LETTER FROM JERUSALEM

Juicy details of Israel's municipal elections

By Ira Sharkansky

JERUSALEM—Political mavens may be interested in stories from Israel's local elections.

There was personal drama, and work for activists, but not likely to be anything wrenching. We must remember that this is a small country, whose Jewish majority identifies more strongly with the nation than with their localities. Almost all the power for significant decisions (who gets what) lies with national ministries. The biggest stuff deals with national defense, prospects for peace, and now the impact of world economic problems. Mayors and local councils have no roles in those issues. Tip O'Neill's "All politics is local" does not apply to a place like this.

Nevertheless, there were some juicy details.

Jerusalem got most of the attention, where one of the major candidates was a secular businessman who sought to "take the city back from the ultra-Orthodox." He looked for support among the right as well as the left and center, and from religious Zionists, by indicating support for expanding Jewish neighborhoods eastward.

His major opponent was an ultra-Orthodox Knesset member with a long white beard, seeking to continue the rule established by the retiring ultra-Orthodox mayor, whose trademarks were a cherubic smile and a short dark beard.

Also running was a Russian "oligarch," who had been a billionaire but recently lost most of the money he earned selling arms to Angola. He spoke in broken English with an occasional word in Hebrew, and made a name for himself by buying Jerusalem's most prominent football team, aiding low-income Israelis in the north hurt by rocket attacks from Lebanon, and low-income Israelis in the south who suffered under rocket attacks from Gaza. He was under investigation for economic infractions in Israel. Due to the investigations and considerable debts, he was restricted from leaving the country. In recent years he was not able to travel anywhere but Russia and Angola due to international arrest warrants issued by France.

A well-known bohemian ran as a "real secularist" on the ticket of the marijuana party.

Ultimately the secular businessman polled 52 percent, the ultra-Orthodox 43 percent, the Russian a bit less than 4 percent, and no news about the bohemian.

In Tel Aviv a communist member of Knesset challenged the social democratic incumbent. It was also a case of young versus established, a green candidate urging the construction of modest apartments for young people against a regime that he identified with building high rise luxury apartments for the newly rich. The incumbent won 48 percent of the vote against the upstart's 35 percent.

Beer Sheva is justifiably off the main tourist track, but got headlines when its long serving and aging mayor was challenged by the young man he had nurtured as his deputy. The campaign turned ugly, or funny, when there appeared a fabricated notice of the incumbent's death: "With great sorrow we announce the sudden death of our husband, father, and grandfather . . . There will be a separate announcement about the time of the funeral. The family will sit memorial week at home."

The death did not occur, but the incumbent received only 30 percent of the vote, against his challenger's 60 percent.

It is most likely that, as in the past, the residents of Arab cities and towns voted heavily for parties identified with one or another locally dominant extended family.

The success of the businessman will make secular Jerusalemites feel like African Americans after the election of Barack Obama. It is too early to know whether garbage pick up will be more frequent, or if there will be more flowers in public spaces. Gardening will depend more on this winter's rains than anything else in a time of extended drought. The winner has promised to be mayor of "all the people," and will not be able to overlook one-third of the Jewish population that is ultra-Orthodox.

National ministries of finance and interior will continue to determine the charges for local taxes as well as the size and major details of the municipal budget. City planning will depend on committees beholden to the national ministry of interior. The national housing ministry will decide about new neighborhoods. The national ministry of transportation will have the final say about traffic patterns, including whether streets will be one-way or two-way, and areas set aside for parking. The national ministry of education will continue to determine school curriculum and the salaries of teachers. The national police will decide about celebrations of gay pride. The prime minister and national government may get around to defining the city's boundaries in negotiations with the Palestinians.

So far no news about voting in the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem. Shortly before the election, a Muslim religious leader called for yet another boycott of the Zionist regime. If the pattern of previous years repeated itself, Arab turnout was negligible. Individuals can vote in local elections where they are residents, without having to be citizens. Collectively, the Arab neighborhoods could select 30 percent of the city council and be crucial in choosing the mayor. If they did not vote, chances are they will continue to complain that their neighborhoods are poorly served. You get what you vote for. If you do not vote, you do not get.

Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University. He may be contacted at msira@mscc.huji.ac.il



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JERUSALEM DIARIES


TV show fails to help Orthodox candidate

By Judy Lash Balint

JERUSALEM—"Grosse brüder!" "Big Brother..."in Yiddish. That was supposed to be the phrase that would save the Porush campaign tonight..

Big Brother is the most popular reality show on Israeli TV. It airs on Tuesday nights between 9 pm-10p.m. The last hour that the polls in the Jerusalem mayoral election were open. Porush campaign workers interviewed on Channel 1 TV at 9 p.m were repeating the mantra, "Grosse brüder," hoping that the secular Israelis would stay home to watch the latest episode rather than shlep out to the polls before they closed.

In the end, "Grosse brüder" didn't help Meir Porush, the ultra-orthodox candidate who lost to the secular Nir Barkat . Turnout in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv was a paltry 42%, while more than 80% of Bedouin voters came out to cast their ballots in the south.

It seems that the people have spoken and Jerusalem will open a fresh page in its history with the election of a high tech millionaire who has never held elected office...

Balint is a freelance writer based in Jerusalem





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Special Shabbat lecture Saturday, November 15 by Dr. Suzanne Brody

SAN DIEGO (Press Releases)--During Shabbat services that begin at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15, Dr. Suzanne's Brody's topic is "Give me children lest I die: Infertility in the Bible." She will discuss the angst and frustration experienced by Biblical couples attempting to have children, particularly in the patriarchal narratives, and how their experiences help us deal with this challenging phenomenon today.

Suzanne (Henry) Brody is a rabbinical student at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies of the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, CA. A graduate of Wellesley College, class of 1998, Dr. Brody received her PhD in neuroscience from UCSD, where she did research on the biology underlying schizophrenia (and during which time she was part of the Tifereth Israel community). Following receipt of her PhD, Dr. Brody spent three years living in Jerusalem and studying at the Conservative Yeshiva.

Recently, she published her first book of poetry, Dancing in the White Spaces, which celebrates a love of Judaism through poems about Shabbat and Torah. Dr. Brody's love of both science and Judaism inspired her to pursue a career exploring the intersection of halacha (Jewish law) and biomedical ethics. Her current work includes an examination of the issue of infertility as presented in the Tanach. She is fortunate to be joined on her life's journey by her husband Marcus, and is blessed to be the mother of Meital, a lively 3 year-old daughter.




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JEWS DOWN UNDER

Jewish hopefuls pound election pavement

By Garry Fabian

MELBOURNE -The Jewish community has a swag of personalities, experienced and novice, pounding the pavements and printing pamphlets in an attempt to be elected to local council.

Glen Eira City Council -– which covers the suburbs of Caulfield, Ormond and Bentleigh -– leads the way with six Jewish candidates contesting a seat at the Hawthorn Road town hall.

Current councillors, including incumbent Mayor Steven Tang, Michael Lipshutz, Margaret Esakoff and Henry Buch, are all standing for re-election.

Joining them on the ballot paper are former Glen Eira councillor Jamie Hyams and Nellie Khorohina, who works for the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia.
Port Phillip Council has four Jewish people vying for a council position.

Larger-than-life Dick Gross, who is a three-time mayor of Port Phillip and the current president of the Municipal Association of Victoria, is seeking re-election, as is another sitting councillor Judith Klepner.

Musician Reuben Zylberszpic has thrown his hat into the ring in the Carlisle Ward, while Les Rosenblatt will battle Gross for the Junction Ward seat.

Bella Irlicht, the principal of the Port Phillip Specialist School, is the only Jewish candidate contesting a seat on Bayside City Council – a district that extends from Brighton to Beaumaris.

Gary Singer is vying for the highest profile council job in Victoria: lord mayor of the City of Melbourne.Singer, a former deputy-mayor, promised to build 50 more kilometres of bike lanes, increase cheap parking in the city and install further transport restrictions on Swanston Street, if elected.

Elections will be held on November 29. Some districts, including Port Phillip and Glen Eira, require voting in person, although early votes or postal votes can be cast. Other districts, including Bayside, Stonnington, Boroondara and Manningham, run their elections entirely by postal vote.


Jewish scout group leads the pack

MELBOURNE - A Jewish scout group has swept the floor at the Glen Eira scout district awards. 10th Caulfield won six awards at the recent award ceremony, including the 2008 Quality Scouting Award and the 2008 Mayoral Award for Quality Scouting.

The group, which is 56 years old, was selected the best out of 12 groups in the district to win the Quality Scouting Award. To qualify for the mayoral award, the group was required to be involved, support and be well represented at local events.

The group was also selected as having the best scout hall in the district for its Elsternwick-based headquarters. A number of individuals from 10th Caulfield were also honoured at the district awards.

Cub Idan Gafin was recognised for his achievement of the Grey Wolf badge, the highest award available for scouts his age.

Ruth Kilov, a long-time cub leader, was awarded a Certificate of Meritorious Conduct. Gary Brand, a stalwart scout leader for almost 30 years, received the Silver Koala for distinguished service.

10th Caulfield group leader Rick Melnacis congratulated his colleagues on their achievements. “Our volunteers are the backbone to our group,” he said. “With more than 50 youth members enjoying scouting on a regular basis with 10th Caulfield, it is evident that our programs and activities are challenging and enjoyable for the youth of today.”

In other scout-related news, 15th Brighton, another of the Jewish scout groups, celebrated its 50th anniversary on November 9. All current and former members and parents were invited to a celebratory afternoon tea at the scout hall on Wolsley Street at 3pm. Past members are encouraged to wear their old scarf. The group estimates that over 50 years, more than 2000 young people and their parents have been involved with 15th Brighton.


Children of Jewish dads will be recognised

MELBOURNE - Australian Progressive rabbis have standardised their recognition of congregant Jewish status by patrilineal descent, clearing away anomalies that have dogged the movement for 25 years.
The 12-member Moetzah, The Progressive rabbinical council, met in Melbourne ahead of the biennial conference of the Union for Progressive Judaism (UPJ) last week to vote unanimously in favour of the historic agreement. In 1983, the UPJ followed the American Reform movement's decision to break ranks with Judaism's traditional view that only matrilineal descent determines whether one is born Jewish.

At that time, the Australian body conferred Jewish status on individuals whose father was Jewish, but different congregations have applied different tests, Moetzah chair Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins said. "Criteria have included what's called timely acts of identification, including a child being conceived by a Jewish father, circumcision, Jewish education, bar and bat mitzvah and hatafat dam brit (ritual drawing of blood for the purpose of conversion)," Rabbi Kamins said.

Under the new arrangement, all 24 congregations of the UPJ will recognise any congregant deemed to be Jewish by any other UPJ congregation, by virtue of that individual's patrilineal descent.

Rabbi Kamins said the decision was retroactive and applied only to congregants already accepted as Jewish by UPJ congregations. "We will make it clear to congregants, who we deem to be Jewish by patrilineal descent that their recognition is limited to the UPJ and does not grant them Jewish status in the broader Jewish community".


Jewish groups slam Israel - Iran warfare game

SYDNEY— A new online video game funded by a Sydney Jewish businessman that pits Israeli troops against Iranian troops has sparked the ire of Jewish groups, who are calling the concept "unhelpful" and "inappropriate." The Israeli-designed multi-player game, Rising Eagle - Gaza, which was released as a free download last week, pits the Iranian Revolutionary Guard against Israel's elite Golani Brigade in a first-person shooter setting - and included photographs of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad looking like a monkey.

Technology entrepreneur Kevin Bermeister said the game throws out a challenge to Iran and its president who once vowed to wipe Israel off the map. "It puts people at opposite ends of the spectrum into the same simulation in an environment where they can, and do, communicate as equals and cause no harm" Bermeister said. "It can only bring greater understanding" he added.

But some Jewish leaders have scoffed at the idea. "While people are free to pursue lawful commercial enterprises, the concept of the game itself, is both unhelpful and inappropriate" ECAJ president Robert Goot said. "I don't think it will have the positive effect that the promoter is advocating."
B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission chairman, John Searle added that the game would "only compound the already complicated issues surrounding the western world's relationship with Muslim communities and its dealing with Iran".

The game's release follows the launch of another controversial Australian-designed online game called Muslim Massacre, which challenges players to shoot as many Muslims as possible, causing an uproar from the Australian Muslim community. But Bermeister, who has worked in the video games industry for decades and established the first inter-active multi-media company, Ozisoft, argued the two games are completely different.  "Rising Eagle has got nothing to do with massacring Muslims. In our game there is no disrespect for individual religions and cultural groups, just one armed fighting fighting force playing against another", he said.


Top of the Bible Quiz

MELBOURNE—Bible competition winner … Noa Bloch, a student at Beth Rivkah Ladies College, beat out Australia’s best biblical brains to win the Australian National Bible Quiz in Melbourne this week. She will travel to Israel in May next year to represent Australia at the international competition. The final was contested by students from Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. \


Warning on Right-Wing Extremists

MELBOURNE—A retired Israeli general who served as Yitzhak Rabin's military secretary, has sounded a warning about right-wing extremists who have threatened to assassinate United States presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Major-General Danny Yatom urged security personnel guarding leading political figures "to take very seriously those threats and to do their utmost in order to protect their leaders and in order to avoid any political assassination."

Yatom was a longtime confidante of Rabin, and one of a small group who grieved over the slain prime minister's body after he was pronounced dead at Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital late on Saturday evening, November 4, 1995.

By video link from Israel, Yatom will join Rabbi Moshe Pinchuk, director of the Centre for Jewish Heritage at Netanya Academic College, for Rift and Rehabilitation, a commemoration to be held by the State Zionist Council of Victoria, HaMerkaz Ha'Israeli and the Israel Aliyah Centre at Beth Weizmann Centre on Sunday November 9.

 Yatom recalled the harrowing hours after Yigal Amir, a disgruntled member of the settler movement, fatally shot Rabin as he was leaving a mass-rally in support of the Oslo Accords at Tel Aviv's Kikar Malkei Israel (since renamed Kikar Rabin).

Yatom was not required at the rally because it was a political not a military event. He had just come home from visiting his parents when the telephone rang. "On the other end was [Rabin's] spokesman shouting, 'They shot him, they shot him'... I took my car and drove to the hospital. On the way, I called a good friend of mine, the deputy director general of the hospital, and he told me Rabin's situation was severe."

Soon after he arrived at the hospital, he stood in a circle of close friends with Rabin's wife Leah, who wept as she was informed of Rabin's death. "We entered the room to have a last look... he was lying on the bed, covered in a blanket, so we couldn't see the wound, but what I remember, and I will remember it for the rest of my life, was his face, very calm. You could not see any pain." Yatom was involved in the massive preparations for Rabin's funeral and had the duty of informing Leah Rabin that the burial would be delayed for the arrival of United States president Bill Clinton.

He remembers the late King Hussein of Jordan telling him: "I know, Danny, you lost a prime minister, a mentor and a leader, but I, King Hussein, have lost my best friend."

Yatom believes Israel "cannot survive another assassination" of a PM and was gravely concerned for Ariel Sharon during the civil unrest that accompanied the Gaza withdrawal in 2005.He condemned efforts to rehabilitate Rabin's assassin by allowing him to marry and father a child while in prison, and believes Amir should serve out his life sentence.

In her memoir, Rabin, Leah Rabin, who died in 2000, recalled Yatom's late-night phone calls informing his boss about terrorist attacks and military crises."That was one of my toughest duties," Yatom said. "We were still in Lebanon and there were almost daily casualties." Rabin would always pause on the other end of the line, then offer his recommendations. And in face-to-face meetings, it was Rabin's habit of lighting a cigarette as he pondered what to do that has stayed in Yatom's memory. "We called him Mr Security. He knew everything."


Deaf Society seeks clues about Jewish benefactor

SYDNEY—The Deaf Society of New South Wales is search for clues about the lives of a late Sydney Jewish couple and their deaf Holocaust survivor niece, in order to set up a permanent memorial in their name.

Sydney couple Alfred and Elsa Epstein bequeathed more than $1 million to the society in 1989, after their niece Elizabeth (Lotte) Schiller went to live at the society's facilities years earlier. To this day, the donation provides income from investment, which fund the society's services.

The Deaf Society is planning to name its new Parramatta headquarters the Epstein-Schiller Center, and is currently attempting to locate extended family or community members, who can provide additional information that may help establish the memorial.

According to previous staff testimonies, The Epsteins fled Austria to escape Nazi persecution in 1936. After the war, Alfred Epstein returned to Europe to find his deaf niece was the one survivor from among 43 family members. The Epsteins later approached the society to help care for her, and she eventually took up residence in 1982, where she lived until her death, a decade later. " Lotte survived the concentration camp because the commander of the camp, in which she had been interned as a child took pity on her by providing work in the camp kitchen, as he had a deaf child himself" said society executive director Sharon Everson.


Horse  Racing  - The Jewish connection

MELBOURNE— Dean Krongold has taken a different path from his family and friends. The 26-year-old horse trainer has worked for 10 years in the racing industry, and is now responsible for horseflesh worth more than $1 million.

Krongold had his bar mitzvah at South Caulfield synagogue and played junior football with AJAX, but discovered an interest in racing during two weeks work experience. While still a schoolboy, he took a weekend job with a Caulfield racehorse trainer. He worked as a stable hand, groom and stable foreman, before he qualified for an owner/trainer’s license. “Owner/trainers are only allowed to train for family members,” he explains. He trains his family’s horse for races, and prepares other peoples’ younger horses for race training. Horse work involves 4am starts, cleaning stables and the odd injury (Krongold dislocated his shoulder in August), but he says he loves it. “Some people say I’m obsessed with horses, but in this game, if you don’t love it, there’s no point doing it.”

He commutes from his home near Lilydale an outer Melbourne Suburb) to a property in Narbethong. It’s hilly and green, with numerous paddocks. Horses are boxed all day in city stables. On the farm, he says, he lets them just be horses. “The country environment keeps these horses’ minds fresh and happy.”
Each animal is exercised every morning.

Since Krongold’s tall, wiry frame is light enough to ride acehorses, he doesn’t have to watch his weight, and can enjoy his grandmother’s chicken soup. “We have Friday night family dinners at my grandma’s in Caulfield. We say the brachah and keep that tradition going. I don’t have to watch what I eat. I have the metabolism of an eight-year-old!”

To date, his best results have been two seconds and a third with his family’s previous horse.
Their current horse, Honest Harry, is big and docile and nuzzles him like a puppy. They have high hopes for him. “His previous trainer said he can gallop, but he’s mentally not there. I’ve got to make him want to be a racehorse.”

Success with a horse involves sticking to the basics: “Good feed doing their feet properly grooming them working [exercising] them every morning and getting to know the horse and what makes it tick.”
Krongold learnt to ride at the age of 20. He says horses can vary a lot. “Some you don’t get along with, but with [others], you just click. Good horses feel like a Ferrari, but bad horses, like you’re driving an old bomb!” he laughs.

His mother, teacher Shirley Krongold, was not pleased when her son left his private school to “pick up poo for a living”. Now, his parents are supportive and go to the races when their horse is running.
His goals are modest. He would like to train full time and have a stable of 20 horses. “I’m always looking for more horses trying to get new people into the industry, and getting them to enjoy racing.”

John Rothfield, 54, grew up with an interest in racing. The son of keen punters, his Scottish father and Polish-born mother would sit around the radio all day Saturday, and bet.“In summer, we would holiday in Frankston and go to the country races. I tagged along,” he says. “I loved snooping around the betting ring and having a look at the horses. [And] I loved watching them race.”His father would let him bet. “I’d save up, read the form guide, listen to the radio and put my bets on.”

Aged 20, Rothfield met a professional punter who showed him the ropes. “He taught me how to study form guides and how to ‘read’ races.” As “Dr Turf”, racing expert, he spent nine years with Punter to Punter, a comedy/racing program on Triple R that attracted a cult following, and which set him down the sports media path.

He is now a 27-year broadcasting veteran, with spots on SEN 1116 and, during the Spring Racing Carnival, Triple M. He is also on the all-racing pay-TV station, TVN. Rothfield doesn’t go to the races.
“In my 20s and 30s, I used to go twice a week minimum. Those days are long gone. We didn’t have racing on TV in those days!” Instead, he bets from his home office, on the internet or by phone.
But in spring, Rothfield does attend the track. “You see the best horses and jockeys in the land competing against each other.” He enjoys the public getting involved in the Spring Carnival, and says the Melbourne Cup is special. “The race has been internationalized, for the benefit of Melbourne racing, and the Cup itself.”

With friends, he has owned “30 or 40” horses: “None of them have been much good!”
Assessing horses is part of betting, but prediction is key. A horse’s run in the race depends on many factors: the race distance, track and weather and the weight it carries, the barrier it draws, and which jockey is on board.“Then you have to assess what odds it should be,” says Rothfield.
“The TAB and the bookmakers’ prices are just a reflection of public popularity. The basis of successful gambling is assessing the right odds and taking them.”

Rothfield had a bar mitzvah and has strong family ties, but no religion. So, what is luck? “It evens out over time,” he chuckles.

Corporate high-flyer David Kobritz enters the boardroom, wheeling a small luggage trolley.
He removes a purple velvet bag and carefully undresses a big, gold, three-handled cup.
It’s the Melbourne Cup his horse Subzero won in 1992. Kobritz says he still feels like it happened only yesterday. “It was a very wet spring,” he recalls. “We were happy about that because Subzero excelled on wet tracks. “We knew he was fit and well. At the final turn into the straight, he was right there with the leaders and then Greg Hall [the jockey] let him go. It takes 25 seconds to run that last 500 metres, but it felt like half-an-hour!”

Kobritz, 56, is the managing director of property development company Deal Corporation.
His interest in horses began when university mates took him to the races. A few years later, he took a one-tenth share in a racehorse that won $120,000 in prize money, for a $4000 purchase price.
“So we were all hooked,” he laughs.

He began an association with prominent trainer Lee Freedman -– Subzero’s trainer -– in the mid-1980s.
He now owns or part-owns 15 racehorses and 16 brood mares, which breed in the country. Some of his horses’ progeny have done well, including Newport, which is running in the Melbourne Cup. “It’s a thrill when you see the sons or daughters you’ve bred win a good race,” he says.

Kobritz concedes racing is a risky business. He calls it a “four-legged lottery. Slow horses can cost a lot and fast ones, very little. The highs are very high and the lows can be expensive!” Another horse, Raeburn, is co-owned with Jewish friends. Are there many Jews in racing? “I think a certain segment of people in the community is interested in racing.” Kobritz enjoys meeting people from all walks of life.
“It’s an enormous thrill to be associated with a good horse [and enjoy] the fun, excitement and involvement in the industry that goes with it.”

So what’s next for a man who has won the Melbourne Cup? Kobritz’s goals are “to continue meeting fantastic people, and to enjoy breeding and racing successful racehorses”. He leans forward and smiles. “Look, it’s an interest. People buy cars, boats, or works of art. This is my interest. “We run it as a business, but I call it my therapy more than anything else!”


World Union of Progressive Judaism offers cut price trips

SYDNEY—While the global recession has seen the world tighten its financial belt, the World Union of Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) has given young Zionists considerable financial relief.

The Australian arm of the organisation – Australian Reform Zionist Association (ARZA) – announced at the Union for Progressive Judaism conference held in Melbourne on October 30 to November 2 that WUPJ would be hosting a joint seminar on Reform Zionism in Jerusalem from December 11-18 at a total cost of $450.

WUPJ, together with ARZENU – the International Federation of Reform and Progressive Religious Zionists – and the Saltz International Education Centre have significantly subsidised the cost and will reimburse attendees for their airfares, which are normally more than $3000.

The fee covers the cost of room and board, transportation around Israel during the seminar, entrance fees and educational materials. The only other expenses are meals during free time, and transportation to and from Ben-Gurion Airport.
Steve Denenberg, executive director of the Union for Progressive Judaism (UPJ), said ARZENU received major funding for the seminar, which is the first of its kind.
“The aim of the conference is to promote all aspects of Israel and to inspire and inform young Zionists,” Denenberg said.

“For us, we see it as a real priority. Everyone in our community realises that young leadership is gold, so if you can do something that will make them feel valued and will also end up in them having more knowledge and ability to come back and work in the movement, you can’t get better than that.”

To be eligible, candidates must be over the age of 21, affiliated with the Reform/Progressive movement and speak fluent English. Successful candidates will be expected to be active in their local WUPJ organisations after the seminar. Applications will be open until November 10.
 
A total of six participants, including two places that ARZA will fund, will be chosen from Australia. One of those, Nicola Ossher, 22, who is the coordinator of newly formed young adult Progressive Zionist group TaMAR, has already been selected to attend the seminar.
 
“It’s pretty amazing that it is so cheap, especially when the world is in a global financial crisis and when there is a lot of funding problems with other programs to Israel,” Ossher said. 
 
Ossher added that having returned from a 10-month trip, where she taught English in France and China, she wouldn’t be able to afford the trip, if not for the subsidised cost.
 
“It offers people a chance to go to Israel and renew one’s Zionist beliefs and passion. It also offers leadership opportunities and skill development, and the chance to meet people from around the world.”


School fosters cross-cultural links

PERTH—Students from the Australian Islamic College and St.Andrews Grammar School met last month at the Jewish Carmel School for a Student Uniting Nations Summit.

Local Parliamentarian Bob Kucera addressed the students and spoke about the many different people who make up the Australian community and who have enriched it through their distinctive traditions and cultures.

A panel of speakers, with representatives from each school, explained important aspects of their faith and answered questions from the audience. Students then formed groups and discussed shared concerns at local, national and international levels. Concerns included global warming, the economy, poverty and racism.

The summits, now in their sixth year, aim to develop student awareness about diversity in the community.


Torah "House Calls"

MELBOURNE—Chabad of Melbourne Central Business District is starting a unique program in Melbourne. Rabbi Reuvi Herzog and his team are set to begin making "house calls".
They will visit people in their workplaces or homes, wherever they may be in Melbourne, to study Torah, study the weekly portion, or discuss the Talmud or the kabbalah.
"Whatever the topic, studying one on one with one of our volunteers is bound to bring some Jewish spirit into your life" Rabbi Herzog said.The program is modelled on a similar idea in the Unites States.


Well over a century of Jewish education
 
MELBOURNE—The Jewish education debate all too often focuses only on Jewish schools, much to the frustration of Judith Perlstein. Perlstein is the president of the United Jewish Education Board (UJEB), an organisation that has existed in Melbourne since 1895 to educate Jewish children who attend non-Jewish schools.UJEB has recently conducted a strategic review to guide it through what is becoming a busy time.

Currently, UJEB educates more than 1000 primary school students in 35 state schools every week. Close to half of those students attend Gardenvale Primary School or Valkstone Primary School in Bentleigh East. Perlstein said that the organisation is expecting these numbers to grow as the current economic downturn makes it even more difficult for parents to pay private school fees. UJEB’s strategic review is two-fold: to provide better educational programs and to market itself better.

The first step, Perlstein said, is to appoint an executive director. With no full-time staff, UJEB has had difficulties attracting donor attention, liaising with other Jewish community organisations to share knowledge and resources, and finding time for a comprehensive curriculum review. Other plans include a revamped website and a UJEB parents organisation. Perlstein – who began volunteering with UJEB while she was a youth leader at Bnei Akiva and eventually rose to president – said that there are no plans to alter UJEB’s core product, but other changes are needed.

Most importantly, the organisation needs to raise more funds. Just as the Jewish schools are struggling to absorb rising teacher salaries, so too is UJEB. The organisation also has a curriculum that needs an update and, contrary to popular belief, UJEB receives no handouts. “UJEB doesn’t get government funding … it has always just existed,” Perlstein said. Perlstein points out though, that donations to UJEB offer real value for money. Just $165 provides a youngster with Jewish education for a year. On top of in-school religious education, UJEB’s strategic review provides for the continuation of its other programs too.

About 300 primary school students attend after-school Hebrew centres in various locations around Melbourne. Hundreds also attend model seders, Chanukah parties and the like, and go on annual camps. And following primary school, some UJEB graduates complete the organisation’s bar and bat mitzvah program.

By secondary school, UJEB is granted very limited access to school campuses, so it runs the Jewish Student Network (JSN) – a mostly out-of-school program for teenagers. UJEB is even in the process of setting up a youth advisory committee to give enthusiastic members of JSN more say in the program’s running and to provide leadership experience.“Jewish education is on everyone’s minds at the moment, particularly because of its increasing cost,” Perlstein said. “UJEB is going to become more important to the community and anyone thinking about us, as a community, has to think of UJEB.”


New Shaliach arrives in Queensland

BRISBANE—Tal Shmueli, 24, has been appointed shaliach (emissary) to Queensland for the next two years. Shmueli, a native of Ra’anana in Israel, is an adventurer who was handpicked and trained by the Jewish Agency to assist the State Zionist Council of Queensland.

He said his aim in Queensland was to bring Jewish people, from the Sunshine Coast to Byron Bay, together. He is hoping to organise functions, informal educational opportunities and events for Jewish people of all ages.

Shmueli served as a soldier and commander in a special infantry unit of the Israel Defence Forces. Following his service, he rode his bicycle on a 10-week solo trip around Ireland and Scotland. He also completed a 60 kilometre run this year in Israel to commemorate the country’s 60th anniversary. Before coming to Australia, he worked at a centre that prepared youth for military service and studied health and fitness.


Honouring the Memory of a righteous Australian

In 1938, William Cooper was 77 years old. No one would have begrudged the Australian Aborigines' League founder, a lifelong indigenous rights campaigner, if he had put his feet up and retired.

But a new, non-Aboriginal cause spurred an angry Mr. Cooper into action. 9th November was Kristallnacht, or Night of the Broken Glass, when Nazis went on a rampage through Jewish communities in Germany and Austria.

In two days, November 9 and 10, 1938, 91 Jews were murdered and 30,000 deported to concentration camps. Hundreds of synagogues and homes were burnt down and stores were looted.

Officially, according to the Yad Vashem International School for Holocaust Studies, Kristallnacht was launched in retaliation for the assassination on November 7 of Ernst vom Rath, a German embassy official in Paris, by a young Jewish refugee named Herschel Grynszpan, but the Nazis used it to institute more severe anti-Jewish measures.

The director of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, Geoffrey Zygier, said few people overseas bothered to protest the atrocity. But William Cooper did, in a small but powerful way. On December 6, 1938, he led a delegation of Aborigines who walked from his Footscray home to the German consulate in Albert Road, South Melbourne.

The Argus newspaper reported the next day: "A deputation from the Australian Aborigines' League, which visited the German consulate yesterday, with the intention of conveying to the consul (Dr R.W. Drechsler) a resolution condemning the persecution of Jews and Christians in Germany, was refused admittance. "The resolution voiced, 'on behalf of the Aborigines of Australia, a strong protest at the cruel persecution of the Jewish people by the Nazi government of Germany, and asks that this persecution be brought to an end."

On December 2 at state Parliament House, the Israeli ambassador to Australia, Yuval Rotem, will present Mr Cooper's grandson, Boydie Turner, with a certificate stating that 70 Australian trees will be planted at the Yad Vashem Holocaust remembrance centre in Jerusalem in Mr Cooper's honour.

Premier John Brumby will speak and Mr Zygier's sister-in-law, singer Deborah Conway, will perform with an Aboriginal artist.

Mr Zygier said it was remarkable that a man still fighting for basic rights for indigenous Australians, such as citizenship, the vote, and health care made time and had compassion for another suffering group.

Great-grandson Kevin Russell said it was sad that William Cooper was not well known and feted by the wider mainstream Australian community.

"He was a fighter, he was a leader, he was a visionary, and the Jewish community acknowledge what he was, who he was, what he stood for."

The Jewish and Aboriginal communities have forged strong ties. In 1985, Jewish businessmen Ron Merkel and Ron Castan helped Koori leader Jim Berg form the Koori Heritage Trust.

The Gandel and Pratt families helped build the trust's King Street headquarters and funded history and education programs.

Mr Zygier described a "remarkable synergy" between the two groups. "The Jewish community is an ancient and oppressed people, as the Aborigines are; we were the indigenous people of the land of Israel who were kicked out of our land 2000 years ago."


Australian PM at odds with some in Jewish community

CANBERRA— A Rudd Government policy switch risks shaking Australia's relationship with Israel and angering some members of the Jewish community.

The Government has supported United Nations resolutions calling for an end to further Israeli settlement in Palestinian areas and for acceptance by Israel that the Geneva Convention should apply in those areas. Acceptance of the convention would oblige Israel to commit to the convention's standards for the treatment of Palestinian civilians.

Australia last year opposed the vote on settlements and abstained from the vote on the Geneva Convention. Both motions were opposed by the United States when the votes took place in New York on Saturday morning (Melbourne time).

The Australian delegation opposed a further motion calling for an investigation of Israel's civil rights record.The Australian representatives said that Australia was concerned about the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories, but that motion was considered unbalanced because it did not take sufficient account of Israel's legitimate concerns about Palestinian attacks on its people.

Australia supported Israel's right to take proportionate actions in self-defense, the delegation said.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said last night: "We understand completely Israel's legitimate security concerns.

"Australia is a strong supporter both of Israel and the Middle East peace process ­ something that I underlined in my meetings with Prime Minister Olmert and Foreign Minister Livni when I met them in Israel only two weeks ago.

"As a staunch and longstanding friend of Israel, we want its people to be able to enjoy the fruits of a normal, peaceful existence, within a Middle East that recognises Israel's right to live within secure and internationally recognised boundaries."


Bureau chief Fabian may be contacted at fabiang@sandiegojewishworld.com

Culture Clash's Water & Power fluid

By Carol Davis

SAN DIEGO—Culture Clash the group has been a part of San Diego’s  ‘culture’ for well over 20 years. Yours truly remembers one of the first times seeing the group in a small space downtown in back of what was then the dilapidated Balboa Theatre when less than fifty people were in the audience. From their early beginnings (1984) in San Francisco’s Mission District with Richard Montoya, Rick Salinas and Herbert Sigüenza they are now ‘the most prominent Chicano/Latino performance troupe in the country’.

Founding member Richard Montoya was born in San Diego at the Naval Hospital in Balboa Park in 1959 so his roots, so to speak, are here although the family moved to Sacramento and later to San Francisco. He now lives in Los Angeles near Echo Park one mile from the Motel Paradise on Sunset Boulevard where much of the action of Water & Power takes place.

One of Clash’s biggest advocates here in San Diego is Sam Woodhouse, artistic director of the San Diego Repertory Theatre downtown who is also directing Water & Power. The show premiered at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 2006 and went on to win the Los Angeles Theatre Critics Circle and Ovation Awards for Nest New Play. Woodhouse who also directed Radio Mambo and Culture Clash in Bordertown was able to bring large audiences to witness the domino effect of good theatre and different ideas from a minority perspective, or so it was then.

Recently their Zorro in Hell was mounted at the La Jolla Playhouse to critical success.   When Water & Power closes in San Diego on the 16th of this month it is expected to be made into a film to be premiered as a feature film at the Sundance Festival in 2009.

Over the years the writings of CC have zeroed in on satire set within the Chicano Community and how it has been affected by the white culture and what effects it has on the white community. Most of their stories are disguised in humor, flamboyance, confidence and flair and pokes fun at the perception from within as seen from outside the community. Much of the dialogue is sprinkled with Chicano phrases, some familiar, others not so.  As in Water & Power there is a glossary of words, which may not be familiar, and if you don’t study before the show, forget it. Once again, I have liked some better than others for that same reason. Some of the content buzzed by and I didn’t have a clue. 

Water & Power is a break from the past for the group. Written exclusively by Montoya, it is a reflection of childhood recollections and the coming of age of the adults upon whose childhood memories they reflect. It is a fast paced drama oft times flecked with dark humor and finger pointing at the Jewish community as well as the White power structure in Los Angeles whose own leaders locked the Chicano out of the fruits of power that they are now so close to getting.

In scenes set in flashback we see the love, ambition, admiration and discipline a father instilled in his young boys to grow be honorable men and reach for stars denied his generation by the very same forces they are now heading toward. 

It is played out with the urgent force of a runaway train, a story of brotherly love, fierce competition and good vs. evil that steals the mind and carries the audience to an era set in the present but ‘informed deeply in the mindset and styles of the 50’s and 60’s”. It is a neo-noir saga.

With an outstanding cast of seven and under Woodhouse’s deft direction Water & Power is just about that; power in the City of Angels, the Chicano community and how one deals with it once it gets it. It is the story of twin brothers, Gilbert Garcia (Richard Trujillo) and the other Gabriel Garcia (Herbert Siguenza). Their father Asuncion Garcia (John R. Padilla) who worked for the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power named them Water (Gilbert)  & Power (Gabriel) and it is in no sense an accident. 

One, Gabriel took the path of power by joining the Los Angeles police force the other; Gilbert went through the political process to become a successful Congressman from Los Angeles. It was Gilbert’s job to watch over Gabriel, as we see in flashbacks with them as young boys (Marc Alexander Gonzalez) with their father. Both are professions that when carried out to the letters of the laws are respectable ones.

Unfortunately that is not the case. Power— the cop has risen through the ranks to be a tough no nonsense, take no prisoners lieutenant who broke a few bones and laws on his rise to the top. Now he’s in deep trouble after a revenge killing gone badly. There are witnesses. He is hiding out in the Sunset Strip motel mentioned above and is on edge rife with drugs and alcohol waiting for someone to kill him.

There has been a rainy spell of seventeen days and he feels cooped up in this one room and ready to explode.  Powers friend, Norte/Sur (Bobby Placencia) another ex con who has befriended Power even though Power shot him in the legs some time ago and he is wheelchair bound, calls Water in to fix the mess.

It is up to the calmer, smooth talking brother to try and talk his now crazed brother out of doing something harmful to himself, by calling in his political chits. Even in these exchanges, the struggle for power between the brothers is agonizing to watch as reason and logic push against angst and irrationality and all bets are off as to which will out in the end.

Gilbert now is in the middle of wrapping up a big bill he has worked on for years and is the sponsor of, to save hundreds or acres of land for his old community to be used for parks, landscaping, open spaces and new housing. It is days away from being signed. However, it’s potential is on the verge of collapse under the pressure to save his brother. He is forced, once again, to appeal to a big time White developer called The Fixer (Mike Genovese) to intervene by getting his with his goons to call the hit off his brother. 

Most of the story takes place in one night at this seedy motel (Kristen Flores and Adam Lindsay, sets and Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz, lighting) where we meet up with the brothers. Montoya weaves an interesting plot of politics and corruption with race, violence, drugs, power struggles and intrigue thrown into the mix. It is an ill-fated story of brotherly love and respect turned cruel and sadistic. Moving the story forward is Norte/Sur who acts as the go between or voice of wisdom and calm.

With an excellent cast and an even more compelling story Water & Power is as much of a thriller as it is a history of struggles on many fronts and each of the characters has a built in chemistry for his own cause. Richard Trujillo is suave and likeable as Water. Herbert Siguenza is most effective as the troubled cop. He embodies the Power given in his name. He is big, burley and menacing looking when he flexes his muscle trying to make his point.

Mike Genovese is perfect as The Fixer. Dressed in white from top to bottom (Kate Stallons) is just as sleazy as they come. When he and Gilbert meet in a well-known restaurant to discuss his brother’s fate, he makes your skin crawl with disgust. Genovese has been a regular at the Rep and always draws rave critical praise, he as praiseworthy again as The Fixer.

John R. Padilla and Mark Alexander Gonzalez worked beautifully as the loving sons and dedicated and patient father. Bobby Plasencia is perfect as the philosopher, healer and wise man Norte/Sur. He is on stage most of the time in a wheelchair and the way he maneuvers that chair up and down ramps and in and out of scenes is commendable. There are times when he is on stage alone while the audience holds on to his every word.  All the players, however, are genuine and true to their characters.

Montoya is to be congratulated for this fine and insightful work. Definitely worth a try.

See you at the theatre.

Davis may be contacted at davisc@sandiegojewishworld.com





LAWRENCE FAMILY JCC, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS


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SOILLE SAN DIEGO HEBREW DAY SCHOOL


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Hebrew Day School

Israeli soldiers visit Soille Hebrew Day

SAN DIEGO (Press Release)— A week ago Monday, during Hebrew class, two soldiers currently serving in the Israeli army, along with the Israeli Shaliach Eyal Dagan, came to speak to Hebrew Day’s 7th and 8th grade students and shared with them their own personal experience of making Aliya to Israel and adjusting to the Israeli life. The students were very eager to listen to their stories and asked many questions.

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

FUN, FUN—Dining and singing were important parts of the Women's Weekend at Camp Mountain
Chai. At left are Nancy Nevin and Teri Wilner; at right, Lee Schwimmer and friends join in song.


JEWISH GREEN

I’d eat a mushroom off everyone’s plate: Camp Mountain Chai Women’s Retreat

By Marissa Palin

CAMP MOUNTAIN CHAI, California—Personally, I never really liked the month of October. When I was a kid, it always meant back to school, arguing with my parents about keeping my Halloween candy, the end of watching baseball games with my dad. I still don’t like October very much. It’s the official end of summer, with the end of daylight savings time looming just around the corner. It means chapped lips, dry skin, allergies, wildfires, and Santa Ana winds. And as if that’s not bad enough already, as a young woman it’s a reminder of my two biggest threats—it’s both Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

So when I heard about Camp Mountain Chai’s 2nd Annual Women’s Weekend from October 24-26, I was thrilled. Finally, something good in October. Some respite from all the stress, anxiety, and worry that October always seems to bring. I signed on board as soon as I heard about it. I even convinced both my mother and my aunt to join me.

And respite it was. It was everything I hoped it would be – and more. It wasn’t a women’s weekend, it was a women’s retreat. Complete with Shabbat learning programs, delicious food, incredible people, spectacular scenery, yoga, meditation, and, my favorite part, lessons on how to go green. The photo at right of Ellen Hausman, Beverly Linderman, and Vivian Linderman gives a sense of the atmosphere.

Camp Mountain Chai was the vision of three San Diego men and their wives, who searched around for years before purchasing the former Alpine Meadows Conference Center and Camp Osceola in 2004. Hidden in the rustic beauty of the San Bernardino National Forest, Camp Mountain Chai opened its doors to its first campers in 2005. The camp now offers programs for children in grades 3-11 each summer and various retreats and programs throughout the year. For more information about Camp Mountain Chai, visit www.campmountainchai.org.

After a long day at work on Friday, I was ecstatic to break free and head up to the mountains. I got to camp a few hours after the busses had arrived, but just in time for Shabbat dinner. Although my mom and my aunt had only arrived 45 minutes before I had, they had already immersed themselves in the camp spirit. They were standing in the back of the room chatting away with some other ladies, happy as can be. And indeed, the energy in the room was contagious. It wasn’t long before I too had forgotten all about work, had relaxed after the long drive, and was completely engaged in the life stories of my companions. The retreat had officially begun.

Shabbat day was spent enjoying an array of various workshops. Each taught by one of the women in attendance, it was both impressive and inspiring to see the wealth of knowledge among us. We had in our ranks a yoga instructor, a life coach, an herbalist, a dietician, and several talented musicians…just to name a few.

I started my day at the "Herbs from Biblical Times" workshop with Leslee Willes, learning about various herbs that date back to biblical times and their healing properties. After a nice cup of cinnamon cedar tea, I moved on to the "Tree of Life Meditation."

Although I loved the sound of the Himalayan singing bowls being played by Susan Murray, I was unable to conquer my overpowering energetic thoughts, so I moved on to learn about dieting and healthy eating practices at Debbie Simon’s workshop, "Eve and the Forbidden Fruit"—a great precursor to the delicious lunch that was served right afterwards.

After lunch, I had a decision to make. I could either continue on to the spiritual" Creation of the World Nature Walk" down to the riverbed, or follow my mother to L’Dor V’Dor and learn about healthy communication between parent and adult child. Much to her reluctance, of course I followed my mother to the wonderful seminar led by Maxine Weseley. And thank goodness I did. Not only do I have a better understanding of what mom goes through, but now I can also see right through her techniques.

Although I was sad to have missed out on some of the other wonderful workshops, like the "Healthy Relationship" workshop led by Lauren Boucek and Elana Remas of Jewish Family Service’s Project SARAH, or Dr. Lisa Braun-Glazer’s workshop on "Managing Transitions and Encouraging Growth," I was happy with my choices. And not to mention exhausted! There was something about the peacefulness of the mountains, the empowering workshops, the energy of my companions, that left me tuckered out. But not tired enough to refuse the 40-foot Climbing Tower during free time. Or enjoy the after dinner workshop on being green and ridding your house of common toxins used in cleaning products.

The weekend was the perfect weekend getaway. By the end I felt empowered, relaxed, and enlightened. I had met incredible role models, inspirational women, and of course, yentas trying to make me a shidduch. I was thrilled to have spent an entire weekend with so many people with similar interests. I can’t possibly describe my weekend better than Lee Schwimmer described it at during our Havdalah ceremony.

“Today at dinner,” She said, “I felt my hand reach out to grab a mushroom off my neighbor’s plate. I had to stop myself, thinking ‘What are you doing??’ But you know, that’s something you only do with your family. And you guys are like family now. I’d eat a mushroom off everyone’s plate.”

Until next year’s camp…

Palin is a San Diego-based freelance writer. She may be contacted at palinm@sandiegojewishworld.com

JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE

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Stars of David Adoption provides support For Jewish adoptive families

SAN DIEGO (Press Release)—Jewish Family Service of San Diego announces the return of Stars of David International, Inc., a nonprofit information and support network for Jewish and interfaith adoptive families. The program will operate through Jewish Family Service’s Adoption Alliance of Southern California and will provide a compassionate network of support, adoption information, and education to prospective parents, adoptive families, adult adoptees, birth families, and the Jewish community.

Individuals and families interested in the Stars of David program are invited to a free kick-off event, a Hanukkah Party on Sunday, December 28, 2008 from 5:00-7:00pm. The evening includes a delicious festive meal and fun Hanukkah activities for all ages. The event will be held at the Jewish Family Service – Turk Family Center at 8804 Balboa Ave., San Diego, CA 92123. For more information or registration visit www.jfssd.org or call (858) 637-3060.



SAN DIEGO JEWISH ACADEMY November 18 Kindergarten program

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THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOKS

Jewish Book Fair explores Jewish genetics

By Gail Feinstein Forman

LA JOLLA, California--With enthusiasm and a flair for storytelling, David Goldstein, a Duke University geneticist, spoke about his book Jacob’s Legacy: A Genetic View of Jewish History, at The San Diego Jewish Book Fair on Monday, November 10.

In his research, Goldstein sought answers to the age-old questions of Who are the Jews? and Where did they come from? With swabs of saliva taken from Jewish sunbathers in Tel Aviv, he has found compelling genetic research linking today’s Jews with their Near East ancestors.

Goldstein explained that the recent scientific completion of the human genome sequence has allowed geneticists to travel pathways gathering facts that were only speculation in previous years. It is now possible to explore ten million gene variants and accurately predict both hereditary traits and susceptibility to or protection from specific diseases.

In addition, it opens up many opportunities to study the ancestral origins of distinct human communities.

Spurned on by the interest of a graduate student while at Oxford University, Goldstein decided to take advantage of the new genome research by determining how much of oral and written Jewish history actually matched the findings of Jewish genetics.

He set out to see if Jewish men who believed or were told by their family that they were Kohanim, the priestly class, could be isolated genetically from Jews who said they were Levites or Israelites, the more common class of Jews.

As a first step, he collected over 300 saliva swabs from Jewish Israeli men. He then looked for similar variants on the “Y” chromosome, the chromosome that is passed from male to male.

In surprising results, Goldstein found that one out of two men in the group who were led to believe they were Kohanim actually had evidence of similar variants on the “Y” chromosomes in both Ashkenazim (45 per cent) and Sephardic Jews (56 per cent).

Through additional genetic research and statistical analysis, Goldstein was able to date the origin of this genetically similar group of ancestors to about
3,000 years ago, the time of the first temple. At that time, one Aronite family, the Zadokites, were the High Priests.

Goldtein’s research suggests that a large number of Jewish males claiming Kohanim status today may actually be descended from the Aronite family.

Whether or not this genetic dating is completely accurate, Goldstein said that research shows that this genetic line is ancient and not recent. It was founded before the many dispersals of the Jews-before the time of the Romans and perhaps even the Babylonians.

The Levites were also a subject of Goldstein’s research. There were similarities in various Levite genes that placed their origins not so much in the Middle East, but in Slavic Territory, particularly in Khazar region of Russia.

Though an intriguing link to the Jewish past, Goldstein was not ready to ascribe the origin of the Levites to the Khazars. He also touched upon research that suggests that the Moroccan Berbers were the founders of the Sephardic lineage, but Goldstein is also not ready to claim that as fact.

To establish matrilineal links with present and past Jews, Goldstein looked at the mitochondrial DNA, the DNA passed on by the mother to both men and women, though not subsequently passed on by the male.

Goldstein studied Jewish and non-Jewish populations from North Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Unlike the clear markings of the “Y” chromosome among the Kohanim, there was widespread diversity of mitochondrial DNA among the Jewish and non-Jewish females.

Goldstein postulated that Jewish males didn’t marry the women in their region of origin, but moved around and married in different locations. Also, cultural attributes come into play with men in various communities where
they often had more than one wife or female partner which makes genetic similarities difficult to discern.

Though he grew up with little Jewish education, Goldstein always felt a strong affinity towards Israel, and during the first Gulf War, he considered volunteering in the IDF. When an opportunity to go to graduate school at Stanford came at the same time, he chose to go to school rather than the military. To compensate for his guilt over not going to Israel, he tutored himself in Hebrew and his interest in Jewish history kept growing.
 
As I listened to Goldstein make historical connections to both the genetic history and oral history of the Jews, I was reminded of a lecture I attended, also at the San Diego Jewish Book Fair, in 2001. The lecture was given by Richard Eliot Friedman, a UCSD Bible scholar, on his new book, The Bible with Sources Revealed: A New View Into the Five Books of Moses.

During the Q and A of the session, a woman asked Freidman what all this information about who wrote what part of the Bible, etc. had anything to do with us today. Friedman paused and said, because “it’s your family.”  And indeed it is.

Forman is a freelance writer based in San Diego. She may be contacted at formang@sandiegojewishworld.com




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