September 2005

IN THIS ISSUE:
| Street Festival | Community Update | Campus Collaboration |
| Inspiration & Support | City Approval Process | Mazel Tov |

Welcome to the Campus for Jewish Life newsletter! The Campus is an exciting development project on the South Peninsula involving two premier Bay Area Jewish organizations—the Palo Alto JCC and the Jewish Home of San Francisco. We hope you will enjoy reading the latest updates about the Campus and other news important to our community. Help spread the word by forwarding this message to your friends and family. Anyone not receiving the newsletter directly from us can email info@campusforjewishlife.org to be added to the list or click here to sign up directly. For more information, visit our website at www.campusforjewishlife.org.
Street Festival

Visit the Campus for Jewish Life at the Street Festival

On Sunday, September 18 from 11am-6pm on California Avenue in Palo Alto, along with 100 artists exhibiting handcrafted Judaic and fine art, delicious kosher food and fun activities for kids, the Campus for Jewish Life presents an exciting large-scale model of our community’s future Jewish town square. Don’t miss this chance to see the evolution of the Campus as its moves from vision to conceptual drawings to detailed plans to building designs and floorplans. The model shows the 175-unit Jewish Senior Residences (including common areas, gardens, amenities, etc.), JCC state-of-the-art fitness center, pre-school, social/cultural hall, café, gift shop, workshops, teen center, senior center, meeting rooms and more. The latest architectural drawings illustrating scenes and building designs for the future Campus will be on display.

We look forward to seeing you at the CJL booth located on California Avenue between Mimosa and Birch. A map illustrating the booth layout of the Festival is available at www.tolifefestival.org.

While you are at the Street Festival, be sure to stop by the Jewish Home of San Francisco’s booth in the Tents of Community between Birch and Park, where you can:

• Admire and purchase residents’ original artwork, paintings and ceramics.
• Purchase distinctive Jewish Home logo items and “Gone Gefilte Fishing” caps, visors and sweatshirts.
• Buy the music CD Island on a Hill, featuring original songs by residents that offer glimpses into their lives and joys. The CD is co-produced with top local musicians and sound engineers.
• Learn about the Jewish Home through our admission information and Progress Report.
• Join our family of volunteers.
• Be the lucky winner of a striking original painting by a resident in our free raffle.

Community Update

Lisa Portnoy Elected President of the South Peninsula Council

Lisa Portnoy is the new president of the South Peninsula Council of the Jewish Community Federation. Lisa became involved in Federation 15 years ago in Princeton, NJ through the Young Leadership division. She continued her involvement after moving to West Hartford, CT and then to the Bay Area five years ago. Lisa has traveled with Federation to Israel many times and has participated in missions to the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and Argentina.

Lisa serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties; Chair of the JCF Audit Committee; member of the United Jewish Communities Audit Committee; as well as a past member of the UJC Young Leadership Cabinet. Professionally, Lisa is a partner at Ernst & Young LLP.

“These are extraordinary times for Federation in the South Peninsula,” Lisa said. “The data from the Community Study shows our growth and the strength we have as a community. We need to take advantage of the momentum this study brings and show what we can do if we come together. The South Peninsula Council, the local arm of Federation that brings together representatives of the major organizations in the region, can lead the way in helping the community digest the Study information and plot a course for action for the coming years based on the community’s needs.

“I see the Campus for Jewish Life as a critical component to our community truly reaching its potential. With all the growth we have seen in recent years, the need for a central place where the community can come together is more important than ever.”

Campus Collaboration

Bob Sherman, Executive Director of the Bureau of Jewish Education and winner of the Distinguished Service Award of Excellence for Agency Executive of the Year in 1998, is among many local Jewish community executives who see exciting opportunities for collaboration among organizations at the Campus for Jewish Life. The Bureau of Jewish Education is responsible for designing educational initiatives that support growth in Jewish community professionals, their work, and in the lives of those they touch, providing grants to improve congregational and day school education, coordinating teen leadership programs, providing teachers with tools to each effectively, and awarding over $500,000 in financial aid to make Jewish experiences more affordable.

“Great things will be accomplished at the Campus,” he said. “The Campus creates a tremendous momentum for collaboration among organizations to achieve common goals and to create fresh, new opportunities. The sheer proximity of having a variety of organizations at the same place will stimulate new ideas, programming, and ways of doing things. The growth opportunities for the community are endless.”

Inspiration and Support

Liz Kniss, Chair, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors

Liz Kniss currently serves on Santa Clara’s Board of Supervisors and is a former Mayor, City Councilwoman and School Board leader in Palo Alto.

“The Campus for Jewish Life is a very exciting project for our entire community and I look forward to the invaluable benefits a new Jewish Community Center and seniors housing will bring to the South Peninsula.

“At a time when public funding for community services is being cut back at every level, the important role of nonprofit organizations serving all age groups, as the JCC does cannot be overstated. Best wishes for your continued success.”

CJL Moves Ahead with City Approval Process

The Campus for Jewish Life will be presented to the City of Palo Alto Planning and Transportation Commission and Architectural Review Board on September 14 and 15. These important meetings are part of the process for receiving necessary approvals from the City so that development of the Campus can proceed. The Palo Alto Weekly recently featured an article on CJL that provides more information. Watch for more updates in the months ahead.

Mazel Tov to Steve and Ina Bauman on the Birth of Their Grandchild

The Campus for Jewish Life congratulates Steve and Ina Bauman on the birth of their grandson, Nathan Gabriel Grande, born 2:00 am on Friday, August 26th. Nathan Gabriel’s parents are Shari and Vincent Grande of Sunnyvale. We wish you and your family many happy times ahead at the new JCC!

Completion of the architectural design for the Campus is a huge accomplishment and a great credit to all who have worked so hard to achieve it. The integration of Jewish senior living with the full range of Jewish Community Center services sets a new standard and will be a source of pride for our entire community.

Shelley Hébert
Executive Director, Campus Development
Campus for Jewish Life

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