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CAMPAIGN 2008 Commentary
Obama election is an advance by
America toward its highest ideals
By Donald H. Harrison
 KFAR HAYAROK, Israel--Nancy and I had the privilege of watching the American election returns at the home of Yoni and Sigal Peres in Israel. Given that Yoni is the son of Israel's President Shimon Peres, he has closely watched quite a few elections in his lifetime. His father served twice as Israel’s prime minister during his long and distinguished career.
Nevertheless, Yoni was surprised by the tears that came to my eyes and the thickness to my voice as I watched the scene at Grant Park in Chicago when Barack Obama addressed more than 100,000 celebrating supporters. Just prior to that speech, Obama’s opponent, Republican Senator John McCain, had telephoned to congratulate him on being elected the 44th President of the United States, and the first African-American to ascend to that high office.
It was not so much Obama’s eloquence that moved me, because I have heard him speak before and have read his autobiography. What moved me was the news footage of the crowd—black and white together, along with some Latinos and Asians—whose faces portrayed the joy and awe that this moment in American history represents.
I tried to explain my feelings to Yoni and Sigal by comparing the moment to the time when Israelis lined up in Jerusalem to catch a glimpse of Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat making his way to the Knesset in a bid, at last, for peace between Arabs and Israelis. It was not unlike the time that King Hussein of Jordan and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel signed a peace agreement. But to truly get the flavor of that moment in Chicago, one would have to imagine more than 100,000 Israelis and Palestinians linking arms together, with tears of joy in their eyes, celebrating reconciliation between their two peoples.
We cannot overestimate the importance of an African-American being elected to the very top office in a country where a history of black slavery, discrimination, prejudice and racism had so long divided the population. It is not just a new page for the U.S. presidency, it is a new page for the American citizenry. Let us hope that when black and white Americans meet each other in the street, in the schools, in businesses and in the halls of government, they henceforth will view each other with the hopefulness of their common interests, rather than with the bitterness of their past suspicions and injury.
America has come a long way in this historic election, but it still has a long way to go. Rights still need to be extended to gay Americans, whose aspirations for the right to legally recognized marriages were rebuffed in several states. It was as if America taking one giant step forward with its left foot, dragged its right one. In time, I hope, all of us will stride purposefully and unhesitatingly towards the recognition that all human beings—whatever their religion, race, national origin, gender or sexual orientation—are brothers and sisters imbued with equal rights and equal dignity.
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THE JEWISH CITIZEN
Tel Aviv savors San Diegans’ financial support for environment, schools
By Donald H. Harrison
TEL AVIV—Here’s a partial roll call of people whose names are associated with important projects of the Tel Aviv Foundation. If you live in San Diego County or in Tijuana, Mexico, see how many of them you recognize: Barry Berelowitz, Jaime Brener, Anna and Jose Galicot, Miguel and Marinel Goldstein, Nancy and Brian Malk, and Benjamin Rosental.
My wife Nancy and I, joined by Hakfar Hayarok residents Yoni and Sigal Peres, recently took a tour of San Diego-related projects in Tel Aviv led by Meggie Navon, U.S. Operations Director for the Tel Aviv Foundation. Later we were joined by Admiral Abraham Ben-Shoshan, the foundation’s director-general, who explained to us that with the City of Tel Aviv’s centennial coming up next April, San Diegans Vivian and Jeffrey Ressler and Shlomo and Leslie Caspi are co-chairing a campaign to raise $300,000 for construction of a preschool for 70 children in a disadvantaged Tel Aviv neighborhood.
Schools, in fact, have been the focus for the contributions of most of the above named San Diego-area philanthropists. Navon explained to us that education is the foremost of the foundation’s top priorities---the others being the environment, social welfare, and sports/ culture.
 
Berelowitz, a transplant to San Diego from South Africa, is a major benefactor for a combination vocational school and junior college in Tel Aviv’s Neve Ofer section, where many blue-collar residents originally from the Bukhara province of Uzbekistan in the former Soviet Union. This school, affiliated with the Organization for Rehabilitation and Training (ORT) serves approximately 344 at-risk students, who might otherwise have dropped out of school either to take a job or to wander the streets, according to Navon.
With the contribution from Berelowitz, the school is now in the process of installing new computer and electronic and electrical laboratories, an auditorium, and a workshop for automobile repair.
Riki Biro, the principal, said although the school is located in the Bukhara community, its students are drawn from surrounding districts as well, resulting in an ethnic mix of Russian end Ethiopian Jews, Muslim and Christian Arabs.
Because the typical student at this school has not been successful at other schools—perhaps because of learning disabilities, language problems or domestic abuse—classes are kept intentionally small to provide more individualized attention to the students. This compares to a typical Israeli class size of between 35 and 40 students. Many of the students work two days a week at school-approved jobs in furtherance of their education.
In Jaffa, about a half mile distance from the school in Neve Ofer, stands the Tel Aviv Academic College, which was created during the 1990s by Tel Aviv University in response to the tremendous influx of immigrants from the former Soviet Union. The Benjamin Rosental family of Mexico City were among the first donors to this college, providing funds in 1995 for the social sciences building which when completed in 2004 was the first building to be erected on the campus. Navon said approximately 1,000 students are enrolled in social science courses at the college, which now counts 4,200 students. Eventually, she said, it will grow to 10,000 students. The son of Benjamin Rosental is Ruben Rosental, an active member of the San Diego Jewish community and former president of Ohr Shalom Synagogue.
In Jaffa’s Ajami neighborhood, we also saw another type of project: one that will make a dramatic difference in the environment. There used to be a large “trash mountain” in Jaffa that rose so high that it blocked residents’ view of the sea. Bulldozers have been carving their way through the trash mountain, restoring the view of the sea. Parks are being built, where once there was only refuse. There will be a fisherman’s wharf, restaurants, and biking paths. The park, which is giving a whole new look to this traditionally Arab neighborhood, is being financed in large measure by San Diegan Nancy and Brian Malk. The latter is a real estate developer, “a real Zionist …who cares about the environment,” said Navon.
As the neighborhood is being transformed, so are the demographics. Long-time Arab residents—many of whom came as squatters—are selling their homes to “Jewish yuppies,” according to Navon, and are becoming quite wealthy in the process. The difference between some of the old, dilapidated homes and modern residences in this neighborhood are quite stark.
From Jaffa, Navon drove us through Tel Aviv, pointing out the various kinds of architecture that hint at the city’s history. There are old Ottoman structures, with their arches; red-roofed Russian-style homes, built by some of the Zionist pioneers in the early 20th century; and the quite simple, some say “ugly,” Bauhaus apartment buildings of German architects that emphasized utilitarian designs, with the main distinguishing feature being windows for ventilating the central staircase located close to the front door.
 
Our destinations in northern Tel Aviv were a kindergarten serving 70 students, largely financed by Anna “Janche” and Jose “Pepe” Galicot of San Diego. We did not have time to do more than take a photograph of this school, but Navon said that nearby ORT operates a school for children with special education needs, including some with cerebral palsy, and that the kindergartners have some programs with these older students.
Within a short distance, we came to the Tel Aviv neighborhood of Hadar Yosef where we saw a kindergarten for another 70 students, the major contributor in this case being Jaime Brener, who is active in both Tijuana and San Diego.
 
Finally, we went to Neve Sharett, where Tijuana merchants Miguel and Goldstein donated a library and resource center at Yironi School No. 14. Principal David Lavon said that the school serves students from diverse ethnic backgrounds in 7th through 12th grade, and that the library stocks book written not only in English and Hebrew, but also in Arabic, Russian and French. To date, the school’s collection totals 12,680 books.
The $300,000 goal set by a San Diego organizing committee for the Tel Aviv centennial would pay for a pre-school that would serve 70 students in one of several possible poor neighborhoods, which one still to be decided.
In connection with its 100th birthdahy, Tel Aviv is sending a multimedia exhibit around the United States, with New York City being its first stop and San Diego its second. The opening of this exhibit is scheduled for May 21 in San Diego, with a community dinner planned for the occasion May 21.
Our tour ended at the Green Corner, a vegetarian restaurant situated on the Yarkon River, where Admiral Ben-Shoshan, Israel’s former chief of naval operations awaited us. He told us that in addition to New York and San Diego, such cities as Chicago and Miami, and possibly Mexico City, are planning salutes to Tel Aviv’s 100th birthday.
Asked how the world’s economic downturn has affected the foundation’s fundraising, Ben-Shoshan responded that “regardless of the situation we have to try to help people as much as we can. Tel Aviv is expanding, lots of people are coming to live here, so we should help them out and not ignore them.
“Since we are going into a recession, we should help them even more,” said the director general. “The needs are there, the money is not as it used to be, and we have to do our best.”
In 2007, the Foundation raised $12 million for its projects and its 2008 budget was $15 million, with all funds raised matched by the City of Tel Aviv.
Currently, he said, he is dealing with 29 improvement projects, worth approximately $65 million. Some of these projects, such as the environmental renovation in Jaffa, are scheduled for completion during the centennial year of 2009, during which Tel Aviv has scheduled public events every day between April and December. “We hope this will bring many tourists,” said Ben-Shoshan.
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THE JEWS DOWN UNDER
Lord's Prayer debate crops up again
By Garry Fabian
 CANBERRA - The debate over the Lord?s Prayer— an Anglican prayer recited in parliaments around the country has been reignited by new federal MP Rob Oakeshott.
Oakeshott, an independent from New South Wales, said he was "surprised and disappointed" that Australia's indigenous population is not recognised daily in Canberra.
In response, the Speaker of the House of Representatives Harry Jenkins called for public debate over whether the Lord's Prayer should continue to be recited each day by all parliamentarians. He suggested that the prayer might be rewritten or replaced.
Robert Goot, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, explained that his organisation does not have a set policy on the recitation of the Lord?s Prayer. He said that the group's executive would discuss the matter shortly.
Rabbi Meir Shlomo Kluwgant, president of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria , said the RCV had discussed the matter with former Victorian premier Steve Bracks. The RCV recommended that a generic prayer be introduced, which would be acceptable to members of all faiths.
While the Victorian Parliament opted to retain the Lord's Prayer, Rabbi Kluwgant said that he nevertheless feels it is "crucial" for some sort of prayer to be recited before each parliamentary session.
The Prime Minister and Opposition Leader—both of whom are Christians—this week expressed their support for retaining the Lord's Prayer.
"Opening the Australian Parliament each day with the Lord's Prayer is an important reminder of our shared humanity and a reference to the words of our constitution when 'humbly relying on the blessing of the Almighty God' we established the Commonwealth of Australia over 100 years ago," Turnbull said via a statement.
Greens leader Senator Bob Brown suggested that after the Lord's Prayer has been recited, senators and MPs should be given a moment to reflect on "the privileges and responsibilities of representing Australians in our national parliament." He also endorsed Oakeshott's call to recognise the first Australians.
In 1997, Senator Brown called for a review of the Lord's Prayer. That review, undertaken by the Procedure Committee, recommended against abolishing the prayer.
At the time, Tasmanian Senator Brian Harradine said "the Prayer for Guidance and the Lord's Prayer, publicly recited by the President on behalf of senators, is a humble, public acknowledgement that parliament itself is subject to a higher law that unjust and immoral laws are unjust and immoral, even if correct procedures are followed."
AIJAC testifies on academic freedom enquiry
CANBERRA - Representatives of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) faced a Senate inquiry into academic freedom last Wednesday, expressing strong support for academic freedom, but also calling for stronger measures at university to tackle academic bias.
The Senate Standing Committee on Education, Employment and Workplace Relations is expected to report its findings on academic freedom by November 11.
AIJAC executive director Dr Colin Rubenstein told last week's inquiry "academic freedom, is essential and fully supported by AIJAC."
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Academics do not have the freedom to do absolutely anything they wish in the classroom setting," Dr Rubenstein said. "There, their freedom must be tempered by the right of students to receive quality, professional teaching, which fairly presents the best empirical evidence and fully explores a variety of relevant evidence-based perspectives."
Dr Rubenstein, who taught politics and social science methodology at university for more than 30 years, asserted that academic bias is a real and significant phenomenon on Australian campuses. He said the best way to tackle it was for universities to put methods and procedures in place and constantly refine them to minimise such bias.
AIJAC's Dr Tzvi Fleischer also emphasised to the inquiry the importance of differentiating between bias inside and outside the classroom.
Responding to a question from Senator Mitch Fifield about the maintenance of political blogs by academics including Khaldoun, a website run by Macquarie University academics, Dr Fleischer said that his organisation advocated a sharp distinction between classroom activities and outside expression. He added that extreme statements on blogs might be a reason to monitor classroom behaviour for bias, as a sign that the particular department may have insufficient intellectual diversity.
AIJAC?s student program coordinator Joel Burnie also appeared before the Senate inquiry and cited a number of examples of academic bias, which he had come across.
One involved a lecture about the alleged power of the "Jewish lobby" inserted into a course that was supposed to focus on political violence. Another involved a student constantly referred to by the lecturer as the " resident Zionist", not because of anything she had said, but simply because she was Jewish.
In a third case, a lecturer reportedly opened a course on arms control, before even introducing himself, by asking, "who thinks the bombing of innocent people in Lebanon by Israel is good for counter-terrorism policy?"
Jewish deputy mayor throws hat in the ring
MELBOURNE - The Jewish deputy lord mayor of Melbourne has thrown his hat into the ring for the city's top job.
Gary Singer, a lawyer who has served under John So for the past four years, announced his candidacy for the November elections last Wednesday.
Singer said economic responsibility, political stability and city activation would be hallmarks of his campaign.
"I?m very keen to continue doing the work I have done so far for the past four years," Singer said."It's been an honour to serve the city as John's deputy. I've garnered, over that period of time, significant experience on the job. And I will hopefully get an opportunity to continue to use that experience."
If elected, Singer will be the first Jewish lord mayor since Irvin Rockman held the post in the late 1970s.
"I'm proud of my Jewish heritage," said Singer, who hinted that at least one other member of the Jewish community would be part of his team when it's revealed next week.
Born in Sydney to Viennese parents, Singer moved to Melbourne as a teenager. After graduating from Trinity Grammar School in Kew, he completed a bachelor of economics/law at Monash University.
Singer will battle pollster Gary Morgan, Greens candidate Adam Bandt, councillors Peter McMullin and Catherine Ng and Melbourne Cricket Club committee member Will Fowles in the race to become lord mayor.
Former Age journalist Joanne Painter has been confirmed as his running mate.
Prominent Jewish community figure honoured
MELBOURNE—"Tonight, we salute a true Zionist." These were the words community stalwart Ian Samuel used to pay tribute to his long-time family friend Sir Zelman Cowen, the 2008 recipient of the Jerusalem Prize.
Sir Zelman —Australia?s second Jewish governor-general, a former lawyer and academic— attended the State Zionist Council of Victoria?s annual assembly on Tuesday evening with his wife, Lady Anna, to accept the award.
Sir Zelman, 89 and battling Parkinson's disease, looked pleased with the honour and his wife expressed to the audience— who gave the statesman a standing ovation—how much the award meant to her husband, a lifelong friend of Israel.
The award is jointly presented by the State Zionist Council of Victoria, the Zionist Federation of Australia and the World Zionist Organisation.
Ten million dollar commitment to Palestinians
CANBERRA - Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith committed 1$10 million to the Palestinian people during a visit to Ramallah last week.
Smith who spend time both in Israel and the West Bank on his whistlestop tour of the region, advised that the $10 million donation was the final instalment in the Australian Governments $45 million contribution to the Palestinians, pledged at last year's Paris Donors' Conference.
"Of the $10 million, $7.5 million will be budget support for the Palestinian Authority delivered via the World Bank's Palestinian Reform and Development Plan trust fund," Smith said.
"The remaining $2.5 million will be provided for emergency food assistance in Gaza to be delivered through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian agencies."
Smith met Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem, and the two politicians emphasised the strong relationship between their two countries; a relationship strengthened when Smith was adamant he visit Israel before its 60th Anniversary came to an end.
"There are a number of reasons for my trip to Israel. I made it clear when I became Foreign Minister that I would like to go to Israel this year to coincide with the 60th anniversary. Secondly, Australia is a long-standing, good friend of Israel; but thirdly, Australia is also a long-standing supporter of the peace process and a long-term enduring peace in the Middle East".
Home-grown terrorist attack just as likely
CANBERRA - Attorney General Robert McClelland has warned the Jewish community that a terrorist attack in Australia is as likely to be committed by a home-grown cell as it is from an overseas group.
"It is my view and the view of many experts that we have as much, if not more, chance of a home-grown terrorist in Australia as any member of a foreign cell being awakened" McClelland said speaking at the recent 70th annual assembly of the State Zionist Council of Victoria recently.
While he did not want to comment on any specific event, he did warn about radicalising youth in Australia. "In terms of counter-radicalisation, it is important to get logical and sensible messages out there."
Earlier he outlined ways to prevent terrorist cells developing in Australia.
"The ability so sustain criminal prosecution against those who would become involved in the preparation, support, the sponsorship of terrorist acts, is very important."
McClelland also said that in response to a question about the Hezbollah-run television station al-Manar, that he had requested a meeting and report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority. He added that his department was investigating whether legislative changes need to be made to allow for prosecution of those who incite violence via channels such as al-Manar.
Community alarmed over fascist visit
SYDNEY - The Jewish community is concerned following news that British fascist leader Nick Griffin is planning to visit Australia in December.
Griffin, the leader of the far-right British National Party (BNP), has ben convicted of incitement to racial hatred in the United Kingdom. Griffin, who was denied entry to Australia in 1998, is planning a speaking tour at the invitation of the Australian Protection Party (APP).
The APP stated on its web site that Griffin is planning to speak about the fight to protect Britain against the "demographic genocide that is threatening their homeland, caused by large-scale immigration of people from the Third World." It also said APP hopes to "apply some of those experiences and lessons" to Australia.
Robert Goot ECAJ president, said a course of action for the best interests of Australian Jewry would be discussed this week at a national committee meeting.
"The views of the APP, and those expressed by Griffin, are antithetical to the broad interests of the Jewish community, but as to what particular stance we adopt with the Government is something to be considered and decided upon next week," Goot said.
Federal Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Senator Chris Evans said that Griffin had not yet applied for a visa and would, like all non-citizens who wish to enter Australia, need to satisfy the requirements of the Migration Act and regulations, including the character test.
"If and when an application is made, it will assessed against the character requirements. The Labor Party strongly opposes the fostering of extremism, hatred, division and incitement of violence," Evans said.
The Jewish community is not the only group protesting Griffin's planned visit. New independent think tank Catalyst Australia announced earlier this week it will spearhead a national campaign to urge Evans to deny Griffin a visa.
Catalyst executive director Jo-Ann Schofield said that 10 years after Griffin was denied entry to Australia, "his views remain deeply offensive to the Australian community and to the principles we value in this country - principles of freedom from racial abuse and vilification."
Griffin joined the neo-Nazi British National Front as a teenager and has led the BNP since 1999. Like anti-Semitic historian David Irving, Griffin has questioned whether the Holocaust took place, and allegedly called it the "hoax of the 20th century."
Award winning Jewish author dies
MELBOURNE - The chapter has closed on one of Australian Jewry's greatest literary talents after Jacob Rosenberg, the award-winning author of East of Time, died in Melbourne. He was 86.
A Holocaust survivor, Mr Rosenberg won the 2006 NSW Premier's Award for non-fiction and the 2007 National Biography Award for his much-lauded work, East of Time.
The novel was set in the Lodz shtetl where Mr Rosenberg grew up and where his family was later confined.
The family was eventually transported to Auschwitz, where most were gassed on arrival.
Mr Rosenberg remained in Auschwitz for about two months, spending the rest of the war in a series of concentration camps.
In 1948 he emigrated to Australia with his wife Esther. Their only child, Marcia, was born in Melbourne.
Mr Rosenberg's poetry and prose have been published in Australia and overseas, with a number of poems translated into Hebrew and Russian.
His most recent work, the paradoxically titled Sunrise West the follow-up to East of Time was honoured at the NSW Premier's Literary Awards earlier this year.
Mr Rosenberg's Sydney-based publisher Brandl & Schlesinger described his death as a "big loss" for the literary world.
Shule input requested to solve traffic signal problems
MELBOURNE - Orthodox synagogues in Melbourne will be asked to provide a list of traffic lights in their immediate area that should be considered for automation on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
That was the key outcome of a meeting held this week at the Caulfield Police Station attended by representatives from the Orthodox community, the police and the Jewish Community Council of Victoria.
It follows two incidents over the recent yom tov period, where observant Jews were fined by patrolling officers for crossing the street at a red light, as part of a state-wide crackdown on jaywalkers.
Once the final list is provided by the various shuls, further discussions will be held with Victoria Police and the state Government. The cost of converting traffic intersections to automatic green cycles on Shabbat is estimated at between $1500 and $2000 each.
President of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria, Rabbi Meir Shlomo Kluwgant, said he was confident the matter would be resolved to the satisfaction of the community. "I wouldn?t think we will have to solely bear the costs of this," he said.
Victoria Police Inspector Margaret Lewis said those who were affected by the recent incidents would be hearing from the police once the matter was resolved. She again expressed hope that the episodes would not sour the increasingly close relationship between the community and the police force.
It was also decided this week, that members of the Victoria Police Traffic Management Unit, based in Moorabbin, would shortly undergo Jewish cultural education sessions, which members of the Caulfield police station have already undertaken. Gavin Queit from the Community Security Group and Rabbi Kluwgant will also attend the sessions.
German prosecutors to appeal Toben's release
ADELAIDE - Fredrick Toben has won at least a temporary reprieve from being sent to Germany to stand trial for Holocaust denial.
In London's Westminster Magistrates Court, Judge Daphne Wickham ruled yesterday that a European Union arrest warrant under which Toben was picked up at Heathrow Airport on October 1 was invalid as it was not detailed enough.
It is understood that the German warrant, which is based on Toben's alleged violations of Germany's criminal code between 2000 and 2004, may have deliberately avoided greater detail in order to facilitate his extradition.
Holocaust denial is a crime in Germany, but not in Britain where Toben was arrested or in Australia where the offensive content was posted on his Adelaide Institute website. However, it is prohibited by Australian anti-discrimination laws.
Lawyers for prosecutors from Germany's Mannheim court are now preparing to appeal the ruling in Britain's High Court.
Meanwhile, Judge Wickham has granted Toben bail with strict conditions, including a surety of 100,000 pounds, banning him from using the internet and requiring him to report to police daily.
If Toben manages to avoid being sent to Germany and convicted there of Holocaust denial on the internet, he still faces judgement and sentencing in a contempt case now before the Federal Court of Australia.
Jeremy Jones, who was president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry in 2002 when the Federal Court ordered Toben to remove and not replace offensive material denying the Holocaust on his Adelaide Institute website, launched the contempt action in 2006 after repeated violations.
Intercultural visit to synagogue
MELBOURNE - As part of AIS 'visits to places of worship project,' a group of Muslims will visit Temple Beth Israel to learn about Jewish traditions and practices. The project aims to develop a better understanding between the two faiths by building bridges through interaction and cooperation. The Synagogue visit is organized by the AIS and Rabbi Fred Morgan of Temple Beth Israel.
In 2005 and 2006, the Australian Intercultural Society Inc & B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission Inc. undertook many significant projects under the 'Living in Harmony Grant." Some of the significant projects co-organized by the two incorporations were "Building Bridges and Becoming Friends" projects and "Embracing Youth" Project." Main objective of these projects is to develop a lasting understanding and friendships between the Australian Muslim and Jewish communities.
Jews and Moslems cook for peace
SYDNEY - Eat and be merry. That's what was on the agenda for about 40 Muslim and Jewish university students who participated in the first Cook4Peace interfaith event at the Yeshiva Centre's Our Big Kitchen in Bondi late last month.
Coming together to break bread and stereotypes, the students cooked up a three-course kosher and halal feast that conformed to the dietary standards of both religions.
Such was the bounty that there was enough food left over - pasta, salad, falafel, hummous and Anzac cookies - to distribute to those in need through the charity, OzHarvest.
Organised by the Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) and the MTO Sufi Association (MTO), students later gathered in small groups to discuss aspects of their religion, such as religious dietary laws, marriage rituals, prayer, charity, language, as well as concepts of God, knowledge and existence.
AUJS event coordinator Leeran Gold said: "A lot of interfaith events are about politics. Here, we're about building friendships. Rather than discussing problems we're coming together and doing things that we all share in common. Once we break bread together, we can become friends. Once we become friends, we have a good basis to start discussing the issues we face."
MTO organiser Ramak Salamat said that the event highlighted the ability of both Muslims and Jews to "work towards unity."
Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull, who was among those in attendance, called the event a "wonderful initiative."
"There is nothing more human than preparing food and sharing with friends," he said.
"It says a lot about the two groups involved, as well as saying a lot about Australians."
Participant Neil Sher said he would like to see such cook-ins become a regular affair. "Hopefully, this will lead to many more events of this kind, building on these newly formed relationships," he said.
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Pioneer Women
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 14, 1950, page 7
Following a custom of some years, Chaveras Bessie Fink and her sister Sarah Fisher entertained the officers and members of the Board on Halamod Pesach on Thursday evening, April 6th, at her home.
Mixing business with pleasure, the Chaveros have planned a busy calendar for the last half of the year. Heading the agenda is a Rummage Sale on May 9th, a pre-Shavuoth party, May 10th, a picnic May 28th and their donor dinner on August 27th.
The evening was topped off with singing and partaking of Pesach goodies.
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Cottage of Israel Joins In Israeli Independence Celebration
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 14, 1950, page 7
A program on the lawns of the House of Pacific Relations will be the contribution of the Cottage of Israel to the Independence Celebration of Israel, Sunday, April 23, at 3:00 p.m., according to Marshall Naiman, president of the Cottage.
The program will include rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” and “Hatikvah” by the newly formed orchestra of the House of Pacific Relations, community singing led by Cantor Julian Miller, songs by Norman Holtzman and Esther Weitzman.
The featured guests will be the IZFA Dance group, which was formed a year ago when ten U.C.L.A. Intercollegiate Zionist Federation of American students decided to learn Israeli dances for their own enjoyment. The group became so proficient that offers for performances began to come from adult groups. Their leader, Miss Margaret Michels, has done extensive research on music and dances, and has kept the group up with the newest Israeli dances. Bernie Lewis, a fine interpreter of Hebrew music, provides the accordion accompaniment.
The group today consists of nine couples, enthusiastic interpreters of Israeli dances, who will bring part of their extensive repertory to the program at the Cottage and again in the evening at the Temple Center.
Hostesses at the Cottage for the Sunday of the 23rd will be provided by the Junior Charity League, who will provide refreshments for guests at the festival.
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Council of Jewish Women
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 14, 1950, page 8
Monday, May 1, Mrs. Louis Steinman, outgoing President of the Council of Jewish Women, will turn the gavel over to the new President, Mrs. David Doctor, at a luncheon at the El Cortez Hotel. Newly elected officers also to be installed are Mrs. George Burnett, 1st Vice President; Mrs. William Gerelick, 2nd Vice President; Mrs. Max Nelson, 3rd Vice President; Mrs. J.A. Kwint, Recording Secretary; Mrs. Richard Gerding, Corresponding secretary; Mrs. Albert Morris, Treasurer; Mrs. Henry Weinberger, Parliamentarian and Mrs. Sam Waldman, Auditor.
Committee reports will be presented. Luncheon committee chairman are Mrs. Harris Rubel and Mrs. George Solomon, assisted by Mmes Harry Kaufman, Albert Morris and Alex Newman. Mrs. Paul Pickard, section Service Head of Western Region, will be the honored guest.
A Regional Conference of the Council of Jewish Women will be held April 25-30 in Salt Lake City. Attending form San Diego will be Mmes Louis Steinman, David Doctor and Daniel Lowenthal.
On April 21 the National Council of Jewish Women will be hostess at the annual convention of San Diego County Federated Women’s Clubs which will convene in San Diego on April 20 and 21 inclusive. Mrs. Sam Waldman, overall chairman, announced that Mrs. Mack Esteson, Chairman, will be assisted by Mmes. Sam Sosna and Jennie Burnett.
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Histadrut Council
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 14, 1950, page 9
A meeting of the Histadrut Concil of San Diego was held March 20th and the following officers were elected: R. Umansky, President; M. Barach, Vice President and I. Domnitz, Secretary. Representatives from the following organizations, Labor Zinist Organization (Poale Zion); Senior and Junior Pioneer Organizations and No. 358 Workmen’s Circle comprise the Histadrut Council of San Diego.
Future meetings will be held to promote the program of “Histadrut” The General Federation of Jewish Labor in Israel, whose long record of social, economic, cultural and educational development brought about in large measure the pattern of the State of Israel.
BALLOON UTOPIA
SAN DIEGO JEWISH WORLD: THE WEEK IN REVIEW
CAMPAIGN 2008
The U.S. President and the Middle East... by Shoshana Bryen in Washington, D.C.
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SAN DIEGO
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ARTS
Especially in tight times, Tel Aviv history holds hope for fundraisers for the arts by Donald H. Harrison in Tel Aviv
David and Goliath's epic battle in music by Cantor Sheldon Merel with audio of the cantor's performance of "David and Goliath."
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—April 14, 1950: News of the Fox
—April 14, 1950: Jewish War Veterans Post No. 185 and Auxiliary
—April 14, 1950: Labor Zionist Organization of San Diego
—April 14, 1950: Junior Matrons
CAMPAIGN 2008
Two opposing viewpoints:
Why I voted for Barack Obama...by Donald H. Harrison in Kfar Hayarok, Israel
Why I am voting for John McCain.... by Isaac Yetiv in La Jolla, California
Monotheism is not mono-political...by Sheila Oryseik in San Diego
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SAN DIEGO
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LETTER
Bergen Belsen bar mitzvah witness sought... from Alex Grobman
ARTS
Juber Jubilee in Santa Monica, San Diego by Cynthia Citron in Santa Monica, California
A touch of class at San Diego State by Norman Greene in San Diego
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—April 14, 1950: Second Anniversary of Israeli Independence To Be Celebrated
—April 14, 1950: Young People’s Division Plans Series of Events; April 22 Dinner Dance
—April 14, 1950: S.D. Hebrew Home for the Aged
—April 14, 1950: Cottage of Israel
Sunday, November 2, 2008 (Vol. 2, No. 261)
INTERNATIONAL
Israeli elections on simmer as the world awaits the results of the American one by Ira Sharkansky in Jerusalem
CAMPAIGN 2008
San Diego Jewish World endorsements
SAN DIEGO
Sweat-equity partners sought for San Diego Jewish World by publisher
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—April 14, 1950: The Center Side
—April 14, 1950: Overseas News and Views
—April 14, 1950: Fund Borrows On Good Name
—April 14, 1950: Letters to the Editor
INTERNATIONAL
SDSU's Weber expresses admiration for Peres Peace Center, Hillel Foundation by Donald H. Harrison in Tel Aviv
Sweetness of desert rains by Ulla Hadar in Kibbutz Ruhama, Israel
CAMPAIGN 2008
Multicultural candidate Todd Gloria found his mentors in the S.D. Jewish community by Gary Rotto in San Diego
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ARTS
"Don't dress for dinner" by Carol Davis in Solana Beach, California
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—April 14, 1950: Hadassah
—April 14, 1950: Jr. Pioneer Women
—April 14, 1950: You Name It
—April 14, 1950: What’s Cookin’ At Troop 99
Thursday, October 30, 2008 (Vol. 2, No. 259)
INTERNATIONAL
Syria makes troubles for its neighbors by Shoshana Bryen in Washington DC.
Peace project funder pleased with where Fred J. Hansen's money goes in Mideast by Donald H. Harrison in Tel Aviv
Israel: the land of abiding controversy by Ira Sharkansky in Jerusalem
In political defense of the haredim by David Benkof in New York
ARTS
Thursdays With The Songs Of Hal Wingard:
—#69 Epitaph
—#96 So Many Ways of Dying
—#306 Never Say Die
CAMPAIGN 2008
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SAN DIEGO
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ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
— April 14, 1950: ‘Magic Carpet’ In Sight Soon
— April 14, 1950: Christian Committee Opens United Jewish Fund Campaign
— April 14, 1950: Women’s Division of U.J.F. Begins Drives for Funds—Plan Luncheons
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 (Vol. 2, No. 258)
INTERNATIONAL
SDSU group gets a VIP tour of Ramallah by Donald H. Harrison in Ramallah, Palestine Authority
Kristallnacht 70 years later by David Harris in New York
The Jews Down Under, a roundup of Jewish news of Australia by Garry Fabian in Melbourne:
— Council gives green light to Chanukah in the Park
— A policy for the whole community
— B'nai B'rith International President Moishe Smith visits Australia/New Zealand
— Living community memories
— Pressure grows for automatic traffic controls
— Israel programs affected by plummeting Australian dollar
— Jewish attendance at Muslim festival
— Tips and tales from genealogist
— Jewish delegates may join Australia's Durban II team
— Russia Holds key to Iran
— Australian Foreign Minister Smith to visit Israel
Election is a joke: Daily Show Democrats by Rabbi Simcha Weinstein in New York
San Diego Jewish World endorsements
SAN DIEGO
Sweat-equity partners sought for San Diego Jewish World by publisher
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
— March 28, 1950: What’s Cookin’ At Troop 99
— March 28, 1950:You Name It
— April 14, 1950: 1950 Fund Drive Begins Jewish Community Will Meet Obligations; Campaign Off to Good Start!
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