Sunday Soundoff: Holocaust Museum, Gun Violence, Homeless Housing

By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO – It was abundantly clear during Supervisor Nathan Fletcher’s presentation and the testimony of various members of the Jewish community at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 24, that a permanent Holocaust museum in San Diego is desired.

“Here in San Diego, we don’t have a Holocaust museum or exhibit but we know we need one,” Fletcher commented prior to the Board approving the donation of county space for a Holocaust exhibit to last at least a year.

Holocaust Survivor Ben Midler told the Board, “In the long run, we should have a museum in this city so people could know there was a Holocaust.”

“This exhibit is a first step to rectify the continued need for Holocaust education in our community,” commented Marcia Tatz Wollner, western regional director of the March of the Living.

“There are many Holocaust museums throughout the country,” added Marie Raftery, former board chair of Jewish Family Service.  “We aren’t there yet, but this exhibit is a big first step because it goes toward the education we so drastically need.”

The Jewish Federation of San Diego County has been allocated $25,000 to administer the temporary exhibit, which will be curated by Sandy Scheller, who put together in Chula Vista the previous “RUTH: Remember Us the Holocaust.”

Recently the Jewish Federation made the decision to take the New Life Club of Holocaust Survivors under its wing.  This club founded in the 1950s used to meet at Tifereth Israel Synagogue and sponsored social gatherings for survivors who had made their way to San Diego County.  Once as many as 400 people were members, but today, as the population has aged and died, only 35 remain, according to Midler.  But in addition to those survivors, there are approximately another 400 survivors, with an estimated 80 percent of them from the former Soviet Union, according to the Federation’s chief program director Darren Schwartz.   Now, a group called “Friends of the New Life Club,” operating under Federation auspices, will enable more affluent members of the Jewish community to help survivors with day-to-day needs including grocery shopping and home maintenance.

This would also be a good time for the Jewish Federation to convene a meeting of interested parties and donors to determine the feasibility of establishing a permanent museum.  To be decided by the community, the museum might focus exclusively on the Holocaust or perhaps broaden its scope to also tell about the overall Jewish experience in San Diego, drawing on the exhibit of several years ago that was curated by Joellen Zollman at the San Diego History Center.

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The January 24 Union-Tribune reported on three rampages.  In one a 25-year-old man took out his aggression on six people in downtown San Diego.  In another a 72-year-old man vented his fury on 20 people.  In the third, a 67-year-old man was arrested following attacks on 8 people.

The apparent reasons for these horrific instances of violence – drug use, jealousy, and disgruntlement at work – were different, but the most impressive difference was the fact that in San Diego, none of the victims died, while in Monterey Park, 11 of the 20 were killed, and in Half Moon Bay, 7 of the 8 victims perished.

Why?  Because firearms were used in the latter two mass killings, while in the San Diego incident the attacker used a knife. He wounded two people, but they survived.  Let that be a reminder to us when we hear the gun lobby’s rhetorical excuse that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.”

Whenever there are mass shootings in the United States – the only country in the world where they have become commonplace – there are renewed calls for gun control by some politicians while others, including those in the pockets of the gun lobby, voice only their condolences and prayers for the victims and their families.

I certainly don’t expect any progress on this issue, especially now that the Republican party has captured a slim majority in the House of Representatives and Kevin McCarthy has shown he is more interested in continuing to occupy the role of Speaker of the House than in exercising leadership on great moral issues.

It is utterly fatuous to believe that our nation’s Founding Fathers intended to countenance mass civilian murders when they adopted the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution that reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”  In the 18^th century, an individual’s “arms” were muskets which had to be individually loaded before each shot, not highly automatic, fast-repeating, spewers of death.

Although the 2^nd Amendment makes a link between keeping arms and having a “well regulated” militia, modern America ignores this intent.  Well regulated?  How can anything be considered even minimally “regulated” when any adult, and sometimes children, easily can obtain weapons with mass -killing capacities unimagined of in the 18^th century?

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In a fundraising letter to the community, Jewish Family Service of San Diego announced that two new sheltered parking lots to accommodate homeless people living in their cars soon will be opened, bringing the total to six.  Altogether, four Safe Parking Lots will be located within metropolitan San Diego, while another two will be in North County.

“As inflation continues to push the cost of basic needs like housing, utilities, and healthy groceries further out of reach, more working families and older adults are being forced to shelter in their vehicles—many who have been homeless before,” according to the JFS appeal.

“Every night our four Safe Parking Lots around the county provide hundreds of people with more than a safe place to sleep,” it continued.  “Through supportive services and dignified support, we deliver the tools and resources that help people return to stable housing.”

The JFS appeal included a testimonial from a woman identified as “Melly.”  She wrote to JFS: “Safe Parking saved my life, my partner’s life, as well as our cats and dogs.  We lived in our car in one of your Safe Parking Lots for six months until we were able to return to home.  Thank you for your help and guidance.  Once we are more stable, we plan on donating back to the program.”

There is a lot of prejudice against homeless people, even those who have cars but who just can’t afford to pay soaring costs for housing.  In the past, there was ugly opposition in Encinitas to a small Safe Parking Program at the 62.5 acre Leichtag Ranch, even though the parking spots in question were out of view and well away from the street.  Why?  Because in the view of fearful and hard-hearted residents, the compassionate program might encourage other homeless people to look for help in Encinitas.

Lack of housing is at crisis proportions in San Diego County.  That’s why JFS deserves compliments and support, and also why we should be pleased that the old downtown San Diego Public Library on 8^th Street is being converted by city officials to other uses, including housing for the homeless.

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Donald H. Harrison is editor emeritus of San Diego Jewish World.  He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com