The establishment of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) in 1925 represented more than the founding of an academic institution; it embodied a visionary approach to knowledge creation that would fundamentally reshape scientific inquiry in the Middle East and beyond. Concurrently, the formation of American Friends of the Hebrew University (AFHU) under the leadership of philanthropist Felix M. Warburg created an unprecedented model of international academic partnership that has sustained and amplified the University’s impact for a full century.

This relationship produced measurable outcomes across multiple dimensions of human progress: scientific breakthroughs that have saved millions of lives, technological innovations that have transformed industries, and social research that has influenced policy worldwide. The partnership between AFHU and Hebrew University represents a paradigmatic example of how sustained philanthropic investment in academic excellence can generate returns that benefit all humanity.

Historical Foundation and Visionary Leadership

The conceptual framework for Hebrew University emerged from the First Zionist Congress in 1897, but its realization required the collaborative vision of extraordinary intellectual leaders. Albert Einstein, whose theoretical contributions revolutionized physics, served not merely as a founding father but as an active participant in the University’s development. His role extended beyond symbolic endorsement to practical engagement: he delivered the University’s inaugural scientific lecture, edited its first collection of scientific papers, and served on both the Board of Governors and Academic Council.

Einstein’s commitment to the institution was so profound that he bequeathed his entire literary estate and personal papers to Hebrew University in his last will and testament. This bequest, which included over 55,000 items ranging from scientific manuscripts to personal correspondence, established the Albert Einstein Archives as one of the world’s most significant repositories of scientific and intellectual history. The economic value of Einstein’s intellectual property rights, which Hebrew University holds exclusively, continues to generate resources that support research and education.

The University’s founding committee included other luminaries whose contributions shaped modern thought. Sigmund Freud, whose psychoanalytic theories transformed psychology and psychiatry, lent his support to an institution dedicated to advancing human understanding. 

Martin Buber, the philosopher whose work on dialogue and human relationships influenced both academic discourse and practical conflict resolution, saw in Hebrew University a platform for exploring the fundamental questions of human existence.

Chaim Weizmann, who would become Israel’s first president, understood that the University represented what he termed “the first major project of modern Zionism.” His vision extended beyond nationalist aspirations to encompass a universal commitment to scientific progress and humanitarian advancement.

The Centennial Moment: Reflection and Vision

Joshua Rednik, CEO of American Friends of the Hebrew University, articulates the profound significance of this centennial milestone with clarity and conviction. “Over the last 100 years, few institutions have had as significant an impact on the land, people, and politics of Israel as the Hebrew University,” Rednik states. “We frequently say Hebrew University was the original Zionist project before Israel was even Israel. It has touched every corner of Israeli society.”

When Rednik assumed his role in 2022, he expressed being “thrilled and honored to lead AFHU into the future as the University approaches the centennial of its opening in 2025,” noting that “rarely has a University contributed so profoundly and left such an indelible mark on humanity through its award-winning research, visionary leadership, extraordinary facilities, brilliant faculties and dedicated students.”

Professor Tamir Sheafer, President of the Hebrew University, emphasizes the University’s comprehensive mission: “As a leading research institution, the Hebrew University sees itself as responsible for educating future generations, conducting groundbreaking research across nearly all fields of study, fostering extensive international engagement in both research and teaching, building strong ties with advanced industries in Israel and abroad, nurturing a diverse academic community, and translating knowledge into meaningful social impact while maintaining deep involvement in local communities, throughout Israel and within the international community as well.” His vision encompasses not merely academic excellence but social responsibility and global engagement, priorities that align seamlessly with AFHU’s commitment to connecting resources with Israeli innovation.

These perspectives from both AFHU and Hebrew University leadership demonstrate the alignment of vision and purpose that has sustained the partnership through a century of dramatic change and challenge.

Quantifiable Impact on Scientific and Medical Progress

The partnership between AFHU and Hebrew University has generated measurable outcomes that demonstrate the tangible value of sustained philanthropic investment in research excellence. Hebrew University faculty and alumni have received ten Nobel Prizes across multiple disciplines, with particular strength in economics and sciences. Fittingly, the most recent Nobel Prize was awarded in this centennial year to Prof. Joel Mokyr, an HU alumnus and current visiting professor, for his contributions to the understanding of the mechanisms underlying sustained technological progress and the role of innovation in economic development.

Daniel Kahneman’s receipt of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on behavioral economics, conducted while at Hebrew University, fundamentally altered how economists understand human decision-making. His collaboration with Amos Tversky produced insights that have influenced fields ranging from public policy to corporate strategy, with applications that affect millions of lives through improved healthcare delivery, financial services, and educational approaches.

Israel Aumann’s 2005 Nobel Prize in Economics recognized his pioneering work in game theory, mathematical frameworks that have proven essential for understanding strategic interactions in economics, politics, and social relations. Aumann’s contributions have practical applications in auction design, negotiation theory, and conflict resolution—tools that governments and organizations worldwide employ to achieve more efficient outcomes.

The University’s medical research has produced breakthroughs with direct humanitarian impact. Hebrew University researchers have contributed to advances in cancer treatment, Alzheimer’s research, and infectious disease management. The institution’s work in agricultural sciences has led to the development of drought-resistant crops and innovative irrigation technologies that address food security challenges in developing nations.

Perhaps most significantly, Hebrew University has generated over 11,500 registered patents, ranking among the top institutions globally for technology transfer and commercialization. These patents have spawned more than 180 start-ups, creating economic value that extends far beyond academic recognition. The University’s technology transfer activities demonstrate how basic research can generate practical applications that benefit society while creating sustainable revenue streams for continued scientific advancement.

Economic and Social Transformation

The partnership between AFHU and Hebrew University has catalyzed economic development that extends throughout Israel and into the global technology sector. Hebrew University graduates have founded or led major technology companies, contributing to Israel’s emergence as a leading innovation economy. The institution produces one-third of Israel’s civilian research output, making it a central driver of the “start-up” nation.

AFHU’s fundraising capabilities have been instrumental in this transformation. In this past fiscal year ending September 2025, the organization raised $89.2 million—the largest annual contribution in its history—demonstrating the continued confidence that American donors place in Hebrew University’s mission. This financial support has enabled the University to attract and retain world-class faculty, construct state-of-the-art research facilities, and provide scholarships that ensure access to education regardless of economic background.

The social impact of this partnership extends beyond economic metrics to encompass contributions to democratic governance, social justice, and cultural understanding. Hebrew University graduates include four Israeli Prime Ministers, numerous Supreme Court justices, and leaders across multiple sectors of Israeli society. Twenty-five percent of current Knesset members and two-thirds of Israel’s Supreme Court justices are Hebrew University alumni, indicating the institution’s profound influence on democratic institutions and legal frameworks.

The University’s commitment to diversity has created educational opportunities for students from all backgrounds, including Arab-Israeli students who comprise nearly 20% of the student body. This inclusive approach has generated research and policy recommendations that address minority rights, social integration, and conflict resolution—contributions that have relevance far beyond Israel’s borders.

Contemporary Challenges and Institutional Resilience

The two years following October 7, 2023, have presented Hebrew University with unprecedented challenges. The conflict resulted in over 7,500 Hebrew University students, faculty, and staff being called to military service and has had a profound impact on the entire university community.

Despite these challenges, the University has maintained its research output and educational programs, demonstrating the institutional strength that has remained for a century. The enduring partnership between AFHU and HU has been resilient during times of crisis and validates the long-term strategy that both organizations have pursued, showing how sustained philanthropic commitment creates institutions capable of weathering extraordinary difficulties while maintaining their core mission.

Hebrew University’s research partnerships span across continents, creating networks of scientific collaboration that amplify the impact of AFHU’s investments and extend HU’s knowledge and expertise across the globe. The institution maintains active research collaborations with leading universities in the United States, Europe, and Asia, facilitating knowledge transfer that benefits the global scientific community. AFHU stands squarely alongside the University in efforts to mitigate the worldwide rise in antisemitism and efforts to derail Israeli academia. 

Future Directions and Strategic Opportunities

As both institutions enter their second century, strategic opportunities exist to expand their impact across multiple dimensions. Hebrew University’s goal of achieving a top-twenty global ranking is supported by AFHU’s commitment to raising $100 million annually, a target that would provide resources for faculty recruitment, infrastructure development, and program expansion.

The emergence of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and sustainable energy as critical research areas presents opportunities for Hebrew University to build on its existing strengths in computer science, medicine, and environmental research. AFHU’s role in connecting American expertise and resources with Hebrew University’s research capabilities positions the partnership to address emerging global challenges in these fields.

The growing recognition of mental health, social inequality, and democratic resilience as critical societal issues aligns with Hebrew University’s strengths in psychology, sociology, and political science. Research in these areas, supported by AFHU’s fundraising capabilities, can generate insights and interventions that benefit societies worldwide.

The Boundless Potential of Collective Partnership

Now that the centennial year has concluded, the partnership between American Friends of the Hebrew University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem stands as a testament to the transformative power of sustained philanthropic commitment to academic excellence. The measurable outcomes—ten Nobel Prizes, over 11,500 patents, hundreds of medical breakthroughs, and countless contributions to human knowledge—demonstrate the tangible returns that result from long-term investment in research and education.

More significantly, this partnership has created an institutional model that demonstrates how international collaboration can address global challenges while fostering scientific advancement and social progress. The relationship between AFHU and Hebrew University proves that sustained commitment to academic excellence generates benefits that extend far beyond the immediate recipients of that support.

The future remains uncharted, filled with challenges that current knowledge cannot fully anticipate and opportunities that emerging technologies will create. Yet, the century-long partnership between AFHU and Hebrew University has established a foundation of institutional strength, international collaboration, and innovative capacity that suggests no challenge is insurmountable when approached through collective commitment to scientific excellence and humanitarian values.

Through their continued partnership, American Friends of the Hebrew University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have demonstrated that there is no limit to what can be accomplished when vision, resources, and dedication combine in service of advancing human knowledge and improving the world for all people. The next century beckons with possibilities that their collective strength and shared commitment make not only achievable, but inevitable.

To learn more, please go to afhu.org.

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Sponsored by American Friends of The Hebrew University and produced by J.’s branded content studio.

Now Is the Time for a DAF

There’s a moment in every philanthropist’s journey when good intentions crystallize into tangible impact. For Jewish donors across the Bay Area, that moment is now — and it comes with an unprecedented opportunity that won’t last beyond year’s end.

Imagine opening a giving account today that maximizes your charitable tax deductions before sweeping tax law changes take effect in 2026, while also immediately giving you an additional $1,800 Bonus Grant for your favorite Jewish nonprofit. This isn’t hypothetical — it’s reality for the first 100 new Federation donor-advised funds (DAFs) of $10,000 or more opened by December 31, 2025.*

Why So Many Donors Are Moving to DAFs

DAFs have become one of the fastest-growing charitable giving vehicles in the U.S. The reason? They represent the perfect intersection of flexibility, tax efficiency, and strategic impact.

A DAF is a special account that helps you organize and manage all your charitable giving in one place. You make tax-deductible contributions, watch those funds grow tax-free, and then recommend grants to support the Jewish and nonprofit organizations that matter most to you — all on your timeline, with the help of a trusted Federation advisor.

For Jewish donors navigating the complex landscape of tzedakah (taking care of people in need), this flexibility proves invaluable.

In addition to streamlining our philanthropic giving, having a Federation DAF has connected us with a greater community of people, many of whom are now genuine friends. It’s a real value add.
— Julie and Buddy Arnheim, Los Altos Hills

What Makes a Federation DAF Fundamentally Different

While any major financial institution will open a DAF for you, they won’t understand the sacred responsibility of tzedakah, connect you with Jewish nonprofits and others making extraordinary impact, or help you navigate the complex questions that define meaningful philanthropy.

Which groups are most effectively combating the surge in antisemitism? How can we ensure Israeli nonprofits receive funding to help rebuild? What can I do to help strengthen democracy? How can my family develop giving strategies that align with our values and long-term goals? These aren’t questions answered by algorithms or generic wealth managers. They require the deep Jewish wisdom and philanthropic expertise that only the Federation provides.

As a Federation DAF holder, you’re assigned a dedicated philanthropy advisor who serves as your personal guide. These are knowledgeable and certified professionals who have spent years supporting families in their philanthropy. They work closely with the Federation’s impact team, who have relationships with hundreds of nonprofits — evaluating their effectiveness, understanding their leadership, and tracking their impact. Your advisor brings not just data but wisdom, not just recommendations, but genuine insight into which organizations are truly moving the needle.

Our advisor helps us focus on areas where we can see real, measurable change and that’s been incredibly empowering.
— Anna and Matthew Kovinsky, Mill Valley

The Power of Community, Connection, and Collective Impact

Another advantage of a Federation DAF is something that doesn’t appear on any comparison chart: community. When you open your fund, you’re joining an exciting network of like-minded philanthropists. Throughout the year, DAF holders receive exclusive invitations to intimate events featuring renowned thought leaders, social impact innovators, and nonprofit executives.

A Federation DAF also gives you access to participate in our Giving Circles and Collective Impact Portfolios, which take an innovative approach to our community’s most pressing challenges, like combating antisemitism. When pooled with others, your grant can make an even bigger difference. 

Beyond Grantmaking: Family Legacy and Multi-Generational Giving

For many donors, a Federation DAF evolves into a cornerstone of family legacy and values transmission. The Federation’s family philanthropy guidance helps you involve children and grandchildren in meaningful giving decisions, teaching them the mechanics of charitable giving and the deeply rooted Jewish values that inspire it. The Federation’s legacy and gift planning experts work with you to ensure your philanthropic vision extends far beyond your lifetime, structuring your DAF and estate plans to support Jewish communities for generations.

Your Investment Grows, Giving You More Capital to Donate

With a Federation DAF, your contributions don’t sit idle, waiting to be granted. Instead, the Federation offers strategic investment options that allow your philanthropic capital to grow tax-free until you’re ready to recommend grants. Over time, this growth means you can grant significantly more than your original contribution, multiplying your impact without requiring additional out-of-pocket giving.

The Federation provides multiple investment options tailored to different risk tolerances and time horizons, all managed with the same fiduciary responsibility you’d expect from any premier financial institution. And here’s an innovative option most traditional DAF providers don’t offer — impact lending. Your DAF funds can be deployed as low-interest loans to nonprofits, generating both financial returns and social impact simultaneously, then returning to your fund for future grantmaking.

I chose to open my DAF with the Federation because it’s not just about financial management. It’s about community. Together, we’re investing in Jewish life, shared values, and the bonds that hold us all together.  Plus, who can say NO to Laura Lauder, our fearless Federation Board Chair?!
— Alison Pincus, San Francisco

The 2026 Tax Deadline That Changes Everything

Tax legislation changes taking effect in 2026 will significantly impact how much you can deduct from charitable contributions under current limits. Financial advisors nationwide are urging clients to maximize charitable giving before December 31, 2025 — your final opportunity to leverage today’s more favorable tax treatment.

Savvy donors are accelerating their giving timelines, front-loading contributions into vehicles like DAFs that allow them to claim the full tax deduction now while maintaining the flexibility to distribute grants over time. And your generosity today doesn’t just create immediate impact — it becomes a powerful philanthropic strategy that is grounded in l’dor v’dor — for your family and the broader community for years to come.

The Federation has admin fees, and yes, they might be a little bit more than what you would pay at big financial institution, but I feel really good knowing that they’re going to help the Jewish community.
— Sharon Petrowsky, Lafayette

It Only Takes Five Minutes

Opening your Federation DAF takes as little as five minutes through an easy online form. But the impact of that decision will reverberate for decades.

Jewish communities worldwide need the strategic, sustained support that only informed, connected philanthropists can provide. They need you. Not someday, but now.

Join our community and open your Federation donor-advised fund today at jewishfed.org/DAFbonus.

*$1,800 Jewish bonus grant available to the first 100 new Federation DAFS of $10,000 or more opened by December 31, 2025.

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Sponsored by Jewish Federation Bay Area and produced by J.’s branded content studio.

Sponsored by Ogen and produced by J.’s branded content studio.

Behind Israel’s headlines lies a quieter crisis: the struggle for financial dignity. Inflation is rising, banks are tightening access to loans, and thousands of Israelis are left without a safety net. The Gaza war has only increased these pressures. Families are working harder but falling further behind. Small businesses are ready to rebuild but cannot access the credit they need. Nonprofits are stretched as they care for communities under strain.

For more than 30 years, Ogen, Israel’s trusted nonprofit social lender, has provided families, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits with economic stability, financial guidance, and the tools to rebuild with dignity. At the heart of this model is Ogen’s blended financial platform, which transforms donations into accessible credit. By offering interest-free and social loans to those excluded from banks, Ogen creates opportunities where traditional institutions cannot.

From Despair to Renewal

Each Ogen loan restores hope.

• When the war in Gaza broke out in 2023, farmers Maya and Sharon Cherry almost shut down their operation. With their Ogen loan they expanded their crops instead, building a greenhouse that allowed them to grow even more produce.

• Just days after the Iran attack in June, restaurateur Khier Diab almost lost his bakery when his customer base dwindled. Thanks to a quick loan and mentor provided by Ogen, he was able to revive his business.

• When residents in northern Israel were evacuated due to Hezbollah attacks, Kalphon Avraham Gee’s home was badly damaged, rendering it unlivable. An emergency Ogen loan enabled him to make needed renovations, restoring the house to a home.

• Reservist Oriel Har-Noy, a father of three from Mevo Horon, returned after 50 days of military service to find himself unable to make his final mortgage payment. A loan from Ogen allowed him to clear his mortgage and secure his family’s future.

• Entrepreneur Loti Rosenthal needed support to grow her business, but didn’t know where to turn. Ogen’s mentorship program taught her how to pivot, so she could double her income and hire new employees.

Serving All of Israel

A family avoids crushing debt. A small business protects jobs. A nonprofit serves thousands of needy clients. With loan repayment rates among the highest in the country, every donation becomes a renewable lifeline, helping not once, but again and again.

This is the ripple effect of Ogen’s blended financial model. A single loan does more than uplift one borrower. A family loan can reduce household debt by more than half, allowing parents to plan for the future. A small business loan supports not just the owner but also employees and local suppliers. Each repayment is reinvested into a new loan. Ogen’s method of financial inclusion empowers Israelis and lays the foundation for sustainable growth and opportunity nationwide.

Ogen serves all parts of Israeli society — Jewish and Arab, secular and religious, new immigrants and longtime residents. Families can access up to $14,000 in interest-free loans, businesses up to $185,000 in affordable credit, and nonprofits even more. Each loan comes with counseling and mentorship to ensure lasting stability.

By focusing on financial dignity and empowerment, Ogen builds bridges across diverse communities, strengthening Israel’s social and economic fabric.

Why Ogen, Why Now

Hardship is about more than money. It affects a family’s sense of security, a business owner’s confidence, and a community’s ability to plan for the future. By replacing anxiety with independence, Ogen helps parents focus on their children rather than on overdue bills, gives business owners the courage to invest in growth, and allows nonprofit leaders to imagine new ways of serving their communities.

Equally important is the pride borrowers take in repayment. Every payment made is a sign not of dependence but of renewal. By paying back their loans, families and businesses know they are helping create the same opportunity for someone else. This cycle of repayment and reinvestment ensures that dignity remains at the center of Ogen’s mission.

For the Cherry family in Be’er Milka, Khier in Tamra, Kalphon in Kiryat Shmona, Oriel in Mevo Horon, Loti in the Haredi sector, and tens of thousands more, Ogen has already made the difference between despair and renewal. The challenge now is scale. With support, Ogen can meet the growing need.

Together, we can rebuild Israel’s future with resilience and respect, one loan and one life at a time.

To learn more and support Israelis with dignity go to support.ogen.org.

Sponsored by Ogen and produced by J.’s branded content studio.

Sponsored by Aegis Living and produced by J.’s branded content studio.

Meet longtime “Good Morning America” host Joan Lunden and fitness celebrity Fabio at the September 6 Grand Opening of Aegis Living San Rafael.

More than a senior living community, Aegis Living raises the bar on what it means to age well, with restorative, science-backed wellness amenities and care plans tailored to residents’ individual needs.

The 49er’s Sourdough Sam kicks things off with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting at 2 p.m., ushering in an afternoon of interactive experiences for all ages. Kid-friendly activities, live music, and VIP tours of the new facility will accompany celebrity talks on positive aging and achieving vitality at every stage of life.  Guests can explore the beautifully designed living spaces, sample local chef-prepared tastings, and see firsthand how innovative wellness amenities like red light therapy and the healing power of nature are seamlessly woven into daily life.

“My team is excited to welcome guests and share our beautiful community,” said Rabah Sbaitan, General Manager at Aegis Living San Rafael. “It’s a chance for the entire San Rafael community to see what the future of aging can look like.”

A CEO’s Vision for Vibrant Aging

For Aegis Living Founder and CEO Dwayne Clark, the opening of the San Rafael community represents a milestone in a decades-long mission to transform senior living. The most innovative Assisted Living and Advanced Memory Care community brings together California Mission-style architecture with a wellness program rooted in both science and compassion.

“We knew from the very beginning that San Rafael was the perfect location to open a community that combines cutting-edge wellness technology with the warmth and compassion that defines Aegis Living.” Clark said. “Our new community is a sanctuary where older adults can thrive every single day with wellness thoughtfully built into their daily rhythm of life.”

Aegis Living San Rafael reflects years of innovation and research into how design, technology, and lifestyle programming can extend quality of life. The innovations include: 

● AI-powered fall prevention technology that supports safety and independence by monitoring subtle changes in movement patterns to reduce fall risks before they occur. Residents maintain freedom of mobility with an added layer of confidence and peace of mind.

● Full-body red light therapy beds and wraps use restorative light wavelengths to stimulate collagen production, reduce inflammation, and promote better sleep. 

● PEMF infrared mats combine soothing warmth with pulsed electromagnetic field therapy to ease chronic pain, calm the nervous system, and support the body’s natural repair systems.

● Power Plate vibration therapy gently engages muscles to improve circulation and enhance balance —the effortless movement delivers benefits equivalent to a full workout.

● WaterRower fitness walls offer smooth, low-impact strength training to enhance mobility, build coordination, and maintain joint health at any fitness level.

● Gentle percussive massage therapy relieves muscle tension, improves circulation, and supports mobility after exercise or daily activity. 

Drawing from the company’s more than two decades of expertise, Aegis Living San Rafael offers families unparalleled senior care in a nurturing community with dementia-certified and specially trained care teams. Flexible care services are designed to address a variety of needs, from light personal assistance to advanced memory care. As individual needs evolve, the dedicated team adjusts care levels, allowing residents to age in place. 

Personalized care plans are carefully created and continually assessed to meet each resident’s precise requirements. This tailored care approach is particularly beneficial for couples with differing needs, as each can receive custom care while still living under the same roof.

Residents also enjoy 200+ curated activities each month, designed to nurture cognitive health, emotional well-being, and social connection. From art workshops and live music to cooking demonstrations, fitness classes, and cultural events, there is something to inspire every interest and spark new passions.

Aegis Living also recognizes the vital role that a much-loved pet plays in the lives of seniors. Believing that pets are family, Aegis Living accommodates furry friends and welcomes family pets to move into the community with their owners.

For families exploring assisted living or memory care, the grand opening offers the first opportunity to see the community up close and meet the trained team behind it. Reserve your spot now at aegisliving.com/grandopening.

Aegis Living, 800 Mission Ave. in San Rafael

Grand Opening Saturday, September 6 from 2 to 5 p.m.

Sponsored by URJ Camp Newman and produced by J.’s branded content studio.

From the hilltop at URJ Camp Newman, the Sonoma hills roll out in bands of oak, bay laurel, and redwoods. A new hotel-like lodge with open-air balconies stands at the center of campus, its clean lines set against the verdant landscape. Just below, near the main courtyard, a charred redwood stands as a poignant reminder of the 2017 Tubbs fires that ravaged the property. At the base, fresh green shoots now press out from the blackened bark.

This fall, long tables will fill the main plaza, set with a globally diverse array of Jewish food and local wines, for the second annual Jewish Food & Wine Retreat, celebrating not only Jewish life but also an ethos of renewal and resilience.

A Weekend of Nourishment and Connection

Last year’s retreat leaned heavily into Jewish deli culture as a nod to New York traditions. This year, the lens is wider. Workshops will spotlight Roman Jewish artichokes, Persian rice scented with saffron and rosewater, Ethiopian stews, Ladino sweets, and global interpretations of challah.

 “This is not just matzo ball soup and challah,” said Jordanna Flores, Newman’s director of year-round programs. “We’re celebrating the diversity and complexity of Jewish food and wine culture globally by lifting up local culinary artists and wine makers.”

Workshop options might explore how Jewish kitchens adapt across continents by balancing flavors from Sephardic, Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, and contemporary diasporas while also asking ask big questions: How do we honor tradition while caring for the planet? How do we choose what sustains us?

Returning this year, chef and dietitian Micah Siva will lead sessions that balance traditional recipes adapted to cultural evolution, as well as how to incorporate Jewish food into everyday life. Micah is thinking of teaching about global variations of challah, including recipes from Yemenite, Moroccan, and Indian Jewish communities. Or diving into meat-free dishes inspired by Jewish traditions of stewardship and sustainability.  “Jewish food will persist and survive with adaptation and evolution, just like us,” Siva said. “We’re asking participants to think about nourishment not just for themselves, but for the world.”

 The weekend will explore Jewish agricultural traditions and their contemporary relevance to sustainability and food justice. Activities will include baking challah recipes from around the world, and  Jewish fusion cooking from soul food to Asian cuisine. A “Scent and Spice” class will help participants explore the symbolic and sensory roles of spices in Jewish ritual.

Other workshops will invite guests to cook together, preparing and plating dishes that will be served at communal meals later that day. And participants won’t just taste these dishes. They’ll hear the stories behind each dish: how Roman Jews turned artichokes into a local delicacy, how Persian Jews adapted spices from ancient trade routes into Shabbat meals, and how Ethiopian Jewish traditions found their way into modern kitchens.

Wine as Celebration and Spiritual Connection

Beyond food, the weekend will feature a lineup of local vintners who will pair wine with the prepared dishes and lead discussions to spark conversation about the role of wine in Jewish rituals and celebrations, from Shabbat tables to weddings to everyday moments of joy. “There are numerous occasions where wine is central to Jewish ritual,” Flores said. “The idea of celebrating and toasting to life when we say, ‘l’chaim,’” is deeply woven into who we are.”

Julie Rothberg, a wine educator and president of a local winery, helped curate the local vintners. “Wine is not profane in Judaism. It’s holy,” Rothberg said. “We’re taking something from one state to another, transforming it, and blessing it.”

Most of the wines poured won’t be kosher, but the vintners bring a Jewish lens to their craft. “Wine, by its nature, is a lubricant for emotional connections—whether with family, friends, or community,” Rothberg added.

She’ll also lead a “Wine 101” workshop, guiding participants through the fundamentals of wine tasting: acidity, body, tannin, and finish. “If you’ve been drinking wine for years, there will still be something new to learn,” she said.

A Living Celebration

When the Tubbs Fire tore through Camp Newman, it wasn’t just buildings that were lost. It was a gathering place for generations of Jewish families in Northern California.

“Newman was rebuilt thoughtfully in this special, gorgeous location so we would be able to come together as a joyful Jewish community for a camp experience that is elevated and refined,” Flores said.

Retreat participants will also have the option to engage in spiritual practices tied to food, supporting a sense of renewal during the retreat. Morning blessings over fruit and grains will be woven into breakfast rituals. A havdalah ceremony on Saturday night will feature wine and spices crafted earlier that day in scent and tasting workshops.

“This isn’t a weekend only for consumption,” Flores said. “It’s about learning, and about coming away with a deeper sense of how we connect to food, to the earth, and each other.”

Evenings will end with songs under the stars and shared meals outside in the courtyard, set against the backdrop of fall foliage and the new growth around the redwood tree. For Siva, the retreat holds personal meaning. “Last year, I met a long-lost cousin from Canada at the retreat,” she said. “It’s that kind of place. You come for the food and wine, but you leave with something else—a connection you didn’t know you were missing.”

At Camp Newman, resilience isn’t just an idea. It’s the ground underfoot and the unwavering community of meals shared between strangers who become family and rituals that stitch new meaning into old traditions. Resilience will be celebrated in the way it always has been here—through community, through memory, and through having the space to unleash unbridled joy—one meal, one story, and one glass of wine at a time. 

“We want people to leave feeling deeply nourished—not just by the food and wine, but by the sense of belonging,” said Flores. “This is what joyful Jewish living looks like.”

Book your retreat package to ignite joy and connection through food and wine online at campnewman.org/nourish.

Sponsored by The Contemporary Jewish Museum and produced by J.’s branded content studio.

Twice a year, for the last two years, an elementary school teacher at the Tenderloin Community School walks a mile with her class to visit The Contemporary Jewish Museum (The CJM). Even though the San Francisco school’s population is diverse, there are almost no Jewish students in her class. This excursion, led by a teacher who is not Jewish, has become a vital part of her dedication to building a foundation for students to become open and empathetic citizens of the world, especially during a time when antisemitism is on the rise.

“Coming to The CJM,” the teacher explains, “is an excellent opportunity to uplift all cultures as we share Jewish stories.”

The CJM has pioneered an innovative approach to its education model by creating a new paradigm for teaching Jewish culture and history in K-5 secular classrooms in the Bay Area and beyond. Over the past five years, and in particular since October 7, 2023, the drive to shift perspectives and inspire and support the teaching of Jewish culture has become much more urgent.

Through its educational work, the Museum emphasizes a cross-cultural understanding by integrating Jewish stories at a critical stage in youth development that has been missing in schools across the nation. Using CJM classroom resources, students get the opportunity to ask questions and share their own stories through lessons about Jewish culture and heritage. During Museum tours, students can look at Jewish symbols alongside contemporary art, spurring connections and creativity. In teacher trainings, professionals are supported in building welcoming classrooms that uplift heritage. These perspectives add depth to the more difficult lessons taught in middle and high school about the atrocities of the Holocaust and is an approach woven holistically throughout the Museum’s tours, resources, partnerships, and national collaborations.

Countering Antisemitism

Antisemitic incidents have been rising steadily across the U.S. in the last decade. In 2022, the FBI noted that 63% of religiously motivated hate crimes targeted Jewish citizens. In the first months after the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks and subsequent war in the Middle East, the Anti-Defamation League reported that antisemitic incidences spiked by 360% compared with the same period a year earlier. In the Bay Area, three major school districts (San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley) are now under federal investigation for possible violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act related to antisemitism.

In the midst of all this, many Jewish students and families report that they feel less safe, with some even deciding to hide their Jewish identities at times.

“It often falls on Jewish kids, who are a minority and might be very young, to educate their peers about being Jewish,” says Fraidy Aber, the Director of Education and Civic Engagement for The CJM. “Bias begins young. We need to think about teaching Jewish culture earlier and in a more integrated way to the classroom experience.”

The CJM seeks to take the burden off Jewish students by bringing Jewish cultural connections and stories to educators, administrators, and directly to classes.

A New Jewish Education Movement

In most K-5 schools, teachers typically focus on a culturally responsive pedagogy, celebrating students’ diversity through welcoming their language, heritage, and family traditions. Yet Jewish stories are noticeably absent in most elementary school classes. The CJM has built and offers resources to address this, working in collaboration with school leaders, teachers, and parents. Its education team has honed an approach to teach about Jewish culture that affirms cultural identity including supporting Jewish families who want to share traditions in the classroom, building book lists about Jewish culture for teachers and libraries, offering curriculum for biographies of diverse Jewish American leaders, and sharing resources for integrating celebrations of holidays. 

In addition, The CJM’s program puts an emphasis on inclusion and anti-bias education by emphasizing the global and racial diversity within the Jewish community.

“Jewish people come from all over the world. They are Black, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latino,” Aber says. “This diversity should be part of cultural understanding that transcends one-dimensionality and honors intersectional identities.”

In 2023, The CJM’s educational focus on teaching Jewish culture attracted the attention of the U.S. Department of Education. The Department approached the Museum to be the site for launching its Antisemitism Awareness Campaign as part the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.

After shadowing a school tour at the Museum and interacting with teachers and students, Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten convened a roundtable with Bay Area school district leaders and Jewish community colleagues focused on countering discrimination and fostering inclusive learning environments. 

“We were honored to be selected by the Department of Education, as museums are one of the key spaces where culture can be learned in an authentic way,” says Kerry King, Executive Director of The CJM. “We are uniquely positioned to be a resource for schools to fill the gaps in teaching K-5 students about the richness of Jewish culture and tradition.”

In the year since the Deputy Secretary’s visit, thousands of elementary children have visited the Museum on tours and hundreds of teachers are engaging in the program’s many in-school resources, including utilizing The CJM’s co-created books lists, Museum-generated holiday guides, and teacher toolkits. Over the summer, the Museum convened the first in a series of online meetings for educational leaders across the country, launching a national network for collaboration and growth on the teaching of Jewish culture in secular spaces.

A Call to Action for a National Movement

“The CJM is now looking to the future focused on a broader goal to expand the initiative and build a coalition among museums, educators, curriculum and content creators, and funders to identify and fill the critical K-5 educational need,” says King. “We’re developing a powerful model that will reach far beyond our walls, and from which others can draw and expand upon. The program is a meaningful way to actively contribute to combating antisemitism, and together advocate for systemic change.”

The CJM invites teachers, parents, administrators, and community and educational leaders to partner in this effort. Countering and preventing antisemitism through education requires collaboration, resources, and a commitment to telling stories of Jewish life and culture.

RESOURCES CREATED BY THE CJM

Book Lists: Co-curated by The CJM and the San Francisco Public Library, these lists celebrate Jewish culture through literature for young readers. Learn more here.

Rosh Hashanah and Other Holiday Resource Guides: These tools help teachers bring Jewish culture into the classroom during Jewish holidays. Explore more here.

Notable Jewish Figures Curriculum: Educational materials feature Jewish historical figures and their contributions, including Ezra Jack Keats, Levi Strauss, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, with a focus on their Jewish heritage. Learn more here.

School Tours: Free in-person and virtual tours at The CJM explore Jewish culture, history, and contributions through art, architecture, and literature for K-12 students. Explore more here.

Teacher Trainings: Free in-person and virtual trainings focus on topics such as celebrating holidays, teaching about Jewish figures, exploring culture with arts, and preventing antisemitism. Get more information here.

For more information, contact Fraidy Aber, The CJM’s Constance Wolf Director of Education and Civic Engagement at faber@thecjm.org.

Sponsored by Camp Tawonga and produced by J.’s branded content studio.

When Becca Meyer, the CEO of Camp Tawonga, was growing up, attending camp in the summer was the way she gained a sense of belonging in the Jewish community.

“It was the place where my Jewish identity was affirmed in a way that I never experienced anywhere outside of summer camp,” she said. “After camp, I thought, this is my tribe, these are my people.”

Jewish sleepaway camps have a long tradition of fostering a community that promotes the freedom to openly practice Jewish customs and rituals, without the pressure to conform, which has historically been the experience of many Jewish people in the American diaspora. During a delicate time for Jewish identity in America, Meyer said, Camp Tawonga has become ever more dedicated to creating a safe, joyful, and inclusive Jewish community.

“Being in a place where you feel like you belong because you are a Jewish kid and are surrounded by Jewish community makes it feel normal to be Jewish, makes it feel cool to be Jewish, and makes it feel good to be Jewish,” said Meyer.

Nature, independence, and adventure

Camp Tawonga has operated since 1925. It is located next to Yosemite National Park, about four hours from the Bay Area. Its focus is on a loving, inclusive Jewish community that gives children a chance to gain self-confidence, explore their spirituality, and discover the truest versions of themselves. Tawonga’s four-part mission fosters high self-esteem, enduring community, tikkun olam, and positive Jewish identity. This philosophy guides the camp’s programs, including how counselors support campers to become leaders and how staff are trained to champion inclusion.

For Noga Firstenberg, a lawyer and mom of two, Camp Tawonga is all about engaging with other Jewish families in an out-of-the-box and joyful way. She and her spouse attend Family Camp with their children each fall, and then usually spend their summers with family in Israel. They decided not to travel to Israel this summer and instead will send both their children to Camp Tawonga. “Most of the Tawonga experiences are outside, are in nature, and we love that,” she said. “We’re not quite in Israel, and that is sad, but I’m very excited for them to be in a beautiful, loving, joyful Jewish environment.”

Lifelong friendships

Campers’ connections through their experiences often last a lifetime, and these connections knit together a greater sense of Jewish community through the generations. JoAnne Forman, who works as one of the on-site therapists at camp over the summer, began going to Tawonga as a camper when she was eight years old, and now her children also attend camp.

“You just automatically fit in,” she said. With this foundation, she believes children gain independence and learn to navigate and build their social identities through the friends they make. In supporting campers through this experience, Forman often talks about the summer she attended camp with three friends and truly bonded with them.

“We lived in these rustic cabins and often would push the boundaries as young kids do, but it was always in a safe space,” she said. Forman remains close friends with them, and for the first time last fall, the four friends went back for Women’s Weekend, where girlfriends can unplug, tap into nature through hikes, creative workshops and dance, and enjoy delicious food. “Almost 40 years later, the four of us are still friends,” she said.

For Donna Friedman Meir, a New York City transplant, Tawonga anchored her family to the Bay Area Jewish community when they moved out West when their children were young. The camp’s deep roots, mission, and code of ethics that focus on nature, spirituality, and community made their family feel a strong sense of place and, she said, tapped them into “l’dor vador,” which means “from generation to generation” in Hebrew.

“I have always been incredibly impressed with how thoughtful and intentional Tawonga is about everything they do,” she said. Her daughter will be on staff for the first time this summer, and her son will be a counselor in training after working as a counselor during Tawonga’s B’nai Mitzvah retreats.

Not only did camp help her children connect with a Bay Area generational tradition, she said, it also gave them the opportunity to develop important social and emotional skills. “It’s all about your cabin and collaboration and thinking and acting and working as a unit,” she said. “At Tawonga, you get to be whoever you are, and you are celebrated for whoever you are.”

Everyone is welcome

Camp Tawonga has expanded its offerings in the last decade to include year-round Bay Area programming, such as a two-year b’nai mitzvah program, and new events, namely inclusive weekend programs at camp for families and adults. In addition to a sleepaway camp for 2nd- to 12th-graders that includes arts and crafts, cooking in the garden, swimming, campfires, boating, and archery, there are teen leadership programs and family, adult “affinity space,” and weekend offerings for adults and families, including for LGBTQ+ families and Jewish Families of Color.

“Tawonga’s loving counselors are truly our special sauce,” said Meyer. “I love getting to witness when a counselor supports a child who is hesitant at first and scared to be away from home. After a couple days of attentive care, I see that child laughing, smiling, and having the time of their life, and they return home with greater confidence and self-assurance.”

In the last two years, Tawonga has built more cabins and offered more embedded sessions to serve more kids this summer than at any point in the past.

“Kids need Tawonga this summer more than ever,” said Meyer. “We welcome everyone to this journey that can last a lifetime.”

To experience the life-changing magic of Tawonga this summer, explore more at tawonga.org.

Bill Harris, a veteran Los Angeles photojournalist, didn’t think much of it when one morning in 2012 he woke up and found a tiny blood spot on the T-shirt he’d slept in. The next morning, he found blood in the same place on his chest — and went straight to his computer.

“Online, I could find only three things that would cause a man’s nipple to discharge blood: being an avid runner, which I wasn’t; having a subtropical fungus, which I didn’t; and breast cancer,” he said. “That was a pretty big shock.”

Harris, then just a few weeks shy of his 61st birthday, immediately called his doctor, who ordered a mammogram and ultrasound. They confirmed a cancerous growth in his right breast. Ten days later, a biopsy came back positive. The next month Harris got a right mastectomy, followed by the removal of his left breast half a year later.

“I walked into a woman’s imaging center and had to get into a pink paper robe,” he recalled. “All the women in the waiting room were staring at me.”

This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with Sharsheret, the national Jewish breast cancer and ovarian cancer organization. This article was produced by JTA’s native content team.

“What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word ‘sex’?” Claire Perelman asks the men and women in their 20s and 30s seated around her, under a tent open on all sides – ​what’s known as the “Zen Zone” at Camp Nai Nai Nai.

“And what’s the first thing you think of when you hear ‘Jewish’?” she prompts after a round-robin of responses that range from the cringeworthy to the giggle-inducing.

That was the opening for “Kosher Kink,” a 75-minute session called a playshop that Perelman led as a camp specialist for the latest iteration of Camp Nai Nai Nai, a Jewish summer camp experience for adults that takes place over long weekends, mostly in the spring and summer.

At the most recent gathering, May 6-8 at Camp Newman in San Rafael, a half-dozen other playshops offered campers opportunities to relive their childhood camp experiences with games such as gaga, unleash their inner artist with arts-and-craft workshops, and explore difficult topics with their peers such as vulnerability.

Such was Shabbat morning at “Camp West” — the first West Coast camp event since August 2019. Nearly 80 people attended, coming from the Bay Area, Arizona and as far away as Canada and Brazil.

Camp Nai Nai Nai was started in 2017 by Moishe House, an organization that seeks to engage young Jews around the world in peer-led programs in community houses, retreats and more.

“There’s really nothing else like this for people in this age range,” said Greg Kellner, director of Camp Nai Nai Nai. “There was a gap for people between college and when they have kids, so camp and other Moishe House programs really engage people in their 20s and 30s.”

The camp provides a unique way to connect relatively unaffiliated Jews in that age group to each other and to Jewish life, as well as a fun venue for them to “disconnect from the daily hustle and bustle of life,” said Ali Gugerty, Moishe House’s director of immersive experiences.

At Camp Newman, it doesn’t hurt that there’s virtually no cell service and the wifi is for staff only, for camp purposes.

Nai Nai Nai’s next camp weekend will be held on Sept. 2-5 in Pennsylvania, and the organization will be staging its first-ever Midwest camp experience on Oct. 28-30 in the Chicago area.

For many participants, Camp Nai is an opportunity to relive their childhood camp memories.

Moishe House “has done such a good job making us feel like kids here — it’s not cheesy and no one thinks it’s weird,” said Jenna Feldman as she waited at the base of a multistory climbing tower.

Feldman, who is involved with a Moishe House in San Francisco, grew up attending Camp Newman, which is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism. She now works as a customer advocate in the technology industry.

David Matten, who lives in the South Bay, decided just days before the weekend to attend because so many of his friends were going. A longtime camp counselor, it felt good to be a camper again, he noted.

“I can connect with new people and spend time with friends,” Matten said.

Especially after two years of pandemic isolation, people really want to reconnect outside of the daily grind in a fun, easy way, Moishe House staff said. Camp Nai experiences often serve as a gateway to deeper involvement in camp, in Moishe House, and in Jewish life, they noted.

The enthusiasm was palpable among the 25-person staff, who welcomed campers upon arrival with screams and cheers.

“We’re more than just staff — we’re family,” said Elina Kurakin, program coordinator for Camp Nai Nai Nai. “It’s the same way with campers: They ​all have their camp family.”

From the start, there was a clear focus on inclusion throughout the weekend. Friday night opened with a traditional Shabbat service as well as a more musical service infused with singing and guitar. ​In addition, there was also an early morning Saturday service, meditative yoga, a Shabbat hike ​and a text-based Torah study.

Aaron Malki, who works in real estate in San Francisco, went to the song-led service. “I enjoy embracing a Jewish community space like this — nostalgic and warm,” he said.

Saturday activities ranged from the craft-oriented and reflective, such as mezuzah-making, tie-dye, and “Believe: The Torah of Ted Lasso,” to the physically active, including slip’n’slide kickball, archery, Latin Israeli dance and yoga.

Even during the Saturday night “All-I-Days Dance Party” that was scheduled to go until 1 A.M., there was a quiet corner to relax in, a silent disco, and stations to make your own bow tie (in honor of National Bow Tie Day), paper plane, or ice cream sundae.​

“We’re trying to create different spaces so people can feel comfortable here,” Kurakin said. “It doesn’t matter who you are, what your background is, what your job is — you are welcome here.”

For participants who might have been intimidated by the social component of the camp experience after more than two years of social distancing and isolation, Kellner said camp provides a safe environment.

“After the pandemic, people don’t realize they are having some social anxiety, so camp is a great way to get back into the swing of things,” Kellner said. “We know people are coming with different comfort levels.”

Josh Schwartz, a camp counselor returning for his third Camp Nai Nai Nai experience, said, “What Moishe House does so well is being inclusive.” Describing the Saturday night dance party as an “adult bar mitzvah,” he noted, “If you don’t want to be on the dance floor, you can be at the pickle-making station.”

A cybersecurity consultant by day and Jewish community organizer by night, Schwartz is a resident of the NoMa Moishe House in Washington, D.C. and will be the head counselor at the next camp, in Pennsylvania over Labor Day weekend. When his colleagues asked him how he stays so energized, he said, “I always have energy because my battery is recharged at camp.”

During the two-hour block of free play on Saturday afternoon, there were options for everyone: People napped in the Zen Zone, practiced archery, ​participated in a local wine tasting, or took a walk around Camp Newman’s 500-acre grounds.

Sunday concluded with an intensive color war, offering one last chance for campers to let loose and play like children again.

Kellner said he considers it a win if someone leaves camp just with the practice of saying the Hamotzi blessing over bread a few times a week or adopting a Jewish practice that’s new to their life. They may even go as far as to marry a fellow camper, as former camper Abby Eisen did this past April, exchanging vows with the partner she first met at camp several years prior. In true Camp Nai fashion, Abby returned to San Rafael as staff.

“Getting out of their comfort zones and finding themselves at camp, where there is such a sense of community and unity, is so powerful,” Kurakin said. “I call it people’s ‘happy place.’”

This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with Moishe House, which creates meaningful & welcoming Jewish communities around the world. This article was produced by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency’s native content team.

This is sponsored content from the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living.

When the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living (known to many as “the Jewish Home”) embarked on creating Lynne & Roy M Frank Residences, they knew they were building on over 150 years of experience in caring and compassion for seniors in the Bay Area Jewish community and beyond. The result of that effort is a community that has set a new standard of person-centered care and design rooted in Jewish values.

Arriving at the new Frank Residences, you immediately feel that you are somewhere special.  Contemporary and open design showcase a community to stand the test of time.

“As an architect, design is important to me,” said Lani Way, whose father moved into Frank Residences Memory Care as soon as it opened. “The design of this community is really something special. The choices of materials, the interior design, all of it reminds me of a resort hotel.  A place you want to spend time in and around.  My father has been really happy here since moving in.”

Inside, bright and airy spaces give way to cozy seating areas, a full-service restaurant and wine bar, casual café as well as access to the rich amenities located onsite.  These include the salon & spa, state-of-the-art fitness, Pilates studio, and heated indoor therapy pool.  A performing arts center, library, art studio, and movie theater are also all located on the first floor. Residents also enjoy several beautifully landscaped outdoor areas, dog park and bocce court.  Frank Residences is unique and special because the continued generosity and support from the donors of the  Jewish Home gifted this new community with such extraordinary amenities and programs.

Independent Living with Support If You Need It.

“For seniors who are active and independent, like driving to see relatives and taking trips on their own, Frank Residences is the perfect community to call home,” said Staci Chang, Chief Marketing Office of San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living.   “Our floorplans are designed to make life simple and worry free and the community includes services such as housekeeping, dining, and rich programs as a part of your package.”

The bottom line is that a move to Frank Residences offers you the opportunity to have more time to enjoy the things you want and love to do, while living in an exciting and engaging environment.

In addition, unlike many other Senior Living communities, higher levels of care, if you need it, are located right on campus. Easy access to our renowned short-term rehabilitation and long-term skilled nursing services provides the peace of mind to make life at Frank Residences worry free for you and your loved ones.

And if you are concerned that your apartment will simply be a cookie cutter design, think again. No other senior community offers such range, size and pricing, and floor plans in San Francisco today.  From studios to large two-bedroom & two-bath units, homes at Frank Residences are designed for real living. Large windows let in an abundance of light and warmth, while the finishing details are just the right touch for comfort and style.  Kitchens with a full-size fridge and islands are for those who like to cook occasionally while taking advantage of the multiple dining options.

Memory Care Like No Other

Residents who need memory care enjoy one of the most innovative and person-centered approaches to memory care available anywhere in the country. Rob Sarison, Assistant Executive Director of Frank Residences, puts it this way: “If your loved one is facing the challenges of memory loss or dementia, then you know first-hand how complicated care can become. At Frank Residences, we reimagined person-centered care, and what we have created is a welcoming and trusting place for those who come into our care.”   Gone are the clinical touches as each floor is designed to feel at home, with programs and activities tailored for your loved one. The private studios with private baths come with built-in storage and furniture. Innovative programs are incorporated into the everyday experiences for residents with the aim to create a place where people can engage in life and specifically in the things they have always enjoyed.

For more information, you can visit Frank Residences at  www.frankresidences.org, or call for a tour today at 415-562-2020. RCFE #38560108

This is sponsored content from the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living.

This article was sponsored by and produced by JTA in partnership with Limmud FSU.

When more than 150 Jews came together recently in Palo Alto for what was one of the Bay Area’s first large communal gatherings since the onset of the pandemic more than a year ago, there was more than a little concern in the air.

But it wasn’t about Covid-19.

Speaker after speaker at the event, a Limmud FSU gathering of Russian-speaking Jews, warned of a growing wave of anti-Israel and antisemitic agitation building up in their state, the nation and around the world.

Elina Kaplan, president of a group called the Alliance for Constructive Ethnic Studies, which opposes “anti-Western” revisions to California schools’ ethnic studies curricula, railed against changes to the state’s ethnic studies curricula that the American Jewish Committee has called “fundamentally flawed” for its treatment of Jewish issues.

“I believe there is no bigger issue affecting American Jews today,” Kaplan said, warning that Jews come out looking badly as a result of the changes. “This will impact generations of students to come.”

Kaplan also noted a proposed bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that in the words of its sponsor, Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., seeks to prohibit Israel from using U.S. taxpayer funds to “support the military detention or ill treatment of Palestinian children, and the forcible transfer of civilians in the occupied West Bank.” This week, Democratic Party leaders in California’s Santa Clara County are slated to hold a symbolic vote on whether to back the measure, which appears to have little chance of passage.

A native of Belarus, Kaplan was one of a dozen speakers, rabbis, musicians and entrepreneurs featured at the June 20 gathering organized by Limmud FSU West Coast. The event, held at the Oshman Family JCC in suburban Palo Alto, attracted Russian-speaking Jews from around the Bay Area.

Nachman Shai, who just days earlier had been named Israel’s new minister of Diaspora Affairs, welcomed participants by video from Jerusalem.

“We all should say ‘baruch Hashem’ that we finally can renew Limmud’s extremely important meetings all around the world, starting today in Palo Alto, but hopefully there will be more and more in the months and years to come,” Shai said, using the Hebrew for “thank God.” “You are very important partners in building the bonds between Israel and the Diaspora, and I have a lot of admiration for what you do.”

Shlomi Kofman, Israel’s San Francisco-based consul general for the Pacific Northwest, referred to a June 9 protest against Israel that prevented the unloading of a Zim container ship at Oakland’s port. He said he’s worried about a “very harsh” wave of anti-Israel sentiment all along the West Coast.

“From Los Angeles up to Seattle, we’re seeing expressions of antisemitism,” said Kofman, a native of the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

“On college campuses, we hear of Jewish students facing intimidation and fear,” he said. “There’s a lack of knowledge, and people are influenced by social media and intersectionality.”

It wasn’t all gloom and doom at the event. Participants also celebrated the renewal of Jewish communal life after a year of social distancing.

“I’m so proud that after a long wait of over a year because of Covid-19, in which we had to stop our operations in the West, we’re coming back big time,” said Chaim Chesler, the Limmud founder.

Russian-speaking Jews in the Diaspora share a particularly strong bond with Israel, where many have family and where some lived after they first emigrated from the former Soviet Union.

One is Dorian Averbuch, the Moldovan-born CEO of Body Vision Medical. Founded seven years ago in the basement of Averbuch’s home in Ramat Hasharon, Israel, the Palo Alto-based startup aims to fight lung cancer through an advanced imaging system to detect lung lesions.

“We have the potential to increase the lung cancer survival rate from 10% today to 90%,” said Averbuch, whose company uses artificial intelligence instead of electromagnetic sensors when performing bronchoscopies. “The solution we developed shows superior clinical outcomes and offers potential annual savings of $10 billion for U.S. health care systems alone.”

Other presenters at Limmud FSU’s get-together included Rabbi Joey Felsen, director of the Jewish Study Network; wine connoisseur Yulie Klerman; and the New York-based musical duo Geri Sandler and Ronit Asheri, who entertained the crowd with Hebrew and Yiddish folk songs.

Since the first conference in Moscow 15 years ago, Limmud FSU has put on over 75 events by 13 volunteer teams. Chesler and Sandy Cahn founded the organization, which has been led by Matthew Bronfman and Aaron Frenkel, as chairman and president, since its inception. In all, some 70,000 Russian-speaking Jews across the globe have participated in the group’s events.

“It’s great after this whole sad year, when people were so disconnected, to finally be part of a community again and see people’s faces,” said Ukraine-born Yana Rathman, the daughter of Jewish refuseniks during Soviet times.

Rathman, who has lived in the Bay Area for the past 30 years, offers themed walking tours of San Francisco, including a Jewish city legacy tour.

“The timing of this Limmud is especially important,” she said. “We’re going through confusing times with the rise of antisemitism. Most Russian-speaking Jews have already experienced antisemitism. It’s not some abstract concept for us.”

Marina Yudborovsky, CEO of the Genesis Philanthropy Group, one of Limmud FSU’s funders, said, “There is a deep thirst for opportunities to not just congregate, but also to delve into pressing issues, cultural heritage, the arts and, of course, volunteerism — which is at the heart of any Limmud event.”

The Genesis Philanthropy Group was among the event’s sponsors along with the Claims Conference, the Jewish National Fund (KKL), UJA-Federation of New York, the Blavatnik Family Foundation, philanthropists Diane Wohl and Tom Blumberg, and others.

Eugene Fooksman, a resident of nearby Menlo Park, presented the hugely popular Russian trivia game “What? Where? When?” and has attended many Limmud gatherings over the years.

“It’s great to resume this in-person format and see people I haven’t seen for a long time,” he said. “For two years there was nothing.”

Rabbi Ilana Baird immigrated to Israel in 1993 from Chelyabinsk, in Russia’s Ural Mountains. In 2006, she started a Russian-speaking synagogue in Haifa. Five years later, she and her American husband, a software engineer for Google, settled in the Bay Area. She’s on Limmud FSU’s organizing committee.

“Usually Russian-speaking Jews love to be with each other,” she said. “It’s not even a language or religious thing. They just want to be with people like them.”

Added committee co-chair Lilia Gorshteyn, who left her native Uzbekistan 30 years ago and now lives in Los Gatos: “It’s a great opportunity to be together, but we need more of this. One day is not enough.”

This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with Limmud FSU, which nurtures open, pluralistic, dynamic learning platforms across the world for Jews of all ages and backgrounds with roots in the former Soviet Union, while embracing the Jewish intellectual, cultural and religious traditions grounded in this shared experience. This article was produced by JTA’s native content team.

This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America.

How much of a say, if any, should Diaspora Jews have in Israeli affairs?

This perennial question, debated often in op-eds and speeches, as well as at Jewish conferences, always has been somewhat ephemeral.

But proposed Knesset legislation that would give Diaspora Jewish leaders a formal role in Israeli affairs may herald a new era in Israel-Diaspora relations.

The bill, which has been endorsed by Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry, would require the Israeli government to consult world Jewish leaders on issues it deems crucial to the 8 million or so Jews who live outside of Israel. Knesset member Tehila Friedman of the Blue and White party sponsored the measure.

“This would potentially be one of the most significant events in Israeli-Diaspora relations in decades,” said David Butler, chair of the Israel and Overseas Committee of the Jewish Federations of North America, the umbrella group for 146 Jewish federations and 300 independent communities in North America.

The federations collectively send hundreds of millions of dollars each year to Israel in the form of grants to nonprofit organizations that work on behalf of Israelis from across the sectors of society, including the federations’ two main overseas partners: the Jewish Agency for Israel and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. In late October, Jewish Federations hosted a panel discussion during its annual General Assembly, held online this year, on the subject of “How much say should world Jewry have in internal Israeli affairs?”

“I believe Israelis, and the Israeli government, should want to hear from us, to learn and understand our perspectives,” said Eric Fingerhut, a former member of Congress from Ohio who now heads the Jewish Federations network. “We don’t want to try and tell the Israeli government what to do, but we do want them to hear our input on matters that impact our community.”

Of the world’s estimated 15 million or so Jews, some 6.8 million reside in Israel, according to Israeli government statistics. Most of the remaining 8 million live in one of six countries: the United States (6-7 million), France (450,000), Canada (392,000), Britain (292,000), Argentina (180,000) and Russia (180,000), according to demographers’ estimates.

“We must deeply understand the interests and needs of Israel’s 8 million brothers and sisters living outside our borders,” Diaspora Affairs Minister Omer Yankelevich said during the panel discussion. “This is especially true when the State of Israel makes decisions that directly impact Jewish communities outside of Israel.”

Yankelevich, Israel’s first female haredi Orthodox minister, has been on the job for about half a year.

“If my last six months as minister have taught me anything, it’s that world Jewry does have a voice,” said Yankelevich, whose parents immigrated to Israel. “It’s rich, it’s diverse, it’s powerful — and it cannot, and should not, be ignored.”

Several issues regularly strike nerves in the relationship between the world’s two largest Jewish communities, Israel and America. Most American Jews identify as either Reform or Conservative, but these non-Orthodox denominations are treated with disdain or outright hostility by many in Israel, including the Chief Rabbinate. Israel does not recognize conversions performed by Reform or Conservative clergy, and American Jews who want to worship at the Western Wall in egalitarian, mixed-gender or women-led prayer services are routinely blocked from doing so.

“For too long, Israel has been the only place on Earth where not all Jews are treated equally,” Knesset member Merav Michaeli of the Labor Party said. “This is something Israel needs to correct sooner than later, and not only because of Diaspora Jews.

“We also have Reform and Conservative Jews here in Israel who still do not enjoy equality — not in funds, not in rights, and not in recognition by the state.”

Many of the Knesset members who support the new legislation have experience living in the Diaspora or working with Diaspora Jews. Michaeli once served as a counselor at a Jewish community center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Friedman, an Orthodox lawyer from Jerusalem, used to represent the largest Jewish federation in New Jersey, known as Greater MetroWest. Yankelevich’s parents immigrated to Israel from Lithuania and Latvia.

Another proponent of the legislation, Blue and White Knesset member Michal Cotler-Wunsh, was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Montreal and later returned to Israel with four young children. Her father, Irwin Cotler, is a former Canadian justice minister.

“For me, the question is not if but how to engage” Diaspora Jews, Cotler-Wunsh said. “We’re living at an historic moment, where we have a tremendous opportunity to reshape and flip the paradigm in Israel-Diaspora relations the way it was set out to be.”

Shmuel Rosner, an Israeli journalist and political analyst who writes for The New York Times, said he doesn’t think the Knesset measure will pass — especially now, with Israel focused on the coronavirus and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu distracted by protests against his stewardship of the government.

Moreover, Rosner said, establishing an effective mechanism that fairly represents the interests of Diaspora Jews would be impossible, and Israelis don’t need such a law.

“I think consultation between Israel and world Jewry should be constant and serious, but should not be official in any way,” he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “I’m all for dialogue, but against any dialogue that depends on official mechanisms and laws whose purpose is to impose on the Israeli government consultation with outside players.”

Friedman concedes that the chances are low that her bill, which is vague on details, but would require a “duty to consult” the Jewish Diaspora on decisions that have a direct impact on world Jewry, will become law — especially under the current circumstances. But she takes it as a heartening sign that the Diaspora Ministry threw its weight behind the measure.

“It just makes the whole issue much more serious,” she said.

Shira Ruderman, executive director of the Ruderman Family Foundation, a philanthropy with offices in Israel and Boston that seeks to help bridge the Diaspora-Israel divide, said Israeli lawmakers generally pay attention to Jewish communities overseas only when there’s a crisis at home or abroad. That needs to change, she said.

“Over the years, we’ve heard many comments against Reform and Conservative Jews, that their opinions are not important — except when it comes to donations and lobbying for Israel,” Ruderman said in an interview. “More than 70 years ago, the Jewish people — no matter where they were — had a common goal: to create a Jewish homeland. Today we do not have a common goal or destiny. How can you build a future together if you don’t have a common goal?”

Friedman acknowledged opposition to her bill, but said it’s important nonetheless.

“I’m getting pushback from both the left and the right,” she said. “It’s obvious for all of us that there are issues only citizens can decide on, like security and the economy. But when it comes to issues that have a direct impact on the entire Jewish people — like changing the Law of Return or what the Kotel should look like, or questions of conversion — world Jewry should have a voice.”

This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America, which represents 146 local Jewish Federations and 300 network communities. This story was produced by JTA’s native content team.

This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah. This article was produced by JTA’s native content team.

On Nov. 3, Lanni Solochek and her wife, Rabbi Lily Solochek, will volunteer as poll workers near their home in Rockland, Maine.

Among the couple’s duties: checking to make sure residents are registered to vote, directing them to voting booths and disinfecting booths in between voters.

“There’s a shortage of available poll workers now because they tend to be elderly, who are at high risk for COVID-19,” said Lanni Solochek. “Safety has to be a priority this year, so we’ve both applied to be poll workers.”

Fortunately, Lanni, a 26-year-old digital content strategist at American Jewish World Service, won’t have to take the day off from work. Her employer is one of a growing number of Jewish organizations giving their employees Election Day off so they can vote and help out.

It’s part of a broad effort by Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah to encourage Jewish organizations not just to pledge to close for business on Election Day, as some corporations also are doing, but also to direct their employees to spend the day actively participating in the democratic process. Their list of suggested activities includes election protection, get-out-the-vote work, and supporting voters standing in tremendously long lines with food, water, chairs — and unbiased, accurate voting information.

“This effort speaks to the soul of AJWS,” said Robert Bank, CEO of the organization, which fights human rights abuses and poverty in 18 countries ranging from Haiti to Bangladesh. “All of us are concerned about this upcoming election being free and fair. We want to make sure U.S. citizens can participate in the democratic process freely, and not be subject to extremist groups or violence.”

So far, nearly 70 Jewish institutions employing more than 1,600 people nationwide have joined the campaign, dubbed Free & Fair. The idea is to turn Election Day into a day of participatory democracy just as Martin Luther King Jr. Day has become a national day of service.

“We’ve become increasingly aware of potential threats to the integrity of the 2020 election,” said Aaron Dorfman, president of Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah, which focuses on Jewish approaches to a range of universal human issues, including social justice, parenting and climate change.

Dorfman cited as threats the postal service’s struggle to handle the volume of mail-in ballots and suggestions by members of both parties that the outcome might not be respected. With exceptionally long lines expected at polling stations, Jewish organizations that are closed for the day are helping ensure that their employees have ample time to cast their ballots, he noted.

“We’re already seeing that with early voting in Georgia and Texas, people are waiting in line five hours or more,” Dorfman said. “We also want to encourage employees of Jewish organizations to actively participate as poll workers and monitors, and engage in get-out-the-vote efforts.”

Gali Cooks, president and CEO of Leading Edge, which helps cultivate Jewish organizational leaders, said, “Closing for Election Day was clearly the right choice for us. We see a parallel between our work supporting professional talent in Jewish organizations and our broader duties to democracy.”

Reuben Rotman, president and CEO of the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, is giving his five employees the day off. But more importantly, Rotman said, he wants to send a message to the network’s 140 Jewish social service agencies across the United States, Canada and Israel.

“This campaign is all about reminding Americans that voting is a privilege and a right,” Rotman said. “It’s the backbone of democracy to ensure that all citizens have a say. Everyone can contribute in some way to help get out the vote. We want nobody to feel impeded because of work or other barriers.”

Karen Rosen, head of membership services at the network, plans to be at her assigned precinct in Philadelphia as soon as it opens to monitor the vote.

“I’ve never felt the need to do this before, but times are very scary and there are rumors and news stories about voter intimidation at the polls,” Rosen said. “I’ll be expected to use my cellphone to photograph anything that may be inappropriate, and alert the authorities via text if voters are confused about mail-in ballots, or if people try to intimidate them as they’re entering.”

Rabbi Lisa Bellows is spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Am, a Reform synagogue in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Last week, Bellows said she had to wait more than an hour just to deposit her mail-in ballot at her suburban Chicago precinct because the ballot boxes were full and there weren’t enough poll workers to empty them.

“Signing onto this pledge to close on Election Day is a statement that our vote counts, and that each one of us matters,” said Bellows, whose shul has 270 member families and participates in “Every Voice, Every Vote”, a new civic engagement campaign sponsored by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. “In addition to being practical — this gives our employees the opportunity to vote if they haven’t already – it is meant to set an example. Participating in our democracy is a value we do not take for granted.”

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, the Phoenix-based founder and president of Uri L’Tzedek, an Orthodox Jewish organization that fights to uphold democracy and oppose human rights violations, fears violence on or following Election Day regardless of the winner. His group is mobilizing some 350 Orthodox rabbis nationwide to “be present in the streets during the [potential] protests,” advocating nonviolence and offering pastoral support, he said.

“We feel there will be attempts to try to undermine democracy in America,” Yanklowitz said. “We need to mobilize the American Jewish community, regardless of one’s party or political convictions, to fervently defend democracy at this crucial time.”

Historically, Jews vote in disproportionately high numbers: 80%-85% of registered voters in U.S. presidential elections, compared to 55% among the general population.

“This is less about ensuring that Jews can vote, and more about having the community support voting for everybody,” said Dorfman, of Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah. “It’s symbolically very powerful for the Jewish community to dedicate a day to supporting the civic life of this country that has nurtured us.”

The groups that have signed onto the Free & Fair pledge so far include: 18Doors (formerly InterfaithFamily); American Jewish Historical Society; AJWS; Asylum Arts; Avodah; Carolina Jews for Justice; Challah for Hunger; Clal; Congregation Beth Am, Buffalo Grove; Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action; Encounter Programs; Footsteps; GatherDC; Hadar; Hebrew Free Loan Association of San Antonio; Honeymoon Israel; IKAR; Institute for Jewish Spirituality; Jewish Arts Collaborative; Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis; Jewish Council for Public Affairs; Jewish Studio Project; Jewish Vocational Service of San Francisco; Jewish Women International; Jewish Women’s Archive; Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York; Jews for Racial & Economic Justice; Jews United for Justice, JOIN for Justice: Jewish Organizing Institute and Network; JPRO Network; Jumpstart Labs; Keshet; Leading Edge; Leichtag Foundation; Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah; M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education; Mishkan Shalom; Moving Traditions; National Council of Jewish Women; Nefesh; Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies; New Israel Fund; OneTable; Ramah Darom; Reconstructing Judaism; Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association; Repair the World; Romemu Brooklyn; SAJ-Judaism that Stands for All; Shalom Bayit; Shalom Hartman Institute of North America; Sixth & I; Slingshot; SRE Network; SVARA; Temple B’nai Or; Temple Israel of the City of New York; Temple Sinai; Central Conference of American Rabbis; the Den Collective; The Jewish Education Project; the Jewish Theological Seminary; Union for Reform Judaism; UpStart; and Urban Adamah.

This is sponsored content from the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund and the Helen Diller Family Foundation.

Parents with young children often seek support, guidance, and a strong peer network. For the Jewish community, bringing these families into Jewish life with programs and resources that speak to their needs is critical. And for more than 20 years, Jeni Markowitz Clancy, the Jewish Family Programs and Engagement Manager at Peninsula JCC (PJCC) in Foster City, has been welcoming and connecting with young parents at this formative life stage showing them the helpful, central role that Judaism can play in their lives.

These exemplary efforts led to Jeni Markowitz Clancy‘s selection as one of four recipients of the 2020 Helen Diller Family Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education. The Awards, an initiative of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund and the Helen Diller Family Foundation, honor outstanding Jewish educators in the Bay Area annually. Educators are nominated by their organizations or community members and are reviewed by a Federation volunteer selection committee. Recipients receive a $10,000 prize, and their institutions receive $2,500.

“I strive to create opportunities that invite families to engage in joyful Jewish experiences and welcome parents into conversations about the challenges they are facing,” says Markowitz Clancy. “Jewish community, ritual, wisdom, and celebration all provide important support for our families.”

Truly effective Jewish family engagement offers parents insights and lessons into Jewish tradition and teaching, which helps them overcome daily challenges.

New parents might feel lonely, unsure of themselves at times, or feel a lack of confidence in modeling a Jewish practice. Jeni approached these challenges by establishing the Nest, a parent resource center focused on Jewish wellness, where Jewish rituals and celebrations attract a community of young parents.

“I contacted individual Jewish and interfaith parents and invited them to join something unique—a framework that, at its core, would be a Jewish place to connect with other families—where all would be welcome, and where families would be invited to build a network of support,” adds Markowitz Clancy.

“Jeni creates a community in which you feel included and valued for who you are and what you bring with you,” states a parent who often attends Jeni’s Shabbat program. “With Jeni, you are seen, heard, and made to feel that you matter.”

New parents might worry that they are not properly blessing their children on Shabbat or saying the Shema correctly. Jeni helps to alleviate feelings of inadequacy that can be a barrier for Jewish home practice. As her supervisor and nominator, Stephanie Levin comments, “Jeni exemplifies the value of Tzelem Elohim—she respects and honors each parent as they are and creates an environment that allows participants to bring their full selves to the experience.”

Whether supporting parents through challenges, creating space for them to relax, or finding ways to bring parents and children together in community, Jeni’s work demonstrates the impact family engagement has—not only on families, but on how to foster a growing and vibrant Jewish community.

Join us virtually on September 16 at 4:00 pm to honor the outstanding award recipients, including Jeni, and learn with noted keynote speaker, Rabbi Ed Feinstein. For event details, and to learn more about the award, visit Jewishfed.org/DillerAwards2020.

This is sponsored content from the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund and the Helen Diller Family Foundation.

Hebrew language learning can be an inspiring and engaging part of a robust Jewish education. Efrat Simhi-Aloni, the Hebrew Language Coordinator for 5th through 8th grade at Oakland Hebrew Day School (OHDS) for 20 years, has used her deep knowledge of the language, Jewish culture, and Israel to deliver an educational experience that brings Hebrew and all it encompasses to life.

Efrat Simhi-Aloni is one of four recipients of the 2020 Helen Diller Family Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education. The Awards, an initiative of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund and the Helen Diller Family Foundation, honor outstanding Jewish educators in the Bay Area annually. Educators are nominated by their organizations or community members and reviewed by a Federation volunteer selection committee. Recipients are awarded $10,000, and their institutions $2,500.

“I consider Hebrew instruction not merely the instruction of a foreign language, but of a second language, the language of the students’ heritage,” states Simhi-Aloni. “It transcends the walls of the classroom, reaching into their community, traditions, and history, and deeply informing the students’ identity. I often tell them that it is their responsibility to ensure the continuity of the language for future generations; that I am not only teaching them but also their grandchildren.”

Talented Hebrew teachers use the language to build diverse and powerful educational experiences. Students can study historical text in chevrutah (pairs), helping them to develop a sense of belonging with their peers in the Jewish community and the drive to be active members of the Jewish people. This direct and unadulterated access to Jewish texts opens different paths into their heritage, empowers them to communicate with Jews in Israel and all over the world, and adds to their understanding of the rituals and practices that helped sustain Am Yisrael throughout history.

But more than just a language of history, Hebrew education is a part of learning about Jewish and Israeli literature, songs, food, and artistic traditions—all of which enable students to experience the vibrancy of the Jewish Diaspora, Jewish holidays, and modern Israel. In Efrat’s classes, for example, students literally become actors in the story of the Jewish People and of Israel through special selections of Hebrew plays, stories, and songs.

In the words of a former student, “In Geveret (Ms.) Aloni’s class, Hebrew was never an intimidating foreign language, but rather the beautiful, relevant (and fun) language of the Jewish people. Whether we were learning about Eliezer ben Yehuda or watching cheesy Israeli sitcoms, Geveret Aloni made the content meaningful and memorable by giving us exciting projects and allowing us to be dramatic and silly.”

In addition to OHDS, Efrat, a native of Israel, has spent her career bringing the Hebrew language to learners in Israel and organizations throughout the East Bay, where she lives. She loves seeing students build confidence as their command of Hebrew grows, remarking that, “I am most proud when they converse in Hebrew with one another, and teach each other new material! When I see our graduates forging their own paths within the Jewish tradition and choosing to continue their study of Hebrew language and text while at university, this gives me great delight.”

When students learn Hebrew from Efrat Simhi-Aloni, they gain a key that unlocks the rich history, culture, and modern-day accomplishments of the Jewish people. Efrat demonstrates how Hebrew education, led by creative, committed teachers, can help to strengthen young learners‘ Jewish identity and connection to their cherished heritage.

Join us virtually on September 16 at 4:00 pm to honor the outstanding award recipients, including Efrat, and learn with noted keynote speaker, Rabbi Ed Feinstein. For event details, and to learn more about the award, visit Jewishfed.org/DillerAwards2020.

This is sponsored content from the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund and the Helen Diller Family Foundation.

How do you make Judaism meaningful and accessible for learners with different needs and life experiences? For Marin’s Congregation Rodef Shalom teacher and B’nai Mitzvah tutor Lisa Bialkin, it starts by understanding who a learner is as a person: what their interests are, what tools they need to succeed, and what will inspire them to develop their own deep connections with Judaism.

Lisa Bialkin is one of four recipients of the Helen Diller Family Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education. The Awards, an initiative of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund and the Helen Diller Family Foundation, honor outstanding Jewish educators in the Bay Area annually. Educators are nominated by their organizations or community members and reviewed by a volunteer selection committee. Recipients receive a $10,000 prize and their institutions receive $2,500.

“From the day I was born, the joy of being Jewish and the love of Israel has been embedded in my life,” says Lisa. “Shabbat dinners, annual Chanukah parties, and large Passover seders are part of the beautiful memories I cherish from my childhood. I learned the value of loving and supporting Israel and the importance of following the traditions of Judaism and being proud to be Jewish. These experiences and the memories that my parents gave to me made me feel so motivated to share this love with my students.”

Lisa’s work with students young and old, with all kinds of learning abilities, shows how educators can use their passions, talents, and creativity to guide each student along their Jewish journey. In particular, the one-on-one setting of B’nai Mitzvah tutoring offers a space for educators to work closely with students, helping them find their voice and strengthening their Jewish identity and connection to community.

Whether it’s tutoring a young person with Down’s Syndrome or a 78 year-old deaf student, Lisa demonstrates the gifts of a talented educator who helps each learner develop a connection to Jewish texts and history. This educational experience reaches beyond the teacher and learner. When that Bar or Bat Mitzvah reads from the Torah or leads part of the service, it has a profound impact on their family and the community. As Lisa says, when someone with different abilities reaches that moment “there often isn’t a dry eye in the sanctuary.”

This approach to Jewish education exemplifies the Jewish value of B’tzelem Elohim, the concept that people are made in the image of God and it’s the collective responsibility of the community to lift everyone up to be their very best, feel pride in being Jewish, and feel loved and nurtured by someone in their Jewish community.

Beyond being a B’nai Mitzvah tutor, Lisa brings her dedication and creativity to her work as a teacher at Rodef Shalom’s congregational school. While every family might not travel to Israel, every student in her class “flies” there virtually, including passports and security. Throughout the year, Lisa guides her students as they “visit” and learn about different Israeli sites and cities. As all good educators do, Lisa brings rich experiences into the learning—from creating Chagall windows, to shopping in the shuk, to re-enacting the “seashell land lottery” that was part of Tel Aviv’s establishment.

“The knowledge of, love for, and interest in Israel she creates is remarkable. She makes the kids feel incredibly connected to both Israel and their place in it,” one parent shares.

Lisa’s influence on students shows how educators can enable anyone to engage in Judaism as an active participant, finding meaning in Jewish life.

Join us virtually on September 16 at 4:00 pm to honor the outstanding award recipients and learn with keynote speaker Rabbi Ed Feinstein. For event details, and to learn more about the award, visit Jewishfed.org/DillerAwards2020.

This is sponsored content from the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund and the Helen Diller Family Foundation.

Music has the power to inspire, to build deep connections between people, and to leave a lasting impression. In the hands of a talented, passionate Jewish educator like Isaac Zones, music has been a potent means to engage people in meaningful Jewish life and for fostering Jewish community among people of all ages.

Isaac Zones is one of four recipients of the Helen Diller Family Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education. The Awards, an initiative of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund and the Helen Diller Family Foundation, honor outstanding Jewish educators in the Bay Area annually. Educators are nominated by their organizations or community members and reviewed by a volunteer selection committee. Recipients receive a $10,000 prize and their institutions receive $2,500.

“My path began in part as a 19 year-old counselor at Camp Tawonga in 2001, pulled into a raucous group of young staff dancing in a circle on a cleared-out dining hall after shabbat dinner, jumping up and down and singing at the top of their lungs to music in Hebrew,” reflects Isaac. “The experience surpassed the best rock concerts I had been to and the fact that it was a Jewish experience blew my mind.”

Since then, Isaac has shared that inspiration with others to “spark joy for Jewish learning, culture, and ritual by orchestrating poignant and memorable experiences.” Music, he adds, can open people’s hearts and point them outward “toward their family, friends, and community with new eyes and a sense of pride in who they are.”

Throughout the Bay Area, organizations continue to innovate with music and engage people in meaningful Jewish life. Educators use music to teach about everything from a specific holiday to Judaism’s connection with nature. Beyond that, music sparks passion for Jewish knowledge and is deeply effective at imbuing an understanding of Jewish rituals, values, ancient Jewish melodies, and more in people of all ages. Today, the region boasts all kinds of program options led by talented educators and defined by memorable music experiences.

Camp Tawonga’s annual music-infused Erev Rosh Hashanah in Tilden park, which Isaac helped develop and still co-leads, attracted more than 1,400 people last year—all brought together by music to enjoy a beautiful setting and to reflect on the year that was and think about the year to come.

Many congregations in the Bay Area integrate music into Shabbat services geared for children, but that also engages parents and grandparents in equally important ways. At Temple Sinai in Oakland, Isaac runs the popular Kabbalat Shabbat services “in the round” with his band. Parents are encouraged to stay with their children throughout the service and are given the opportunity to whisper personalized blessings to their children.

At Congregation B’nai Shalom in Walnut Creek (which nominated Isaac for the award), their family service with music, a partnership with the Contra Costa JCC, has re-energized the community and filled it with newfound warmth. Rabbi Daniel Stein adds that “after a recent family Shabbat, a congregant approached me and asked, ‘Could you ask Isaac to do a Baby Boomer Shabbat next time? Why do the kids get to have all the fun?’”

While music may be Isaac’s tool for engagement, Temple Sinai’s Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin says Isaac’s strengths go beyond music capabilities and are grounded in his understanding and delivery of experiences that mean something to different people, wherever they are in life.

“Isaac has a magnetic personality and people respond to his leadership because of his easy going yet focused nature. For adults and children, he makes Judaism accessible and fun.”

Isaac’s success connecting all ages to meaningful Jewish experiences underscores the impact that one talented, creative educator can have.

To learn more about the Helen Diller Family Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education, visit JEWISHFED.ORG/DillerEducationAward.

This article was sponsored by the American Zionist Movement and produced in partnership with JTA.

It’s election season, and American Jews are turning out in large numbers to vote with Israel on their minds.

No, we’re not talking about the U.S. presidential election or Israel’s upcoming Knesset elections, but elections for the World Zionist Congress — the only genuinely democratic body in which Jews from around the world get a say in how some $1 billion per year is allocated to projects in Israel and around the world through some of Israel’s largest national institutions.

When the last World Zionist Congress elections were held five years ago, some 56,000 American Jews voted and 11 parties were in the running.

This time, more than 54,000 votes have been cast since the voting period began on Jan. 21 — about double the pace compared to the 2015 election and rising as the March 11 voting deadline approaches. In all, 15 party slates featuring 1,800 candidates are vying for 152 seats from the United States.

“American Jews want to have a voice,” said Herbert Block, executive director of the American Zionist Movement, which organizes the U.S. elections. “The high turnout is a strong sign of the renewed interest in the U.S. Jewish community in Israel and Zionism.”

To participate, voters must register online and pay the $7.50 fee ($5 for those 18 to 25).

That money, which covers the cost of running the election and is down from $10 per vote last time, buys you participation in the world’s largest exercise in Jewish democracy. Founded by Theodor Herzl in 1897, the World Zionist Congress is the governing body of the World Zionist Organization and the closest thing there is to a global Jewish parliament.

“This is the only elected body for all of world Jewry,” said William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. “The U.S. election to the World Zionist Congress allows a direct and tangible opportunity for American Jews to participate in decision-making for the Jewish community in Israel and worldwide, regardless of their ideology.”

As the largest Diaspora Jewish community in the world, American Jews will elect more than a third of the congress’ total of 525 elected delegates. The balance will be divided between Israeli political parties, who will be allocated seats in proportion to their representation in the March Knesset elections, and Diaspora communities outside the United States. In addition, the congress includes about 200 unelected delegates representing a variety of international Zionist organizations.

Initially founded to promote the establishment of the State of Israel and support Jews who were settling there, the congress today determines funding priorities for the spending of some $1 billion annually. That money is channeled through beneficiary organizations, including the Jewish National Fund and the Jewish Agency for Israel.

These elections will help determine how funding is apportioned to a range of communal priorities, including Jewish education, immigration and absorption, and various social projects in Israel. The congress will meet in Jerusalem in October to determine those priorities.

“The World Zionist Organization remains in place to continue the narrative of establishing Jewish sovereignty, returning Jewish exiles to Israel and supporting the Jewish people in their homeland,” said Michael Siegel, the board chairman of the Jewish Agency. “The WZO is the room where it happens. For me, it’s a privilege and an honor to be in that room.”

In the past, elections were comparatively sleepy affairs (the 56,000 voters last time amounted to less than 1% of American Jews). But this year’s contest, for the 38th Congress, is shaping up to be the most fiercely contested in memory.

The 15 American slates run the gamut of American Judaism. There are slates that represent Reform, Conservative and Orthodox Jews. There are slates for Russian Jews, Israeli expats living in the United States and Sephardic Jews. Some oppose Israeli settlements in the West Bank and some want to ensure that money keeps flowing to them. (Platforms and candidate lists for all the slates are available at azm.org/elections.)

A big driver of the energy around the elections is the emergence of the anti-occupation Hatikvah slate, which took an aggressive approach to this year’s contest, partnering with well-known Jewish groups and recruiting some high-profile candidates such as the liberal journalist Peter Beinart.

“We’re at this turning point where there’s a possibility that the Israeli government is going to try and annex parts of the West Bank, or certainly there’s continual settlement expansion,” said Rabbi Jill Jacobs, the executive director of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, which is running as part of the Hatikvah slate. “Some of that is paid for by money that’s either from American Jews or other Jews around the world, or that’s allocated by them.”

On the flip side are groups with platforms committed to resisting any territorial concessions to the Palestinians, like Eretz Hakodesh and Herut.

“Not one inch,” said Karma Feinstein-Cohen, the executive director of World Herut and Herut North America. “I want peace but there’s no partner, so the best situation now is status quo.”

Morton Klein, the longtime president of the Zionist Organization of America, is heading a slate comprised of more than two dozen Jewish organizations that also oppose territorial concessions.

“We are putting more effort than we have in all the years I’ve been president of the ZOA,” Klein said. “Unlike other years, we’re having many events around the country with significant speakers that attract a crowd.”

Not all the slates are focused on questions of war and peace.

The Orthodox Israel Coalition-Mizrachi (“an ideology based on Torah values as the heart and soul of Zionism”) devotes much of its platform to ensuring continued financial support for Orthodox educational institutions in Israel and around the world.

The Reform and Conservative movements (the slates Vote Reform and Mercaz USA, respectively) are focused on working toward full equality for liberal Judaism in Israel.

The Russian Jewish slate, American Forum for Israel, hopes to use pro-Israel activism as a means to ensure greater integration for Russian-American Jews into the mainstream Jewish community.

Kol Yisrael, a slate led by the Israeli American Council and StandWithUs, wants to encourage “bold, new Zionist ideas” and foster participation from Jews of all backgrounds.

Other slates in the running include Israel Shelanu, Vision: Empowering the Next Generation, Dorshei Torah V’Tziyon, Ohavei Zion: World Sephardic Zionist Organization, Americans4Israel: Peace, Unity & Security and Shas Olami.

Elections are held online with an option for paper ballots and are open to any American Jewish resident over age 18, as long as they’re not also voting in Israel’s upcoming Knesset elections. The only other restriction is that voters must ascribe to The Jerusalem Program, which asserts that Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people and calls for ensuring a Jewish and democratic Israel.

SPONSORED BY AJC SAN FRANCISCO

AJC San Francisco is the local gateway to the American Jewish Committee’s global advocacy network, building bridges locally and globally.  Leveraging AJC’s long and successful history of building strong relationships with other religious and ethnic communities and diverse world leaders, AJC works to combat anti-Semitism and religious extremism in the Bay Area and around the world.

Locally, AJC builds relationships with the seventy diplomatic consulates in California, federal and state legislators, university presidents, and faith leaders, in order to bolster understanding of the Jewish community and Israel, and to advocate for democracy and pluralism.  In coalition with multiple faith and ethnic communities, AJC enhances the well-being of the Jewish people and advances human rights and democratic values in the United States, Israel and around the world. What we offer:

Unparalleled Access to local and international diplomats, government officials, and world-renowned policy experts;

A Unique Opportunity to Make a Difference by meeting with diplomats at the United Nations, Congress during our annual Global Forum, and local and national legislators and diplomats about key issues for the Jewish community year-round;

Informative briefings and off the record conversations with noted political and diplomatic speakers on current issues facing the world, providing diverse and expert perspectives

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY and gain opportunities to network locally and nationally with community leaders and young professionals and travel internationally on AJC’s diplomatic missions.

To learn more, visit ajc.org or contact sanfrancisco@ajc.org (415) 777 3820

SPONSORED BY THE SAN FRANCISCO CAMPUS FOR JEWISH LIVING

You start with an aqua fitness class in the heated pool, followed by a healthy breakfast in the Noshery Café. After your wellness check-up, your daughter brings your grandson over to play; then you all enjoy some music in the performing arts center. You finish the day having dinner with your neighbors from down the hall. All of this, and you never left campus.

There’s only one place where it all comes together — Lynne & Roy M. Frank Residences, the newest expansion of San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living. And J. Readers are among the first to know about it.

Beautiful new apartments ranging from studios to two bedrooms with a den. Personalized supportive services that help you maintain independence.

A vibrant environment designed with beauty, community, and possibility around every corner.

Byer Square, a one-of-a-kind spot where residents, neighbors and families can enjoy the programming, activities, wellness opportunities and green spaces on this unique campus. Membership will also be open to the public.

You have one life. We have one purpose – to help you live it well.

Only at Frank Residences.

To learn more about this expansion and schedule a personal appointment, call 415.483.1352

Early reservations begin January 2, 2019.

frankresidences.org
302 Silver Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94112

San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living is a modern, vibrant, inclusive Jewish community that cultivates health, connection, and learning throughout the aging continuum.

SPONSORED BY THE SAN FRANCISCO CAMPUS FOR JEWISH LIVING