JFCS opens new Walnut Creek office

To celebrate the move of its Contra Costa office to a new location in Walnut Creek, Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the East Bay will host an open house, including the hanging of a mezuzah. The new office is located in downtown Walnut Creek at 1855 Olympic Blvd., Suite 200. The event takes place Nov. 19 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

JFCS-East Bay opened its first Contra Costa office in 1964. Its previous office was on Tice Valley Boulevard in a more remote section of Walnut Creek. Its main office is on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley. “The reason for the change was to be in a more central location next to downtown,” said JFCS spokesperson Holly Taines White. “The new office is bigger, it’s an easier place to get to and a better place to serve the community.”

JFCS provides services for children, older adults, Holocaust survivors, family caregivers, parents of children with special needs, and individuals needing counseling, or couples looking to deepen their relationships.

Forum studies religious boundaries in schools

Temple Beth Torah in Fremont is hosting a public advocacy forum about religious boundaries in public schools at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 16.

Panelists include Jackie Berman of the Jewish Community Relations Council, Aliza Craimer Elias of the Institute for Curriculum Services, and Nina Grotch of the Anti-Defamation League. The forum is sponsored by the East Bay Jewish Community Relations Council.

The panel will discuss advocacy tools, helpful workshops and appropriate times to meet with school administrators. Attendees will have the opportunity to share their own experiences and get feedback from the panel of professionals.

The forum will also address accuracy of textbooks, First Amendment issues, understanding state standards and how to have a dialogue with school administrators.

Admission is free. Temple Beth Torah is located at 42000 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont. For more information, contact Myrna David at (510) 839-2900 ext. 217 or e-mail [email protected]

Slingshot seeking nominees for directory

The Slingshot Fund is accepting nominations for the 2009-10 edition of the Slingshot, an annual guidebook that highlights 50 North American nonprofits taking groundbreaking approaches to addressing age-old concerns of identity and community in Jewish life. Slingshot Fund leaders — young philanthropists in their 20s and 30s — are also urging members of the Jewish funding community to “double down” on their efforts to fuel Jewish innovation. Twenty-five foundation professionals with expertise in funding Jewish life will evaluate nominees based on a group’s innovative response to the changing needs of the Jewish community and the world around it, impact on its constituents and organizational effectiveness and leadership.

Completed nomination forms must be e-mailed to [email protected] by Dec. 1. Nomination forms can be downloaded at www.slingshotfund.org.