Volume 3, Number 130
 
"There's a Jewish story everywhere"
 

Today's Postings:

Friday-Saturday, June 5-6, 2009

{Click on a link to jump to the corresponding story. Or, you may scroll leisurely through our report}

INTERNATIONAL
Text of Obama's speech in Cairo, Egypt, to Muslim world ... transcript from the White House READ MORE

Much of what Obama told Muslims was not flattering ... by Ira Sharkansky in Jerusalem
President Barack Obama began his speech in Cairo by noting that too much was expected from it.
READ MORE

Jewish groups have mixed reactions to Obama speech
AJC headlines its approval of Obama's speech, but also notes disappointment over Iran READ MORE
Anti-Defamation League says Obama should have put Israel-Palestinian conflict into contextREAD MORE
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism praises Obama's comments on Holocaust denial READ MORE
Republican Jewish Coalition says Obama speech too balancedREAD MORE
Tzipi Livni says Mideast conflict can be resolved--if it remains a political conflict and not a religious one READ MORE
Director of Ibim Student Village provides San Diegans with update READ MORE

Is Hillary Clinton changing from Israel's friend to a foe? ... by Morton Klein in New York
When Hillary Clinton was New York’s junior U.S. Senator from 2001 to 2009, she was a vocal supporter of Israel.  READ MORE

Editor's Mailbox: International, national news of Jewish interest
Senator Cardin quizzes Judge Sotomayor at Capitol READ MORE
Feingold introduces bill to aid job retraining in hard-hit communities READ MORE
Florida group refurbishes home of survivor of USS Cole terror attack READ MORE
Congress members join in appeal for Egyptian blogger's freedom READ MORE
Jewish Family Service seeks help for Holocaust survivors READ MORE
Media Watch aka "Here's the Link"READ MORE


SAN DIEGO
Interreligious group providing food, shelter to homeless ... by Sara Appel-Lennon in San Diego
“Wild about Volunteers” proved to be a fitting theme this year at the Interfaith Shelter Network’s volunteer recognition event on Tuesday, June 2, since it took place in the wild, at Mission Trails Regional Park.
READ MORE

JUDAISM/ RELIGION
This week's Torah portion: Naso READ MORE

The Bible in Pop Culture

Winged fowl of every kind, Genesis 1:21 SEE IMAGE

ARTS
Star Trek series took earthly music to the heavens ... by David Amos in San Diego
One of my few escapes in television viewing has been the legendary Star Trek science fiction programs. As you most probably know, the five series and eleven films, the brainchild of the late Gene Rodenberry, take us to far reaches of space, three and four hundred years from today, with great imagination and optimism about humanity in the future. READ MORE

Cello performance by Julian Schwartz masterful at TICO ... by Robert Forman, PhD in San Diego
There was no room for “June Gloom” last night, June 2, 2009, in the Cohen Social Hall of  Tifereth Israel Synagogue where the TICO Orchestra played the fourth concert of the current season.READ MORE

Author creates own country; readers will want to go there ... by Israela Manson in San Diego
This wonderful book of short stories features a fictional country in the Far East, the author's own, apparently a combination of Viet Nam, Cambodia and Indonesia. READ MORE



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JEWISH HISTORY
Adventures in San Diego Jewish History

May 1, 1953, Southwestern Jewish Press
Dignitaries to Dance at “Ditty Bag Ball” READ MORE
Scores of Women to Participate in “W” Day Monday, May 4th for U.J.A. READ MORE
Liquor Division Aids U.J.A. Drive READ MORE
M. W. Beckelman Addresses Jewish Leadership Group READ MORE

JEWISH INTERNET FAVORITES

We continue our examination of Jewish entertainers

David Alan Basche as Norris in "Oh Grow Up"READ MORE
Randall Batinkoff becomes a daddy in "For Keeps"READ MORE
Emmanuelle Beart in title role of "Nathalie"READ MORE
Jack Black is a conductor in public service spot for oceans READ MORE


INSIDERS' SDJW

We'll have more tomorrow on President Obama's speech to the Muslim world. If you would like to comment, please send your letter to editor@sandiegojewishworld.com

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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.



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Text of Obama's speech in Cairo, Egypt, to Muslim world

CAIRO, Egypt (Press Release)—Here is a transcript of President Barack Obama's speech to the Muslim world delivered yesterday in Cairo.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you very much.  Good afternoon.  I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo, and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions.  For over a thousand years, Al-Azhar has stood as a beacon of Islamic learning; and for over a century, Cairo University has been a source of Egypt's advancement.  And together, you represent the harmony between tradition and progress.  I'm grateful for your hospitality, and the hospitality of the people of Egypt.  And I'm also proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people, and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country:  Assalaamu alaykum. (Applause.)

We meet at a time of great tension between the United States and Muslims around the world -- tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate.  The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of coexistence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars.  More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations.  Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam.

Violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a small but potent minority of Muslims.  The attacks of September 11, 2001 and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to America and Western countries, but also to human rights.  All this has bred more fear and more mistrust.

So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, those who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity.  And this cycle of suspicion and discord must end.

I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition.  Instead, they overlap, and share common principles -- principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.

I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight.  I know there's been a lot of publicity about this speech, but no single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have this afternoon all the complex questions that brought us to this point.  But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts and that too often are said only behind closed doors.  There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground.  As the Holy Koran tells us, "Be conscious of God and speak always the truth." (Applause.)  That is what I will try to do today -- to speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart.

Now part of this conviction is rooted in my own experience. I'm a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims.  As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and at the fall of dusk.  As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.

As a student of history, I also know civilization's debt to Islam.  It was Islam -- at places like Al-Azhar -- that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's Renaissance and Enlightenment.  It was innovation in Muslim communities -- (applause) -- it was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed.  Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation.  And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.  (Applause.)

I also know that Islam has always been a part of America's story.  The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco.  In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second President, John Adams, wrote, "The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims."  And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States.  They have fought in our wars, they have served in our government, they have stood for civil rights, they have started businesses, they have taught at our universities, they've excelled in our sports arenas, they've won Nobel Prizes, built our tallest building, and lit the Olympic Torch.  And when the first Muslim American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same Holy Koran that one of our Founding Fathers -- Thomas Jefferson -- kept in his personal library.  (Applause.)

So I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed.  That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't.  And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear. (Applause.)

But that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America.  (Applause.)  Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire.  The United States has been one of the greatest sources of progress that the world has ever known.  We were born out of revolution against an empire.  We were founded upon the ideal that all are created equal, and we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words -- within our borders, and around the world.  We are shaped by every culture, drawn from every end of the Earth, and dedicated to a simple concept:  E pluribus unum -- "Out of many, one."  

Now, much has been made of the fact that an African American with the name Barack Hussein Obama could be elected President.  (Applause.)  But my personal story is not so unique.  The dream of opportunity for all people has not come true for everyone in America, but its promise exists for all who come to our shores -- and that includes nearly 7 million American Muslims in our country today who, by the way, enjoy incomes and educational levels that are higher than the American average.  (Applause.)

Moreover, freedom in America is indivisible from the freedom to practice one's religion.  That is why there is a mosque in every state in our union, and over 1,200 mosques within our borders.  That's why the United States government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab and to punish those who would deny it.  (Applause.)

So let there be no doubt:  Islam is a part of America.  And I believe that America holds within her the truth that regardless of race, religion, or station in life, all of us share common aspirations -- to live in peace and security; to get an education and to work with dignity; to love our families, our communities, and our God.  These things we share.  This is the hope of all humanity.

Of course, recognizing our common humanity is only the beginning of our task.  Words alone cannot meet the needs of our people.  These needs will be met only if we act boldly in the years ahead; and if we understand that the challenges we face are shared, and our failure to meet them will hurt us all.

For we have learned from recent experience that when a financial system weakens in one country, prosperity is hurt everywhere.  When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk.  When one nation pursues a nuclear weapon, the risk of nuclear attack rises for all nations.  When violent extremists operate in one stretch of mountains, people are endangered across an ocean.  When innocents in Bosnia and Darfur are slaughtered, that is a stain on our collective conscience.  (Applause.)  That is what it means to share this world in the 21st century.  That is the responsibility we have to one another as human beings.

And this is a difficult responsibility to embrace.  For human history has often been a record of nations and tribes -- and, yes, religions -- subjugating one another in pursuit of their own interests.  Yet in this new age, such attitudes are self-defeating.  Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail.  So whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners to it.  Our problems must be dealt with through partnership; our progress must be shared.  (Applause.)

Now, that does not mean we should ignore sources of tension. Indeed, it suggests the opposite:  We must face these tensions squarely.  And so in that spirit, let me speak as clearly and as plainly as I can about some specific issues that I believe we must finally confront together. 

The first issue that we have to confront is violent extremism in all of its forms.

In Ankara, I made clear that America is not -- and never will be -- at war with Islam.  (Applause.)  We will, however, relentlessly confront violent extremists who pose a grave threat to our security -- because we reject the same thing that people of all faiths reject:  the killing of innocent men, women, and children.  And it is my first duty as President to protect the American people.

The situation in Afghanistan demonstrates America's goals, and our need to work together.  Over seven years ago, the United States pursued al Qaeda and the Taliban with broad international support.  We did not go by choice; we went because of necessity. I'm aware that there's still some who would question or even justify the events of 9/11.  But let us be clear:  Al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people on that day.  The victims were innocent men, women and children from America and many other nations who had done nothing to harm anybody.  And yet al Qaeda chose to ruthlessly murder these people, claimed credit for the attack, and even now states their determination to kill on a massive scale.  They have affiliates in many countries and are trying to expand their reach.  These are not opinions to be debated; these are facts to be dealt with.

Now, make no mistake:  We do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan.  We see no military -- we seek no military bases there.  It is agonizing for America to lose our young men and women.  It is costly and politically difficult to continue this conflict.  We would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in Afghanistan and now Pakistan determined to kill as many Americans as they possibly can.  But that is not yet the case.

And that's why we're partnering with a coalition of 46 countries.  And despite the costs involved, America's commitment will not weaken.  Indeed, none of us should tolerate these extremists.  They have killed in many countries.  They have killed people of different faiths -- but more than any other, they have killed Muslims.  Their actions are irreconcilable with the rights of human beings, the progress of nations, and with Islam.  The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent is as -- it is as if he has killed all mankind.  (Applause.)  And the Holy Koran also says whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind.  (Applause.)  The enduring faith of over a billion people is so much bigger than the narrow hatred of a few. Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism -- it is an important part of promoting peace. 

Now, we also know that military power alone is not going to solve the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  That's why we plan to invest $1.5 billion each year over the next five years to partner with Pakistanis to build schools and hospitals, roads and businesses, and hundreds of millions to help those who've been displaced.  That's why we are providing more than $2.8 billion to help Afghans develop their economy and deliver services that people depend on.

Let me also address the issue of Iraq.  Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq was a war of choice that provoked strong differences in my country and around the world.  Although I believe that the Iraqi people are ultimately better off without the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, I also believe that events in Iraq have reminded America of the need to use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible.  (Applause.)  Indeed, we can recall the words of Thomas Jefferson, who said:  "I hope that our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us that the less we use our power the greater it will be."

Today, America has a dual responsibility:  to help Iraq forge a better future -- and to leave Iraq to Iraqis.  And I have made it clear to the Iraqi people -- (applause) -- I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on their territory or resources.  Iraq's sovereignty is its own. And that's why I ordered the removal of our combat brigades by next August.  That is why we will honor our agreement with Iraq's democratically elected government to remove combat troops from Iraqi cities by July, and to remove all of our troops from Iraq by 2012.  (Applause.)  We will help Iraq train its security forces and develop its economy.  But we will support a secure and united Iraq as a partner, and never as a patron.

And finally, just as America can never tolerate violence by extremists, we must never alter or forget our principles.  Nine-eleven was an enormous trauma to our country.  The fear and anger that it provoked was understandable, but in some cases, it led us to act contrary to our traditions and our ideals.  We are taking concrete actions to change course.  I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States, and I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next year.  (Applause.)

So America will defend itself, respectful of the sovereignty of nations and the rule of law.  And we will do so in partnership with Muslim communities which are also threatened.  The sooner the extremists are isolated and unwelcome in Muslim communities, the sooner we will all be safer.

The second major source of tension that we need to discuss is the situation between Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab world.

America's strong bonds with Israel are well known.  This bond is unbreakable.  It is based upon cultural and historical ties, and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied.

Around the world, the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries, and anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented Holocaust.  Tomorrow, I will visit Buchenwald, which was part of a network of camps where Jews were enslaved, tortured, shot and gassed to death by the Third Reich.  Six million Jews were killed -- more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today.  Denying that fact is baseless, it is ignorant, and it is hateful.  Threatening Israel with destruction -- or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews -- is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve.

On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people -- Muslims and Christians -- have suffered in pursuit of a homeland.  For more than 60 years they've endured the pain of dislocation.  Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead.  They endure the daily humiliations -- large and small -- that come with occupation.  So let there be no doubt:  The situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable.  And America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own.  (Applause.)

For decades then, there has been a stalemate:  two peoples with legitimate aspirations, each with a painful history that makes compromise elusive.  It's easy to point fingers -- for Palestinians to point to the displacement brought about by Israel's founding, and for Israelis to point to the constant hostility and attacks throughout its history from within its borders as well as beyond.  But if we see this conflict only from one side or the other, then we will be blind to the truth:  The only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security.  (Applause.)

That is in Israel's interest, Palestine's interest, America's interest, and the world's interest.  And that is why I intend to personally pursue this outcome with all the patience and dedication that the task requires.  (Applause.)  The obligations -- the obligations that the parties have agreed to under the road map are clear.  For peace to come, it is time for them -- and all of us -- to live up to our responsibilities.

Palestinians must abandon violence.  Resistance through violence and killing is wrong and it does not succeed.  For centuries, black people in America suffered the lash of the whip as slaves and the humiliation of segregation.  But it was not violence that won full and equal rights.  It was a peaceful and determined insistence upon the ideals at the center of America's founding.  This same story can be told by people from South Africa to South Asia; from Eastern Europe to Indonesia.  It's a story with a simple truth:  that violence is a dead end.  It is a sign neither of courage nor power to shoot rockets at sleeping children, or to blow up old women on a bus.  That's not how moral authority is claimed; that's how it is surrendered.

Now is the time for Palestinians to focus on what they can build.  The Palestinian Authority must develop its capacity to govern, with institutions that serve the needs of its people. Hamas does have support among some Palestinians, but they also have to recognize they have responsibilities.  To play a role in fulfilling Palestinian aspirations, to unify the

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Palestinian people, Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, recognize Israel's right to exist.

At the same time, Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel's right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine's.  The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.  (Applause.)  This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace.  It is time for these settlements to stop.  (Applause.)

And Israel must also live up to its obligation to ensure that Palestinians can live and work and develop their society.  Just as it devastates Palestinian families, the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza does not serve Israel's security; neither does the continuing lack of opportunity in the West Bank. Progress in the daily lives of the Palestinian people must be a critical part of a road to peace, and Israel must take concrete steps to enable such progress.

And finally, the Arab states must recognize that the Arab Peace Initiative was an important beginning, but not the end of their responsibilities.  The Arab-Israeli conflict should no longer be used to distract the people of Arab nations from other problems.  Instead, it must be a cause for action to help the Palestinian people develop the institutions that will sustain their state, to recognize Israel's legitimacy, and to choose progress over a self-defeating focus on the past.

America will align our policies with those who pursue peace, and we will say in public what we say in private to Israelis and Palestinians and Arabs.  (Applause.)  We cannot impose peace.  But privately, many Muslims recognize that Israel will not go away.  Likewise, many Israelis recognize the need for a Palestinian state.  It is time for us to act on what everyone knows to be true.

Too many tears have been shed.  Too much blood has been shed.  All of us have a responsibility to work for the day when the mothers of Israelis and Palestinians can see their children grow up without fear; when the Holy Land of the three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra -- (applause) -- as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed, peace be upon them, joined in prayer.  (Applause.)

The third source of tension is our shared interest in the rights and responsibilities of nations on nuclear weapons.

This issue has been a source of tension between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran.  For many years, Iran has defined itself in part by its opposition to my country, and there is in fact a tumultuous history between us.  In the middle of the Cold War, the United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian government.  Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has played a role in acts of hostage-taking and violence against U.S. troops and civilians.  This history is well known.  Rather than remain trapped in the past, I've made it clear to Iran's leaders and people that my country is prepared to move forward.  The question now is not what Iran is against, but rather what future it wants to build.

I recognize it will be hard to overcome decades of mistrust, but we will proceed with courage, rectitude, and resolve.  There will be many issues to discuss between our two countries, and we are willing to move forward without preconditions on the basis of mutual respect.  But it is clear to all concerned that when it comes to nuclear weapons, we have reached a decisive point.  This is not simply about America's interests.  It's about preventing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East that could lead this region and the world down a hugely dangerous path.

I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not.  No single nation should pick and choose which nation holds nuclear weapons.  And that's why I strongly reaffirmed America's commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons.  (Applause.)  And any nation -- including Iran -- should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.  That commitment is at the core of the treaty, and it must be kept for all who fully abide by it. And I'm hopeful that all countries in the region can share in this goal.

The third source of tension is our shared interest in the rights and responsibilities of nations on nuclear weapons.

This issue has been a source of tension between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran.  For many years, Iran has defined itself in part by its opposition to my country, and there is in fact a tumultuous history between us.  In the middle of the Cold War, the United States played a role in the overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian government.  Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran has played a role in acts of hostage-taking and violence against U.S. troops and civilians.  This history is well known.  Rather than remain trapped in the past, I've made it clear to Iran's leaders and people that my country is prepared to move forward.  The question now is not what Iran is against, but rather what future it wants to build.

I recognize it will be hard to overcome decades of mistrust, but we will proceed with courage, rectitude, and resolve.  There will be many issues to discuss between our two countries, and we are willing to move forward without preconditions on the basis of mutual respect.  But it is clear to all concerned that when it comes to nuclear weapons, we have reached a decisive point.  This is not simply about America's interests.  It's about preventing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East that could lead this region and the world down a hugely dangerous path.

I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not.  No single nation should pick and choose which nation holds nuclear weapons.  And that's why I strongly reaffirmed America's commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons.  (Applause.)  And any nation -- including Iran -- should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.  That commitment is at the core of the treaty, and it must be kept for all who fully abide by it. And I'm hopeful that all countries in the region can share in this goal.

The fourth issue that I will address is democracy.  (Applause.)

I know -- I know there has been controversy about the promotion of democracy in recent years, and much of this controversy is connected to the war in Iraq.  So let me be clear: No system of government can or should be imposed by one nation by any other.
 
That does not lessen my commitment, however, to governments that reflect the will of the people.  Each nation gives life to this principle in its own way, grounded in the traditions of its own people.  America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election.  But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things:  the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose.  These are not just American ideas; they are human rights.  And that is why we will support them everywhere.  (Applause.)

Now, there is no straight line to realize this promise.  But this much is clear:  Governments that protect these rights are ultimately more stable, successful and secure.  Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away.  America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them.  And we will welcome all elected, peaceful governments -- provided they govern with respect for all their people.

This last point is important because there are some who advocate for democracy only when they're out of power; once in power, they are ruthless in suppressing the rights of others.  (Applause.)  So no matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who would hold power:  You must maintain your power through consent, not coercion; you must respect the rights of minorities, and participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise; you must place the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party.  Without these ingredients, elections alone do not make true democracy.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Barack Obama, we love you!

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  The fifth issue that we must address together is religious freedom.

Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance.  We see it in the history of Andalusia and Cordoba during the Inquisition.  I saw it firsthand as a child in Indonesia, where devout Christians worshiped freely in an overwhelmingly Muslim country.  That is the spirit we need today.  People in every country should be free to choose and live their faith based upon the persuasion of the mind and the heart and the soul.  This tolerance is essential for religion to thrive, but it's being challenged in many different ways.

Among some Muslims, there's a disturbing tendency to measure one's own faith by the rejection of somebody else's faith.  The richness of religious diversity must be upheld -- whether it is for Maronites in Lebanon or the Copts in Egypt.  (Applause.)  And if we are being honest, fault lines must be closed among Muslims, as well, as the divisions between Sunni and Shia have led to tragic violence, particularly in Iraq.

Freedom of religion is central to the ability of peoples to live together.  We must always examine the ways in which we protect it.  For instance, in the United States, rules on charitable giving have made it harder for Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation.  That's why I'm committed to working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat. 

Likewise, it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit -- for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear.  We can't disguise hostility towards any religion behind the pretence of liberalism.

In fact, faith should bring us together.  And that's why we're forging service projects in America to bring together Christians, Muslims, and Jews.  That's why we welcome efforts like Saudi Arabian King Abdullah's interfaith dialogue and Turkey's leadership in the Alliance of Civilizations.  Around the world, we can turn dialogue into interfaith service, so bridges between peoples lead to action -- whether it is combating malaria in Africa, or providing relief after a natural disaster. 

The sixth issue -- the sixth issue that I want to address is women's rights.  (Applause.)  I know –- I know -- and you can tell from this audience, that there is a healthy debate about this issue.  I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality.  (Applause.)  And it is no coincidence that countries where women are well educated are far more likely to be prosperous.

Now, let me be clear:  Issues of women's equality are by no means simply an issue for Islam.  In Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, we've seen Muslim-majority countries elect a woman to lead.  Meanwhile, the struggle for women's equality continues in many aspects of American life, and in countries around the world.

I am convinced that our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons.  (Applause.)  Our common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity -- men and women -- to reach their full potential.  I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal, and I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles. But it should be their choice.  And that is why the United States will partner with any Muslim-majority country to support expanded literacy for girls, and to help young women pursue employment through micro-financing that helps people live their dreams.  (Applause.)

Finally, I want to discuss economic development and opportunity.

I know that for many, the face of globalization is contradictory.  The Internet and television can bring knowledge and information, but also offensive sexuality and mindless violence into the home.  Trade can bring new wealth and opportunities, but also huge disruptions and change in communities.  In all nations -- including America -- this change can bring fear.  Fear that because of modernity we lose control over our economic choices, our politics, and most importantly our identities -- those things we most cherish about our communities, our families, our traditions, and our faith. 

But I also know that human progress cannot be denied.  There need not be contradictions between development and tradition. Countries like Japan and South Korea grew their economies enormously while maintaining distinct cultures.  The same is true for the astonishing progress within Muslim-majority countries from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai.  In ancient times and in our times, Muslim communities have been at the forefront of innovation and education.

And this is important because no development strategy can be based only upon what comes out of the ground, nor can it be sustained while young people are out of work.  Many Gulf states have enjoyed great wealth as a consequence of oil, and some are beginning to focus it on broader development.  But all of us must recognize that education and innovation will be the currency of the 21st century -- (applause) -- and in too many Muslim communities, there remains underinvestment in these areas.  I'm emphasizing such investment within my own country.  And while America in the past has focused on oil and gas when it comes to this part of the world, we now seek a broader engagement.

On education, we will expand exchange programs, and increase scholarships, like the one that brought my father to America.  (Applause.)  At the same time, we will encourage more Americans to study in Muslim communities.  And we will match promising Muslim students with internships in America; invest in online learning for teachers and children around the world; and create a new online network, so a young person in Kansas can communicate instantly with a young person in Cairo.

On economic development, we will create a new corps of business volunteers to partner with counterparts in Muslim-majority countries.  And I will host a Summit on Entrepreneurship this year to identify how we can deepen ties between business leaders, foundations and social entrepreneurs in the United States and Muslim communities around the world.

On science and technology, we will launch a new fund to support technological development in Muslim-majority countries, and to help transfer ideas to the marketplace so they can create more jobs.  We'll open centers of scientific excellence in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and appoint new science envoys to collaborate on programs that develop new sources of energy, create green jobs, digitize records, clean water, grow new crops.  Today I'm announcing a new global effort with the Organization of the Islamic Conference to eradicate polio.  And we will also expand partnerships with Muslim communities to promote child and maternal health.

All these things must be done in partnership.  Americans are ready to join with citizens and governments; community organizations, religious leaders, and businesses in Muslim communities around the world to help our people pursue a better life.

The issues that I have described will not be easy to address.  But we have a responsibility to join together on behalf of the world that we seek -- a world where extremists no longer threaten our people, and American troops have come home; a world where Israelis and Palestinians are each secure in a state of their own, and nuclear energy is used for peaceful purposes; a world where governments serve their citizens, and the rights of all God's children are respected.  Those are mutual interests.  That is the world we seek.  But we can only achieve it together.

I know there are many -- Muslim and non-Muslim -- who question whether we can forge this new beginning.  Some are eager to stoke the flames of division, and to stand in the way of progress.  Some suggest that it isn't worth the effort -- that we are fated to disagree, and civilizations are doomed to clash. Many more are simply skeptical that real change can occur.  There's so much fear, so much mistrust that has built up over the years.  But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward.  And I want to particularly say this to young people of every faith, in every country -- you, more than anyone, have the ability to reimagine the world, to remake this world.

All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort -- a sustained effort -- to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings.

It's easier to start wars than to end them.  It's easier to blame others than to look inward.  It's easier to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share.  But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path.  There's one rule that lies at the heart of every religion -- that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.  (Applause.)  This truth transcends nations and peoples -- a belief that isn't new; that isn't black or white or brown; that isn't Christian or Muslim or Jew.  It's a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization, and that still beats in the hearts of billions around the world.  It's a faith in other people, and it's what brought me here today.

We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written.

The Holy Koran tells us:  "O mankind!  We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another."

The Talmud tells us:  "The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace."

The Holy Bible tells us:  "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."  (Applause.)

The people of the world can live together in peace.  We know that is God's vision.  Now that must be our work here on Earth.

Thank you.  And may God's peace be upon you.  Thank you very much.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

Preceding transcript provided by the White House



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LETTER FROM JERUSALEM


Much of what Obama told Muslims was not flattering

By Ira Sharkansky

JERUSALEM--President Barack Obama began his speech in Cairo by noting that too much was expected from it.

He spoke for close to an hour. He devoted about seven minutes to Israel and Palestine. Most of that portion attacked those who denied the Holocaust and Israel's legitimacy, criticized Palestinian violence, and said that Palestinians must learn to govern themselves in a way to serve their people rather than raise false promises. He said that Israel must be more forthcoming with respect to the opportunities provided to the people of Gaza and the West Bank, and must stop settling. He did not talk about withdrawing settlements.

The president praised the humanitarian doctrines of Islam, but the great bulk of the speech was devoted to telling his audience in Cairo about the faults of Muslim countries. He emphasized the benefits of democracy and religious tolerance, and cited the plight of the Copts in Egypt. He criticized Muslim governments for fanning the hatred of Israel as distractions from not attending to problems at home. He condemned Iran's efforts to create nuclear weapons. He cited the problems of women as one of the barriers to justice and economic development.

The Jerusalem Post headlined the speech as an "unclenched fist to Muslims." It emphasized the better side of Islam, but asserted that America would continue to battle hateful and aggressive Muslims.

Except for a few sentences, it was a speech that Bibi Netanyahu or Avigdor Lieberman could have written and delivered. If they gave a speech like that, however, they would be accused of arrogant imbalance, and insulting the audience in an Arab university.

Immediate Israeli reactions differed, as expected, according to political affiliation. One right wing MK emphasized Obama's middle name (Hussein), and said that he crossed a red line by departing from America's traditional commitment to Israel. Another said, "The government of Israel is not America's

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lackey. The relations with the Americans are based on friendship and not submission." A left wing Jewish MK called on Netanyahu to change course, take advantage of the Obama opening, and negotiate seriously with the Palestinians. An Arab MK said it was a good speech, but that there was no Israeli partner to implement it.

The idea of the speech, rather than its content, provoked these comments. Those quoted soon after its delivery did not cite items to praise or criticize, but emphasized what they perceived or expected.

Osama bin Laden expressed his criticism a day before Obama reached Cairo. Bin Laden condemned the president's travel to the Arab region, and said that it was a continuation of military intervention. He would continue to fight against western evils.

So far the wisest comment about the speech was the president's own. By itself it will not change things. He focused on seven topics, one of which concerned Israel and Palestine. Others were his condemnation of violent extremism and Iran's nuclear aspirations, the benefits of democracy, religious freedom, women's rights, economic development and opportunity.

If Obama can help to produce significant progress on any one these points, his presidency will be a success.

No one can fairly claim that the speech focused on Israel and Palestine, or any one of its other topics. The strength of the speech lies in its breadth and ideals. It is a piece with the president's personal story, and his political career. Promise was the secret of his presidential campaign, and what he offered to the Middle East in this speech.

The breadth of the president's aspirations also represent his vulnerability. So far his presidency has combined promise and pragmatism. Balance between the two can make him great. The downside is that many who hear promises in his words will be disappointed.

This speech was fair and sensitive. No one should risk a prediction of what, if anything, will come of it.

Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University. email: msira@mscc.huji.ac.il


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Editor's Mailbox

Jewish groups have mixed reactions to Obama speech


AJC headlines its approval of Obama's speech, but also notes disappointment over Iran

NEW YORK (Press Release) -- The American Jewish Committee warmly welcomed President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo on Thursday, which aimed at forging a new understanding between the United States and the Muslim world.

While addressing a range of issues, President Obama underlined that the rejection of anti-Semitism and the legitimacy of Israel were not negotiable.

“In the heart of a region where denial is routine – denial of Israel’s right to exist, denial of the historic link of Jews to their homeland, denial of the Holocaust – President Obama spoke the truth with a clear, unwavering voice,” said David Harris, AJC Executive Director.

Obama told his audience: “Six million Jews were killed – more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless, ignorant, and hateful. Threatening Israel with destruction – or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews – is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve.”

Harris applauded Obama for reaffirming that America’s “strong bonds” with Israel are “unbreakable,” and for urging Arab states to “recognize Israel’s legitimacy.”

AJC praised President Obama for stating his personal commitment to pursue “with all the patience the task requires” a negotiated settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Toward that end, President Obama made clear that “violence is a dead end,” as he called again on Hamas to “put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, and recognize Israel’s right to exist.”

Harris praised Obama’s focus on Iran’s confrontation with the international community over its nuclear weapons drive – a confrontation the President said has reached “a decisive point.”

AJC is disappointed, however, that the President was not more explicit about the danger Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons poses to the entire Middle East and to global security.

"Iran's theocratic regime is a world leader in supporting terrorism, threatening moderate Arab regimes, and orchestrating the chorus of extremists who deny Israel's right to exist,” said Harris. “The U.S. has an obligation to more vigorously lead the international community in stopping the Iranian nuclear program."

President Obama also noted the democracy, human rights and gender equality deficits in the Muslim world, urging greater protection of religious freedom and respect for democratic values. Harris urged the President to press forward with these causes, saying, “The Middle East will only flourish when people of all faiths live in free societies that respect their dignity and unleash their creative potential. The pursuit of peace will be impeded as long as the region’s one true democracy, Israel, is surrounded by dictatorships and theocracies.” 

Preceding provided by American Jewish Committee

Anti-Defamation League says Obama should have put Israel-Palestinian conflict into context

NEW YORK (Press Release)—The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Thursday reacted to President Barack Obama's speech to the Arab world in Cairo, calling it "groundbreaking and honest" in speaking to the Muslim people.  However, the League said the President missed an opportunity to put into historical context the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and expressed concern about how his message ultimately would be received across the Muslim world.

Glen S. Lewy, ADL National Chair, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director issued the following statement:

President Obama's speech to the Muslim world in Cairo was groundbreaking and honest, touching on many important issues -- human rights, education, democracy, the need to deal with Islamic extremists -- with candor.  He issued a clarion call for recalibrating America's relationship with the Muslim world through constructive outreach and dialogue. Speaking directly to the Muslim people, he broached issues that have never really been addressed to the Arab world before now.  We share the President's genuine quest for respect, tolerance and peace.

Regarding the Israelis and Palestinians, it would have been important to hear the President put the conflict into its proper historical perspective -- six Arab nations attacked Israel from day one and the occupation of Palestinian land was a product of Israel's wars of self-defense. While strongly reiterating the importance of America's relationship with the State of Israel and articulating Israel's right to exist, President Obama missed the opportunity to address the misperceptions in the Arab world and to make clear that the Palestinians would have had a state had they accepted the United Nations resolution in 1948. 

While he made strong statements against anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, it should have been made clear that Israel's right to statehood is not a result of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust.  We are disappointed that the President found the need to balance the suffering of the Jewish people in a genocide to the suffering of the Palestinian people resulting from Arab wars.

We are willing to give the President's approach a chance to work and we are waiting to hear a response from the moderate Arab states.  It will be interesting to see how the Muslim world reacts to the speech.

Preceding provided by the Anti-Defamation League


Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism praises Obama's
comments on Holocaust denial


WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)– In response to President Obama’s speech on Thursday in Cairo, Egypt, Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:

President Obama’s speech in Cairo comes at a moment in history that is ripe with challenge and opportunity. Importantly, the President squarely addressed these circumstances. He made it clear that the United States and Israel have an unbreakable bond and spoke forthrightly about the need for the Palestinians to abandon violence if their hopes for a state are to be achieved. And he was clear in recognizing the urgency of addressing Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and his support for the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. His denunciation of Holocaust denial was particularly welcome. It should be noted, of course, that Israel’s 3000 year old claim to legitimacy was enhanced by but not rooted only in the centuries of persecution and the Holocaust to which he alluded.

We are hopeful that today’s speech, which was broad in its scope and ambition, will form a solid basis for U.S. Middle East policy. History has shown that U.S. leadership is critical to advancing the cause of peace. To that end, we look forward to working with President Obama, Prime Minister Netanyahu and others to realize a peaceful and secure future for Israel and her neighbors.

President Obama also devoted a significant portion of today’s speech to the importance of religious freedom and interreligious dialogue. We share the President’s view of such freedom as central to humanity, and fostering dialogues and cooperative endeavors between individuals of differing faith traditions has long been a priority for the Reform Movement.

We continue to reject those who seek to conflate political differences with religious discord. And we take strength from the diversity of the fabric of religious life in America. At a time in civilization when there is boundless opportunity for men and women to see, hear, and know those in other countries and cultures with whom they share the earth, we must coalesce around what we have in common, rather than what differentiates us. We applaud President Obama for his work to build bridges across faiths and will continue to join him in these efforts.

Preceding provided by the Religious Action Committee of Reform Judaism

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Republican Jewish Coalition says Obama speech too balanced

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)-- Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matthew Brooks said on Thursday:

"President Barack Obama, in his major speech in Cairo this morning, struck a balanced tone with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and that's what was wrong with this speech.

"American policy should not be balanced - it should side with those who fight terror, not those who either engage in it or are too weak to prevent it.

"This conflict will not reach a peaceful conclusion until the Palestinians put an end to terrorism, violence, and incitement against Israel. American policy has long been to support Israel - a fellow democracy and committed ally of this country - in its efforts to achieve lasting security for its citizens. Israel's good faith efforts have been met by unremitting Palestinian violence and what is in effect an internal Palestinian civil war. Peace and security go hand in hand - Israel has repeatedly reached out her hand in peace only to have it slapped back. The President's remarks to the world's Muslims today appear to mark the beginning of a worrisome shift in U.S. policy.

"We urge President Obama to return to the policy of holding the security of Israel as a key American priority and requiring significant, concrete, and verifiable moves toward peace from the Palestinian side."

Preceding provided by Republican Jewish Coalition





Tzipi Livni says Mideast conflict can be resolved--if it remains a political conflict and not a religious one

HAIFA, Israel (Press Release)— "The former Government reached mutual understandings with the American government with regard to the outline of a solution between us and the Palestinians. I believe that it is possible to reach such understandings in the future too," said Opposition Leader MK Tzipi Livni on Thursday at the Concluding Plenary Session of the 37th Meeting of the Board of Governors at the University of Haifa.

Livni presented her approach to the solution of two states for two peoples, in answer to a question from the audience as to whether it would be possible to reach this solution without being pressured by the U.S. "The two states for two peoples solution is not intended as a favor for the Americans but something that is an interest for Israel," Livni said.

Livni related to the issue of whether we do or do not have a partner for peace in the Palestinian side. "You can ask me, 'What are you talking about?' What will a piece of paper help if the other side has no one who is able to implement the understandings? I believe that if we reach an agreement that is acceptable by both the Palestinians and by us, that will ultimately be the agreement to be implemented when the other side has a leader who is able to perform," she said.

According to Livni, a political conflict – as complex as it may be – is resolvable. On the other hand, a religious conflict cannot be resolved, and the Middle East has powers such as Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah that are trying to turn the conflict into a religious and non-political one. "Hamas is not a partner, not because I want to punish it for the terror attacks that it carries out, but because the conflict as far as it's concerned is religious, and therefore it cannot accept a Jewish state. As time passes, the fundamentalist elements are turning the conflict into a religious one. So time is of the essence and a political standstill works against Israeli interests," she said.

Livni also related to the reality that will follow a solution of two states for two peoples: "Israel will be the state of the Jewish people, and, of course, the Palestinian state will be the state of the Palestinian people. Each state will provide the solution to its people's national aspirations. The Arab citizens in Israel have equal rights, of course, but if any one of them wishes to realize his national aspiration, he can do so in Palestine, and not in Israel."


Director of Ibim Student Village
provides San Diegans with update

By Soni Singer

IBIM, Israel—Summer is blooming in every corner of the Ibim-San Diego Student Village. During this most beautiful season, the grounds are carpeted with green, pink, purple and red. Summer vacation is in the pipeline, and our students are eagerly waiting for the break.

This past month, we welcomed a new staff social worker, Valeria Tsalman, herself an immigrant from Baku, Azerbaijan. Valeria successfully completed a professional retraining course to earn her Israeli certification, and has already proven her intent to tackle both the challenging and routine dimensions of social work. Valeria will continue the Ibim tradition of observing, listening and responding, to the wide variety of needs of young immigrants far from their parents and traditional support structures.

Congratulations to our Cultural Coordinator Yigal Pinto on the birth of a son, a brother to three older sisters.

Our youngest group – the professional training course – completed a week-long crash cooking course. Keeping on a tight budget, they learned to make tasty, nutritious and easy-to-prepare recipes. They have recently began an empowerment and leadership workshop, which will impart them with skills of introspection and social interaction, as well as tools for dealing with changes and opportunities.

Ibim's traditional celebration of Shavuot, a night before the actual holiday, marked the Manchester United/Barcelona Champions League Match. The weather cooperated fully as a huge screen was set up on the grass, and the students ate cheese dishes as they cheered on their favorite team.

We eagerly await the visit of the San Diego Birthright group; looking forward to showing them some true Ibim hospitaly

Ibim Student Village in the Sha'ar Hanegev municipality of Israel is a Jewish Agency for Israel program underwritten by the United Jewish Federation of San Diego





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GUEST COLUMN

Is Hillary Clinton changing from Israel's friend to a foe?

By Morton Klein

NEW YORK--When Hillary Clinton was New York’s junior U.S. Senator from 2001 to 2009, she was a vocal supporter of Israel.  She was especially strong on Jerusalem, stating in a September 2007 position paper that she believed “Israel’s right to exist in safety as a Jewish state, with defensible borders and an undivided Jerusalem as its capital, must never be questioned.” Her spokesman even said “this paper is a reflection of her consistent policy… that hasn’t changed.”

In June 2004, Sen. Clinton voted for the Senate resolution endorsing President Bush’s letter to Prime Minister Sharon that envisaged Israel retaining “major Israeli population centers” in Judea and Samaria and “defensible borders” in any final peace agreement.

Sen. Clinton also repeatedly warned of the monumental dangers of Palestinian incitement to hatred and murder of Israeli Jews in their schools, media and mosques as having “dire consequences for peace for generations to come.”

Sen. Clinton even said, “It is clear that the Palestinian Authority (PA), as we see on PA TV, is complicit” in terrorist attacks and that we should condition U.S. aid to the PA on a “cessation of Palestinian propaganda and hateful rhetoric.”

It has taken only a matter of months to confirm that Secretary of State Clinton bears little resemblance to Senator Clinton on Israel issues.

Now, she enthusiastically supports an unconditional increase in U.S. aid to the PA and Gaza, of $900 million annually, a significant increase. She also demands a total freeze on all Jewish building in Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem. Interviewed on Al-Jazeera TV on May 19, Secretary Clinton said, “We want to see a stop to settlement construction, additions, natural growth – any kind of settlement activity. We made that very clear. I reinforced that last night at a dinner with Prime Minister Netanyahu.” She reiterated this even more strongly on May 27 in Egypt: “not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions … And we intend to press that point."

She also states publicly that the Obama Administration will condition at least some of its efforts to prevent Iran becoming a nuclear power on Israel’s willingness to bow to pressure to make concessions to the same PA she once described as “complicit” in terrorism and incitement. Speaking in April before the House Appropriations Committee, Clinton said that “for Israel to get the kind of strong support it’s looking for vis-a-vis Iran it can’t stay on the sideline with respect to the Palestinian and the peace efforts, that they go hand-in-hand.

Also, already in March, Secretary Clinton demanded Israel allow illegally built Palestinian Arab homes in eastern Jerusalem and prohibit legal building of Israeli/Jewish homes in eastern Jerusalem. Such Jewish construction, she said, was “unhelpful.”

Suddenly, parts of an “undivided Jerusalem” are places where Jews may not move or build, even though Jews were a majority in eastern Jerusalem from the mid-1800s until 1948, when Jordan forced Jewish residents to flee, and are now a majority once again.

Jerusalem has always been the religious, historical and political capital of the Jewish people. Secretary Clinton justifies her criticism of Jewish building by reference to the 2003 Roadmap peace plan, which she claims Israel is not fulfilling.

Yet she doesn’t mention unfulfilled Palestinian Roadmap obligations that were supposed to occur simultaneously, including an end to the incitement against Israel, confiscating illegal weapons, cutting off all funding to terror groups and an immediate call for an end to all violence against Israelis.

These violations were once taken seriously by Senator Clinton – especially incitement. As she put it in an October 2003 Senate committee hearing at which I testified, “How can you think about building a better future, no matter what your political views, if you indoctrinate your children to a culture of death?”

And again, in February 2007: “We must stop the propaganda … in idealizing for children a world without Israel, children are taught never to accept the reality of the State of Israel ... We

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cannot build a peaceful, stable, safe future on such a hate-filled violent and radical foundation. In the years since … there has still not been an adequate repudiation of this by the Palestinian Authority.”

Today, however, Sec. Clinton says nothing about incitement to hatred and murder. Thus, when interviewed this month on a PA-TV teen show and asked, “what would you do if your daughter was unfortunate enough to have been born under occupation, born deprived of freedom and liberty?” Secretary Clinton legitimized the question’s false premise and actually helped incite hatred against Israel by not refuting it while also ignoring the fact that 98 percent of Palestinians actually live under the PA or Hamas, not Israeli control.

She merely responded that she would give her the “best education I could for her … I would never give up on the dream of a Palestinian State.” That an alarming number of Palestinian parents have encouraged their children to become suicide bombers was somehow lost from Secretary Clinton’s response.

In short, Secretary of State Clinton is deaf to the words that U.S. Senator Clinton once passionately uttered. It is notable that her recent criticisms of Israel impelled New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind, (Democrat, New York) to observe, “I liked her a lot more as a senator from New York … Now, I wonder … who the real Hillary Clinton is.”

Morton Klein is president of the Zionist Organization of America.



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Editor's Mailbox: national, international Jewish news


Senator Cardin quizzes Judge Sotomayor in his office

WASHINGTON, D.C (Press Release)– U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (Democrat, Maryland), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that will consider her nomination to the Supreme Court, met with Judge Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday at his office. Following their meeting he released the following statement:

“Judge Sotomayor is a very impressive individual. I find her background, which encompasses nearly every level of the judicial process, including prosecutor, corporate litigator, trial judge, and currently an appellate judge, to be incredible. Our conversation was very forthright. We talked about a wide range of issues including the protections found in the Constitution. I found her responses to be very frank and open. I was impressed by her candor and willingness to answer my questions about how she would go about deciding constitutional issues that might come before her, should she be confirmed.

“My major interest is ensuring that the next Supreme Court Justice is a leader who holds a passion for the protections found in our Constitution and will uphold the precedents of the Court. I want the next Justice to have a clear record of standing up for civil rights and civil liberties, as the Court is the last refuge for the individual to stand up to abuses of government power.

 “As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I am privileged to have my first opportunity to participate in the confirmation process for a Supreme Court Justice and to further question Judge Sotomayor at her upcoming hearing. This is a lifetime appointment and the only chance for the American people to see the President’s nominee and understand his or her views in detail on a wide range of issues defining the rule of law.”

Preceding provided by Senator Cardin


Feingold introduces bill to aid job retraining in hard-hit communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)– U.S. Senator Russ Feingold introduced legislation on Wednesday to help displaced workers in communities hit hard by the tough economy retrain for high-demand health care jobs. Feingold’s Community-Based Health Care Retraining Act specifically targets communities that have suffered job loss in a variety of industry sectors including manufacturing, construction and service sectors. The legislation would allow communities to apply for grants that would fund retraining efforts led by local workforce development boards. In April, the unemployment rate in Wisconsin was 8.8 percent according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

“In this tough economy, communities throughout Wisconsin have lost manufacturing jobs both at large factories and small manufacturing businesses,” Feingold said. My bill is designed to give hard-hit communities the opportunity to help retrain their citizens for good, in-demand jobs in the health care field. This bill will help get people back on their feet and remain in their communities while strengthening our health care industry.”

Feingold’s bill would create a new competitive grant demonstration program to be implemented by the Department of Labor. Local workforce development boards would submit applications to the Department of Labor to create or expand job retraining programs. The Community-Based Health Care Retraining Act puts control in the hands of the local government by allowing these local workforce development boards to partner with institutions of higher education and other community leaders to design programs that can retrain dislocated workers for jobs in the health care industry. The partnerships funded by this legislation will be able to use these funds for a variety of purposes, including for implementing training programs, providing tuition assistance, providing transportation assistance, and to increase capacity for existing training programs.





Florida group refurbishes home of survivor of USS Cole terror attack





This week's Torah portion: Naso


Parshat Naso from G-dcast.com More Torah cartoons at
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Congress members join in appeal for Egyptian blogger's freedom

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)-- Three Jewish members of Congress were among a dozen colleagues who called upon U.S. President Barack Obama to raise the issue of an imprisoned Egyptian blogger with Egypt's President Hosni Mubarek during their meeting on Thursday.

Democratic Congressmembers Howard Berman and Brad Sherman of California and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois were among the signers of a letter to Obama, which was released on Wednesday. It said:

Dear Mr. President:

As Members of Congress concerned about protecting the freedom of speech in Egypt, we are writing in advance of your visit with President Mubarak to respectfully request that you strongly urge him to release human rights advocate and blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Soliman.

Mr. Soliman, known more commonly by his Internet pen name Kareem Amer, was convicted for statements made on his personal web blog condemning Islamic extremism for its poor treatment of women and minorities.  On February 22, 2007, he was sentenced to four years in prison.  While we recognize his comments offended many Egyptians, this sentence set a troubling precedent.  Mr. Soliman is the first blogger in the Arab world to be convicted for the expression of personal views. 

We recognize that Egyptian law is sensitive to the denigration of religion.  However, Egypt must honor its commitment to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.  It is critical that Egypt expand the scope of acceptable Internet dialogue, including the peaceful expression of views on religious extremism. 

The Egyptian Constitution affords the President the right to grant amnesty or commute a sentence.  President Mubarak has exercised this right on a number of occasions, including the release of political prisoner Ayman Nour on February 18, 2009. 

We therefore request that you ask President Mubarak to grant amnesty to Mr. Soliman as a way to show that Egypt is a force for moderation on the Internet.  By accepting broad liberties within this vast new medium, Egypt can demonstrate its role as a pioneer in showing tolerance toward the growing role of the Internet even in the Arab world.  

Thank you for your attention to this precedent-setting case.  We look forward to working with you on this and other human rights abuses around the world.

Preceding provided by Congressman Mark Kirk (Republican, Illinois), a main author of the letter


Jewish Family Service seeks
help for Holocaust survivors

SAN DIEGO—Jewish Family Service of San Diego reported on Thursday that it needs the community''s help in funding the "Serving Older Holocaust Survivors (SOS)" program. The agency reported that the program "is at risk of missing out on a matching grant that will enable us to provide vital services to low-income Jewish Holocaust survivors."

Jill Borg Spitzer, chief executive officer of JFS, wrote in an email: "A generous donor in our community has agreed to give us $20,000 if we raise $30,000 by June 30th (the end of our fiscal year). We are currently short of this goal by $6,614." She said the community's help is needed by the end of the month if the offer is to be capitalized upon.

"At Jewish Family Service, we're dedicated to ensuring Jewish survivors feel connected and cherished by the San Diego Jewish community," she said. "We can't take away their horrendous memories, but we can ensure they spend their final years living in safe and healthy environments.

"In the past year, we’ve helped more than 90 survivors with services that allow them to live their lives with dignity and honor--services such as homecare, grocery shopping, financial assistance for dentures, hearing aids, glasses and other medical necessities. The SOS program also provides survivors with an opportunity to participate in a wide range of educational, supportive, spiritual, and recreational programs."

Spitzer's appeal included a letter recently received from a JFS client , which she described as an example of what community support can provide:

“I am an 87 year-old survivor of Auschwitz. My husband has Parkinson’s and we just lost much of our life savings that we invested in a pension plan. JFS is a life saver. The program covers the fees for a woman who helps me with household chores. It also covers dental expenses, food for our special diet, and helps us get to the doctor’s office. What would happen to us without the help of Jewish Family Service? We would be miserable, living in a God forsaken place somewhere and waiting to die. Thank you Jewish Family Service for helping us recover our lives.”

 

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SARA-N-DIPITY PLACE

Interreligious group providing food, shelter to homeless

By Sara Appel-Lennon

SAN DIEGO --“Wild about Volunteers” proved to be a fitting theme this year at the Interfaith Shelter Network’s volunteer recognition event on Tuesday, June 2, since it took place in the wild, at Mission Trails Regional Park.

Interfaith Shelter Network, which provides food and shelter to the homeless, includes religious, social service, and government organizations. It counts 3,500 volunteers from 120 congregations of various religious affiliations, including Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Baha’i, and Unitarian.

Rosemary Johnston, Interfaith Shelter Network Program Director, said that the program has served 7,500 homeless people in 183,000 nights over the course of 23 years since it began.

Sixty of these congregations provide shelter, hot meals, showers, and clothing to twelve homeless guests at one time, two to four times per year during a two week period. Temple Emanu-El in San Diego and Temple Solel in Cardiff by the Sea both offer their classrooms as shelter for two weeks during the Christmas Holiday.

Ron Reff and his wife, Barbara Pollack have been the Interfaith Rotational Shelter Volunteer Coordinators at Temple Emanu-El for the past ten years. They open and close the building, schedule temple members to volunteer to clean before and after the arrival of the guests, stay over night, do laundry, wash dishes, and cook hot meals including a Christmas dinner, accompanied by wrapped gifts.

Ron Reff also is a talented musician. He and his klezmer band, Lushen Kup or Noodle Head, provided the entertainment for the volunteer event. Clarinetist, Kim Gately, who danced as she played, said that Klezmer is not just for Jews, it's for everyone. The Band included Jonathan Reinstein on saxophone, Diana (DJ) Barliant on violin, Scott Fleury on accordion, Robert Desmond on electric guitar, Kim Gately on clarinet, and Ron Reff on bass guitar.

They warmed up by playing Tsena, Tsena, Erev Shel Shoshanim, and Dodi Li – melodies that are fairly standard for Jewish audiences, but was new to many of the interfaith


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KLEZMER-Lushen Kup, led by Ron Reff (second from left) entertained at A dinner for Interfaith Shelter volunteers

volunteers in attendance. Reff had the audience clapping along as the band played Zemir a Tich. The band received rousing applause as well as a request for an encore.

Following the music, former San Diego City Councilman Brian Maienschein spoke about the ten-year plan to end chronic homelessness in San Diego. Maienschein is currently a commissioner working on this project.

He said he was glad to see so many people interested in homelessness. When he was a city council member, the chambers often filled with people for debates on such topics as seals or alcohol bans, but emptied when homelessness was the issue.

He thanked the volunteers for spending their time to help those less fortunate. He said that next month when San Diego hosts its annual “Stand Down” even, the Department of Motor Vehicles and Social Security will provide identification cards to facilitate homeless people receiving needed services.

“Stand Down” was a term used by soldiers during the Vietnam War who were permitted to ‘stand down’ from combat and have a few days of rest and relaxation away from the fighting. Similarly, homeless people—a significant number of whom are military veterans—are provided a few days to get off the streets, shower, have medical appointments and get away from the stresses of homelessness.

Veronica Gomez, program coordinator of El Nido Transitional Living, described that organization as a safe haven for battered women and their children. The residents may stay up to one year during which time they pay rent, seek counseling, and work. Gomez said "The goal is to be survivors not victims," she said. El Nido has served 151 families to date.

Eileen Robarge, an Interfaith Shelter Network board member, showed a DVD about a “day of beauty” for homeless women. There were before and after shots of each woman. Their make-overs were remarkable but what really stood out were their smiles and the brightness in their eyes following their pampering.



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Bible in Pop Culture: Winged fowl of every kind


Genesis 1:21


And God created the great sea-giants and every living being that creeps, with which the waters teemed after their kinds; and all winged fowl of every kind. And God saw that it was good.


Do you have a photo that you think illustrates how a biblical verse has worked its way into pop culture. Please send it to us for possible publication in this series, "The Bible in Pop Culture."

You may send your jpg photo for posting online to us at San Diego Jewish World, emailing it to editor@sandiegojewishheritage.com. If possible, please send it at 72dpi resolution and 400 pixels wide. Please include the name of the photographer, the date and place the photo was taken, and any other relevant caption information.

For our growing "Pop Bible" collection please see
Bible in pop culture index

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Star Trek series took earthly music to the heavens

By David Amos

SAN DIEGO—One of my few escapes in television viewing has been the legendary Star Trek science fiction programs. As you most probably know, the five series and eleven films, the brainchild of the late Gene Rodenberry, take us to far reaches of space, three and four hundred years from today, with great imagination and optimism about humanity in the future.

The Star Trek franchise has been critically praised for bringing to us major social issues of today, but wrapped in a futuristic package of the triumph of the good over evil. It has been consistently characterized by good writing, good acting, and the constant adherence to the ethical puzzles and concepts which challenge all of us daily. Since its inception in the middle 1970’s, Star Trek has given us imaginative voyages and fantasies into logic, problem solving, relentless missions of discovery, loyalty, race relations, and role models in its fictional leaders. It successfully deals with many of the ills that plague our world today. Complete equality among earthlings is a given, achieved centuries before.

The influence of Star Trek has been so overwhelming to science fiction literature, television and films, that any other non-Star Trek attempts, as good as many of them are, can not help but seem to be a pale imitation. The many young people who have been inspired to seek careers in science and technology, the multitude of gadgets we commonly use today which were only imaginary forty years ago, and the quasi-scientific “space technical terminology” which became part of our language are good examples of this.

Nevertheless, very little has been said about the music of Star Trek, although I am very much aware of it. Aside from the familiar opening and closing credit themes, in general, the background music has been composed by some of Hollywood’s finest. If and when you will watch an episode, listen to the music that is playing under a dramatic scene. Many times, it could be music which may offend you if played by itself in a concert hall, due to its modernity, but when it accompanies a dialog, a suspenseful scene, or some action, we not only readily accept it, but it becomes an integral part of the moment.

Another fascinating side to Star Trek music is its use of serious music as part of the story. Here are a few salient examples:

In The Original Series, Mr. Spock sits at the piano in a make-believe home in a faraway planet, and finds the sheet music of a waltz by Johannes Brahms, which up to that day, was undiscovered. He plays it (It almost sounds like Brahms!).

The second series, Star Trek, The Next Generation is full of wonderful quotes of serious music. The android, Commander Data, in his attempts to understand humans, plays the violin; at different times he is involved with a Mozart Quartet, a Chopin Trio, and various violin-piano duets. He also plays Eine Kleine Nacht Musik  with an ensemble and combines in his playing style the phrasing of Jascha Heifetz and a future eminent violinist. He talks about this in great detail.

Commander William Riker is played by Jonathan Frakes, who plays the trombone, and in real life, played in the bands at San Diego State University. In the show, he occasionally takes out his trombone and plays jazz. I have heard many excerpts on TNG, including Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. I repeat: The music was not used as background, but as an integral part of the story.

The Deep Space Nine series uses more of the jazz, swing, and popular music on the mid-Twentieth Century. The commander of the space station is Benjamin Sisco, played by Avery Brooks. Interestingly, Brooks is an ex-music teacher; he occasionally displays his musical talent singing, and playing the piano on the show. Another interesting twist is the holographic projection of a nightclub singer, Vic Fontaine, played and sung by James Darren. He sings wonderful romantic ballads and night club Las Vegas type light pops tunes.

The fourth series, Voyager, also uses music in a way that intrigues and fascinates me. One of the characters is a Juilliard graduate in clarinet performance. Another, the quirky and delightful holographic doctor, sings arias from Puccini operas. In one episode, while visiting an alien world, he had to explain to the technologically advanced habitants what music is all about, and how it could become a relevant part of their everyday lives. We could use some of these noble thoughts today, with our own earthly inhabitants!

In another memorable episode, a militant, aggressive race of aliens discuss the merits of symphonies by Tchaikovsky and Mahler. During the entire hour, we delight in lush interpretations of these beloved masterpieces.

In the fifth series, Enterprise, I can not recall any particular musical moment worth mentioning.

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At least for me, all these musical quotes and associations add weight and content to what might be considered by many to be lightweight adventure-drama.

As composer John Cage once said, “Music is all around us; all we have to do is to listen”.

Amos is conductor of the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra and has guest conducted around the world. He may be contacted at amosd@sandiegojewishworld.com


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GUEST REVIEW

Cello performance by Julian Schwarz masterful at TICO

By Robert Forman. PhD

SAN DIEGO—There was no room for “June Gloom” last night, June 2, 2009, in the Cohen Social Hall of  Tifereth Israel Synagogue where the TICO Orchestra played the fourth concert of the current season.

The audience was lifted from their seats following the brilliant, inspiring, mature playing of the 18 year old Julian Schwarz.  His artistry displayed in the challenging Saint-Saens Cello Concerto marks him as a talent well on his way to having a remarkable career as a major concert artist.

The concert opened with the  seldom heard “Lincolnshire Posy” by Percy Grainger.  This music found its way on to the program because of an unusual request by David Amos, the director and conductor of the orchestra.  It has been common in past years to find popular classical compositions familiar to concert goers, transcribed for bands.  The great improvement of band performance has made this a logical and welcome expansion of band literature.  However, in this instance, the  transcription went in the opposite direction.  This original music for band was reshaped for orchestra, which was one of the works on each concert this year.  The transcription was made by Abelardo Flores, a trumpet player in the orchestra. 

Flores is also a conductor, composer, and arranger in his own right.  He did a masterful job of making this piece by Grainger into a viable work for the orchestra.  The music consisted of six English folk songs, none of which have been well known in American music circles.  Mr. Grainger’s most famous folk song is “Country Gardens”, a song which became popular with  the May Pole Dance event.

Following intermission the soloist Julian Schwarz took center stage. 

His opening solo was a beautiful, lyrical, work by Glazunov “The Chant of the Minstrel." His full command of his instrument provided moments of exquisite dynamic control and sensitive expressive passages.

TICO also performed two orchestral excerpts from Modest Mussorgsky's opera "Khovantchina", the atmospheric "Introduction" to the opera, subtitled "Dawn on the Moskva River," and the colorful "Persian Dances". The Introduction features various solo instruments and the distant Russian church bells, and the Dances begin slowly and mysteriously, gradually becoming livelier and faster, ending with a frenzied conclusion. Both selections were re-orchestrated by Mussorgsky's friend and collaborator, the renowned teacher and composer Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

The most intriguing work in the concert was by a composer who is best known and hailed as a renowned conductor, and in his earlier years, a solo trumpet player. Gerard Schwarz has been the Music Director of the Seattle Symphony for the last 25 years, and has brought the orchestra to world-class prominence with innovative programming, important recordings, and a very high level of orchestral performance standards.

For this concert, however, he was heard as a composer. Maestro Schwarz composed "Rudolf and Jeanette" in loving memory of his grandparents who were murdered in the Holocaust. This composition was composed in 2007 for the tenth anniversary of Seattle's "Music of Remembrance", and received its full orchestral premiere last year with the Zagreb Philharmonic, conducted by the composer. We were privileged to hear in San Diego the second performance.

"Rudolf and Jeanette" starts with a solo flute, harp and celeste, with a poignant melody that slowly develops into the love theme, depicting the love between them. It evolves into a Nazi March theme, and at that point, several of the orchestral


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musicians exit the stage and gather within earshot to play nostalgic tunes in the style of Viennese waltzes, while the on-stage musicians interject occasional disturbing sounds. As the musicians return to their seats, the last waltz becomes mournful and slow, and dissolves into a funeral, or death march, which leads to the soft, sad conclusion, quoting musical material from the opening section.

Again, we must note the excellent playing of the orchestra during this challenging composition as well as the entire program.  The percussion section, as well as the woodwinds and brass sections,  deserve  kudos for their impressive intonation accuracy and expressive playing. Particularly was the playing by the piccolo player.

The final number of the concert was the Concerto in A minor, Opus 33 by Camille Saint-Saens.  This work has been regarded by leading music critics as “the most outstanding composition for cello of all times”  Mr. Schwarz demonstrated his musical skills in meeting the demands of this work.  His performance was a preview of what will surely place him as  a cellist of world-class stature. The opportunity to hear him perform is not to be missed in the  coming years

Forman is a professor emeritus of music at San Diego State University




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THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK

Author creates own country; readers will want to go there


Tea and Othr Ayama Na Tales by Eleanor Bluestein, University of Missouri Kansas City Press; 234 pages; $16.95.

By Israela Manson

SAN DIEGO--This wonderful book of short stories features a fictional country in the Far East, the author's own, apparently a combination of Viet Nam, Cambodia and Indonesia. The characters are wonderful, fleshed out as real people, and the reader instantly empathizes with them. The imaginative author even invents words and phrases common to the people of Ayama Na. The book hints at a former dictatorship during which many innocent people were imprisoned and killed, but at the present time, the royal family has been reinstated and rules as an enlightened monarchy.

The first story, "Pineapple Wars," sets forth the dilemma of Koriatt, an honest businessman who is considering entering politics and putting a stop to the corruption endemic in his country. He has risen from the peasantry to enter the middle class, but he must deal with his stubborn old burden of a father. In "Hamburger School," Mahala, a middle class young woman working in a fast food restaurant, is made aware of the terrible hardness of life. Perhaps the most whimsical of the stories is "AIBO or Love at First Sight" wherein a factory worker becomes obsessed with possessing the robotic dog toy he is working on. In "The Blanks," the funniest of the stories, a successful tourist guide is saddled with the American customers from hell. In "North of the Faro," a successful

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medium gives a customer bad advice leading to his death on a walking trip; stunned with the only serious mistake of her professional life, she gives up her family and all her material possessions to cross dangerous terrain and consult the mysterious woman known only as 'the medium north of Faro' -- there's a surprise twist at the end.

Those were my own favorites, but the other stories are excellent as well. In "Skin Deep" the beautiful Song Li deliberately ruins her chances to become the winner of a national beauty contest. In "The Artist's Story," Alan Jackman, an American whose lover, Nadine, has dispatched him to Ayama Na to bring home her brother, an artist who has
apparently become a derelict there, realizes some bitter truths about his own life and about Nadine. "The Cut the Crap Machine" concerns two playwrights who are forced to collaborate on a play although they have very different philosophies of life. The saddest story concerns little Aleeta, who lives in "A Ruined World." In "Tea" the beautiful and educated Pania is diplomatically persuaded, during several meetings with her older brother in a tea shop, to meet the accounting student her father would like her to marry.

This is the first book published by Bluestein, a La Jolla resident and member of the Jewish community. She is the winner of the G.S. Sharat Chandra Prize for Short Fiction.

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Adventures in San Diego Jewish History
With thanks to Gail Umeham for the transcription


Dignitaries to Dance
at “Ditty Bag Ball”

Southwestern Jewish Press May 1, 1953, page 1

Ticket sales for the forthcoming “Ditty Bag Ball” sponsored by the Temple Beth Israel Sisterhood are booming,” according to Mrs. Sam Siraton, one of the benefit dance’s chairmen.  Co-chairmen serving with her are Mrs. Arthur Bloom, Mrs. Charles Salik, and Mrs. Richard Levi.

The “Ditty Bag Ball” which will be held in the Don Room of the El Cortez Hotel on Saturday, May 9, is to raise funds to purchase and stock ditty bags with comfort items to be sent to Jewish chaplains overseas for distribution to wounded in field and military hospitals.  Bags are given on a non-sectarian basis.

Local dignitaries who have been invited and are planning to attend are:  From the press—Mr. and Mrs. M. Kaufman, Jewish Press; MrS. E. M. Wallace, Miss Emily Stoker, San Diego Union; Mr. and Mrs. J. Regal, San Diego Tribune.  From the Services—Chaplain and Mrs. Harris Howe Jr., Naval Training Center; Chaplain and Mrs. Murray Blackman, division chaplain, 3rd Marine Corps camp Pendleton; Chaplain, 11th Naval District; Capt. And Mrs. John Kentzel, Post Commander, Ft. Rosecrans; Admiral and Mrs. J. W. Roper, 11th naval District; Rear Adm. And Mrs. T. C. Miller, USN, District Chaplain; Major General and Mrs. T. J. Walker, US Marine Corps Recruit Depot commandant. 

Others include:  Mr. and Mrs. Abe Friedman, Mr. and MrS. George Scott, the Honorable Mayor and Mrs. John Butler, and from Temple Beth Israel, Rabbi and Mrs. Morton J. Cohn, Cantor and Mrs. Julian Miller, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Friedman.

A large number of private and no-host cocktail and dinner parties to precede the gala affair have been planned.


Scores of Women to Participate in “W” Day Monday, May 4th for U.J.A.
Southwestern Jewish Press May 1, 1953, page 1

Inspired by having reached 82 ½ percent of their goal of $40,000, the Women’s Division will reach another high peak in the Fund Campaign on Monday, May 4th, when scores of women workers will dedicate themselves to a one day drive of residential districts to secure contributions from every Jewish woman in San Diego.  It will be ”W” Day, a new event in the annual campaign.

This week in advance of that event, women leaders, who will act as captains for “W” Day were soliciting many of the women who had given last year but who as yet have not made their pledge.  Besides the Chairmen of the Women’s Division, Ida Nasatir, Gladys Block, Ida Wax, Jean Camiel and Esther Moorstein, leaders of “W” Day will include Elizabeth Wise, Ruth Silverman, Jean Schwartz, Rose Domnitz, Betty Feller, Lois Zlotoff, Evelyn Roberts, Ruth Brav, Libby Krasnow, Doris Alexander and Florence Barach. 

In advance of the event Chairmen are urging all workers to start their solicitations early, and householders are asked to remain at their homes until they have been contacted by a solicitor.

It is hoped that “W” Day activity will add materially to the proceeds of the Women’s Division Drive.  Leaders of the Division are pledged to make every effort to hit their $40,000 for the first time in many years.

 

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Liquor Division Aids U.J.A. Drive
Southwestern Jewish Press May 1, 1953, page 1

Leaders of San Diego’s Liquor Industry heard the needs of the Combined Jewish Appeal of the United Jewish Fund from Albert A. Hutler, it’s Executive Director, at a luncheon last week of the Fund’s Liquor Division.

Led by Jerome Freedman, President of the San Diego Retail Dealers Association, and Julius Schwitkis, Manager of Alfred Hart, the Division is making an all out effort on behalf of the Fund and its 42 beneficiary agencies.

Over 90 liquor salesmen, store owners and distributors gathered at the San Diego Hotel were told by Hutler that the 650,000 original Israel residents have taken in their country, during the last five years, more than 750,000 displaced persons.

Over $3,000 was raised for the Fund Campaign, according to Freedman and Schwitzkis.  They said that these gifts came from both Jews and Christians present at the luncheon.

Guests present at the luncheon were, besides Goodrich, A.J. Sutherland, a past chairman of the Christian Committee and President of the Security Trust and Savings Bank, Carl M. Esenoff, General Campaign Chairman and his Co-Chairman, Milton Y. Roberts.

Members of the committee planning the luncheon were:  B. W. Collins, Sr., President, San Diego Beer Distributors Association; Arthur Guyer, President, California Tavern Owners Association and Vice-President, National Tavern Owners Association; John Radovich,. President, San Diego Tavern Owners Association; Gene Call, Forrest Cornut, John Einhorn, Charles Foto, Al Fulkerson, Mickey Goldfarb, Jack Horner, Al Luallin, Elmer McInerney, Harry Pearson, Dwan Sisson, John Snider, and Chris Wasem.


M. W. Beckelman Addresses
Jewish Leadership Group

Southwestern Jewish Press May 1, 1953, page 1

San Diego Jewish leadership met with Moses W. Beckelman yesterday and discussed recent tragic developments in Eastern Europe and their effects on Jewish population.

Mr. Beckelman, General Director of the Joint Distribution Committee, has been along with the Joint, the target of attack by Soviet and satellite governments as espionage agents.  Recently returned from Berlin, where he helped to establish the first shelter for Jewish refugees escaping from behind the Iron Curtain, Mr. Beckelman brought an eye-witness report of developments as they affect Jews in the Communist controlled countries of Eastern Europe.

More than a decade of daily contact with the problems affecting distressed Jewish population throughout the world, has made Mr. Beckelman a leading authority on refugee affairs.  In 1945 he became assistant director of the Intergovernment Committee on Refugees, and an assistant to Sir Herbert Emerson.  In that capacity he visited various countries in Europe, Africa and China, where he supervised and established an assistance program for uprooted and displaced persons.

Mr. Beckelman has just returned from arduous duties in Western Europe, and came to San Diego under the auspices of the United Jewish Fund to tell the story of the needs as they exist today, and what might possibly happen to Jews in Europe in the near future.

“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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Jewish Internet Favorites ... featuring notable Jewish community members*
Visit our Jewish Internet Favorites index to find links to other videos



David Alan Basche as Norris in "Oh Grow Up"



Randall Batinkoff becomes a daddy in "For Keeps"








Emmanuelle Beart in title role of "Nathalie"


Jack Black is a conductor in public service spot for oceans




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