A bite of the Big Apple
If you’re reading this in the Bay Area, chances are you won’t see Kenny Altman of San Francisco doing his gig at the Gotham Comedy Club in New York City on Saturday, Feb. 28. He’s landed a spot in the club’s New Talent Comedy Showcase, but his first reason for hitting the Big Apple is to go to a reunion of former employees of NYC Tower Records stores. He was a Tower manager “in another life,” he says. You can see Altman locally on March 11 when he competes in a comedy competition at Rooster T. Feathers in Sunnyvale. Check him out at www.youtube.com/kennyaltman. P.S. Altman’s “day job” is at Parents’ Place at Jewish Family and Children’s Services, and the signature on his e-mail is “Stand-up Comic/Torah Trope Instructor” — now that’s cobbling together a career!
Hip-hopping teens
Students from the Jewish Community High School of the Bay in San Francisco will be hip-hopping at the Golden State Warriors’ Jewish Heritage game on Sunday, March 1. The team will perform on the court before the 6 p.m. game, which pits the Warriors against the Utah Jazz.
The JCHS team is coached by Jen Schuman and Ava Jackson. The team members are Rachel Shatz, Martine Glickfield, Jael Berger, Max Malakoff, Ari Berman, Jennifer Klonoff, Adam Cameron, Elana Cohn, Amy Williams, Hannah Efron, Helen Lehrman, Briana Chereshmaya, Lena Elkins, Morgan Arrington, Avital Pelman and Tiffany Kats.
More D.C. travelers
Confirmation class kids from Lafayette’s Temple Isaiah participated recently in the L’Taken Teen Social Justice Seminar of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington, D.C. They studied first, and then lobbied congressional representatives. Participants and their issues are Josh Downes, diplomatic involvement in the Middle East; Abi Horstman and Becca Pearl, federal funding for sex education in the schools; Rachel Kaufman, Jordan Myers and Jacqueline Garell, LGBT rights in the workplace; Matt Feld, renewable electricity standard; and Tessa Whitley, Hannah Ruben and Gabrielle Zoger, disability rights. Rabbis Alissa Forrest and Roberto Graetz accompanied the group.
Short shorts …
Congregation Sha’ar Zahav’s “Music in the Mishkan” is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Notes Ron Lezell, “Music director Randall Weiss is dedicated to programming with the music of Jewish composers, especially those who wrote during the Holocaust.” The second of three programs is March 8. Visit www.shaarzahav.org for details … State Senator Mark Leno was named chair of two committees: the Senate Public Safety Committee and Budget Committee No. 3 on Health and Human Services, Labor and Veterans Affairs (try getting that title on your business card) … Marc Levine of San Rafael has been elected to the executive board of the California Democratic Party, representing the 6th Assembly District … Barry Kleiman of El Cerrito has been named to the board of directors of Maccabi USA/Sports for Israel. He’s the Contra Costa JCC Maccabi basketball coach and led the team, in its inaugural Maccabi competition, to a 7-0 record and a gold medal at the games in San Diego last summer.
Rabbi Michael Lerner of Berkeley has notified the Tikkun community that he has lung cancer, though he has never been a smoker. In an e-mail, he said, “I have cancer … and yes, you can help me deal with it.” He underwent surgery Feb. 19. You can find information on his recovery and a place to send personal notes at www.tikkun.org.
Mea culpa
Josh Rushakoff’s Web site is www.musicalmatch.org (not .com as I mistakenly wrote in the Feb. 13 column).
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