DIMINISHING THEIR CUPS—Gracia Molina Pick, right, a member of both the Jewish and
Latino communities, and Anthony Vallodolid, next to her, diminish their wine cups by ten drops in memory of the plagues that befell the Egyptians during the Biblical Exodus period. In background at far right Rabbi Mel Libman of Congregation Shir Ami of Encinitas leads the model seder held Tuesday, April 1, at the Lawrence Family JCC.


THE JEWISH CITIZEN


The thought at the Red Sea: Si, se puede!

By Donald H. Harrison

LA JOLLA, California—Tad Seth Parzen, president of the San Diego chapter of the American Jewish Committee, concluded a model seder for the Latino-Jewish Coalition on Tuesday evening, April 1, by recalling the story from Exodus about the time the Israelites were at the shore of the Red Sea with the thundering chariots of the Egyptians fast approaching them. According to a midrash, when Moses dipped his staff into the waters, they did not immediately part. Not until one of the Israelites waded into the sea, believing God surely would act, did the miracle of the parting of the waters occur.

Like Cesar Chavez, who organized California farmworkers and became a symbol of Latinos' quest for justice, that Israelite believed si, se puede (yes, it is possible), Parzen told coalition members and guests. The Latino Jewish Coalition, a group under AJC sponsorship, stresses links and common cause between the two peoples.

Indeed, during the abbreviated seder conducted by Rabbi Mel Libman of Congregation Shir Ami of Encinitas at the Lawrence Family JCC here, numerous analogies were made between Moses as a leader of the enslaved Hebrews and Chavez as the leader of exploited Mexican workers.

David Vallodolid, co-chair of the Latino-Jewish Coalition, noted that the preceding day was Cesar Chavez Day, which paid tribute "to the man who took us out of the slavery of the farms and the fields." He said that the annual Passover seder has meaning for all peoples because it teaches such values as respect and dignity.

Parzen said that the seder teaches Jews that they must show compassion for immigrants because "we were once strangers in a strange land." In a pluralistic society, he added, "it is important that we have compassion for each other."



MODEL SEDER—Rabbi Mel Libman of Congregation Shir Ami leads the Latino-Jewish Coalition
at a model seder at the Lawrence Family JCC. At left foreground is Tad Seth Parzen, president
of the San Diego chapter of the American Jewish Committee which helped to organize the
Coalition and in background, with guitar, is Tibi Zohar, co-chairman of the San Diego Jewish
Community's Israel-at-60 celebration. At right, Joy Wasserman lights the holiday candles as Robert Borboa and Judith Chazin observe.

Bernardo Ferdman, an Argentine Jew who serves as a coalition cochairman, suggested that there is "no more fitting match than between Cesar Chavez's struggle and the holiday of Passover... a holiday about freedom and justice." He added that "Passover happens every single year...we are still freeing ourselves."

While there were a sprinkling of other Jewish Latinos in the assemblage of approximately 70 people, most of the Latinos were Catholics. Rabbi Libman suggested that "both our religions are an envelope, but the contents are the same."

Libman said the eggs and the greens on the table both symbolized spring and the renewal of life Prior to the karpas ceremony, in which the greens are dipped in salt water to recall the tears of slavery, the Conservative rabbi asked participants if they could think of any place where people are enslaved today. "Darfur!" called out one. "Tibet!" said another. "Guantanamo Bay," said yet another. Others called out such victims "substance abusers," and "women in many societies."



KARPAS CEREMONY—From left, Ron Baza, former state Assemblyman Howard Wayne and
Alan Nevin reach for parsley during the Karpas ceremony at Latino-Jewish model seder.

The seder service was constructed to include readings in five languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, English, Spanish and Ladino. There were also amendations to various service parts—for example, the Haggadah created for the occasion included Four New Questions for participants to ponder.

Written by Rabbi Glenn Ettman, assistant rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel, these were:

1) "What if Moses were alive today? To where would Moses lead the Jewish people? Why would the Jewish people follow him? Why would Moses do it? Why did he lead the people in the first place?"

2) ".. (A)fter attaining fredom thing were not always perfect. What are some of the dangers of freedom? In what ways can "being free" go too far? Is there ever any time when people are truly and completely free?"

3. "...What are some things that this year we are being liberated from or wish to be liberated from? How would you finish (the) sentence 'Tonight, I celebrate my freedom from...' What better times do you hope to attain this year?"

4. "...Why is remembering Jewish history important? Why is passing holiday family tradition so important? What is the significance to thinking about the uture and what the next journey will bring? In what ways are all three connected to the whole theme of the holiday?"

Harrison is editor and publisher of San Diego Jewish World

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Violence, not settlements, blocks peace

By Ira Sharkansky

JERUSALEM—It is not the settlements, stupid.

Remember "It's the economy, stupid," which helped Bill Clinton send George H. W. Bush to the coast of Maine and the environs of Houston.

Can this twist change the priorities in Washington, other capitals, and lots of universities? The feeling is widespread, but wrong, that Jewish settlements in the West Bank are the crucial hindrance to any agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. Land is one of the Palestinians' slogans, and they do not miss an opportunity to accuse Israelis of stealing theirs.

Israel made a difficult and testing gesture toward the Palestinians in 2005 by withdrawing all of the Jewish settlements in Gaza.

The result? More than 2,400 rockets, mortars, and assorted other attacks from Gaza directed at civilian settlements in Israel.

In various agreements Israeli governments have committed themselves to stop the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, to remove what are called "illegal settlements," i.e., those not established under the aegis of an Israeli authorization, and to lessen the pressure against Palestinian movement that comes from the roadblocks meant to frustrate terrorists.

In parallel, Palestinian authorities committed themselves to work toward an end of violence and the incitement toward violence, and to reform their government in the direction of greater transparency, efforts against corruption, and judicial proceedings that truly are law abiding.

One can argue as to which side has accomplished the least of its commitments.

Incitement and preparation of violence continues in the West Bank, despite substantial numbers of security personnel employed by the Palestinians. Often it is members of those Palestinian security services who are seized in the IDF sweeps against perpetrators, or killed at the site of their efforts by the IDF.

Palestinians demand an absolute halt to building over the line that separated Israel from the West Bank prior to the 1967 war. Israel responds that it did not commit itself to stop further building in neighborhoods annexed to Jerusalem, or to stop all construction within the borders of other settlements.

The settlers who are most vocal are religious nationalists fanatic about Jewish occupation of the Land of Israel. Secular Israelis and numerous religious Israelis have limited tolerance for their intense and selective quotations from Torah, their implacable hatred of Arabs, and their occasional actions against individual Arabs and olive trees. Yet when the fanatics and moderate settlers remind us what happened when Israel removed settlements from Gaza, the tendency is to listen. When they carry the argument against withdrawing further settlements, it is by persuading centrists and not because of their raw political power. The principal political party that represents them (National Unity-National Religious Party) has only 9 members in the Knesset; and neither it, nor its right wing allies (Likud and Israel our Home) are in the government. 

Religious nationalists have tried for 40 years to populate the Land of Israel with their kind of people. They have a larger than average rate of reproduction, but neither that, nor recruitment efforts among religious and secular Israelis has met their aspirations.

There is a new player in the settlement game. Two sizable and growing communities of the ultra-Orthodox are over the pre-1967 border south of Jerusalem and across the road from Modiin. The ultra-Orthodox are not intense about settling the Land of Israel. They want low-cost homes. Their needs reflect large families, early marriage, further generations of large families, the shortage of apartments and increasing prices in their established neighborhoods of Jerusalem and Bnei Brak. There is also the desire of ultra-Orthodox and secular Israelis that the ultra-Orthodox live in their own neighborhoods. There they can close the roads on the Sabbath, ban television, the internet, secular newspapers, non-kosher food, and abominable music, make sure that women dress modestly, and send their young toughs against those who violate the rules.

Until now, Palestinians have campaigned against the settlements on what they call their land, and demanded help in their efforts from the United States and other foreign governments.

In the absence of any serious and prolonged efforts to convince Israelis that they can end violence and incitement in order to live at peace alongside us, their campaign against settlements has limited success. Construction gangs employing Palestinians along with Chinese, Romanians, Turks, and Israelis continue to build within the neighborhoods of Jerusalem and established settlements outside of Jerusalem. Left-wing Israelis and occasionally government ministers speak about withdrawing illegal settlements, but responsible officials show limited enthusiasm for the task.

Most Israelis want to make concessions. But the intensity of those who respond positively to survey questions is not great enough to carry the issue. For people here and abroad who think that Israeli action on settlements would solve the problems of the Middle East, the missing ingredient is Palestinian violence. Gaza remains as the best argument that settlements are not the issue, and the complacency of West Bank Palestinians toward violence reinforces that conclusion.

Palestinians can achieve a state of their own on the West Bank. It will not be a large place. If current realities continue, it will not include Gaza. The road to statehood is not to emphasize Jewish settlements, but to emphasize Palestinian efforts to end the violence. Only that can stop the growth of settlements, and preserve something for a Palestinian state. Without that, the road to Palestinian statehood will end about where it is now.

Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University

A free copy of San Diego Builders of Israel

SAN DIEGO—Many of the writers for San Diego Jewish World participated in the creation of San Diego Builders of Israel, a booklet tracing the interactions between San Diego and Israel since before the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. Published by the United Jewish Federation of San Diego, the book was first distributed Sunday, March 30, at the San Diego Jewish Music Festival. Now, the booklet may be accessed in PDF format here.

The indexed book contains two chapters written by Donald H. Harrison, tracing the development of community organizations raising money and spurring investment in the State of Israel.

Next follows a chapter by Gerry Greber on participants in the Israeli military who live in San Diego.

Yiftach Levy tells of diplomatic connections between San Diego and Israel.

Rachel Yourtz explores the connections between our areas in the fields of medicine, science and technology.

Norman Greene writes about travel and tourism from San Diego to Israel.

Charly Jaffe and Gabrielle Maio tell about the special relationship between San Diego and Sha'ar Hanegev.

Sheila Orysiek and Harrison team up to describe arts and cultural connections that have occurred over six decades.

Irvin Jacobs describes the connnections San Diego synagogues make to the Holy Land.

David Strom tells of educational exchanges between the two areas.

And, Norman Manson shares sports developments that unite the two areas.

Harrison served as overall coordinator of the project.

A link to San Diego Builders of Israel has been placed permanently in the column on the left of this page.

THE VIEW FROM JINSA


Maliki's victory: Iran's big setback in Iraq

By Shoshana Bryen

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Basra. Where the British were and where the surge wasn't. Where Moqtada Sadr took support and arms (and military advisors?) from Iran and where the Baghdad government wasn't. Until now.