By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – This following column, with a format that is easier to read in a hurry, replaces the Editor’s E-Mail Box. It allows for recognition of members of our community in the diverse roles they play. If you, or a member of the Jewish community whom you know recently did something worthy of recognition, please email me with details at editor@sdjewishworld.com
TRUMP SHOUT-OUTS … Irving Lockler and Herman Zeitchiek were two of the American D-Day soldiers who President Donald Trump recognized during his State of the Union message, but they were not the only Jews who received shout outs. … Judah Samet, a Holocaust survivor who also survived the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh was introduced along with police officer Timothy Matson who was wounded responding to the Tree of Life shooting…. In that it was Samet’s 81st birthday Tuesday, attendees of the joint session of Congress sang to him “Happy Birthday.” … Zeitchiek came in for a second shout out as one of the soldiers who helped to liberate Dachau. He sat next to Joshua Kaufman, who was one of the Jewish prisoners at that Nazi camp.
NATIONAL/ INTERNATIONAL — Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has recovered from her recent cancer surgery well enough to attend in Washington a musical tribute to her, “The Notorious RBG in Song.” She watched from a back row … David Malpass, the treasury undersecretary for international affairs whom President Trump has tabbed to lead the World Bank, was vetted by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and presidential aide and daughter Ivanka Trump. … When it came to policy pronouncements, Rep. Susan Davis (D-California) wasn’t very impressed with President Trump’s State of the Union message on Tuesday. “While there are a few areas of agreement on which I would be willing to work with the President, he has yet to demonstrate the leadership skills to make them a reality,” she said. … StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein was pleased with the passage of Senate Bill 1 by the U.S. Senate. She said the measure seeks “to strengthen American national security in the Middle East by bolstering security cooperation with Israel and Jordan, important allies who stand on the front in helping the United States to combat ISIS, al-Qaeda and other terrorist threats, and to manage other dangers in the region … It also reaffirms the rights of states and local governments to counter the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement’s economic warfare that discriminates against Israel.” … Nitsana Darshan-Leitner of Shurat Hadin says her group, also known as the Israel Law Center, has notified 22 State Legislatures in the U.S. that Airbnb is in violation of each of their states’ anti-boycott laws. … Norm Coleman, chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said President Trump picked the right man in Elan Carr to serve as the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. “He is a principled, fierce fighter against injustice, oppression and hatred.” … Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger, a Jew by choice whose father was a Nazi officer honored with an iron cross by Adolf Hitler, told a Las Vegas meeting of the Israeli-American Council that he converted after the 1972 Munich Massacre of Israeli athletes. “We have to be mindful of the hatred of the other. We have to have the courage to stand up and respectfully disagree.”
EMAIL FROM I’RAEL –Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, died on Wednesday. Isaac Herzog, chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, said Eckstein had worked tireless on behalf of Jewish people, dealing with such issues as social welfare, Diaspora, and Aliyah …. Yossi Vaknin, who heads a United Hatzalah chapter, near the Kinneret, is pleased with new sonar equipment installed on the agency’s ambuboat. It enables rescuers to scan the bottom of the sea for bodies, while rescue personnel keep watch above the water for struggling swimmers. …
SUPER BOWL NACHAS – Super Bowl LIII’s Most Valuable Player was Julian Edelman, wide receiver for the New England Patriots…. Maroon 5’s Adam Levine was the star of the half-time show, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft basked in his team’s sixth Super Bowl victory. He also got what appeared to be a kiss on the cheek from winning quarterback Tom Brady.
*
Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com