S. Bay JCRC chair: ‘Kids shouldn’t be forced to sing Jingle Bells’

By day,  Peter Ullmann is an engineering manager who works on intellectual property for Adobe Systems. In his after-hours volunteer work, Ullmann hopes to mobilize the South Bay Jewish community to work together on promoting their views on education, hate crimes, Israel and faith-based social programs.

Ullmann hopes to take common ideals and “bring them to life” as the new chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater San Jose for the next two years.

“I think the key to engage people is not to emphasize politics, but issues that are personal, like religion,” he says. “Everyone that has a child in a public school has to deal with some aspect of religion, and everyone that is Jewish might be subjected to hate crimes. We’ve had swastikas on Jewish buildings and rocks thrown through synagogue windows here.”

Another example of religion entering the public sphere, says Ullmann, is how schools deal with the winter holidays. Ullman, believes that public schools deny that Christmas trees, Santa Claus and carols have religious connotations.

“Kids shouldn’t be forced to sing ‘Jingle Bells,’” says Ullmann, who authored a JCRC position statement on religion in education. “A Sikh or Muslim or Jewish child might be uncomfortable or influenced about what the proper way of being is — that [singing songs associated with holidays they don’t celebrate] is the right thing to do, in the way learning to read is.”

With that in mind, the JCRC is planning a “December Dilemma” program for parents next month. Information will be available at (408) 348-3033, ext. 30, or at http://www.jewishsiliconvalley.org.

Over the years, Ullmann has helped to develop an active Jewish presence in the South Bay. When he first joined the South Bay JCRC six years ago, he helped to establish a local Hillel at San Jose State.

“Here’s the 11th largest city in the country, with a population of 25,000 Jews — I was curious to know why there wasn’t a Hillel,” he says.

“The Jewish community here is relatively new, and we don’t have the history that translates into activism, physical and financial support. It’s a much more cohesive community than the one I moved into 12 years ago, but compared to San Francisco or Boston, we have a ways to go.”

As the head of the JCRC, one of the first things Ullmann has done is to set up a retreat, where experienced community organizers will talk to 25 JCRC members about techniques for gathering public support. He also hopes to connect with other religious groups in the area, such as the Muslim community, who might share concern with Jews.

Before the election earlier this month, the JCRC joined community groups in opposing Proposition 54, which would have curtailed the collecting of racial and ethnic information. The JCRC is also presenting a speakers series, which has included representatives from JIMENA-Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa.

The South Bay JCRC, unlike its S.F.-based counterpart, is “mostly a lay organization,” Ullmann says. The executive director’s position, held by Janet Berg, is the only paid position and it is part time. Berg, said Ullmann, is the professional who provides organization, while the role of the board is to set and implement policy.

An electrical engineer by training, Ullmann doesn’t fit the stereotype of the introverted techie. At his job in Adobe Systems’ research and development division, he’s in constant communication with three different groups: lawyers working on patents, engineers at other companies developing common technical standards, and professors doing collaborative research with Adobe.

Friendly and disarmingly casual, he downplays his many commitments. In the past, he served as co-chair of South Bay Jewish Film Series (now the San Jose Jewish Film Festival), and is a longtime volunteer with Opera San Jose. And he has a family with two young children.

“Even in these times of economic challenges, we can’t lose sight of other issues that still need to be addressed, even if our individual concerns are directed to our financial well-being,” says Ullmann. “We still need to build a community that we are proud and excited to live in, and make sure that politicians are aware of our concerns.”