Other items in this column include:
*Jewish community coronavirus news
*San Diego County Judaica
*Recommended reading
*In memoriam
SAN DIEGO — As it stands today, two local Jewish candidates are leaders in their respective political races, while six others finished in second places — good enough to make the Nov. 3 runoff election.
In first place position for the Nov. 3 runoff are Sara Jacobs, who will face Georgette Gomez in the 53rd Congressional District, and Bernie Rhinerson who will be opposed by Daniel Piedra.
In second place positions are Kate Schwartz in the 75th Assembly District, opposing incumbent Assemblywoman Marie Waldron; Sarah Davis, opposing City Councilman Chris Ward in the 78th Assembly District; Terra Lawson-Remer who opposes incumbent County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar; Barbara Bry who competes with Assemblyman Todd Gloria to be mayor of San Diego; Cory Briggs, who seeks to upset incumbent City Attorney Mara W. Elliott, and Joe Leventhal who is matched against Mrni Von Wilpert.
From the federal level through state, county and community college races to those in the City of San Diego, here are the totals from the March 3 primary election, as reported by the San Diego County Registrar of Voters — with another 1,500 ballots from throughout the county remaining to be counted, but not expected to change these outcomes.
53rd Congressional District: Sara Jacobs 58,183 votes or 29.13 percent; Georgette Gomez 39,875 votes or 19.87 percent; Chris Stoddard 25,915 votes or 12.98 percent; Janessa Goldbeck 17,003 votes or 8.52 percent; Famela Ramos 14,764 or 7.50 percent; Michael Patrick Oristian 14,764 votes or 7.39 percent; Tom Wong 7.244 votes or 3.63 percent; Annette Meza 4,437 votes or 2.22 percent; Joseph R. Fountain 4,026 votes or 2.02 percent; Jose Caballero 3,217 votes or 1.61 percent; Jaquin Vazques 3,068 votes or 1.54 percent; John Brooks 2,808 votes or 1.41 percent; Fernando Garcia 1,826 votes or 0.91 percent; Suzette Santori 1,613 votes or 0.81 percent, and Eric Roger Kutner 733 votes or O.3 percent.
75th Assembly District: Marie Waldron 52,829 votes or 55.26 percent of the total votes cast; Kate Schwartz 37,402 or 39.12 percent, and Roger Garcia 5,369 votes or 5.62 percent.
78th Assembly District: Chris Ward 69,003 votes or 55.65 percent of the votes cast; Sarah Davis 34,314 votes or 27.67 percent; and Micah Perlin 20,684 votes or 16.68 percent.
San Diego Community College District B: Bernie Rhinerson 33,680 votes or 67.35 percent of the votes cast; Daniel Piedra 16,327 votes or 32.65 percent.
San Diego County Board of Supervisors, District 3: Kristin Gaspar 72,445 votes or 42.82 percent of the votes cast; Terra Lawson-Remer 52,792 votes or 31.20 percent; and Olga Diaz 43,944 votes or 25.97 percent.
San Diego Mayor: Todd Gloria 147,342 or 41.49 percent of the votes cast; Barbara Bry 81,346 votes or 22.91 percent; Scott Sherman 80,149 or 22.57 percent; Gita Appelbaum Singh 12,660 votes or 3.57 percent; Rich Riel 8,067 votes or 2.27 percent.
San Diego City Attorney: Mara W. Elliott 208,300 votes or 67.87 percent of the votes cast; Cory Briggs 71,475 votes or 23.29 percent; Pete Mesich 27,142 votes or 8.84 percent.
San Diego City Council, District 5: Marni Von Wilpert 18,054 or 39.80 percent of the votes cast; Joe Leventhal 16,745 votes or 36.91 percent; Isaac Wang 8,377 votes or 19.26 percent, and Simon Moghadam 1,830 votes or 4.03 percent.
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Jewish community coronavirus news
*Cantor Hanan Leberman, from his home in Israel, offered a mini-concert Wednesday from his kitchen during which he sang in German, English, Italian, and Hebrew. The English selection was “Cheek to Cheek,” made famous by Fred Astaire. The cantor found a soup ladle to use as an imitation microphone. Leberman serves as cantor during special occasions at Tifereth Israel Synagogue of San Diego.
*Yale Strom and Elizabeth Schwartz, husband and wife, played and sang Yiddish melodies during via Internet Wednesday from teir San Diego home. They typically perform together on stage as part of the klezmer group Hot P’Strom’i.
*Rabbi Devorah Marcus messaged this reflection: “I have always taught in my classes that wisdom is being able to hold rivaling truths at the same time in comfortable dissonance. For example, right now I am delighting in the time I’ve had to work from home so that I can be sharing in more meaningful time with my husband and dog as I never get to see them often enough. At the same time, I am grieving daily that the most natural thing in the world to me, to greet other people with hugs is no longer an option. I feel both content and lonely at the same time on a daily basis.”
*Eva Trieger passes along this gem: “Because of the severe Covid 19 problem, the load of horseradish for the seders is stranded at Madrid airport. So unfortunately, the chrain in Spain stays mainly on the plane.”
*We know what some San Diegans were doing during the pandemic — they were reading San Diego Jewish World! According to the independent Webalizer service, SDJW was read by 257,702 visitors during the month of March, an average of 8,312 readers per day. Our thanks to our readers, and to the wonderful writers whose works keep those readers coming back day after day!
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San Diego County Judaica
In our continuing exhibition of photos of Judaica from the homes of members of our San Diego County Jewish community, we offer a picture of Rabbi Rafi Andrusier, spiritual leader of Chabad of East County, with a portrait of his spiritual mentor, the late Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Andrusier noted the portrait is “near our door, so every time we leave the house we remind ourselves that we serve as the Rebbe’s ambassadors to our community to bring light, love , goodness and kindness and teach Torah with the people around us.” In the photo below, my daughter Sandi Masori collects hamsahs, which go back among Jews to biblical times, and to times even before that throughout the Middle East. Even though Sandi is not superstitious, she likes to feel that the amulets are protecting her and her two sons, Shor, 18, and Sky, 13. The hamsahs were hand painted by Idit Schwartz of Rehovot, Israel, who has a company called Idit Designs.
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Recommended reading
*Moshe Dann in The Jerusalem Post tells of the development of the Haggadahs read during Passover seders.
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In memoriam
Helen Cohen, 99, died Tuesday, March 31, Am Israel Mortuary reported. Rabbi David Castiglione and Cantor Lori Wilinsky Frank will officiate at her funeral at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 2, at the Vista Del Sol Jewish Lawn, El Camino Memorial Park, 5600 Carroll Canyon Road, San Diego.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com. Obituaries in San Diego Jewish World are sponsored by Inland Industries Group LP in memory of long-time San Diego Jewish community leader Marie (Mrs. Gabriel) Berg.