San Francisco State University President Leslie Wong, who has faced criticism of his administration’s response to anti-Semitic incidents at the school over the last years, has announced he is retiring. Wong, president since 2012, was traveling and unavailable to talk to J., but other figures connected to the university offered comments. “It’s been a challenging…
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Location: San Francisco
Philanthropy
Shalom Hartman Institute gifted $20 million by S.F. foundations
If it’s true that money talks, the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America is about to get an earful. In a joint announcement this month, the Koret…
Talking With ...
Q&A: Alan Wald, the ‘holy’ palindromist
Alan Wald, 70, thinks ahead, but he’s good at thinking backward as well. Wald, who lives in San Francisco, searches for — and finds — “the nexus between…
First Person
How my internship at a Jewish funeral home changed me
The first death in my family that I remember came when I was 15, in the fall of my sophomore year of high school. It came and went so fast that I never…
Organic Epicure
She knows so much about wine you call her 'master'
There is no more elite club in the wine industry than that of master sommeliers. With a three-part exam that includes theory, blind tasting and service,…
Film
Celebrating the life of precocious Jewish movie star Anton Yelchin
He was adorable, a boy-next-door with Russian-Jewish heritage. He was the precocious ensign on board the starship Enterprise. And he was too young to die.…
Bay Area
Israeli consulate welcomes new No. 2
The Israeli consulate that serves the Pacific Northwest has a new second-in-command. Matan Zamir, a ninth-generation Jerusalemite, took over as deputy…
Theater
A still-relevant ‘Cabaret’ wows audiences at S.F. Playhouse
From page to stage to screen, “Cabaret” has been beguiling audiences — and disturbing them — for nearly 80 years. Set in prewar Berlin during the rise of…
Sports
Kevin Pillar, S.F.'s Jewish Giant
For a famous athlete, Kevin Pillar is disarmingly open. Pillar — one of about a dozen Jewish players in the major leagues — spoke to J. from the Giants’…