(column 19, February 17, 2011)
Compiled by Donald H. Harrison
Jewish organizations
The National Conflict Resolution Center will honor retired Anti-Defamation League regional director Morris Casuto and anti-apartheid playwright Athol Fugart at a March 10 dinner at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel. Casuto will receive a lifetime achievement award.
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David Brog, executive director of Christians United For Israel will speak at Congregation Beth Am at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 6. His appearance is sponsored by
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A panel on Egypt’s revolution and its impact on neighbors will be cosponsored at 7 p.m., March 21, by host Congregation Beth Israel and the Jewish Studies program of San Diego State. Three speakers on the panel will include Kurt Werthmuller of Azusa Pacific University on why Egypt overthrew Hosni Mubarak; Hisham Foad of SDSU’s Economics Department on the economic roots of resolutions, and Oren Meyers, visiting Israeli professor at SDSU, on the response of the Israeli media to the events in Egypt.
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Three local Jewish poets – Zerji Ozeri, Pepe Stepensky and Janet Tiger – will present their works at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, in the Astor Judaica Library of the Lawrence Family JCC. Following their formal presentations, there will be an “open mike” for those who would also like to share.
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Ohr Shalom Synagogue is hosting a speech by Dr. Eli Lewis, a Ben Gurion University expert on diabetes, on “improving the transplantation and therapy of insulin-producing cells in diabetic patients,” at 7:30 p.m., Monday, March 14. RSVP’s to Rabbi Arnold Kopikis, who serves as the university’s local representative, at 858-452-9718 by March 7.
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Audrey Jacobs of Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School advises: “We are collecting furniture in good condition for a family of 4 who have been living in an empty place for 6 months. We are not listing anything in particular since they have absolutely nothing. We will arrange for pick up. Please contact Helene Bortz at the San Diego G’mach (858) 452-6205 or Email helenebortz@gmail.com
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J.J. Surbeck, head of the T.E.A.M. Israel Advocacy Group, will lecture at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 23 at the Lawrence Family JCC on “The Difficult Issues: ‘Occupation,’ ‘Settlers,’ ‘Refugees,’ and ‘Apartheid.’ Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council is expected to vote tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 18, on a Palestinian brought resolution condemning Israel settlements in the territories.
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Jews in the general community
With May being Jewish heritage month, Union Bank and KPBS are looking for members of our community to honor “who are making a difference by improving his or her workplace, profession, neighborhood, community, region and the world.” Nominations may be submitted through March 13 via this link .
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Amnon Ben-Yehuda is among those San Diegans helping to circulate email petitions to protect the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR) from proposed budget cuts. The petition says: “Congress must protect NPR and PBS and guarantee them permanent funding, free from political meddling.”
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In his newsletter to constituents, Assemblyman Marty Block (Democrat-San Diego) notes he is serving as chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Higher Education. He said he plans to continue to push legislation to pave the way for establishment of a state university in the Chula Vista area. With the current economy, it obviously can’t be done all at once, so Block has been trying to have studies conducted that would pave the way once the economy improves.
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District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis– joined by Assemblymembers Marty Block and Nathan Fletcher — has proposed legislation to require families of murder victims to be notified when the governor of the state is considering an application for pardoning a criminal or commuting his sentence. The issue came up recently when Arnold Schwarzenegger, in one of his last official acts in office, commuted from 16 to 7 years in prison the sentence the son of former Assembly Speak Fabian Nunez in the murder of Luis Santos. “Last-minute commutations like the one made recently, without all the fact or input from the parties, only fuel the public’s mistrust of government and greatly diminish justice,” Dumanis said.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World