Shorts: Bay Area

Friday, November 28, 2008 | by

Youth activist group schedules information night

Jewish Youth for Community Action will have an information night for teenagers interested in joining the group at 7 p.m. Dec. 7 at Kehilla Community Synagogue, 1300 Grand Ave., Piedmont.

JYCA engages teenagers who want to explore connections between Judaism and activism, while also meeting other teens who care about social justice. It’s a leadership training program that seeks to empower Jewish youth through social action and community service.

The information meeting is for teenagers only. For more information, visit http://www.jyca-justice.org or call (510) 547-2424 ext. 110.




Shalom Bayit sponsors screening of film

Shalom Bayit is hosting a screening of the documentary “Crime After Crime,” directed by Berkeley-based filmmaker Yoav Potash. The screening begins at 5 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Bay Area Video Coalition, 2727 Mariposa St., San Francisco.

“Crime After Crime” (formerly titled “Life Sentence”) was profiled in j. in 2007 along with an article about the film’s topic: Joshua Safran, an Orthodox Jewish lawyer and Berkeley Law graduate, working to free a woman, Deborah Peagler, from prison.

The film screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Peagler’s lawyers, Safran and Nadia Costa.

The screening is free, but donations to support the completion of the film project are requested. To RSVP, contact Shalom Bayit at (510) 451-8874 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).




Creative writing contest accepting entries

The sixth annual Jews for Judaism creative writing contest is now accepting submissions. Entries should be original short stories, essays, poems or songs, created specifically for this contest.

Written entries should focus on the idea of being proud of and true to your Jewish identity, per this year’s theme, “Be Proud, Be True, Be Jewish.”

Students in middle school, high school and college are eligible to enter.

Contest winners in middle and high school will be awarded prizes ranging from $36 to $180. College students will be awarded $500 or Apple iPod nanos.

Entries may be no longer than 450 words. All entries must be submitted online to http://www.be-true.org and received by Jews for Judaism by Dec. 15.




Jewish museum wins award in first year

The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco was one of 11 institutions honored Nov. 19 for philanthropic contributions to the Bay Area.

Each year the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Golden Gate Chapter and the Northern California Grantmakers celebrate the spirit of giving by recognizing exemplars in philanthropy and social change. Awards are presented to individuals and institutions.

The Contemporary Jewish Museum shared the Distinguished Achievement Award with the California Academy of Sciences. The CJM was credited with engaging audiences of all ages and backgrounds through “engaging exhibitions and programs that explore contemporary perspectives on Jewish culture, history, art and ideas.”




JCC Chanukah party

The Festival of Lights, a free family Chanukah celebration, will be held 2-5 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael.

Families can make candles and menorahs, eat latkes and sufganiyot, enjoy klezmer music, and make applesauce with a chef and cookbook author.

For more information, contact the JCC at (415) 444-8000.




Jewish Milestones celebrates first ‘lending’ Torah

Jewish Milestones will celebrate the arrival and dedication of its first lending Torah 3:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Berkeley Hillside Club, 2268 Cedar St. The program and festivities will last until 6 p.m.

Jewish Milestones’ lending Torah is a fully restored 20-year-old kosher scroll, written in Sephardi script. It will be available to those unaffiliated with a synagogue but who need a Torah for study or a Jewish celebration.

Jen Taylor Friedman, a soferet (Torah scribe) from New York, will speak at the event. She is the first known woman to have written an entire Torah scroll.

Jewish Milestones is a Berkeley-based nonprofit that trains volunteers to provide ritual and lifecycle services. To RSVP, contact Jewish Milestones at (510) 559-3636 or via email at rsvp@jewishmiles tones.org.




New ‘Youth Zone’ clubs in Sunnyvale

Chabad of Sunnyvale has launched Jewish Youth Zone, its newest enrichment initiative. The JYZ is a series of clubs developed to connect Jewish kids with one another while exploring Jewish traditions and values in a fun environment. It is open to children of all backgrounds and affiliations.

JYZ clubs include: Mitzvah Action Club for grades 3-6, Sundays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 1267 Townsend Terrace, Sunnyvale; Jewish Kids Club, Sundays beginning Dec. 7 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

For more information or to register, check http://www.chabadsunnyvale.com/ youthzone or call (408) 720-0553.