Food for Thought

Join our conversation with Margot Nijsure, Founder & Owner of Montclair Elder Services and a member of the Hebrew Free Loan Business Circle. Montclair Elder Services offers a full range of personalized care and expert guidance to older adults and those who love them. Margot specializes in working with frail, older adults who have complex medical issues, but she's equally available to those who need just a bit of care or guidance. She meets people where they are, supporting elders and their families in figuring out what they want, what they need, and what's realistic. Food for Thought is a series of conversations with experts among our Business Circle community who share insights and expertise from their field.

Join our conversation with Aaron & Michael Bellings, Founders & Owners of Bellings Brothers Real Estate Team and newer members of the Hebrew Free Loan Business Circle.The Bellings Brothers are third generation Realtors and San Francisco natives. Aaron and Michael were born and raised in San Francisco and have always had a passion for sales, people, real estate, and all things San Francisco. Last year, they helped over 95 buyers and sellers, achieving over $154M in sales volume. For the fourth year in a row, they finished as the #1 Buyer Team in San Francisco and #2 Overall Team. Food for Thought is a series of conversations with experts among our Business Circle community who share insights and expertise from their field.

Join our conversation with Alex Chuzhoy, Founder & Owner of Alex Chuzhoy Photography (https://achuzhoyphoto.com) and a newer member of the Hebrew Free Loan Business Circle. Alex reinvented himself more than once since immigrating from Kyiv to San Francisco at the age of 19. His current incarnation as a real estate photographer draws on everything he learned about residential and commercial real estate marketing during his years in that field. Alex works with agents, developers, hoteliers, architects, and interior designers, using his fine art approach to capture the most powerful images he can of each property. A recent job found him shooting the interior and exterior of San Francisco’s legendary Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel, which Alex describes as his photographic Mount Everest. Food for Thought (https://hflasf.org/food-for-thought) is a series of conversations with experts among our Business Circle (https://hflasf.org/business-circle) community who share insights and expertise from their field.

Join our conversation with Sandy Lipkowitz, Founder & Owner of We Make Travel Easy (https://wemaketraveleasy.com) and a newer member of the Hebrew Free Loan Business Circle. Now that the Covid pandemic has eased, people are ready to make travel plans and satisfy their pent-up desires to see the world. But travel has become more complicated than it used to be, and things are booking up fast. Learn how Sandy and her team of travel advisors can help. Sandy custom designs trips that meet the interests, travel style, and dreams of each client, and she shares tips for reducing the stress and increasing the satisfaction of every journey. Food for Thought (https://hflasf.org/food-for-thought) is a series of conversations with experts among our Business Circle (https://hflasf.org/business-circle) community who share insights and expertise from their field. Their experience will help you navigate a world that has become harder than ever to predict.

Join our conversation with Manny Kagan, President of Pacific Bay Financial Corp (https://www.pacificbayfinancial.com). The company is a long-time member of our Business Circle and a dedicated supporter of Hebrew Free Loan.  In business since 1985, Pacific Bay Financial works with banks and borrowers to find the best mortgage solutions in today's challenging lending environment. Pacific Bay Financial analyzes client needs carefully to identify the right loans for each circumstance.   Food for Thought (https://hflasf.org/food-for-thought) is our series of conversations with experts among our Business Circle (https://hflasf.org/business-circle) community who share insights and expertise from their field. Their experience will help you navigate a world that has become harder to predict than ever.

Join our conversation with Dr. Ben Bernstein, a renowned performance psychologist who helps people address the issues that get in the way of optimal achievement.   Dr. B's system, developed over 40 years of clinical practice, teaching and research, aims to help people get into “The Zone” and stay there. Based on the scientific relationship between stress and performance, it offers a set of tools designed to keep stress at an optimal level.   The system can be used by anyone who wants to be their best: business executives, healthcare professionals, lawyers, athletes, test-takers of all ages, parents, etc. Learn more at Dr. B's website (https://drbyourbest.com).   Food for Thought (https://hflasf.org/food-for-thought) is our series of conversations with experts among our Business Circle (https://hflasf.org/business-circle) community who share insights and expertise from their field. Their experience will help you navigate a world that has become harder to predict than ever.

Join our conversation with Steve Zimmerman, a true pioneer in the restaurant industry. Steve was President and CEO of Zim's Restaurants, one of the largest privately-owned restaurant chains in the Bay Area for many years. He went on to found Restaurant Realty Company, which has become the largest California restaurant brokerage that specializes in sales, acquisitions and leasing of restaurants, bars, nightclubs and related commercial buildings. Steve is a long-time member of Hebrew Free Loan's Board of Directors. This interview took place as Steve was nearing the end of his two-year term as President (2020-2022). Food for Thought is our series of conversations with experts among our Business Circle community who share insights and expertise from their field. Their experience will help you navigate a world that has become harder to predict than ever.

Join our conversation with Alix Wall, an award-winning journalist who's passionate about food, Jews, and love stories. Alix is a contributing editor at J. The Jewish News of Northern California, where she writes a regular column about Jews in the food industry. She also contributes love stories to the Vows section of The New York Times. In addition, Alix is the founder of Illuminoshi, a networking group that she calls "The Not-So-Secret Society of Bay Area Jewish Food Professionals." One of Alix's newest projects is a documentary-in-progress, The Lonely Child, that she's writing and producing about a Yiddish lullaby called “Dos Elnte Kind." The lullaby was written inside the Vilna Ghetto during the Holocaust, and Alix's mother is the girl in the song — a hidden child. Alix is making this film to keep the song alive and tell the stories of her mother and grandmother. The film explores themes of inherited memory and trauma, music and art as resistance, and the song’s surprising relevance amid today’s global refugee crisis. Food for Thought is our series of conversations with experts among our Business Circle community who share insights and expertise from their field. Their experience will help you navigate a world that has become harder to predict than ever. Here are the links that Alix referenced in her talk: Berkeleyside stories: https://www.berkeleyside.org/author/alix-wall?gclid=Cj0KCQjw-JyUBhCuARIsANUqQ_KEt6HL5v6cK92li2jRMw6oXrXfxeM19RIABbx07hudVPSXuj3w8yEaAgnTEALw_wcB Story that got a man out of prison: https://jweekly.com/2018/03/22/sentenced-life-murder-helped-1500-fellow-inmates-earn-degrees Jewish food businesses in the area: https://jweekly.com/2019/07/18/pair-of-square-pie-guys-bring-detroit-style-pizza-to-s-f As Kneaded Bakery: https://jweekly.com/2018/10/31/she-saw-a-knead-and-filled-it-with-bread Pomella: https://www.berkeleyside.org/2020/03/26/ba-bite-follow-up-pomella-opens-during-the-absolute-worst-time-for-restaurants

Join our conversation with Steve Grau about his journey from immigrant to successful entrepreneur.  Steve and his family emigrated from Ukraine in 1989, arriving in San Francisco with $80 to their name. He's now the founder and CEO of Royal Ambulance and a long-time member of our Business Circle. With the help of an interest-free business loan from us, he's grown the company into the Bay Area’s leading non-emergency medical service. Steve became interested in health care when he took a hands-on role caring for his grandfather after a series of debilitating strokes. Witnessing how emotional support impacted physical healing, he was inspired to leave the tech industry to start an ambulance service that would make sure patients were not only safe and comfortable, but also had a positive, uplifting experience. Steve has built the company by focusing on workforce development — hiring people who are driven to help others and putting them in a position to succeed.  Food for Thought is our series of conversations with experts among our Business Circle community who share insights and expertise from their field. Their experience will help you navigate a world that has become harder to predict than ever.

Join our conversation with Eric Benhamou about the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and immigration.  Eric is the former CEO of 3Com & Palm Computing (makers of the Palm Pilot) and Founder of Benhamou Global Ventures & Israel Venture Network (IVN). He's driven by a passion to build a better world through entrepreneurship. IVN invests in social impact ventures in Israel that help marginalized populations start businesses and create job opportunities for people with disabilities, Arab citizens, the ultra-orthodox, and others. Food for Thought is our series of conversations with experts among our Business Circle community who share insights and expertise from their field. Their experience will help you navigate a world that has become harder to predict than ever.