Every morning I walk to BART, go to work, sit and write, then take BART back home. Eat. Sleep. Do it again. Same old same old; swiftly flow the years.
Luckily for me I get to write about the amazing colossal Bay Area Jewish community, which means it’s really never the same old same old.
With that in mind, the clock on the wall says it’s time once again for the Golden Jack Awards: my own private Pulitzers, my ersatz Emmys, saluting the best stories I had the privilege to cover over the past year.
The awards are named for my cat, Jack, who continues to seek the record for fattest feline (tuxedo variety–East Bay division).
Best Foreign Correspondent Opportunity: Last year’s Israel@60 Mission was a non-stop dazzler, from being in Tel Aviv for Israel’s 61st birthday party, to hanging out with fourth-graders in their school’s bomb shelter. Am Yisrael chai!
Brush With Stardom Award: Last December I interviewed Jewish comedian Gary Gulman. Normally I never try to out-funny a comic. However, this time I actually made him laugh (my impromptu joke had to do with wanting moshiach now). He said he’d use it in his routine that night — and sure enough, he did.
Most Surreal Moment: Covering a lecture by former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky, I was startled when his publicist sat the great man next to me as he was being introduced. I debated whether to make small talk with him, but decided just to keep quiet.
Most Infuriating Local Story: John Moghtader, a pro-Israel student at U.C. Berkeley (and really nice kid) was accused of assaulting pro-Palestinian students at a pro-Israel concert last fall. A special election stripped him of his student senate seat, and he caught hell from all sides. Only thing is: He didn’t do it, and there’s a video to prove it.
Tastiest Assignment: In October, I interviewed Jamshied Basseri, proprietor of Saffron Gourmet, an Albany deli. Basseri sells more heavenly delights than you can imagine (including garlic cloves pickled for three years). He wouldn’t let me leave empty-handed, and gave me a dozen pints of perfumed delicacies. I love this job!
Seat of Power Award: Hanging with California Senate Pro-tem Darrell Steinberg in the Senate chamber last November. It was gaudy red and gold, and felt like a movie set. In truth, it’s the place where California budgets go to die. But Steinberg couldn’t have been friendlier.
Most Enjoyable Story to Write: Our Purim Facebook send-up was a group effort in the newsroom. We each let out our inner Larry David, and the results were hilarious. Naturally, we never heard from a single reader. What’s the matter with you guys? That was comedy gold!
Most Exciting Event to Cover: After the state Supreme Court upheld Prop. 8 last May, San Franciscans took to the streets. It was a rush to march down Market Street with thousands of people, who were simultaneously angry and glad to be together.
Biggest Heartbreak: The shocking accidental death of pro-Israel activist Dan Kliman last fall took the Jewish community by surprise. He was the local standard-bearer for Israel, always there to counter Israel-hating loonies. He was a great guy, too. Dan, you are missed.
Favorite Story of the Year: This was no contest — my cover story last April on Mishael Hibshoosh, the 8-year-old Berkeley boy keeping alive the religious traditions of Yemenite Jewry. Not only was he over-the-top adorable, smart and funny, he also embodied the concept of the “saving remnant.”
My former rabbi in L.A. told me that even if the vast majority of Jews no longer held to Jewish tradition, as long as there was a saving remnant, however few in number, the Jewish people would live. Mishael belongs to the saving remnant. Go online and re-read the article. Listen to the audio clips of him chanting Torah. You cannot help but be moved. Or saved.
So that’s that — another memorable year at the keyboard gone by. Keep steering those great stories our way. Meanwhile, does anyone know of a decent feline Nordic Track out there?
Dan Pine can be reached at [email protected].