Friday, Feb 21, 2020 │ 12:45–1:15pm
ADMISSION: Free with Museum admission
The upcoming exhibition Levi Strauss: A History of American Style includes a pair denim Sefer Torah mantles, created for Sha’ar Zahav. Avi Goldberg shares the story behind these unique objects and how their history is woven into the fabric of the San Francisco Jewish community.
Avi Goldberg is a visual artist, a program manager at Dolby Laboratories, and member of Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, a progressive LGBTQ+ Bay Area temple that is home to three unique Torah mantles handcrafted by talented designers at Levi Strauss & Co.
In 1873, at the end of the California Gold Rush, Levi Strauss & Co., named for a Bavarian Jewish dry goods merchant in San Francisco, obtained a U.S. patent with tailor Jacob Davis on the process of putting metal rivets in men’s denim work pants to increase their durability. It was the birth of the blue jean. The CJM original exhibition Levi Strauss: A History of American Style showcases the life of Levi Strauss, the invention of the blue jean, and their iconic place in the history of American style.
“Showing their Levi’s” postcard from the California Rodeo Salinas (July 13–16, 1939), 1939. Levi Strauss & Co. Archives
The CJM strives for a welcoming environment for all of our visitors. In addition to ample space for wheelchairs and a friendly environment for service animals, sign language interpretation (ASL) can be scheduled for all programs with at least two weeks notice.
FM assistive listening devices (ALDs) for sound enhancement are available for all talks and tours. Please note that we would like to maintain this as a scent-free environment, and encourage visitors to refrain from using scented products out of respect for visitors with allergies or chemical sensitivities. For additional accommodation requests, please contact The CJM’s Access and Community Engagement Manager at access@thecjm.org or 415-655-7856.
Public Programs at The CJM are made possible thanks to generous support from Grants for the Arts and the Walter & Elise Haas Fund.
Drawings by Avi Goldberg; image courtesy of the artist