January 2019
Celebrating the History of Contra Costa County’s Jewish Community
The Monthly
December 2018
Religious organizations band together to feed kids during holiday break
The Richmond Standard December 19
November 2018
On first Shabbat since shooting, big crowds of Bay Area Jews and allies
Local Faith Leaders Show Solidarity with Jews at Richmond Synagogue
Multiple faith organizations in West Contra Costa County were represented at a solidarity Shabbat at Temple Beth Hillel on Friday — part of a national effort to support Jews in the wake of the deadly mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue last week.
January 2018
Food for Thought: Feeding Families in Need
On a chilly day in December, dozens of volunteers filled Temple Beth Hillel in Richmond. Boxes of food and bags of produce lined the walls and overflowed from tables. People rushed around, removing empty cardboard crates and sorting donations. It was day-two of box packing for Food for Thought.
December 2017
Treadway: Congregations bring food to needy West County students
Lens on the Bay: Food for Thought
December 2016
Synagogue’s food delivery program helps hungry kids in West Contra Costa schools during winter break
J Weekly December 22
More than 300 packages of donated food that were sorted and packed by volunteers at Temple Beth Hillel in Richmond will end up as much-needed meals for children and families during the winter holidays.
Religious groups unite to feed needy over holidays
East Bay Times December 16
An estimated 150 families with children in the West Contra Costa Unified School District this week received boxes of food, including plenty of produce, as part of an effort by area religious organizations to feed the hungry this holiday season.
December 2015
’Tis the season for synagogues to lend a helping hand
J Weekly December 17
Temple Beth Hillel’s Food for Thought Program plus Joel Rosenbaum’s photograph can be found
in a comprehensive article about Bay Area synagogue’s aiding the needy during the 2015 winter holidays:
see the Dec. 17, 2015, issue of J the Jewish Weekly or the online edition.
April 2015
Richmond synagogue feeds hungry school kids on break
J Weekly April 9
Dozens of needy families in western Contra Costa County didn’t go hungry during spring break this week because of an interfaith effort sparked in part by Temple Beth Hillel in Richmond.
Feeding schoolkids on break
Contra Costa Times April 1
Volunteers at Temple Beth Hillel load boxes of food as part of the “Food for Thought” project, which feeds needy families during school breaks.
February 2015
YMTC ‘Fiddler’ cast learns lessons from Holocaust survivor
Berkeleyside Feb. 2
TBH member Sam Genirberg spoke to the cast and crew of “Fiddler on the Roof” of his experience during the Holocaust.
January 2015
East Bay ‘Fiddler’ rehearsal takes a serious turn
JWeekly January 29
A group of young actors preparing to stage “Fiddler on the Roof” in the East Bay in February had a special visitor last week: Sam Genirberg of El Cerrito.
September 2014
Musical roots run deep for two new East Bay cantors
For Cantor Fran Burgess, music has always been in her blood, but she explored careers as a massage therapist and registered nurse before committing to her lifelong passion. “I got really disillusioned with nursing,” she says, “but my background in it helps me with my pastoral duties.”
April 2014
After 77 years, boyhood friends from Poland reunite in Berkeley
JWeekly April 24
In Berkeley, Holocaust survivors Sam Genirberg and Michael Mehal reunite after a lifetime apart.
December 2013
Synagogues doing their part by providing food, shelter
J Weekly Dec. 19
In Richmond, Temple Beth Hillel has a December “feed the hungry” tradition of its own: Food for Thought, which took place this week. Working with the West Contra Costa Unified School District, dozens of synagogue volunteers supplied holiday food baskets to 80 families identified as food insecure.
Richmond synagogue works to give food to needy schools during holidays
Contra Costa Times Dec. 15
For the past three years, Temple Beth Hillel, the only synagogue in West Contra Costa County, has amassed boxes of donated foods to distribute to area elementary schools to help children and families whose food subsidies are on hold during the school break.