SAN DIEGO (SDJW) — Two stories in Wednesday’s Union-Tribune caught our interest. One by writer Blake Nelson, headlined, “Clintons talk Gaza, Trump at downtown conference,” quoted Hillary Clinton as saying at the San Diego Convention Center that Hamas’ attack on Israel Oct. 12 was “barbaric” and “savage.” The former U.S. Secretary of State said that in responding to the attack Israel must abide by the rules of law. She also said if Palestinians had accepted the offer her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had helped devise with then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, a Palestinian state today would be 23 years old.
The second story was an OpEd by Sharon Rosen Leib headlined “Latest synagogue threats reflect these ugly times.’ In it she wrote about the seven Reform Jewish congregations in the county receiving fake bomb threats, including her congregation in Encinitas (Temple Solel), where “preschool children were in those classrooms sitting on their brightly hued carpets and singing: creating art at their child-sized tables; and holding hands on the playground—all the joyful activities children do at preschool.” She commiserated with the parents of those children, who must have been worried sick. She also expressed appreciation for a nearby church which sheltered the pre-schoolers while police searched the temple grounds.
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Chabad of La Costa has notified its congregants of a “new mitzvah opportunity.” In its weekly update, it reports: “there are a number of patients at UCSD La Jolla that have come from Israel to receive transplants here. They need our help. Bikur Cholim of S. Diego is a community organization helping the sick with care packages, visitation, driving spouses to and from the hospital, etc. If you are able to give a few hours of your time, it will make another person’s day that much better! To get involved sign up here.
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Shari Menna, president of the Tritons for Israel at UC San Diego, recently traveled to Israel under auspices of the Maccabee Task Force’s Wartime Fact Finders Expedition to learn what happened during the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas terrorists of 1,200 Israelis and in the resulting war between Israel and Hamas.
At UC San Diego, Menna has organized a Jewish presence at student government meetings, staffed pro-Israel information tables on Library Walks, met with campus administrator, and currently is working to build an alliance between pro-Israel students and pro-Israel professors.
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Shayna Kaufmann, a clinical psychologist who founded “Embrace the Middle,” an organization dedicated to women who are middle aged, plans to lead a workshop limited to 12 people from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, February 10, at Emerald Village in Vista. The all-day event costs $167 for those who sign up before January 20, and $187 for those who sign up afterwards. Kaufmann says “This gathering teaches you how to navigate the challenges, celebrate the joys, and find power in midlife. Using a combination of guided and silent meditations, cognitive exercises, music, and movement, we will reveal and map our midlife landscape. By applying gentle presence, illuminating curiosity, and our inner wisdom, we will identify aspects of our lives that are calling for attention and integration.” Here is a link to a registration form.
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Bonnie Baron seeks to “drum up” some new members for the Drum Circle that has met for five years in the courtyard of Temple Emanu-El, 6299 Capri Circle. The next session will be from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, January 30. “To participate, you do not need to have a drum. If you do, bring along a handheld Djembe, Dumbec Style, or Buffalo Drum,” Baron said. “The only requirements are a willingness to express your own personal rhythm and to have fun! Come and leave your ‘to do’ list behind.” Baron may be contacted via her email.
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Do you have items of Jewish interest that you would like to share with the San Diego Jewish community? Please send them for possible publication to Don Harrison at sdheritage@cox.net
SDJW staff report.