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Today's Postings
Monday, November 10, 2008
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DEDICATIONS
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PRESIDENTIAL GROUNDS—A reflecting pool sits alongside the presidential residence in Israel
A HERALD IN ZION
A visit to Israel's President Shimon Peres
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson JERUSALEM—Because of my association with the San Diego Jewish World I was privileged to be included in the delegation of contributors who were invited to interview President Shimon Peres. And so, early one sunny November morning, we five members of the SDJN delegation met outside the President’s residence for the promised interview.
The building which today constitutes the President’s residence is an unobtrusive three-storey structure ensconced behind protective walls in Jerusalem’s Talbieh neighborhood. Like all Jerusalem houses, it is covered with Jerusalem stone, and blends effortlessly with the surrounding buildings. It was built in the 1970s to provide a fitting habitation for Israel’s presidents who until then had been housed in ‘the hut,’ a prefabricated wooden structure of pleasing but modest design situated in the nearby Rehavia neighborhood.
Both inside and out, the building is elegant and functional and by no means ostentatious. After undergoing a security check on a par with the kind of examination one undergoes at Ben Gurion airport, one enters a structure which is simply and comfortably appointed, built around a central staircase. The public areas and banqueting halls are on the ground floor, offices for the various staff members on the second floor, and the private residential quarters on the top floor. As we waited to be called in to the President, we sat in a comfortable lobby on the second floor, surrounded by artwork by various Israeli artists as well as photographs of previous presidents and prime ministers. One of the pictures that caught my eye was a beautiful oil painting of Jaffa Port painted in 1923 by Reuven Rubin. There were also framed black and white photographs of Ben Gurion; one of him sitting surrounded by all the generals of the I.D.F. in 1955, one of him shaking hands with a young Shimon Peres in 1959, and a delightful one of him sitting in an armchair and chatting to an unknown interlocutor, his legs tucked up under him.
The President received us in his office, a large, book-lined room adorned with trophies as well as small paintings and sculptures by Israeli artists. Opposite the President’s desk hangs a large picture of Herzl, while many of the bookshelves also display items of Judaica. The President sat with us in a comfortable seating area in one corner of the study. Perhaps partly because his own son, Yoni, was part of the delegation, the President was relaxed and spoke freely about his recollections of various American presidents, recounting amusing anecdotes and jokes, and dispelling any nervousness we may have felt. (Yoni is at left and San Diego Jewish World editor Donald H. Harrison is at right in accompanying photo.)
Now in his eighties, Shimon Peres seems to have total recall about the distinguished people he has met, the impression they made on him, and the jokes he and they told. In fact, one could say he has an inexhaustible fund of entertaining anecdotes about famous people. When asked about his secret for staying physically and intellectually fit he produced an impish smile and remarked ‘That’s a secret, so I’m not going to tell you.’ In a revealing moment, when asked how he liked being President of Israel, he replied ‘I’ve always been controversial. Now I’m popular, or at least respected. I think I prefer being controversial. But I’m trying to trade respect for action.’ What is important is not one’s title, he added, but what one does. When asked what he regards as his greatest achievement he replied, ‘What I’ll do tomorrow.’
There was a touching moment when, after some prompting from the rest of us, Peres’ son, Yoni, who used to be a landscape gardener and is now a veterinarian, decided to reverse the question he usually is asked, and inquired ‘What was it like to be Yoni’s father?’ The President treated the question completely seriously and said ‘I am very proud to be Yoni’s father. Yoni was always fond of plants and flowers and animals, and is a good person.’ I wonder how many sons get to hear compliments like that from their father.
President Peres reiterated his trust in America’s enduring friendship for Israel, irrespective of which party or person is at its head, pointing out that the US is not a one-man show, that it will always remain democratic and diverse, and that it will always have a close connection to the Bible. According to Peres, therein lies its strength. When asked about Israel’s democratic nature he referred to the inherent dissatisfaction and dialog that characterizes Judaism and Jews, adding that unlike Christianity and Islam, the Jewish religion does not require an intermediary between the individual and God. Speaking on the day before the US election, he added that essentially racism is over, and that Israel seeks to live in peace with all creeds, races, and colors.
In a wide-ranging analysis of historical developments, President Peres pointed to the reactions of the Jewish world to the Dreyfus case and the deep-rooted anti-Semitism it revealed. The response of some Jews was to seek to make everyone equal, and this gave rise to Communism which, according to Peres, was largely a Jewish creation. The response of other Jews was to focus on fostering a social-democratic regime, as exemplified by Leon Blum and his followers. A third approach was that of the Zionists, who sought to overcome anti-Semitism by giving the Jews a State of their own, and in that way making them like everyone else.
President Peres also stressed the influence on the Zionist movement of democratic ideas and processes in Western history, including England’s Magna Carta. He also mentioned the fact that Ben-Gurion had been deeply impressed by the British people’s fortitude during the Blitz of London during the Second World War.
Though pressed for time, the President ended the interview with a photo session and handshakes all round. It truly was an inspiring event to be in the presence of Shimon Peres, Israel’s foremost citizen, our only internationally acknowledged statesman, and evidently a man of towering intelligence.
Shefer-Vanson is a freelance writer based in Mevasseret Zion, Israel.
Ohr Shalom SynagogueNovember 14 Zamru service
UNITED JEWISH FEDERATION OF SAN DIEGOJanuary 29 Men's Event
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LETTER FROM JERUSALEM Is the American empire in decline?
JERUSALEM—Is the American empire in decline?What should be the strategy of a small country like Israel?
A combination of greed and stupidity has produced what may be the greatest world economic crisis since the 1930's. It is a story of huge rewards for individuals at the pinnacles of finance in the United States, who paved the road to disaster, and officials who sold the notion that the function of government is not to govern.
Americans have also showed narrow minded arrogance in their use of military power. How many adventures like Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan can a country enter and still remain great?
Comparisons with the decline of Britain are too simple. The United States currently is larger, richer, and more advanced relative to others in its economy and technology than Britain when it was at the height of its power prior to World War I. Even if much of the American advantage depends on imported scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and capital, it should have enough of an edge to hold off competition from China, India, or Western Europe.
Likewise comparisons with the Soviet Empire are too simple. Economic fragility and corruption limited its capacity. America could withstand Vietnam, but the Soviet Union could not withstand Afghanistan.
Modesty might help in holding off the American decline. There may be enough of it despite citizens who do not recognize their frailties, reject criticism, and continue to think in terms of the best, the brightest, and the most endowed by the Creator.
Barack Obama expresses skepticism about military power and an inclination toward international cooperation. Awesome, however, are the problems he faces in the economic crisis, military entanglements, and Iran. It will take time to see what comes out of his administration, and good luck in avoiding unpleasant surprises.
If the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are part of a larger strategy against Islamic fanaticism, the armed forces of the United States may not yet be "at the end of the beginning." Winston Churchill used the phrase to describe the allied victory at El Alamein in 1942, when campaigns in Europe were still in the future.
Alongside the problems of banks, the stock market, General Motors and Chrysler are colleges and universities caught by falling endowments and contributions, an increase in students needing financial aid, and--in the case of public institutions--declining allocations from state governments. Their presidents are calling for federal aid.
Get in line, folks.
Israel illustrates the problems of small countries that must find their way amidst the larger, richer, and more powerful. One official has gone public with advice to the new American administration that it avoid pressure. Israel will continue to seek a way to peace with its neighbors in its own terms. Arrogant Americans who demand that Israel do this, avoid that, and insist on a short timetable for compliance strain the Israeli leadership beyond its capacity to deliver. They also encourage Palestinians to expect a solution from others, rather than reconsider what they claim to be their non-negotiable rights.
The United States may be the best friend of this small country, but it is not the only friend. The American way to the future is not the only way. The world is dynamic. Alternatives may not abound, but they exist. Some of them appear in what is now the American opposition. It may bother American Jews that Israelis welcome support from the Christian Right. It may bother Americans that Israelis sell weapons or military know how in Africa, as well as to China and India. Americans may wonder why Israelis warm to the French leadership.
Doomsayers emphasize an Arab takeover of Europe via migration. They may account for 10 percent of the population in France. Twenty percent of the Israeli population is Arab. There are things we can learn from one another.
To be overly committed to any foreign power is dangerous for a small country. It is part of wisdom to nurture whatever advantages may be available, all the while being careful to avoid offending those which are most promising. Governing a small country is riskier than governing a world power. The abyss is closer. A misstep is more dangerous.
Even for a world power, there is an abyss. Great power is not forever assured.
Ira Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University. He may be contacted at msira@mscc.huji.ac.il
TIFERETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
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TEMPLE SOLELNovember 8 Synaplex featuring Rabbi Daniel Gordis
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SDJW correspondent Hadar to bike 300 miles for the sake of high school students
KIBBUTZ RUHAMA, Israel—Ulla Hadar (pictured at right), is our bureau chief in Sha'ar Hanegev. She will be participating in a bicycle ride from Metula to Sha'ar Hanegev, a distance of approximately 300 miles, from April 22 to April 29, to raise funds for the construction of a high school that will be able to withstand Kassam rockets fired from Gaza.
San Diego Jewish World joins Ulla in requesting that readers consider sponsoring her trek. To do so, please visit the Bike for Sha'ar Hanegev page on the internet, and make a pledge in any amount. The bike trip is sponsored by the United Jewish Federation of San Diego, which is a partner with Israel's Sha'ar Hanegev region alongside the border with Gaza.
Besides being hardened against rocket attacks, the new high school will initiate programs drawn from the San Diego Jewish Academy and from the High Tech High School of San Diego. As compensation to families that brave living in an area under occasional rocket attack from Hamas in Gaza, authorities are desirous of building one of the most advanced high schools in all of Israel.
Starting with this issue, San Diego Jewish World will maintain a link in the left column of iits home page to the "Bike for Sha'ar Hanegev" program.
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LAWRENCE FAMILY JCC, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS
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ARIEL—A portion of the sprawling city of Ariel in the vicinity of Ariel University Center
THE JEWISH CITIZEN
Ariel, a city in the hills, improves amenities for citizens as Middle East debate continues
ARIEL—If I were to call this place “Ariel, Israel,” I would be taking a political position. If I were to call this place “Ariel, Samaria,” that would be another position. Still another would be “Ariel, Occupied Palestinian Territories” and a fourth might be “Ariel, West Bank.”
I recently visited Ariel University Center, which is the new name for the educational institution that previously was called the College of Judea and Samaria. I also interviewed Ron Nachman, the determined mayor of Ariel, who helped establish in 1977 this city in the mountains east of Petach Tikvah.
With nearly 20,000 permanent residents in the city and another 10,000 students living in temporary quarters, Ariel is the Jewish capital of the territories claimed both by Israel and the Palestinians. This is the regional center to which residents of small Jewish villages nearby come to shop. Here a majority of the permanent residents are new immigrants from the former Soviet Union, and a large percentage of the students are new immigrants from Ethiopia. Here research programs in laser technology , robotics and mass communications are helping to establish a reputation for the university center as one of Israel’s intellectual resources, thereby building the constituency not only for the center’s growth into a full-fledged university but also for Ariel’s permanence as an Israeli city.
Nothing, however, can be taken for granted in this politically volatile region. At a conference of the Peres Peace Center attended at the end of October by past and present leaders of countries from around the world, Muhammad Shtayeh, president of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction, demanded full Israeli withdrawal from the “occupied territories,” specifically mentioning Ariel and Ma’ale Adumim, near Jerusalem, as places which Israelis must leave.
“So what?” snorted Nachman, when he heard of the demand. Up for reelection on Tuesday to his sixth five-year term as mayor, Nachman says there is considerable consensus among Israelis that no matter what should happen in future negotiations, the future of Ariel—unlike Israeli settlements and towns that were dismantled in Egypt and Gaza—is certain to remain Israeli.
Besides polls that indicate that more than 70 percent of Israelis believe that Ariel should remain part of Israel, Nachman said he once was shown a paper drawn up for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and U.S. President George W. Bush, before a stroke put Sharon into a coma, showing the City of Ariel as one of the places that would remain Israeli in any peace agreement.
Nachman is one of the few mayors in the world who feels he must have his own foreign policy, not willing to gamble the future of his city on the decision making of the central Israeli government, which sometimes lets him go ahead with building projects and other times freezes such construction in a concession to those who believe Ariel should maintain a status quo pending the outcome of a peace settlement.
Interviewed at his home on Shabbat, Nachman, dressed in the sweat suit and crocs he wears while tending orchids in a small hot house at the rear of his property, declared that there is no such thing as a “two-state solution.” Rather, he said, creation of a Palestinian state would be a “three-state solution,” interposing a new country between Israel and Jordan, and “creating a permanent buffer of war, bloodshed and tension.”
Rather than allow such a thing to occur—in what he describes as the false promise of “land for peace”—Nachman says there should be a division of land between Jordan and Israel, with certain parts, including Ariel, annexed to Israel, and other parts annexed to Jordan.
He explained that with Palestinians comprising more than a majority of the Jordanian population, that country is already a Palestinian state, although it has been run by three successive Hashemite Kings, Abdullah, Hussein and now Abdullah II.
Pointing at the failure of withdrawal from Gaza to produce peace, Nachman says it would be “stupid” to offer Palestinians more land for a peace they never intend to give. The 1.5 million residents of Gaza, he said, instead should become citizens of Egypt and an industrial zone along the shores of the Sinai should be created to provide jobs for Gaza citizens. Jobs and incomes for Gazans “could be Egypt’s contribution to peace,” he declared.
The mayor was able to collect more than $7 million for the construction of a new community center in Ariel modeled after Jewish Community Centers in the United States. Recently opened, it has a swimming pool that is half the size of an Olympic one, a modern gymnasium with fitness equipment, and other accoutrements of a modern health club in addition to a variety of cultural offerings covering all age groups and many interests. The pool and aquatic area have a roof that can be opened to the sky in the summer, and closed in the winter, presenting the prospect of people happily sitting in a Jacuzzi while it is snowing outside “just like at a resort in the Rocky Mountains,” Nachman says.
Among large contributors to this project have been Christian Zionists, including the Rev. John Hagee, a San Antonio Protestant minister whose views on Catholics caused Republican Sen. John McCain to repudiate his support during his recent unsuccessful presidential campaign against Democrat Barack Obama.
In Ariel, what matters is Hagee’s steadfast support for the survival and growth of Jewish communities beyond the Green Line (the 1967 borders of Israel). As committed as Hagee to the well-being of Ariel are such San Diego area pastors as the Rev. Ray Bentley of the Maranatha Chapel in Rancho Bernardo and Rev. Leo Giovinetti of the Mission Valley Christian Fellowship in San Diego.
The community center and the new protected road between Tel Aviv and Ariel are important parts of Nachman’s overall strategy for maintaining Ariel as a viable city. He recalled that on Rosh Hashanah eight years ago, 70 cars traveling from Tel Aviv to Ariel were stoned one evening as they proceeded through Arab villages, resulting in 140 people injured. “There were people bleeding, pieces of glass in their faces, children screaming, shouts, like a war,” he said.
“I was here with my family and I got a telephone call from the emergency center saying ‘you should come immediately, we have had an attack.’” Going to the center, he said, he vowed to push for completion of a road that would bypass the Arab villages. Today Route 5 is built and people feel safer traveling to and from Ariel.
But, he said, not everyone felt confident; some Russian immigrants were afraid to go out, instead opting to stay in their homes and watch television “which is negative.” He said he decided that the city needed to do something positive for its population, and the center was his solution. “If we would not have something to make the people active and doing something positive for their family and their own self confidence, it wouldn’t be so good,” he said.
Now that the center has opened, said Nachman, “the whole family is coming.” Activities at the center “strengthen families,” which in some cases have been plagued by “too many divorces, and no connection between children and parents,” he said. Similar to immigrants in the United States, members of the older generation cling to their customs and their language, while children more readily assimilate into the society, causing a rift between generations.
Nachman expresses gratitude for the Ariel University Center, not only because it provides employment for Ariel residents through partnerships with industry but also because it brings to Ariel a steady stream of visitors—typically parents and relatives of the students—who see for themselves that Ariel is a small city rather than a small group of gun-toting religious Jews guarding a few tents and caravans, which he says is the image the media projects of all communities built beyond Israel’s 1967 borders.
Ariel is filled with apartment buildings, a college on track to become a university, markets, and now a sports and community center, he noted proudly.
ON TOUR—Danny Viterbo, development director for Ariel University Center, provided a tour
of the campus. The library, at right, needs to be expanded but the world economic slowdown has hampered fundraising.
Danny Viterbo, a former shaliach for the Jewish Agency in Milan, Italy, is Ariel University Center’s new development director for Israel—fundraising in Israel the way that R. Avery Ellisman, a San Diego County resident, raises money for the school in the United States.
Providing us with a quick tour of the campus before Shabbat, Viterbo said Ariel University Center now boasts a faculty of 200 PhDs, with 65 of them recognized as full “professors.” In Israel, he said, colleges are allowed to teach, while universities both teach and perform research. In that there is an ongoing research program on this campus in association with industries that have located in two industrial parks in Ariel, the College of Judea and Samaria was given a promotion to a “University Center.” But it will have to develop more recognized PhD programs before it can drop the word “Center” from its name and just be known as Ariel University.
Viterbo said that about 15 percent of its students come from “Judea and Samaria,” areas that are known collectively to many people as “the West Bank.” The other 85 percent, he said, come from all over Israel.
Like all fundraising institutions, the Ariel University Center is feeling the pinch of the world’s economic slowdown. Some donors who initially planned to contribute now are seeking delays, he said. One of the projects so affected is a new library building, which in its first phase was to have 7,000 square meters compared to 3,000 square meters in the current facility. The second phase would have enlarged the library even more, but those plans now are on hold.
Viterbo said some of the people who provide funds for the university may differ with Nachman on what will be the position of Ariel if ever there is a final status agreement. But in the meantime, they support the school because it is educating more Ethiopian students than any other university in Israel. There are 300 Ethiopian Jewish families living at the school—25 percent of all the Ethiopians now enrolled in higher education institutions in Israel.
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Hebrew Day School
Students Learn the Story of Adon Balon at Soille Hebrew Day
SAN DIEGO—This week the students in Hebrew Day’s Morah Stephie's class were thrilled to learn the Hebrew letter “vav” and to review the names of the colors, since the story of Adon Balon was brought to life through special props and colorful balloons. The children had a chance to re-enact the story and to work on Hebrew conversational skills, proper eye contact with the audience, clear speech and tone of voice. Everyone enjoyed the lesson and learned the material well!
For 46 years, Soille San Diego Hebrew Day has championed Jewish day school education: instilling Jewish values and inspiring students to aim for excellence in a value-based, family environment. The school serves children from infants through eighth grade, and offers generous financial aid grants to families to make a Jewish day school education affordable to all. For more information on the school, visit the web site at http://www.hebrewday.org/ or contact Audrey Jacobs, Director of School Advancement at 858-279-3300 ext. 106 or ajacobs@hebrewday.org
JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE
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December Events at the JFS College Avenue Senior Center, 4855 College Avenue
Monday, December 8th at 1:00 pm—A Special Concert of Classical and Jewish Music
with: Eileen and Myla Wingard, violin, Mary Barranger, piano, Dorothy Zeavin, viola and Marica Bookstein, cello. We are privileged to have this wonderful group of fine professional musicians, who will present a unique concert of Judaic and Classical music. The concert will feature works by Ernest Bloch, Johannes Brahms, Frantisek Domazlicky, Mordecai Gebirtig and Yoav Talmi.
Friday, December 12th at 12:45 pm—Music & Wellness with Kat Fulton, MM,MT-BC
Kat Fulton of Sound Health will present a program about music and your health. Come experience a unique atmosphere that promotes health and healing. By nature, we are rhythmical beings... with heartbeats, rhythm in language and sleep patterns, footsteps, and breathing. Learn about this unique way of health enhancement.
Kat Fulton is a speaker and board-certified music therapist with specialization in rhythm-based wellness. Kat is a member in the American Music Therapy Association and Drum Circle Facilitators Guild.
Tuesday, December 23rd, Hanukkah Celebration Special Lunch at 12:00 pm followed by entertainment at 12:30 pm. Featuring Yochanan Sebastian Winston who will present an exciting program in Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ladino. Enjoy latkes and jelly donuts as we celebrate Hanukkah together.
Wednesday, December 31st—New Years Celebration. Special Lunch at 12:00 Noon followed by an afternoon of Dancing beginning at 12:30 pm. Join us as we welcome the New Year with a special lunch and afternoon entertainment by Bob Constantine and his band. Semi-formal attire optional.
For more information on any of these programs, please call (619) 583-3300.
DOING IT BETTER
How to really listen to a friend's problems
By Natasha Josefowitz, PhD LA JOLLA, California—In any communication between two people, each one evaluates, accepts, rejects, classifies, or assimilates what the other is saying. We all have a tendency to hear what pleases us, or what we think the other will say, preoccupied as we are by our own response—we often don’t really listen.
One of the pleasures of conversation is to talk about oneself, each believing that the other is fascinated by the tale. We need a public.
But there are times when a friend has a problem and rather than listen and then respond with a “me too, I had the same problem,” and go on to a recitation, it is more useful to really try to help. How to be really helpful takes the following steps into account.
First, you should encourage the friend to state the problem with no interruptions, but possibly with head noddings, uh huhs, “I see,” or “I understand.” Second, you ask questions to clarify your understanding, such as “what do you mean by this,” “tell me more about…,” “what do you make of it,” “why do you think it happened,” “what part might you have played in it,” “have you thought of a solution.”
Perhaps your friend has already tried to resolve the problem, if so, with what results?
Third, ask how the problem has affected others in your friend’s family or workplace, what some of the reactions have been.
Fourth, if something your friend has said makes no sense or was repeated several times or seems out of context, trust yourself and ask for a clarification. Also pay attention to changes of affect—some troubling things are said with no emotion, while other, seemingly more mundane things, elicit a lot of feeling.
Fifth, generally one can wonder what has precipitated the problem, what makes it endure, does anyone benefit by this problem continuing ,what does your friend need now, could do more of, less of, stop or start? Are there obstacles to resolving it—are there resources available one can tap into?
Sometimes all that is needed is to talk and have someone listen with interest and compassion. There is the old stereotype that women listen and empathize, but men don’t listen and give solutions.
One technique that may help someone who is struggling to understand what went wrong in a relationship is role playing.
Have your friend be the person who is perceived as the problem and you play your friend, then have a dialogue between you two each in your reversed role. Often some clarification on attitudes can result from this interaction, helping to understand motives and hidden agendas.
Some of the issues that all helping people face are their own prejudices and preconceived ideas. Being non-judgmental while listening is difficult. You are there to resolve, not to criticize, punish, or control.
Getting in touch with your own prejudices, your own preferred way of doing things, your impatience with the lack of understanding with what may seem obvious to you, your disapproval of some dysfunctional behavior exhibited by your friend, all come into play unconsciously unless you make the effort of uncovering what motivates you and controls your behavior. A good strategy is reiterating what the friend said to be sure you understand exactly what was meant.
But first and foremost, you need to just be there for your friend, compassionate and available.
Josefowitz's column also appears in the La Jolla Village Voice
SAN DIEGO JEWISH ACADEMYNovember 18 Kindergarten program
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SAN DIEGO--One cannot possibly read our Jewish history without asking how such a tiny group of people managed to outlive so many empires so many times. We surely tried our share of physical revolts against oppressors but discovered over time that the world of ideas will outlive the sword. As a response to the sea of “strangers” in which we, as Jews, found ourselves, we developed ideas, fostered learning and have always been a literary people.
The sword turns to rust eventually, but the human mind can transcend time.
Thus, any society or civilization which curtails its access to knowledge is in fact cutting off its claim to a future. When a city puts its link to knowledge on the budget chopping block, it is cutting off its own head.
It is budget time in San Diego and so of course the city is going through its usual litany of dire threats to those services the citizens value the most – such as the neighborhood library. Though police and fire services are mentioned too, everyone knows that in the final analysis those mandatory safety services will not be cut – at least not to any significant degree. And since prisoners have to be fed, officials paid and beaches guarded, that leaves the library as the most vulnerable of the areas targeted. And, yet, just like fire, police, et al, only a city can provide a meaningful system of branch libraries.
In the age of computers just what does a neighborhood library provide? Ask the children who come in after school, or the young mother reading to her three year old, or the child meeting a tutor at the library or a group of tiny tots listening to the librarian read at “story time.” It’s a place where someone who doesn’t have a computer can learn to compose and print a resume on the library’s computer and send it off to a prospective employer. Or those who are homeless, disabled, sick, or otherwise in need can seek out help via the library’s facilities: research medications, hunt for a doctor, study for a driver’s test. Children come in as a class with their teachers learning how to access information that will serve them for the rest of their lives in this age of information.
Libraries are no longer simply rows of books sitting on shelves but offer large print and books on tape for those unable to read without help, compact discs, DVD’s, VHS, computer and e-mail access, magazines, newspapers from around the world, data bases, as well as archival material on every subject. It is also a place to sit down and read or bring in one’s own laptop and do research. The library provides the human key and guide to its resources – the librarian.
The community rooms are often filled with people attending lectures, demonstrations, classes and art and musical events. The neighborhood library offers a convenient, safe and reachable place for the elderly, the young and everyone in between. Summer reading programs help children bridge the out-of-school gap between June and September; introduces them to the joys of reading and opens the world beyond one’s own time and space. Going to the shelf to choose a book for oneself is a wonderful and enabling experience.
Information is useless without access and the small library tucked into a neighborhood, on a street where people walk by, with a school not far away, houses around the corner, with easy parking for those who drive – is the essence of access. These neighborhood libraries are often supported by a local group “Friends of the Library,” who conduct book sales to augment the available resources.
The small neighborhood library – linked to all the other branches as well as the central library – provide access to a world of information for everyone regardless of socio-economic level. Enter the non-descript doors and one is not in a small building, but a portal to all we as humans have ever been, everything we know, everything we wish we knew, and prospects for what we might hope to know. And so, the “small” neighborhood branch library is not “small” at all.
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Everything Will Be Different probes girl's feelings in wake of mother's death By Carol Davis
SAN DIEGO—When Al Germani came on the theatre scene as a force to reckon with, most of us knew that the subject matter, his choices and topics of his plays for his Lynx Theatre would be hard to top. Germani’s credentials read more like a physician/therapist/dancer at one of the more recognizable rehabilitation facilities than as a theatre producer/director.
Al has been a theatre director, choreographer, musician and psychotherapist for the past twenty-five years. He came onto the SD scene in 2003 with an agenda he describes as being ‘dedicated to the creative, authentic investigation and preservation of the human condition’. He goes on to say that the goal of Lynx Theatre is to ‘produce work of world class playwrights in an exciting, provocative, progressive theatre format that incorporates psychological credibility and emotional realism and creates theatre that alters how we see and experience ourselves and the world around us.' “A lens which allows us to see the world a little bit clearer, and a vehicle to bring us to feel and experience our world a little bit deeper.”
This is a monumental task for a tiny theatre company that, like the little engine that could, keeps chugging along. Lynx Theatre is among the growing number of theater companies who have no building of their own and consequently rent space in other venues. In the case of Lynx, they are located on 2653 Ariane Drive some miles west of Costco off Morena Blvd. in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego. It is a Theatre in Residence at San Diego Danceworks by night and by day a dance studio. The good news is that the shows Germani produces are perfect for small, intimate, up close and personal settings. In the past he has mounted How I Learned to Drive, The Exonerated, Crave, Dutchman, Jesus Hopped the A Train, In Arabia We’ll All Be Kings, and House Of Blue Leaves all to rave reviews.
Now through November 23 Germani is mounting the West Coast premiere production of Mark Schultz’s Everything Will Be Different: A Brief History of Helen of Troy. Schultz won the National Arts Club’s 2006 Kesserling Prize for playwriting. Previous winners were Nicky Silver and Tony Kushner. He’s in very good company.
Under the best of circumstances, no one knows how one would react to the death of a parent. Under the worst of circumstances, whatever was wrong with the family dynamic gets worse. In the case of a teenager, it is magnified ten fold. Charlotte, the main character in Schultz’s play (Michelle Procopio, at right) is fifteen. She has just lost her mother. She and her father are mourning the mother’s death.
When we first see her in a darkened sloppy mess of an apartment, her father Harry (Bill Kehayias) is in a drunken stupor in front of the TV and she is curled up in a fetal position in her room. There is a movie screen in the background (Germani set and lighting). For the longest time, there is just mumbling coming from Harry. Charlotte lies as still as a church mouse. Every now and then, Harry blurts something out at his daughter.
Schultz’s play is like an onion with many coats of skin that under Germani’s delicate yet probing direction, new and troubling layers come to light with each scene. On the surface Charlotte is a troubled teenager who at the worse thinks of herself as ugly and unappealing. At best, she’s still alive. She has few friends and her best friend Heather (Joan Westmoreland) who may be a figment of her imagination is beautiful. Lacking in teenage social skills and thinking herself ugly yet wanting to be beautiful and sexy, she pretty much blames her lack of friends on the fact that she is ugly.
And here we go off on a running side by side commentary of Helen of Troy, (in her own version of the story) and the idea that beauty leads to desire that leads to power that leads to revenge against anyone who doesn’t notice her. Those include her guidance counselor Gary Smith (wonderfully diverse and perfectly paced Walter Ritter) with whom she tries to advance a theory of her becoming a hooker (read prostitute) in order to gain love; a school friend Franklin (Kevin Koppman-Gue) who really likes her only to be the butt of her vicious lies about his being gay, and an abrasive and combative come lately to the scene Freddie (Joshua Manley) who plays Charlotte against Franklin.
It’s as painful to watch, as it is to sit through and not wonder how they will all come out in the end. One also wonders how someone so damaged got to this point at such a young and vulnerable age until we see and hear Harry ranting and raving to her about how she could never measure up to her mother’s beauty and if she dares try to leave…well! The thought of her leaving scares him to threats toward her.
The question of what their relationship was before the mom passed comes into doubt too. Looking at the glass as half full and trying his best, there is so much pain for him he cannot even help his daughter. Looking at it as half empty, one wonders if there was some sort of incest going on. When he curls up next to her in the end, there is a question mark.
Adding another dimension to the look and depth of the play, Germani uses video projections to mount oversized pictures of those whose influence Charlotte is under and with whom she has conversations. They come up in back of her and tower over the space that it is so in your face convincing one wonders if something else is going on here. It almost seems as if they are beamed into her thought process. At one point I half expected the characters to come out on stage and confront her, that’s how realistic it appeared.
And speaking of realistic one has to give kudos to Procopio for her concentrated and difficult portrayal of a deeply troubled teenager, one whose psyche is almost beyond therapy. Kehayias’ Harry is really scary. His look is one of confusion, driven by his drunken state, unkempt and seriously menacing when he seems to be with it. There were times during the production I actually felt fear for Charlotte. My only problem with Kehayias was that sometimes I could not understand what he was saying.
Ritter, resident actor and a well known name the community, has the toughest balancing act to perform as both the guidance counselor and only male adult who has his wits about him. But when Charlotte tries to seduce him, you have to hold your breath and pray that he’s stronger than she. Both of the young men are convincing and do probable work in a confined space especially when Charlotte starts to act out the sexual favors she will give to the boys.
Schultz’s play is very complex and disturbing. But…that’s Germani’s mission. It works and his work is commendable. Looking through the ‘looking glass’ of life, everything will be and is different.
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Adventures in San Diego Jewish History
Editor's Note: To create a permanent and accessible archive, we are reprinting news articles that appeared in back issues of various San Diego Jewish newspapers. You may access an index of the headlines of those articles by clicking here. You may also use the Google search
program on our home page or on the headline index page to search for keywords or names. Letters to the Editor Southwestern Jewish Press, April 28, 1950, page 2
Dear Mr. Kaufman:
I would appreciate a column or two space in the next edition of the “Press” with regard to the letter (appearing in the “April 14 edition) of one Mr. A. Fisher, who truthfully speaking, is unknown to me or any of those that I know.
I just want to correct Mr. Fisher’s misunderstanding regarding a certain agency that he refers to. I am a contributor to the United Jewish Fund and I might say that to my knowledge there has been no pressure against the Allocations Committee or against any other Committee in connection with the Allocations Committee. That agency has simply resigned as a beneficiary of the United Jewish Fund.
To explain the reasons why would take up too much valuable space in the “Press,” so expressing it briefly, according to the experiences of last years, they were slighted and belittled when they were allocated less than some of the local agencies and this treatment did not measure up to their traditions. May I call your attention to the fact that this very agency is responsible for the Second Anniversary of Israel celebration here on the 23rd of the month.
In asking why they do not help to collect the $25,000 in pledges that has not yet been collected for 1949, may I call your attention to the fact that some members of that agency did go out to collect the unpaid pledges. I also like to know what they key men and women are doing in that regards. If they are not doing anything, why are they so outstanding and deserve to be considered as key men and women of our community?
In conclusion, I would suggest that Mr. A. Fisher, or anyone else, not write such open letters because the writing and answering of these letters might develop to a point where the community will not like it.
I will sign myself a contributor to the United Jewish Fund.
Yours very truly,
Sol Goodman
*
(Editor’s Note: The following explanation and answer is offered by the United Jewish Fund in reply to the above let”
Dear Mr. Kaufman:
The Histadrut Council has officially notified the Fund that it has withdrawn as one of the beneficiaries and will conduct a separate campaign shortly after the conclusion of the Fund campaign. This withdrawal is a result of the Fund declining to give the Histadrut a dollar and cents allocation prior to the conclusion of the campaign. The Histadrut asked the Fund for a pre-campaign guaranteed allocation to an amount greatly in excess of allocations in previous years. The directors of the Fund have taken the position that since no allocations are made to any national or overseas organizations until the campaign has been concluded and the actual amount of money raised a known fact, it would be unfair to all of its beneficiary organizations to give preferential treatment to the Histadrut and that the Fund could only assure each agency that its request for an allocation would be given fair and impartial consideration at the proper time. Further, since it has already been decided by the directors of the Fund that from 83 to100 percent of all the net proceeds of the campaign will go overseas, practically all to Israel, there is already ample assurance that by far the greatest part of the total moneys raised will go to exactly the same place and, in many cases, for the identical purposes which the Histadrut organizations are participating in.
The Fund, through its leadership, has on several occasions attempted to convince the Histadrut officers that the purposes of all organizations can be best served by having only a single unified drive and that a separate campaign may be injurious to the very causes Histadrut as well as the Fund are primarily interested in.
Such attempts, however, have been unsuccessful inasmuch as the Histadrut has been unwilling to continue as a beneficiary agency of the Fund in the absence of the pre-campaign allocation which the Histadrut stated they must be guaranteed in order to refrain from a separate drive.
Very truly yours,
Victor J. Schulman
*
Editor, Southwestern Jewish Press Dear Mr. Kaufman
Thank you so very much for the space given the Pioneer Women in your last issue.
We hope we have given your readers some small idea of the work, aims and ideals of the Pioneer Women, sister organization to Moatztot Hopoalot in Israel, the women’s organization of the Histadrut, who are working for a democratic and cooperative Jewish Commonwealth in Israel.
Sincerely yours,
Lee Sporkin, Publicity
Pioneer Women, Negba Club
*
Gentlemen
Enclosed find check covering advertising space in the Israeli Anniversary issue, together with copy of Ad.
It has been my pleasure to have a number of Jewish families on my customer list and I have made many fine friends as a result. For this reason I am glad to have an opportunity to have an Ad in your paper.
Wishing you every success, I am
Very truly,
C.R. Wilson
*
Zionist Council Southwestern Jewish Press, April 28, 1950, pages 2, 14
Mr. Maxwell Kaufman
Editor, Southwestern Jewish Press
Dear Mac:
“You might like to title this letter, “The Lady Talks Back,” since that is what I hope to do—to answer some of the questions you raised in your discussion of Zionist public relations at the Israeli Independence Celebration last Sunday night.
The general tenor of your remarks, I recall, dealt with the failure of the Zionist movement to conduct an effective public relations program among our Christian friends. Your remarks were well borne out by Mary Fay’s preceding remarks that she had been introduced to the factual story of Israel only recently. Your indictment of past failures is well taken.
But it is not sufficient to indict the past. We must take stock of the present and map plans for the future. Whatever our failures in the past, we are rectifying the situation today. The very existence of the State of Israel has made the job easier in giving us the sense of dignity that enables us to talk to our Christian friends and neighbors about Israel and Judaism as well, without apology, and without fear that our motives will be suspect. (I say that advisedly, only too well aware that there are those in our Jewish community still frightened by the specter of dual loyalty.)
But over and above our own personal relations with our neighbors is the organized public relations technique. With the reorganization of the American Zionist Council last September, the emphasis was placed on public relations first—primarily a public relations program directed toward the entire community, rather than to the Jewish segment alone. All over the country, the response to the new approach has been outstanding. I feel that the Jewish community of San Diego would be interested to know what we have accomplished locally this year.
In December we received a request from the American Christian Palestine Committee (the names of its national executive committee read like a roster of who’s who in America) – to send a representative group of Christian leaders from San Diego to an all day seminar in Santa Monica. Five top leaders attended from San Diego, under our sponsorship. I observed their interest and enthusiasm in Santa Monica as they conferred with prominent Christian and Jewish leaders addressing the seminar as they became aware for the first time of the historical background and the problems confronting the new State. I should like to add, particularly, that the many questions raised by our delegates and others, not one referred to any real or imagined dual loyalty. That is apparently a problem raised only by ourselves and the few rabid anti-semites who need not excuses for their malicious slander.
The seminar bore fruit immediately. Our delegates formed a local chapter of the American Christian Palestine Committee and sponsored the appearance of Dr. Theodore Jackman at aNormal Heights Methodist Church. The Christian Palestine Committee, with Mrs. Fay as chairman, called upon our assistance in making Dr. Jackman’s visit a success, and we were happy to cooperate.
Some members of the Jewish Community attended Dr. Jackman’s lecture on Israel and recall the enthusiastic reception tendered him by the church congregation. Others read his press interviews or heard John Bainbridge interview him on radio.
That is only the barest beginning of course. Both the ACPC and the Zionist Council have extensive plans for the future which include the placing of literature in the public libraries, the presentation of movies to such groups as the American Association for the United Nations, other speakers for san Diego Christian groups who can present the story as effectively as Dr. Jackman.
There is another facet of good public relations which we are prone to overlook however—while we concentrate on propaganda we forget the great value of intercultural education. I cannot tell you of the great delight expressed by our largely Christian audience last Sunday at the House of Pacific Relations, as they participated in group singing of Israel and Jewish folk songs and watched the IZFA dancers. Nor could I enumerate the interested questions asked by visitors to the Cottage of Israel about Israel, about Jews, about Judaism. If we are unable to meet the challenge of their questions through indifference of the Jewish Community, we will lose the most priceless opportunity of a lifetime to achieve not only friendship for Israel but understanding for ourselves as well.
There are two remarks that come to mind right now. One of the members of the delegation commented to me, in Santa Monica, “I had never before realized how serious was the crisis of the displaced Jew. But I want you to know it was not malice but indifference—indifference through lack of knowledge.” The other comment from Mary Fay—“We came to understand, at Santa Monica that the problem of Israel is our problem, as well as the problem of the Jews.”
We know that the Christian world is interested, we are willing and eager to tell the story, but to tell the story effectively, Mac, we must know that we have the support and backing of the community.
With warmest regards, Muriel Goldhammer, Chairman
San Diego Zionist Council
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Winding the 'Peace Process' Down, or Up ... by Shoshana Bryen in Washington D.C.
One Small Rescue, Revisited ... a Kristallnacht remembrance by Mimi Schwartz in Princeton, N.J.
JUDAISM What defines a Jew by Choice?... by Sara Appel-Lennon in San Diego How did Abraham become a monotheist? ... by Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal in San Diego Hashem is the world's best boss ... by Rabbi Baruch Lederman in San Diego
SPORTS
A bissel sports trivia with Bruce Lowitt... in Oldsmar, Florida
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
April 14, 1950—San Diego Birdie Stodel B’nai B’rith No. 92
April 28, 1950—$100,000 Mark For United Jewish Fund Reached In April
April 28, 1950—History Making {Editorial} by Julia Kaufman
Obama election dominates Israel news... by Judy Lash Balint in Jerusalem
Europeans won't have Bush any more as their convenient scapegoat ... by Shoshana Bryen in Washington, D.C.
Elephants, fallow deer and sand cats breed at Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem ...by Donald H. Harrison in Jerusalem
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—April 14, 1950: Temple Beth Israel
—April 14, 1950: Temple Beth Israel Sisterhood
—April 14, 1950: Tifereth Israel News
Thursday, November 6, 2008 (Vol. 2, No. 265)
INTERNATIONAL
Shimon Peres shares his personal memories of U.S. presidents—and the president-elect... by Donald H. Harrison in Jerusalem
CAMPAIGN 2008
Obama's victory and U.S. race history... by Ira Sharkansky in Jerusalem
America the Exceptional... by Shoshana Bryen in Washington, D.C.
Outcomes were mixed in races in which San Deigo Jewish World made endorsements ... SDJW staff report
SAN DIEGO
Sweat-equity partners sought for San Diego Jewish World by publisher
ARTS
Thursdays With The Songs Of Hal Wingard:
#24 Persistent Perseverance
#73 Let The Racers Pass By
#21 By My Singing You Will Know Me
LIFESTYLES
Can gays be 'cured' after all? ... by David Benkof in New York
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—April 14, 1950: Beth Jacob Congregation
CAMPAIGN 2008
Obama election is an advance by America toward its highest ideals by Donald H. Harrison in Kfar Hayarok, Israel
INTERNATIONAL Tel Aviv savors San Diegans’ financial support for environment, schools... by Donald H. Harrison in Tel Aviv The Jews Down Under, a roundup of Australian Jewish news ... by Garry Fabian in Melbourne —Lord's Prayer debate crops up again —AIJAC testifies on academic freedom enquiry
—Jewish deputy mayor throws hat in the ring
—Prominent Jewish community figure honoured
—Ten million dollar commitment to Palestinians —Home-grown terrorist attack just as likely
—Community alarmed over fascist visit
—Award winning Jewish author dies
—Shule input requested to solve traffic signal problems
—German prosecutors to appeal Toben's release
—Intercultural visit to synagogue
—Jews and Moslems cook for peace
SAN DIEGO Sweat-equity partners sought for San Diego Jewish World by publisher ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—April 14, 1950: Pioneer Women
—April 14, 1950: Cottage of Israel Joins In Israeli Independence Celebration
—April 14, 1950: Council of Jewish Women
—April 14, 1950: Histadrut Council Tuesday, November 4, 2008 (Vol. 2, No. 263)
CAMPAIGN 2008 The U.S. President and the Middle East... by Shoshana Bryen in Washington, D.C. San Diego Jewish World endorsements
SAN DIEGO Sweat-equity partners sought for San Diego Jewish World by publisher
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 Monday, November 3, 2008 (Vol. 2, No. 263)
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 San Diego Jewish World endorsements
SAN DIEGO
Sweat-equity partners sought for San Diego Jewish World by publisher
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
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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
JERUSALEM
The President received us in his office, a large, book-lined room adorned with trophies as well as small paintings and sculptures by Israeli artists. Opposite the President’s desk hangs a large picture of Herzl, while many of the bookshelves also display items of Judaica. The President sat with us in a comfortable seating area in one corner of the study. Perhaps partly because his own son, Yoni, was part of the delegation, the President was relaxed and spoke freely about his recollections of various American presidents, recounting amusing anecdotes and jokes, and dispelling any nervousness we may have felt. (Yoni is at left and San Diego Jewish World editor Donald H. Harrison is at right in accompanying photo.)
JERUSALEM—Is the American empire in decline?
KIBBUTZ RUHAMA, Israel—Ulla Hadar (pictured at right), is our bureau chief in Sha'ar Hanegev. She will be participating in a bicycle ride from Metula to Sha'ar Hanegev, a distance of approximately 300 miles, from April 22 to April 29, to raise funds for the construction of a high school that will be able to withstand Kassam rockets fired from Gaza. 
ARIEL—If I were to call this place “Ariel, Israel,” I would be taking a political position. If I were to call this place “Ariel, Samaria,” that would be another position. Still another would be “Ariel, Occupied Palestinian Territories” and a fourth might be “Ariel, West Bank.”
“So what?” snorted Nachman, when he heard of the demand. Up for reelection on Tuesday to his sixth five-year term as mayor, Nachman says there is considerable consensus among Israelis that no matter what should happen in future negotiations, the future of Ariel—unlike Israeli settlements and towns that were dismantled in Egypt and Gaza—is certain to remain Israeli.
SAN DIEGO—This week the students in Hebrew Day’s Morah Stephie's class were thrilled to learn the Hebrew letter “vav” and to review the names of the colors, since the story of Adon Balon was brought to life through special props and colorful balloons. The children had a chance to re-enact the story and to work on Hebrew conversational skills, proper eye contact with the audience, clear speech and tone of voice. Everyone enjoyed the lesson and learned the material well!
LA JOLLA, California—In any communication between two people, each one evaluates, accepts, rejects, classifies, or assimilates what the other is saying. We all have a tendency to hear what pleases us, or what we think the other will say, preoccupied as we are by our own response—we often don’t really listen.
SAN DIEGO--One cannot possibly read our Jewish history without asking how such a tiny group of people managed to outlive so many empires so many times. We surely tried our share of physical revolts against oppressors but discovered over time that the world of ideas will outlive the sword. As a response to the sea of “strangers” in which we, as Jews, found ourselves, we developed ideas, fostered learning and have always been a literary people. 
SAN DIEGO—When Al Germani came on the theatre scene as a force to reckon with, most of us knew that the subject matter, his choices and topics of his plays for his Lynx Theatre would be hard to top. Germani’s credentials read more like a physician/therapist/dancer at one of the more recognizable rehabilitation facilities than as a theatre producer/director.
Under the best of circumstances, no one knows how one would react to the death of a parent. Under the worst of circumstances, whatever was wrong with the family dynamic gets worse. In the case of a teenager, it is magnified ten fold. Charlotte, the main character in Schultz’s play (Michelle Procopio, at right) is fifteen. She has just lost her mother. She and her father are mourning the mother’s death. 
