“When you see history happening, try to get a front-row seat.”
That’s one of the life lessons that the late Edith Simon Coliver imparted to her daughters, Sandy and Susie, as they were growing up in San Francisco. And it’s a lesson that Coliver, who died in 2001, took to heart.
A Jewish refugee, Coliver fled Nazi Germany in 1938 with her immediate family. After graduating from UC Berkeley, she learned of the precedent-setting International Military Tribunal for Nazi officials set to take place in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1945 and 1946. She jumped at the opportunity to get a front-row seat at the war crimes trials and served as an interpreter for Hitler’s second-in-command, Hermann Göring.
There’s a new synagogue on the scene in San Francisco. It doesn’t have a name yet, but it can trace its roots to 1860 and it owns two buildings.
In November, 90 percent of the members at Congregation Beth Israel Judea and Congregation B’nai Emunah voted in favor of merging their two communities. The plan had been in the works for some time, and the two synagogues have even run a joint religious school since 2012.
Leaders of both congregations say it will lead to greater financial stability, more vibrant events and a more secure future for Jewish life in the southwestern part of San Francisco.