Other items in today’s column include:
*Safe voting a priority
*Political bytes
*Jewish organizational news
*In memoriam
SAN DIEGO — Having been confirmed just one week before the presidential election, the Supreme Court’s newest Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett is the subject of considerable partisan bitterness and acrimony, notwithstanding her promise at her White House swearing-in ceremony on Monday night that she would leave her personal preferences behind and be guided in her decision-making only by established law. It is widely believed that her confirmation means that Conservatives are guaranteed a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court.
Besides being angry at Republicans for pushing Barrett’s confirmation through — in contrast to the way they refused to act on former President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nomination of Merrick Garland — some left-wing Democrats are also angry at Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California). Like all other Democratic Senators, Feinstein was opposed to Barrett, but unlike the rest of them, she congratulated Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) on the way he conducted hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Graham is in a tight reelection battle against Democrat Jaime Harrison, and some Democrats feel Feinstein’s friendliness toward Graham may hurt Harrison’s chances as well as those of Democrats hoping to flip the Senate from Republican to Democratic control. Dan Walters, a columnist for Cal Matters, writes in today’s Times of San Diego that some of Feinstein’s critics have been lobbying Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) to remove her from her position as Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee. There are also calls in her hometown of San Francisco to remove a statue of her.
I use the term “left-wing Democrats,” rather than “Progressive Democrats” as they style themselves, because there is nothing “progressive” about some of their policies including their knee-jerk anti-Israel postures, which often spill over into antisemitism.
Here are some of the comments regarding Amy Coney Barrett that have reached San Diego Jewish World’s email box:
*Republican Jewish Coalition: “Amy Coney Barrett is highly qualified, fair-minded, and dedicated to the law. President Donald Trump made a wise choice in nominating her, and we are pleased that the Senate moved swiftly to confirm her to the Court. Having a full complement of nine justices on the Supreme Court is very important to the smooth and effective working of our constitutional system. The President and the Senate appropriately carried out their duties in putting forward and confirming this nominee. We wish Justice Barrett well in her work on the Court and thank her for undertaking this vital role in the service of our great country.”
*Jewish Democratic Council of America: “Last night’s confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett may have felt like a stake in the heart of our democracy, but we’re choosing it see it as a call to action. The most consequential election of our lifetime is just a week away, and the outcome is in our hands. It’s our choice. And you know who we’re choosing. We’re going to VOTE to restore the soul of our nation with Joe Biden. We see the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett for what it is – a partisan power grab by President Trump and Senate Republicans, which violates the will of the American people, Justice Ginsburg’s dying wish, and the standard Republicans set themselves for Supreme Court nominations in a presidential election year. This confirmation will impact generations of Americans, and it’s a shande – a shame to our democracy and judiciary. But it’s also a call to action – TO VOTE.”
*Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee: ” Just a few hours ago, Senate Republicans voted to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. But as Barrett’s new colleague Brett Kavanaugh told Senate Democrats almost exactly two years ago, “what goes around comes around” – and it’s coming around on Trump and the Republicans sooner than anyone imagined. Here’s what’s happening right now – from the moment the Senate vote finished, donations started pouring in to support Democratic state legislators and knock Trump’s allies from power all over the country…”
*U.S Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California): “This entire process was a sham, happening just days before the election. Trump’s goals are simple: Have a justice appointed in time to help decide the election. Dismantle healthcare and cut coverage for pre-existing conditions. Overturn Roe v. Wade. And more. We are not powerless to act. We have an opportunity to flip the Senate in just eight days. And each of these Republican Senators who went against the will of the American people just days before the election should know how determined you are…”
*California State Senate Minority Leader Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield): “Congratulations to Judge Amy Coney Barrett on such a momentous occasion. Our nation and its highest court are deserving of such a remarkable jurist whose reputation is well-respected in the legal community. Judge Barrett is committed to upholding the Constitution as written and protecting the rights of Americans.”
*Idit Klein and Seth M. Marnin, respectively President CEO and Board Chair of Keshet (a Jewish LGBTQ advocacy group): “We are deeply concerned about the lasting harm to LGBTQ and other vulnerable people with the confirmation of Judge Coney Barrett. Her positions on equal protection, privacy, and religious liberty stand in opposition to Keshet’s nationwide work to advance LGBTQ equality, create a more inclusive Jewish community, and build a more just world.”
*National Council of Jewish Women: Statement by Sheila Katz, Chief Executive Officer: “The speed in which Judge Amy Coney Barrett was rushed through a Supreme Court vetting process shows that lawmakers can indeed make progress quickly if they care enough about the issue at hand. With more than 220,000 Americans dead from coronavirus and more than 20 million people who have lost their jobs, it is baffling that the Senate could focus on anything other than passing comprehensive relief legislation. People are dying and the Senate has now confirmed a Supreme Court justice who has openly shared her desire to reverse the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and make health care less accessible to all Americans – in the middle of a global health crisis. This confirmation is bad for women, children, and families. In addition to putting the future of the ACA in jeopardy, Barrett’s participation on the Supreme Court could lead to the end of key protections for Americans such as Roe v. Wade, which protects the constitutional right to abortion, and Obergefell v. Hodges, which ushered in marriage equality. This is unconscionable, and as Jewish advocates guided by the value of tikkun olam, repairing the world, we know our work to prioritize the vulnerable doesn’t cease, even if the Senate no longer acts in their best interest. ”
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Safe Voting a Priority
With the Nov. 3 election just a week away, some people are worried about possible violence from those who want to interfere during or after the voting process. The Leon L. Williams San Diego County Human Relations Commission, on which Tammy Gillies, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, serves along with representatives of other ethnic communities and elected officials, has issued a statement “to reassure voters that our Commission and law enforcement [are] making safe peaceful voting a top priority. All eligible citizens have the right to vote in a peaceful manner. We urge all to respect differing points of view and to be able to peacefully disagree with one another. We implore the public to continue this level of understanding after the election and call for civility while exercising our civic duty.” The commission added: “To report any concerns please call the San Diego Law Enforcement Coordination Center (858) 495-7200 or www.sd-lecc.org”
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Political bytes
*Sara Jacobs has been endorsed in the 53rd Congressional District by John Kerry, former Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Secretary of State. He commented: “I know Sara. I know what she stands for, because I know what she was doing when nobody was looking, long before there was a campaign or a candidacy. When I served as President Obama’s Secretary of State, Sara worked for me in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. That’s no small undertaking. That bureau works on some of the toughest issues in some of the toughest places: countries marred by violence and those rebuilding from wars. She worked to address electoral violence, conflicts across Africa, and Presidential initiatives to reform our assistance to partners around the world. Sara was known at the State Department for being whip smart and unbelievably determined. Guess what? We need more people like that in Congress. And I’m counting on Sara to be one of the smart Democrats to help repair America’s standing in the world after the mess Donald Trump has made. Sara’s work at the State Department, UNICEF, and the United Nations prepares her to really contribute at this moment — where an understanding of the federal government, experience in diplomacy, and the ability to build broad coalitions is more important than ever.”
*Georgette Gomez, the president of the San Diego City Council, continues to inveigh against Sara Jacobs having a personal fortune. Referring to the fact that Jacobs’ grandfather–Irwin Jacobs–is the cofounder of Qualcomm, Gomez commented in a fundraising appeal: “We’re up against a wealthy opponent with billionaire family members who are funding super PACs and attack ads against us. We have the momentum we need to win, but we need resources…”
*Five Jewish women candidates have been endorsed by the Run Women Run organization: They are: Sara Jacobs (53rd CD); Terra Lawson-Remer (3rd County Supervisorial District); Barbara Bry (Mayor of San Diego); Kate Schwartz (75th Assembly District) and Sarah Davis (78th Assembly District).
*A poll released by Voice of San Diego shows Todd Gloria with a 4 point lead over Barbara Bry in the mayor’s race, and Terra Lawson-Remer with an 11 point lead over incumbent Supervisor Kristin Gaspar. But in both races a large percentage of voters remain undecided with just a week before the election.
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Jewish Organizational News
*AMCHA Initiative and 85 other groups have signed a letter urging California State University Chancellor Timothy White to “publicly state how you will protect the freedom of conscience and expression and ensure the safety and well-being of all CSU students” now that the Legislature and Gov. Newsom have mandated that passing an ethnic studies course become a requirement for graduation. “Although this unprecedented incursion of the California state legislature into the academic programming of an institution of higher education has raised many causes for concern, our organizations are particularly alarmed by the highly politicized, coercive and divisive nature of the ‘Critical Ethnic Studies’ courses that will form the basis for this requirement. We are extremely concerned that these required courses will be used as vehicles for indoctrinating students into a narrowly prescribed set of politically-motivated and directed values and practices that many students vigorously oppose, and will incite bigotry and harm against students based on their identities, beliefs and opinions,” the letter said. “Since its inception, Critical Ethnic Studies and its practitioners have falsely and negatively portrayed Zionism as a ‘racist,’ ‘colonialist,’ ‘system of oppression’ that must be dismantled, condoned terrorism against Israel as a justified tool of ‘resistance’ and ‘liberation,’ and championed anti-Israel academic, economic and cultural boycotts as legitimate ‘anti-racist practices Alarmingly, CSU ethnic studies faculty who have long used their classrooms for anti-Zionist advocacy and activism can now find justification for their politically motivated and directed behavior in the recently approved ‘ethnic studies core competencies.’ Such highly politicized and unprofessional behavior on the part of ethnic studies faculty not only deprives CSU students of accurate information about a complex topic of global importance and tramples on their right to be educated and not politically indoctrinated, it has a well-documented history of inciting hatred and harm towards Israel’s on-campus supporters, particularly Jewish students.”
*American Jewish Congress, marking the second anniversary of the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre of 11 persons in Pittsburgh, with a statement: “The shooting in Pittsburgh was not an isolated incident. From Brooklyn to Poway and from Monsey to Pittsburgh, we have seen hate, fed by dangerous ideologies, threaten the lives and well-being of all communities, including our Jewish community. And as our country stands at the crossroads of the battle for a more inclusive society, one that addresses racial injustice, we Americans must all come together and recommit to continuing the fight against Antisemitism, bigotry and all forms of hate.”
“Following a pilot program in Ashkelon, Israel, Ben Gurion University of the Negev and the Israeli Ministry of Health will monitor the sewage of 14 Israeli cities to detect any outbreaks of Covid 19. The cities to be studies are: Jerusaelm, Beer-Sheva, Rahat, Lehavim, Beit Shemesh, Pardesia, Binyamina, Kfar Saba, Netanya, Tira, elad, Nez Tziona, Rama Yishai and Ramat Hasharon. Biotechnology Prof. Ariel Kushmaro commented: “We can identify SARS-CoV-2 in the sewage and wastewater, and hopefully prevent outbreaks. If we are monitoring a city with only a small number of known COVID-19 cases, and traces show up in the sewage, you can see something is wrong and more testing can be done.”
*Beth Israel Men’s Club sponsors an internet forum with Dr. Davey Smith on the coronavirus epidemic at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 18 RSVP via this website.
*San Diego Generations of the Shoah is looking for people whose parents were Holocaust Survivors and lived in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego between the late 1940s and the early 1970s, according to Diane Strum who explains: ” The San Diego Generations of the Shoah (SDGS) has embarked on writing a book documenting and paying tribute to our parents at a truly historic, but almost forgotten time in North Park’s history—the period between the late 1940’s and early 1970’s. For many of us Second Gen’ers, North Park is the first home we remember. Not only was North Park our home, but for many of us, it is where our parents opened businesses. You may not be aware, but our parents were the first refugee population fleeing persecution to arrive in San Diego County. Yes, Chinese, Italian and Irish immigrants came before our parents. But they were not refugees. These immigrants and others left their homeland for the U. S. to improve their economic circumstances, not because they were being persecuted. However, this period in North Park’s history is close to being forgotten. There is no longer overt evidence of Jewish life and culture in the North Park community. In fact, today, few residents or business owners are aware that North Park, and what is now the western boundary of City Heights, was once the center of Jewish life in San Diego County. And what’s most frightening is that “almost two-thirds of young American adults do not know that 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, and more than one in 10 believe Jews caused the Holocaust.” Strum may be contacted via this email.
*The Yiddish Book Center is making available a 12-episode podcast based on the “Maximalist” memoir of Klara Klebanova, a Marxist who militated against the Russian Czar and later moved to Boston. The episodes may be downloaded weekly via this website.
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In memoriam
Sylvia “Siby” Polger, 83, died Tuesday, Oct. 27, Am Israel Mortuary reported. Rabbi/ Cantor Arlene Bernstein will conduct graveside funeral services at 10 a..m., Thursday, Oct. 29, at El Camino Memorial Park, 5600 Carroll Canyon Road, San Diego.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com . Free obituaries in memory of members of the San Diego County Jewish community are sponsored on San Diego Jewish World by Inland Industries Group LP in memory of long-time San Diego Jewish community leader Marie (Mrs. Gabriel) Berg.
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