The Sebastopol Jewish Community gathers for Rosh Hashanah in Ragle Park
By Steve Einstein
Rosh Hashanah came to Ragle Park on Saturday for the 29th time. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and is celebrated by Jews in all sorts of ways. On the Jewish calendar, it’s now 5787, so ever since 5759, the Sebastopol Jewish Community, sometimes called the West County Jewish Community, has gathered under some redwoods in Ragle for a ceremony that is both creative and alternative, though infused with traditional prayers and melodies. Rosh Hashanah, followed ten days later by the fast day of Yom Kippur, are the two most observed and significant holidays in the Jewish year. It marks a time of reflection and repentance, with prayers that both celebrate the birth of the world and encourages followers to consider where they may have “missed the mark” in their own behavior, and to seek forgiveness from whomever they may have wronged.
The Ragle ceremony, led by Gary Weiner, featured poetry, music (accordion), and insights from community members. This year Myozen Barton Stone and Rabbi Deborah Newbrun spoke of coping with a world that is full of turmoil and discord, and how to look inward and find worthiness in ourselves, in the course of repentance. Time was also spent sending strength and prayers to those who are sick and remembering family and friends who have died in the past year.
The gathering concluded with a kiddish, with blessings over wine and traditional Rosh Hashanah challah. Two other traditions were also observed—the eating of apples dipped in honey to symbolize a wish for a sweet year ahead and much extended schmoozing time.
Vietnam memorial dedication at Analy High School
The Analy Alumni Association dedicated a Vietnam memorial to honor Analy soldiers who were killed during the Vietnam War at the first home football game on Friday, Sept. 11. The plaque is mounted on a large rock beneath the Redwood tree on Karlson Field. The band played the National Anthem, the VFW provided an Honor Guard, and the announcer read the inscription. Thirty family members of the fallen soldiers were also in attendance.
The project was spearheaded by Loretta Castleberry.
“Several of us—we graduated in 1965, which was the height of the war—and you know we had several classmates who served and a few who didn’t make it home, and so we talked about that there should be something [to honor them]. So the alumni association decided that we would like to make a plaque,” she said.
Castleberry did a presentation before the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). They approved the idea, as did the Analy High School administration.
Castleberry also did research to discover the names of Analy students who had been killed in the war. They include:
William Blessman, Sebastopol, Class of 1965
Ronald Marcum, Monte Rio, Class of 1965
Dennis Purcell, Sebastopol & Tulare, Class of 1966
Gerald Parmeter, Cazadero, Class of 1965
Edward Rainford, Sebastopol, Class of 1963
John Mills, Sebastopol, Class of 1965
Thomas Bowen, Forestville, Class of 1968
“It was long overdue,” Castleberry said. “They didn’t get what they deserved when they came home, and even though it’s 50 years or 60 years later, it just seemed like the thing to do,” she said.
Friday Night Lights
Analy High’s Tigers beat the Petaluma Trojans with a score of 48-28 on Friday night. The Tigers are now 3-0 in the season. With talented players at the skill positions, Analy scored seven touchdowns. Seniors quarterback Matthew Medina, running back Kaleb Jacobs and wide receiver Clayton Graham led the offense. The key to the game, however, was the kickoff team for Analy, as a succession of onside kicks were fumbled by Petaluma and recovered on four occasions by Analy, prompting the game announcer to say, “That’s incredible!”
The Analy Band played in the stands, the Analy cheerleaders performed at halftime, and the student section was cheering in unison during the game. At one point in the second half, students began waving phone flashlights, creating a firefly effect in the stands.
Want to help shape the future of West County?
The unincorporated towns of West Sonoma County—like those along the Russian River and the Sonoma Coast—don’t have city councils. But they do have representation to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors through two local municipal advisory councils, called MACs — which Supervisor Lynda Hopkins worked to create.
Right now, the Lower Russian River and Sonoma Coast municipal advisory councils are accepting applications for new local representatives. Here’s the word from Supervisor Hopkins’ newsletter, which is a fount of timely information about West County. (Sign up for her newsletter here.)
MACs are an important way for community members to have a direct voice in County government. Members engage with residents, learn about community priorities, and provide input and recommendations to County decision-makers.
Serving on a MAC is a great way to get involved, learn more about County government, and advocate for the place you call home. You don’t need to arrive knowing all the ins and outs of County government — members learn along the way, bringing their own experiences, perspectives, and knowledge of the community to the table.
If you live in the Lower Russian River or Sonoma Coast area and have ever thought, “Someone should get involved with this!”… maybe that someone is you.
Thoughtful, engaged community members who care about West County are encouraged to apply.
We are currently recruiting applicants from the following areas, for terms running from January 1, 2027 - December 31, 2028.
Lower Russian River MAC: Forestville, West Forestville (Hacienda on map), Rio Nido, Guerneville, Guerneville South /Pocket Canyon, Monte Rio / Villa Grande, and Cazadero/Duncans Mills. Apply to the River MAC.
Sonoma Coast MAC: The Sea Ranch / Annapolis, Fort Ross / West Cazadero, Jenner, Bodega Bay, and Bodega / Valley Ford. Apply to the Coast MAC.
Use this interactive map to see if you live within one of the areas.
Today is the last day to submit your nominations for the 50th Annual Community Awards
Know someone who’s doing wonderful things in the community and deserves some recognition for their work? Nominate them for the Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Community Awards. Anyone can make a nomination, and today is the last day to do so. Categories include:
Citizen of the Year
Non-profit of the Year
Service to Animals
Business of the Year
New Business of The Year
Volunteer of the Year
Public Servant (elected, appointed or government)
Service to Seniors
Service to Youth
Outstanding Youth of the Year
CORRECTION: Council did not vote to bring the Good Neighbor Policy back in the future after all
We made an error this week in our city council recap article called “Gravenstein Commons, a Good Neighbor Policy and two homeless outreach contracts.” The Good Neighbor Policy did not get moved to a future date after all. Here’s what really happened. The website has been updated to reflect this:
At first, Vice Mayor Maurer suggested bringing the ordinance back in the future after the Gravenstein Commons providers had a chance to review it.
“If we want Saint Vincent de Paul [and COTS] to actually sign on, we should ask them to collaborate to make edits that make sense because we want their buy-in,” she argued.
Mayor Zollman made a motion to that effect. Councilmembers Hinton and Carter declined to support this motion, which made Vice Mayor Maurer reconsider her support for bringing the measure back.
In the end, the Good Neighbor Policy did not move forward. Zollman’s motion to bring it back at a future date failed on a 3-2 vote, with Zollman and McLewis in favor and Hinton, Carter and Maurer opposed.
Now, that was a sunset!
We get a lot of nice sunsets in West County, but the one that happened on Thursday this week was one for the record books. Photographer Ken Cabeen captured this video on the Sonoma Coast.
