jvalley.org | jewish community news

Jewish Community News

Newsbriefs: February 2004

Antique collector speaks to Brandeis

The Santa Clara Valley Chapter of Brandeis University National Women's Committee will sponsor a Brandeis Bonus Event on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 10 a.m., at the Lincoln Village Clubhouse, 1032 Lincoln Village Drive (Willow Glen) in San Jose.

Judy Johnson, a former antique and collectibles dealer specializing in silver and pottery, will be the speaker. She conducts estate sales to assist clients in "getting rid of clutter."

Judy holds a Master of Arts in Museum Studies with an emphasis on
History and Decorative Arts. She has over 30 years of experience in executive management and organization. After the presentation, Judy will estimate attendee's collectibles at no cost. Please RSVP to Sheila Gold at 723-2120.

Israel Shabbat at Emanu-El

In conjunction with the photographic exhibit from the Israeli Consulate featuring 30 black-and-white photographs by Alex Levac, the 8 p.m. Erev Shabbat service on Friday, March 5, has been designated "Israel Shabbat." The guest speaker will be Zack Bodner from AIPAC, and Israeli foods will be featured during the Oneg. The exhibit, "Our Country: Faces of Israel," will be on display at Temple Emanu-El from March 5 through 16. These images by critically acclaimed Israeli photographer Alex Levac, were published over the past decade in the daily Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, and capture a unique aspect of modern daily life in Israel. Special arrangements for tours can be arranged by contacting Deborah in the temple office, 292-0939.

JCRC lecture series continues

The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley continues the three-part series, "Routes to and Out of the Current Situation" on Thursday, Feb. 19. David Meir Levi, an expert on the history and politics of the Middle East, will conclude the series with a talk entitled "Solutions."

The session will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will take place at Congregation Beth David, 19700 Prospect Road, Saratoga. Admission is $5 and is payable at the door.

The series concludes on April 15 with Zack Bodner, director of the AIPAC's Pacific Northwest office speaking on "Beyond the Headlines: What Lies Ahead for the United States and the Middle East." The talk will be at Congregation Shir Hadash.

For more information contact Janet Berg, JCRC executive director at 358-3033, ext. 30. A

Jewish unemployment group open to new members

Jewish Family Service is accepting new participants to join its Full Employment Group. The underemployed or unemployed, as well as those who are in a position to offer job resources, are invited to participate. Please contact Mindy Berko-witz or Zoya Lazer at 556-0600 or mindyb@jfssv.org for more information. Interested persons may also directly join the listserv by contacting ke-jobs-subscribe@yahoogroups. com. (Please mention JFS when asked for affiliation.)

In March, Jewish Family Service of Silicon Valley will begin hosting FREE networking sessions and speakers onsite at South Bay locations. (Please check your March JCN OR the Full Employment listserv for updated information.)

JFS is still seeking volunteers to work on this project in the South Bay. Volunteers are needed to recommend and contact speakers, help staff meetings, work with job recruitment, and other related tasks that arise.

Kehillah boys basketball bound ahead in victory

The Kehillah Jewish High School boys frosh-soph basketball team is off to an amazing start thanks in part to coaching by Jon Ratshin, the boys' basketball coach and the athletic director at KJHS. They have won 4 of their 5 league games with an astonishing 155 points, whereas their opponents were only able to score a total of 94 points! KJHS began their season with an exciting win over Pacific Collegiate Academy 28–25. The school suffered its first and only league loss to Menlo the following day, but then rebounded with 3 wins in a row. KJHS beat Wilcox High School 38 to 27 and then dominated Downtown College Prep 49-23 and destroyed Latino College Prep 40–19. The team consists of the following boys:

Evan Shapiro, sophomore
Jeffrey Weiss, freshman
Eliot Cady, sophomore
Michael Silton, sophomore
Ryan Wessels, sophomore
Or Schwartz, sophomore
Daniel Epstein, sophomore
Kevin Grossinger, freshman

Or Schwartz is the leading scorer with 109 total points – averaging 13.6 points per game and is the top stealer with 19 total steals (2.4 steals per game.) Evan Shapiro has scored 43 points total and leads the team with 13 total assists. He also has a total of 11 steals. Ryan Wessels is the leading rebounder with 29 total rebounds – averaging 3.6 rebounds per game. Michael Silton is also one of the top scorers with 41 total points and he has 28 total rebounds.

Knesset correspondent to speak at Am Echad

Michael Tuchfeld, correspondent to the Knesset and former chairman of the parliamentary correspondents chamber, will be speaking at Congregation Am Echad, 1504 Meridian Avenue, San Jose, at 8 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 3. The title of his speech is "Peace Plans for the Middle East - Reality and Illusions." There will be no charge for the event. Mr. Tuchfeld has in-depth knowledge about the forces and personalities that shape Israel's political policies. A question-and-answer session will follow the talk.

March events for Jewish teens

The Teen Council of the Council on Jewish Education is sponsoring three events during March. On March 2, Hebrew High students from four synagogues and from Kehillah will join together to learn with Scott Fried who will be dealing with the topic: "How We Hurt: Bullying, Gossip, Peer Pressure and Its Consequences". Scott Fried is a seven-year veteran of the lecture circuit and a person living with HIV for the last 11 years. He has lectured across the United States and in Israel on topics including sexual responsibility, homosexuality, peer pressure, refusal skills and death.

March 6 will feature a Purim Dance at Kehillah Jewish High School, beginning at 9 p.m. Then on March 20, all teens are invited to an evening with ComedySportz, a popular improvisational group, followed by time to visit and schmooze with one another over ice cream.
The Council on Jewish Education is an agency of the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley. For more information please call at 358-3033, ext. 44.

Purim celebration

Sunday, March 7, is the day of the Purim Carnival at Temple Emanu-El, featuring games, food, a costume parade and more. The Purim Shpiel and Megillah reading will be held in the sanctuary, with the carnival following in the Temple House. The adult Purim potluck dinner and study session will be Saturday, March 6, at 6 p.m., with the adult Megillah reading at 7 p.m. RSVP for the adult dinner to the Temple office, 292-0939.

Purim celebration

Tu B'Shevat Seder for adults

On Saturday, Feb. 7, from 6-8 p.m., Rabbi Dana and Cheriel Magat will lead a wine tasting and seder to celebrate Tu B'Shevat. The seder will feature the prescribed fruits, and the wines will be specially selected for the event. The cost is $25 per person. Reservations may be sent to the Temple Emanu-El office, by Feb. 5 to be assured of a space.

Women's musical evening Feb. 22

Women and girls are invited to join together for entertainment and inspiration at the annual women's musical evening. Highly talented local entertainers will dance, sing, play instruments and mime on the theme of "Divine Providence." All are welcome. The event will be held on Feb. 22, in the South Peninsula Hebrew Day School auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults and $6 for girls under age 12. The event is sponsored by the Almaden Valley Torah Center. For more information, please call Rivkie at 445-1770.

News

Features

Executive Director's Message

This Month in Jewish History