Shorts: Bay Area

San Jose bishop condemns Holocaust denier

Patrick McGrath, the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of San Jose, has written a letter supporting the Jewish community in condemnation of Holocaust deniers. The March 2 letter, written to a local Holocaust survivors group, singled out for criticism renegade British bishop Richard Williamson, a Holocaust denier recently invited back into the church by the pope.

“The Holy Father’s lifting of the excommunication of Bishop Williamson was clearly misinformed,” read the letter in part. “The incident has been a source of great offense and hurt for our Jewish brothers and sisters, for members of the Catholic Church, and for all people of good will.”

Exodus fete features music, Ethiopian food

Passover is just around the corner, but there is another exodus to be recognized Thursday, April 2. “The Road to Freedom” event celebrates the modern exodus of the Ethiopian Jews to Israel from 1991 to 2008.

The event, sponsored by ReBoot, JIMENA and Be’chol Lashon, will take place 7 p.m. at New Eritrea Restaurant, 907 Irving St., San Francisco.

There will be a live performance by DJ Cheb-I-Sabbah, a dance party, Ethiopian food and a mini-bazaar featuring Jewish-Ethiopian handmade products.

Tickets are $20. For more information, call (415) 681-1288.

Contra Costa JCC opens caregivers library

The Contra Costa JCC officially unveiled its Millman Respite Center Dementia Caregivers Resource Library on March 17.

The library, which is open to the public and free of charge to the entire community, contains information addressing the daily challenges faced by families and caregivers of people with memory impairment.

Visitors can check out books, DVDs, videos, brochures and newsletters about early memory loss, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, grief and loss, homecare and therapeutic activities, caregiver burnout, stress reduction techniques for the family caregiver and loved one, and health and wellness.

The library is located at 2071 Tice Valley Blvd. in Walnut Creek. For more information contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call (925) 938-7800 ext 257.

Donations sought for kosher lunch program

At the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, the number ‘36’ has taken on more significance than just double chai.

That’s because its kosher lunch program, which provides hot, nutritious meals, seders and celebrations for older adults in the community, recently lost $36,000 in funding. The JCC could be forced to reduce the number of days it serves meals due to a lack of financial support.  

In light of this potential setback, the JCCSF is asking for 1,000 people to donate $36 this Passover. Each donation helps feed seniors six days a week.

To donate or for more information, call (415) 292-1222 or visit http://www.jccsf.org/repairtheworld.