A blessing for the community
Kehillah Jewish High School’s head of school Rabbi Darren Kleinberg offered the Shehechiyanu, “a blessing for the entire community,” he said, at the inauguration of the Masjid of the Dawoodi Bohra community of San Jose/Palo Alto, a new mosque just across the street from the Oshman Family JCC. Kleinberg, who repeated the traditional Jewish prayer in Hebrew and English, noted that it was appropriate that the dedication took place the same week the Torah reading discussed the laws of the tabernacle. “When Jews all over the world are thinking about sacred space, here is your community inaugurating your sacred space,” he said.
Palo Alto Councilman Marc Berman, who also addressed the gathering, spoke of the legacy and work of the sect’s leader and high priest, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, who traveled from his home in India to Palo Alto for the occasion. “As a global ambassador for peace, your dedication and devotion to humanity … is an inspiration to our diverse and welcoming community,” he said. The Dawoodi Bohra is a million-strong subsect of Shia Islam based in Mumbai.
JFCS celebrates
Rep. Jared Huffman (D–San Rafael) led the hamotzi; Susan and David Dossetter of San Francisco recalled how Jewish Family and Children’s Services supported them on their journey eight years ago to adopt a little girl from Kazakhstan; JFCS executive director Anita Friedman joked, then spoke seriously, about the importance of fundraising; a lively rendition of “Hava Nagila” by Pamela Rose & Sidepocket brought the crowd to the dance floor — and, reported JFCS President Susan Kolb, more than $1 million was raised to support JFCS services. All that and much more took place at JFCS’ 2015 Fammy Awards Gala on March 21 at San Francisco’s Ritz-Carlton.
The Dossetters chaired the sold-out event. Israel’s Consul General Andy David and his wife, Ayelet David, presented Tamar Sofer-Geri with a Fammy for her volunteer work through JFCS’ Parents Place Center for Special Needs. JFCS board member Michael Janis presented an award to members of Cleanerific, a social enterprise that helps workers become independent. Mira Shelub, a partisan survivor of the Holocaust (who just published “Never the Last Road” about her experience) presented Lydia and Doug Shorenstein (in absentia) with an award for instituting the Annual Day of Learning, which teaches teens from hundreds of schools nationwide about the Holocaust.
Our visionary
Rita Semel, the dynamic 93-year-old Jewish community leader widely known for her interfaith and social justice work in San Francisco, was one of only 13 nominees for the San Francisco Chronicle’s Visionary of the Year award. According to the Chronicle, while 12 of the nominees were selected by a small committee, Semel was nominated by readers. If you didn’t see the excellent story that ran on March 23, check it out at www.tinyurl.com/sfgate-rita-semel.
Short shorts
Ilan Vitemberg, director of Jewish LearningWorks’ Israel Education Initiative, took a load of school supplies with him when he vacationed in Belize and delivered them to schoolchildren in a Mayan village. Then, with help from his partner and a cast of handmade puppets, he entertained the kids, performing “Dira Lehaskir” (“Apartment for Rent”), an Israeli story featuring animals who learn to live in harmony … Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, or 3.14159265 (etc.), so when Shabbat fell on 3/14/15, Piedmont’s Kehilla Community Synagogue had a pi celebration. At 9:26 am, Rabbi David Cooper shared Jewish lore on math and physics and then, of course, pie was served.
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