Other items in today’s column include:
*San Diego Zoom programming
*Political bytes
*Mazal tov! mazal tov!
SAN DIEGO — I call your attention to an article by Matthew Finkelstein reporting the anti-Semitism he encountered during a recent meeting of the San Diego County Democratic Central Committee when it was taking testimony on a proposed resolution seeking to curb anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism that will be voted upon on Tuesday.
The contempt that is showered on our people has been unremitting, not just here in San Diego but around the country. It is part of a process, conspired in by right-wing and left-wing extremists, to normalize Jew-hatred. Our community really needs to be on guard.
Some recent developments in California included a banner posted on Interstate 405 in Los Angeles contending that “Jews want a race war” and a battle looming before the State Board of Education over a proposed Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum that will focus on Arab-Americans but ignore the experiences of other peoples from the Middle East, including Mizrahi Jews. StandWithUs, among other pro-Israel organizations, is circulating a petition demanding fairness.
Elsewhere, a Chabad Center at the University of Delaware was set afire, causing property damage but no losses of life. Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden, an alumnus of that university, was quick to condemn the incident. At an Indiana high school, students lay prone on a gym floor in the configuration of a swastika, with their right arms raised in a Nazi salute. They were suspended for five days, but apparently will remain eligible for team sports. A bomb threat, which turned out to be a hoax, was telephoned to Brandeis University, a Massachusetts institution that was founded on Jewish communal auspices.
*
San Diego Zoom Programming
‘Tis he season to mark our calendars for some interesting Jewish events (by Zoom) in San Diego County.
Saturday, August 29, 7 p.m. — Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona will be a featured speaker at the San Diego County Democratic Party’s online Roosevelt Honors program. Others who will address the virtual gathering will be Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, and Secretary of State Alex Padilla. Shot at close range by an assailant at a 2011 political rally, Giffords since has been a spokesperson for sane gun laws. She will be introduced by San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott, who has been an active advocate of removing guns and ammunition from individuals who pose a threat to themselves or society at large. Kamala Harris, a U.S. senator from California, will be introduced by state Assemblyman Todd Gloria, a candidate for mayor of San Diego. More information available via this email.
Wednesday, Sept. 9, 6:30 – 8 p.m. — San Diego Mayoral candidates Barbara Bry and Todd Gloria square off in a Zoom debate to be moderated by Jason Bercovitz. Sponsors are the Beth Israel Men’s Club and the Reform congregation’s Social Action Committee. RSVP via this email.
Thursday, Sept. 10, 10-11 a.m. — The Jewish Community Foundation, in partnership with the Jewish Federation of San Diego County and the Leichtag Foundation will hold a forum on how well San Diego County has fared during the coronavirus pandemic. Among speakers will be Rabbi Simcha Weiser of Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School; Pam Ferris of Seacrest Village Retirement Communities; Michael Hopkins of Jewish Family Service of San Diego, and Betzy Lynch of the Lawrence Family JCC. Register via this website.
*
*
Political bytes
*53rd CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT — The Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association has endorsed Sara Jacobs to succeed retiring Congresswoman Susan Davis. The group issued a statement saying, “Sara Jacobs holds values central to our mission and our work, and will serve her constituents well in Washington, D.C. She has a proven track record of follow-through, being a strong advocate where needed, and a profound commitment to service to African Americans and other groups that are underserved.”
*SAN DIEGO CITY ATTORNEY — Challenger Cory Briggs has won two legal victories against incumbent San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott over ballot wording issues. Elliott tried to have the ballot designation of Briggs, an attorney, as a “taxpayer advocate” removed. A Superior Court judge decided in Briggs’ favor. He wanted language stricken from her ballot argument that she had been endorsed by The San Diego Union-Tribune, pointing out that endorsement had been in the primary election and that the newspaper had not yet endorsed in the general election. Before the issue could be decided in court, Elliott agreed to remove that language from her ballot argument.
*
Mazal tov! Mazal tov!
*Laurie Baron, Ph.D., celebrates his 500th “Humoring the Headlines” column today with a nostalgic look back at some of his earliest political satire.
*
Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
Pretty scary happenings. Where on I 405 was that poster? Who paid for it? Is it still up?
Here’s what is known so far: https://www.jns.org/anti-semitic-banners-on-la-freeway-outrage-jewish-groups/