Items in today’s column:
*San Diego County teens, successful in past, may apply for Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards
*Bible, Holocaust, and Israel subjects of new books by local authors
*Barbara Bry gets backing of neighborhoods group in mayoral race
*Sukkot activity planning well underway in the county
By Donald H. Harrison
San Diego County teens, successful in past, may apply for Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards
SAN DIEGO — Our county’s Jewish teenagers have had a fine success record in winning the $36,000 Helen Diller Family Foundation Teen Tikkun Olam Award for their innovative projects for the betterment of their communities and humanity.
For example, Joe Langerman won the award in 2012 for establishing VACHI (Voices Against Cruelty, Hatred and Intolerance) at Coronado High School and other high schools in the area.
Isaiah Granet, an avid hockey player, began San Diego Chill to teach children with such developmental disabilities as autism how to play hockey. He not only received the Diller Family Foundation Tikkun Olam Award in 2016 but also was presented with a CNN Heroes recognition by Anderson Cooper.
In 2017, Nathaniel Goodman was awarded for creating “Filmmaking for Good” to produce promotional videos for non-profits such as ReSurf and the Jewish Teen Foundation. He also was a speaker at the Jewish funders Network Conference in 2016.
This year, three teenagers from San Diego County won awards, which was remarkable because only 15 awards are given each year nationally.
The winners were Ethan Hirshberg, who demystifies autism for those who do not have the condition; John Finkelman, who has been helping refugees in San Diego County; and Beatriz de Oliveira, who has organized drives to provide books for rural schools in Brazil.
Now the period for applications has rolled around again, with local teen leaders urged to apply via www.dillerteenawards.org
According to the Diller Family Foundation, successful projects may have any focus, from raising money, to hands-on interactions, to larger systemic-change initiatives. The work can have a local, national, or global focus benefiting the Jewish or general community. Applicants can create a new project or contribute to an established initiative if they demonstrate a current, significant leadership role in an existing organization or project.
CRITERIA:
* Aged 13-19 years old (as of the application deadline on January 8, 2020)
* Self-identify as Jewish
* Resident of the United States
* Volunteering without any compensation for their services
* Currently serve in a leadership role on a project/initiative aimed at repairing the world
Through an online application, teens are asked to demonstrate:
* Proven commitment to the value and practice of tikkun olam
* Current leadership of and dedication to the project over time
* Effective development and implementation of a project or organization
* Demonstration of vision and creativity
* Ability to impact a growing number of individuals and/or engage a growing number of individuals in the project, either as partners, participants or beneficiaries
* Ability to articulate the history, meaning and significance of the project, its goals, impact and potential to engage others.
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Bible, Holocaust, and Israel subjects of new books by local authors
Three local Jewish authors have been in the news recently, their non-fiction books detailing aspects of three important epochs in Jewish history.
Taking these epochs in chronological order, Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel of Temple Beth Shalom of Chula Vista has just had published the second book in his series on Maimonides’ Hidden Torah Commentary. The first book examined what the great medieval scholar had to say about Genesis 1-21, while the latest volume addresses Genesis 22-50.
Rose Schindler, a congregant at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, spoke recently at Warwick’s in La Jolla about the memoir of her late husband Max Schindler and herself as told to writer M. Lee Connolly about their survival through the Holocaust. Reviewed on San Diego Jewish World in August, the book is unique in that, in first person narratives, it alternates chapters in their stories.
The war for the independence of Israel is the story behind Healing the Wounds of War: My Personal Journey by Amnon Ben-Yehuda, a congregant of Temple Emanu-El. The book recently was awarded merit placement in the category of health/medicine nonfiction in the 25th annual Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) EVVY Book Awards. Ben-Yehuda had been wounded and knocked unconscious during a battle in northern Israel, and would have died if his comrades had not carried his body down a mountain under fire. The book details his physical and psychological recovery
The books of all three local authors may be found on Amazon.
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Barbara Bry gets backing of neighborhoods group in mayoral race
San Diego City Councilwoman Barbara Bry has won an important endorsement in her race for mayor and also has added a volunteer coordinator to her campaign staff.
The endorsement came from the Save San Diego Neighborhoods organization which has been opposing short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods. Ronan Gray, the chairperson of the 3,000-member group commented, “Barbara Bry understands the negative impact short-term rentals have on San Diego’s housing supply – driving up San Diego’s already astronomical housing costs. She understands that the conversion of residential dwellings to short-term rentals is a violation of the law, and that Mayor [Kevin} Faulconer’s refusal to enforce the law is both a failure of governance and a fundamental breach of public trust.” Kate Callen, who serves on the board of the Save Our Neighborhood Organization (SoNo) is Bry’s new volunteer coordinator.
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Sukkot activity planning well underway in the county
Even in advance of Rosh Hashanah, synagogues and other Jewish organizations are announcing plans for Sukkot celebrations. For example, the Men’s Club at Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Diego is planning an alliterative “Steak, Salmon, and Sake” in the Sukkah at 5:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 13, at a cost of $50 per person, with club members receiving a $5 discount. Reservations may be made online.
On Oct. 20, Coastal Roots Farm in Encinitas will host its 7th Annual Sukkot Harvest Festival at which, in addition to vendors of plenty of fresh food, attendees will encounter a day “filled with live music, food, and festivities for all ages.” Admission is $18 for adults, $9 for children, and reservations are accepted through the farm’s website.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com