“Deal with Reality, or Reality Will Deal with You.” —Anon. The High Holidays are a time to gather together, as a community, and to start the year anew, awakened, with greater intent and effort. Unfortunately, in a year in which Jewish communities worldwide—including in the Bay Area—have endured bomb threats, anti-Semitic vandalism, and an ascendant […]
Berkeley was sweltering under 90 degree weather this past Sunday, but that didn’t stop Liora Brosbe, Federation’s Family Engagement Officer, from hitting Solano Stroll to meet, connect, and schmooze with local families (while repping Sprout and PJ Library)! Liora and her contingent were at the fair, a long venerable East Bay tradition, from beginning to […]
As this country reckons with a newly-ascendant Nazi fringe — grimly manifested during the hate rally in Charlottesville that killed three people and left vulnerable communities reeling — East Bay residents of all faiths and backgrounds are taking a stand for the spirit of inclusion that feels increasingly under threat nationwide. Amidst August’s wave of […]
Oleg Salamatov was born in Turkmenistan three years before the Soviet Union dissolved. Although most of his relatives left the country for Israel, Oleg and his mother stayed behind. He grew up living under an authoritarian regime where he was discriminated against for both being Jewish and for speaking Russian. Oleg eventually fled his home […]
Jason and Mary Luros live in Napa with their daughter Beatrix (“Bea”), age 3, and their beagle, Skipper. Napa can feel remote and disconnected from the vibrant Jewish communities in the East Bay, so it takes an ongoing effort to find Jewish experiences. “Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, it was very easy for […]
UPDATE (9/19/17): Since this post was first published, Hurricane Irma barrelled through the Carribean and Florida, pummeling communities there with devastating winds and storm surge, and Hurricane Maria—a Category 5 behemoth—is now wreaking havoc on Dominica, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands right after Irma decimated communities there. While the initial reports across communities […]
We are proud to announce that Dr. Joel Kreisberg has been elected as President of the Board of the Foundation effective July 1, 2017. Succeeding Eileen Ruby, who completed a successful term on June 30, 2017, Dr. Kreisberg has served on the Foundation board since 2014. “I want to personally thank Eileen for her significant […]
On Sunday, July 16, a wild brushfire swept through the Canaan neighborhood in the northern city of Tzfat, fueled by exceptionally hot, dry weather. Hundreds of individuals and families were evacuated from their homes, some of which sustained irreparable damage and will need to be entirely rebuilt. Federation’s overseas partner, The Jewish Agency for Israel, […]
PJ Library, the flagship program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, delivers more than 170,000 free Jewish children’s books and music CDs throughout the United States and Canada each month, including 3,200 children in the East Bay. Books are sent to children ages six months through eight years, with each subscriber receiving a title carefully selected […]
Word of the Day: Ooshy Booshy Our trip leader Shane trying out some graffiti after our graffiti tour in Tel Aviv (Photo by Lauren Frisch) It has been a week since I got back from Israel. I’m mostly recovered from exhaustion and jetlag, so I want to take this chance to share some final thoughts. But first, […]
Shana Tova! We wish you all — our families, friends, and partners — a good and sweet new year, from the East Bay to your home.
Sincerely,
Your Friends at Federation and Foundation
