(2106 photo)
SAN DIEGO — For the past eleven years, Women of Valor has been an essential part of the annual Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival. Every year, six local Jewish women who are making a positive impact are profiled, having their story told through writers, actors and musicians.
Normally, these stories are presented in a staged reading at the Encinitas Library. But, times being what they are, we cannot assemble in such an enclosed space. Shalom, YouTube and FaceBook Live.
Thursday night’s Woman of Valor was Tammy Gillies, Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League played by Sarah Price-Keating. Gillies is the first woman to hold this post and there were a few members of the board who voted against her for this reason. They just couldn’t picture this soft-spoken woman shouting down a hater with a bullhorn. Yet she still got the job and she has shown them.
Gillies credits her two immigrant grandfathers, both refugees of the pogroms, with imparting to her the values she holds dear. One would play poker with his Jewish buddies and they always donated part of the kitty to B’nai B’rith. The other never quite assimilated into American society, but he worked like a dog and read Der Forvarts in Yiddish.
Born in New York, she found that Jewish life was different in California. There were no ‘Jewish neighborhoods’ per se. And when her daughter began first grade, the Teacher Appreciation Barbecue was scheduled on Yom Kippur. Gillies got her transferred to the San Diego Jewish Academy right away.
The Anti-Defamation League doesn’t just work for the Jewish community but the whole community. Fighting the good fight against Anti-Semitism, Racism and bigotry of all sorts, ADL brings “No Place For Hate” programs to schools. (I have one of their buttons affixed to the dashboard of my car.)
Some skeptics questioned whether these other communities -on whose behalf ADL fights- would really stand up for Jews in a crisis. Gillies told them to have faith. Then last spring, when a domestic terrorist shot up the Chabad in Poway, our diverse community stepped up with law enforcement, civic leaders, rabbis, priests, preachers, imams and others all standing together in solidarity.
Heidi Gantwerk, chair of the San Diego Jewish Academy, the next Woman of Valor will be featured on Sunday, June 14 at 7:30 p.m. Other honorees and the dates of their portrayals are: Tuesday, June 16, Sharleen Wollach; Thursday, June 18, Rebbetzin Chaya Ertel; Sunday, June 21, Janet Acheatel; and Tuesday, June 23: Pearl Recht.
For a full schedule, visit www.sdrep.org/womenofvalor.php
*
Eric George Tauber is a freelance writer who specializes in the coverage of the arts. He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com
Thank you, Eric, for your excellent reporting on the first Woman of Valor segment.
I thought Sarah Price-Keating did a superb job, representing Tammy and the
musicians, Danny Myers, vocalist, my daughter, Myla Wingard, violinist, and
Jeffrey Myers, cellist, enhanced the beauty of the presentation.
In response to Howard’s comment, the actresses all answered that question during
the course of the presentation. I suspect that section may be repeated with each
of the next five programs.
Yes, today’s Woman of Valor goes beyond just serving her family.
Eileen Wingard
In the Bible a “woman of valor” was one who ran her household exceptionally well, looked out for her husband’s and children‘s and servant’s welfare, was generous to the poor, etc. Today’s “Woman” is different, and may even have a certain contempt for the biblical version. What do you think?
Pingback: Finding Jewish Women of Valor in San Diego | B'nai B'rith Budapest Páholy