By Donald H. Harrison
NATIONAL/ INTERNATIONAL –Nita Lowey and Richard Shelby, chairs respectively of the House and Senate Appropriations Committee, along with members of their committees, hammered out a tentative deal to avoid a second government shut down in the face of President Trump’s demand for a wall at the Mexican border. According to a story compiled by the San Diego Union-Tribune from The Washington Post and The New York Times, the lawmakers agreed Monday night to appropriate $1.375 billion for 55 miles of border barrier, and to place a cap on how many migrants may be detained within the United States. Of the compromise legislation, Lowey said, “Some may be happy, some may not be happy. We did the best we could.” There was no immediate word whether Trump would sign such a bill … Two members of Congress who have been instrumental in opposing expressions of anti-Semitism by Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib are Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Elaine Luria of Virginia. They circulated a letter “reiterating our rejection of anti-Semitism and our continued support for the State of Israel,” according to a story in The Washington Post. Rep. Eliot Engel, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee to which Omar was assigned, told the Post, “I fully expect that when we disagree on the Foreign Affairs Committee, we will debate policy on the merits and never question members’ motives or resort to personal attacks.” … San Diego attorney Judy Clarke appeared in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania federal court to represent Robert Bowers, the alleged neo-Nazi gunman in the last Oct. 27 Tree of Life Synagogue massacre in which 11 Jews were murdered as they gathered for prayer. Clarke, who has arranged plea deals for other mass shooters, said she hoped the matter could be disposed of without trial. The Associated Press reported that among Clarke’s previous clients was Jared Lee Loughner, who killed six people and wounded 13 others including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. … Food and Drug Commissioner Scott Gottlieb believes the FDA needs more policing power over supplements alleged to cure Alzheimer’s Disease. “We know there are effective therapies that can help patients with Alzheimer’s,” he told Sheila Kaplan of The New York Times. “But unproven supplements that claim to threat the disease but offer no benefits can prevent patients from seeking otherwise effective therapies.” … Marc Stern, general counsel for the American Jewish Committee, has filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court opposing the continuance of a 40-foot high concrete cross on a traffic island in Bladensburg, Maryland, saying the 90-year-plus symbol on public land violates separation of church and state. “The court should not adopt any of petitioners’ secular rationalization of the cross,” he said. “Any of these rationales would give governments carte blanche to erect new crosses.”
ISRAEL MATTERS – Ben Gurion University professor Shimon Rachmilevitch, Bayer Crop Science Division scientist Dr. Marc Rist, and Netafim’s corporate agronomy director, Dubi Raz, will lead research efforts on delivering water and chemical and biological crop protection products via drip irrigation, it was announced by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY – Former San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman has ended speculation that she will run for mayor. She announced today that she will take a position created by the Chancellor of National University being a special lecturer on law enforcement. She also will help the university buttress its program in public safety, Times of San Diego reported … Upon learning the California State Senate has approved the allocation of $5 million to assist the San Diego Rapid Response Network to provide shelter and other forms of aid to migrants, Michael Hopkins, CEO of Jewish Family Service (one of the agencies involved in the network), praised Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature, and according to Times of San Diego, added, “We look forward to working with the state to serve the needs of asylum-seeking families in San Diego County as they exercise their legal, human right to seek safety and protection from violence and persecution in their home countries.” … Orly Wahba, whose short film The Kindness Boomerang has received over 30 million views on YouTube, will be the featured speaker at 11:30 a.m., Sunday, Feb. 24 at the “Options” luncheon sponsored by the Jewish Federation of San Diego County at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines. The women’s event is co-chaired by Britney Ewing, Sylvia Geffen, and Jennifer Meltzer. … San Diegan Gretchen Burns Bergman of Moms United to End the War on Drugs campaign and Las Vegas resident Diane Goldstein of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership are urging lawmakers to rethink the way governments deal with drug abuse. Instead of criminalizing and stigmatizing drug use, they say, governments should adequately fund programs to address the opioid crisis, provide treatment on demand, offer therapeutic services, provide medically assisted treatment in and out of jail, and offer such services as syringe exchange, naloxone distribution, and safe consumption sites. Their “True Love Not Tough Love”campaign gets underway Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day.
SPORTS –Sportscaster Doug Adler, who was fired by ESPN in 2017 after commenting during the Australian Open that Venus Williams was using “guerrilla” tactics, has been reinstated by the network. The fuss was that some people confused “guerrilla” with “gorilla,” and thought mistakenly that Adler was being racist, according to a story by Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Times.
SIMCHAS/ AWARDS – Ninety-five years ago today, George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” had its premiere in New York. … Author Judy Blume, whose books for Young Adults include such titles as Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is 81 today. … Former Israeli Prime Minister and IDF Chief of Staff Ehud Barak is 77 today…. Israel Bonds will honor Wendy & Matthew Maschler at its International Prime Ministers Club Dinner on March 3 in Hollywood, Florida. The Israel71 Awardees not only are investors in Israel Bonds but are supporters of Frank McKinney’s Caring House Project Foundation, which builds homes for economically disadvantaged people and Yashar L’Chayal, a non-profit that supports Israel’s soldiers. … Chaplain Allison Kestenbaum, a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary now affiliated with UC San Diego Health, has received a $180,000 grant from Cambia Health Foundation to conduct a two-year project in the field of palliative care. She said when religious leaders and medical providers work together, “We can really help patients navigate difficult moral decisions and find relief from suffering.”
MAZAL TOV! — Rabbi Rafi and Chaya Andrusier of Chabad of East County announced today the birth of a daughter, who will be named at morning services on Thursday, Feb. 14.
OBITUARIES/ MEMORIALS – Comedian Sid Caesar, one of television’s comedy pioneers with Your Show of Shows, died five years ago today at age 91. … One year ago today, comedian Marty Allen died. He was a regular on the television show Hollywood Squares. According to Wikipedia, When the Beatles made their debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, Allen, who had a mop of hair, was also on the bill. He quipped. “I’m Ringo’s Mother.” … San Diego Union-Tribune cartoonist Steve Breen memorialized Walter Munk, the oceanographer who died this month at age 101, with a cartoon of a giant wave forming Munk’s head. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography giant was credited with helping the Allies to prepare for the Normandy Invasion of 1944 by predicting on which day Atlantic Ocean wave action would be optimal for landing crafts.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com