(Column 6, January 8, 2011)
The Education Beat
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Send your kid to preschool and he or she is less likely to become a criminal. So said District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and Republican State Sen. Mark Wyland on a tour of the David & Jillian Gilmour Early Education Campus. According to a press release from Dumanis: “Research shows tht preschool is one of the most effective crime-prevention strategies around. A study of 3- and 4-year olds enrolled in the government-funded Child-Parent Centers in Chicago and similar children not in the program found that those who did not participate were 70 percent more likely to be arreste for a violent crime. In a similar study of the High Scope/ Perry Preschool program, at risk children who did not attend preschool were five times more likely to be a chronic lawbreaker by age 27.”
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From ancient times, males have worried about castration – and this concern has shown up in many different kinds of literature, including the Bible, says Prof. William Propp of UCSD. He’ll be discussing evidence of this concern from an Egyptian story, circa 1500 BCE, as well as in stories from Roman-era Syria and medieval China. Additionally he will discuss the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife from Genesis, as well as another hint of this in the Book of Esther. His lecture, under the aegis of the Agency for Jewish Education (AJE), will be at 8:30 p.m., Jan. 24, at the Carlsbad Dove Library, 1775 Dove Lane.
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On Sunday, January 30, the AJE is sponsoring an all-day event of Jewish learning at the Lawrence Family JCC called Yom Limmud. The day features a varied and interesting assortment of speakers. Here’s the lineup: Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Dan Halutz, former Chief of Staff of the IDF; Dr. Raphael Zarum, Head of the London School of Jewish Studies; Dr. Stephen Berk of Holocaust and Jewish Studies, Union College, Schenectady, NY.; Dr. Rachel Korazim, the former Academic Director of Distance Learning programs at the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) Department of Education; Rabbi Dr. Bradley Shavit Artson holds the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean’s Chair at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies of American Jewish University; Seth Glass, composer, songwriter and singer who toured with Reb Shlomo Carlebach, z”l; Samuel Klein, Executive Director of The Coexistence Trust; Dr. Rachel Adler, Professor of Modern Jewish Thought and Judaism and Gender at Hebrew Union College; Professor Leonardo Leiderman is Professor of Economics at the Berglas School of Economics, Tel Aviv University, and the Chief Economic Advisor of Bank Hapoalim; Roz Rothstein, national director of StandWithUs, an international education organization that ensures that Israel’s story is told in communities, campuses, the media and more; Professor Ethan Hollander of political science, Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana; Rabbi Shai Cherry, Ellen Fox, Randall Fried, Elisheva Green, Jennifer Meltzer, Zeji Ozeri, Lee Schwimmer, and Tammy Vener. Additionally, there will be A panel of local rabbis discussing “God, Torah, and Israel: A Personal Conversation among Rabbis of Different Denominations” with Rabbi Michael Berk (Congregation Beth Israel), Rabbi Philip Graubart (Congregation Beth El), Rabbi Moishe Leider (Chabad of University City) and Rabbi Yael Ridberg (Congregation Dor Hadash). Moderated by Audrey Jacobs.
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Celebrations of Martin Luther King Day and Tu B’Shevat will be held together from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 19, at the Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School. “Supporting Israel, protecting dreams and teaching tolerance” will be among the themes of the evening. Parents also will be able to tour the classrooms of their children at the Orthodox school located at the corner of Aero and Afton Drives in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood of San Diego
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Congregation B’nai Tikvah is offering Hebrew School on Tuesdays from 4:15 to 6:15 p.m. “in response to the need of our families,” reports Wendy Oxenhorn, education chair. “We recognize that children have busy schedules and that weekends should be left for precious family time. Naomi Gabai-Fisher, the Hebrew School’s director, says “Our children love coming to Hebrew school. Through art, drama, Jewish cooking, historical accounts and holiday celebrations, we encourage our kids to be proud of their Jewish heritage and to incorporate it into their daily lives.” The temple is located on Melrose Avenue near State Route 78.
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His-story, Her-story
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston has been expanding the number of digitalized records freely available on the Internet. For example, follow this link if you want to research Kennedy’s relationship with Israel.
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Last Nov. 28, we posted a review of Kay Goldman’s book about a Jewish pioneer, Rebecca Mayer, With A Doll In One Pocket and a Pistol in the Other. Recently, we were gratified to hear from Joan Mayer Teller, Mayer’s granddaughter, of a San Diego connection. Teller and her late husband Jack Teller, Jr., lived in San Diego during the 1950s and founded Teller Appliances, Furniture and Television. Teller now lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
Jewish Organizations
At its annual meeting at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb 9, Jewish Family Service will pay tribute to some of its volunteers and staff members. Cathy Babin Weil will receive the Charles Zibbell Board Leadership Award; Shelly Hahne will be presented the Henrietta Rubenstein Staff Development Award; and three volunteers will be awarded the Jack Stern Volunteer Recognition Award. They are Radmila Fulton for the JFS Economic Crisis Response Program; Myrna Reese for On the Go, and Eleonore Lavender for Guiding Adolescent Parents. Board officers of JFS for 2011 are Felicia Mandelbaum, president; Jennifer Levitt, 1st Vice President; Mathew Fink, 2nd vice president; Edward J. Carnot, treasurer, and Steven Jacobson, secretary.
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Allen Miliefsky reports that Jewish War Veterans plan a short business meeting on Sunday, Jan. 9, in which new officers for Post 185 will be nominated. Featured entertainment will be the showing of the movie, Follow Me, about Israel’s 6-day war. JWV holds its meetings in the ground floor classrooms 1, 2, and 3 of Alvarado Hospital,6655 Alvarado Road, near the main entrance.
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Jews in the general community…
San Diego Coastkeeper will salute its director of 11 years, Bruce Reznik, and his efforts to protect both ocean and inland waters, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 25, at the URBN North Park, 2085 University Avenue, San Diego
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World