From the Frontlines
Backgrounder: The Surge of Antisemitism and What Can Be Done to Fight It
Jan 6, 2020
Posted by JCRC Staff
In the last 5 years, according to the ADL’s annual audit, there has been a 150 percent increase in antisemitic incidents in the United States – from 751 in 2013 to 1879 in 2019. There are many factors contributing to the surge of antisemitism, which has included more violent incidents… Continue Reading
Executive Order on Title VI
Dec 11, 2019
Posted by JCRC Staff
Today at the White House Chanukah Party, President Trump signed an Executive Order addressing anti-Semitism on college campuses. It codifies the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Association (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, which has been used by the U.S. State Department since 2018. The Executive Order requires that the Department of Education, when… Continue Reading
The Journey Home
Sep 20, 2019
Posted by Jessica Sterling, Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Associate, East Bay
The 15th Annual Interfaith Communities United Breakfast on September 12 at First Congregational Church in Oakland was an occasion for East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO) members and partners to gather and share housing solutions for Alameda and Contra Costa counties. There were powerful stories from Taqwaa Bonner, Mary Stackiewicz, Cortney… Continue Reading
What I Learned from my Internship with JCRC
Aug 8, 2019
Posted by Rebecca Ezersky, Intern
Growing up, one of the Jewish values that spoke to me the most is Lo Ta’amod Al Dam Rey’echa or, in English, to not stand idly by. Hillel confirms this sentiment, saying, “If I am not for myself who shall be for me?” A verse in Deuteronomy commands us, “tzedek… Continue Reading
The 2020 Census
Jul 30, 2019
Posted by JCRC Staff
The census has been in the news a lot. You’ve probably heard reports on the “citizenship question” or “hard-to-count communities,” but perhaps you’re wondering is it really so important? Well, in fact, it impacts us all a great deal! Experts at the Constitutional Accountability Center call the census “a cornerstone… Continue Reading
Judaism, Civility and Reproductive Choice
Jul 24, 2019
Posted by Rabbi Abby Phelps
This week’s blog update is a guest post by Rabbi Abby Phelps of Congregation Sherith Israel in San Francisco. Public discourse today is in a sorry state. I am by no means the first to make this observation, but I am profoundly disturbed by it. It has become nearly impossible… Continue Reading
Blog from Israel - Part 2
Jul 17, 2019
Posted by Sarah Fields, Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Manager, Peninsula
Origins of Christianity in the Jewish State On Sunday, quite appropriately, the Christian-Jewish leadership study group spent the first part of the day in prayer. Then we explored Christian sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. At this point in the trip an emerging theme of “love your neighbor” had come to… Continue Reading
Blog from Israel - Part 1
Jun 26, 2019
Posted by Sarah Fields, Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Manager, Peninsula
I'm in Israel right now with the clergy and members of the University AME Zion Church and Congregation Kol Emeth. Pastor Kaloma Smith and Rabbi David Booth participated on our Christian-Jewish leadership study group and trip almost two years ago and developed such a strong bond that when they returned,… Continue Reading
JCRC Goes to the Border
Jun 7, 2019
Posted by Diane Fisher, Director, JCRC of Silicon Valley
Today's blog is a special guest post by the director of the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley's Community Relations Council. It originally appeared in Here & Now. Since January, the old Family Courthouse downtown San Diego has been serving as a short-term shelter for over 5,000 migrants. Even though its physical… Continue Reading
Holocaust Remembrance Bay Area 2019
Apr 10, 2019
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Director of Marketing and Communications
Yom HaShoah V’HaGevurah, “The Day of (Remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism,” is commemorated annually on the 27th of the month of Nisan, a week after the end of Passover on the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. It is a day of remembrance for the approximately six million… Continue Reading
Joint Statement of Solidarity Following Attack in New Zealand
Mar 15, 2019
Posted by Joint Statement
The Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, Jewish Federation and The Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay, Jewish Community Relations Council, and the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco joined voices in solidarity with our Muslim friends and allies following the tragic attacks at two mosques in Christchurch, New… Continue Reading
Condemning Anti-Semitism in Halls of Power
Mar 8, 2019
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Director of Marketing and Communications
JCRC is deeply concerned about anti-Semitism in halls of power and among influential elected leaders. Whether from the political left or right, anti-Semitism must not be tolerated. History has taught us not to ignore anti-Semitic rhetoric, because it can lead to systemic discrimination and violence against Jews. We applaud Speaker… Continue Reading
In Response to Potential Inclusion of Otzma Yehudit in Israeli Government
Feb 25, 2019
Posted by JCRC Staff
The Jewish Community Relations Council of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, Sonoma, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties (JCRC) is deeply concerned about reports of an agreement between the Bayit Yehudi or “Jewish Home” and the Otzma Yehudit or “Jewish Power” parties to run on a joint list in the April Knesset… Continue Reading
MLK Day of Service Events 2019
Jan 15, 2019
Posted by JCRC Staff
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a day engaging in tikkun olam together with the… Continue Reading
Update on Anti-Semitism in the Women’s March
Jan 10, 2019
Posted by JCRC
Perspective and Response for 2019 JCRC Perspective and Response What You Can Do Jewish Community Relations Council of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, Sonoma, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley Community Relations Council Members of the Bay Area Jewish community have expressed deep concern about widespread… Continue Reading
The Aftermath
Nov 28, 2018
Posted by Jessica Sterling, East Bay Program Assistant
How many measures of security will it take for a community to feel safe and secure? Last Shabbat I arrived at Temple Beth Abraham’s Saturday morning services early. As a board member I volunteer to be “Shabbat Greeter” about once a month. The greeters are the first people a congregant… Continue Reading
Post Election Events
Oct 31, 2018
Posted by JCRC Staff
The Jewish community is closely following the midterm elections and analyzing what it means for our most critical issues. We recognize that you too may be interested in accessing the best available analysis. So, as part of our democracy initiative, we are sharing these upcoming post-election events: November 7, San Francisco… Continue Reading
Pittsburgh Inspires Widespread Solidarity Around the Bay
Oct 31, 2018
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Director of Marketing and Communications
Following the atrocious events at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, there has been a tremendous turnout across the Bay Area at dozens of vigils and community gatherings. 1,200 people gathered at Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco on Sunday, October 28. (JCRC Executive Director Abby Porth spoke at this gathering, you can… Continue Reading
We Stand With You!
Oct 5, 2018
Posted by San Francisco Interfaith Council
San Francisco Bay Area Religious Leaders Stand in Support of Survivors of Sexual Assault JCRC Executive Director Abby Porth joins more than 140 leaders in signing interfaith statement addressing widespread scourge. Statement: We believe that sexual assault is not a partisan issue, but a pervasive problem in the United States… Continue Reading
A Threat to Democracy Itself
Sep 12, 2018
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Director of Marketing and Communications
Last week, at his most recent rally, President Donald Trump railed against the “failing” New York Times because it published an anonymous op-ed written by a senior official on his staff. During his tirade he said, “…unelected deep state operatives who defy the voters to push their own secret agendas… Continue Reading
Israel Nation-State Law Passes Amid Deep Concern
Jul 20, 2018
Posted by JCRC Staff
Early on Thursday, July 19, the Israeli Knesset passed legislation known as Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People. The new law has caused controversy in Israel and in the American Jewish community. National U.S. Jewish organizations have raised concerns that the legislation will have a negative impact… Continue Reading
As parents, we were compelled to visit a Texas immigrant detention center
Jul 11, 2018
Posted by Sonia Daccarett, Howard Kleckner, Suzanne Browne Mead
We heard from elected officials who have been allowed entry to the detention facilities that they “despair” because of the “deplorable” conditions. And there is growing suspicion about the organizations that have been put in charge of the care of these babies and children, the exorbitant fees they are charging… Continue Reading
Interfaith Work makes all the Difference
Jul 3, 2018
Posted by Sarah Fields, Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Manager, Peninsula
Interfaith partnerships are the cornerstone of the Jewish Community Relations Council's work across the Bay Area, and especially on the Peninsula. So, when the Mormon Tabernacle Choir came to the Shoreline Amphitheater last week, I was pleased to be invited by our local LDS community along with fellow Jews, Protestants,… Continue Reading
Point of View
Jun 20, 2018
Posted by Elle Segal, Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Manager, San Francisco
San Francisco has a fresh link with its Israeli sister city, Haifa. A new, incredible Point Of View art installation was opened to the public on May 31. The two cities already had a lot in common. Both are coastal cities with diverse populations, delicious food, innovative companies and rich… Continue Reading
JCRC Op-Ed Initiative Continues Empowering Opinion Leaders
Jun 6, 2018
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Director of Marketing and Communications
Earlier this year, JCRC brought together an inspiring group of Jewish opinion leaders to learn, directly from news-media professionals, how best to construct and pitch opinion editorials. These were all dedicated experts with deep knowledge of critically important issues from immigration and women’s rights to public service, democracy and Israel. The… Continue Reading
Reflecting on JPAC Advocacy Day 2018
May 23, 2018
Posted by Gabi Kuhn, Public Policy & Community Building Associate
Looked at from afar, government can seem slow and overly bureaucratic. It's sometimes difficult to feel you can really make a difference. This month I had the opportunity to take part in the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California (JPAC)’s two-part Advocacy Day at the State Capitol and witness government… Continue Reading
U.S. Opts Out of Iran Deal
May 9, 2018
Posted by JCRC Staff
The U.S. has removed itself unilaterally from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a.k.a. The Iran Deal. Some observers believe that the deal was fueling an aggressive regional policy by Iran that was significantly increasing the risk of war, others fear that pulling out of the deal will remove… Continue Reading
Marching for Our Lives with Beth Am’s Confirmation Class
Mar 30, 2018
Posted by Noah and Samantha, Beth Am congregants
Two teenage congregants from Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, who attended the March for Our Lives event in San Francisco on March 24, agreed to share with Frontlines readers their reflections on what this event means for them and what the future might hold for us all. (For context,… Continue Reading
Holocaust Remembrance Ceremonies in the Bay Area
Mar 21, 2018
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Director of Marketing and Communications
Yom HaShoah V’HaGevurah, "The Day of (Remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism," is commemorated annually on the 27th of the month of Nisan, a week after the end of Passover on the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. It is a day of remembrance for the approximately six million… Continue Reading
From Netanya to Inner Richmond: A JCL Tutoring Success Story
Feb 28, 2018
Posted by Gil Allouche, Tutor, Jewish Coalition for Literacy
I started tutoring at the end of 2015 at Argonne Elementary School in San Francisco. Founded in 1919, Argonne is a public school in the Richmond District offering a warm and supportive environment to its students. Like the other schools in the San Francisco Unified School District, it has a… Continue Reading
MLK Day of Service Events Around the Bay
Dec 13, 2017
Posted by JCRC Staff
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a day engaging in tikkun olam together with the diverse communities of our Bay Area. MLK Day of Service events… Continue Reading
Islands of Hope
Dec 7, 2017
Posted by Matthew Readdick, Middle East Project Educator and Program Manager
As a new JCRC staff member, I was thrilled when given the opportunity to join JCRC and the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Jewish-Christian Leadership trip to Israel in October. The trip was a fantastic experience for all of us, and many new relationships developed that will serve to strengthen our interfaith… Continue Reading
A (incomplete & ever-changing) Response from the Misidentified
Nov 16, 2017
Posted by Nadav David, Former Intern
This essay is based on remarks Nadav gave as part of a panel discussion on “What Are You: A Response from the Misidentified” with other members of the Northeastern University community during its Social Justice Week on the theme of “Seeing Color: Exploring Whitness in a Racialized World." Answering the… Continue Reading
Service, Country, and a Kevin Bacon Movie
Nov 10, 2017
Posted by Sarah Fields, Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Manager, Peninsula
Today marks the 242nd birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Tomorrow is Veterans Day, the official public holiday to celebrate the service of our veterans. Not to be confused with Memorial Day, Veterans Day is a day to acknowledge the service or our all-volunteer military and those who chose… Continue Reading
JCRC Legislative Wrap-Up 2017
Nov 2, 2017
Posted by JCRC Staff
Sunday, October 15, was the last day for California Governor Jerry Brown to sign or veto bills that passed the state legislature in 2017. Since March, JCRC has worked with community members, advocates and policymakers to advance bills addressing the concerns of our community. Below is a list of the… Continue Reading
First-Hand Accounts of Fire Response
Oct 25, 2017
Posted by Carole-Anne Elliott, Executive Assistant
With such devastation so close to home, many of us on the JCRC staff have reached out to help those affected by the North Bay wildfires in numerous ways – monetarily, housing friends and loved ones, donating goods, offering support. We wanted to share two first-hand accounts of JCRC staff… Continue Reading
Advocating for Change: Oakland’s AAMA
Oct 18, 2017
Posted by Adi Alouf, Intern
Fifth in our “Racial Justice: Advocating for Change” series. The great inequalities in educational access and opportunity across racial, economic, and residential lines produce and maintain the academic opportunity and achievement gaps between white students and students of color. The school-to-prison-pipeline describes the inadequate educational services, overcrowded classrooms, racially and… Continue Reading
Advocating for Change: LCCR
Oct 11, 2017
Posted by Adi Alouf, Intern
Fourth in our “Racial Justice: Advocating for Change” series. The law has served as a system of racial control in America. The institutions of slavery and Jim Crow clearly demonstrate how the status of black people as inferior and criminal has been etched into the American legal tradition. The Lawyers… Continue Reading
Advocating for Change: League of Women Voters
Oct 4, 2017
Posted by Adi Alouf, Intern
The third in our “Racial Justice: Advocating for Change” series. The denial of voting rights has historically been used and continues to be used to minimize representation of communities of color. For democracy to flourish, all stakeholders must have the right to participate - and this critically includes the equal… Continue Reading
Advocating for Change: YCD
Sep 27, 2017
Posted by Adi Alouf, Intern
This post is the second in our “Racial Justice: Advocating for Change” series in support of the JCRC Consensus Policy Statement on Racial Justice. We are highlighting different organizations doing phenomenal work in racial justice and the ways that the community can support their efforts. Economic and racial justice must… Continue Reading
Advocating for Change: Be’chol Lashon
Sep 20, 2017
Posted by Adi Alouf, Intern
This post is the first in a series on “Racial Justice: Advocating for Change” in support of the JCRC Consensus Policy Statement on Racial Justice. We will be highlighting different organizations doing phenomenal work in racial justice and the ways that the community can support their efforts. The Jewish people… Continue Reading
5778: Advocating Justice
Sep 13, 2017
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Director of Marketing and Communications
When I was about seven my mom and I were listening to the radio and the Byrds came on singing “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Already a budding music aficionado, I listened intently to the lyrics and quizzed her about the song. She steered away from the source material and focused instead… Continue Reading
JCRC 2017 Legislative Agenda
Aug 30, 2017
Posted by JCRC Staff
The Jewish Community Relations Council of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, Sonoma, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties has a large, diverse constituency and a several legislative jurisdictions to cover. So, we have developed a careful and deliberate process for selecting the scope of our annual legislative agendas. Even before our… Continue Reading
A Hamsa, a Bicycle and a Common Cause
Aug 23, 2017
Posted by Hallie Baron, Associate Director
In 1998, a year after I moved to San Francisco, I took up cycling with a bunch of Jewish young adults I’d met on a Federation YAD-organized canoe trip. I wasn’t quite a YA – I’d actually just turned 40 – but they welcomed me nonetheless. That trip changed my… Continue Reading
Bay Area Solidarity Events
Aug 21, 2017
Posted by JCRC Staff
A number of alternative events have been scheduled in response to the upcoming white-nationalist rallies in San Francisco and Berkeley. If there is an event you would like us to share, please message Director of Marketing and Communications Jeremy Russell. Together, we will reaffirm our community’s and the Bay Area’s… Continue Reading
Community Unites Against Hate Following Charlottesville
Aug 16, 2017
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Director of Marketing and Communications
There has been an enormous and moving outpouring of public condemnation for the anti-Semitic rally and ensuing violence in Charlottesville, VA. It is heartening to see so many united against hate. We are gathering pertinent statements, but this is only a small sampling. If you do not see a statement that… Continue Reading
Know Your Classmates
Aug 16, 2017
Posted by JCRC Staff
Beyond Differences, whose mission is to inspire students at all middle schools to end social isolation and create a culture of belonging for everyone, is launching their second year of Know Your Classmates. JCRC is honored to be joining again this year as a National Partner for the initiative, which… Continue Reading
My Year of Service
Aug 9, 2017
Posted by Shandor Tighe, JCL AmeriCorps VISTA Program Associate
As I sat in the office of Lakeshore Elementary School on Read Across America Day, I could not help but feel a bit nervous. Something about reading to a class of second graders for the first time can cause a little anxiety. However, when I went into the classroom, and… Continue Reading
Do as I Say, Not as I Do!
Aug 2, 2017
Posted by Andye Daley, Project Coordinator, Institute for Curriculum Services
Remember your parents saying things like: “Do as I say, not as I do!” “Two wrongs don’t make a right!” “If so-and-so jumped off a bridge, would you?” Or the ever popular, “Stop crying before I give you something to cry about!” (always worked, right?) Well, when I had kids… Continue Reading
Civil Rights Lawsuit against SF State alleges Anti-Semitism
Jun 21, 2017
Posted by JCRC Staff
On Monday, a lawsuit claiming San Francisco State University (SFSU) is “among the worst of the worst” for anti-Semitism was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The suit, Mandel et al v. SFSU et al, was filed by six Bay Area Jewish community members,… Continue Reading
Six Days and Fifty Years
May 17, 2017
Posted by JCRC Staff
The after effects of the war fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, “The Six Day War,” still reverberate today. A great deal of ink has been spilled telling the tale of how Israel defeated a coalition of Arab armies to maintain its existence, establish the current borders and reunite… Continue Reading
The Incredible Legacy of the Anderson Family
May 12, 2017
Posted by Aimee Ellis, JFNA Israel Action Network Senior Associate for Community Strategy
In celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month, I’m detailing just some of the Anderson Family in San Francisco’s incredible contributions to art, culture, athletics and society. Their family’s combined civic contributions are too many to list in one post! The Anderson Family of San Francisco is a Jewish-American theatrical family.… Continue Reading
Yom Hashoah Ve-Hagevurah 2017
Apr 14, 2017
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Director of Marketing and Communications
Holocaust Remembrance Ceremonies in the Bay Area Yom Hashoah Ve-Hagevurah, "The Day of (Remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism," is marked annually on the 27th day in the month of Nisan, a week after the end of Passover. This year it falls on Monday, April 24. In recognition of… Continue Reading
Celebrating Communal Values this Passover
Apr 10, 2017
Posted by JCRC Staff
JCRC has been extra busy these first few months of 2017 advocating on behalf of our community both here and in Israel. We hosted an extraordinarily well-attended and impactful Jewish Community Forum with support from our local Federations and the Jewish Community High School of the Bay. We also launched… Continue Reading
Statements: Their Time and Place
Mar 29, 2017
Posted by JCRC Staff
This month JCRC Executive Director Abby Porth joined Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) President and CEO David Bernstein in publishing two important think pieces at eJewish Philanthropy about the power, importance and potential folly of issuing statements. Noting an "unceasing demand on Jewish organizations to issue public statements" they… Continue Reading
Security is a Community Effort
Mar 3, 2017
Posted by JCRC Staff
Since January, Jewish institutions across the country have been evacuated one after another because of bomb threats. Just Monday, 28 sites, including three in our Bay Area Jewish community, were targeted with additional threats. There have been no reports that authorities found explosive devices at any of the sites, but… Continue Reading
The JCRC Op-Ed Initiative
Feb 22, 2017
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Director of Marketing and Communications
In November, JCRC brought together a unique group of Bay Area Jewish community leaders for a special training by The Op-Ed Project, which educates women and others who are often underrepresented among the experts in their fields to take thought-leadership positions by writing and placing op-eds. As well as being… Continue Reading
Doing Our Part to Stop a Muslim Registry
Feb 8, 2017
Posted by Joe Goldman, Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Manager, San Francisco
Just days into his presidency, Donald Trump signed an executive order banning refugees and citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. He also signed an executive order calling for the construction of a border wall with Mexico. Both of these actions were based on xenophobic campaign promises:… Continue Reading
Across the World and in Our Own Backyard
Feb 1, 2017
Posted by Sarah Fields, Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Manager, Peninsula
Working locally with our friends in the Hizmet Movement So much is uncertain in our country with a new president, congress, cabinet leaders, and soon Supreme Court Justice. However you might feel about them, it's easy to become myopicly focused on domestic issues. In these times it's helpful to have… Continue Reading
Protect the Rights of Americans of all Faiths
Jan 25, 2017
Posted by Madihha Ahussain, Staff Attorney, Muslim Advocates
Bear A Torch – Alongside the threats to limit immigration from majority-Muslim countries, there has been a not-coincidental increase in uncivil political discourse directed at Muslim and other minority students in schools around the country, including in the Bay Area where many schools have responded by declaring themselves safe zones.… Continue Reading
Invest in Peace
Jan 18, 2017
Posted by JCRC Staff
Bear a Torch – Invest in Peace is a coalition of Bay Area community leaders, business owners, officials and activists promoting people-to-people partnerships among Israelis and Palestinians as a way to move toward two states living side-by-side in peace. The Invest in Peace community believes in a two-state solution with… Continue Reading
Mobilizing to Reduce LGBT Inequalities
Jan 10, 2017
Posted by Jason Howe, Communications Director, Equality California
Bear a Torch - As the nation’s largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender civil rights organization dedicated to creating a fair and just society, Equality California (EQCA) is working within California, at the federal level, and directly with other states to win and protect full equality for LGBT people. The group… Continue Reading
Perspectives on the UN Security Council Vote
Dec 29, 2016
Posted by JCRC Staff
Following a vote by the UN Security Council on Israel’s settlements – a vote from which the United States abstained – outgoing U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave dueling speeches. Both occurrences are certain to impact U.S.-Israel relations going forward. If you’re looking… Continue Reading
Not Accepting Silence
Dec 28, 2016
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Director of Marketing & Communications
Bear A Torch – This week’s torchbearer, Shalom Bayit, was born as a task force addressing domestic violence in the Bay Area Jewish community, but has always remained connected to a broader national agenda. Focused on the intimate space of the home, Shalom Bayit’s impact is inherently political because true… Continue Reading
Open Books, Open Minds
Dec 21, 2016
Posted by JCRC Staff
Bear a Torch – This week’s torchbearer, the Jewish Coalition for Literacy (JCL), is dedicated to eliminating childhood illiteracy by mobilizing tutors, engaging parents and expanding home libraries to help underserved public school children throughout the Bay Area. Inspired by Jewish values of social justice, JCL works in TITLE I… Continue Reading
The Spirituality of Abortion
Dec 14, 2016
Posted by Debbie Bamberger, Netivot Shalom Congregant
Bear a Torch – This week's torchbearer, Exhale, uses pro-voice approaches and tools to support women in sharing their personal abortion stories. Want to champion these beliefs and transform abortion stigma into respect? ACT NOW: Join the pro-voice movement and take the pledge on Exhale's Take Action page. The Spirituality… Continue Reading
Supporting Refugees and Immigrants
Dec 7, 2016
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Director of Marketing & Communications
Bear a Torch – Following the recent election and its divisive campaigns, many in our community have turned to JCRC for guidance. With our history convening people from across the political spectrum to meaningfully discuss challenging topics, we know the work will not be easy. For the several weeks surrounding… Continue Reading
A Highly Unworthy Cause
Nov 9, 2016
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Communications Manager
In the novel Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield pays a visit to an old English teacher, Mr. Antolini, who tells him, “I don’t want to scare you, but I can very clearly see you dying nobly, one way or another, for some highly unworthy cause.” Looking over the last… Continue Reading
Celebrating Argentina’s Jewry
Nov 3, 2016
Posted by Aimee Ellis, JFNA Israel Action Network Senior Associate for Community Strategy
One of my greatest passions is supporting Latin-American Jewry, particularly their influence and involvement in the arts and culture of the Americas. All my life I was fascinated by South America. I always imagined I’d fit in well within Argentina, if given the opportunity. At the time I wasn’t aware… Continue Reading
Four Walls and a Roof
Oct 26, 2016
Posted by Joe Goldman, Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Manager, San Francisco
Addressing Homelessness & Affordable Housing Homelessness remains a prominent stain on the “California Dream.” San Francisco alone has 6,500 homeless people, the second-highest in the entire country. The state that’s home to the booming tech and entertainment industries has almost totally failed to use its wealth to address the growing… Continue Reading
Recycling Books into Centerpieces for Charitable Events
Oct 19, 2016
Posted by Rachel Alger, JCL AmeriCorps VISTA Program Associate
Six years ago, Redwood City resident Betsy Rosenthal was looking to get more involved in the Jewish community. Her daughter had recently participated in a philanthropic service project to benefit the Jewish Coalition for Literacy (JCL), a nonprofit program to expand childhood literacy in high poverty communities across the Bay… Continue Reading
JCRC 2016 Legislative Agenda
Oct 13, 2016
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Communications Manager
This California legislative cycle the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Relations Council is supporting a pro-housing, pro-services agenda for San Francisco and a proposition that bolsters gun violence prevention laws in the State of California. The San Francisco propositions that JCRC will be supporting are Prop I and Prop C. The… Continue Reading
Building a Dream for Peace
Oct 5, 2016
Posted by Joe Goldman, Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Manager, San Francisco
“If you will it, it is no dream.” – Theodore Herzl These are the words that kept running through my head as our bus ferried us between new housing complexes, high-tech offices, and the largest amphitheater anywhere near the Mediterranean. The tour guide – an architect working on this particular… Continue Reading
How I Fell in Love with Tutoring
Sep 14, 2016
Posted by Nava Schweig, Jewish Coalition for Literacy Tutor
It was my first day at Greenleaf Elementary School in Oakland, and anxiety was building up inside me as I walked the halls of the unknown school. The kids here were different. They were from a different religion, different races and a different age-group from students at my own school.… Continue Reading
Understanding the Movement for Black Lives Platform and Its Inclusion of Anti-Israel Rhetoric
Aug 24, 2016
Posted by JCRC Staff
On August 1, 2016, The Movement for Black Lives released a national platform. The document includes 40 policy suggestions. One section, “Invest-Divest,” caused significant national Jewish community and media attention because it includes hateful and extreme language regarding Israel. Calling Israel “an apartheid state,” the document claims “the US justifies… Continue Reading
What We Learn by Teaching
Aug 10, 2016
Posted by Katherine Ladcani, JCL AmeriCorps VISTA Program Associate
How a Literacy Volunteer Discovered his True Calling For the past six years Don Neuwirth, a schoolyard planner by profession, frequently volunteered through the Jewish Coalition for Literacy (JCL) as a reading tutor at Buena Vista Horace Mann (BVHM), an underserved Spanish-immersion school in San Francisco's Mission District. Each week… Continue Reading
San Francisco: A City of Bridges or Walls?
Aug 4, 2016
Posted by Joe Goldman, Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Manager, San Francisco
The Economist’s cover story, “Drawbridges Up,” highlights a new political phenomenon that’s upending traditional right-left lines in the West: the debate between open and closed societies. In both the U.S. and Europe, we’ve seen drawbridge-up candidates ascend on platforms against immigration and trade with other nations. Economic insecurity fuels blames… Continue Reading
If All Hell Breaks Loose
Jul 21, 2016
Posted by Abby Porth, Executive Director
Lately, it has felt like every morning begins with a news story that brings us to our knees. Weighing heavily today is the news from North Miami, where an African American therapist trying to calm his autistic patient was shot in the process by an active-duty police officer. Videotaped and… Continue Reading
Violence Prevention Programs
Jul 12, 2016
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Communications Manager
For the past 16 days we have been encouraging a wide variety of actions against gun violence. One key way to take action that we have not yet discussed is by supporting the many community-based programs preventing violence before it’s initiated. There are organizations and agencies at work every day… Continue Reading
#SafeAndEqual: Orlando Massacre Enabled America to “Get” Intersectionality
Jul 6, 2016
Posted by Joe Goldman, Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Manager, San Francisco
Many of us are trying to make sense of what happened in Orlando, placing the worst mass shooting in American history in one silo at the cost of others. But in reality, the attack in Orlando brings everything together. It’s as intersectional as intersectionality gets. The massacre touches upon everything:… Continue Reading
Rabbi Doug Kahn
Jun 30, 2016
Posted by Hadara Stanton, JCRC President, and Jeremy Russell, Communications Manager
In the photo above, Rabbi Doug Kahn holds aloft two prints by Polish born Jewish artist Arthur Szyk. Both of these luminous works are part of Szyk’s Visual History of Nations series, which was intended to celebrate the contributions that individual nations have made to human history. On the left… Continue Reading
So Much Hate, So Much Fear, So Many Guns
Jun 22, 2016
Posted by Ilana Kaufman, Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Director, East Bay
In the last year I’ve had all kinds of frightening new experiences. Around the time that an anti-Israel billboard went up along Highway 680, for example, I was called out to investigate a report of a flyer demonizing Israel on cars in the area. Looking into this anti-Zionist incident took… Continue Reading
Continuance of Magnificence
Jun 2, 2016
Posted by Aimee Ellis, Community Engagement Manager
Growing up in the Richmond District of San Francisco, I was told I was Jewish but felt isolated. We didn’t attend synagogue, my schoolmates were Chinese American and my mother – despite a strong Jewish upbringing – identified with Eastern culture and religion, especially Buddhism. I was even unaware (until… Continue Reading
Don’t Forget To Vote!
May 18, 2016
Posted by JCRC, Board of Rabbis, et al.
Eighty years ago, Abraham Cahan wrote, “There were no elections in the country from which we had fled. The ballot box and all it represented was the sacred hope for which many of our countrymen in Russia had martyred their lives.” Voting in open and free elections is a truly… Continue Reading
JPAC Advocacy Day 2016
May 11, 2016
Posted by JCRC Staff
A robust delegation from the Bay Area traveled to Sacramento this week, joining Jewish community members from across the state to network with legislators and advocate for public policy issues of importance to the broad Jewish community, as part of the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California (JPAC). This year,… Continue Reading
Holocaust Remembrance Day 2016
Apr 27, 2016
Posted by JCRC Staff
Yom Hashoah Ve-Hagevurah Ceremonies in the Bay Area Yom Hashoah Ve-Hagevurah, "The Day of (Remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism," is marked annually on the 27th day in the month of Nisan, a week after the end of Passover. A variety of public observances will be held in recognition of… Continue Reading
Why Can’t We Hear Each Other Out?
Apr 20, 2016
Posted by Jason Steckler, JCRC Intern
True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing. --Socrates San Francisco Hillel hosted Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat at San Francisco State University on Wednesday, April 6th. Within minutes a crowd led by the General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) took over the room, screaming, “Israel is a terrorist… Continue Reading
Reading is Music to her Ears
Apr 13, 2016
Posted by Rachel Alger, JCL AmeriCorps VISTA Program Associate, Peninsula
If you come to North Shoreview Montessori School on a Wednesday afternoon, you’ll notice that just before 1 o’clock, the hallways fill with the jolly melody of the “Mickey Mouse March” and the majestic “Ode to Joy.” You can bet that Norma Tarrow will be there, guiding a group of… Continue Reading
Countering Online Hate Speech
Mar 30, 2016
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Communications Manager
Almost two years ago some friends and I organized to flag for removal a Facebook page called “Death to Israel.” We felt the page was clearly anti-Semitic and in violation of Facebook’s community standards. I was surprised when Facebook declined to take it down. The page had, I thought, clearly… Continue Reading
The Calm Center in the Middle
Mar 16, 2016
Posted by Jason Steckler, JCRC Intern
Apartheid Week, San Francisco State University, spring 2014 – As an engaged Jewish student active in San Francisco Hillel for more than a year I thought I knew what to expect. But, in fact, what I saw changed me and altered the course of my ensuing years as an SFSU… Continue Reading
My Rabbi Road Trip
Mar 9, 2016
Posted by Ilana Kaufman, Public Affairs and Civic Engagement Director, East Bay
It was Rabbi Menachem Landa of Chabad Novato who modeled for me the value of going door-to-door to connect with our community. When Rabbi Landa arrived with Chabad Novato co-founder Adina Landa in Northern California four years ago this March, he canvassed every corner of his region to reach out,… Continue Reading
Black History Month 2016
Feb 29, 2016
Posted by Abby Porth, Associate Executive Director
Today is the last day of Black History Month 2016. Throughout the month, we have featured on our social media the intersection of the African American and Jewish communities. As we wrap up the month, I want to share my speech from the San Francisco Interfaith Council (SFIC)-University of San… Continue Reading
My Spiritual Journey – From Activism to Study and Back (Part 2)
Feb 24, 2016
Posted by Rabbi Doug Kahn, JCRC Executive Director
This is a continuation. For part 1 click here. I’ve often joked that, in my position as JCRC Executive Director, being a rabbi means much more in the non-Jewish community than the Jewish community. The fact is that the training and the knowledge have been very valuable. I was particularly… Continue Reading
My Spiritual Journey – From Activism to Study and Back (Part 1)
Feb 17, 2016
Posted by Rabbi Doug Kahn, JCRC Executive Director
My spiritual journey is not a subject I’ve generally spoken about before, let alone given as much thought to as I should. But I was asked to address the topic at the most recent San Francisco Interfaith Council breakfast attended by representatives of multiple religious traditions active in San Francisco.… Continue Reading
Guest Post: A Wider Perspective on A Wider Bridge
Feb 3, 2016
Posted by Alice Kessler, EQCA Legislative Director
Just before MLK Day weekend, the National LGBTQ Task Force, one of the nation’s oldest and most prominent LGBT advocacy organizations, suddenly canceled a long-scheduled session at its Creating Change conference. The session was to be hosted by A Wider Bridge and to feature Jerusalem Open House. JCRC worked closely… Continue Reading
JCRC Consensus on Economic Justice
Jan 27, 2016
Posted by Felice Zensius, JCRC Public Policy Committee Chair
JCRC affirmed a new JCRC Consensus Statement on Economic Justice last week at its first Assembly meeting of 2016. The new statement affirms the value and dignity of every human life and asserts that the Bay Area organized Jewish community, which JCRC represents, actively supports the right of each person… Continue Reading
MLK 2016 Commemorations and Volunteer Opportunities
Jan 13, 2016
Posted by JCRC Staff
Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” -Martin Luther King, Jr. Millions will come together… Continue Reading
A Year of Jewish Community Relations
Jan 7, 2016
Posted by Jeremy Russell, Communications Manager
2015 was a big year for me. Not only was my son, Abraham, born – he’s an absolute delight! – but it was also my first year with the Jewish Community Relations Council. When I started at JCRC I hoped to find a tight-knit group with a strong team spirit… Continue Reading
Yoga, My Jewish Spiritual Journey
Dec 23, 2015
Posted by Emily Lakritz, Program and Administrative Assistant
When I booked my flight to Bali for a month-long yoga teacher training, I can honestly say I was not thinking about my Jewish identity. Yet, the trip ended up connecting me to my family and my community in a way I never would have expected. Growing up in an… Continue Reading
Civic Connection: South Peninsula
Dec 16, 2015
Posted by JCRC Staff
On December 9, JCRC, Jewish Family & Children’s Services (JFCS), and the Oshman Family JCC (OFJCC) held the first-ever JCRC Civic Connection for the South Peninsula. This Chanukah-themed reception drew nearly 70 attendees all of whom were grateful to South Peninsula’s public officials who attended and for those officials' willingness… Continue Reading