Q1 Report - Chabad of Cole Valley, SF
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Transcript of Q1 Report - Chabad of Cole Valley, SF
“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