“We have a happy mix of backgrounds,” says Rabbi Feldman, a native of Chicago, who received semichah from Mercaz HaTorah in Israel.Īccording to Rabbi Feldman, the Bay area “has a lot of Jews, always had,” but lacked the infrastructure for religious life. Tagging itself as “the Orthodox shul for everyone,” Congregation Emek Beracha, an OU-member shul, opens its doors to every type of Jew. In 1998, the minyan became “Congregation Emek Beracha.” Today, the shul enjoys a membership of 150 families, and a steady stream of newcomers.Ĭongregation Emek Bracha, an OU-member shul in Palo Alto, enjoys a membership of 150 families, and a steady stream of newcomers. In 1995, the minyan hired Rabbi Feldman, its first full-time rav. Over time, the “Stanford Hillel Orthodox Minyan” grew into the “Palo Alto Orthodox Minyan,” which met in various temporary facilities. The Jewish roots of Palo Alto date back to the 1960s, when some Torah-observant pioneers, mostly Stanford University graduates, established a Shabbat morning service at the campus Hillel. This explosion in the Jewish population is most evident in the South Peninsula, which includes San Jose, Sunnyvale and Palo Alto, where the number of Jews has increased by 250 percent since the JCF survey in 1986, the last survey conducted prior to the one in 2004. EFFIE FELDMAN FREEThe program draws high school students to coffee houses with an offer of free coffee and stimulating conversations.Īccording to the 2004 Jewish Community Federation Survey (JCF), some 400,000 Jews live in the San Francisco Bay region, making it an area with the third-largest Jewish population in the US (falling in right behind New York and Los Angeles). “In every school I walk into to try to recruit kids, I find students who are totally disconnected from Judaism,” says Rabbi Noy, who is currently launching “Latte and Learning” programs throughout the area. Kids are drawn toward NCSY’s cutting-edge social and recreational programs that promote Jewish identity. “We’re looking at the future of Jewish America.” “NCSY’s quality programming is giving many of these kids their first meaningful Jewish experience,” he says. Rabbi Steven Weil, executive vice president of the OU, sees the Palo Alto chapter as an opportunity to reach hundreds of thousands of students who have virtually no exposure to anything Jewish. Rabbi Noy, who moved from Israel with his family, has been working round-the-clock to create cutting-edge social and recreational programs that appeal to teens and promotes Jewish identity. “You had huge numbers of Jewish students who knew zero, yet there was very little in the way of educational resources for teens,” recalls Rabbi Burg, who recently hired Rabbi Baruch Noy to start an NCSY chapter in Palo Alto. “The raw number of Jews in the San Francisco Bay area is staggering,” says Rabbi Steven Burg, OU managing director and international director of NCSY. They just want to learn.”Īmid the material and academic wealth of Silicon Valley, there’s a hunger for meaning. “As it says in Pirkei Avot, it’s like writing on a fresh piece of paper. Taking more classes is actually considered “cool’’ among Silicon Valley kids, according to Rabbi Avi Stewart, program director of JSN. “The kids respond to something more intellectual, more philosophical than your average kid,” says Rabbi Effie Goldberg, executive director of West Coast NCSY. The city currently boasts a cohesive community, a nearby day school, a thriving kollel, two kosher eateries and an eruv.Īmid the material and academic wealth of Silicon Valley, there’s a hunger for meaning. Palo Alto, located thirty-five miles south of San Francisco, serves as “the center of all this Torah excitement,” according to Rabbi Yitzchok Feldman of Palo Alto’s Congregation Emek Beracha. “The religious infrastructure here has really taken off,” Rabbi Felsen says.ĭue to an influx of dynamic Torah educators, many residents of the San Francisco Bay area, long bereft of Jewish resources, are getting excited about their Judaism. “There are hundreds of people involved in learning-in classes and chavrutot,” says Rabbi Joey Felsen, executive director of the Palo Alto kollel, also known as the Jewish Study Network (JSN), one of the catalysts of this Torah fervor. EFFIE FELDMAN UPGRADEThe spiritual upgrade is not only changing their online habits, it’s changing their lives. They’ve been clicking away from Google, Facebook and Twitter and onto Rashi, Rambam and Tosafot. Something strange is happening in Silicon Valley.Ī growing number of Jews living at high-tech industry’s doorstep are dramatically changing their surfing habits.
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