Honoring and remembering
There was an especially ferklempt moment at Congregation Rodef Sholom’s Rosh Hashanah service when Rabbi Stacy Friedman dedicated the congregation’s new Days of Awe machzor (prayerbook), Mishkan HaNefesh, to her predecessor, the late Rabbi Michael Barenbaum, who died in May 2014. Emma, Henry and Samuel Barenbaum and Sadie and Simon Leonard, Barenbaum’s grandchildren, joined Friedman on the bimah on Sept. 14 to read a folk tale, resonant of their grandpa. Barenbaum retired in 2003 after leading the San Rafael Reform congregation for 27 years. His folksy stories about his imaginary character “Shmuel” were a part of the religious school education of every Rodef Sholom kid (not to mention the rest of the congregation). Rabbi Brian Lurie, Barenbaum’s friend and a congregant, noted that the late rabbi would have been pleased with the presentation and the new prayerbook, as well as the bat mitzvah of Emma, the oldest grandchild, the week before. Emma was 9 months old and seated with her parents, Daniel and Michelle Barenbaum, when her grandfather presided over his final Shabbat service before retiring.
Art in Israel
Artist and chef Lisa Rauchwerger of San Jose writes that she will have one of her papercut works in the Jerusalem Biennale in October. The piece is part of the exhibit “Women of the Book,” which she describes as “a visual, midrashic [interpretive] scroll based on the form and content of a traditional Torah scroll.” She is one of 54 Jewish female artists from around the world participating. She created a papercut on kosher parchment of the Parashat Vayeshev. You can see the work on the contact page of her website, www.lisarauchwerger.com. Check out her edible art creations too.
Kudos and congrats
Mazel tov to Tiburon’s Nancy Goldberg, who was recognized by the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women for her work as co-founder and co-chair of the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking on Sept. 16 at City Hall … Laura Talmus will be honored by the Marin Interfaith Council at the group’s 10th annual Visionary Marin on Nov. 10 for her work in bringing awareness to the issue of adolescent social isolation. Talmus and her husband, Ace Smith, founded Beyond Differences after the unexpected death of their daughter Lili Rachel Smith in 2009. The Rev. Janie Spahr, a Presbyterian minister, is also being honored. For information, visit www.marinifc.org. In other MIC news, Larry Strick of Mill Valley and Congregation Kol Shofar is the organization’s new president … Rabbi Doug Kahn, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, and Anita Friedman, executive director of Jewish Family and Children’s Services, are being honored for their commitment to LGBT equality and Israel advocacy by A Wider Bridge, a pro-Israel organization that builds bridges between Israelis and LGBTQ North Americans and allies. The event, A Wider Brunch, will take place on Oct. 18 at the JCC of San Francisco. Alvin Baum and Robert Holgate are co-chairs. For details, email [email protected].
Short shorts
Garry Rayant has been named to the board of directors of American Friends of Tel Aviv University … Jewish LearningWorks has named Deb Fink of Berkeley as director of its new Family Education and Engagement Initiative. Fink was formerly (though many years ago) the agency’s director of teen leadership programs.
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