Ironman rabbi
Rabbi Adam Naftalin-Kelman painstakingly earned his Twitter handle — #IronRabbi — when he finished the Coeur d’Alene Ironman triathlon on June 28 in history-making 100-plus-degree temperatures in Idaho. The executive director of Berkeley Hillel, who completed the combo 2.4-mile swim/26.2-mile run/112-mile bike ride in just under 15 hours, did it to commemorate his 40th birthday. Two days later, Naftalin-Kelman was relishing his accomplishment. Being a part of it was inspiring, he said, but there were times, such as when his bike had its fourth flat tire, that were “emotionally demoralizing.” He’s done about 20 triathlons and a half-Ironman in the past, but began serious training for this event in January, with 15-mile runs on Shabbat, 40-mile bike rides on Sundays and “squeezing in 45-minute swims” whenever he could. Still, he noted, finishing the race wasn’t simply a matter of athletic abilities — it was perseverance. “I did it a mile at a time. It’s a testament to life,” added the rabbi. “You break it down, taking it bit by bit.”
Veteran of the year
Air Force Lt. Col. Robert Raful of Santa Rosa was named North Bay veteran of the year by Assembly member Marc Levine. The 92-year-old, who retired after serving for 27 years, was presented with a resolution at the eighth annual California State Assembly veterans recognition luncheon on June 24. Raful served in the Battle of the Bulge and was part of the liberating forces in World War II. Among the celebrants was his wife of 68 years, Susy Raful, a Holocaust survivor, whom he met when he was deployed in Volary, Czechoslovakia. “It was love at first sight,” he recalled.
Comings and goings
Congregation Emanu-El has two new clergy. Cantor Arik Luck joins the S.F. temple after six years at Beth Emet the Free Synagogue in Evanston, Illinois. Rabbi Jason Rodich joins Emanu-El from Minneapolis, where he served as assistant rabbi and director of lifelong learning at Shir Tikvah … Jonathan Harris is the new administrator at San Francisco’s Or Shalom Jewish Community. He was director of operations at Adath Israel for two years and is the “Advice Mensch” for this newspaper … Donny Inbar has left the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation’s Israel Center, where he served as associate director of arts and culture for nine years.
Short shorts
OpenStax (an organization that provides students with free digital textbooks) named a conference room after Congregation Beth Am member Barbara Illowsky in honor of her work to ensure that students have access to high-quality learning material … Alex Budak, whose parents, Mo and Renee Budak, are also members of Los Altos Hills’ Beth Am, was named one of the world’s 100 top visionary leaders by Real Leader magazine. He is the founder of StartSomeGood, a peer-funding platform for social change projects … San Francisco native Abby Ginzberg received a Peabody Award in New York City on May 31 for “Soft Vengeance,” her documentary about South African Jewish freedom fighter Albie Sachs … Proud grandma Claudette Greenblat of San Rafael reports that her grandson Kevin Wick, 24, and his partner Tyler Peckham have opened the AFK (away from keyboard) Gamer Lounge in San Jose, which (according to its website) “is a place for gamers to meet, compete and enjoy all things related to eSports.” Wick was bar mitzvahed at Peninsula Temple Beth El in San Mateo and was Aleph Gadol (leader) of his AZA chapter.
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