Other items in today’s column include:
*Coronavirus reassurance, inspiration, and humor
*Closures, postponements, cancellations
*Political bytes
*Rabbi Jason Nevarez starts July 1 at Congregation Beth Israel
*Mazal tov! Mazal tov!
SAN DIEGO – A parent of three San Diego Jewish Academy students has tested positive for coronavirus, according to Chaim Heller, the retiring head of the school. In a letter to other parents sent on Saturday (Shabbat) , he wrote, “The parent was at school during the past week. Their children, who are in grades, 1, 3, and 6, were in many rooms, including the Ulam (Auditorium), many times during the past week as well. They were with their friends acting in a regular, non-distance manner during that time. Effectively, they could have been with anyone from the school, from ECC (Early Childhood Center) to high school.”
Not saying whether the parent was a father or mother, Heller wrote, “The San Diego Department of Public Health is adamant about ensuring the anonymity of any and all individuals. If you are aware of the identity, please respect the privacy so that they can focus completely on their health.”
In a first message on Friday night, in which he apologized for communicating on Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, Heller said “The parent did not travel out of the country, started to feel ill a few days ago and is uncertain as to where it was contracted. The testing revealed a positive for the virus today. Their children in lower and middle school have been in school during this time.”
Heller said the decision to close the school until April 20 was made on Thursday, before any known case of coronavirus exposure at the school. “Our campus closure [on Friday] was a precautionary measure, but clearly it was the right one for our community,” he said. He also said it has been standard practice at SDJA to send home any student with a fever on the same day the fever was discovered.
Heller said the Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that people who have had close contact with someone who tests positive should follow these steps:”
–Monitor your health for 14 days from the most recent contact with the person, which for us would be Thursday, March 12.
–Monitor for fever of 100.4 or above. Take temperature twice a day.
–Monitor for symptoms that includes chills, coughing, chest congestion, headache, fatigue, sore throat, runny nose.
He said if any of those symptoms appear, “call your healthcare provider right away.” Before going to the provider, “be sure to tell them yo have been in close contact with someone with confirmed COVID-19.”
The SDJA head of school urged parents, “In the coming days and weeks, let’s all support and care for each other in any way possible — even if that has to occur in more virtual ways than in-person. Let’s only share information that we know to be accurate and helpful. our community will rise to the occasion, together, as we have when faced with other challenges.”
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Coronavirus reassurance, inspiration, and humor
Information meant to reassure, inspire, and even humor us has come to many homes via the Internet during this time of the coronavirus pandemic.
For example, Cox Communications, which provides our family’s Internet service, messaged that they’ve been “investing in and building a robust world-class network that can handle the increased capacity,” as more and more people telecommute to work. And if the computers or television sets at our homes require servicing, Cox says its field representatives “will be following strict procedures” to keep us safe. “They’ll be using disinfecting multi-surface cleaning wipes on all surfaces,” Cox says. “And we hope you’ll understand if we refrain from handshakes.”
I couldn’t help but think that refraining from handshakes is what President Trump should have done on Friday during his news conference announcing the nation’s state of emergency. He shook hands with almost every person he introduced. Additionally, he and many other speakers kept adjusting the same microphone stand with their bare hands.
It will be interesting to watch whether the Cox repair personnel will be wiping down the surfaces BEFORE or AFTER they do their work. If it’s before, it means they’re worried about the viruses we possibly may have left around. If it’s after, it means they’re worried about the viruses that they may be carrying. If you think about it, either choice is somewhat unsettling.
Jeremy Factor, DDS, offers a dentist’s take on how to prevent the spread of the virus. He writes: “We follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations in place for dental office infection control. As always, we care about your safety and work hard to prevent the spread of any infection. Before you enter the treatment room, all surfaces, such as the dental chair, dental light, drawer handles and counter tops, have been cleaned and disinfected. We also use protective covers on select areas, which are replaced after each patient.
“Non-disposable items like the dental tools are always cleaned and sterilized between patients. Disposable dental tools and needles are never reused. Infection control precautions also require all dental staff involved in patient care to use appropriate protective equipment such as gloves, masks, gowns and eye wear when needed. After each patient, disposable gloves and masks are thrown away. Before seeing the next patient, everyone on the treatment team washes their hands and puts on a new pair of gloves. Your well-being is important to all of us. That’s why infection control procedures have always been a priority.”
Cheryl Rattner Price, the CEO of the Butterfly Project, which memorializes the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust, passed along a message of inspiration from Rabbi David Wolpe of Temple Sinai in Los Angeles. Noting that people are worried about whether this nation will have sufficient tests for the coronavirus, Wolpe suggests that we “keep in mind that we already have a test and it is in some ways the most important test … and that’s the test of our humanity. Because in a time when we are supposed to be apart from people, we have to also show that we are close to people.” Wolpe went on to say: “We pray for healing from God but we also know that God works through us in this world. So, this prayer is not only for us but also for all of those doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, and scientists all over the world who are giving their time and sometimes even their lives to help the rest of us to be safe, to be healthy … we pray for them and we hope that God gives us all a R’fuah Shlema a complete and total healing.”
And then, thank goodness, there is humor. Our columnist Lawrence Baron, who writes in behalf of his dog Elona, offers a dog’s advice for coronavirus. Columnist Jerry Klinger revises the four questions at a Passover seder to five. And, Bob Holloway, a former San Diego County resident who now lives in the Palm Springs area, sent an meme, which read: “You know what should be flying off the shelves right now? Matzah. That stuff takes years to expire, keeps you full and most important of all, lends itself to the kind of constipation that requires very little toilet paper.” With Passover just around the corner, that’s good to know.
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Closures, postponements, cancellations
News of cancellations, postponements, shutdowns, and the like continue to flood email inboxes as the coronavirus pandemic runs its course. Here are some that augment those reported in my previous columns:
–All public schools in San Diego County are closed at least through the end of the month.
–The Holocaust Living History Workshops at UC San Diego that wree scheduled for April 15 and May 6 have been cancelled, report Deborah Hertz, Wouk Chair in Modern Jewish Studies, and Erik Mitchell, the Audrey Geisel University Librarian. Anna Shternshis, a professor of Yiddish and Diaspora Studies at the University of Toronto, and songwriter Psoy Korolenko were to present “Yiddish Glory: The Lost Songs of World War II” on April 15. Anna Hajkova, associate professor of Modern Continental European History at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, was to discuss sexual violence, sex work and sexual coercion of Jewish women and men in the ghettos and concentration camps, on May 6.
–The Balboa Park Carousel, near the entrance to the San Diego Zoo, is temporarily closed. So, too, are the Zoo and Sea World.
— The Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation will be suspending all programs, tours, and temporarily closing the Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House.
–The Museum of Man notifies that while individual visits to its facility in Balboa Park are still being permitted, “California Tower tours, public programs, and our Museum’s participation in Resident’s Free Days will be suspended effective immediately until further notice. Furthermore, all school tours and workshops will be suspended until April 6, 2020 in accordance with school closures mandated by the San Diego Unified School District.”
–The Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park has decided to close through the end of March, a reversal of its decision announced just the day before to stay open.
–The San Diego History Center in Balboa Park and the Junipero Serra Museum in Presidio Park will temporarily close to the public beginning Monday, March 16. Bill Lawrence, the History Center’s president and chief executive officer, said, “As we take these steps, we are also keeping those directly impacted by the virus, and those on the front lines of protecting our public health, in our thoughts.” Amen to that.
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Political bytes
* Terra Lawson-Remer, challenging incumbent Kristin Gaspar in the 3rd county supervisorial district, is circulating a petition calling on Gaspar to back the following four measures – some of which already have been approved by the House of Representatives and are awaiting action by the U.S. Senate.
1) Free coronavirus testing for everyone without health insurance or whose insurance does not pay for testing;
2) Outreach to our most vulnerable populations, like our homeless and undocumented residents, who have been the frontline victims and vectors of previous public health crises like Hep A, to encourage urgent testing, quarantine, and treatment;
3) Accessible and timely testing for everyone who requests a coronavirus test — currently people with clear coronavirus symptoms are being turned away by San Diego County because they do not meet other CDC testing criteria;
4) Immediate testing of a representative random population sample, in line with standard empirical epidemiology practices, so we can know the extent and distribution of coronavirus prevalence in our County and react accordingly.
*Congressman Scott Peters, commenting on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (described in a companion article by Congresswoman Susan Davis), said: “The only way we can prevent the coronavirus from spreading is if people can get tested and stay home if they’re sick, without suffering severe financial strain. No one should be kept from following official public health guidance out of fear of losing their paycheck or their job. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act makes testing affordable and available to anyone who needs it, provides paid medical leave, nutritious meals to those in need, and increases federal support for health care.”
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Rabbi Jason Nevarez starts July 1 at Congregation Beth Israel
(Photo: Beth Israel Quarterly)
Since his ordination in 2006 at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, Rabbi Jason Nevarez has served as an intern and pulpit rabbi at congregations in Larchmont, New York; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Bedford, New York, the latter where he is wrapping up his duties in order to take his new position in San Diego July 1 as senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel. Nevarez’s ancestors, who trace their roots to Spanish conversos, settled in Puerto Rico before moving to New York. The rabbi has utilized his knowledge of Spanish to do outreach, educational, and social justice work in Latin America as well as in Israel.
Passover is a time when we are reminded that we once were strangers in Egypt. In Beth Israel’s quarterly magazine, the Reform congregation’s Acting Senior Rabbi/ Cantor Arlene Bernstein comments, “Our new Rabbi, Jason Nevarez; his wife, Nicole, and their children, Ethan and Sophie, will be coming to us permanently on July 1 as, literally, strangers in a strange land (lifetime New Yorkers becoming Californians –it’s Big). The landscape will be strange to them, the way we dress at synagogue, and the way we practice our Judaism will be just a little different. They will have to get used to new jobs, new schools, a new neighborhood, and literally, almost everyone they encounter will be new and strange.”
In another column in the magazine, the congregation’s president, Kimberly Carnot, wrote: “Rabbi Nevarez emotes our values and already feels like family. He brings experience, new insight and fresh perspective. I eagerly anticipate Rabbi Nevarez getting to know us and us getting to know him.”
As for himself, the rabbi commented: “It will be my honor and privilege to share so many of life’s moments with you, knowing that I stand on the shoulders of those who precede me and my family. I am incredibly excited to not only teach and guide but to learn from all of you here at Beth Israel [as] we embark on this new chapter in the life of the congregation.”
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Mazal tov! Mazal tov!
Nineteen 8th grade students at Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School have been notified by email that they garnered six first places, five second places, seven third places, one fourth place, and six special awards at the 2020 Greater San Diego Science Fair. And the winners are: First places: Asher Duben, Lauren Levi, Jack Licha, Zelma Maya, Denisse Podolsky, and Rebecca Venger. Second places: Elisheva Ertel, Eliyahu Lapp, Moshe Shaked, Alek Singer, and Ella Yerushalmi. Third places: Liora Berg, Annalee Haim, Eitan Lugasi, Nina Maya, Ruthie McElfresh, Orin Mizan, and Leah Wilson. Fourth Place: Noah Pritsker. Special Awards: Women in Science: Rebecca Vinger; Marine Technology Society: Nina Maya; Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation: Ella Yerushalmi; San Diego County Optometric Society: Liora Berg; San Diego MENSA: Denisse Podolsky; San Diego Science Educators Association: Jack Licha. Commented the school’s headmaster, Rabbi Simcha Weiser: “In the midst of everything, with no in person awards ceremony, our Jewish community should join in celebrating great news.”
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Recommended reading
Rabbi Michael Berk, emeritus rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel, in a Times of San Diego article, offers spiritual counsel to people worried about the spread of the coronavirus.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com