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 a “Bear a Torch” campaign to shine a light on those groups that stand tall to uphold our community’s values, and we publicly reaffirmed our community’s respect for diversity, pluralism and religious freedom. In addition, late last year we brought together a unique group of Bay Area Jewish community leaders for a special JCRC op-ed training initiative, which has led to the publication of several important pieces. And, thanks to the generous support of our community, we continue to engage hundreds as advocates.
This Passover, more than ever, our community is gathering at the grassroots to establish meaningful connections and be a valued partner with other ethnic and faith communities. That’s why, in addition to the above new activities, we continue our acclaimed tradition of multi-faith Seders:
Our 21st Annual San Francisco Multicultural Freedom Seder was a joyous, sold-out gathering of more than 320 community leaders and allies at the JCCSF on April 5. During this inspirational communal event we raised our cups to democracy, pluralism, self-determination and resilience, and participated in a vibrant cultural exchange.
At the Peninsula Muslim-Jewish Halaqa-Seder on April 2, we helped bring 175 representatives of the Bay Area’s Islamic and Jewish communities to Congregation Beth Jacob for dramatic reenactments of scenes from the Exodus story as it is retold in Muslim and Jewish scriptures. This was our second such event in partnership with Islamic Networks Group (ING) and Pacifica Institute.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful Passover. Chag Sameach!