Other items in this column include:
*Jewish community coronavirus news
*San Diego County Judaica
*Political bytes
SAN DIEGO — Members of our community have been sharing their thoughts about this unusual Passover via emails and social media. We are pleased to pass along some of them:
*Rabbi Joshua Dorsch of Tifereth Israel Synagogue says, “One of the many things that Passover teaches us is that amidst the darkness, and challenging moments in our lives, together, we will persevere. We will emerge from the struggle and the challenges before us, stronger and more connected together.” Along with Tifereth Israel staff members Michelle Barbour, Amy Stanley, Beth Klareich, and Alissa Messian, he performed in a video parodying Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham: “I do not want you in my house/ I do not want you or your spouse/ I do not wish to eat with you/ At Seder one or Seder Two/ Don’t get me wrong: I think you’re nice/ but the CDC gave out this advice:/ You must avoid one plague more/ And shoo Elijah from your door./ At next year’s seder, we will tell/ How we were all saved by Purell.”
*Carine Chitayat, one of the leaders of the Adopt a Family Foundation, shared in a message to friends this thought: “After losing my father, my mother found her strength even more so in Judaism. She started talking about her Shabbat menu beginning on Tuesdays. Shabbat helped her get through this hard time, and tradition helped her structure her life. Since we have been sheltering-in-place, have been focusing myself on getting the house ready for Passover. Although it is not obvious to find the motivation, it has also helped me find strength.”
*Cantor Cheri Weiss of San Diego Outreach Synagogue comments, “We celebrate our freedom from bondage in a time when our freedom of movement is limited. But our freedom to make choices, to celebrate our Jewish holidays without oppression, and to say “thank you” for the blessings that we do have all still exist.”
*David Rafsky and Janice Steinberg, in an article in today’s San Diego Union-Tribune, coin the word ‘Zeder” to describe a seder conducted via Zoom, which so many of us were required to do because of the pandemic.
*In a joint letter, Jim Farley, president and CEO of the Leichtag Foundation, and Charlene Seidle, Leichtag executive vice president wrote, “This week, we welcome the beginning of Passover. There are clear connections between our current experiences and the themes of the Passover story – plague, captivity, yearning for better times. But another highly relevant Jewish ritual starts this week. Counting the Omer—literally counting the days between Passover and the festival of Shavuot, seven weeks later—guides us to acknowledge each day, note the passing of time, and reorient ourselves to our newfound freedom from slavery. There’s another side to all the counting in these unusual days. What if instead of counting toilet paper rolls, we counted the numbers of lives we’ve impacted for the good? Elders we have called. Neighbors to whom we’ve waved a warm, socially distant hello. Vulnerable people for whom our giving has put food on the table.”
*Sheila Orysiek, a member of Temple Emanu-El, drew the image of Jochebed putting Moses into the Nile, “hoping this will save his life as she sends him on the beginning of his long journey through history.”
*Pssst! Need a Haggadah for tonight or tomorrow night? Rabbi Mendy Begun of Chabad of Chula Vista reports you can download one in Hebrew and English by clicking here.
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Jewish community coronavirus news
*Congresswoman Susan Davis says she has introduce legislation to amend the CARES act, which is providing $500 per child under 17, to also provide similar relief for children under 19 as well as for students under 25. Additionally her bill would eliminate the age limit for dependents who are disabled.
*San Diego City Councilwoman Barbara Bry, continuing her regular coronavirus reports to the community. said, “As a businesswoman who has signed the front of the paycheck, I feel for these owners who are impacted by COVID-19 and am determined to be an advocate. Some takeaways from our our meeting (with small business owners): (1) More than just restaurants are open, so if you are looking for toys, clothing or other goods, curbside pick-up is a great way to support local businesses. (2) We need to do better to distribute fiscal relief resources; programs and funding are only as good as accessibility. (3) Small business insurance is being tested like never before, and based on what I heard, failing to meet the moment. (4) COVID-19 will be felt by our community long after it is no longer a health threat. Even with the federal stimulus and other help, many businesses will not survive.”
*Joe Leventhal, a candidate for San Diego City Council in the 5th District, has launched a website called SanDiegoTogether.org which he conceptualized “as I was searching for ways I could give back to my community, protect my family, and enrich my children’s distance learning experience during this unprecedented coronavirus crisis. This website houses links to that information and much more at one, user-friendly location for anyone in the community to access.”
*Joan and Irwin Jacobs of La Jolla are major funders of the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell institute housed at Cornell Tech in New York City, where some post-doctoral fellows are tackling COVID 19. Among them are Server A. Ertem and Rebecca Brachman, who are developing a test “to determine if a patient has developed sufficient immunity against the coronavirus to return to public life.” Along with other post-doctoral fellows, they will participate in a webinar at 9 a.m., Monday, April 13, for which one may register via this link.
*Going on-line during the pandemic, the Oceanside Museum of Art is offering a free online adults-only lecture about art being censored over the years at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 16, for people who register via this website. So what’s Jewish about this? The advertisement for the lecture features a censored photo of Michelangelo’s famous sculpture of the biblical David.
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*A video featuring the family of Rabbi Jeremy Gimbel of Congregation Beth Israel singing “Quarantine, We’re in Quarntine” is going viral. You can see it above.
*Jeanne Shenkman, a Seacrest Village Retirement Community resident, passed along this joke, found within a collection of Internet memes: Son: “Why is my sister’s name Paris?” Dad: “Because we conceived her in Paris.” Son: “Thanks dad.” Dad: “No problem Quarantine.”
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San Diego County Judaica
What could be a more appropriate example of treasured Judaica than a favorite Haggadah on this first night of Passover.? Doris Jaffe favors us with hers. Becky Bar-Lev Henning, Learning Center Director at Ner Tamid Synagogue, took a photo of her two boys Dashiell and Jason Henning with pillowcases they hand-lettered for Pesach. We’re supposed to recline during the seder, right (?), so pillow cases really make great sense as well as being memorable examples of home-made Judaica. Craig Parks, youth director at Temple Solel, shares with us silver candle sticks and a kiddush cup that he and his wife Rachel registered for some 18 years ago for their marriage. Along with their two children they enjoy using them every Shabbat.
Political bytes
*Bernie Sanders dropped out of the presidential race while saying his “Progressive” movement will continue. While Vice President Joe Biden’s nomination is all but assured, Sanders said in a televised address he wants to keep collecting delegates to the Democratic National Convention so as to influence that organization’s platform and rules. Afterwards, he said, the party could go on together to defeat incumbent President Donald Trump.
*Democrats Georgette Gomez and Todd Gloria, respectively candidates for Congress and for mayor of San Diego, are calling for expanded voting by mail. Concerning the Democratic primary election in Wisconsin, Gomez messaged: “The Republicans’ efforts to force in-person voting in Wisconsin yesterday was totally reprehensible. This is much bigger than politics, and we cannot force the American people to choose between their health and participating in our democracy. … As you may know, a handful of states like Oregon and Washington already hold elections entirely with mail-in ballots. Unfortunately, mail-in ballot laws are not as friendly in other parts of the United States. It’s going to require an overwhelming, nationwide push to move this forward, and I need your help to get the ball rolling.” Gloria messaged: “Yesterday, we saw voters in Wisconsin risk their health and wait in hours-long lines just in order to exercise their right to vote. But voters should not have to choose between their safety and their vote. … Here in California, you can be a temporary or permanent mail voter and vote from the safety of your own home. While the Stay At Home Order may be well behind us in November, coronavirus will still be circulating in our communities. Voting by mail is one way to lower your risk. Now is a great time to complete your application to vote by mail.”
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com