SAN DIEGO (SDJW) –In an OpEd for The San Diego Union-Tribune, Sara E. Brown, regional director of the American Jewish Committee, urged readers to “not ignore or stand by in the face of antisemitic rhetoric, hatred, incidents, or violence. Stand up and say no, not in San Diego. Throughout history, perpetrators have relied on the silence of bystanders. Don’t be a bystander. Silence is the oxygen that fuels antisemitism. Instead, check in on your Jewish friends, co-workers, classmates and neighbors. Your support is both welcome and needed.”
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Many San Diegans watching the Oscars also saw a 60-seccond advertisement titled “Neighbors” paid for by Robert Kraft‘s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. It was a dramatization of a bomb threat that forced the evacuation of Reconstructionist Congregation Agudas Achim in Attleboro, Massachusetts, during a bar mitzvah and how a neighboring church invited their Jewish neighbors to continue their service inside the Protestant sanctuary. “Hate loses when we stand together,” read a message flashed on the screen, as seen above.
COMMUNITY
Ilene Kruger, who will appear in the Diversionary Theatre’s March 15-17 “Stonewall Salon,” in which performers “honor the vibrant narratives of our cherished LGBTQIA+ elders,” quipped that “the tickets are free, so you cannot ask for your money back.” She said some of the liberation-themed monologues “will be comedic, some will be serious. I will give you a hint… mine is not comedic. But I am extremely proud of this piece.”
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera faces determined opposition from the San Diego Police Officers Association whose backed candidate Terry Hoskins made it to the runoff, Voice of San Diego reports. “The sharks are in the water for Sean Elo-Rivera,” POA President Jared Wilson told that news organization. “That’s going to be a priority race for us.”
OBITUARY NOTICES
Am Israel Mortuary: Barbara (Laikin) George, an attorney who was a San Diego resident since 1974, died Feb. 27. Family members recalled her ” dynamic energy, her sharp sense of humor, her passion for animals and especially her dogs, her deep empathy for others, her love of conversation, her strong political engagement, her thirst for new experiences, and her sense of adventure. In her late forties she shifted from her focus as a stay-at-home mom to selling Cadillacs and Hyundais. In her fifties she went back to school, studying law with peers half her age, and became a family attorney. In her seventies she tried sky diving for the first time, repeatedly zip-lined, and traveled with her older grandchildren on international adventures to Paris, the Galapagos, South Africa, Zambia, and Botswana.” She is survived by daughters Susan Funkenstein and Laura Lyke-Benavides and four grandchildren, Sally, Jacob, Cammie and Ezra. The family paid tribute to her long-term close friend, Robert Avila.
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Tifereth Israel Synagogue: Funeral services for Dr. Elaine Gale were conducted at Home of Peace Cemetery in San Diego on Sunday, March 10. Gale was the wife of Dr. Marvin Gale and mother of Pamela Fish. She had three grandchildren Leah, Ava, and Elijah. Rabbi Mathew Marko officiated at the service.
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SDJW staff