By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — Thanks go to Marsha Sutton who drew my attention to Rabbi Barry Silver of Congregation L’Dor Va-Dor (Generation to Generation) of Palm Beach County bringing a federal suit in Florida seeking to overturn that state’s ban on abortions after the 15-week point of a pregnancy. He was joined by Rabbi Arthur Wascow of the Shalom Center, as well as by the Unitarian Universalist ministers Harris Riordan and Tony Fisher, and by Buddhist minister Maya Malay.
In essence their argument is that banning abortions imposes a conservative Christian religious viewpoint on this country’s women, thereby violating the First Amendment guarantee of Separation of Church and State. The rabbis said that Jewish theology teaches that life begins at birth, and not at any time prior. In response, spokesman Bryan Griffin said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis “is pro life and we believe HB 5 will ultimately withstand all legal challenges. The struggle for life is not over.”
In Kentucky, where almost all abortions have been banned, three Jewish women have filed suit on similar grounds against that law. “Judaism has never defined life beginning at conception,” said the lawsuit brought by Lisa Sobel, Jessica Kalb and Sarah Baron. “Under Jewish law, a fetus does not become a human being or child until birth,” it said. In response, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said, “I am committed to defending Kentucky’s pro-life laws. The General Assembly has made it clear that Kentucky will protect unborn life and these laws are an important part of the Commonwealth.”
In Ohio, a bill to ban abortion was readied for the moment the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision. Rabbi Sharon Mars of Temple Israel in Columbus, commented, “These beliefs are neither Jewish nor are they respectful of the right of Jewish people to practice our religious values in accordance with Jewish law.”
Rabbi Mars said Jewish law “places tantamount the mother’s life, even over the fetus, but her life takes precedence. … The child is not considered a child until it actually has left the womb – a soul is not a soul, a person is not a person until it leaves the womb … And … not only the physical health of the mother is at stake, but also the mental health, which is critical in this whole conversation.”
Michael Gonidakis of Ohio Right to Life commented, “The issue of abortion has nothing to do with the religious faith, but in fact, it’s a human rights issue. We’re focused on saving lives of all human beings, both born and unborn.”
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Illnesses and Election News
A refuah shlemah (wish for complete healing) goes to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) who has to spend her Purim holiday recovering from a case of the shingles, which can be very painful. Our best wishes also go to another Jewish member of Congress, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) who is undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma.
And while we’re at it, our best wishes go to former President Jimmy Carter who is under hospice care for cancer; to our current President Joe Biden following removal of a cancerous lesion; to Daniel Ellsberg of Pentagon Papers fame who has announced he has terminal pancreatic cancer; and to U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), who is suffering from clinical depression.
Feinstein’s and Fetterman’s temporary absences from the U.S. Senate leaves Democrats tied 49-49 in the Upper Chamber of Congress, with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris entitled to cast the deciding vote in case of a tie.
(Photo: Ballotpedia)
In other congressional news, a former opponent of U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) has announced she will try again to wrest the 51st Congressional seat from her fellow Democrat. She is Barrett Holman Leak, who describes herself as a Jewish woman of color. In the 2022 primary election in the 51st CD, she placed last with a scant 55 votes, for only 0.04 percent of the total. She was outpolled by Jose Cortes of the Peace and Freedom Party, who received 3,343 voters for 2.22 percent of the total. Jacobs’ 91,329 votes accounted for 60.52 percent of the primary total and Republican Stan Caplan garnered 56,183 votes or 37.23 percent of those cast.
Leak’s second attempt for the office means that Jacobs will have at least two primary election opponents on March 5, 2024, with the other being Republican Mayor Bill Wells of El Cajon. Under California’s so-called “jungle primaries,” the top two vote-getters, regardless of their party, go on to the runoff election, which will be held on November 5, the same date as the 2024 presidential election.
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Yiddishisms in the Nation’s Capital
The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) had some fun with a story about Jared Bernstein being nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. It noted that Bernstein had pronounced himself “verklempt” back in 2020, when he was first named to the Council. “No word from him yet whether he will plotz following the nomination to be chair,” JNS reported on March 3.
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Election History of JFS Security Chief Dave Myers
Congratulations to former Sheriff’s Commander Dave Myers, a Gentile who has been selected by Jewish Family Service of San Diego to be its first chief of security. With antisemitism on the rise, this is an important job. His advice and operational expertise will benefit the various JFS programs, which are conducted throughout San Diego County.
Myers tried in two elections to become our county sheriff, but fell short each time. In the June election in 2018, he and Sheriff Bill Gore went head to head, with Gore receiving 334,995 votes or 55.08 percent of the total cast, while Myers received 271,598 votes or 44.66 percent of the total. Because Gore won an absolute majority of the votes, there was no need for a runoff election in November 2018.
Undaunted, Myers tried again last June, placing third in a field of seven candidates. He received 116,072 votes or 18.99 percent of the total. Kelly Anne Martinez, who would go on to win the general election, received 229,193 votes in the primary, representing 37.50 percent of the electorate, and John Hemmerling, her next closest opponent, qualified for the November 2022 runoff with 124,591 votes or 20,38 percent. Candidates Jonathan Peck, Juan Carlos “Charlie” Mercado, John “Gundo” Gunderson, and Charles “Chuck” Battle divided another 141,346 votes in that primary.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor emeritus of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com