Jewish hunger relief leader to speak on advocacy

The answer to ending hunger goes beyond simply collecting cans of food and distributing them to the needy, says H. Eric Schockman.

Schockman, head of a Jewish hunger relief organization called Mazon, also believes in political advocacy to address social problems that lead to hunger as well as volunteering for and donating money to soup kitchens and food banks.

"We'll never food bank our way out of hunger in the U.S. unless there is a change in dialogue" and advocacy, he said.

Schockman will deliver that message in San Francisco appearances at 5:30 p.m. today at Congregation Emanu-El, 2 Lake St., and at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at Congregation Sherith Israel, 2266 California St.

"We have to be the voice for the voiceless," says Schockman, whose Los Angeles-based organization provides more than $3 million annually to food pantries, kosher food programs and hunger advocacy groups in the United States and other countries. In the Bay Area, Mazon (the Hebrew word for food) supports some 16 agencies.

As part of his message to congregants in San Francisco, Schockman will suggest a Jewish-themed response to needs that range from what he calls "hunger insecurity" in local communities to downright starvation in more impoverished parts of the world.

"We have two tracks of responsibilities as Jews," he said. "We can't just rescue people downstream. We need to look at systemic issues" and respond to them with letters to legislators and other advocacy work.