Whether he was organizing protests, driving delivery trucks or playing the mandolin, longtime Jewish activist Chen Shapira displayed plenty of chutzpah.
Shapira, who died in Burlingame April 3 from a stroke, was the former executive director of the Zionist Organization of America. He was 66 and lived in Foster City.
During the turbulent year of 1975, when the United Nations had passed the infamous resolution equating Zionism with racism, Shapira, the executive director of the ZOA from 1973 to 1980, organized a rally for thousands of people at Union Square.
Not long after the resolution was passed, Shapira was instrumental in bringing the late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir to San Francisco.
“Golda Meir spoke at Temple Emanu-El, in front of a packed house, and began her speech by saying “Good evening, fellow racists,'” said Gerald Raiskin, the leader of Peninsula Temple Sholom, with a laugh.
“Those were difficult times, but Chen Shapira was always up to the task,” said the leader of the Burlingame Reform synagogue.
According to friends and family members, that was the case no matter which hat Shapira happened to be wearing — truck driver, army intelligence officer, entrepreneur, Hebrew teacher or high-profile community leader.
Shapira was born in Tel Aviv in 1933 to parents who were in the early waves of immigration to pre-state Israel. After his service in the Israeli army, he and his family moved to the Bay Area in 1965. Almost immediately, Shapira began working with the Jewish community.
“He was just a mensch — plain and simple,” said John Rothmann, a local political consultant who served as president of the ZOA. “Chen was a tremendous force for good in the community who never wavered in his support for Israel.”
Shapira helped set up the first noontime Jewish culture lectures in the city, according to Rothmann. “Those lectures filled a real void in the city’s Jewish community.
“People who worked downtown, and had harried schedules, could get a quick dose of Jewish culture during their lunch break.”
Both Rothmann and Raiskin recalled another pet project of Shapira’s, the popular Israeli Chassidic song festivals held during the ’70s through the mid-’80s.
“Those events were huge — and they would never have happened without Chen” recalled Rothmann. “They always packed the house at the Scottish Rite Temple, and they were such warm, spirited community affairs.”
Added Raiskin: “The concerts were among the biggest Israeli cultural events in the country. Chen was a real impresario, and the music he brought to the city is still heard in synagogues.
“I can still see Chen running around with his family, making sure everyone was happy, getting everything organized. And it’s also important to remember that Chen didn’t have a huge budget. He could have taken a bath, but he made it work every time.
In addition, Raiskin said Shapira was the leader of a musical group that could be considered a Jewish version of the Brady Bunch.
“If I really wanted to add some real excitement to my services, I’d call on the ‘Shaparim'” said Raiskin. “They had Chen on mandolin, his son Doron on drums and his other son Gill on electric guitar.
“When Chen got up there with his boys, the place would really be rocking.”
Perhaps Shapira’s most important contribution, according to family members, was as a teacher.
Doron Shapira recalled that his father took the most pride in passing along Jewish culture and knowledge to the hundreds of students he taught over the years.
Shapira served as principal of the Hebrew school of Peninsula Temple Sholom during the 1970s, as well as the principal of San Francisco’s defunct Orthodox B’nai David, where he maintained the only Jewish mikvah in the city. He had a profound influence upon his students, according to Raiskin.
“Twenty-five years after they’d been children in his classes, I’d see students who could do a great Chen Shapira imitation,” Raiskin said. “They’d know all of his phrases, and mannerisms– the whole nine yards.
“He instilled a love of Judaism among his students, and inspired a lot of fond memories.”
Rabbi Jack Frankel, who served as the spiritual leader of the recently disbanded Anshei Ha’sefer, employed some salty eloquence when asked about his friend of more than 30 years.
“There was no b.s. or insincerity at Chen’s memorial,” said Frankel. “It’s said that one who teaches the Talmud to a neighbor’s child, it’s as though he becomes the child’s spiritual father.
“And let me tell you,” continued Frankel, “Chen Shapira left a lot of children behind.”
Chen Shapira is survived by his wife, Rina, of Foster City, sons Doron of Belmont and Gill Shapira of Foster City, and daughter Ady Shapira-Weinstein of San Jose. He is also survived by his brother Amiram Shapira and sister Ziva Juster, both of Israel, and four grandchildren. Contributions can be sent to the American Diabetes Association, 1900 Powell St., No. 285, Emeryville, CA 94608; American Stroke Association, 1710 Gilbreth Road, Burlingame, CA 94010; Zahal Disabled Veterans Fund, Beit Halochem, 49 Shmuel Barcay St., Aseka, P.O. Box 39262, Tel Aviv, 61392, Israel; or a stroke-related charity.