Wine, rock ‘n’ roll at Purim fest in S.F.
“Purim Unmasked: An Off-Street Festival” is a joint effort between the JCC of San Francisco and Be’chol Lashon that will take place from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, March 8 at the JCCSF.
The event will feature a Purim feast (with a hamantaschen-making demonstration), carnival games, live music and storytelling. Activities include: Amy Tobin, creator of cabaret rock opera “The Esther Show,” leading a modern text study; a performance by the teen rock band Prone to Explode; and a wine tasting with Rimon Winery. The Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts Youth Band and New Orleans street band Bug Horn Rex will perform.
The JCCSF is at 3200 California St., S.F. For more information, visit www.jccsf.org.
East Bay Forum kicks off spring series
The East Bay Jewish Forum is launching its lineup of eight spring lectures next week with a talk by AIPAC’s Matt Gabe called “Iraq Diaries: What my time in Iraq taught me about the Middle East.”
The forum will be held at Temple Beth Sholom in San Leandro.
The series begins with four weeks of lectures focusing on the Middle East and wraps up in with two lectures by educator Riva Gambert titled “The Cinema of German Jewish Filmmakers.”
Gabe, a San Francisco resident who is a Navy Reserve officer, will be speaking about his six-month service in Iraq that began in July 2007. As a lawyer who worked in detainee operations, he never saw combat, but he was based in the Green Zone and carried a weapon at all times.
Gabe serves as AIPAC’s area director for the East Bay, Sacramento and Northern Nevada.
His talk is slated for 10 a.m. Thursday, March 12 at Temple Beth Sholom, 642 Delores Ave., San Leandro. The series continues on consecutive Thursdays through May 14, with each lecture beginning at 10 a.m., following coffee and conversation at 9:45 a.m. The series is sponsored by the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay’s Center for Jewish Living and Learning.
Each session costs $10 at the door, although fall pass holders can renew their passes for $18; spring passes for new attendees are $50. For more information, call (510) 839-2900 ext. 256 or email [email protected].
Special-needs Shabbat, support group launch
Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the East Bay has started a support group and monthly Shabbat for children with special needs.
The family Shabbat will meet the first Friday of the month, beginning Friday, March 6, and on April 3, May 1 and June 5. Services will be from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at JFCS, 1855 Olympic Blvd., Suite 200, Walnut Creek. A donation of $10 to $30 per family is suggested.
The support group will meet Tuesdays, March 17 through May 5. It is intended to help parents with children who have developmental, educational, behavioral and mental health challenges. A therapist will work with families during the eight-week series, which costs $20 per session and $160 for the series. The support group will also meet at JFCS offices in Walnut Creek.
Advanced registration is required; contact Melanie Wartenberg at (925) 927-2000 ext. 627 or [email protected].
Purim party features Israeli reggae band
Shivat Zion, a group of East Bay Jews, is hosting a Roots Rock Purim Party at 8 p.m. Monday, March 9 at the Shattuck Downlow, 2284 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley.
The megillah reading will begin at 8 p.m.; the band Acharit Hayamim will begin playing at 9 p.m. This will be the West Coast debut for the band, which is known for its high-energy shows and spontaneous street performances in downtown Jerusalem.
Tickets cost $13. Admission is free for children 13 years and younger. For more information, email [email protected].
Super Sundays reap super rewards
“Super Sunday” fundraisers Feb. 22 reaped much-needed dollars for local Jewish community federations.
A phone-a-thon for the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation brought in approximately $200,000 for JCF’s annual campaign. This figure tops last year’s take by 13 percent, with more than 50 volunteers calling 350 donors on the Peninsula.
A similar effort by the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay spilled into “Super Monday,” with 80 volunteers making calls over the two-day period. The effort raised $300,000 toward the East Bay federation’s annual campaign.
Oshman JCC opens membership campaign
The Oshman Family Jewish Community Center, which will move to the new Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life in September, is now accepting membership applications.
Open to all faiths and backgrounds, JCC members can enjoy a state-of-the-art fitness center, indoor and outdoor pools and diverse programming for preschoolers, teens, singles, families and seniors. New members who sign up now will receive a free gift and lower rates.
The JCC just opened a membership office, located at 3997 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. It is open every day. For more information, call (650) 248-2959.
Adult classes focus on philosophy, wisdom
Spring classes at Congregation Emanu-El’s Tauber Jewish Studies Program begin March 19 at the San Francisco synagogue.
Four classes are offered during the eight-week spring semester: “The Torah: A Women’s Commentary,” “From Crescent to Cross: Jewish Medieval Philosophy Under the Influence of Islam and Christianity,” “Hidden Wisdom: Revealing the Meaning of Talmudic Stories,” and “The Best of the Prophets.”
Each class costs $36 for synagogue members and $50 for non-members. For more information or to register, visit www.taubernet.org, or contact Emily Shapiro Katz at (415) 751-2535 ext. 412.
‘Vision’ fellowships open to students
Abraham’s Vision, a Bay Area–based nonprofit, is accepting applications for its Vision Program, which brings together Jewish and Palestinian college students during a 10-month fellowship.
The program accepts 12 Jewish and 12 Palestinian students each year. It begins with a monthlong trip to the Balkans, where students meet activists and scholars in Serbia, Kosovo, and Bosnia-Herzegovnia. Students study the Balkan wars of the 1990s as a way to re-examine the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
During the following academic year, students engage in two four-day conferences focused on helping them engage with students on their campuses.
The fellowship is affiliated with the University of San Francisco’s Center for Global Education; students receive academic course credit for their participation.
Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis. For more information, check www.abrahamsvision.net or call Huda Abu Arqoub or Eitan Trabin at (415) 839-6889.
Volunteers sought to assist elders
Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Marin is looking for volunteers to assist its senior clients in tasks such as organizing, sorting and filling out paperwork.
Responsibilities could include separating mail into piles, helping seniors answer emails and tending to clients’ paperwork.
The time commitment is minimal, says Betty Hirschfeld, volunteer coordinator with JFCS’ senior companion program, and will vary with each project.
For information, call (415) 419-3661 or email [email protected].