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Community Currents
Southwestern Jewish Press, August 18, 1950, pages 2, 7

By Albert Hutler, Executive Director, United Jewish Fund

Jewish Education in San Diego—The second year of the Adult Institute for Jewish Studies sponsored by the Jewish Education Commission, will open on Wednesday, October 11, 1950, at Temple Beth Israel Center. In a preliminary discussion by the commission, it was planned to continue several of the courses which have been given in the past, and to introduce several new and interesting subjects. One of the possibilities is to bring to our community several important and outstanding lecturers and artists as part of the institute. Rabbi Cohn, Dean of the Institute, while Dr. A.P. Nasatir is in Europe, urges everyone to make plans to spend their Wednesday evenings at the Institute. One of the first cooperative ventures between the Synagogues and the Central Community Organization, the Institute attracted national attention on its opening some two years ago.

Convention Notes —Ben B'rithers, who have conventioned here recently, have now returned to their homes, speaking glowingly of San Diego's climate and hospitality. They did an excellent job while here, which included a resolution on Communism, which drew applause from the membership. Our congratulations go to Eddie Breitbard, as General Chairman, and his committee for the excellent job that was done, as well as for his election to the Executive Committee of the District.  Morrie Kraus, president of Lasker Lodge, worked like a beaver to help make the convention a success. As I listened to some of the discussions during several of the sessions, I wondered how many of our local Ben B'rithers, who were glowing with pride at the achievement of this great service organization, realize that the National Youth Service Appeal, the Anti-Defamation League, the Leo Levi Memorial Hospital are all supported, not only through B'nai B'rith, but by local Jewish Welfare Funds, such as the United Jewish Fund of San Deigo.

Duarte Sanatorium Serves Local People—Recently I have been studying some statistics about the Jewish Consumptive Relief association, which operates the "City of Hope" at Duarte, California, just outside of Los Angeles. You might be interested to know that in the last ten years, up until the end of 1949, some 14 patients were admitted to the Sanatorium from San Diego. However, since the beginning of 1950, there have been to date, five patients admitted to this fine Tuberculosis Sanitarium, three of whom are Jewish and two Christian. In 1950, it seems to me, that we may have to do some re-thinking on the place of the "City of Hope" in the local scene, and maybe for this year consider it as a local institution in making an allocation.

Social Club-Community Center—There has been a great deal of talk in the last several months, both pro and con, about a private social club for Jews of San Diego.  It begins to look like this will become a reality on a well chosen site in Mission Valley. Most communities throughout the country, some which are smaller than san Diego, have Jewish Social Clubs. Most of them, once organized, work for the best interest of the community as well as social life for its members. There really is a need in our community for some type of social existence outside of the United Jewish Fund, Synagogues, clubs and "at-home" parties, that make up our social life today. The "club" certainly can serve a good purpose for its members.  Those who are leading a drive for the new club are the first to admit that there is also a need for a Community Center in San Diego to meet the social  recreational and leisure time activity of the Jewish Community as a whole, which today are not being met by any organization or groups of organization. A beginning toward this effort must be made in the near future, they admit. Those of us who believe in Jewish Community Life, who try to be unselfish in our viewpoint, feel definitely the need for  a social club, a dignified and beautiful synagogue for the Orthodox in our community, a synagogue center containing classrooms and whatever else is necessary for Tifereth Israel, and its children, and a Jewish Community Center for the Jewish Community as a whole in which all groups, no matter what their beliefs may be, will be able to participate. There is no conflict between these aims except in the minds of those who can only see their own selfish interests.