By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – With only one day of Jewish American Heritage Month remaining, the San Diego Unified School Board on Tuesday, May 30, unanimously recognized May as Jewish American Heritage Month and encouraged “staff, students, and community members to raise awareness and educate future generations about Jewish Americans and their role in the diverse fabric of our country and communities and in the American experience.”
It was the only time since 2006 when President George W. Bush first recognized May as Jewish American Heritage Month that the San Diego Unified School Board formally adopted such a resolution. Although the item was on the consent agenda, meaning its unanimous passage was expected, multiple representatives of the Jewish community testified that the resolution would help combat antisemitism, prompting some of the five members of the school board, including its chair, Sabrina Bazzo, and member Cody Petterson to offer some personal reflections.
Bazzo commented that her father’s parents were from Russia and Poland and “they were Holocaust survivors and a whole part of my family was wiped out in the Holocaust. My maiden name was Levy but when I got married, I married an Italian, Bazzo. But before I got married, when I had my Jewish name, there were antisemitic comments all the time – all the time! So, I grew up with that. I know my dad grew up with that, so it is very personal to me. … No one should have to live with that and the fact that I have a married name now shouldn’t make a difference, but it does.”
Petterson, who cosponsored the resolution with board member Shana Hazan, a longtime active member of the Jewish community, commented that while he was “very much not Jewish; I am Scandinavian or Northern European going back a millennium but that being said, I am a product of the Jewish community in many ways, and a cultural product of the Jewish community. Jewish San Diegans have been a huge part of my development, my moral development, my philosophical development, and my personal development.”
He mentioned the late oceanographer Walter Munk, who was instrumental in the development of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography; Polio vaccine discover Jonas Salk’s first wife, Donna, who was a close friend of Petterson’s mother; the late UCSD anthropologist Melford Spiro, who was well known for his research on the kibbutz movement in Israel; and his psychoanalyst Judith Hughes. With wavering voice he also remembered Marilyn Jacobs Heikoff, the sister of Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs and benefactor with her husband, Eugene, of the Giant Dome Theater at the Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park. “She was a huge moral influence on me and she really embodied tikkun olam, repair of the world,” Petterson commented.
In the preamble to the resolution, Salk, Munk, Jacobs and other Jews were singled out for making significant contributions in the county including Rady Children’s Hospital benefactor Ernest Rady, and former members of Congress Lynn Schenk and Susan Davis. The resolution stated that “The city of San Diego is home to more than 50,000 Jewish people, and thousands of students within San Diego Unified School District boundaries are, or have family members who are, Jewish, including many with diverse and intersectional ethnic and racial identities.”
“Jewish Americans, including students in our district schools, face an increasing number of antisemitic incidents and hate-motivated acts of violence,” the resolution went on to say. “This month, we not only celebrate Jewish heritage and express our appreciation for those contributions but reaffirm our commitment to combating racism and discrimination against Jewish Americans.”
The resolution was adopted in a single vote in which the school board also recognized the month of June as LGBTQIA Pride month and June 19th as Juneteenth, thereby linking in goodwill the Jewish, LGBTQIA+, and African-American communities.
In-person testimony prior to the vote centered on Jewish American Heritage Month. There were also comments from people who tuned in by Zoom. Naomi Harris, a member of the Jewish community, said the best way to counteract antisemitism in the schools is to educate people about antisemitism, Jewish peoplehood, and Jewish American contributions to American history and culture. Heather Russell said her daughter who is about to celebrate her bat mitzvah recently experienced antisemitism in the classroom for the first time, but gave no details. School board members during testimony on consent agenda items, as a matter of protocol, do not engage in dialogue with presenters.
Fabienne Perlov, San Diego regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, recommended that students “have the opportunity to explore the full breadth of the Jewish experience beyond just the Holocaust.”
“As with all identities and histories, trauma is not the only lens through which to understand history and culture,” she said, adding that the ADL has developed lesson plans exploring Jewish history through literature, art and film.
Darren Schwartz, chief planning and strategy officer for the Jewish Federation of San Diego, noted that over the years, previous school boards have named San Diego schools in honor of the memories of several Jewish community members including U.S. District Court Judge Jacob Weinberger, who previous to his service on the federal bench had been a school board member himself; Julius Wangenheim, who was instrumental in the development of Balboa Park, and Mildred Jean Farb, who along with her husband Harry, was a local philanthropist.
Julie Bronstein, representing the education committee of the American Jewish Committee, commented that “there has been a tremendous uptick in antisemitic acts over the last several few years, which is creating a stressful, anxiety-producing environment for our students.”
Recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month “will allow students, teachers, and staff to feel pride for their Judaism and also help by educating the broader community about the rich diversity and contributions of the Jewish community to society,” Bronstein said. She added that the resolution before the board will “serve as a model for other school boards in the region, including the San Dieguito Union High School District,” on which she previously had served as a trustee. “I am hopeful they will take note of your good leadership. Thank you for raising the bar.”
Bazzo, Hazan and Petterson were joined in the unanimous vote by fellow trustees Richard Barrera and Sharon Whitehurst-Payne as well as by student representatives Lea Nepomuceno and Matthew Quitoriano.
San Diego Jewish World extends its thanks to Instructional TV (Cox Channel 16) from which broadcast images at the board meeting were screen grabbed.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor emeritus of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com