Happenings
Nancy Sheftel-Gomes successfully defended her dissertation, “Conflicts Teaching About Conflicts: How Jewish Educators Engage with Israel-Palestine,” in the USF International & Multicultural Education department’s doctoral program. Sheftel-Gomes, who will soon turn 80, is a longtime Congregation Sherith Israel member who served as education director from 1999 to 2018 and as interim executive director from 2016 to 2018. She also ran the Hamotzi and Chicken Soupers food programs for more than 20 years and currently participates in different volunteer projects.
Stanford University Libraries is now the home of the Hanoch Levin Archive. Hanoch Levin (1943–1999) was an influential and groundbreaking Israeli playwright. Stanford acquired the collection in collaboration with the Taube Center for Jewish Studies and Eitan Lev Kensky, the Reinhard Family curator of Judaica and Hebraica Collections. “The placement of the Hanoch Levin Archive in the special collections of the Stanford University Libraries will further secure the author’s legacy as a leading Israeli playwright and a presence on the stage of world literature,” said university librarian Michael A. Keller.
Honors
Holocaust survivor Sanne DeWitt, Berkeley resident and member of Congregation Beth Israel, was honored with a commemoration by Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii on the city’s 22nd annual Holocaust Remembrance Day in April.
Joy Sisisky, C. Michelle Greenberg, and Rebecca Goodman received honorary doctoral degrees from Hebrew Union College at its May graduation ceremony in Los Angeles. Sisisky is CEO of the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, and previously served as executive director of the Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York. She was awarded an honorary doctor of Jewish nonprofit management. Greenberg, who teaches at the Nueva School in Hillsborough, received rabbinic ordination from HUC in 2000 and has taught classes in Holocaust and genocide studies for nearly three decades. She was awarded an honorary doctor of divinity. Goodman is director of Jewish community engagement at the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area. She holds M.A. degrees in nonprofit management and Jewish education from Hebrew Union College. She was awarded an honorary doctor of Jewish religious education.
Stephanie Rapp of San Francisco will be awarded the Raphael Lemkin Human Rights Award by the rabbinic human rights organization T’ruah. Rapp, who for 20 years was a senior program officer at the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, helped create several initiatives that later became Upstart, Bend the Arc, the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, the Rabbi at Glide program and the Jews of Color Initiative. She has worked on two Academy Award–nominated documentaries, writes for public radio and continues to work with organizations committed to narrative change.
Comings and Goings
Francesco Spagnolo, curator at the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life in Berkeley, and Julie Franklin, registrar and rights and reproductions manager, are leaving on July 1 after 20 years at the museum. Both joined the staff in 2005 and have worked closely together. Spagnolo played a central role in the museum’s move to UC Berkeley in 2010 and has curated 38 exhibitions and over 200 public programs. He will be working with the curatorial team at the National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah in Ferrara, Italy, but will remain based in the Bay Area. Franklin managed the collections for display and education and was considered essential to the preservation, care and accessibility of the permanent collection. Franklin also trained graduate interns and taught courses for the San Francisco State University museum studies program. She will return to her art practice and run her miniature art gallery.
After 10 years, Michael Saxe-Taller is leaving his leadership position at Kehilla Community Synagogue in Piedmont. He is the longest-running executive director in Kehilla’s history, and during his time the synagogue’s staff and budget have increased, while membership has grown to 560 households.
Molly Jozer is the new executive director at Congregation Sherith Israel. She previously served as deputy director of community security at the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund. She has worked with nonprofit organizations to develop safety protocols and plans, and also served in the U.S. Coast Guard. She joined Sherith Israel in her new role on April 23. Kaia Burkett, who served as interim executive director, is working with Jozer to ensure a smooth transition.
Jeni Clancy is the new director of education at Congregation Beth Jacob in Redwood City. She previously served as San Francisco program manager for Jewish Baby Network. Clancy worked as a Parents Place parent educator for more than a decade, and was the early childhood director at S.F. Congregation Sherith Israel from 2014 to 2016. Clancy, who was awarded the Helen Diller Award for Excellence in Jewish Education in 2020, started her new position on May 1.
Changes at the Kehillah School in Palo Alto: Richard Brownstone will become high school director on July 1 after serving as dean of academics. He had a successful career as a professional dancer, actor and musician before beginning a 27-year journey as a teacher and educational leader. Roy Danovitch is stepping down as associate head of school at the end of this academic year. And Dave Weiner, director of admissions and enrollment management, is leaving Kehillah to pursue a leadership role in San Diego.
Rabbi Zelig Golden is leaving Wilderness Torah after 18 years. He co-founded the earth-based Jewish nonprofit and served in different high-level roles during his tenure. He will continue serving the community through his work at Regenerative Rabbinics as Wilderness Torah reorganizes.
Alex Bolotovsky will be taking over as CEO of J Leaders, which provides leadership training for young Jewish professionals, starting June 1. He has held leadership roles in the Jewish nonprofit world, including as regional director of BBYO in Miami and as a director at Penn State Hillel. Bolotovsky has worked in startup innovation for the past eight years. J Leaders founder and outgoing CEO Peter Hoffman will remain on the organization’s board.