Home residents who have reached their centennial birthdays. Mazel tov to Jennie!
And in another Jewish Home celebration … as is tradition in his native Ukraine, Yakov Kaminskiy dropped a “diamond” ring into a glass of champagne, quaffed the bubbly and presented the ring to his wife of 70 years, Germina Gurevich. Her sister, Maya Gurevich, also a Home resident, joined the festivities.
Overheard
Ishmael Khaldi, new deputy consul general at the Israel Consulate in San Francisco, told the Jewish Community Relations Council lay committee that he had never visited a major city until landing in New York City several years ago. Khaldi, who is the first-ever Israeli Bedouin diplomat, grew up in a tiny village in Northern Israel’s Galil and had never even visited either Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. The village, by the way, was evacuated during last summer’s hostilities. Now an experienced traveler, he’s thrilled to be posted in San Francisco for the next four years.
JCRC Executive Director Emeritus Rita Semel recalled how thrilled she was when she had the opportunity to drive Golda Meir (of whom she was in awe) around San Francisco on a visit in the 1940s. At the end of the day, the exhausted Meir excused herself for a moment. Upon returning, she explained her corset was stuffed in her purse. When Semel told her husband about the day, including the corset incident, he replied, “See, she’s just like you.”
The Power of One
Community leader Barbara Rosenberg has been named recipient of the 2007 Judith Chapman Women’s Leadership Award. She’ll receive it at the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation Women’s Alliance annual Power of One on Monday, March 19, said Lenore Bleadon, chair of the award steering committee. Among a long list of involvements, Rosenberg has served as president of the Jewish Home and the Bureau of Jewish Education, on the board of Lehrhaus Judaica and Jewish Community High School of the Bay, and has been library commissioner for the city of San Francisco. The event will also feature keynote speaker Evelyn Lauder, and will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the JCF’s Women’s Alliance. For information and reservations, visit [email protected].
Short shorts
“For Sasha, with Love,” Anne Bashkiroff’s story about dealing with her husband’s Alzheimer’s Disease, has been reissued under the name “Forget-Me-Not” by Purdue University Press. Bashkiroff was instrumental in bringing the disease out of the closet and enabling caregivers to receive help. Gail Bernice Holland is the author … Riva Gambert reports that the Contra Costa Jewish Community Center has gone “green” – using washable plastic plates instead of paper and promoting a healthy lifestyle including enhanced physical activity. Cindy Gershen, CJCC board member and founder of Walnut Creek’s Wellness Challenge, is involved with the new initiative. … Former East Bay Federation exec Ami Nahshon – now president and CEO of the N.Y.-based Abraham Fund Initiatives – was a winner of the New York Ten Awards (in the nonprofit category), for organizations that show extraordinary innovation and leadership. … Joyce Kurtz of San Francisco traveled to New Orleans to help rebuild with the Union for Reform Judaism’s Mitzvah Corps.