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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.

This year, St. Anthony’s recognizes 70 years of providing essentials to people experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty: food, clothing, medical care, shelter, addiction recovery help, access to technology, job training, counseling, community, and more. Inspired by hope to recognize the dignity in every person, St. Anthony’s continues to serve thousands of San Franciscans daily during the COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to do so as long as there is a need.

As part of a series on how different organizations are shifting in light of COVID-19, Fortune interviewed Jamie Simon, Camp Tawonga’s Executive Director, in May. Simon shared Tawonga’s approach to reopening and plans for alternative programming.

Meeting critical community needs, Urban Adamah is now delivering fresh produce previously distributed through its weekly Farm Stand to several Berkeley congregations to help them meet the needs of their elderly members. It is also sharing its produce with local organizations like Consider the Homeless and the Ashby Community Garden for distribution.

The COVID-19 virus has upended life for individuals and communities everywhere. The pandemic has spread not only infection, but also wide-reaching uncertainty as to when “normal life” might resume. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Koret grantees innovated quickly in response to the mandate to shelter in place and to socially distance. Unlike in previous […]

“Diary from the Ashes,” a documentary by local filmmaker Yoav Potash, has been awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. A Koret supported project, the film focuses on the life of Rywka Lipszyc, a 14-year old Jewish Polish girl whose diary was discovered at Auschwitz.