Other items in today’s column include:
*Jewish community coronavirus news
*Survivors’ family reacts to ‘The Windermere Children’
*Political bytes
*San Diego Judaica
*In memoriam
SAN DIEGO — Approximately $2 million has been raised for the San Diego Jewish Community Emergency Fund, created by the Jewish Community Foundation, the Leichtag Foundation, and the Jewish Federation of San Diego County, professionals of those three organizations noted Monday in a Zoom conference. However, more will be needed, according to Beth Sirull, the president and CEO of the Jewish Community Foundation. “The pandemic has the makings of a real humanitarian nightmare,” she said, noting that as people are thrown out of work, they are struggling to meet such basic needs as purchasing foods and medicines.
Charlene Seidle, executive vice president of the Leichtag Foundation, said the initial priorities for the fund are to meet the basic needs of the most vulnerable members of the Jewish community, and this is being done via grants to Jewish Family Service and to San Diego Gmach (Gift Closet). Additionally interest-free loans have been made so far to five Jewish organizations to safeguard their employees’ salaries. These are the Lawrence Family JCC, Hillel of San Diego, Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School, Hope Village (for adults with mental disabilities), and Torah High Schools of San Diego.
Darren Schwartz, chief program officer for the Jewish Federation of San Diego County, said there have been some “heart wrenching” stories that have become known to the Federation, which has volunteers telephoning seniors over the ae of 80 to make wellness checks. About 1,400 seniors have been contacted so far, and the age for calls is now being lowered to 70. He said the pandemic has affected the poor and the wealthy. For example, there was one couple that for two days had been unable to find food for two days; Federation arranged for a delivery that same day. In Rancho Santa Fe, a wealthy suburb, a couple who are donors to the community found themselves in quarantine and without their primary care giver. Federation arranged to have food brought to their house as well. Additionally, said Schwartz, there was a Holocaust survivor, who herself was doing okay, but because their caretaker could no longer come to their house, had to become the emergency caretaker for her 96-year-old husband. Federation is arranging assistance.
Sirull said that the money being donated to the emergency fund is utilized strictly for the San Diego County Jewish community. The Jewish Community Foundation has other funds with which to help members of the secular community, she said.
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Jewish community coronavirus news
*In an email to fellow members of the Jewish Historical Society of San Diego, Laurel Schwartz commented that moving through “one of our most collectively profound life experiences” has given her (and husband Stan Schwartz) a sense of “what our parents and grandparents may have experienced in their lifetimes.” She added: “Here are some rosier moments I’ve had during past several weeks. (1) Walking through the neighborhood and meeting neighbors (from a distance) whom we’ve never met before; (2) Parents spending more time with their children; (3) Children making magical and hopeful chalk drawings on their sidewalks and driveways; (4) Neighbors checking in to see if we’re OK or need anything; (5) Having facetime stories with children who look forward to something special in their day. (6) People setting up holiday lights and blow-up characters outside to brighten everyone’s day. (7) Getting email jokes and stories from friends just to make you smile. (8) People working long hours and putting themselves at risk so the rest of us can have food and supplies. (9) And this (image below):
*While they kept the prescribed social distance, the family of James Levinson brought flowers to his mother, Ruth Levinson, an octogenarian who has been observing the quarantine considered especially necessary for the elderly. Sandi Masori happened by to capture the driveway scene.
*San Diego City Council 5th district candidate Joe Leventhal volunteered for the San Diego Food Bank, distributing canned goods at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on Friday during an event in which an estimated 1,000 families picked up food. He did not have any conversations with people who picked up food because “the protocol required the families to stay in their cars with their windows up for safety. But there were a ton of smiles, hands together in a prayer form while mouthing ‘thank you.’ If I put the food in the hatchback of a car (instead of a trunk), I always said ‘Good morning’ to the families just to provide a little cheer and social interaction. I got a lot of ‘thank you so much’ and ‘G-d bless you,’ back.
*Diane Benaroya, publisher of L’Chaim San Diego Magazine, offered these thoughts on having Passover during the coronavirus pandemic. She attributed it to a friend in Israel: ” Why is this night different from all other nights? On all other nights we open the door to Elijah. On this night we keep the door firmly shut as we are social distancing. On all other nights we dip for the 10 plagues. On this night we do not need to remind ourselves of another 9. One is quite sufficient, thank you On all other nights we hide the afikomen. On this night we hide a roll of toilet paper. Blessed is he who finds this treasure. On all other nights we eat bitter herbs. On this night lemon, honey and ginger to ward off chesty coughs and colds. Next year in Jerusalem as we are definitely not going to China! Happy and Healthy Pesach to all!”
*Yosef Condiotti, San Diego regional director of StandWithUs, alerted friends vie email of a live interview with Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, chief rabbi emeritus of the British Empire. Rabbi Sacks noted in a Dickensian contrast that the pandemic has been the best of times and the worst of times. Some people are flouting the social distancing rules and also hording, while others are helping each other. He mentioned that his 8-year-old granddaugther went up and down her street knocking on doors and telling neighbors her family’s address and to knock at her door if ever they need help. The rabbi also praised a plan of Israelis to go out on their balconies together on Wednesday night (the first night of Passover) so that children can sing together the song asking why this night is different from all others. For people who are having a hard time with isolation, Rabbi Sacks recommended that they find on the Internet a video with five tips for withstanding loneliness by Natan Sharansky, the former prisoner of conscience in the Soviet Union who later became an important Israeli political leader and head of the Jewish Agency for Israel. (The video may be seen above.)
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Survivors’ family reacts to ‘The Windermere Children’
Roxanne Schindler Katz is one of four children of Holocaust survivors Rose Schindler and the late Max Schindler, the others being her brothers Jeff Schindler, Steven Schindler and Ben Schindler. After the Holocaust, Max was one of 300 orphaned children who went to England to the town of Windermere to recover from the trauma, as dramatized last night on KPBS in the documentary ‘The Windermere Children.’ Roxanne, who watched the film with her husband Norm Katz, said: “I was in tears many times throughout the movie. I did not realize that it was so traumatic and difficult for the Holocaust survivor children to feel safe and secure again. I did not realize that so many of the survivor children had recurring nightmares like my father had. My father had a hard time sleeping for the rest of his life.
“My father shared a little bit with us about his experiences in Windermere,” she continued in a Facebook exchange with San Diego Jewish World. “He, along with his brother, Alfred, were in quarantine while they were in Windermere for the first few weeks because they had tuberculosis. When the children saw extra bread on the table for the first time, they did all take extra and put it into their pockets. They did not know when they would have their next meal. This changed quickly as they were given 3 meals a day. Oscar Friedmann (who served as the children’s adult leader) was truly concerned for the health and well being of each child in Windermere.” She added that the dramatization closely followed the stories she had heard about Windermere, for example: “I knew some of the children went into town in their undergarments before their new clothing arrived. I knew they all got their own rooms with beds, blankets and pillows.”
Ben Schindler commented that he “thought it was excellent, very close to my father Max and his brother Alfred’s story. The nightmares are real and they never subsided in Dad. And I somehow inherited a Nazis are at the front door recurring nightmare. I was not there of course, neither in a camp or at Windermere, but my soul feels directly connected and impacted, somehow.”
Steve Schindler said, “I was tear-filled for the entire program; so sad for what my father had to endure and so thankful that Leonard Montefiore and the Committee For The Care of Children From The Camps believed they could rehabilitate these 732 children. It was a reminder of the goodness of people, our ability to overcome the worst, our ignorance and our potential to hate. I was so glad to see that my dad, just having turned 16 before arriving in Windermere, was in such a supportive and beautiful environment to help him once again believe that there’s good in the world. I have digital copies of records from Oscar Freidmann with notes about my dad and my Uncle Fred (his older brother). I’ve been journeying back for nearly 10 years to my father’s hometown to get to know more about him and the community of his youth. This has led to the co-founding of generationE.org whose mission is to inspire today’s generation of schoolchildren to reject hate and be Upstanders. My father’s experience at that moment couldn’t be more real than it is now for me. And I’m so grateful.”
Max’s widow, Rose Schindler, said she thought the dramatization was great, even though it made her cry. She said that a total of 732 children were flown from Prague to the United Kingdom, with Max in the first group and her in the last group. Whereas he was sent to Windermere, she was sent to a village in Scotland. They didn’t meet until the end of 1946 following a consolidation of the program when they both were assigned to Bedford, England. Max already had a girl friend when they met there, but Rose and her future husband started dating after they both left Bedford to live in London in residences about five miles apart. They considered going to Palestine, but Max said he did not want to go from one war to another, especially when he had relatives in the United States willing to sponsor them. The Schindlers were married in 1950, two years after they were engaged. “We invited all the survivors to the wedding,” including those whose stories were dramatized in the PBS documentary, Rose told me.
The stories of Rose and Max are told in their joint memoir, Two Who Survived, available through their son Ben, who may be contacted via this email.
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Political bytes
*RunWomenRun included four Jewish women in its congratulations for making the Nov. 3 runoffs for local elected offices. They included Sara Jacobs (53rd CD); Kate Schwartz (75th Assembly District), Sarah Davis (78th Assembly District) and Barbara Bry (San Diego Mayoral race). On the other hand, it congratulated the opponents of two other Jewish candidates: City Attorney Mara Elliott (opposed by Cory Briggs) and 5th District San Diego City Council candidate Marni von Wilpert (opposed by Joe Leventhal.) The group did not mention the runoff that Terra Lawson-Remer will be in against incumbent County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar.
*Congressional candidate Georgette Gomez (53rd CD) messages: “COVID-19 has changed so many things, but it has also shined a bight light on the inequities in our systems. It has shined a light on our absolute need for healthcare for all and the importance of addressing economic equity. And this crisis has made it clear that we need leaders who will put our communities first. While my day to day focus as President of the San Diego City Council is to steward us safely throuth this trying time, I am also dedicated–now more than ever–to becoming one of those leaders.”
*The group known as Jews Choose Trump has issued its political Dayenu (it would be enough) prayer for Passover. It is as follows: “As the Israeli ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer said: ‘It is true that in every generation they rise up against us…But it is a rare thing- a very rare thing- a president like President Trump and an administration like the Trump administration- it doesn’t happen every generation. It may happen once in many, many generations.’ If President Trump had only banned travel from China thus stopping the Angel of Death- Dayenu; If President Trump had only moved the US embassy to Jerusalem- Dayenu; If President Trump had only recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan- Dayenu; If President Trump had only recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley-Dayenu; If President Trump had only recognized Israeli sovereignty over areas in Judea and Samaria- Dayenu; If President Trump had only appointed Nikki Haley as Ambassador to the UN-Dayenu; If President Trump had only closed the PLO office in Washington DC- Dayenu; If President Trump had only stopped giving US tax dollars to the PLO- Dayenu; If President Trump had only been the first sitting US President to pray at the Western Wall-Dayenu; If President Trump had only cancelled the disastrous Obama Iran nuclear deal-Dayenu; If President Trump had only placed crushing sanctions on Iran-Dayenu; If President Trump had only insisted that the ICC not target Israeli soldiers and diplomats- Dayenu; If President Trump has only banned the BDS founder from entering the US- Dayenu. For all of these blessings, we thank President Trump- the most pro-Israel president in American history.”
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San Diego County Judaica
Our collection continues with Devorah Shore of La Jolla standing with a collection of hamsas handcrafted by her son, Michael Rabin.ael Rabin, during one of his most challenging times. “BH, Michael is now living an independent meaningful life. Rand Levin, executive director of Beth Jacob Congregation in the (SDSU) College area pictures himself with the tefillin that he wears for “daily morning prayers” now in solitude. “For those of us who thrive on being an integral part of a daily minyan, this new reality has been difficult,” he comments.
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In memoriam
*Beth Jacob Congregation announced the death of Sylvia Finkel, mother of Mrs. Judy Kelin and grandmother of Chava Simon and Denise Mark, who will be sitting shiva today through Erev Pesach.
*Josi (Zebowitz) Steinberg, 73, died following a battle with cancer Sunday, April 5, surrounded by family, Am Israel Mortuary announced. She is survived by Robert “Bob” Steinberg, her husband of 50 years, children Jodee Steinberg and Adam Steinberg, as well as by siblings Sophie Doman and Barry Zebkowitz, and two grandchildren Tyler Steinberg and Brooke Cotten. No funeral service is planned, however, the family suggested donations in her memory to the Hadassah Hospital in Israel for breast cancer research.
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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.