Shorts: Bay Area

Exhibit documents Jewish culture in disparate places

A photo exhibit that explores isolated Jewish communities around the world opened this week in the Koret Pavilion at Ziff Center, home of Hillel at Stanford, 565 Mayfield Ave.

“Jews of Color: In Color” will be on display through May 31. Photographs explore Jewish life in India, Mexico, Ghana and Zimbabwe. The photography exhibit was created by Scattered Among the Nations, a nonprofit that assists geographically and politically isolated Jewish communities. The organization helps these isolated Jews continue to practice Judaism while also documenting their communities before they disappear through immigration or assimilation.

Bryan Schwartz, president and founder of Scattered Among the Nations, will speak during a campus reception 7:30 p.m. May 5 at Hillel.

The exhibit is co-sponsored by Hillel, the Taube Center for Jewish Studies and other Stanford academic departments, and several student groups.

For more information, contact Hillel at (650) 723-1602.

Rabbi to speak on suicide’s impact

Rabbi Chaya Gusfield of Danville’s Beth Chaim Congregation, whose topic will be  the impact of suicide on families, will speak at the 42nd annual conference of the American Association of Suicidology. Her talk is at 5:15 p.m. April 17 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel, 335 Powell St., San Francisco.

Gusfield has long worked on issues relating to suicide and Jewish life (her sister committed suicide when Gusfield was a child). The rabbi has led grief workshops in the Bay Area for families of suicide victims.

The event is open to the public.The conference runs from Wednesday, April 15, to April 18. For more information, call (202) 237-2280 or go to http://www.suicidology.org.

‘Rashi’s Daughter’ author to speak in Bay Area

Author Maggie Anton will be making three appearances in the Bay Area this month.

Anton is the author of the historical fiction series “Rashi’s Daughters.” Most recently, she published “Rashi’s Daughter, Secret Scholar,” a young adult prequel to her first two books.

Anton will speak April 22 in Sunnyvale at the Brandeis Lunch With the Authors event. She is one of several  well-known authors who will attend, including monologist-humorist Josh Kornbluth and authors Judy Bart Kancigor (“Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family”), broadcaster Michael Krasny (“Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio”), Ann Packer (“Songs Without Words”) and Cara Black (the Aimee Leduc mystery series) as moderator.

The event will be held at the Historic Del Monte Building, 100 S. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Minimum price is $68. For more information, contact Rocki Kramer at (408) 997-2812 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Anton is also scheduled to speak 7 p.m. April 22 at Berkeley Hillel, 2736 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. For more information, call (510) 845-7793.

After an April 23 appearance at the KOH Jewish Library in Sacramento, Anton will finish up in the Bay Area at

3 p.m. April 26 in Walnut Creek at an event presented by the Congregation B’nai Sholom Sisterhood and Women’s League Torah Fund.

The cost for the event, including dessert and beverages, is $7, with a minimum donation of $18. B’nai Shalom is at 74 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek. RSVP to Elisa at (925) 248-5388 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).