Bay Area Jews Who Changed Our Lives December 2, 2009

Panel of Authors to Speak on "Bay Area Jews Who Changed Our Lives"

Levi Strauss, Isaias Hellman, Gertrude Stein and Bill Graham were all notable San Francisco Bay Area Jews whose lives and work made a significant difference throughout the nation and the world. Their stories, along with those of many others, will be shared at a program being presented by the Center for Jewish Life at the Osher Marin JCC on Wednesday, December 2, 2009, at 7pm. "Bay Area Jews Who Changed Our Lives" will feature historian Fred Rosenbaum whose most recent book is Cosmopolitans: A Social and Cultural History of the Jews of the San Francisco Bay Area and Frances Dinkelspiel, author of Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California. The discussion will be moderated by Stephen Dobbs.

In Cosmopolitans, Rosenbaum writes about Bay Area Jews who were Gold Rush pioneers, Gilded Age tycoons, and Progressive Era reformers - men and women who worked in every conceivable profession and have been known as great supporters of the arts and social justice issues. In Towers of Gold, Dinkelspiel explores the extraordinary life of her great, great grandfather Isaias Hellman, a classic rags-to-riches story of the banker who many consider the greatest Pacific Coast financier of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Center for Jewish Life at the Osher Marin JCC, funded by the Koret and Taube Foundations, is dedicated to providing adult Jewish learning opportunities to both Jews and non-Jews in the North Bay. Programs provide a range of historic, cultural, and faith-based exploration. Monthly classes with JCC Scholar Rabbi Darren Kleinberg include "On One Foot - All of Judaism in 60 Minutes", "Repairing the World" and "Jewish Identity and Diversity in the 21st Century".

Official Website: http://www.marinjcc.org