Archive

Archive for December, 2009

Thoughts and upcoming events

December 22nd, 2009

Friends,

As we end the calender year, take a moment to think about all the wonderful things that go on in this world, take a breath and breathe them in.
Meditate on all life’s blessings- If you think hard enough, you will find them.
There are so many things which are great and so many things which need to be improved.
Take a new year’s resolution- Here are some ideas where we can help:
- Connect Jewishly
- Volunteer some time to visit a senior citizen in a home, we can help with that
- Study Torah, you can do it on your own- online or at our Tuesday night classes, or you can arrange a 1 on 1 with Rabbi Zvi.
- Celebrate Shabbat more often, We have Dinners twice a month.
- Give Charity –  The Intown Chabad depends completely on local support, please consider making an end of year donation here
- Repair relationships at home
- Light Shabbat Candles
- Lay Tefillin more often
There are so many ways we can improve this world and our selves in 2010!!!
Wishing you a great year!
Zvi
Upcoming at TIC
There will be no Tuesday night class this week and next. We will resume Tuesday night classes on the 5th of January.
Huge Shabbat dinner 1-1-2010-  Join us for a great Shabbat dinner with friends… every year people always complain how miserable New Years is out in the bars, well you know we through a great time always, and why not join for a Jolly Ol’ Shabbat dinner that Friday night at Chabad!
8PM  Dinner 7PM Davening.
You must RSVP for great food, great friends and Great L’chaims.
Pictures- There is one last batch of pictures from the after party available here
Aipac- Our trip to the DC policy conference is basically full, please send reply to this email if you are still interested, we may have some last minute drop outs and we will have a waiting list going.

Educational, Israel, Pictures, Shabbat, Social

Shabbat Dinner 1-1-2010

December 22nd, 2009

Huge Shabbat dinner 1-1-2010-  Join us for a great Shabbat dinner with friends… every year people always complain how miserable New Years is out in the bars, well you know we through a great time always, and why not join for a Jolly Ol’ Shabbat dinner that Friday night at Chabad

Shabbat, Social

History of the public Menorahs

December 20th, 2009

Interesting interview done with my father, Rabbi Chaim Drizin, who first introduced the public Menorah lightings in the 70’s

Dear Friends,

Last week’s “Frisco Yid” article generated a lot of feedback and interest to know more about the genesis of the public Menorah lightings. So I went straight to the source, and interviewed my father in law – Rabbi Chaim I Drizin, to give us “the rest of the story”.
RN: How did a nice Chassidic couple from Brooklyn, end up in Berkley in the 70’s at the height of the counter culture revolution?
RD : In 1971, the Rebbe’s Shliach (emissary) to California – Rabbi Shmuel D Raichick, was approached by Congregation Adath Israel in San Francisco, to help them find a youth director. He thought I may be the guy for the job. After flying out for an interview with the board, and with the Rebbe’s consent and blessing, we were “going west”.
RN: NY to SF is more than just “coast to coast” geographically, there’s a great “spiritual divide” as well. How did you adjust?
RD: As Shluchim (emissaries) of the Rebbe, our objective was not to adjust to the local culture, but to try and bring an authentic and spirited Jewish experience to the community. To be effective, you of course have to get a feel for the local lifestyle and mindset, and tailor your message accordingly, without compromising it.   We hit the road running: I was the NCSY youth director at Adath Israel, and we also started outreach programs at San Francisco State Univ. and S. Cruz University.
RN: Those were pretty wild days on the college scene, were students receptive to a Chassidic rabbi from Brooklyn?
RD: The Rebbe saw the counter- culture revolution as a manifestation of American youth in search of a deeper truth  and spirituality than they were raised with, and I saw that first hand right away, as I   was invited to teach courses in Jewish Mysticism at local universities.
The demand for a “Chassidic Rabbi” from Brooklyn on campus, was so great in fact, that the head office of Chabad in CA, asked us to relocate to Berkley at the end of 1971.
RN: So there you were right in the center of it all…..
RD: Thank G-d, the Chabad House in Berkley touched and transformed the lives of thousands of students. Stories abound, but that’s for another occasion.
RN: After the move to Berkley, did you still operate in San Francisco?
RD: Berkley became the regional HQ for Chabad in Northern CA, so from there we branched out all over the Bay Area. San Francisco, was where the bulk of our funding and support came from, so I was there almost daily.
RN: You were really “breaking ground” in unchartered waters from Chabad’s standpoint. How was the Bay Area taking to theChabad message?
RD: A couple of years after our arrival, I was approached by Vincent Tortoro – a movie producer , who asked me to help him with a documentary he was working on. The documentary was called….’ChabadLubavitch” , so I guess that’s  probably a good indication of the inroadsChabad was making.
RN: Did it air?
RD: It aired on KQED – a public TV station in San Francisco.
RN: Great PR. Any tangible results?
RD: The most immediate and tangible result, was the friendship that ensued between myself and Zev Putterman- the executive director of the TV station. He was a pretty assimilated Jew at the time, but through our friendship he became increasingly involved in Jewish life.
RN: Any further forays into mass media?
RD: In 1975, Zev and I were talking about promoting Judaism on a big scale in SF. The month of  Elul ( the last month of the year, when the Shofar is sounded daily) was approaching, and I proposed that we do daily public Shofar blowings in Union Square. The idea however, was nixed by the Rebbe’s secretary – Rabbi Chodakov whom I consulted with before undertaking such an “out of the box” idea.
RN: Why did he nix it?
RD: He reasoned that if people hear the Shofar in Union Square throughout the month, they won’t feel the need to attend Synagogue on the High Holidays.
RN: History shows that you didn’t give up on Union Square…..
RD: Chanukah is the Holiday after the High Holidays, and a light went on in my head (no pun intended..) – and I thought, a Menorah lighting in Union Square would be the ideal way to reach a broad spectrum of the community with a statement of Jewish pride and joy.
RN: How did Zev respond to the idea?
RD: His initial response was: Chanukah? That’s  a “home holiday” !  So I explained to him that on Chanukah we are obligated to publicize the miracle, (Pirsumei Nissa heb.), and to that you have to bring the Menorah out of the home and into the public arena. Fortunately- as a media guy, he caught on pretty quick.
Now the question was, how to make a large Menorah. Zev said, I’ve got just the guy. He picks up the phone and calls his friend Bill Graham – the famous rock promoter, and says “Bill, I’m here with a rabbi, and he’s got a project I think you’ll like”. Bill immediately responded, “come over tomorrow at 3 p.m.”
RN: You were “on a roll”, how was the meeting with Bill?
RD: I found Bill to be a real “hartzige Yid” ( a warm Jew) , but with no previously known connections to the Jewish community. We hit it off, and he loved the idea. He called his production manager who oversees the construction of stage sets, and told him about it.  We decided on a steel Menorah with mahogany on the outside.
RN: Sounds rather expensive…
RD: Bill turned to me and said, so who’s funding this, I said I didn’t have a donor for the Menorah yet. Bill said “it’s on me”. That was a $10,000 Chanukah gift.
RN: This was all very new, not just for SF, but for the Jewish world. Did you consult with anyone?
RD: I called Rabbi Zalman S Dworkin, the chief Chabad Rabbi in NY, and he told me
that the maximum size for a Menorah is 25 ft tall and 16 ft wide, and that’s the size it was built.
RN: Where to from there?
RD: Joseph Alioto – the then Mayor of S Francisco, green lighted the permits, and on the day before Chanukah , I invited  the Federation leadership to an inaugural ceremony.
The buzz and excitement all over town was palpable. Over 1000 people came to the Menorah lighting on Sunday night, and it was widely reported by the media.
RN: Was there no resistance to a public Menorah lighting?
RD: The “honeymoon” didn’t last very long.  Rabbi Asher of Temple Emanuel – the largest and most prestigious reform congregation in SF, wrote a scathing article , chastising the community for supporting a “blatant violation” of church and State. The article generated a lot of confusion and controversy.
RN: How did you deal with the controversy?
RD: I was called to a meeting with the heads of 22 Jewish Organizations in SF . They wanted to know what my agenda was. I responded that it was very simply, to fulfill the obligation to publicize the Chanukah miracle.
Trying to find a “diplomatic” solution to the situation, they proposed that the following year, the Menorah lighting take place in the privately owned  Stones town shopping center, just outside SF, and that they would guarantee the same level of attendance. They also pledged, that they would do all the PR for me, but if the attendance would be less than it was at Union Square, the Menorah could return to Union Square and they would never raise the issue again.
RN: Tough call. Deal or no deal?
RD: I wrote to the Rebbe, and he instructed me to consult with someone local, who could objectively asses the situation. Providentially, at that time Rabbi Mendel Futerfas – a well respected Chassid , was in town raising funds for the Chabad Yeshivah in Israel. He was thus – for now “local”.
He asked me if I trusted their proposal. I said yes. Then he asked me if I thought they could bring 1000 people to  Stones town shopping center. I said: no way.   He quoted a Yiddish proverb- the gist of which means – sometimes it pays to take a temporary step back and go with the opposition, because in the long run it will make you strong forever.
RN: And next year at Stones town shopping center…
RD: 100 people showed up the following year at Stones town shopping center……
To the establishment’s credit, they stood by their word, and that’s why till this day, America’s most liberal city, has never challenged the Menorah in the most public of places.
RN: Must be pretty awesome, to have been part of history in the making.
RD: It’s humbling. I think though that it’s a powerful lesson about how history happens. Who would have known in 1975, that thanks to the Rebbe, this would become a catalyst for what is now a global campaign with 10,000 public menorah lightings worldwide.
RN: The lesson?
RD: Sometimes, you’re at the center of history, and you don’t even know it. So, you never know which moment , which deed, which word, can change the course of history. That’s why the Rebbe often quoted Maimonides who said: one right word, one right action, even one right though, can tip the scales of the world to good, and bring global redemption!
RN: Powerful. Thank you for sharing this major slice of history.
RD: Thank you and Happy Chanukah

Educational

Upcoming!

December 15th, 2009

In this Issue

*Tuesday night- Weekly Torah and current events class 8PM

*Wed night- Monthly Gals Rosh Chodesh Society 8PM

*Thursday night- JULE Law happy hour 6:30-8:00 PM

*Friday Night- B-right Next Shabbat Dinner at The Drizin’s

*Pictures from GLOW event Michael Drob won the Kindle- Congrats!

*JewWalking Video

*Other random stuff

————————————————————————-

Tuesday With Zvi 8PM-

Join us for a fascinating talk on “The Dreidel- It’s History, Allegory and Kabbalah” Good stuff. Join us for a some food, beers and good discussion with great people! @ The Intown Chabad.

Wednesday Night 8 PM, Rosh Chodesh society- Girls only!

” Thank you to everyone who came to the first edition of the Rosh Chodesh society last month. We had a great night bonding with the girls over wine and hearing the stories of Sarah and Rebecca and how they related to Rivka Holzberg. This Wednesday, we’ll continue with another girls night at Chabad, where we will focus on “the lunar woman” – understanding the new moon and women. Come meet new friends, spend some time with the girls and enjoy Hanukkah treats! Becky, Drew and Chelsea. RSVP at the EVITE here

Friday evening Bright Next sponsored Shabbat dinner 8PM

Join us for Dinner at the home of Rabbi Zvi and Aidy sponsored by Birthright Next. ( this is open to everyone)

Please RSVP Here by Thursday morning

Services at Chabad at 7PM

The Aggies Cancelled their event!

Sat. morning Services 10AM

Followed by Kiddush lunch.

Other Stuff-

Want to help out TIC do all the great work we do? Consider joining our Chai Club. With a minimum monthly donation of $36 to help us operate we will get a $1000 dollar match! Talk about stimulus! Its a huge Mitzvah and you can be a part of the awesome work TIC is doing for young adults!Email us Here if you want in!

AND: We are still getting together a group for the Aipac Conference. We have Funding and limited space and we are about 75% full already! Please contact us if you want more info! This is going to be a GREAT group!

Educational, Israel, Pictures, Shabbat, Social

Glow 4th Batch- After party pics

December 14th, 2009