SAN FRANCISCO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL | SFJFF 2010

 If you managed to secure entry to our packed presentation of Rockin' Puppet Mayhem at CELLspace last Friday, you quickly discovered what   all the buzz was about. Live music, rare and original video clips -- many from the cult Israeli television show Red Band, and outrageous puppet-chatter between songs kept the warehouse filled with laughter and a few dropped jaws.

The men behind the puppets (and brains behind the operation), Ari Pfeffer, Micha Duman and Ami Wiesel (pictured here) performed 'Red's' signaturely drug-inspired renditions of classic American folk songs, as well as some folk renditions of contemporary rap and hip-hop songs. We hope the mayhem was enjoyed by all.

Rockin' Host Committee

Special thanks to event host committee members Raziel Ungar, Avital Ungar, Stephanie Lepow, Kevin Gordon, Dana Frankoff, Alexis Kershner, Stephanie Block, Liat Blum and Robby Kaufman for spreading the word about this special event. For more about Rockin' Puppet Mayhem's fantastic committee members, check out their bios:

Liat Blum 24 year old Liat Blum is a die hard fan of the SFJFF. She is relieved to still have two years of Reel Pass privileges. Liat plans to take a break from watching Jewish film every once in awhile in the next three years as she embarks on an adventure at University of San Francisco School of Law. Liat is also currently a Jeremiah Fellow at the Progressive Jewish Alliance.

Stephanie Block is an award-winning writer and editor. She can toast and gamble in several languages and makes a career of traveling and telling. Her global shopping secrets have been featured in Marie Claire magazine, and she's edited and contributed to books on travel and progressive politics. She was also almost eaten by a leopard in Tanzania. Stephanie's passport is like first class on a holiday weekend—totally full! Texan by birth, she found her way out to San Francisco having visited 55 countries and lived in many herself, including France, India, Jamaica, Germany and Japan.When she isn't outward bound or fending off big cats, Stephanie is proud to serve on the Board of Directors for Spark, Netroots Nation, and the Jewish Community Federation. Her favorite color is pink.

Dana Frankoff I am twenty-seven years old and just moved back to San Francisco after working at Sony Pictures Animation in Los Angeles for a year. My ambition is to be a writer and a producer. I have worked for the San Francisco International Film Festival, the Latino Film Festival and for a Climate Cartoons, a San Francisco non-profit with a goal to "save the world one cartoon at a time." I am very excited to be back in the Bay Area and look forward to getting involved with the film and jewish community here. 

Kevin Gordon, 29, is a documentary filmmaker with a background in social justice and human rights work and a passion for live music.

Robby Kaufman I'm 25 years old, live in the Mission of San Francisco, and work for an investment firm in downtown SF.  I graduated a couple years ago from UC Berkeley and studied Political Science and Business Administration.  I'm involved with AIPAC, BlueStarPR, and the East Bay Federation.  Outside of work and the Jewish community, I'm interested in politics, sports, traveling, and eating!

Alexis Marina Kershneris a San Francisco native who works as a graphic designer. In addition to having a degree in Digital Graphic Design, she holds degrees in Sociology and French from Brandeis University. She serves on the board of the Young Adult Division (YAD) of the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation, volunteers as a Big Sister through the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, co-chaired the 2008 Latke Ball, and volunteers at Sherith Israel's Ha Motzi soup kitchen program. She is a former competitive figure skater and ski racer and still loves to engage in both activities.

Stephanie Lepow I am 31 years old, married, and have lived in the Bay Area for nearly three years. Before this, my husband and I lived in Cyprus for two years and Israel for four and a half. We met in Israel on ulpan (which is where we met Adrienne as well) and in 2002, made aliyah. I am a marketing communications manager for a fairly small  (150 employees) software company  called Ellie Mae and have been doing marcom for the past 8 1/2 years. I love to travel and in my spare time, enjoy cooking, yoga and ballet (though I am very much a novice!). In addition to my regular work, I am also working with a colleague to get our company more involved in volunteering. We now have a quarterly workday and we are also doing side efforts, such as food drives. Between our November food drive and March food drive, we raised nearly 1,500 lbs of food for the Alameda County Food Bank.

Raziel Ungar I'm 27 and from Burlingame, went to the Wornick Jewish Day School that my parents were founders of and am now on the board there. Been involved in various committees and the like - currently coaching tennis for the Maccabi Games, and am on the Diller Teen Fellows advisory committee, NP Jewish Council and Peninsula JCRC. Not sure how I got into in all these things but here I am!  Professionally, I negotiate and help people buy and sell homes and condos on the peninsula and in San Francisco. I just returned from a young professionals exchange in Sweden for a month on a Rotary Club scholarship...also just curated My Monet: A Burlingame Children's Art Exhibition in downtown Burlingame to raise awareness for the Burlingame Community for Education Foundation.

Avital Ungar grew up in Burlingame, California, graduated from UCLA in 2007 with a BA in Art History and French, after graduation moved to Shanghai to work in the Chinese Contemporary art market, currently working at an art gallery in San Francisco on a book about a fashion designer and leading wine and chocolate tours in San Francisco. Active Jewish community member - attended Wornick Jewish Day School, confirmation class at Peninsula Beth El, Diller Teen Fellow, member of the Union of Jewish Students in France, attended Chabad in Beijing and Shanghai.