Other items in today’s column include:
* South African Jews hold nostalgic braii in La Jolla
* Holocaust survivor Rose Schindler profiled by San Diego Union-Tribune
* The opioid crisis
* Political bytes
* Coming our way
SAN DIEGO – With Jews around the world scheduled to read the story of Noah’s Ark next Saturday, the Abraham Ratner Torah School at Tifereth Israel Synagogue held a blessing for the animals in a brief outdoor ceremony on Sunday.
Rabbi Joshua Dorsch, with arms raised, blessed about a dozen dogs and one rabbit that were brought by congregants of the Conservative shul. The brachas (or should we say bark-ahs) were:
* May God make you like the Lion of Judah, fierce, and protector of Israel.
* May God make you like Calev the true spy, but also meaning dog, having confidence believing in themselves and the people they care about.
* May God make you like Balaam’s Donkey, enabling you to continue to thrive and grow, and see clearly, despite the imperfections of your human partners.
* And may God make you like the big fish, in the book of Jonah, a powerful source of comfort, guiding us, helping us to be true to ourselves and setting us down the right path.
The rabbi was followed by Torah School teacher Lili Feingold who told the students, and the animals that seemed to be listening attentively, that Judaism mandates the prevention of animal suffering. She gave two examples: First, when taking an egg from a nest, a person is required to first shoo the mother bird away, so she will not see the removal of the egg. Second, there is a requirement that even before humans eat, they must first feed their animals.
Other speakers at the ceremony included Erin Riley-Carrasco, founder of ALMA (Animal Lives Matter Always) Rescue, and Tim Mapes, owner of A SLBBRN Pet Bakery & Gifts. Mapes said the acronym for “a slobbering’ was formed from the initials of his six rescue dogs and one rescue rabbit: Andy, Samson, Lucas, Bridget, Buddy, Ricky (the rabbit), and Nicky.
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South African Jews hold nostalgic braii in La Jolla
The Mandell Weiss Eastgate Community Park at the Lawrence Family JCC might have been mistaken for the South African veldt Sunday as South African Jewish American Community (SAJAC) President Pamela Nathan estimated upward of 200 SAJAC members and guests enjoyed a braii (barbecue). The event featured boerewors (farmers sausage) and pap (ground maize) garnished with a sauce that caterer Charles Rubin said gently combined tomato sauce and onions.
Musicians performed songs that were popular in South Africa. They included those of Johnny Clegg, an apartheid-defier who died earlier this year, and of American Sixto Rodriguez, whom Hillel Katzeff enthused once had been “bigger than the Rolling Stones” in South Africa.
Katzeff, who sang with Pamela Levy, wore a Johnny Clegg t-shirt, while Howard Schachat, lead guitarist of the Vuvuzela Band (named for a South African mono-note horn typically sounded by fans at soccer games), proudly displayed his shirt honoring South African unifier and post-apartheid president Nelson Mandela.
Joining Schachat in Sunday’s performance were Craig Saffer, guitar; Allen Goldstein, bass; Lee Silber, drums; Richie Strell, harmonica, and Milton Krasner, flute. Suzie Lotzof was a featured vocalist. The emcee was comedian Gary Wolf.
The enthusiastic queue for boerewors was understandable, according to Ronnie Diamond, who described the sausage as a taste of the celebrants’ previous home. Boerewors “sometimes are a combination of different beefs,” he commented. “The casing is important; it is a very thin soft casing. You sometimes eat it with mustard and relish (like a hotdog) but I tend to eat it on its own.” He said other South African favorites are biltong, which is like jerky; and droewors, which is a dried sausage.”
Diamond recalled that he and Celia Levy helped to put on the first SAJAC braai 32 years ago. Celia Levy served then as vice president of the organization. She told me that South African Jews “are very traditional. We were Jews first and South Africans second. When we came here, we gravitated to our traditions. Most of us are affiliated with some Jewish organization, and most of us attend synagogues. I happen to belong to Adat Yeshurun.”
Levy added that her children continue the tradition of Jewish involvement. One son served as a gabbai at Adat Yeshurun; a daughter worked at the Jewish schools, and another daughter, Sharleen Wollach, is vice president for operations of the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego.
As at any gathering of Jews, the braii was a blend of events. There was an auction of art, restaurant gift packages and other items. There was a decorated cake for Fanny Krasner Lebovits to celebrate her 97th birthday, and the matriarch happily posed with her daughter Shirley First, granddaughter Lindy Rinkey, and great-granddaughter Charli Rinkey. Lebovits is the author of Memories, Miracles & Meaning: Insights of a Holocaust Survivor with Selwyn Isakow.
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Holocaust survivor Rose Schindler profiled by San Diego Union-Tribune
John Wilkens wrote a front-page profile in Sunday’s edition of the San Diego Union-Tribune of concentration camp survivor Rose Schindler, who is nearing 90 years old and is on target to make 100 speeches this year, some in connection with her memoir Two Who Survived which relates the experiences of herself and her late husband Max Schindler. Three photos by Eduardo Contreras, including one showing Schindler’s tattooed arm from Auschwitz accompanied the story.
Wilkens said while Schindler gave a speech at Ramona High School, she occasionally touched a gold pocket-watch chain that she wore around her neck. “it’s the first thing she puts on every morning after she wakes up. The chain belonged to her father, who hid it in their home before the family was ordered to leave, put it in a shoe-polish box that he tucked into the rafters and camouflaged with mud. She went back after the war and retrieved it.”
He also quoted high school teacher Lauren Aven that “It’s important for students to hear from someone who was there, to know that it really happened. It helps them understand tolerance, why they need to accept everyone no matter their background.”
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The Opioid Crisis
Dr. Lawrence Barak and Marc Caron of Duke University were looking for a drug that could treat schizophrenia, but instead they found the substance they had isolated inhibited the impact on the body of opioids. That led to a proposal in concert with Anthony Pinkerton of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute for preclinical development of an anti-opioid drug. In a story by Bradley J. Fikes, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the federal government has granted $3.58 million for the study, with an addition $6.3 million on tap if Phase One is successful.
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Political bytes
* On learning of the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a U.S. military raid, Democratic Congresswoman Susan Davis of San Diego’a 53rd Congressional District issued this statement: “My gratitude to our well-trained and accomplished military and national security professionals, as well as our allies, for bringing Baghdadi down. The world is grateful for this barbarian’s end. Hopefully, this brings some relief to the families of his victims.” Meanwhile, the Republican Jewish Coalition issued this statement: “President Trump served justice on behalf of the American people and our allies. Al-Baghdadi was responsible for a global terrorist movement that murdered innocent people of all walks of life. The world is undoubtedly a safer place today.”
*In the 53rd Congressional District race, Matt Potter of the San Diego Reader reports that Sara Jacobs is receiving numerous contributions from members the Qualcomm family, including maximum $5,600 donations from Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs (Sara’s grandfather), grandmother Joan Jacobs, their sons Gary Jacobs (Sara’s father), Harlan Jacobs, Jeff Jacobs, and Paul Jacobs “as well as a raft of spouses and grandchildren, and Sara herself with $1899.27.” Other big givers include Daniella Spiegel, marketing manager for the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, at $2,500; and Donald Rosenberg, Qualcomm executive vice president, who gave $2,800/ In all for the current reporting period, Sara Jacobs raised $574,412 for the seat from which Susan Davis is retiring, while San Diego City Council President Georgette Gomez raised $327,814.
Among Jewish community contributors to Gomez were Jeff and Karen Silberman, who donated $5,600, Potter reported.
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Coming our way
Next May, Tony Award-winning director Rachel Chavkin will direct at the La Jolla Playhouse Theatre, Lempicka, a musical about Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka, who lived through the major events of the 20th century. Chavkin won the 2019 Tony for her direction on Broadway of Hadestown.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com