Brandeis to host basketball star Tal Brody

Brandeis Hillel Day School has invited Israeli American basketball star Tal Brody to address parents and faculty at its annual board dinner at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 31. He will also meet with students on the two Brandeis campuses to talk about his experiences in Israel, which includes a commitment to introducing basketball to children of all backgrounds.

The native of Trenton, N.J., came to Israel in the summer of 1965 as a player for the U.S. Maccabiah basketball team. He made Israel his permanent home in 1970, playing for various champion Israeli teams, most famously Maccabi Tel Aviv’s victory over powerhouse CSKA Moscow in a 1977 contest that transcended the hardwood and became a political statement. Brody’s squad captured the Euroleague title that year.

The dinner is open to the general public; Brandeis faculty and staff attend free while others pay $54. The event will be held at the Mission Bay Conference Center, 1675 Owens St., S.F. To attend, contact Janet Jacobs at [email protected].

Local rabbis sign anti-war petition

A quartet of Bay Area rabbis are among the more than 1,000 Jews to sign a petition created by the national group Jews Against the War.

The group, dedicated to ending the war in Iraq and preventing one in Iran, will deliver the petition to every member of Congress. You can sign or read the petition at www.jewsagainstthewar.org.

The local rabbis are: Rabbi Shalom Bochner of Santa Cruz Hillel; Rabbi Micah Hyman of Congregation Beth Sholom in San Francisco; Rabbi Stuart Kelman of Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley; and Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan of San Francisco’s Congregation Emanu-El.

Silicon Valley JFS wine, cuisine fundraiser

Wining and dining will be on the menu at “Small Plates, High Spirits and All That Jazz,” a fundraiser for Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley. The “gourmet experience” will be held June 3 at Villa Ragusa in downtown Campbell.

Emceeing the event will by Joey Altman, chef and host of KRON-TV’s Bay Café. Larry Gerston, a professor of political science at San Jose State University, will host a live auction. The “small plates” will come from local chefs, the “high spirits” from local vintners and providing “all that jazz” will be the Jerry Jay Quartet.

Tickets for the event are $136 per person. All proceeds will go to JFS’s Project NOAH (No One Abandoned Here), which provides services for people in crisis or urgent situations. For tickets and reservations, or to get a complete listing of chefs and vintners who will attend, call (408) 556-0600.

Judaica shop opens in Berkeley

Chochmat HaLev has opened a new Judaica shop emphasizing Bay Area and Israeli artists. The still unnamed store offers a wide range of Judaica, including chanukiahs, mezuzahs, jewelry, pottery, kiddush cups, and a large selection of books and CDs.

Store founder Rachael Sanborn hopes it will be a place “where people can come together artistically. There are so many amazingly talented artists in the Bay Area and Israel. We want items that inspire the soul and delight the senses.”

The shop is located downstairs, next to the Chochmat HaLev social hall. Business hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Fridays. Chochmat HaLev is located at 2215 Prince St., Berkeley. For more information, call (510) 704-9687.

Hebrew immersion program offered at USF

Ulpan San Francisco, an intensive three-week Hebrew language program, will be offered this summer on the University of San Francisco campus.

Designed to immerse participants in Israeli language and culture, the course incorporates conversation, reading, writing and singing, and is offered for multiple levels of Hebrew proficiency.

The program will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays, July 9 through July 27. The registration fee of $1,175 to $1,375 covers all materials.

Contact the Swig Judaic Studies Program at (415) 422-6601 for more information, or visit www.usfca.edu/judaicstudies.