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By Dan Leone

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ON A RECENT walk by the San Francisco synagogue he attended as a child, 90-year-old Jerome Haas Bayer was inspired to write down a few anecdotes. It wasn't that there was anything particularly remarkable about the building or about growing up as part of the Congregation Ohabai Shalome. Rather, his stories had more to do with the universality of his early experiences – learning about religion, discovering mentors and friends, and recognizing the incredible importance of community. Bayer's stories are part of a new exhibition at the Magnes Museum devoted to the discovery of a time capsule in the cornerstone of his former synagogue. Viewed through the lens of the 19th-century time capsule – always a strange but effective kind of autobiography – the Congregation Ohabai Shalome offers all kinds of fascinating insights into the history of Judaism in the West and life in young San Francisco. Recovered a little more than a year ago, the capsule contained eight newspapers (still mostly intact), a number of coins (including one Chinese coin, perhaps intended to demonstrate the early confluence of cultures in the city), pamphlets containing constitutions and bylaws for various Jewish organizations, and even a few charmingly antique business cards from members of the congregation, including one for a plumber and another for a dairyman. Also featured at the museum through Feb. 16 are Stephanie Synder's "Hamakom (The Place)" and "Sharing the Screen: Israelis and Palestinians in the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, 1981-2002." Mon.-Thurs., noon-5 p.m.; Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 2911 Russell, Berk. $4 donation, $3 seniors and students, free for 12 and under and members. (510) 549-6950. (Lindsey Westbrook)