All in the (Marin) family

Rabbi Jeff Saxe

There was a Marin gathering of sorts in the Washington, D.C., suburbs at Liam Benjamin Miller Hellman’s naming ceremony. Presiding was Rabbi Jeff Saxe at Temple Rodef Shalom of Falls Church, Va., who grew up in Corte Madera and at Congregation Rodef Sholom in San Rafael. In attendance were Liam’s grandparents Gerri and Larry Miller of Tiburon and aunt Nicole Miller, now of New York City, as well the rabbi’s parents, Joanne and Steve Saxe, and good friend Yvonne Bush of Corte Madera. Liam’s parents, Lisa Miller and Andy Hellman, brought his older siblings, Arianna and Teigan, along for the festivities.

In other news about the younger Saxe’s congregation, the Washington Post ran a story about a new partnership with the McLean Islamic Center. Children got together to clean up a park, and members of the two congregations gathered for dinner. The event took place during Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza, and both groups offered prayers for peace. “… the political situation made it all the more crucial that we get together,” Saxe was quoted.

World without hate

Eric and Linda Horodas

Eric Horodas, outgoing board chair of the Anti-Defamation League’s Central Pacific Region, and his wife, Linda Horodas, accepted the group’s Distinguished Leadership Award at a gala dinner Nov. 29 at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. After an introduction by sons Kevin and Marc Horodas, proud dad Eric surveyed ADL’s 100-year history of fighting bigotry and anti-Semitism worldwide. Noting that 47 states and the District of Columbia have passed hate crime laws based on ADL standards, he quoted former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir as saying, “Jews together are strong, but Jews together with other people are invincible.”

Reaching out to Israel

“Don’t stop believin’ that peace will come,” was the message — in song and speech — from fifth-graders at Congregation Shir Hadash in Los Gatos to their friends at the Hofim school near Ashkelon. The video message was sent on Nov. 18, during the Israel-Gaza hostilities, as part of the Jewish Agency’s P2G–Partnership2gether, a program joining Israeli and Jewish communities around the world. You can see it on YouTube at http://tinyurl.com/shir-hadash-song. P.S. The song, by the ’80s rock group Journey, was used as the theme song by the San Francisco Giants.

Short shorts

Miki Raver

Roselyne Swig was awarded the San Francisco Arts Medallion from the Museum of Performance & Design for her years of service to organizations such as the San Francisco Art Institute, NPR and the Contemporary Jewish Museum … Ilana Glaun of the Jewish Home’s marketing staff writes that the Home’s hairdresser Frieda Saenz is celebrating 40 years of “making Jewish Home of San Francisco residents look and feel good.” Adds resident Edna Lachar, “We should celebrate Frieda every day! It’s a pleasure to be greeted by her smile.”… Miki Raver has joined the Moldaw Residences staff as director of lifestyles services. Former positions include director of Lifelong Learning at the Osher Marin JCC.

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