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Today's Postings:
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
{Click an underlined headline in this area to jump to the corresponding story. Or, you may scroll leisurely through our report} MIDDLE EAST
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DEDICATIONS
Each day's issue may be dedicated by readers—or by the publisher—in other people's honor or memory. Past dedications may be found at the bottom of the index for the "Adventures in San Diego Jewish History" page.
SAN DIEGO—While the White House was reaching out to the Muslim world, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was reassuring Israelis Tuesday. Meanwhile, U.S. Special Envoy George Mitchell was meeting in Cairo with Egyptian officials.
Lest anyone have missed President Barack Obama’s comments about Muslims in his interview with al-Arabiya on Monday, the White House posted on its website on Tuesday a summary of that portion of the interview.
It said the President “offered a bold change to America’s relations with the Muslim world” and went on to quote Obama as telling the Dubai-based television station: “My job is to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives. My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy.”
The interview with reporter Hisham Melhem was conducted in the map room of the White House. The White House press release reported that Obama told the television station: “Sending George Mitchell to the Middle East is fulfilling my campaign promises that we’re not going to wait until the end of my administration to deal with Palestinian and Israeli peace, we’re going to start now. It may take a long time to do, but we’re going to do it now.”
The White House also reported that the interview was “part of the President’s broader outreach to the Muslim world, which includes a promise to make a major address from the capital of a Muslim nation.” Although Melhem asked Obama which capital he had in mind, the President declined to say at this point.
At the State Department, according to an official transcript, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters that in sending Mitchell to the region as an envoy, “we are at this moment focused only on the Israel-Palestinian track, and I think it’s important to put the emphasis where it rightly belongs. We have … some short-term objectives such as a durable ceasefire, which as you know has receded somewhat today because of the offensive action against the IDF along the border.”
Her reference was to a remotely detonated bomb on the Gaza-Israel border that killed one Israeli soldier and wounded three others. Not long afterwards, an Israeli gunship shot and killed Hussein Abu-Shamaya, a Hamas member, as he rode a motorbike. Israeli officials reported that he had been involved in the bombing.
Clinton also said at the press conference that the United States is also “concerned about humanitarian suffering. We’re concerned any time innocent civilians, Palestinian, or Israeli, are attacked. That’s why we support Israel’s right to self-defense. The rocket barrages, which are getting closer and closer to populated areas, cannot go unanswered. And it’s you know, regrettable that the Hamas leadership apparently believes that it is in their interest to provoke the right of self-defense instead of building a better future for the people of Gaza.”
In what was her first news conference as Secretary of State, Clinton said the United States is “supporting the efforts by the Palestinian Authority under President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad to try to support the humanitarian efforts. We will participate with our own contributions. The United States is currently the single largest contributor to Palestinian aid, and we will be adding even more because we believe that it’s important to help those who have been damaged and suffering.”
The Secretary of State cautioned reporters not to anticipate too much more official comment from the United States on the situation in the Middle East, at least until after Mitchell returns from his trip.
“We have a lot of confidence in his knowledge of the area and his political ear, so you not only hear what people say but what the meaning behind the words might be. So we’re going to wait and let him report back to us about the way forward.”
At a later briefing for news media, at which questions about any part of the world are accepted, the State Department’s acting spokesman, Robert Wood, reiterated Clinton’s “wait and let him report” theme to several questions about U.S. policy towards the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Wood did report that Mitchell was in Cairo on Tuesday, where he met with Javier Solana, the European Union’s High Commissioner, as well as Egypt’s Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit and Egypt’s Geneal Intelligence Services Director Omar Suleiman.
“The meetings, as they were described to me, were productive,” Wood said. “And we have said that Senator Mitchell will be out in the region… on basically a listening tour and hearing from our allies in the region in terms of what’s the best way to go forward in terms of not only stabilizing the situation with regard to Gaza, but also … the long term approach to how we bring about that two-state solution that we all want to see happen.”
Mitchell is due in Israel today.
Wood reiterated that Mitchell would not be meeting with any representative of Hamas, notwithstanding the terrorist group’s control of Gaza.
“Our policy on Hamas has been very clear in terms of what Hamas needs to do if it’s going to play a – you know, a positive role in the region,” Wood said.
Among those criteria are recognition of Israel’s right to exist as a state in the Middle East, and guarantees that Hamas will respect previous agreements entered into by Israel and the government of the Palestinian Authority.
JERUSALEM—One of many differences between Israel and the Diaspora is reflected in the confidence of the one and the sense of being victims of the other. Whereas the Israeli ethos fosters competence and self-reliance, the Diaspora makes for helplessness. That’s why the Holocaust continues to dominate Jewish self-understanding in many countries.
A.B. Yehoshua made much of this difference when he described Jewish life in the Diaspora as neurotic existence. According to him, rather than feeling insecure and sorry for themselves while enjoying “the fleshpots of Egypt,” Jews should come home to Israel. Of course, the enemies of the Jewish state aren’t less formidable than those in the Diaspora, but Israel knows how to fight them and defeat them. No Jew should ever again have to go cap in hand in search of sympathy and understanding.
In the words of the late Emil Fackenheim: Like the land that the biblical twelve spies explored, Israel is both a land flowing with milk and honey and a land that devours its inhabitants. But unlike the twelve spies, Jews in Israel today never need to be grasshoppers in the eyes of others.
Viewed in this light, the sharp increase in antisemitic incidents in the world in the wake of the Gaza war may indeed make it necessary for representatives of the Jewish state to protest against the lies and to protect them against potential violence, but there may also be reasons to use the situation to remind Jews in the world that there’s always a place for them in Israel. As often before, antisemites may again help us to return home.
Of course, in reality the distinction between confidence and fear isn’t based as much on geography as it may seem. American Jews are outraged at the suggestion that they aren’t at home. Many of them confidently affirm their Jewishness with no apology to others. They see themselves neither as machos nor as pariahs but as rooted citizens.
At the same time, there are Israelis who continue to display a Diaspora mentality. Among them are those responsible for Israeli public relations, so-called hasbara. Jim Lederman, the political and economic analyst, speaking in Jerusalem last night pointed to the ineffectiveness of the Israeli setup. He said they were explaining Israel through the prism of victims. He implied that Israelis should be themselves, not ghetto representatives, when dealing with foreigners in general and the media in particular.
As a sovereign state, Israel must behave like all other states and act in its own interests. The Diaspora, on the other hand, has to respond to criticism voiced by governments and individuals who have their own agendas. Instead of affirmatively making the case for Israel, they’d like to appeal to universal values in the hope of thus persuading their foes. It’s a futile exercise and Israel’s spokespeople should know it.
Binyamin Netanyahu projects the image of someone who does. His election posters describe him as “strong on defense, strong on economy.” Ehud Barak points to his military record and reminds would-be voters that, when it really matters, we can always rely on him. Tzipi Livni is falling behind in the opinion polls because her field is diplomacy. As hard as she tries, she can’t show “real, i.e., “masculine,” strength.
Significantly, even at this late date not much is being said in the campaign about the many really serious problems that beset Israel. All we see is posture. Israel’s leaders parade a macho image over against Diaspora pariah status. Neither tells the real story.
Marmur is rabbi emeritus at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto. He divides his time between that city and Jerusalem, and may be reached in either place via marmurd@sandiegojewishworld.com
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THE VIEW FROM JINSA
The irrelevance of Hamas' 'support'
WASHINGTON, D.C —If "support" for Hamas is in part fear of Hamas - as it is of every dictatorship - and if "support" for Hamas is support for an ideology organized and operated by people who commit war crimes*, how much should the world care if Palestinians say they "support" Hamas? How much did the Allies care about German public support for National Socialism? Or the Japanese who insisted that the Emperor was a deity and their duty was to die for him? How much do the Marines care about public support for al Qaeda in Iraq, or for the Taliban in Afghanistan?
We didn't and we don't.
To the extent that it is fear, they need to be rescued. To the extent they actually support Hamas and Fatah - which are strategically no different; both require that Israel and Jordan be replaced by a Palestinian State in which Jews may or may not be tolerated - they cannot be permitted to succeed. There are ideologies that are unacceptable, movements that cannot be given legitimacy, and governments that fail.
Admittedly, the world is having a tough time with the principle, not only regarding the Palestinians. In Sudan, the government is abetting if not conducting genocide in Darfur. In Zimbabwe, the government has caused epidemics and starvation among its people. In Iran, the government calls for genocide against Israel and builds nuclear weapons. In the old Iraq, the Saddam government gassed its own people and launched missiles at the civilians of Tehran, but those who never called for his prosecution want trials for us.
International opinion has been extraordinarily tolerant of the depredations by Palestinians, including against their own their children, but rejects Israel's defense against it. Are they afraid of Hamas, or do they support its aims? Only here in the United States has opinion strongly supported Israel. But it remains to be seen how the new administration will address the issue. Recalling the previously unsuccessful George Mitchell as an envoy does not bode well for facing the truth and moving forward.
The truth is that the Palestinian experiment in self-government has utterly, abjectly and possibly irrevocably failed - not for lack of financial or political support from the world, including Israel, but because the Palestinians never agreed to the conditions that accompany civilized independence, including a decent respect for the neighbors. The result is ever-increasing radicalization and impoverishment of the Palestinian people by two Palestinian governments at war with one another and with Israel.
If the United States is to help the Palestinians out of the morass of their failed leadership and help Israel achieve the recognition and security to which it is entitled, it matters little what the Palestinians say they want. It matters greatly that we accept that the reality that neither Hamas nor Fatah will bring peace to its people or recognition to Israel.
Bryen is special projects director for the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA). Her column is sponsored by Waxie Sanitary Supply in memory of Morris Wax, a longtime JINSA supporter and national board member.
SOILLE SAN DIEGO HEBREW DAY SCHOOL
Please click on the ad above to visit the website of Soille San Diego
Hebrew Day School Hebrew Day Kindergarteners visit to the aquarium
SAN DIEGO (Press Release)—Kindergarten of Soille Hebrew Day went to the Birch Aquarium last week as a culmination of their study of the ocean in their secular and Judaic classes. The children enjoyed the hands-on learning experience. Thank you to our parent drivers and excellent chaperones: Cheryl Horn, Arielle Klugman, Leah Singer, Leah Moryosef, Tzur De Lara, and Stacey Wechsler. Also to Kindergarten teachers: Alyssa Segal and Judith Halperin. A great time was had by all!
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
MELBOURNE— The Melbourne Jewish Community held solidarity meetings last week, in support of Israel's action in defending itself against the ongoing campaign of terror by Hamas against its citizens.
The principal speaker at the meetings was the Israeli Ambassador to Australia Yuval Rotem.Below is the text of his address at the St.Kilda Synagogue event:
15 seconds is all the time that thousands of Israeli children have to run for their lives.15 seconds to save your life from rockets, missiles and mortar attacks.15 seconds would not be enough for you in this room to escape and reach shelter. These 15 seconds of terror have been part of the daily lives of Israelis for the last eight years.I am here to share with you my frustration.
Our story, and our suffering, has been totally overlooked by so many throughout the last eight years.I am here today to be a voice for one million people that are directly in the line of fire.
Ladies and gentlemen, What we have seen in the last three weeks should be a source of concern and anxiety to all. The cynicism and the evil that is practiced by Hamas cannot be ignored or go unaddressed.
Once again, we have seen a double standard employed against us. The obsessive narrative we have seen from so many walks of life has one key underlying assumption: that the Palestinians can be blamed for nothing in this conflict.
Even if Israel appears the stronger power, and they the underdogs, that doesn't make us wrong,
nor does it make them right. Our cause remains a just one.
Distinguished guests,I want to share with you one of the frustrations I have felt over the last few days.
I want to address the issue of the so-called 'disproportionate response' to the firing of rockets and missiles at Israeli communities.
My comment to all those who make these allegations, is that none of them has ever offered me an alternative. What is the right response that Israel is entitled to have against the thousands of missiles fired at us?
What is the proportionate response to an entity that backs its rocket attacks with daily radio
messages calling for the destruction of Israel?
Where is the legitimacy for a government that murdered moderate Palestinians by the hundreds,
in an attempt to extend its hold to the West Bank?
Why should anybody accept an organisation that is championed by Iran to carry out suicide bombings
whenever peace negotiations make the slightest headway?
Why should anybody accept the promises of a group of extremists whose sole stated objective is the elimination of Israel?
I have not been given an answer.
So let me confuse those so-called progressives, and those who sympathize with Hamas, with some facts.
Hamas hides weapons and explosives in mosques. What kind of person uses a house of prayer to store weapons? The answer: Hamas terrorists.
Hamas fires rockets from schoolyards. What kind of person uses a place where children gather as a battlefield?
The answer: Hamas terrorists.
Hamas uses ambulances to smuggle weapons, and have set up bases in Gaza's hospital. What kind of person uses injured civilians as human shields? The answer: Hamas terrorists.
These are crimes against humanity. They are the work of great evil, and they violate every principle of humanitarian international law.
I haven't seen one single head of church, I haven't read one single news report, and I haven't seen a single human rights organisation who have condemned the practices of Hamas. And of course you can't expect the United Nations to engage in anything but slanderous rhetoric.
So let me share with you one more frustration.
The United Nations Human Rights Council. Do you know who runs this council? An A-Team of human rights abusers, led by Saudi Arabia and Cuba. And they dare to single Israel out for condemnation.
So my question to all those nations, who keep wasting the money, the energy and the efforts of
all those United Nations agencies, is this: All the condemnations that have been issued against Israel, all the reports that have been tabled to undermine Israel, and all the commissions and special ad hoc committees that have been formed to bash Israel: Have any of them changed the situation on the ground, even one inch, and improved the lives of Palestinians? Have they ever?
Ladies and gentlemen, We acknowledge that not all our tactics in these campaigns are perfect. We know that we err from time to time. When we make mistakes, we are willing to apologise. We know and regret the loss
of life. We know to acknowledge and sense suffering. We do that because our culture and our values are
part of the world that looks at children and sees hope, and future. But when Hamas sees children,
they see them as targets and human shields.
This is why Golda Meir, Israel's former Prime Minister, said more than 40 years ago that peace
is going to come only when they love their children more than they hate us.
Tonight I call upon those who criticize Israel, and tell them, you may continue to blame us, you
may continue to condemn us and you may continue to undermine us with your words of hatred, but we
go nowhere. We have a just cause to defend, and we are going to do it with no intention of faltering, wavering or turning away.
Tonight I call upon you, to remember to speak up, because we have not just the right to live, but
also the right to defend ourselves. Remember to speak up, because people deserve to know the truth. Remember to speak up because Israel needs your help.
So every day, make it five minutes for Israel. Write a letter, send an e-mail, make telephone call to your politicians or the media or to your neighbor.
By speaking up, you provide us with a measure of hope, and a measure of encouragement, knowing
that we not alone in this struggle. By doing so, you give us the hope to aspire for a better day.
With your help, we will triumph, as we have always done in our 61 years of statehood.
Melbourne Jewish community rallies to support Israel
MELBOURNE - More than 1,000 people turned out to show solidarity with Israel at two events in Melbourne on Tuesday night.
Israeli Ambassador Yuval Rotem addressed the 600-strong crowd at the Council of Orthodox
Synagogues Victoria and Rabbinical Council of Victoria (RCV) gathering at St Kilda Hebrew
Congregation, before attending the second rally where he spoke again.
About 500 people, many with an Israeli or Russian-speaking background, gathered at Glen
Eira Town Hall later in the evening.
The second solidarity event was jointly organised by the Shalom Association, AmEchad Federation,
Hamerkaz Shelanu and the Zionist Council of Victoria (ZCV).
AmEchad Federation president, Roman Mirkus said: "It was a very successful event. Despite the
ceasefire it is important to show our solidarity with and support of Israel and to show that
despite being thousands of miles away, we care."
There were two live links to Israel -- the first to director of the Sderot Media Centre, Noam
Bedein and the second to television station Israel Plus war correspondent Andrei Kozhenov.
Goot protests at lack of response by Muslims
SYDNEY - Australia's Islamic community has failed to respond to complaints from the Jewish
community after a prominent leader called Israel's actions in Gaza worse than the Holocaust.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) president Robert Goot wrote to Ikebal Patel,
chairman of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, last week urging moderation.
Goot was responding to a press release issued by Patel that stated: "This is not the time to
blame, but the time for action, when one is witnessing the very victims of the Holocaust now
perpetrating much worse atrocities against Palestinians."
In his press release, Patel criticised what he called a "muted response" from the Australian
Government early in January against "the continued Israeli aggression in Gaza".
No response has been received from Patel to Goot's letter.
On behalf of the ECAJ, Goot told Patel the Jewish community strongly objected to the comparison
between the war in Gaza and the Holocaust.
"The comparison is obscene and contemptible," he said. "You merely invite incredulity and ridicule by
comparing these events to civilian casualties in Gaza."
He urged Patel to temper his language in the interests of both religious communities.
Meanwhile, Sam Afra, chairperson of the Ethnic Community Council of Victoria, urged restraint
from faith and ethnic communities when responding to overseas events.
"With a population renowned for its international origins, it is natural that Australians maintain
an active interest in world affairs and especially those relating to ancestral homelands," Afra said.
"However, there is a clear distinction between exercising the democratic right to voice an
opinion, on one hand, and abusing that right to propagate falsehoods and prejudicial attitudes,
which may incite unlawful behaviour."
Speaking about recent reports of anti-Semitic abuse in Melbourne, Afra said he expected all
Victorians would be appalled that this abuse was happening in their backyards.
"Local communities cannot and should not be held directly responsible for the policy decisions of foreign governments," he said.
Australian youth line up for Israel programs
SYDNEY - Despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza, young Australian Jews remain committed to travelling to the region - with more than 300 youth already signed up to participate in long-term Israel programs this year.
About half of those registered for upcoming programs are from six Zionist youth movements. The remainder will participate in other programs, including the Australasian Union of Jewish Students' Aviv Program, Israel By Choice and Kibbutz Ulpan.
One of the participants said that she was slightly hesitant about her decision to push ahead with her travel plans, but ultimately couldn't pass up the opportunity. "Although Israel is going through a dangerous time, Jews have never been the type of people to back down and stop living life" she said. " I trust the Israeli government and the program to keep us all safe, and just can't wait to go".
Philip Chester, president of the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA), said he was pleased with the registration turnout so far at this critical time for Israel. "Such an experience is key to overall positive Jewish identity. Using the country as an extended classroom, they will have a broad range of
experiences and develop a fuller, more complete picture of Israel and their own Jewish roots."
Given the current economic downturn, he added, some participants would be receiving a much
needed boost of support from the MASA scholarship fund - a joint initiative of the Israeli Government and the Jewish Agency for Israel.ZFA currently acts as the Australian MASA agent and to date has facilitated about $1.5 million in MASA grants.
"The return from the grants is evident in many dynamic, motivated and in formed Jewish leaders
from our community whose foundations are rooted in a long-term Israel program," Chester said.
Last year, a total of 700 young Australian Jews registered for short or long-term programs to Israel.
Backman says sorry to Jewish community
MELBOURNE- Ths author of a controversial article in The Age newspaper has apologised for "any hurt
and distress" caused to the Jewish community. Michael Backman, a London-based columnist with
the Melbourne paper for almost 10 years, blamed Israel for global terrorism and criticised Israelis, who he said were "rude and arrogant".
Critics in the Jewish community called the article "blatantly anti-Semitic" and "hate speech against Jews"
In a letter to Jewish community leadership, Blackman said he can now see "that some of the forms of words used did not adequately explain what I intended to say".
"I do understand that an injudicious use of words and themes has caused upset in the Jewish community and for that I can only apologise," Blackman said.
He explained that the intention of the article was to show how Israel's military action in Gaza was being interpreted in Muslim communities.
Blackman, who said he has written more than 200 columns for The Age, denied that he harbours any anti-Semitic feelings.
"I believe that Israel has the absolute right to exist and that the Jewish Diaspora is one of the
world's great and most talented Diasporas," he said.
Earlier this week, Paul Ramadge, editor-in-chief of The Age, also apologised for publishing the
article in last Saturday's paper. He said both he and the business editor were away at the time,
and that the staff member responsible for approving the article's publication was being "dealt with."
A formal apology appeared on page two of Tuesday's edition (January 20) of the newspaper,
with The Age editor Paul Ramadge stating that the anti-Semitic views expressed by Backman "have no
place at The Age. We completely reject his views."
"We fully accept that the article has caused hurt and distress to the Jewish community and we
apologise without reservation," he said.
Ramadge met with community leaders Mark Leibler and Dr Colin Rubenstein on Monday
and will meet Israeli Ambassador Yuval Rotem on Thursday to try and repair the damage caused by the article.
Backman's article appeared less than two weeks after Jewish Community Council of Victoria
representatives John Searle and Geoffrey Zygier met newspaper management to express concerns over
the paper's coverage of the war in Gaza.
Ramadge also said he did not believe The Age has a credibility issue with the Jewish community.
"We're starting to get feedback from Jewish leaders praising us for our balanced coverage," he said.
"Not everyone will agree with everything we publish on Israel. That comes with the territory."
Stand up to Hatred - Holocaust Memorial Day
MELBOURNE - The Jewish Holocaust Museum had members of the community place a mark Jan. 27 on the "Stand Up To Hatred" graffiti wall - a replica of a section of the Warsaw Ghetto Wall.
The day concluded with a communal candle lighting ceremony in the evening. Community members were
urged to not only remember the victims of the Holocaust, but also to make a positive statement against prejudice and hatred across all humanity.
Jewish school teacher arrested on child porn charges
SYDNEY -A long standing Emanuel School teacher has been charged with multiple child pornography
offences following his arrest during a global bust into a child internet porn racket.
The teacher, 40, of Paddington, Sydney, was among 22 men arrested in recent weeks across three
Australian states after a year-long investigation into the online video-sharing network triggered
by a tip from the Brazilian Federal Police.
He was charged with one count of possessing child pornography, one of using a carriage service to
access child pornography, one of possessing a prohibitive drug and one of possessing a prohibitive weapon without a permit.
He had resigned from his teaching post last term shortly after his December 11 arrest.
As part of the sting operation in which the 22 men were arrested, Australian Federal Police (AFP) said they removed two children from harm and seized more than 15,000 videos and 500,000
images of child abuse, which were shared between members of a peer-to-peer network.
Some of the images and video included the sexual abuse of children as young as one-year-old, police said.
AFP acting deputy commissioner operations Andrew Colvin said: "The videos seized as part of this operation have to be among the worst we have seen. Some depicted sexual abuse lasting more than two hours."
Emanuel principal Bruce Carter declined to comment on the matter. However, in a letter to Emanuel's parents and staff on January 12, Carter said there had been "no suggestion by the police that the charges
relate to the Emanuel School community".
Prior to his arrest, the teacher in question had taught at the school for about 15 years and at one time served as the school's deputy principal for Jewish life.
"While it is inappropriate for legal reasons for us to comment further at this time, you can be assured we will do so when the time is appropriate," Carter wrote in the January 12 letter.
"In the interim, please recognise that public discussion and speculation will be unhelpful to
both our school and to the person concerned."
Courage to Care program and exhibition
MELBOURNE- This year, Courage to Care will again set off on three trips to regional Victoria. Spending close to two weeks in each regional centre, the aim is to spread the word of the importance of tolerance and understanding to schoolchildren, using the message of the Holocaust.
In 2009, Courage to Care will venture to Beaconsfield on Melbourne's southeast fringe, Geelong and Horsham. It is the second visit to Geelong and Horsham for the exhibition, which travels up to four times per year and is designed for year 9 to year 12 students.
Recently, Courage to Care added a new panel to its travelling exhibition. The panel describes a
small protest against the Nazi government following Kristallnacht, led by Aboriginal leader William Cooper in 1938.
"They [the Aboriginal community] knew only too well the ramifications of discrimination and had
the courage, despite being virtually unrecognised in their own land, to stand up and declare what
they saw to be an injustice," Dr Tony Weldon, chairman of Courage to Care Victoria, said.
At the final Courage to Care exhibition of 2008, Cain MacDonald, the principal of the Wodonga
Lutheran College and a Yad Vashem fellow, gave a keynote speech.
MacDonald complimented the exhibition, which he said enriched students' minds and sometimes took
them out of their comfort zones.
"[The exhibition] is a 'what not to do', but more than this, it is a 'what can you do', 'what can I
do' and 'what would I do' experience," MacDonald said.
Established in 1992 by the Raoul Wallenberg Unit of B'nai B'rith and first displayed at the Jewish Museum when it was housed at Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, Courage to Care continues to educate students 17 years later.
Despite its humble beginnings, it is now recognised and supported by Victoria's Education Department.
The exhibition centres on the idea of men and women, who despite living ordinary lives, did extraordinary things to save others.
Among others, the exhibition details the actions of Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who
issued 6000 visas to European Jews against the orders of his government; Georg Duckwitz, who
helped the Danish resistance smuggle close to 8000 people out of Nazi hands; Eugenia Renot, a
Catholic nun who saved 13 Jewish children and Dervis Korkut, a Muslim Bosnian who hid a Jewish girl.
Youth inspired by Community Care work
MELBOURNE- Jewish Care - the Jewish Community's main care service - proved recently that it was
becoming far more than an aged-care facility, with two of its youth programs hitting high notes.
Year 11 student Dean Levitan, a participant in Jewish Care's YouthInspire program, was recognised early in December at the City of Port Phillip Civic Awards ceremony.
"I am proud of the way in which Jewish Care is engaging our youth," Bruce Salvin, Jewish Care's chief executive, said. "The maturity, calibre and passionate dedication, which these young people display, is a source of inspiration for us all."
Dean, the founder of Youth Against Genocide in Darfur (YAGID), received a certificate of recognition for his work raising public awareness for the conflict and subsequent humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
YouthInspire has supported YAGID, which has 150 members around Australia. It provided resources
to YAGID to increase public awareness about Darfur via letter writing, meetings with politicians, and fundraising, and helped to raise the group's profile.
Another of Jewish Care's youth activities, the Young Achievers Program, also celebrated in December.
Participants at the Celebrate 08 event thanked the program's volunteer mentors, and revisited
some of the participants' successes and contributions over the past year.
Elise Klein, a United Nations youth ambassador who travelled to Mali, was special guest at Celebrate 08, while Ben Cohen and Melodie Bereson, both long-time members of the Young Achievers Program, explained how their self-confidence, creativity and ability to deal with challenges had improved.
"It is heartwarming to see such a meaningful partnership forged between the mentors and their
younger charges," Salvin said. "It is so important that valuable skills and knowledge are being passed on to a younger generation."
Jewish Care's Young Achievers Program is a mentoring and skills development program for
people from year 10 through to their first year out of school.
UNITED JEWISH FEDERATION OF SAN DIEGOJanuary 29 Men's Event, February 24 options
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Literary tutors provide valuable public service
Editor, San Diego Jewish World:
Last night I sat down to catch up on my reading and found a really nice story by Sheila Orysiek waiting for me in the San Diego Jewish World about the value of reading and volunteering as a literacy tutor. I loved reading about Betsy Seible and hearing about her experience as a tutor. One of the reasons I enjoy reading
San Diego Jewish World is because the stories can be a little longer and give readers like me more in-depth information that helps me to learn and feel connected in the community. Thanks for helping us encourage people to consider service as a volunteer tutor.
Susan Moore
Principal Librarian, Adult Services
San Diego County Library
More tutors are needed
Editor, San Diego Jewish World
I enjoyed reading (the article by Sheila Orysiek) and hope that it motivates more people to tutor. The beginning of the article discussed the need for literacy in a very interesting way and impresses the reader with the essential tools that literacy provides. Please let me know if you get responses to your article.
For your information, the only connector between my involvement with the Out and About Program and the Literacy program is me. I learned of the Literacy program from an information board at the library and I'm sure glad that I did.
Collecting Mitzvahs feels good.
Betsy Seible
Encinitas, California
TIFERETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
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Carlsbad H.S film on Shoah to highlight
Joyce Forum at Jewish Film Festival
LA JOLLA, Caliornia--Ever-increasing numbers of student and early-career filmmakers, some of whose films have already received prestigious awards, will be showcased at the Joyce Forum at the San Diego Jewish Film Festival on Monday, February 9th, at the AMC La Jolla 12. T
he 2:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. sessions of the Joyce Forum will consist of short films, and at 7:30 p.m. the must-see 30 minute documentary film made by broadcast journalism students at Carlsbad High School, We Must Remember, will be shown.
Joyce Axelrod is the Founding Chairperson of the San Diego Jewish Film Festival who started the Joyce Forum at the suggestion in 2003 of Jacqueline Seigel (the film festival producer at that time) in order to create a segment of the festival just for up-and-coming filmmakers.
Axelrod emphasized that this year, when she began reviewing films for the JOYCE FORUM, there were so many superb short subject films that it was decided to have two presentations of only short films. "Every short film is a gem, revealing a story in its most essential elements. If you enjoy drama in its most powerful form, you'll like these short films," gushed Joyce.
Last year, the Joyce Forum showcased three feature films.
We Must Remeember was '"discovered"' by Marjory Kaplan from the San Diego Jewish Community Foundation. She told me about it after Jewish benefactors had been charmed by this documentay and provided major funding (namely, the Leichtag Family Foundation).
What could be more perfect for the Joyce Forum´s Emerging Filmmaker day than to feature local young, filmmakers? That is why the evening film, We Must Remeember is very special. It´s a documentary which conveys the experiences of 16 broadcast-journalism students at Carlsbad High School as they discover the horror of the Holocaust tour the concentration camps, interview Holocaust survivors and soldiers who liberated the camps, and interview German high school students. The documentary should be of great interest to educators, religious affiliations, Jewish film festival fans, and, of course, students," remarked Axelrod.
Axelrod's experience with the Joyce Forum over the years has helped her with her own filmmaking. "The more films I watch, especially the small independent films about small dramas, the keener my eye becomes with my own video making."
Emerging filmmakers who have finished a film with Jewish content and would like to apply for next year' s Joyce Forum , may telephone Sandra Kraus, the San Diego Jewish Film Festival producer, at 858-457-3030.
Greenberg is a freelance writer based in San Diego
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ARTS IN REVIEW
Luftwaffe, not forgetful Shakespearean actor, bombs in The Dresser, at North Coast Rep
By Carol Davis SOLANA BEACH—It doesn’t get any better than this. The first half of January 2009 has been a blockbuster month with one outstanding production hitting our local stages after another and now The Dresser by Ronald Harwood and directed by David Ellenstein is another must-see show at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. It matters not that the central character, Sir, (Jonathan McMurtry), in an angry outburst calls critics ‘cripples and mentally deficient.' It matters that “the show must go on”, and he makes it happen.
Ellenstein, whose Dad Robert, was an actor as was Harwood, did his teething in the theatre, so enthralled with his fathers’ craft that he said he’d rather be with him as a child than out playing. The Dresser is in competent hands with not only Ellenstein but with the entire cast.
Program notes state that The Dresser is part truth and part fiction. Harwood was Sir Donald Wolfit’s dresser at the height of his career in Britain. Wolfit made his stage debut in 1920 appearing in the West End’s production of The Wandering Jew, by E. Temple Thurston, with not a whole lot of success. After making a name for himself at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in 1936 playing Hamlet, his specialty became Shakespeare. His performances as King Lear and Richard III are his most noted.
During the Battle of Britain in 1940 his touring company went around the country and staged a series of abridged Shakespeare during the day to lunchtime audiences and was very successful. This is where our play opens, backstage at a run down theatre and ‘Sir’ is running out of time, energy, health and memory.
Norman (Sean Sullivan) is Sir’s backstage dresser, confidant and oft times biggest booster. Sir’s wife Her Ladyship (Susan Denaker) might sleep with Sir, but Norman knows him inside and out and it’s his job to not only dress him, see that he is wearing the right costume for the part but go over lines if and when the aging actor forgets, which he as been doing a lot of lately.
McMurtry, who has been a stalwart in San Diego, acting on so many stages across this fine city for fifty years, that Ellenstein couldn’t have found a better partner for the part. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Arts he landed a job at The Old Globe in 1961 and has appeared in over 200 productions.
His portrayal of Sir is so convincing it’s almost painful to watch the demise of the great Shakespearean actor, Sir, go through the tortures of memory loss, bombs dropping all around him and failing health as he stubbornly refuses to retire. McMurtry is an actor one doesn’t necessarily talk about but one, one watches to know his genius.
With his mind wandering and confused as to which character he is to be playing and what lines are coming up, (this is his 227th time playing Lear) he still has a roving eye when one of the younger members of the troupe, Irene (Kali Kirk), comes in to bring him his Knightly crown as he completes his makeup. The contrast of the failing actor and the come-to-life actor is timeless.
With the help of Norman who props his boss up with a flair for the dramatic, a few swigs of brandy and confidence to know that when he remembers who he should be, Sir will be fine. His stage manager and close personal friend, Madge (Lynne Griffin who is also the assistant director for this show) also helps Sir make it through yet another torturous getting ready attempt by making sure everyone is where they are supposed to be, as the falling bombs are a threat to any audience he may attract. Both manage to get him up and on his feet as the curtain goes up for another performance. And so it goes.
Sean Sullivan, another San Diegan returning to his roots (he’s also married to Lynne Griffin and his MOM Diane Sinor was with the Old Globe for 47 years) has to be one of the finest actors to appear on San Diego stages in some time. He’s spot-on perfect as the fidgety, stoic one-man show and long time companion to Sir. Sullivan, whose facial expressions, body language and readiness to catch Sir at any given moment is a class act to watch and a perfect foil to McMurtry’s eccentric, erratic and on again/off again memory losses.
Lynne Griffin, another long ago Old Globe regular, plays the troupe's stage manager with all the accuracy one can muster in times of war and little if any money. My friend Debbie Luce is a stage manager so I’m aware of the details they have to put up with. Madge, whose affection for Sir goes completely unnoticed by him but is evidenced by her caring deeds and tender looks, deals with unfulfilled dreams as well stage business like a trouper. Susan Denaker plays Her Ladyship with distracted affection and Jason Maddy and Mark Petrich round out the players who make up the Shakespearean troupe.
Marty Burnett does his usual fine work in creating a working backstage with armoire filled with period costumes (Michelle Hunt Souza), a makeup table, ironing board, lounge for resting and small burner for heating tea. In a quick moment of set changes, a second set of curtains upstage with the actor’s backs toward us performing to the ‘other’ house, can be seen. Matt Novotny’s lighting design focuses on just what’s needed and Sam Lerner’s sound design gives us a backstage idea of how sounds are made for the stage.
The Dresser will be playing through Feb. 8th.See you at the theatre.
LOS ANGELES - According to Wikipedia, Pippin was the name of “several important figures in the Carolingian family that ruled the Frankish Empire during the Middle Ages.” But you knew that, didn’t you? And the hit show that opened on Broadway in 1972 was loosely (very loosely) based on the life of Pippin the Hunchback, the oldest son of Charlemagne.
Now, nearly four decades later, this magical musical, Pippin has been reinvented at the elegantly refurbished Mark Taper Forum in a co-production with Deaf West Theatre. Directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun (rather than Bob Fosse, who was responsible for the original production), the show makes the most of the posh new facilities at the Taper, with lighting and stage effects that are both dazzling and glitzy.
The story, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked;Godspell) and book by Roger O. Hirson, follows the young Prince Pippin in his quest for a meaningful life. Beginning with his plaintive wish for his own little “Corner of the Sky,” he explores the possibilities available to him and becomes, in turn, a warrior, a libertine obsessed with sexual orgies, a murderer (he kills his tyrannical father), a king (during which he repeats his father’s tyrannies), and finally, a simple farmer.
In all of these transformations, Pippin is bullied and pressured by the Leading Player, the role that made a star of Ben Vereen and is slyly performed here by the excellent Ty Taylor. Pippin himself is portrayed by Deaf West artist Tyrone Giordano, who signs and dramatizes the role, while Michael Arden mirrors his actions and actually sings his songs. Tyrone Giordano, if you were lucky enough to see him, played Huckleberry Finn in the marvelous Deaf West production of “Big River.”
The hearing-impaired actors in Pippin, like the performers in Big River, have counterparts who speak and sing for them, but since everyone performs in American Sign Language as they mouth their words, it is often nearly impossible to tell whose voice you’re actually listening to. And many play multiple roles as they accompany Pippin through the trials and vicissitudes of his life.
Changing costumes as they change their roles, the 22 players seem to be a throng. Tobin Ost, who designed the costumes, was also responsible for the scenic design, which is spectacular. Furniture rolls on and offstage at will, and holes in the floor open periodically to allow hands and arms (and an occasional head) to rise up, wave and react to the goings-on. But the most creative effect of all is the scene in which the two Pippins engage in an orgy in a huge bed in which the bodies and heads of myriad girls keep popping up and down, presumably through invisible holes in the quilt. More eye-popping than titillating, the scene is definitely a show-stopper.
Charlemagne, or King Charles, is played with brio by Troy Kotsur (fondly remembered as Huck’s Papp and the conniving Duke in Big River) while Dan Callaway speaks the king’s lines. Also memorable as Lewis, the king’s stepson, is James Royce Edwards, a lumbering oaf of whom the king says, to Pippin, “Your brother Lewis is an ideal soldier: he is strong and stupid.”
Donald Holder’s lighting adds much to the glitz, as does Jim Steinmeyer’s illusion design. But there are still a couple of things that keep this production from being absolutely first-rate. For one thing, it is much too long: nearly two and a half hours without intermission, including several scenes and numbers that add very little and could easily be cut. Also, the signing, at least on opening night, was a little sloppy. I hate to keep bringing up Big River, but in that production the signing was so precise and so tightly uniform among all the players that it was like a ballet; you could almost read it yourself, even if you weren’t deaf. In Pippin the signing seemed almost perfunctory among the speaking actors: they were often out of sync, and, as with bad subtitles in a foreign movie, you had the feeling that a lot more was being said than was being translated.
All in all, though, it’s a mostly charming production. If you liked Wicked you’ll like this one. And your children and grandchildren will love it!
Pippin will continue at the Center Theatre Group’s Mark Taper Forum Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2:30 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 1 and 6:30 p.m. through March 15th. Call (213) 628-2772 for tickets.
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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.
Hebrew Home For The Aged Plans Lawn Party Southwestern Jewish Press, July 11, 1952, page 8
Final plans are being made for the Lawn Party to be given in the garden of the Home on August 10th. A beautiful banquet cloth made and donated by Mrs. Ben Urbach will be raffled, with door prizes, refreshments, entertainment for everyone at only $1.00 per couple. Tickets are being sold now by Mrs. Sara Shelley, Ticket Chairman, T. 1-5081, Mrs. Forster, T. 1-2919 and Mrs. Arthur Glickman, T. 1-1340.
The Guardians are cooperating in this project which is the 2nd Annual Maisel Day.
Mrs. Arthur Glickman, as General Chairman, is assisted by Mrs. N. Schiller, Program with Mrs. S. Addis and Mrs. Sidney Newman, Refreshments.
Mrs. Hendry, a guest of the home, was honored at a birthday party given recently.
Applications for admittance to the Hebrew Home for the Aged may be made through the Jewish Welfare Society, 333 Plaza Bldg., F-1803.
Picnic In Park With J.L.C. July 27th Southwestern Jewish Press, July 11,1952, page 8
The Jewish labor Committee extends a cordial invitation to all their friends to attend the Annjual Picnic and Bazaar held at Pepper Grove, Balboa Park, Sunday July 27th. A variety of delicious home-cooked foods will be served starting at 12 noon.
This occasion affords the opportunity for the housewife to relax and enjoy a pleasant day in the open air with their families. A large stock of new merchandise donated by our generous San Diego Merchants will be sold at bargain prices. A valuable prize will be given away to the lucky ticket holder. All proceeds will help us to maintain the numerous institutions for children and adults which the Jewish Labor Committee is sponsoring in overseas countries and assist in combating intolerance in the United States.
We appeal to all our friends and social groups to reserve this date by spending with us a pleasant day for a worthy cause.
Y.J.C. Club Southwestern Jewish Press, July 11, 1952, page 8
With the coming of summer the Young Jewish Couples Club meeting every first and third Sunday of the month at Tifereth Israel Synagogue will not hold any meetings until the first Sunday in September, with the exception of a social meeting in August. Date to be announced later.
“Adventures in Jewish History” is sponsored by Inland Industries Group LP in memory of long-time San Diego Jewish community leader Marie (Mrs. Gabriel) Berg. Our indexed "Adventures in San Diego Jewish History" series will be a daily feature until we run out of history.
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SAN DIEGO—While the White House was reaching out to the Muslim world, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was reassuring Israelis Tuesday. Meanwhile, U.S. Special Envoy George Mitchell was meeting in Cairo with Egyptian officials.
WASHINGTON, D.C —If "support" for Hamas is in part fear of Hamas - as it is of every dictatorship - and if "support" for Hamas is support for an ideology organized and operated by people who commit war crimes*, how much should the world care if Palestinians say they "support" Hamas? How much did the Allies care about German public support for National Socialism? Or the Japanese who insisted that the Emperor was a deity and their duty was to die for him? How much do the Marines care about public support for al Qaeda in Iraq, or for the Taliban in Afghanistan?
MELBOURNE— The Melbourne Jewish Community held solidarity meetings last week, in support of Israel's action in defending itself against the ongoing campaign of terror by Hamas against its citizens.
LA JOLLA, Caliornia--Ever-increasing numbers of student and early-career filmmakers, some of whose films have already received prestigious awards, will be showcased at the Joyce Forum at the San Diego Jewish Film Festival on Monday, February 9th, at the AMC La Jolla 12. T
SOLANA BEACH—It doesn’t get any better than this. The first half of January 2009 has been a blockbuster month with one outstanding production hitting our local stages after another and now The Dresser by Ronald Harwood and directed by David Ellenstein is another must-see show at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. It matters not that the central character, Sir, (Jonathan McMurtry), in an angry outburst calls critics ‘cripples and mentally deficient.' It matters that “the show must go on”, and he makes it happen. 
LOS ANGELES - According to Wikipedia, Pippin was the name of “several important figures in the Carolingian family that ruled the Frankish Empire during the Middle Ages.” But you knew that, didn’t you? And the hit show that opened on Broadway in 1972 was loosely (very loosely) based on the life of Pippin the Hunchback, the oldest son of Charlemagne.
