Bay Area Jewish Resource Guide Siani Memorial Chapel Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay Jewish Family & Children's Services of the East Bay Bay Jews Hebrew Free Loan Association The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life Lehrhaus Judaica The San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum
Interfaith and Outreach Interfaith Family Connection Building Jewish Bridges: Outreach to Interfaith Families Union for Reform Judaism: Interfaith Shalom Bayit Jewish Mosaic" The National Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity Twice Blessed: The Jewish GLBT Archives Online Keshet Ga'avah: The World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Jews
Holocaust Related Links Yad Vashem The Simon Wiesenthal Center United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The Nizkor Project USC Shoah Foundation Institute
National Jewish Organizations Union for Reform Judaism Women of reform Judaism Religious Action Center Progressive Jewish Alliance World Union for Progressive Judaism ARZA: Association of Reform Zionists of America JIG: Gews in Green (US Armed Forces) Jews for Judaism
Check Out These Links!
Judiasm 101http://www.jewfaq.org/index.htm Judaism 101 is an online encyclopedia of Judaism, covering Jewish beliefs, people, places, things, language, scripture, holidays, practices and customs. My goal is to make freely available a wide variety of basic, general information about Judaism, written from a traditional/Orthodox perspective in plain English. This web site has grown continually for more than 10 years and continues to be updated periodically.
Bay Area Midrashahttp://www.bayareamidrasha.org Bay Area Midrasha in Oakland's Temple Siani is a fun social and learning opportunity for Jewish 8th-12th graders. We are a pluralistic, community based program offering classes, retreats, and events to students regardless of synagogue affiliation. Our students love the program and come because they want to. It's a chance for them to connect with their friends, develop a sense of who they are as a Jewish teen, and have fun.
BayJews.orghttp://www.bayjews.org Bay Jews.org's mission is to help us feel connected to our Jewish community. There is no subscription or other fees for individuals or organizations to use the site. The site contains information on upcoming community events & volunteer projects, profiles, employment, housing, & forum.
PlanetJewish.comwww.planitjewish.com Your Jewish Event Connection is a vibrant, online nonprofit resource for over 430 local Bay Area Jewish organizations and over 1200 events per month. You can search for events by category and geographic region. Planitjewish.comallows you to register your personal Jewish interests and receive a weekly personal calendar that you can synchronize with your Outlook Calendar and then with a Palm Pilot type device. You can also RSVP, buy tickets, invite friends, provide automated event feedback surveys and view event pictures of our Jewish community! Please check it out at www.planitjewish.com! Register today -- its fast, free and easy!
Livnot http://www.livnot.org.il Livnot is a hiking, study, and community service program for unaffiliated young English-speaking Jewish adults aged 21 - 30, who are interested in gaining a further understanding of their connection to their Jewish heritage and their connection to the Land of Israel. Participants have the option of applying for a two- or four-week program. The program alternates between campuses in Tsfat and Jerusalem. Livnot accepts applicants under the Birthright Israel Gift Initiative. Further information may be found on the Livnot website, www.livnot.org.il, or through Livnot's New York office, 1-888-Livnot-0, or 212-613-1413.
Bay Area Jewish Links
Bay Area Jewish Resource Guidehttp://bluetoad.com/publication/?i=40932 This link will take you to the Jewish Federation's 2010 publication "Resource: A Guide to Jewish Life in the Bay Area" It has hundreds, possibly thousands of Jewish resources and is in an online magazine format. It can be printed out if you like (make sure your printer has LOTS of paper!).
Sinai Memorial Chapelhttp://www.sinaichapel.org/ Sinai Memorial Chapel is a full-service, non-profit funeral home guided by the principles and practices of Jewish tradition. Our mission is to serve the Jewish community of the San Francisco Bay Area regardless of affiliation or non-affiliation.
Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bayhttp://www.jfed.org The Jewish Community Federation is dedicated to building a vibrant and inclusive local Jewish community, and to enhancing the well being of Jews in the East Bay, Israel and throughout the world.
Jewish Family & Children's Services of the East Bayhttp://jfcs-eastbay.org/ Formed in 1877, JFCS/East Bay is a nonprofit, nonsectarian agency dedicated to supporting the social and emotional well-being of Alameda and Contra Costa county residents. JFCS/East Bay offers a broad range of supportive services, including individual and family counseling, support for the special needs of parents and children of all ages, and specialized assistance for older adults and their caregiving family members.
BayJewshttp://www.bayjews.org BayJews.org is a free resource with upcoming community events & volunteer projects, profiles, employment, housing, & forum.
Hebrew Free Loan Associationhttp://www.hflasf.org/ The Hebrew Free Loan Association of San Francisco/Northern California provides interest-free loans to Jewish residents of Northern California for education, small businesses, adoptions, first-time home purchases, as well as personal and emergency needs. Whether we're offering people a way out of their financial distress, or helping someone to realize a lifelong dream, our recipients maintain dignity and self-sufficiency as they repay their interest-free loans.
The donations the HFLA receives from individuals in the community are used to make loans to people in need. Then, as people repay their loans, we distribute the funds to others. We provide INTEREST-FREE loans to Jewish people in the Bay Area to meet a variety of personal and financial needs. Loan categories include: Emergency, Personal, Student, First-time Home Buyer, Debt Consolidation, Life Cycle, Business, Adoption, Institutional and Special Needs.
Museums, Jewish History & Culture
The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Lifehttp://www.magnes.org The Judah L. Magnes Museum has tranferred it's collections to the University of California, Berkeley, which has established the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and LIfe at the Bancroft Library. The university is developing a new facility. located in downtown Berkeley, which will open in the Fall of 2011 for this collection Lehrhaus Judaicahttp://www.lehrhaus.org Lehrhaus Judaica is a unique non-denomininational center for adult Jewish studies serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Their courses are open to the public, regardless of age, religion or ethnicity. The San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museumhttp://www.thecjm.org "Connecting art, people and ideas." Located in San Francisco at 736 Market Street (between 3rd and 4th Streets)
Interfaith & Outreach
Interfaith Family Connection http://www.interfaithfamily.com InterfaithFamily.com, Inc. is the online resource for interfaith families exploring Jewish life and the grass-roots advocate for more welcoming Jewish communities. This resource is for everyone touched by interfaith relationships where one partner is Jewish, on every topic of interest to them, and for everyone who works with and cares about them.
Building Jewish Bridges: Outreach to Interfaith Families http://buildingjewishbridges.org/ Building Jewish Bridges offers workshops, couples groups and other programs to help you find answers to questions about family life, religious identity, and religious practice. Couples come together in a warm, supportive environment to share their questions & concerns, hopes and ideas. Many couples continue to be friends long after their groups conclude.
Union For Reform Judaism: Interfaithhttp://urj.org/life/interfaith/ For over 30 years, Reform Judaism been committed to welcoming interfaith couples into our community. Interfaith issues impact entire families. Grandparents, parents and children all face challenges posed by differing religions and cultures. The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone. We are here to serve as a resource for you and your extended family.
Shalom Bayit Domestic Violence affects 20-30% of Jewish households. For more information or to get confidential assistance, contact Shalom Bayit (Bay Area Jewish Women Working to End Domestic Violence. (866-SHALOM-7)
Jewish LGBT Outreach
Jewish Mosaic: The National Center for Sexual and Gender Diversityhttp://www.jewishmosaic.org/ Jewish Mosaic partners with Jewish organizations, communities, and individuals of every denomination to create a world where all Jews are fully included in communal life, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Founded in summer 2003 and based in Denver, Colorado, Jewish Mosaic is the first national organization dedicated to helping the Jewish world become more open, accessible, and welcoming to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Jews and their families.
The World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Jews: Keshet Ga'avahhttp://glbtjews.org/ The World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Jews: Keshet Ga'avah consists of around 50 member organizations in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Mexico, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The World Congress holds conferences and workshops representing the interests of lesbian, gay, bisexual, & transgender Jews around the world. The focus of these sessions varies from regional, national, continental, to global.
National Jewish Organizations
Union for Reform Judaismhttp://www.urj.org/ The Union for Reform Judaism provides vision, direction and leadership to Reform Jews and congregations on spiritual, ethical, social justice and management issues, offering programming support to Reform Jewish congregations and strengthening individual Jewish identity and growth.
Women of Reform Judaismhttp://www.womenofreformjudaism.org/ Women of Reform Judaism is the women's affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism, the central body of Reform Judaism in North America. Established in 1913, WRJ now represents more than 65,000 women in over 500 women's groups in North America and around the world.
Religious Action Centerhttp://rac.org/ The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism ("the RAC") is the Washington, DC, office of the Union for Reform Judaism (Union). The RAC has been the hub of Jewish social justice and legislative activity in the nation's capital for more than 40 years. The RAC educates and mobilizes the American Jewish community on legislative and social concerns, advocating on issues from economic justice to civil rights to religious liberty to Israel.
Progressive Jewish Alliancehttp://www.pjalliance.org/ The Progressive Jewish Alliance (PJA) was founded in 1999 by Jewish Angelenos seeking to assert an authentic progressive Jewish presence in the campaigns for social justice in Southern California, home to the nation's second largest city and second largest Jewish community. PJA educates, advocates and organizes on issues of peace, equality, diversity and justice, as a progressive voice in the Jewish community and a Jewish voice in the progressive community. Over the past ten years, PJA has created a new model of Jewish community organizing, and has reinvigorated the progressive Jewish landscape in Los Angeles. In February 2005, PJA opened a San Francisco Bay Area chapter - our first expansion.
World Union for Progressive Judaismhttp://wupj.org/ The World Union for Progressive Judaism is the international umbrella organization of the Reform, Liberal, Progressive and Reconstructionist movements, serving 1,200 congregations with 1.8 million members in more than 45 countries.
ARZAhttp://www.arza.org/ ARZA, the Association of Reform Zionists of America - the Zionist arm and voice of the Reform Movement in the United States - endeavors to make Israel fundamental to the sacred lives and Jewish identity of Reform Jews. As a Zionist organization, ARZA champions activities that further enhance Israel as a pluralistic, just and democratic Jewish state.
JIGwww.jewsingreen.com Jews in Green is a website devoted to Jewish servicemembers: past, present, and future.The ultimate resource for Jewish service members. Started by a Jewish Marine officer, it offers a wealth of resources to Jewish Servicemembers of all branches.
Jews for Judaismhttp://jews4judaism.org/jewsforjudaism/ Established in 1983, Jews for Judaism is the Jewish community's leading response to the multi-million dollar efforts of deceptive missionary and cult groups that target Jews for conversion. The mission of Jews for Judaism is to strengthen and preserve Jewish identity through education and counseling that counteracts deceptive proselytizing targeting Jews for conversion.
Holocaust Related Links
Yad Vashemhttp://yadvashem.org Yad Vashem safeguards the memory of the past and imparts its meaning for future generations. Established in 1953, as the world center for documentation, research, education and commermoration of the Holocaust, Yad Vashem is today a dynamic and vital place of intergenerational and international encounter.
The Simon Wiesenthal Centerhttp://www.wiesenthal.com An interenational Jewish human rights organization dedicated to generating change through the Snider Social Action Institute and education by confronting antisemitism, hate and terrorism, promoting human rights and dignity, standing with Israel, defending the safety of Jews orldwide, and teaching the lessons of the Holocaust for future gtenerations.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum http://www/ushmm.org A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, promote human dignity, and prevent genocide. A public-private partnership, federal support guarantees the Museum's permanence, and its far-reaching educational programs and global impact are made possible by donors nationwide.
The Nizkor Projecthttp://www/ushmm.org Dedicated to the 12 million Holocaust victims who suffered and died at the hands of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime.
USC Shoah Foundation Institutehttp://college.usc.edu/vhi/ Inspired by his experience making Schindler's List, Steven Spielberg established the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation in 1994 to gather video testimonies from survivors and other witnesses of the Holocaust. While most of those who gave testimony were Jewish survivors, the Foundation also interviewed homosexual survivors, Jehovah's Witness survivors, liberators and liberation witnesses, political prisoners, rescuers and aid providers, Roma and Sinti (Gypsy) survivors, survivors of Eugenics policies, and war crimes trials participants.
