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Today's Postings
Peter Garas in Canberra, Australia: Genetic manipulation may be required
to deal with a world gone out of control
WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE?—Here are some of the selections at the San Diego-Tijuana
WIZO's cooking competition held yesterday Ohr Shalom Synagogue in San Diego.
{Photos by Sandi Masori}
SAN DIEGO—Generally speaking, the Hadassah volunteer organization for women is predominant in the United States, whereas the Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO) is a dominant force in other countries, including those of Latin America. However, in U.S. border cities like San Diego, WIZO has a strong presence as was seen at a cook-off fundraiser held yesterday at Ohr Shalom Synagogue here.
Three WIZO teams of six ladies each competed for honors as the best chefs at a luncheon that raised thousands of dollars for a cancer clinic serving children in the general population of Tijuana, Mexico, and for a day care center and school for women in Kfar Saba, Israel.
There was a panel of chefs and caterers who judged the competition that required each team to prepare a chicken dish, vegetables, beans and rice, and a dessert. A few people from outside the culinary field, including Rabbi Aaron Kopikis and me, were added to the panel. In my case, I’m certain, it was to get the perspective of the average guy who loves to eat, but is far from a food expert. Oh sure, my wife Nancy gets compliments from dinner guests whenever she prepares a brisket or a roast, set among all the accoutrements, but I’m the one whose mouth just as easily waters when she readies chopped sirloin burgers (somehow it doesn’t seem right on this Jewish news service to call them “hamburgers”) for the barbecue.
The WIZO women suited up in chefs’ whites and tied either a yellow, red or green kerchief around their necks to identify their teams. When they completed cooking, they laid their four dishes alongside a kerchief bearing their team color. Judges were instructed to award from 1 to 5 points per category per dish for presentation, originality and taste. Up to an additional 5 points could be earned for how well the team seemed to work together.
Now, I happily could have chowed down on any of the selections, and by the closeness
JUDGES—Ron Masori of Hadrea, Israel, and Sofia Dujowich
and Rosy Galek of San Diego consider food presentations.
of the overall score, I imagine that any of the other judges could have done so as well. But it was our task to assign scores, and somehow we managed to discern shades of difference.
Ultimately, the red team (pictured at right) consisting of Rashel Galicot, Silvia Galicot, Debbie Artenstein, Lizette Elias, Alice Chaljon and Raquel Chaljon won first places from three judges, and tied for first place in the estimate of two other judges. The green team of Marcel Cohen, Sharon Myers, Iliana Bielaz, Denisse Nitevich, Vivian Maya and Jackie Wellman gathered two first places, and tied for one additional first. And the yellow team had one first place and one tie for first place Its members included Becky Krinsky, Tamara Adato, Margie Jajati, Fortune Milstein, Doris Michan and Raquel Mussali. Overall, the scores were very close, and opinions about who were the winners also diverged greatly among luncheon attendees, who served themselves buffet style during the judging
The red team came up with a menu of “extraordinary pine nut chicken,” “herbed minty rice,” “wild vegetable carpaccio” and an “exotic meringue cake.” The pine nut chicken won applause from judges Rosy Galek of Elijah’s restaurant in La Jolla, and Ron Masori, a sous-chef with Sholz Caterers in Kfar Saba. Masori won a special place in the WIZO members’ hearts because, as a child, he attended a WIZO-supported boarding school in the northern Israeli city of Afula. Now here he was a visitor in San Diego judging WIZO cooking!
Baking pareve pastries is always a challenge, but the meringue cake, in particular, caught the attention of judge Cristina Artigas, principal of a catering firm bearing her name in San Diego. Similar to a baked Alaska, the meringue cake was moist and flavorful, she commented. Rebecca Edid, who often appears on cooking shows on the Telemundo network in Mexico, agreed, saying, “I loved the presentation.”
The green team, labeling their menu in Spanish, served “pollo a la chile morita con mango y nuez de la India,” “arroz salvaja apinonado”, “verduras tricolor, “and for dessert, “primavera en chocolate.” One of the judges, Jennifer Meltzer, who is the rebbetzin at Ohr Shalom Synagogue and whose own specialty is a cranberry chicken, was captivated by the chicken with chili and mango, finding the combination exotic without being too spicy or overwhelming.
The yellow team offered us “pollo a la mestiza,” a rice dish with a name I failed to record, ensalada de jamaica, and an apricot almond tart. The tart was described as “very professional” by judge Sofia Dujowich, former owner of the Chocolate Palace
“I love this event,” exclaimed Linda Waisbord, one of its organizers. “While you are having fun, you are helping someone else!”
Representatives of La Fundación Castro Limón, which provides a full range of free medical services for young and impoverished cancer victims, came from Tijuana to attend the event in the social hall of the Conservative synagogue in San Diego. Ana “Janche “ Galicot, a leader of the chapter, explained that each year the WIZO women like to contribute to causes that touch their hearts in the general community as well as to their ongoing projects in Israel.
Harrison is editor and publisher of San Diego Jewish World
PETE'S PLACE
Genetic manipulation may be required
to deal with a world gone out of control
CANBERRA, Australia—Among items added to the list of the "Seven Deadly Sins" by the Vatican recently are: “Thou shall not pollute the Earth” and “Thou shall beware genetic manipulation.”
While I do not speak Hebrew, the translation from the book of Genesis I think said something like: "Go forth and multiply, replenish the earth and subdue it!"
Any reader of these words from Genesis could argue that we on this planet have indeed gone forth and multiplied - just look at the overcrowding everywhere! Add to this the fact that we are literally eating ourselves out of house and home and you have some interesting arguments about the choices we have made since eating that “apple” and becoming self aware!
Alas, it has only been the occasional person who kept reading after the injunction to "go forth and multiply;" apparently we were all having too much fun with that one!
The caveats which followed to 'replenish the earth and subdue it" seem to have been ignored, by and large.
Bad choices those!
If the pundits are to be believed, G-d’s instructions to us all, were that we should not use up all of our non-replaceable resources, but rather that we should all learn to live our lives in a sustainable way.
Well, we sure made a mess of that one. The results of our continual and continuing ignoring of that instruction from the Almighty are finally coming back to bite us. Just look at the rising price of petrol and the changes in the weather.
Having eaten of the fruit of self knowledge and knowledge about good and evil, we all had the opportunity to make choices, including one to take responsibility for bringing back or subduing those things that are out of control on this planet.
That, folks, is what, in part, genetic manipulation is all about. We are finding ways of making the planet safer, finding ways to subdue out-of-control cells like cancer, and finding ways of changing the crops and the other vegetation on this planet so that they can survive in the massive pollution we have and continue to create.
Perhaps by making this one last desperate attempt, humanity is trying to find a way to live with G-d’s words. Therefore, making genetic manipulation another sin may prove counter-productive.
I guess it's one way of raising awareness but I am not sure I would have done it that way.
An advertising campaign, promoted by the Cancer Council and the Australian government to try and warn people about the dangers of smoking, called the "Grim Reaper" campaign, emphasised the eventual risk that we humans face from even the deadly choice to smoke.
It worked for a while. People were shocked and horrified to see the Grim Reaper gather all manner of human beings to his bosom with an evil laugh and to witness the devastation that tar did to human lung tissue.
Some people turned their lives around in time, for some, the message came too late and for others it was simply another do-gooder ploy to reduce their opportunities to have ‘fun.” The fact that tobacco companies are still making record profits is an indication of the campaign’s lack of success.
It's unlikely that I will be around for the end of this real live soap opera called "Life on this Earth," but I do wonder what those who are around will have to say as the world ends in pollution, lack of resources, lack of consumable food and water, and as Mother Nature goes completely out of control?
Garas is a freelance writer and commentator based in Australia's capital city
The Mist
By Sheila Orysiek
The mist is a cloud of heavenly birth
That ascends back to heaven after kissing the earth
Its velvet touch so lightly falls
A gentle web of see through walls
Kissing a rose with dewy lips
Pausing for a time, then away it slips
A visible essence of a liquid sun
Seemingly eternal then suddenly gone
Taming life’s clatter to silken whispers
Moving ‘cross the land in silver slippers
As looking to the future and trying to see the past
It is visible evidence that nothing will last
Covering me entirely, blanketing the land
Mist slips through my fingers as I offer my hand
My glory shall pass before you, Moses was told by G-D
We are a living mist, a wink and a nod
Still I wish that I could capture the jewel
Try to hold the mist, more I the fool
The air then warms, sun lights the sky
As morning wanes the mist sighs, goodbye
Cynthia Citron in Los Angeles: Old Times explores vagaries of memory Donald H. Harrison in San Diego: Jews have impacted the life of Republican presidential candidate John McCain Sheila Orysiek in San Diego: Immigrants who don't respect host culture threaten national identty
Shoshana Bryen in Washington, D.C.: National borders ignored by terrorists Donald H. Harrison in San Diego: PBS explores forgiveness; can the Jewish community ever forgive Germany? Lloyd Levy in London: Will Jewish woes in UK spread to US? J. Zel Lurie in Delray Beach, Florida: Hillary in 2008 and Barack in 2016 Sheila Orysiek in San Diego: City Ballet of San Diego records a milestone
Donald H. Harrison in Poway, California: Ner Tamid celebrates renewed unity at 'Night at the Kasbah' Natasha Josefowitz in La Jolla, California: The nail that gets hammered down first Sheila Orysiek in San Diego: Contemplating time travel from the San Diego Library's rare book room
Judy Lash Balint in Jerusalem: Mercaz Harav central to Israeli life Shoshana Bryen in Washington, D.C.: Shootings should end the 'Peace Process' Carol Davis in San Diego: Snobs eschew The American Plan Peter Garas in Canberra, Australia: Hey mate, opportunity in Australia Donald H. Harrison in San Diego: Shor, 6, meets His Honor, The Mayor Rabbi Baruch Lederman in San Diego: Some thoughts for those at a shiva Dov Burt Levy in Salem, Massachusetts: Barack Obama, political nudniks and me Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal in San Diego: The unending need for tzedakah
Shoshana Bryen in Washington, D.C.: Question to Olmert: Is Bush agenda yours? Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort in Carlsbad, California: Pain of Jerusalem murders is white hot Lloyd Levy in London: Museum tablet corroborates Jeremiah Sheila Orysiek in San Diego: The Sabbath’s Omnipotent Painter Rabbi Peter Tarlow in College Station, Texas: Huánuco, Peru, is planning for March 14 its first Jewish service in over a century
—
SAN DIEGO—Generally speaking, the Hadassah volunteer organization for women is predominant in the United States, whereas the Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO) is a dominant force in other countries, including those of Latin America. However, in U.S. border cities like San Diego, WIZO has a strong presence as was seen at a cook-off fundraiser held yesterday at Ohr Shalom Synagogue here.
Three WIZO teams of six ladies each competed for honors as the best chefs at a luncheon that raised thousands of dollars for a cancer clinic serving children in the general population of Tijuana, Mexico, and for a day care center and school for women in Kfar Saba, Israel.
The WIZO women suited up in chefs’ whites and tied either a yellow, red or green kerchief around their necks to identify their teams. When they completed cooking, they laid their four dishes alongside a kerchief bearing their team color. Judges were instructed to award from 1 to 5 points per category per dish for presentation, originality and taste. Up to an additional 5 points could be earned for how well the team seemed to work together. 
of the overall score, I imagine that any of the other judges could have done so as well. But it was our task to assign scores, and somehow we managed to discern shades of difference. 
The red team came up with a menu of “extraordinary pine nut chicken,” “herbed minty rice,” “wild vegetable carpaccio” and an “exotic meringue cake.” The pine nut chicken won applause from judges Rosy Galek of Elijah’s restaurant in La Jolla, and Ron Masori, a sous-chef with Sholz Caterers in Kfar Saba. Masori won a special place in the WIZO members’ hearts because, as a child, he attended a WIZO-supported boarding school in the northern Israeli city of Afula. Now here he was a visitor in San Diego judging WIZO cooking!
CANBERRA, Australia—Among items added to the list of the "Seven Deadly Sins" by the Vatican recently are: “Thou shall not pollute the Earth” and “Thou shall beware genetic manipulation.”
