Faces

Proudly controversial

During a guest spot on Channel 4's "A Jewish Perspective," Nancy Fishman, program director for the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, told show host Henry Shreibman, "If someone has found something they hate, then we're successful." Fishman was alluding to the always-funny festival trailer, produced this year by David Weismann, which is comprised of critical comments overheard at last year's festival. By the way, if you missed the SFJFF in San Francisco (where it ended this week), you can still catch it — and the trailer — in Berkeley, Mountain View and San Rafael. Visit www.sfjff.org for details.




Teachers of the year

Temple Beth Torah teacher Cheryl Cohen got "kovet" (recognition) on both sides of the Bay when she received the Diller Family Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. On June 14, she was honored at the East Bay federation's annual meeting and the next day, at the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation's event. (See today's Back to School supplement for more on Diller awardees.) JCF also paid tribute to two other outstanding educators at their meeting. Rabbi Joey Felsen of Kehillah Jewish High School and Peggy Sandel of Jewish Community High School of the Bay were recipients of the Grinspoon-Steinhardt education awards.




Yoga for Darfur

Susy Stewart was so inspired by Rabbi Lee Bycel's presentation at Congregation Rodef Sholom on the work of the International Medical Corps, which he leads, in Darfur, that in June she held a fund-raiser at her Corte Madera Yoga Center. Participants donated $1,400 to Darfur relief. Bycel, by the way, was formerly associate rabbi at the San Rafael congregation. In other efforts to halt genocide in Darfur, Gayle Donsky of Mill Valley and Abby Fleishman, formerly with the Jewish Community Relations Council, were in New York City earlier this month planning Judgment on Genocide, a mock trial of the Sudanese government, which will take place with a live webcast on Sept. 20.




The music man

Ellen Newman reports that Congregation Sherith Israel's new organist, accompanist and choral director is internationally known Jonathan Dimmock. He also appears with the San Francisco Symphony and is founding president of Art to the Nations, a group that uses music as an aid in international conflict resolution, which worked with Camp Tawonga last summer in dialogues between Israelis and Palestinians.




Short shorts

Marsha Felton is leaving the World Union for Progressive Judaism (formerly ARZA) on July 31, after 11 years as regional director. She plans to do consulting in both the private sector, where she had a consulting business for years, and the nonprofit arena ... Five Bay Area women will become Outreach Fellows after completing the Reform movement's program to train volunteers to work with interfaith couples. They include Reva Kopel of Alameda's Temple Israel, Sondra Altman of Lafayette's Temple Isaiah, Traci Schneider of Napa's Congregation Beth Shalom, Lisa Erdberg of San Francisco's Congregation Sherith Israel, and Ellen Benjamin of San Francisco's Congregation Emanu-El.

Carol Rose Caine, who practiced law in San Francisco with Littler Mendelson, P.C., has been ordained as a Reconstructionist rabbi ... Mal WarwickM writes that he's "on the road, hawking" his new book — "Values Driven Business: How to Change the World, Make Money and Have Fun." His co-author is Ben Cohen, of Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey ice cream fame. He'll be at Cody's in Berkeley on Monday, July 31.




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