Any agency that wants Barbara Rosenberg on its board of directors should know one thing up front. “I can be a lot of trouble,” the longtime San Franciscan joked.
But seriously, she added, “I never get elected to a board to be a yes person, even though there are many times you should say ‘yes.’ As a board member, you have a responsibility to disagree when something is inappropriate. I’m usually pretty hands-on.”
Rosenberg’s leadership, generosity and enthusiasm have earned her the prestigious Judith Chapman Women’s Leadership Award. She is past president of the Jewish Home and Bureau of Jewish Education, a current board member of Lehrhaus Judaica and the Jewish Community High School of the Bay, a trustee of Brandeis University, and has worked with numerous non-Jewish causes, as well.
Rosenberg will receive the award at the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation’s annual Power of One women’s gathering March 19.
“I don’t think tikkun olam means ‘just repair the Jewish world,'” she said. “It means repair the world.”
Rosenberg laughs when she reflects on her Jewish journey. As a young girl in Massachusetts, she once was kicked out of Hebrew school when her teacher told the class to make a sentence using the Hebrew word for ‘fly’, or zvove.
“I’m sure he meant a sentence in Hebrew, but I said, ‘Your zvove is open,'” she said. “When I think about that, to have made it here is really amusing.”
Rosenberg moved to San Francisco 45 years ago with her husband, Richard, who at the time was in the Navy. She got her undergraduate degree from Brandeis University and earned her master’s at Harvard, then taught high school English and social studies. Richard eventually became chairman and CEO of BankAmerica Corporation.
They are both retired, though for them, that is a euphemism for “busier than ever.” Both serve on multiple boards, take fitness classes and study Torah.
The pair live in an elegant but inviting home in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood. They can see Marin County from their kitchen and family room, which is filled with hardback books and snapshots of their five grandsons. Barbara decorated the sunny home with Buddhas and teapots from the couple’s travels to Asia, and with mezuzahs and Jewish artwork that reflects their connection to their faith and culture.
“She is so dynamic. She is my role model,” said Eve Bernstein, Rosenberg’s good friend and president of Lehrhaus Judaica.
The pair has worked together extensively on issues relating to Jewish education, which Rosenberg said is her biggest passion.
When Rosenberg joined the board of JCHS in 2004, she noticed a lack of content about modern Israeli history and politics. Intent on changing that, she worked with Lehrhaus Judaica to develop a comprehensive class about Israel from the 17th century to today.
Rosenberg hopes that eventually day schools will find a way to adapt the class for younger students as well, and perhaps distribute the curriculum nationally.
“Educating and training an independent critical mind is the greatest gift you can leave society,” she said.
And because she believes “education never stops,” she helped bring Lehrhaus Judaica classes to the Jewish Home in San Francisco, whose residents often cannot attend classes elsewhere.
Rosenberg loves to travel. She and Richard will spend their 55th wedding anniversary in Jerusalem. She’s also an avid reader. When asked what she’s currently reading, she showed off several paperbacks, ranging from short stories to Jewish novels to Torah analysis.
“She’s bright, she’s quick, but what I like is her spirit,” said Phyllis Friedman, who worked with Rosenberg at the Home. “She’s so dedicated and convincing that even when I may not believe in her cause, I’ll give to that cause because I believe in her. She does get people excited.”
Power of One dinner
The Judith Chapman Women’s Leadership Award of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund will be presented March 19 at the Power of One Annual Gala Dinner and Reception sponsored by the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation’s Woman’s Alliance.
The event is designed to celebrate and inspire the power of each woman to make a difference in this world. Tickets cost $85, and attendance also requires a minimum individual gift of $365 to the Federation’s Campaign 2007, payable by Dec. 31, 2007.
This year’s event features keynote speaker Evelyn Lauder and will take place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco. For more information, call 415.777.0411 or visit www.sfjcf.org.