Volume 3, Number 43
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"There's a Jewish story everywhere"
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Today's Postings:
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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. San Diego Jewish Academy’s New Director of Admission brings experience to position
Extremely capable, dedicated, and personable, Renee has already welcomed over 150 visitors to the school since she took the position in January. Her passion and love for the school began 14 years ago when her first of three children began attending kindergarten at SDJA. Upon graduation, Brandon, her oldest, was accepted and began his studies at Carnegie Mellon. Her son Kevin is a SDJA senior, and her daughter Katie, a freshman. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to take on this new position, remarked Ms. Sherman. “I hope to share my experience as a parent and volunteer with families who are looking for a warm and caring community, strong Jewish values and a top notch education for their children. I do not need to sell the school; just share how an education at SDJA has prepared my children for a meaningful, Jewish life.” In addition to her Admission position, Sherman is also co-chair of our Torah Dedication Program, in which a new Legacy Sefer Torah is being commissioned and created for the school and will give every SDJA student and many members of the broader Jewish community an opportunity to write a letter. San Diego Jewish Academy, one of the country’s premier K-12 Jewish day schools, challenges students to achieve their full academic potential and become individuals of strong moral and ethical character, while inspiring them to make Judaism a vital and relevant aspect of their lives.
On the Internet I learned that the last pre-Oscar showing on the big screen of Waltz with Bashir in San Diego will be at 4:30 p.m. , Thursday, February 19, at the La Jolla Village Cinema. 8870 Villa La Jolla Drive. The 81st annual Academy Awards comes this Sunday, February 22. Check your local listings for times and details.
By Garry Fabian However, they have released a statement acknowledging the impact of the global financial crisis, saying committed sponsorship was in "decline", before going on to ensure that "the problems are currently being addressed and there Head of delegation for the Australian team Tom Goldman said from Israel that the upcoming Games will be the biggest in the event's history, and that organisers have received assurances from the Government that the event will go ahead. "Currently more than 5500 athletes are registered from 60 countries. With close to 2500 local Israeli athletes, there will be almost 8000 In one of his final engagements as prime minister of Israel, Olmert addressed the Maccabi World Union plenum, promising the Games would be "an unforgettable unifying experience." "The Maccabiah is a beautiful joyful time for the Jewish people and for the State of Israel," Olmert went on to say. The PM also thanked the Maccabi World Union leadership and management for its support of Israel during a challenging time. The news comes after a Los Angeles syndicate comprising prominent business and entertainment figures, including legendary actor Kirk Douglas, announced it had raised $US1.5 million, as well as pledging a raft of technical, marketing and other assistance for the upcoming Games. The group, calling itself Committee of 18, is spearheaded by business and civic leader Steve Soboroff and will dole out financial assistance Among the beneficiaries are members of the Indian cricket team, some of whom lost colleagues and friends in the recent tragic terror attacks in Mumbai. Australian team management has said that none of its athletes will receive assistance, despite the cost of registration creeping up to about $11,000 at last count, due mainly to a weak Australian dollar. But the group will also provide advice and expertise on naming rights, marketing, merchandising and broadcasting, with the group "Los Angeles ushered the Olympics into a new era in 1984, and our goal is to do for the Maccabiah a small part of what Peter Ueberroth [named Time's man of the year for his efforts organising the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984] did for the Olympic Games," Soboroff said. "Los Angeles is home to the best and brightest sports and entertainment thinkers in the world. "The answer to Maccabiah's challenge was right here in Los Angeles, so we stepped up to help this event get to a new level, and for more The group has also organised for top-tier sports administrators to assist where possible. Major League Baseball team the LA Dodgers will bankroll the baseball competition, while Major League Soccer (America's domestic competition) founder and former director of the soccer World Cup Alan Rothenberg will oversee the soccer competition.
SYDNEY -The child pornography case of a popular Emanuel School teacher has been adjourned until next month to give police more time to analyse material. The teacher was arrested last month as part of a global bust into a child internet porn racket. The charges include one count of possessing child pornography, one of using a carriage service to access child pornography, one of possessing a prohibited drug and one of possessing a prohibited weapon without a permit. He appeared with his parents in Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday for a plea hearing before Magistrate Pat O'Shane, but the matter was pushed back to March 23 to allow federal police more time to review material and submit a brief of evidence. The teacher who has subsequently resigned from his teaching post, and his lawyer declined to comment on the charges Some Emanuel parents have slammed the school's handling of the incident, saying it waited too long to inform them. The school advised parents of the incident in a January 12 letter, more than one month after the arrest took place. They also criticised the school for not disclosing the exact nature of the charges at that time. It is understood that many parents only learned about the alleged offences when the story was posted on a website last Monday. Emanuel principal Bruce Carter subsequently issued an email to parents confirming the report and re-emphasising that there has been no However, Carter stated this week that the response from the "overwhelming majority of parents has been positive "It is important to re-emphasise that Emanuel School had no warning of these circumstances prior to the charges being laid," he said. CANBERRA- The B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) has asked a Canberra antique dealer to withdraw Nazi memorabilia from sale. The store in the Canberra suburb of Fyshwick, is selling the memorabilia, currently owned by antique dealer Virgo Lentzkow, who brought it back from a visit to Europe. The store owner last week defended his decision to accept such material on national radio. He claimed to understand the sensibilities involved, but insisted there was a market for the material in Canberra. Dr. Anita Shroot, president of the ACT Jewish Community, said she was appalled by the news that the Canberra shop is hawking Third Reich medals, badges, flags and daggers. Dr Shroot said she does not know who discovered the Nazi merchandise in the shop, but she was "I'm concerned about the dangers of young people from the far right buying these things and glorifying them, which is absolutely abhorrent" she said. Dr. Shroot said a member of the ACT Jewish Community had discovered similar material at a Rotary stall recently. "You can't sell it in After receiving a complaint from a member of the public, ADC chairman Tony Levy asked the owner of the shop to show compassion for the murdered victims and for those who survived the atrocities by removing the merchandise. Dr Shroot said Nazi icons should only be displayed in Holocaust museums and at centres such as the Australian War Memorial "where they ADC research director, Deborah Stone said that on several occasions in the past year, ADC has been successful in having Nazi memorabilia removed from sale once vendors were aware of the harm they were doing.
#1, Lady GodivaSaid her boss to Miss Godiva: JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE ARTS IN REVIEW
I was fortunate enough to have interviewed him before the opening night curtain. My curiosity piqued as I asked him how he prepares to write an opera. He informed me that instead of words (used to write reviews or other stories) his mind is filled with musical notes. That made perfect sense to me then, and still does. “In 2000 he and Don Moreland were commissioned by the San Diego Opera to write an opera for children. The result: the delightful work called Animalopera” which enjoyed several seasons as part of the ‘educational outreach program’ of the opera. Just recently I had the pleasure of seeing another new opera put on by The Lyric Opera San Diego, Rumpelstiltskin, (and a companion piece, Trial by Jury by Gilbert & Sullivan) and this opera was composed by Nicolas Reveles with lyrics by J. Sherwood Montgomery. Reveles is also a pianist, composer and lecturer who has performed with our own Zina Schiff. He is also the host of Opera Talk and a regular opera preview lecturer. This latest work was premiered in the fall of 2005 by the San Diego Opera Ensemble and has been touring San Diego Schools for two years. Montgomery, who has more credits to his name than there is time to list, has headed Lyric Opera San Diego Academy for the past three summers and is Artistic Director of Lyric Opera, which is celebrating its 30th year. It is currently being presented ‘for the first time in front of a paying audience in a fully orchestrated and fully mounted production.' "Rumpelstiltskin," as most of us will remember, is one of the many Brothers Grimm Fairy Tails told to us as youngsters. The collection was first published in 1812 and most likely there is some parent somewhere in the world as you read this reading one of the twenty or so tales to a small child scaring the bejeezes out of them. Imagine a dwarf, a spinning wheel that spins straw into gold and a miller's beautiful daughter caught up in barter between her father, a dwarf and a king. The story includes magic, deceit and wishful thinking. When her father locks his daughter up in a tower to make straw into gold so she can impress and then marry the king, Nell enlists the help of a nasty and scheming little dwarf with magical powers to help her. In exchange for his help, she’d forced to promise her first born to him if the King marries her. Well the obvious happens and the story plays itself out until the dwarf stomps himself into the ground. I always liked that ending. I must admit the final scene was quite dramatic! With Brian Imoto as the British Music Hall emcee (a la Joel Grey in Cabaret) along with Shelly Hart Breneman and Shauna Hart Ostron as his (ahem) assistants, the opera takes off with the principals being introduced one at a time. Top Hat and baton in hand the ringmaster or emcee is later seen a prop master while his two vaudevillian looking sidekicks attempt to let us in on some of the goings on within the fairy tale. Much to the chagrin of this audience member, I couldn’t understand one word of what they attempted to say. Imoto, on the other hand, had a lively introduction aria that he sang with clarity. Soprano Lisa Archibeque is Nell the millers daughter (she is also the Plaintiff, Angelina, in Trial by Jury); Enrique Toral is the Dwarf as he is the defendant in Trial. Both leads sang beautifully lending much atmosphere to Reveles’ musical score which was much more pleasant to listen to than try to understand the undiscernibly muted words from the rest of the cast. One disappointment however, I always imagined Nell as a blond haired not brunette. Some of that might have been a result of an overpowering orchestra under the baton of Kelly Kuo when the chorus was backstage. With the chorus on stage the balance was a bit more distributed. In the program acknowledgements, new sound equipment as a recent gift is listed. Perhaps it has not been used yet. This might be another explanation for the lackluster sound. Would that it had been for this production. More of the chorus would have been welcomed as well. They were quite strong when they came out in full at the end and were vocally clear in Jury. It would surely lend more depth to the overall opera. If someone just landed from the moon and didn’t know the fairy tale, they would have been lost for lack of hearing the lyrics. Both baritone Scott Gregory as the Miller, and Walter DuMelle as the King are credible in their respective roles. Gregory is by far more comfortable as the Learned Judge in Trial by Jury than he appeared to be as the Miller. His sense of comedic timing as well as his voice clarity was a real plus for this talented San Diegan native. Toral’s beautiful tenor voice soared in both Revelles’ one act opera and G& S’s operetta. Overall, I would give Revelles’ score a B+. I hate overkill, but perhaps the audience could have been better served if it had been given a printed version of the text in their programs to make the evening a more enjoyable one. That said, congratulations to both San Diego Lyric Opera, Reveles and Montgomery for bring something new to the musical scene. Trial by Jury is a fun little satire that brings the charade of the British justice system to task as do most of G&S’ works. This time it deals with a breach of promise (‘The broken hearted bride to be’) trial that ends up becoming a sham spoofing the law, the legal system and lawyers. It’s always fun to catch a glimpse of a lively Gilbert & Sullivan show and this one did not disappoint. Both one act’s continue through the 22nd at the North Park Theatre. See you at the theatre. Awesome Chemistry at Soille Hebrew Day
Soille San Diego Hebrew Day 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 Return to top CAROL ANN GOLDSTEIN
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JERUSALEM—There are those who say that Israel has, in fact, three Likud (right-wing nationalist) parties. Apart from the one led by Binyamin Netanyahu, there’s Kadima, which former Prime Minister Sharon formed when he broke away from Likud and which includes such prominent former Likud members as Tzipi Livni, Ehud Olmert and many others (Likud Light); and there’s Yisrael Beiteinu (Likud Stout) the leader of which Avigdor Lieberman also started out as a Likud member.
SAN DIEGO (Press Release)—San Diego Jewish Academy is thrilled to announce the appointment of its new Director of Admission, Renee Sherman (pictured at right), as part of the school’s administrative team. With a degree in Child Development and an active parent for many years, Renee Sherman has previously assumed the roles and responsibilities of PTO president, Board Member, and ultimately Board President, making her very familiar with the school, its history and values. 
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts—There’s still time to see and form an opinion about Ari Folman’s film, Waltz with Bashir, before this Sunday’s 81st annual Academy Awards. 
SYDNEY -Australian team officials have dismissed claims the 2009 Maccabiah Games, which are due to 
SAN DIEGO—Myron Fink is a prolific composer/librettist, pianist and teacher. He was the composer in residence at the San Diego Opera from 1993 to 1997. In March 1997 the world premiere of his latest operatic work, The Conquistador was performed to mixed reviews. Set in Mexico, the opera is about Conquistador Don Luis de Carvajal - "a devout Catholic and founder of the city of Monterey, Mexico - who is discovered to have had Jewish lineage and is destroyed by the Mexican Inquisition.”
SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — Mrs. McCullough’s first grade class at Hebrew Day completed an “Awesome Chemistry” unit. They learned about matter, atoms, elements, molecules, and compounds. Students observed physical and chemical changes through some exciting experiments. They also made models of molecules with clay and toothpicks. 
