For Bay Area native Yoni Mann, a 2005 trip to Israel with Jewish Community High School helped start him on a lifelong journey that landed him in Israel — and led him to run for a seat on the Jerusalem city council this fall. Mann, 31, who was part of the first graduating class at…
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Israel at 70
Bay Area
Bridging divide over Israel starts close to home
A group of Jewish young adults came together at the Oakland Moishe House recently for conversation, but this wasn’t your usual social gathering — they…
Israel at 70
In 2018, what are school Israel trips for?
Examining graffiti art. Meeting with Druze and Bedouin families. Visiting an Arab neighborhood in Haifa. Assembling crutches for a nonprofit. Making…
Israel at 70
Fixing the Israel-diaspora rift this Yom Kippur
On the High Holidays, the Jewish nation stands before God to be judged, both collectively and as individuals. The nation’s chances of being judged for a…
Israel on Campus
Jewish at UC Berkeley: a politicized identity
This column was originally published in The Daily Californian. It was the very end of high school when I first got a taste of what being Jewish at UC…
California
Calif. assemblymembers' trip to a jittery Israel
Updated: 11:15 a.m., Aug. 16, 2018 Protests over a controversial new nation-state law. The denial of surrogacy rights to same-sex couples. Firebomb kites…
First Person
At 18 I did Birthright; at 19, made aliyah
On July 24, my 19th birthday, I will make aliyah. Whatever kind of teenager you picture when you hear that sentence, it’s probably not me. I grew up in a…
Israel at 70
Israel memories inspire Moth-style storytelling event at Marin JCC
“Are you an American Jew, or a Jewish American?” The teacher’s question, posed to Marty Friedman 33 years ago on a teen trip to Israel, totally threw him.…
Israel at 70
This beautiful, messy country … my Israel
Sticky arms and face from three popsicles too many. Dirty feet from running around barefoot in orange orchards. Hair wild from dipping in and out of the…