SPIRITUALITY




Best High Holy Day services

Upon being informed that Kehilla Community Synagogue had won this category, Executive Director Sandy Bredt had an unusual response,"That's excellent! We rock."

Rocking is, in fact, what Kehilla does. It actually might be the only synagogue capable of compiling its own High Holy Days greatest hits album.

"Music is an important way into the Divine, so music has a huge role in our services," explained Bredt.

After the Renewal synagogue's cantor left several years ago to attend rabbinical school, volunteers from the congregation stepped forward.

When a new musical director was hired, Kehilla kept its collaborative musical system going, and that's led to an eclectic and musically saturated High Holy Day experience, heavy on drums and Sephardic rhythms.




First:

Kehilla Community Synagogue

1300 Grand Ave., Piedmont

(510) 547-2424

www.kehillasynagogue.org




Second:

Beth Jacob Congregation

3778 Park Blvd., Oakland

(510) 482-1147

www.bethjacoboakland.org







Best young rabbi

In this — and other rabbinical categories, j.'s readers voted for some of the Bay Area's best and brightest.

In the case of top vote-getter Judah Dardik (the baby-faced spiritual leader of Oakland's Orthodox Beth Jacob Congregation), they also chose the rabbi most likely to be carded at 7-Eleven.

The vote clearly indicated the region has many dynamic young rabbis, including Congregation Kol Shofar's Chai Levy in Tiburon (the runner-up) and Temple Beth Abraham's Mark Bloom in Oakland (who came in third).




First:

Rabbi Judah Dardik

Beth Jacob Congregation

3778 Park Blvd., Oakland

(510) 482-1147

www.bethjacoboakland.org




Second:

Rabbi Chai Levy

Congregation Kol Shofar

215 Blackfield Drive, Tiburon

(415) 388-1818

www.kolshofar.org







Best senior rabbi

Maybe now's the time to remind you: This is not a scientific survey. How could it be with this category? Asking j. readers to choose the best rabbi is like asking them to pick the best mom or best dad.

With that said, we offer a mazel tov to Rabbi Lavey Derby of Congregation Kol Shofar in Tiburon for drawing the most votes.

The man apparently is universally loved and admired for both his Jewish scholarship and haimish manner. Certainly, there's no shortage of high-powered rabbinical talent in our region, but Derby most often wins high praise as an exceptional spiritual leader.

Tying for second were Rabbi Nathaniel Ezray of Temple Beth Jacob (Redwood City) and Rabbi Janet Marder of Congregation Beth Am (Los Altos Hills).




First:

Rabbi Lavey Derby

Congregation Kol Shofar, Tiburon




Second (tie):

Rabbi Nathaniel Ezray

Temple Beth Jacob, Redwood City




Rabbi Janet Marder

Congregation Beth Am, Los Altos Hills







Best Orthodox congregation

One of Oakland's trio of century-old congregations, first-place winner Beth Jacob has deeper East Bay roots than Jack London.

The Modern Orthodox shul, which prides itself on inclusiveness and a sense of community, always seems to be nexus of activity.

Rabbi Judah Dardik, the shul's spiritual leader, quickly won over the congregation after taking the reigns from Rabbi Howard Zack about four years ago. Universally praised as"wise beyond his years," Dardik hasn't forgotten how to relate to young people; he confesses that he's referred to"The Godfather,""The Simpsons,""Seinfeld" and"Star Wars" in explaining Torah portions.

"I prefer to be in the kind of shul where all sorts of Jews feel comfortable," he noted."In a synagogue like this, people don't get involved because [they] have to, but rather because they get up that day and say, 'I love this place, I love these people, and I love my Judaism.'"




First:

Beth Jacob Congregation

3778 Park Blvd., Oakland

(510) 482-1147

www.bethjacoboakland.org




Second:

Congregation Beth Israel

1630 Bancroft Ave., Berkeley

(510) 843-5246

www.beth-israel.berkeley.ca.us







Best Conservative congregation

Tiburon's Congregation Kol Shofar has passed the 600-family mark, which ain't bad for a synagogue with members who still remember the days when rounding up a minyan was a significant accomplishment.

After picking up the nickname"The Wandering Jews," thanks to their once transient march from home to home, Kol Shofar's congregants have been able to stay put since 1984 — the year the congregation purchased an old school building.

The still-growing top winner is led by Rabbi Lavey Derby, who, in a j. article marking the congregation's 40th anniversary in 2002, compared it to"camp or a huge family ... We've got hundreds of kids and hundreds of adults in the building. There's no place to move."




First:

Congregation Kol Shofar

215 Blackfield Drive, Tiburon

(415) 388-1818




Second (tie):

Temple Beth Abraham

336 Euclid Ave., Oakland

(510) 832-0936

www.tbaoakland.org




Temple Beth Jacob

1550 Alameda de las Pulgas, Redwood City

(650) 366-8481

www.templebethjacob.org







Best Reform congregation

Congregation Beth Am, founded in the back rooms of a Los Altos Hills office, is now the largest congregation serving the Bay Area's most rapidly growing Jewish population.

Housed on a sprawling 9 1/2 acre campus, the top-ranked temple is as busy as it is big. Beth Am is seriously involved in adult and youth education, émigré outreach and a variety of programs aimed at everyone from out-of-work techies to divorcees.

Rabbi Janet Marder, immediate past president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, anchors a spiritual team consisting of four rabbis and two rabbis emeritus.

Now the second-largest congregation in Northern California, Beth Am continues to be a"congregation of learners, and a learning congregation," as Rabbi Emeritus Richard Block put it.

First:

Congregation Beth Am

26790 Arastradero Road, Los Altos Hills

(650) 493-4661

www.betham.org




Second:

Congregation Emanu-El

2 Lake St., San Francisco

(415) 751-2535

www.emanuelsf.org







Best Renewal congregation

At the bottom of Kehilla Community Synagogue's Web site, it is politely noted that"we are not the Kehillah Jewish High School, which is in Palo Alto, nor are we the Westwood Kehilla, in Los Angeles." How considerate.

Obviously, enough j. readers knew exactly for whom they were voting. The congregation was named the Bay Area's top Renewal synagogue.

It's been a big year for Kehilla, too. In February, the synagogue moved to a new permanent home in Piedmont after many years in Berkeley. Shortly before that, longtime spiritual leader Rabbi David Cooper received his formal ordination.

In addition to a synagogue, Kehilla operates a weekly religious school for students in kindergarten through sixth grade, a Midrasha program and an adult b'nai mitvah class.




First:

Kehilla Community Synagogue

1300 Grand Ave., Piedmont

(510) 547-2424

www.kehillasynagogue.org




Second:

Chochmat HaLev

2215 Prince St., Berkeley

(510) 704-9687

www.chochmat.org

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Chochmat HaLev is not officially affiliated with the Renewal movement.)




Best interfaith programming

Coping with raising children in a two-faith family is hard. Going out to a nice dinner is easy. At Interfaith Connections, you can do both.

The program, held separately in San Francisco, Marin and on the Peninsula, is a series of seminars and events designed to address common issues faced by couples with one Jewish partner.

Seminars range from the aforementioned dinner and movie to Q&A sessions with a rabbi, priest and minister to an interfaith Shabbat at the beach.

Kehilla Community Synagogue in Piedmont placed second for its inclusive services and holistic approach to Judaism.




First:

Interfaith Connections

multiple locations

(415) 292-1252

www.jccsf.org




Second:

Kehilla Community Synagogue

1300 Grand Ave., Piedmont

(510) 547-2424

www.kehillasynagogue.org







Best cantor

There must be something in the water from the East Bay Municipal Utility District that's good for the vocal chords. Our top three vote-getters all hail from that area.

Tying for first are cantors Linda Hirschhorn (Temple Beth Sholom, San Leandro) and Richard Kaplan (Temple Beth Abraham, Oakland). Brian Reich (Congregation Beth El, Berkeley) was runner-up.

Some readers say each sings like an angel — and each has a touch of the rock star as well (especially Reich, who cuts loose at Beth El's monthly Joy of Shabbat service).

Hirschhorn has her own band — well, actually two of them if you count both her popular women's chorus Vocolot and her in-house Beth Sholom Shabbat orchestra, comprised of congregants and conducted by her.

Kaplan, like Hirschhorn, is also a recording artist, and brings his knowledge of ethnomusicology to bear on his music, on and off the bimah.




First (tie):

Linda Hirschhorn

Temple Beth Sholom

642 Dolores Ave., San Leandro

(510) 357-8505

www.tbssanleandro.org




Richard Kaplan

Temple Beth Abraham

327 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland

(510) 848-3988

www.bethelberkeley.org




Second:

Brian Reich

Congregation Beth El

2301 Vine St., Berkeley

(510) 832-0936

www.tbaoakland.org







Best mohel

This category ought to have an asterisk by it: The only people truly qualified to vote for best mohel are 8-day-old Jewish boys. But we let their parents do the voting, and they overwhelmingly selected Berkeley-based Rabbi Chanan Feld as the region's best.

Although new mothers may not always be thrilled when he knocks on the door, his is a gentle hand to fulfill the mitzvah of brit milah.




First:

Rabbi Chanan Feld

(510) 524-0722

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)







Best meditation center

J. readers were definitive in deciding that Berkeley's Chochmat HaLev is the top Jewish meditation center.

Describing Chochmat can be difficult (even the center's own Web site admits this), but one can do worse than apply the term"center of Jewish spirituality." The center is comprised of three components: a meditation center, an academy and a chavurah.

Chochmat makes its own books and CDs exploring Jewish spirituality, certiford meditation instructors. and offers courses ranging from Jewish healing to drumming.

And, you can even rent the place out for a wedding or b'nai mitzvah. Drumming is optional.




First:

Chochmat HaLev

2215 Prince St., Berkeley

(510) 704-9687

www.chochmat.org




Second:

Makor Or

Meditation Center

323 14th Ave., San Francisco

415) 221-8736 ext. 224

www.makoror.org




COMMUNITY




Best Jewish lectures

The Bay Area relishes its reputation as a melting pot of people and ideas — and for being the undisputed champion of open dialogue. This year, some speakers visiting here fostered ideological diversity by way of the lecture circuit at the first-place winning Jewish Community Center of San Francisco.

"It is the comprehensive nature of our programming that keep people coming back," said Nate Levine, the executive director at JCCSF."We have really brought world class and diverse points of view from the Jewish world, as well as people from other communities who have shared their perspective."




First:

JCC of San Francisco

3200 California St.

(415) 292-1200

www.jccsf.org




Second:

Jewish Community Library

Bureau of Jewish Education

1835 Ellis St., San Francisco

(415) 567-3327

www.bjesf.org







Best Jewish fund-raiser

According to our readers, no one held a more elegant fundraiser in the past year than the Jewish Family and Children's Services émigré community.

The event's purpose was to bring people together to raise awareness about modern-day émigré issues.

And according to Jenny Brock, assistant event coordinator, it's thrilling for the community to win"because it validates all the work they have done. They came over to America in need of émigré services. Now, they are in such a position of success that they are giving back. They are helping themselves, supporting all these programs for their own people."

Eden Bruner, another coordinator, added that"out of about 228,000 Jews in the West Bay, Soviet Union Jews make up about 8 percent. By bringing together new and old émigrés, we are helping keep the community strong."




First:

JFCS Emigre Community Gala

2534 Judah St., San Francisco

(415) 449-2900

www.jfcs.org




Second:

New Generations Gala Benefit

785 Market St., Ste. 1400, San Francisco

(415) 543-5055

www.nif.org







Best JCC

Workshops, social and singles events, dance classes. Should we go on? Music performances. Art exhibits. More?

With more than 1.6 million served in a given year (people, that is, not burgers), the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco offers more programming than some small liberal arts colleges. (And it's cheaper, too.)

It comfortably topped our readers' list as the best JCC in the Bay Area.

Executive Director Nate Levine noted that success is about variety. It's about"the totality of what we do," he said."We bring so many of the people of the Jewish community together to do so many different things. We have people who see the JCC as their preschool, a center for Jewish learning, as a place to experience arts and culture, or as a place to be healthy and work out."

Yet, JCCSF is not solely a home for the Jewish community — it also won San Francisco Weekly's Best Recreation/Learning Center award this year.




First:

JCC of San Francisco

3200 California St., San Francisco

(415) 292-1200

www.jccsf.org




Second:

Peninsula JCC

800 Foster City Blvd., Foster City

(650) 212-PJCC (7522)

www.pjcc.org







Best Web site

Nowadays, with so many things available at the click of a button (books, clothes, Jerry's DeliPaks), there's almost no sensible reason to leave the house.

For people looking for more than home-delivered corned beef on rye, however, PlanitJewish (tops in this category) is an ideal place — connecting online Jews to local Jewish life.

The site, now run by the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation,"helps people find out how to get involved in the community, to find out how to volunteer, and to get connected with friends, said Howard Brown, president and CEO of PlanitJewish ."This site is like a map for the Jewish community."




First:

PlanitJewish




Second:

">JCC of San Francisco







Best women's organization

What do former Secretary of State Colin Powell, U2 singer Bono and Hadassah have in common? They've all been nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.

What don't they have in common? Only Hadassah topped the j. readers' poll for Best Women's Organization.

Hadassah, which was nominated for the Nobel for promoting peace in the Middle East region by providing equal medical treatment to Palestinians and Israelis alike," is providing hospitals in war-torn countries," according to Paul Schexnayder, administrative assistant for the San Francisco chapter.

"No more blood has been spilled on the sand of any other place than the Middle East. We are just trying to make peace."




First:

Hadassah

1715 Polk St., San Francisco

(415) 771-5900

www.hadassah.org




Second (tie):

AMIT

2232 Judah St., San Francisco

(415) 664-6309

www.amitchildren.org




Shalom Bayit

P.O. Box 10102, Oakland

(510) 451-8874

www.shalom-bayit.org







Best men's organization

Male bonding is an age-old tradition. Sometimes it involves cigars and Turkish baths, other times just going to a ballgame.

For the Jewish guy, first-place winner B'nai B'rith seems to do the trick, too, and Irving Golden, past president of the Northern California Region, said there's an easy explanation why.

"There is a unity and brotherhood that exists in B'nai B'rith that does not exist in many other organizations. The organization is over 160 years old. They have always had a goal of assistance not only among its members but the public in general."

B'nai B'rith covers the entire age spectrum (BBYO for youth to housing services for the elderly). The group's devotion to strengthening Jewish life in the community apparently is such that it could continue for another 160 years.




First:

B'nai B'rith

91 Knight Drive, San Rafael

(415) 456-0344

www.bnaibrith.org







Best Jewish agency

Some of us remember tzedakah as the leftover change from our pockets being turned in to Hebrew school once a week. But to two local Jewish federations (which as one entity tied for first place) and the San Francisco-based Jewish Family and Children's Services, it's a lot, lot more.

"Our volunteers feel like they can have a real impact on people's lives, explained Rachel Kesselman, JFCS head of volunteer services."As an extension of every service we provide, volunteers really feel like they are making a difference."

Added Phyllis Cook, acting executive director of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation:"We are an agency that serves and supports. ... We are a consensual organization. There is no one stream, all of the Jewish interests affect us. The secret of the federation is the quality of volunteers who rally to support the enterprise."

Loren Basch, CEO of the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay, put it this way:"Most people know that when you give a dollar to the federation, it goes to the broadest number of Jews."







First (tie):

Jewish Family and Children's Services

multiple locations

(415) 449-1200

www.jfcs.org




Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties

121 Steuart St., San Francisco

(415) 777-0411

www.sfjcf.org




Jewish Community Federation of the East Bay

300 Grand Ave., Oakland

(510) 839-2900

www.jfed.org




Second:

Bureau of Jewish Education

639 14th Ave., San Francisco

(415) 751-6983

www.bjesf.org







Best Jewish politician

J. readers flocked to our polls to vote for Sen. Barbara Boxer as best Jewish politician.

Known for her commitment to protecting the environment, lowering crime and preserving the financial safety net for older Americans, the senator also has been recognized by the Anti-Defamation League and the National Council of Jewish Women for her achievements.

"The values that I learned in my Jewish home are the values I bring to my job," Boxer said."These include standing up and fighting on the side of the people I represent, and not being afraid to stick to my convictions even when it gets difficult."

Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Tom Lantos tied for second.

Also receiving votes in this category were Al Gore, Barbara Lee and Gavin Newsom. Um — not Jewish, not Jewish and separated.




First:

Sen. Barbara Boxer

1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco

(415) 403-0100

www.boxer.senate.gov




Second (tie):

Sen. Dianne Feinstein

One Post St., Suite 2450, San Francisco

(415) 393-0707

www.feinstein.senate.gov




Rep. Tom Lantos

400 S. El Camino Real Suite 410, San Mateo

(650) 342-0300

www.lantos.house.gov




SENIORS




Best Jewish retirement home

The Jewish Home of San Francisco is forging new and exciting paths in the field of elder care — enough to earn first-place in this category.

Known for its diverse programming, the Home leads a seven-day-a-week activity program in which the recreational needs of the residents are met not only during daytime but in the evening as well.

"I have had the pleasure of going on outings with some of our residents, and it is a joy to see how positively they react to other environments," said Daniel Ruth, the home's president and CEO."These outings, such as visits to the opera and museums, let our residents stay engaged with community life outside of Silver Avenue," where the Home is located.

The Reutlinger Commjunity for Jewish Living in Danville was a close runner-up.




First:

Jewish Home

302 Silver Ave., San Francisco

(415) 334-2500

www.jhsf.org




Second:

Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living

4000 Camino Tassajara, Danville

(925) 964-2066 or (925) 968-2800

www.rcjl.org







Best sectarian retirement facility

According to our readers, Rossmoor in Walnut Creek tops this category by facilitating an active and caring community for the aged. With amenities such as NCGA-rated golf courses, riding stables and outdoor tennis courts to keep residents moving, Rossmoor stresses the importance of recreation in everyday life.

Claremont House in Oakland and the Magnolia in Millbrae took second place. According to Stephanie Sanders-Badt, a spokesperson there,"Our philosophy is that we respect people in the place they happen to be, and we want to give them an opportunity and a forum to continue to be who they are, which creates an environment of fascinating and interesting people."

First:

Rossmoor

P.O. Box 2070, Walnut Creek

(925) 988-7700

www.rossmoor.com




Second (tie):

Claremont House

4500 Gilbert St., Oakland

(510) 658-9266

www.crmscommunities.com/claremont




The Magnolia of Millbrae

201 Chadbourne Ave., Millbrae

(650) 697-7700

www.themagnolia.com




VOLUNTEERS




Best place to volunteer

With so many people running from work to meetings to carpools to school events to home, there rarely seems to be time left for anything else, like, say breathing or volunteering.

Thankfully, the San Francisco-based Jewish Family and Children's Services is available for the latter, with its highly regarded reputation and diversity of programming.

Rachel Kesselman, head of volunteer services at JFCS, said her staff matches volunteers with programs in which they will excel the best."We really provide a lot of training to enhance the volunteers' skills and knowledge about what they are doing," she said.

JFCS' helping hand extends to adults living with disabilities, youth mentoring, senior outreach and endeavors such as Project Open Hand.




First:

Jewish Family and Children's Services

2150 Post St., San Francisco

(415) 449-1200

www.jfcs.org




Second:

Oakland Hebrew Day School

5500 Redwood Road, Oakland

(510) 531-8686

www.ohds.org

The Best of the Jewish Bay Area 2005