(Column 26; March 14, 2011: Events listed in chronological order)
Compiled by Donald H. Harrison
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ISRAEL AND SAN DIEGO
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Dr. Eli Lewis of Ben Gurion Univerity of the Negev will discuss exciting developments in the fight against diabetes at 2:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 15, at Ner Tamid Synagogue. 15318 Pomerado Road, Poway.
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T.E.A.M. San Diego, an Israel advocacy group, will hold a discussion at 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 16, on “The Double Standard Against Israel and the U.N.”
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Avi Melamed, who often lectures to Jewish Federation missions in Israel about security affairs, comes to San Diego for a presentation 7 p.m. Thursday evening, March 24 at Congregation Beth El on the topic “The Middle East 2011: Smoking Volcano, Fertile Land.” Tickets are $10 for the lecture cosponsored by Friends of the Israel Defense Forces and the Jewish Federation of San Diego County.
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Lawrence Baron, history professor at San Diego State University, will speak March 29 in Akko, Israel, on the Holocaust film history in an all day conference cosponsored by Haifa University and Western Galilee College. A flyer for the conference mistakenly identifies Baron as being a faculty member at the University of San Diego.
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Ralphs at 8677 Via La Jolla Drive will be the scene of a Buy Israel Goods demonstration sponsored by the San Diego Israel Coalition from 5:330 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 30, to counter a planned boycott by Israel’s enemies.
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The House of Israel is in the process of packing up its exhibits to make ready for a complete renovation which, when finished, will permit the Balboa Park attraction to present a more modern, high tech, presentation on life in Israel today.
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LOCAL JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS
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Agency for Jewish Education sponsors lectures on the Middle East by Sandy Lakoff, UCSD professor emeritus of political science, at 8:30 p.m., Monday, March 14 at the Carlsbad Dove Library, and at 11:45 a.m., Wednesday, March 16, at the Coronado Library.
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Lawrence Family JCC’s Senior Adult Department has scheduled Dr. Edwin Chen to discuss how aging affects the eye at 10:15 a.m., Friday, March 18. Bagels and coffee will be served after the $2.50-per-ticket program. … The Senior program also plans to sponsor a model Passover seder for seniors at noon, Thursday, April 7, at the JCC. Rabbi Scott Meltzer of Ohr Shalom Synagogue will lead.
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Beth Israel Men’s Club is sponsoring a blood drive 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. during its March 20 Purim carnival. Donors will receive a T-shirt as well as a ticket for the club’s next deli dinner event. Another carnival tzedakah project: “Bring new pajamas and/or new books to help kids in foster homes and shelters through the Pajama Program and PJ Drive.” Other features of the carnival will include new grames, raffle prizes, “wrestling with Haman,” jumpies, food and snacks.
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Purim will be celebrated Mexican style, with a mariachi band, and kosher Mexican cuisine, at the Chabad of La Costa at 1980 La Costa Avenue, at 5 p.m., Sunday, March 20.
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Yale Strom, artist in residence at the Jewish Studies Program of San Diego State University, presents an original cantata on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, which spurred the development of the American labor movement. The original work will be presented at 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 23, in Rhapsody Hall of the Music Buidling on the SDSU campus. The work will be reprised at 7 p.m., Sunday, April 10, at old Temple Beth Israel in the Heritage Park section of Old Town San Diego.
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Among the speakers participating in the 10 a.m., Thursday, March 24, dedication of Louis Rose Point will be the Honorary Consul of Germany, Dr. Stephan Hollmann. The event will help to inaugurate a sister-school relationship for elementary schools students in Neuhaus-an-der-Oste, where Louis Rose grew up, and Cabrillo Elementary School in the Point Loma area. Rose laid out the Roseville section of Point Loma and his daughter, Henrietta Rose, was the first teacher at Roseville Elementary school, the predecessor of Roseville Elementary School. Cosponsors are the Jewish Federation of San Diego County and the Louis Rose Society for the Preservation of Jewish History. (For related stories see my columns about Louis Rose Point.)
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Tifereth Israel Sisterhood is stocking up the Conservative synagogue’s giftshop with such Passover items as seder plates, Haggadot, fun bag of plagues, jumping and flying frogs, salt water and horseradish containers, and cookbooks…. The Men’s Club gets together at 6 p.m., Thursday, March 24, to view the Sweet 16 portion of the NCAA basketball tournament at K&B Wine Cellars at Windmill Farms, 6380 Del Cerro Blovd.
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HELPING THE COMMUN ITY, PROTECTING THE PUBLIC
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Congregation Beth Am has a special Purim project: delivery of Purim baskets to Holocaust survivors of Russian origin, many of whom are in financial distress. The Matanot Laevyonim project is being coordinated by Jewish Family Service and by Rabbi Matthew Earne.
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Gail Littman has been promoted from director of endowments to vice president for endowments and communications of the Jewish Community Foundation. Active in the San Diego County Jewish community, including a volunteer role as president of Temple Adat Shalom, Littman joined the Foundation staff in 2000.
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Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School has been moving equipment to protect children’s health. The current issue of the school’s newsletter Kolenu explains; “After a concern was raised by a parent that the fumes generated by the laminating film may be harmful to children, we have moved our laminating (and our brave laminator) out of doors, in order to best protect our children. We are proud to be one of the first schools in the U.S. to do so,and appreciate parents calling our attention to anything which will make Hebrew Day School a better place for our children.”
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Tifereth Israel Synagogue notes that it recently installed a railing up the steps to its side entrance and Chapel “to better assist our seniors and young children.” The congregation added in its Shofar newsletter: “We are actively involved in looking at additional modifications for th benefit of our handicapped worshippers, particularly as it pertains to our sanctuary.”
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JEWS IN THE GENERAL COMMUNITY
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U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) has successfully steered legislation through the Senate saying in the event the federal government is unable to pass its budget, neither members of Congress nor the President will receive a paycheck until after the budget is enacted.
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District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis has announced plans to run for mayor of San Diego. She said that one of her themes will be getting people to work together, citing how she pulled together the DA’s office into a working unit after it had been angrily divided during the time of her predecessor.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted at donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com