News

As Bay Area JCCs continue to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, they are now in a position to reimagine themselves. By prioritizing innovation, data, and above all listening to their community, JCCs are constantly adapting in order to meet people where they are.

Urban Adamah, one of just a handful of Jewish urban farms in the United States, is celebrating 13 years in Berkeley. The “Urban Adamitzvah” celebration will feature live music, dancing, hands-on farm activities and treats made with organic produce grown on the land.

Jewish Story Partners has unveiled its latest list of grantees, with $500,000 to be distributed to 21 in-the-works feature documentary projects. The latest grants by the organization means JSP has now awarded 101 films a total of $3 million since its founding in 2021.

On Tuesday, June 18, JCCSF will host its first Juneteenth event, hosted by three prominent Black Jewish leaders: Ilana Kaufman, CEO of the Berkeley-based Jews of Color Initiative; Anthony Mordechai Tzvi Russell, a Yiddish vocalist and composer; and award-winning writer and chef Michael Twitty.

Earlier this year, Koret partnered with Rosov Consulting and EarlyJ to research the Jewish early childhood education landscape in the Bay Area. Our findings led EarlyJ to expand a pilot program providing funding for Bay Area Jewish preschools to offer increased financial aid, attract and retain teachers, and increase security following the October 7 attacks. One school, the Gan Preschool in San Rafael, used funding to support three new Israeli families.

Yehuda Kurtzer, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute, recently spoke at the Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies at UC Berkeley to discuss American Judaism and the transition point that American Jews currently find themselves in.

After the devastating attacks on Oct. 7, IsraAID used their humanitarian, technical, and mental health expertise to launch a large-scale response at home. In an op-ed for EJP, IsraAID CEO Yotam Polizer reflects on the unique challenges in Israel, and what it takes to rebuild resilience.

JCCSF recently hosted “Soul Vey,” an event celebrating Judaism, Black History Month, and Women’s History Month. The event brought Black and Jewish communities together to break bread over a culturally diverse Shabbat meal.

USC Shoah Foundation and the National Library of Israel signed an agreement to make Shoah’s full collection of survivor testimonies from the Holocaust and the October 7 attacks publicly available to all Israelis.

ANU Museum of the Jewish People recently opened a full, temporary exhibition entitled “October Seventh” featuring dozens of works by Israeli artists responding and related to the Hamas massacres and the ongoing war.

The California Department of Education recently launched an oral history speaker series to bring Holocaust testimony to public school districts across the state. With support from the JFCS, the series aims to give students a deeper understanding of the Holocaust by allowing them to hear directly from survivors and their family members.

Jewish Story Partners (JSP) believes that films generate empathy, inviting Jews and non-Jews alike to see each other across perceived boundaries and gain insight into the human condition. JSP has funded 85 films in its first two years, selected from well over 700 applications. We spoke with Roberta Grossman, JSP’s co-executive director, about the diversity of films JSP funds and the range of additional support it offers filmmakers to maximize impact.