Lifecycles
With a little ingenuity, our wedding happened overnight
My wedding plans with Gary Stein were set for Aug. 2, after Tisha B’Av and to coincide with a visit to the Bay Area by my daughter and family, who…
Lifecycles
Lifecycles for the week of June 26, 2020
Births Ariella Ruth Citron was born on June 5, 2020, to parents Daniel and Karin Citron in St. Louis. Grandparents are Dvora and Eric Citron of Orinda.…
Unions
Oakland couple was hesitant, but Zoom wedding proved to be ‘magical’
When Miriam Nehama Ani and Brandon Waloff sent out invitations to their May 31 wedding months ago, they included a box to check for people who couldn’t…
Lifecycles
Lifecycles for the week of June 12, 2020
Zelda Levin celebrates 103 years Zelda Levin celebrated her 103rd birthday on June 6 at home with her children, Ken (Darlene) Levin and Carol Ann (Robert)…
Lifecycles
Lifecycles for the week of May 29, 2020
Births It’s a Boychik! Levi Simon Knapp was born May 11, 2020. His happy parents are Talia and Sam Knapp and his big sister is Liav Brea Knapp. His proud…
Community
Cheerin’ for Zerin: Local rabbi celebrates 100th birthday
Rabbi Ed Zerin had a lot of parties this month. He had one with some Chabad rabbis from his Torah study class (“They sang me ‘Happy Birthday’ in Hebrew,”…
Lifecycles
Lifecycles for the week of May 15, 2020
B’nai Mitzvah Leo Herzl Wornick, son of Cristina and Jonathan Wornick of Lafayette, became a bar mitzvah on Saturday, April 25 via Zoom. Rabbi Jennie…
Mixed & Matched
My son’s bar mitzvah has to be postponed due to Covid-19. What should I do?
Dear Dawn: My son Joey’s bar mitzvah was scheduled for June of this year and now it can’t happen as planned. Our synagogue is closed. Some of my son’s…
Religion
A virtual bar mitzvah party — in a Minecraft replica of local synagogue
Virtual b’nai mitzvahs are a part of life now. The kid reads Torah and delivers a d’var Torah, often over Zoom, to an audience of friends and family. But…