q1 report - chabad of cole valley, sf
DESCRIPTION
Our first quarter report of activities of chabad of cole valleyTRANSCRIPT
“Caring for eve
ry Jew is most
important
to us,” says Nos
son. “We want
to serve
every Jew in a
way that’s mo
st mean-
ingful to him or
her.”
Despite the f
act that there a
re 10,000
Jewish people
living in these
areas –
representing te
n percent of th
e total
population – th
ere are no syn
agogues
or Jewish educa
tion and scarce
Jewish
activity within th
e community. T
he Pot-
ashes expect to
spend much
of their
firstfirst year here
meeting peop
le and
learning about
what is most
lacking
here so they ca
n tailor their pro
grams to
suit the needs
of the Jewish
commu-
nity. Havin
g always been
a part of her pa
r-
ents outreach
work in the R
ichmond
District of San
Francisco, Cha
ya, 22,
says that ass
uming the rol
e of a
Chabad emissa
ry “was a natu
ral deci-
sion.” “I have
been stuffing e
nvelopes
and helping ou
t in my parent
’s office
since I was yo
ung. I’m very gr
ateful to
have the oppo
rtunity to move
back to
my home city to
further Jewish
life.”The
couple’s long te
rm goals includ
e build-
ing a Jewish c
hildren’s librar
y—a first
for San Francis
co—establishin
g a com-
munity of you
ng adults in
Haight
Ashbury and lau
nching a visitat
ion pro-
gram for senior
s.
Haight-Ashbu
ry in San Franc
isco was
ground zero of
the countercult
ure move-
ment in the 19
60’s when the
neighbor-
hood threw its a
rms wide open,
embrac-
ing the hippies
and flower childr
en of the
Summer of Lov
e. But today, the
gentrify-
ing neighborhoo
d is home to a
thriving
young commun
ity.
This month, R
abbi Nosson an
d Chaya
Potash will ope
n a Chabad C
enter in
Cole Valley to s
erve the Jewish
popula-
tion of Haight-A
shbury and nei
ghboring
Inner Sunset,
and Twin Peak
s. “Even
today, there a
re some linge
ring anti-
establishment
sentiments in
Haight
Ashbury,” says
Rabbi Potash, 2
5. “But
the hippie move
ment was brou
ght on by
a spiritual thirst.
We’re looking f
orward to
providing a Jew
ish perspective
and cre-
ating a vibrant
Jewish commu
nity here. “
The four neigh
borhoods are a
study in
diversity. Cole V
alley’s residents
include
many families
with kids, wh
ile Inner
Sunset has a h
igher concentra
tion of se-
niors. In Twin
Peaks, resid
ents are
mostly middle
aged, single Je
wish resi-
dents. With tre
ndy stores in a
vibrant,
modern town c
enter that still r
etains an
endearing boh
emian ambien
ce of its
past, Haight-Ash
bury today is a h
ub for a
thriving younge
r demographic
CHABAD TO O
PEN IN HAIGH
T ASHBURY
A native of England, Rabbi Potash,
25, is the brother of Gedalia Potash,
rabbi of Chabad of Noe Valley.
Chaya Potash, 22, is a native of San
Francisco.WhyWhy did the Potashes choose Cole
Valley? “We realized there’s not
much Jewish life in the area of Cole
Valley, Haight-Ashbury, Inner
Sunset and Twin Peaks,” Rabbi
Potash said. “We decided to jump in
and find out what the needs are of
JewishJewish families in the area.” To pur-
chase tickets for the wine tasting, or
for more information about Chabad
of Cole Valley, go to
http://www.chabadcv.org or call
(415) 598-8718
Rabbi Nosson Potash and his wife,
Chaya Potash, have founded
Chabad of Cole Valley, a new
Chabad house in San Francisco.
Chabad of Cole Valley is located at
330 Parnassus Ave. As a way of in-
troducing themselves to the neigh-
borhood, the Potashes will host a
kosher wine tasting 7 p.m. Thursday,
March 31 at City Forest Lodge, 245
Laguna Honda Blvd., S.F. In addition
to selections from Herzog Wine Cel-
lars, Hagafen Cellars and Four
Gates, vintner Jeff Morgan will pour
samples of his Covenant Wines. The
Kitchen Table restaurant will provide
hors d’oeuvres.
CHABAD OF COLE VALLEY OPENS IN SF