Yeashore fighting proposed beach bonfire ban

Members of Yeashore — a group that has been holding Jewish-themed bonfires for more than 10 years — are burned over an ordinance that, if passed, will ban any fires on San Francisco beaches.

"We've been following the rules for 10 years, and I don't think people who don't should ruin it for the rest of us," said Jeff Haas of San Francisco, a Yeashore co-founder.

The half-mile strip of Ocean Beach is the only place in the city where it is still legal to have bonfires. But alcohol, trash and assaults on those patrolling the beaches are the reason the National Park Service is proposing the ban. A decision is expected next month.

Haas complained that the rules about having fires on the beach are only available on a hard-to-find Web site, and not clearly written on signs on the beach as they should be.

"It seems foolish to ban something based on people not following the rules, when those rules are unknown to most beachgoers," Haas wrote to the Yeashore community.

"Rather then ban the bonfires, there should be education on the rules and big signs posted like those in Santa Cruz, which have very specific rules, with icons, so everyone who goes to the beach knows what is OK and what isn't!"

Yeashore began as a way of community-building, to bring all segments of the Jewish community together, but the bonfires attract non-Jews as well.

There is usually a theme, and other Jewish groups often co-sponsor the event, to help defray the costs.

Each bonfire begins with Havdallah, the service ending Shabbat, which seems to work for everyone, so "there won't be a fight," Haas said.

"Orthodox and Reform Jews all agree on how Havdallah is done, and non-Jews get to learn what it's about."

Each bonfire gets anywhere from 18 to 118 people of all ages, said Haas, though he has 650 names on his email list.

Last week, Haas sent an email to the entire list, urging people who attend Yeashore's bonfires to write to the National Park Service, which oversees the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, where the bonfires take place. Comments from the public will be accepted through the end of the month, at http://www.saveoceanbeach.org/stopthefireban.

However, even if the ban is enacted, Yeashore won't have to shut down entirely; the group regularly holds bonfires at the Berkeley Marina as well.

Haas said there are a few spots in Albany and Emeryville where they could hold bonfires as well, but it's not the same for those living in San Francisco.

"If they ban them at Ocean Beach, it will be a huge loss for the San Francisco Jewish community," he said. "People come sing, make friends, and share ... It's exactly what I had envisioned."




The next Yeashore bonfire, with the theme "Songs and Stories," will be held 7 p.m. Saturday, May 27, at the Berkeley Marina. Information: www.yeashore.com.