Valley Couple Opens Jewish Center
By Rebecca F. Johnson
Pleasanton - A peek behind an embroidered covering with the words "Chabad of the Tri-Valley" reveals a smaller-than-average Torah, smuggled out of Communist Russia.
But the keepers of the scrolls, Pleasanton resident Rabbi Raleigh and Fruma Resnick, of Pleasanton, want Judaism to be far less clandestinely that was necessary at the time in Eastern Europe.
The New York natives have come to the Valley to form a Chabad Center they hope will serve as a "beacon of light" that draws Jews together to celebrate the sabbath, holidays, and their faith.
"Both of us wanted to be in a position where we could build a community," said Raleigh Resnick, who has also served the Jewish population in Australia, Japan, and Canada. "We just want to fill a void."
The Resnick's moved to Pleasanton about three months ago to start the center, one of more than 3,000 worldwide at the request of local Jews and Chabad of Contra Costa Director, Rabbi Yakov Kagan.
Headquartered in New York, Chabad is led by a branch of Hasidic Jews who study Torah and follow the teachings of seven rabbinic leaders. However, Chabad centers aim to reach Jews regardless of their practices or affiliation with the Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, or other movements, Raleigh Resnick said.
The Resnick's are holding various events at their home - the center's location until it can be moved to a larger facility - and in the community to serve the Valley's Jewish population, which is estimated to include about 10,000 people.
"People are surprised when they hear that," he said. But we've seen people come out of the woodwork here."
They hold weekly Shabbat celebrations, Torah study and adult-education programs. The couple will kindle the Hanukkah menorah at Stoneridge Mall in a special celebration on the third night of the holiday, Dec. 27, and Raleigh Resnick intends to spread cheer by driving around an electric menorah on his car.
Fruma Resnick also leads a monthly women's group, which learned how to bake challah - a type of braided egg bread traditionally eaten on Shabbat and certain holidays - at an event Thursday night. She would soon like to begin developing programs for children and teenagers.
"I've always wanted to work with people, help bring them closer to Judaism, get people to learn more about their roots," said the former program director for the Chabad Girls High School of Brooklyn and the author of a 500-page Jewish Youth and Teen Guide.
Raleigh Resnick, returned Monday from an international Chabad conference in New York where he was one of the three chosen speakers at the main gala banquet, also hopes to reach out to Jews serving at Camp Parks or Santa Rita county jail in Dublin.
"As a representative, I feel responsibility for any Jewish person in the Tri-Valley area," he said. "If you're a Jew, you're a Jew. There is no such thing as a difference between a Jewish person."
For more information about the center, visit www.jewishtrivalley.com.
