Sukkot in Africa, Purim in India
When Ruth Messinger was meeting with American Jewish World Service supporters during Sukkot at the Tiburon home of Russ and Joni Pratt, the New York-based executive director of the agency recalled a former Sukkot with refugees from Sudan in the desert in Chad. Messenger, along with AJWS Western Regional Director Rabbi Lee Bycel built a sukkah, which — with its four poles and temporary roof — wasn’t that different from the front of the “homes” of the refugees, she said. Messinger also talked about visiting Kanchipuram, India — on Purim. That traveling group, which included Benita Kline of Berkeley and Karen Robbins of Mill Valley, had a raucous Purim celebration, to which their Indian hosts responded, amazed, “Those Jews were having a religious holiday and they were laughing!” Promoting AJWS’ programs for students, Messinger presented an enticement for all the moms and dads who were at the Tiburon get-together: AJWS work/study tours have been responsible for at least five marriages.
Political rumblings
Richard Goldman has been a lifelong Republican. Now, at age 88 (but who’s counting?), he has a sign for Barack Obama at his San Francisco home and is proudly sporting an Obama-Biden watch … Emily Rosenberg of Berkeley reports that a bunch of East Bay 60-something “Jewish grandmothers and friends,” is shlepping — in person and via phone calls — to Florida to get out the vote for Obama. Rosenberg, Frances Reid and Rose Glickman are among phone bank “virtual shleppers.” Those getting on an airplane include Marcia Freedman and Debby Hoffmann. Freedman served in the Knesset and hopes she can provide insight to those who are unsure about Obama’s loyalty to Israel, says Rosenberg … San Francisco native and piano virtuoso Leon Fleisher, 80, who has played at the Kennedy Center, traveled here from his East Coast home to perform and raise funds to help defeat Proposition 8. His daughter, Paula Fleisher, was recently married to Lucy Bernholz in a San Francisco City Hall wedding performed by Mayor Gavin Newson. The newlyweds are active members of Congregation Sha’ar Zahav … The board at Los Altos Hills Congregation Beth Am endorsed a resolution calling for the defeat of Proposition 8, noting that in keeping with the core values of the Reform movement, the board “opposes any initiative that would amend the state constitution in an attempt to ban marriage for gay and lesbian couples in California.”
Short shorts …
Rabbi Eric Weiss and Marilyn Hoffman will be honored at Creating Hope: the Art of Healing, Shalom Bayit’s annual fundraiser, at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 9 at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. Kate VanZanten, Linda Kalinowski and Carol Platner are chairs of the event, and Nancy Goldberg and Isabel O’Donnell are presenters. Call (510) 451-8874 for infomation … Rabbi Sanford Akselrad of Las Vegas is the guest rabbi at the lectureship named for his late father, Rabbi Sidney Akselrad, at Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills on Nov. 14 and 15 … Linda Twain of American Jewish Committee reports that a blog report by Katie Fehrenbacher about AJC’s October event featuring Shai Agassi was picked up by the New York Times. Agassi is the founder and CEO of the startup Better Place that wants to place charging spots and battery-swapping stations for electric vehicles across the nation … San Francisco metal sculptor Rebecca Fox is one of 17 artists participating in the 2009 Heart Artist public art project. The hearts will be auctioned off to benefit San Francisco General Hospital.
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