(Column 5, January 7, 2011)
Mount Soledad Controversy
By Donald H. Harrison
Two local Republican members of Congress- Brian Bilbray and Duncan Hunter—have written a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Attorney General Eric Holder urging them to defend the Mount Soledad cross as a “secular” monument and work to overturn a ruling by a 3-judge panel of the Ninth District U.S. Circuit Court that the 43-foot high cross on public land is unconstitutional.
The appeals court panel ruled in a suit brought by the Jewish War Veterans, who said the cross showed a state preference for the Christian religion over all other religions.
“At the base of the Memorial’s 43-foot cross are 2,700 black granite plaques engraved with the names and photos of the war veterans, each telling a story of military service and shared sacrifice,” Bilbray wrote. “The Memorial was originally dedicated as a Korean War Veterans Memorial in 1952, but has since evolved into a standing testament to all American war heroes and the unending commitment of our military to defend freedom. The Memorial includes uniformed members from all service branches, including the Coast Guard and Merchant Marines who served during World War II.”
In contrast to Bilbray’s account, the appeals court in its ruling found “For most of its history, the Cross served as a site for annual Easter services. Only after the legal controversy began in the late 1980s was a plaque added designating the site as a war memorial, along with substantial physical revisions honoring veterans. It was not until the late 1990s that veterans’ organizations began holding regular memorial services at the site.”
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Local Jewish Organizations
The San Diego Israel Coalition, emphasizing the peaceful nature of its counter-protest against Palestinians so called “Gaza Massacre Demonstration & Vigil,” 3-5 p.m. this Sunday afternoon at Balboa Park, offers the following guidelines to pro-Israel demonstrators: “No shouting or chanting,” “Instead sing using our song sheets that we’ll hand out”; “No speaking to opposing demonstrators”; “Be respectful if you offer a passerby a flyer”; “Do not obstruct pedestrian traffic”: “Be Polite, your behavior reflects Israel”; “Display Positive Signs, No disparaging messages.”
The Jewish Federation of San Diego County, at its Saturday night dinner January 15, will honor its living past presidents as well as past presidents of Federation’s Women’s Division. Among the past Federation presidents to be honored are Milton Roberts, Seymour Rabin, Herbert Solomon, Bernard Lewis, Pauline Foster, Gerald Kobernick, Shearn Platt, Murray Galinson, Lawrence Sherman, Gloria Stone, Rodney Stone, Richard Katz, Gary Jacobs, Steven Solomon, Kenneth Polin, and Andrea Oster. Foster and Oster will receive double recognitions as they also were women’s division presidents, as was Jan Tuttleman, the current Federation president. Other past women’s division presidents to be honored include: Gladys Block, Sivia Mann, Miriam Lincoff, Nadja Kauder, Rebecca Newman, Barbara Sherman, Mary Ann Scher, Jean Gaylis, Marsha Berkson, Tamara Moch, Beverley Pamensky, and Terri Bignell.
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David W. Epstein, editor and publisher of The American Rabbi and editor and former publisher of Western States Jewish History, will combine two interests this weekend when he addresses the National Association of Retired Reform Rabbis, meeting at the Marriott in Mission Valley. Epstein will tell the retired rabbis tales from his easy reading book, Why the Jews Were So Successful in the Wild West… And How to Tell Their Stories. If you get ahold of the book, don’t fail to read the hilarious tale of “Two Gun Cohen,” who helped Sun Yat Sen in China.
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San Diego Generally
The Museum of Man will officially be awarded a certificate by Harold Closter, director of Smithsonian Affiliations, making the local museum an affiliate of the Smithsonian in Washington. The only other San Diego Museum to attain this honor is the San Diego Air & Space Museum. Museum of Man’s Executive Director Micah D. Parzen says “our goal at the Museum of Man is to increase and diffuse knowledge which perfectly aligns with what the Smithsonian has accomplished for more than 150 years.”
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Jan Tuttleman, founding president of Women Give San Diego (as well as the Jewish Federation of San Diego, per an item above), in announcing her organization has granted a total of $46,000 to three local organizations, said the money “will not only improve the lives of women and girls in our community, but will also give them the ability to help their families and, by extension, strengthen their communities.” Recipients are the “Career Horizons for Young Women” of the Just in Time for Foster Youth organization; Dress for Success, and the Supportive Parents Information Network (SPIN). Since it was begun slightly more than a year ago, the philanthropic group has attracted 75 women to its ranks. Among the co-founders of the organization are Gayle Tauber and Linda Katz.
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And Finally….
Israel and New York jazz musician Omer Klein has started his own You Tube channel on which to share his music. Here is one of the initial offerings:
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. You may submit items of interest for this column to him via sdheritage@cox.net