International Holocaust Remembrance Day

January 27 and forever

Israeli Consul General Shlomi Kofman and a number of the International Consul Generals in the Bay Area paid their respects by commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. This International Holocaust Remembrance Day took place at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor by the memorial sculpture created by George Segal and located in Lincoln Park overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Join the Israeli Consulate to the Pacific Northwest as they invite you to take part in this week of remembrance (and always) through a score of events which they sponsor with their partners throughout the year.

Information
Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest
sf.mfa.gov.il

Photos courtesy of Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest

San Francisco Opera Presents Tosca
February 12, 5 p.m. & 8 p.m.
February 13, 5 p.m. & 8 p.m.

The best arias in the area will enrich your cultural life. San Francisco Opera’s screenings of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca at Fort Mason Flix drive-in, originally scheduled for December and postponed due to San Francisco’s stay-at-home order, have been rescheduled to mid-February. The Company’s 2009 production, starring Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonkaat, will be shown on the 40’ X 20’ LED screen at Fort Mason in San Francisco for a limited capacity of 98 cars per showing. Attendees are asked to remain in their vehicles during the event and wear a mask whenever leaving to visit restroom facilities inside the Fort Mason buildings. Onsite concessions, which had been halted for recent drive-in events in compliance with health orders, have been restored. Guests must wear a face covering and observe social distancing while picking up orders from the food trucks.

Information
Tickets are $49 per car (plus a $5 handling fee) and are available online at sfopera.com/fortmason or by calling the San Francisco Opera Box Office at (415) 864-3330.
Tickets will not be sold onsite.

Photos courtesy of San Francisco Opera

Just in time for Valentine: Bay Area Beer and Chocolates Created in Oakland

Woo your Valentine with Oakland’s Federation Beer in partnership with its sweet neighbor, chocolatier Michael Mischer. The Valentine-themed beer and chocolate pairing kit includes a box of 12 chocolates made with Federation Brewing beer and a four-pack of those brews: Purple Midnight Plum Sour, Low Boy Oatmeal Stout, Bomba Nights and Utopia Planitia.

Kits ($48 each) will be available for pick up starting Feb. 10, with delivery ($5 flat fee) available to San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties on Feb. 11. San Francisco Valentines will be delivered on Feb. 10, and California shipped Valentine gifts will arrive on Feb. 10-11 — along with a card that says, “I just want to drink beer and eat chocolates with you.”

Supplies, as you might have guessed, are limited. So don’t disappoint your favorite Valentine!

Information
Find details and place orders at federationbrewing.com
Photo courtesy of Federation Brewing

A Virtual Conversation with Condoleezza Rice
February 17 at noon

Hear from Condoleezza Rice, one of America’s most prominent and respected conservative voices. Secretary Rice will give her views on the state of American democracy and the American political system as well as U.S. standing in the world and the state of the Republican Party. She will be in conversation with Commonwealth Club President and CEO Dr. Gloria Duffy. This is a member-only program.

If you are not a member yet, now is the time to join and receive the great benefits of membership and access to this exclusive program. The Commonwealth Club of CA is the nation’s oldest and largest public affairs forum. Each year they bring nearly 500 events on topics ranging across politics, culture society and the economy to more than 25,000 members.

Information
$20 for members
415-597-6700
commonwealthclub.org

Photo courtesy of Commonwealth Club

Lina Broydo immigrated from Russia, then the Soviet Union, to Israel where she was educated and got married. After working at the University in Birmingham, England, she and her husband immigrated to the United States. She lives in Los Altos Hills, CA and writes about travel, art, style, entertainment, and sports. She hardly cooks or bakes, with no borsch or piroshky on her home cooking menu. Therefore, she makes reservations and enjoys dining out, mostly sushi.