I am 75 years old; father of three (my two older kids, Hannah, and Daniel, were B’Nai Mitzvah with/in Kehilla, and Dan is now head of Brandeis School of SF, and son Ben’s ceremony was in Arizona were we lived at the time); grandfather of seven ages ~ 2-15); I am recently semi-retired as a ‘kind of historico-cultural-political-psychoanalyst’ and philosopher of education. I grew up committed to Jewishness as a way of life seeking justice and truth, and have always tried to live that way.
I’ve been ‘part’ of Kehilla ever since; I served on the initial elected Board for some years and led the crafting of the first formal agreements between the Board, congregation, and Rabbi Burt. I also helped lead early work on Jewish-Black matters and Kehilla’s first two interracial and interfaith seders. I moved away from Berkeley for 24 years for work but remained connected with my Kehilla chavurah and attended High Holidays the majority of my years away. I returned to Berkeley at the start of the Covid pandemic.
I thankfully am spending more time with my family as my work commitments slow down. My spiritual practices in family and as a parent/grandparent has always been central in my life. I have also been spending more time this past six months or so in Kehilla spaces again and volunteering in the office with administrative tasks, and I think I can find ways to be helpful with the Board and community in this particular moment. I am ready to serve as needed and able.