Harold Myberg shuffled into Bread of Life early Dec. 24, turned on the lights and examined his work: Vats of tomato salad, carrot-pineapple salad and collard greens. Pans of roast duck, smoked ham and yams. Back fat. Pies. Cake. Enough for 500 people, at least.
Myberg, retired former owner of Myberg’s restaurants in San Jose and Cupertino, dictated directions to his staff — all volunteers, like himself.
Within hours, hundreds of hungry and homeless people from East Palo Alto filtered through the doors for a Christmas Eve meal. The volunteers — dozens of them, including Myberg and others from the social action committee of Congregation Kol Emeth in Palo Alto — were ready.
“It’s gotta be done,” Myberg said, his slight South African accent creeping through.
This was Myberg’s second year as head chef for the holidays at Bread of Life. Others, like Bill Keating — also a Kol Emeth member, have been volunteering there for years.
“I’ve been involved in the East Palo Alto community for a while. I’m familiar with the black community here. But I’m also only one person,” Keating said. “I told the social action committee of Kol Emeth about what I was doing and they picked up on it.
“We’re trying to make some people’s Christmas better.”
Keating recalls this past Thanksgiving — Kol Emeth’s first organized presence at Bread of Life, a nutrition program, clothes closet and after-school tutorial center. Youth group teens established a precedent, helping prepare the food and cleaning the kitchen. Women and men from the synagogue worked side by side with East Palo Alto residents to prepare and serve a dinner. Rabbi Sheldon Lewis of Kol Emeth said a blessing over the meal.
“This is a tough community. Most of these people have never seen a rabbi before. But they loved him,” Keating said.
Ten years ago, Luvy Lewis began feeding people on the streets of East Palo Alto with leftover food. Her efforts, along with the help of Dr. William Lee, developed into Bread of Life.
The program serves about 80 people daily except Sundays and Mondays and delivers dinners to shut-ins.
Companies including Safeway, Costco and Lucky, and the nonprofit Second Harvest, donate food for the holiday rush. This year Palo Alto Police and Fire departments collected toys for the children. But the transformation from donation to give-away comes through the efforts of volunteers.
Kol Emeth member Helene Rock and her daughter Mia worked from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 23 peeling potatoes and carrots, seasoning turkeys, ducks and hams, and preparing soup stock. They returned early the next day to set up and serve the meal.
“You don’t just blab to your child about tzedakah. You take them to do it,” Rock said. “This is the most obviously Jewish thing we can do at this time of year.
“We bring God into this world by doing good things. It’s our mission in life as Jews.”
Rabbi Sheldon Lewis agreed.
“As a congregation, we need to do our part. It’s a fundamental part of our Jewish commitment,” he said. “I’m delighted to see this reservoir of good will and energy. My hope is that this becomes more than a holiday focal event, that we find ways for yearlong involvement.”