Other items in this column include:
* Israel advocates stir StandWithUs crowd
* An appeal for help for Tecate fire victims
* Sukkot and Thanksgiving
* Coming our way
* In Memoriam
SAN DIEGO – The Jewish and general communities are honoring the memory of Lori Gilbert-Kaye, who was murdered April 27 by a gunman who barged into Chabad of Poway and wounded three other people before running away and later being apprehended.
Exactly six months after the shooting attack that wounded Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, 8-year-old Noya Dahan, and her uncle Almog Peretz from Sderot, Israel, StandWithUs San Diego focused on the victims at a gala which was themed “Standing Together Against Anti-Semitism.”
Among those who addressed the crowd was Dr. Howard Kaye who “spoke from his heart about his late wife, and about the importance of standing with Israel,” according to a StandWithUs (SWU) news release.
“When I think of my incredible wife Lori, my mind immediately goes to something that many Jewish families sing every Friday night: Eshet Chayil,” Kaye said. “A women of valor, who can find? Indeed, a woman of valor IS hard to find. This summarizes Lori’s life. I would describe her as a very smart women and wife, who worked all day and night to sustain her home and our reputation; as well as giving generously to charity by helping individual people of all faiths, including Native American organizations, Cancer research; and disabled veteran groups. ‘Such a woman is worthy of praise.’ Lori was indeed, that beautiful woman of valor, and I miss her every single day.”
In a video clip Noya, now 9, “boldly shared the events of that fateful day; how she looked down to see her shoe filled with blood, how her uncle pulled her and other kids to safety and people around her started crying,” the news release continued. Noya proclaimed “I’m definitely happy to be Jewish! Nobody can tear us apart!”
Yosef Condiotti, SWU’s San Diego regional director, and dinner co-chairs Natalie Josephson, Jaime Feder, and Yamia Benhaim presented to Noya, her uncle Amog, and parents Israel and Eden Dahan a pair of Shabbat candlesticks because, Condiotti explained, “they bring light and peace into our homes every Shabbat. We pray that with this gift, you’ll have peace, nachat and shalom in your home and in your lives.’ The Dahan family had moved to San Diego to escape constant rocket attacks on their home in the southern Negev city of Sderot near Gaza.
The featured entertainer for the evening was Hagit Yaso, the Ethiopian-Israeli singer who rose to fame after winning Kokhav Nolad, Israel’s version of American Idol. Also from Sderot, Hagit knows the Dahan family. She was joined on stage by Noya and the children of Chabad of Poway, all holding Israeli flags in a tender and emotional show of resilience who sang Hatikvah.”
Among the 450 attendees of the gala dinner emceed by Barak Raviv were former Congressman Darrell Issa, San Diego Councilwoman Barbara Bry of San Diego, Mayor Bill Wells of El Cajon, and Mayor Steve Vaus of Poway.
Vaus also is involved in a proposal brought forth by Chabad of Poway to rename Eva Drive in Poway as Lori Lynn Lane in memory of Lori Gilbert-Kaye.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that only two residences have driveways off the current Eva Drive and that the owners of both have agreed to the name change. So too has the owner of a 26-acre parcel at the end of the street, the newspaper reported.
Vaus said he believed the name change would have unanimous support on the City Council.
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Israel advocates stir StandWithUs crowd
Roz Rothstein, the co-founder of StandWithUs, said the Jews and Gentiles who attended the Oct. 27 gala in San Diego stand on the shoulders of giants: people who survived the Holocaust, people who gave their lives to create the modern state of Israel, and the Gentiles who stood by the Jewish people in their times of need. She said the same kind of dedication and determination is needed to fight the rising tide of anti-Semitism.
Yosef Condiotti, SWU’s regional director, commented to applause, “When addressing the protection of Israel – whether it is on the field of combat or the field of public opinion, it is not about Democrat vs. Republican, it is not about religious vs. secular, it is not about Jewish vs. non-Jewish, and it is not about right versus left! It is about right versus wrong!”
Sara Tagger, now SWU’s campus strategy coordinator, told of her experience as an undergraduate at UC Santa Barbara when she heard a professor attacking Israel. “Because of my StandWithUs training, I spoke up to my professors. I was part of an amazing movement at UCSB that worked to defeat divestment every single year – and we did, and I encouraged new students to be involved.” Subsequently, as a student at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Tagger said she has the tools to be bolder than ever, to speak up louder than ever, and to encourage her peers to do the same.
Among other presenters were Larry Elder, the syndicated talk show host, who told of his love for Israel, Mitch Danzig, who introduced Elder; Jonathan Valverde, founder of Latinos for Israel, who sang “The Star Spangled Banner;” Asaf Benhaim, who led a fundraising appeal; Israeli emissaries Idan Shlesinger and Michal Kalimi, who led the Hamotzi prayer, and the David Kates Orchestra which played through the dinner. Yaso sang “Halleluah,” “Halevai” “When You Believe” and “Kol HaOlam Kulo/ Od Yavo Shalom-Salaam.”
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An appeal for help for Tecate fire victims
In an appeal to former guests of the Rancho La Puerta spa, its owner Deborah Szekely has told of the plight of victims of the fire that swept through Tecate, Mexico.
“For almost 80 years, Rancho La Puerta has shared in the life of the community of Tecate,” she wrote. “On October 25, 2019, wildfires destroyed 114 homes and took the lives of four residents. At first it was a ‘small’ fire, but driven by fierce winds it grew into a massive conflagration within moments. Residents fled for their lives. Nothing remains. This week I toured the devastated area. As I gazed at the partial walls and charred ground, the only thing that kept me from sobbing was the thought that we could help. And, yes, we will help. I knew I could count on the guests and friends of The Ranch, along with our staff of over 400, and I began writing this letter as we drove home. For almost 80 years now the Tecate community has welcomed us, fed us, supported us and protected us. Almost everyone who works at the Ranch calls Tecate home. Tecate is family. Now they need us. I have never asked for help like this before, but today I am asking. Money donated through the San Diego Foundation, Friends of La Puerta Fund will enable our displaced neighbors to rebuild their lives. Any amount will be helpful, and your gift is tax deductible.”
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Sukkot and Thanksgiving
Rabbi Josh Dorsch of Tifereth Israel Synagogue recently offered this comparison between the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, in which some Jews move at least symbolically from their homes into huts, and the American holiday of Thanksgiving: “On Sukkot, we realize that much of what we think we need is superfluous. We are pushed to recognize that at times our priorities might be misplaced. Possessions are not nearly as important as joy, as family, and our relationships with Jewish community, tradition, and God. And I think the same is true for Thanksgiving. Both Sukkot and Thanksgiving push us to recognize that despite the craziness going on in our lives and in the world around us, we all have a lot to be thankful for. They encourage us to take time to show our gratitude for the things in life that are really important.”
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Coming Our Way
Musician Yuval Ron, Dr. Richard Gold, and Uyanga Bold will present “Music as Medicine: Exploration of Healing Sounds” to the Pacific Symposium acupuncturist conference at 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 1, at the Catamaran Hotel, 3999 Mission Boulevard. “Throughout Chinese history, renowned healers have applied the five musical tones associated with the Five Elements and their associated five internal organs to treat illness and maintain good health,” according to Ron’s website. “The theory of the Five Elements describes the arrangement of all aspects of the phenomenological world into the categories (elements) of Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth. This system of correspondences is fundamental to traditional Chinese medical thought and practice.”
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In Memoriam
* San Diego Union-Tribune writer Peter Rowe reported on the Oct. 23 death of Holocaust Survivor Daniel Mark, who had operated a combination tailor and cobbler shop with his twin brother Bela for many years, initially in San Diego and later in Chula Vista. Mark, 93, had been sent to a labor camp by the Nazi-allied Hungarian government, and later during World War II was sent to the Mauthausen Concentration Camp, from which he and his brother were liberated. After coming to the United States, he rarely spoke about his life in Europe nor about being Jewish. “I think he lost faith in that after the war,” said a son, Daniel Jr. “He probably felt he was let down. Mark married within the Catholic faith, brought up his children Catholic, and will have a Catholic funeral at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Glen Abbey Memorial Park in Bonita.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com Obituaries in this column are sponsored by Inland Industries Group LP in memory of long-time San Diego Jewish community leader Marie (Mrs. Gabriel) Berg.