News

April 19 marked the 78th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising — the 1943 act of resistance in which Warsaw’s Jews refused to be transported to the Nazi death camps. Composer Frank London’s newest work explores 500 years of music in Jewish and non-Jewish ghettos around the world and its influence on the wider culture.

Yom HaShoah commemorates the millions of innocent Jewish and other lives lost during the Holocaust. The Koret Foundation is committed to combating antisemitism and identity-based hatred through grants supporting Holocaust education. A joint memorial program led by Koret grantees Jewish Family & Children’s Services and the San Francisco Jewish Community Center will be held April 7-9 to remember those no longer with us and celebrate the bravery and resilience of survivors.

In spite of the challenges it endured in 2020 and its cancelled summer program, the Camp Tawonga community stayed connected through virtual Friday night song sessions, Tot Shabbats, Jewish holidays and more throughout the year. This Impact Report details Tawonga’s many accomplishments in 2020 as it looks forward to the 2021 summer at camp.

The California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) is currently under review. The new ESMC will be used as the model curriculum for high schools across California and could ultimately be adopted across the nation. The Jewish Community Relations Council has worked tirelessly and in partnership with other Jewish community organizations to help build a balanced and inclusive ESMC. The third version of the curriculum will be reviewed for approval by the California State Board of Education this March.

USC Shoah Foundation harnesses the power of its archive of personal testimonies from witnesses to genocide to build a better world. Survivor testimony in IWitness offers timeless insights about standing up to hate and building a respectful future. Testimony from Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor who served in the United States Congress, as well as additional testimony and curricula are available for educators and students to explore these issues.

A project of the Oshman Family JCC, “Z3 2020: Visions of a Shared Future,” took place throughout Hanukkah. Over 5,000 people came together for conversations, interviews, and other inspiring content from leaders from across the Jewish World to explore and reimagine Israel and Diaspora relations.

Celebrate Hanukkah this year with the world-renowned Israel Philharmonic. Its December 2020 global celebration will be available to view, listen to, and enjoy throughout the month of December.

Russ Roberts, American economist and public intellectual, will assume the role of President of Israel’s Shalem College in March 2021. In a country in which higher education has historically emphasized specialization, Shalem College is pursuing a bold alternative: the cultivation of citizens for lives of influence and service, and not merely careers. Roberts plans to focus on enhancing the classroom experience and recruiting more top-level faculty to join Shalem’s community of scholars and teachers.

This November marks 25 years since the tragic assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. His friend, biographer, and former Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Itamar Rabinivich, will join in an exclusive conversation with Koret Director Abe Sofaer to discuss Rabin’s life and work on November 17, organized by the San Francisco Jewish Community Center.

Since the pandemic crisis began, Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS)’ focus has been clear: no one should be alone in their time of need. They are caring for the old and the ill, providing nutritious food, offering expert mental telehealth services, guiding parents and children, giving no-interest loans and grants to those struggling. This year, 120,000 people will receive help—and the crisis continues to compound. The JFCS Emergency Fund was established to ensure that people in crisis receive immediate, reliable help.