San Diego Jewish Journal June 2014 by San Diego Jewish Journal

JUNE 2014 l SIVAN • TAMUZ 5774

YUM!

THE FOOD & WINE ISSUE

Plus: Jewish Storytelling with Write Out Loud and the Untold Story of Jewish China

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TICKETS NOW ON SALE! for this summer’s must-see outdoor theatrical event!

By William Shakespeare Directed by Barry Edelstein

June 22 - July 27 Old Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein makes his directorial debut on the Globe’s outdoor stage with one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. With a superb cast led by Blair Underwood (“Ironside”, “Sex and the City”), Richard Thomas (“The Waltons,” “The Americans”), and Kristen Connolly (“House of Cards”), Edelstein gives us a riveting, intense, and intimate production where poetry soars and swords clash, where true love and wrenching jealousy collide.

Blair Underwood

Kristen Connolly

Richard Thomas

(619) 23-GLOBE (234-5623) www.TheOldGlobe.org

CONTENTS

June 2014 Sivan/Tamuz 5774

COVER: Delicious finds in our annual Food & Wine issue

FOOD: New Israeli cooking app allows users to “Look & Cook”

THEATER: Write Out Loud presents Jewish literature with “Bubbelah, Let Me Tell You a Story”

58 4 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

FEATURE: Far East Jewry: The under-the-radar story of Jewish China

66 IN THIS ISSUE: 30 FEATURE:

Ed Samiljan, the Hero of Camp Mountain Chai

34 FOOD & WINE:

Jewish Vegetarians of North America wants you to think about what you eat

39 FOOD & WINE:

NY on Rye: a Food Truck with a Jewish flair

42 FOOD & WINE:

Vodka from the Holy Land with a spiritual message

Good Eats 66 Food 38 RESTAURANT:

Amici’s Pizza Hillcrest

Around Town 10 Mailbag 12 Our Town 14 Event Recap 62 What’s Goin’ On 72 Calendar

47 FOOD & WINE:

He’Brew does it again with latest batch of “Rejewvenator”

49 FOOD & WINE:

Israeli wineries partner with Vietnam

56 FEATURE:

Seacrest Village turns 25

65 BUSINESS:

Therapeutic Literacy Center

In Every Issue 8 Welcome 18 Parenting 20 Israeli Lifestyle 22 Dating 24 Guest Column 26 Spirituality 28 Israel 68 News 77 Desert Life

Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 5

www.sdjewishjournal.com June 2014 • Sivan/Tamuz 5774 PUBLISHER • Dr. Mark S. Moss CO-PUBLISHER • Mark Edelstein EDITOR-IN-CHIEF • Alanna Berman ART DIRECTOR • Peter Talhamé ASSISTANT EDITOR • Natalie Jacobs ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR • Eileen Sondak ADVERTISING DIRECTOR • Mark Edelstein CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tori Avey, Betsy Baranov, Linda Bennett, Tinamarie Bernard, David Ebenbach, Judith Fein (Senior Travel Correspondent), Michael Fox, Jennifer Garstang, Rabbi Philip Graubart, Natalie Holtz, Miki Lamm, Pat Launer, Curt Leviant, David Ogul, Pamela Price, Sharon Rosen Leib, Nikki Salvo, Andrea Simantov

UCSD Faculty Club La Jolla, California

Mazel Tov Your place for Bar & Bat Mitzvah celebrations, wonderful food and impeccable service in a private setting. For your tour, contact: Julia Engstrom jengstrom@ucsd.edu 858.534.0876 visit facclub.ucsd.edu

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS/ARTISTS Vincent Andrunas, Ediz Benaroya, Leigh Castelli, Leetal Elmaleh, Pepe Fainberg, Steve Greenberg, Pat Krause, Laurie Miller, Paul Ross (Senior Travel Photographer), Angela Sissa, Daisy Varley ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Ronnie Weisberg (Account Executive), Alan Moss (Palm Springs), Diane Benaroya (Account Executive) SAN DIEGO JEWISH JOURNAL (858) 638-9818 • fax: (858) 638-9801 5665 Oberlin Drive, Suite 204 • San Diego, CA 92121 EDITORIAL: editor@sdjewishjournal.com ADVERTISING: sales@sdjewishjournal.com CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS: publisher@sdjewishjournal.com ART DEPARTMENT: art@sdjewishjournal.com LISTINGS & CALENDAR: calendar@sdjewishjournal.com SDJJ is published monthly by San Diego Jewish Journal, LLC. Subscription rate is $24 for one year (12 issues). Send subscription requests to SDJJ, 5665 Oberlin Drive, Suite 204, San Diego, CA 92121. The San Diego Jewish Journal is a free and open forum for the expression of opinions. The opinions expressed herein are solely the opinion of the author and in no way reflect the opinions of the publishers, staff or advertisers. The San Diego Jewish Journal is not responsible for the accuracy of any and all information within advertisements. The San Diego Jewish Journal reserves the right to edit all submitted materials, including press releases, letters to the editor, articles and calendar listings for brevity and clarity. The Journal is not legally responsible for the accuracy of calendar or directory listings, nor is it responsible for possible postponements, cancellations or changes in venue. Manuscripts, letters, documents and photographs sent to the Journal become the physical property of the publication, which is not responsible for the return or loss of such material. All contents ©2014 by San Diego Jewish Journal. The San Diego Jewish Journal is a member of the American Jewish Press Association and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

#SDJewishJournal 6 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

SanDiegoJewishJournal

Experience Excellence.

SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW! F

Tux ‘N Tennies presents:

THE MUSIC OF ABBA

TUX ‘N TENNIES VIVA LAS VEGAS ELVIS: A TRIBUTE TO THE KING FRI, JUNE 27, 7:30pm

STAR SPANGLED POPS U with Bill Conti F B FRI & SAT, JULY 4 & 5, 7:30pm SUN, JULY 6, 7:30pm F U

BOZ SCAGGS

E Y

1812 F TCHAIKOVSKY U SPECTACULAR F B F

FRI, AUGUST 29 UFF EU F SAT, AUGUST 30 BEUU SYB UBF E U SUN, AUGUST 31 SBEB SF EB YE U S All shows at 7:30pm S Y E S B

F B

Y S NATHAN PACHECO

U E

Y Y S Y E Y S

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SUN, AUGUST 3, 7:30pmY

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Y BROADWAY TONIGHT! U Featuring CHICAGO F B the Musical U E F

EF FS U UY B F B E U

SUBSCRIPTIONS STILL AVAILABLE!

FRI & SAT, AUGUSTBE 8SY&UB 9, 7:30pm

POPS GOES CLASSICAL PASSPORT TO THE WORLD: Y S * Y A Night in Hungary F SUN, JULY 13, 7:30pm

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E S B S Y E

E Y B

FRI & SAT, JULY 11 & S12, 7:30pm

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FRI & SAT, JULY 18 & 19, 7:30pm E

FRI & SAT, AUGUSTBE 1S&B 2, 7:30pm U

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Y S RAY CHARLES,F MOTOWN, Y U AND BEYONDF presented by Ellis Hall U B F F

CLASSICAL MYSTERY TOUR F (BEATLES TRIBUTE) F U SAT & SUN, JUNE 28 & 29, 7:30pm

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E S B S Y E

Y S DISNEY’S FANTASIA

SUN, AUGUST 10, 8pm

5-Concert Series Start at $85!

CIRQUE DE LA F U SYMPHONIE U B

B and Bill Griffin * Guest Artist Sponsors: Norman Forrester E

E U

FRI & SAT, AUGUST BE15S &B 16, 7:30pm

Concerts for COMIC-CON Weekend Y

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Y S BURT BACHARACH

VIDEO GAMES LIVE

Y SUN, AUGUST 17, 7:30pm

THUR, JULY 24, 8pm

SUBSCRIPTION CONCERT SPECIAL NON-SUBSCRIPTION CONCERT

CASH’D OUT: A TRIBUTE TO JOHNNY CASH F

DANNY ELFMAN’S MUSIC FROM THE FILMS OF TIM BURTON

THUR, AUGUST 21, 7:30pm

FRI, JULY 25, 8pm

VANESSA WILLIAMS

F B U E F B S U

FRI & SAT, AUGUST 22 & 23, 7:30pm E Y B

STAR TREK (2009): THE MOVIE

Feature Film presented with live score performed by the San Diego Symphony

OZOMATLI

SUN, AUGUST 24, 7:30pm

SAT, JULY 26, 8pm

ULTIMATE SERIES BRAVO SERIES E ENCORE SERIES Y BUILD YOUR OWN SERIES F FIREWORKS AT CONCERT

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ALL SINGLE TICKET FULL PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE UP UNTIL SHOWTIME WITHOUT ANY GIVEN NOTICE.

All artists, programs, dates and times subject to change. All sales final, no refunds.

Make a sound investment. Donate to the San Diego Symphony today! Call 619.615.3908 or Visit sandiegosymphony.org/donations Table seating • Fireworks conclude all nights with

F U

A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SERIES SPONSORS:

B E

• Embarcadero Marina Park South, behind the Convention Center MEDIA PARTNERS:

Financial support is provided by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.

ALL SINGLE TICKET FULL PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE UP UNTIL SHOWTIME SWITHOUT ANY GIVEN NOTICE. All artists, programs, dates and times subject to change. All sales final, no refunds.

Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 7

CALL 619.235.0804 or VISIT sandiegosymphony.com

WELCOME by Alanna Berman Editor of the San Diego Jewish Journal editor@sdjewishjournal.com

What Matters Most

s wildfires burned across the county last month, I thought back to the events of October 2008. I was in college, completing my last semester at San Diego State University, and had never seen anything like it. Thankfully, my house was safely out of the fire’s path, but the smell of smoke and the ash in the air gave me an eerie feeling – all was not well. I was working at SDSU’s student newspaper, The Daily Aztec. In the office, reports of road closures, evacuations and the establishment of community shelters were pouring in. I took a writer and photographer with me to Qualcomm Stadium to speak to families who had left their homes, had nowhere to go, and were going to spend the night or the next few days there. It was one of the most intense assignments I had been on at that point. How do you speak to someone who has literally just left their home to burn? What questions are appropriate to ask, and what would the response be once I asked them? What I found in the stadium parking lot that day was not what I had expected. Cars were stuffed to the gills with family heirlooms, photo albums, food, clothing and supplies of all sorts because no one knew when the next time they would be home might be. Family pets, kids and adults sat outside of their vehicles waiting for whatever news they could get. And yet, everyone was still happy. No one cried, no one stared at the ground and admitted defeat – they smiled. Kids still played games and friendships were forged over a common bond of “you too were forced out of your home, but here, in this place, we are all neighbors.” Yes, some of the faces I saw had worry written on them, but people still smiled. People still hoped, even with their worldly possessions confined to a sedan in the middle of a stadium parking lot. And people 8 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

It takes a lot of courage to believe that things will eventually work themselves out.

wanted to talk about it. I found I didn’t have to ask questions because people wanted to tell their story and they wanted someone to listen. I think back to that day – and to those people – often. I’m envious of people who can forget about the worries of the day, be they small or very large – like a fire near your home – and just live. It takes a lot of courage to believe that things will eventually work themselves out, and even when I repeat that mantra a thousand times, it doesn’t always seem to help when things are getting hairy. What I think it comes down to, though, is this: what matters most? Photo albums, groceries and great-grandmother’s china are all fine things to pack up as you try to outrun the flames, and having those things might make you sleep a little easier; but people are just as important. It’s what I felt at the stadium that day, and again as some of my friends were forced to leave their homes recently. It didn’t matter to anyone that they might lose their homes, as long as they were with the ones they loved, and everyone was healthy and safe. Thankfully, my worries are small in comparison, and I am able to sleep well knowing my family is safe. We may not always be happy, but we are healthy and we love one another. So, the next time you are surrounded by flames, remember what matters most. A

As if you needed a reason:

Spending quality time with your mom could help lower stress, according to a 2010 study by WisconsinMadison researchers.

May 18

THANK YOU!

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AT SAN DIEGO CELEBRATES ISRAEL 66!

THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS & UNDERWRITERS

www.sdja.com

San Diego Jewish Gift Closet

>> mailbag

We’re Listening! Let us know what you’re thinking.

MAY 2014 l IYAR•SIVAN 5774

San Diego

SENIORS

Celebrate life in the golden years

PLUS: Jewish Arts Fest

IN RESPONSE TO PAMELA Dear Editor: Oy Gevalt SDJJ! Pamela Geller? Really? What a sad sight to see your otherwise enjoyable magazine give a forum to a noted hate monger. “Obama is a third worlder and a coward. He will do nothing but beat up on our friends to appease his Islamic overlords,” she wrote in 2010. Also talking about President Obama: “He’s not insane ... he wants jihad to win.” And if that isn’t enough she has referred to Obama as the “love child” of Malcolm X. Ms. Geller has taken it upon herself to frame American Muslims as dangerous to this country, by warning that somehow Shariah could be the law of the land. I’m all for the exchange of different ideas, but to not disclose her prejudices and background is journalistic negligence. Does the SDJJ really want to be associated with such a person? It seems to me that you should aspire to being a magazine that truly serves the local Jewish community and not be part of a propaganda campaign espousing hatred. You can do better and your readers deserve better. Rob Cohen Kensington

/SanDiegoJewishJournal

@SDJewishJournal

Dear Editor: It was very refreshing to read Michael Hayutin’s interview of Pamela Geller. Like her, I was transformed by the events of 9/11. She is correct in saying that the truth about radical Islam is being suppressed by a media more concerned with “political correctness” and not offending Muslims. Until we can talk honestly about the problem of radical Islam, we’re not going to find real solutions to fix it. Jim Sherman San Diego

PRAISE FOR MYRON Dear Editor: I very much enjoyed your May article on Myron Uhlberg. Mr. Uhlberg was a guest speaker at the Rancho Bernardo chapter of Brandeis University National Committee’s annual book and author luncheon in 2013. He was both informative and humorous. That same year, one of Rancho Bernardo’s BNC’s book groups read and discussed his book, “Hands of my Father.” BNC is a nationwide organization dedicated to support Brandeis University. There are two chapters in the San Diego area. Although the majority of nationwide members have not attended Brandeis we actually support the school because of its early history and outstanding educational achievements throughout the years. Renee Bloom San Diego

AN OBSERVATION Dear Editor: Recently, I attended Yom HaZikaron, put on by the Jewish Federation of San Diego for which I am so thankful. Tears rolled down my cheeks from the agonizing stories told of lost young Jewish Israeli soldiers who gave their lives defending our Jewish State. Anger roared inside of me over the corrupt leadership of the Palestinian people, and disgust burned in me over the world’s anti-Semitic forces behind so many decisions that single out Israel and reinforce the false propaganda that prolongs this senseless conflict. Unfortunately, these anti-Israel and anti-Jewish forces exist and are spreading whether one wants to believe them or not; yet that is not what made my blood boil over with shame. I felt shame at the absence of most Rabbis, many Jewish leaders and most importantly ordinary American Jews, who either did not know of this important event, or did not bother to attend. The sad truth is that more American Jews congregate around Hanukkah and Purim than Yom HaZikaron. So, I ask my fellow American Jews, our Rabbis and leadership to search your souls for the courage and vision necessary to seize the opportunity to expose American Jews to this holy day, Yom HaZikaron, to honor our Israeli fallen heroes. Is that not that the greatest mitzvah our living Jewish population can strive to achieve? Michael Feldman San Diego

Send us your comments: editor@sdjewishjournal.com • 5665 Oberlin Dr., Ste 204 • San Diego, CA 92121

10 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

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our

TOWN San Diego Celebrates Israel PHOTOS COURTESY JEWISH FEDERATION OF SAN DIEGO

12 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

Join Jewish National Fund for the 2014 National Conference! September 12 - 15, 2014 • Los Angeles, CA • The Beverly Hilton Guest Speakers Include: Governor Jerry Brown, Governor of California Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Israel Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Ido Aharoni, Consul General of Israel to New York Rabbi David Wolpe, Named Most Influential Rabbi in America by Newsweek Magazine

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be SEEN BY MIKI LAMM l MIKISDJJ@GMAIL.COM PHOTOS BY EDIZ BENAROYA

JNF’s Love of Israel Brunch

On the heels of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, JNF held its 3rd annual “Love of Israel” Brunch. Guests gathered at the Hilton Bayfront on May 4 to support the vital work of JNF in Israel. The Washington Bureau Chief for Israel’s Channel 10 News, Gil Tamary, was keynote speaker. Tamary recapped a year of successes in Israel, including the first use of natural gas from the Tamar Reservoir, the $500 million deal with Jordan to supply natural energy from Israel and the purchase of Israeli companies such as Waze, ISCAR, Onavo and Trusteer. Tamary said that Israel is no longer a dependent state, but a real partner in finding solutions to the world’s problems. “We are not the tree people – JNF is Israel,” Rick Krosnick, chief development officer of JNF said at the event. “JNF is the organization that gives all generations of Jews a unique voice to build a prosperous future for the land of Israel and its people.” For more information, visit jnf.org. From top: Yoni Breziner and Raquel Benguiat; April Angeloni and Paul Segal.

JFS Mental Health Lunch

The Behavioral Health Committee of Jewish Family Service of San Diego held its annual Mental Health Luncheon recently at the Hyatt La Jolla at Aventine. More than 200 people showed up to hear mother-daughter duo Cinda and Linea Johnson discuss their journey through bipolar disorder, which they also detailed in a book they co-authored, entitled “Perfect Chaos.” San Diego County Supervisor Dave Roberts declared the date “JFS Mental Health Awareness Day” before the speakers took the stage. To learn more about the Behavioral Health Committee of JFS, call (858) 637-3268.

Clockwise from bottom right: Marsha Hazan, Linda Janon, Fern Seigel and Mimi Lee; Marty Ehrlich and Adria Cammeyer; Phyllis Peller, Rabbi Scott Meltzer and Cecile Gordon.

14 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

What inspires a life well lived? Isn’t it all the special moments? Like waking up in your charming residence. Being greeted by name, with a warm smile. A great meal in stylish surroundings with good friends or an energizing workout. The newfound ease of living in the midst of everything you love. And the assurance that tomorrow’s care needs can be managed for you, right here at home. This is retirement living, enriched and unencumbered—tailored to you.

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The Melody of the Sabbath Composed by Donna Nitti 2013

A musical rest from the cacophonous chaos of life. A time to compose, A time to reflect and ask, What Torah insight have I pondered, grasped and applied in my life? What mitzvah did I have the opportunity to perform and my performance fell flat? The measure of our song……..life’s beat, the weeks ebb and flow of space and time. The Sabbath melody is ushering in a slower pace, shema, it is time for sanctification of the 7th day.No longer chasing note to note…we now segue to a melodic interlude requiring our presence, our mindfulness, our soul……………a holy moment. Setting down our instruments of work, of space and time…..the pen, the phone and the internal corporate contemplation, Welcome the Sabbath measure. Unfettered from the domination of space and time, the domination of commitments…….. breathe and release the domination of people, places and things. BE……………..the melody…………………..shema………...listen to creations song.

Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 15

the SCENE BY EILEEN SONDAK l NSONDAK@GMAIL.COM PHOTOS BY LEETAL ELMALEH

Globe Gala

Staunch supporters of The Old Globe held their annual luncheon and fashion show at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel recently. The theme was “Celebrating Couture,” a joint effort by The Globe Guilders and Neiman Marcus, featuring fashions by Naeem Khan – and the acclaimed designer was on hand to take his well-deserved bows after the show. The event benefitted many of the Globe’s programs, including 14 annual productions, seminars and forums, and the organization’s Master of Fine Arts program. The afternoon started with a champagne reception and silent auction. Then the well-dressed crowd moved into the ballroom for lunch, a live auction, and the elegant runway show. It was a dazzling display of Khan’s Fall 2014 collection, and many of the guests were eager to view the outfits backstage after the sthow. Barry Edelstein, The Old Globe’s artistic director, thanked The Globe Guilders for all they do to support the Globe’s projects. Sandy Redman was honorary chair, with co-chairs Dolores Smith and Patricia Paul assisting Lois Lewis as chair of the fashion show. The large guest list included Carol Hanson, Alexa Hirsch, Marlene Sterling, Joan Pollard, Rachel Plummer, Sonya Berg, Alberta Feurzeig, Rhona Fink, Sharon Friedlander, Joan Jacobs, Olga Krasnoff, Reinette Levine, Viviana Polinsky, and Jori Potiker. Karen Cohn, Lee Goldberg, Helene Gould, Mickey Stern, Iris Strauss, Emma Zuckerman, and Sally Thornton were part of the honorary committee.

Top: Kristi Pieper and Lois Lewis. Clockwise from top left: Joan Pollard and Angie Decaro; Roxi Link and Nancy Geller; Iris Strauss and Karen Cohn.

16 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

Help at Home. Seacrest at Home is the trusted not for profit Jewish home care agency when you or a loved one requires additional help at home. Our experienced and compassionate caregivers will deliver the extra care that may become necessary later in life — such as bathing, grooming, dressing, errands or companionship. With our understanding of Jewish life and its unique expression, we will design a care plan specifically to meet the individual needs of you or a loved one.

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JFS Employment & Career Services

Mastering Your Job Search: Skills for the Seasoned Worker

Choose the session most convenient for you!

Looking for employment in today’s job market can be difficult and stressful. In the last decade, the application process has become impersonal – often starting totally online – while networking with peers remains as important as ever. To find a job in today’s online world, you’ll need insider knowledge and a few new skills. Join us to develop a game plan to land your next job!

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parenting

MUSINGS FROM MAMA by Sharon Rosen Leib srleib@roadrunner.com

The Many Faces of Loss

t’s been a dark spring of loss and sorrow. In early April, I received a brief message from a dear neighbor and friend that she’d lost her beloved 25 year-old son in a car accident. A few days later, her husband sent out a heartbreaking email describing the circumstances of their precious son’s death: a multicar, no-fault-assigned collision on Interstate 5. The crash involved other injuries but their son was the only fatality – every parent’s worst nightmare manifested in a tragic reality beyond comprehension. Our wise, sensitive neighbor sent the facts out in a group email because, as he explained, he never wanted to have to retell what caused his son’s death. Instead, the family wants to focus on the joy, love and laughter their son brought them in his all-too-brief life. Then, in mid April, I received a call from my 92 year-old great uncle’s hospice provider. “He’s making the transition. Death is near – a matter of days,” the social worker said. My husband and I rushed up to my uncle’s home in the Hollywood Hills later that night. Hospice had prescribed morphine to ease his mounting discomfort as he struggled for breath. The morphine slowed his bodily functions and dulled his responsiveness. Yet he’d waited for his three grandnieces to be with him at the end. My sister, a physician, noted that he was having a hard time letting go. We stayed in his room most of the night. I rose early to watch over him, intuitively sensing he was down to his final hour. I put my hand on his shoulder and told him about all the people he loved and who loved him whom he’d see on the other side – his sister, his parents, my mother and father, my cousin’s mother, his ex-wife Shirley, his succession of three longtime girlfriends, all of his 18 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

first cousins and his many dear Hollywood friends. I told him about the memorial we’d have for him at Temple Israel of Hollywood, where his father had been memorialized 56 years ago. All of this seemed to comfort him and help him let go. Within the hour, he peacefully drew his last breath. We’d lost a father figure. The deathwatch exhausted us. Invoking the litany of lost relatives – especially my mother, father and aunt who all died too young – pained me. Every death in the family summons prior losses from the depths and echoes with the susurration of sorrows past. So I grieve again although I know my uncle has been released from his suffering. The third loss in this saddest of springs was our dear friend Monica Aroeste’s death on May 1 at age 49. Iron-willed Monica battled cancer for 15 years, surviving long enough to parent, with her devoted husband Jose, two sons (both mensches of the highest order) into their 20s, and the loveliest of daughters to age 17. Many in our community were blessed to see Monica’s smiling face and feel her radiant warmth whenever we walked into the San Diego Jewish Academy’s upper school office. She worked as receptionist, trouble-shooter and bighearted den mother at the SDJA for more than a decade and she will be missed by many. So how do we survivors cope in the face of grievous loss? We honor our grief by seeking solace from friends and family, in our houses of worship, but most importantly, within ourselves. We need time and space to grieve and to remember. As poet Marie Howe wrote in “What the Living Do,” her transcendent 1994 poem, “I am living. I remember you.” A

Grieving? The Jewish Healing Center at JFS can help. To learn more, call (858) 637-3070.

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israeli lifestyle

LIVING ON THE FRONT PAGE by Andrea Simantov

andreasimantov@gmail.com

At the Foot of the Mountain

grew up in a home where Israel lived. From the blue-and-white Jewish National Fund charity boxes that graced our window sills to the annual Israel Day Parade and Film Festival, my father made little secret that we were living a “secondary” Jewish life by virtue of not living in Israel. The extended family mocked him behind his back (and sometimes to his face), but outside arguments held little sway. We had a state and Jews should be living there. Case closed; the defense rested. My eyes still well-up with tears as I consider his Zionist naiveté; every Israeli was a superior human being and falafel – even really rancid falafel – was manna from Heaven. To even suggest to my father that there were Israeli conartists, prostitutes and other assorted low-lives was tantamount to holding a pep-rally for the 20 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

Third Reich. One just didn’t go there. He loved all Jews and sported an aura of shame that he did not suffer along with his brothers in the Inquisition, 1929 Hebron Riots, or the Nazi war machine. An early defender of elderly Jews living in decaying neighborhoods, my father marched into tenements and escorted octogenarians to doctors’ offices and grocery stores, defiantly wearing faux-military gear and an iron-set jaw. We cringed with embarrassment as our guerrilla-warfare daddy ranted non-stop about the need to protect those in need of protection. And while he would have gone to the mat for any human being – Jew, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu and Jain – who wished to observe his faith in peace, he believed that historically, Jews had gotten the rawest deal of all in the “Tolerance Department.”

Shavuot is the anniversary of when we received the Torah and it always astounds me to think that our entire Nation – regardless of lifestyle, background, ethnicity – stood shoulder-toshoulder in silence, united by both the Holiness and enormity of the gift we were about to receive. Like a magnificent multicolored, multi-textured tapestry, every one of us played a respective role in defining the perfection of the whole. All too often the “reality” of Israel interferes with my fantasy of this chosen homeland. The frequent coarseness of our citizenry, the filth in the streets of certain neighborhoods, the intolerance between religious and non-religious and the daily terrorist threat can make one wring his hands in hopelessness. Yet, despite this, there is no greater feeling than watching the streets of Jerusalem flood with people – young and old – walking to the Kotel and back, throughout the night and wee hours of the morning. For many, it is the social event of the season and the only rule seems to be that one wants to mingle with his brethren. The closer one gets to the Old City, the denser the crowd; indeed, this swarm of Jewish humanity consists of Haredim in streimels, barefoot hippies, students in jeans, tourists encased in suits and ties, women with bare heads, scarves and wigs, Jews-bychoice, grandmas and grandpas and babies in strollers. These Jews are white, black and Asian, Eastern European and North African. Some are Torah observant and others aren’t. But every one of them/us/you grabs the gift of Shavuot with both hands and declares with his presence, “I’m here. Count me in.” After all, there would seem to be no greater gift than discovering an ability to stand at the foot of the mountain with others and feel that we are finally worthy to receive God’s Torah. A

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dating

PLAYING WITH MATCHES by Jennifer Garstrang jenscy@gmail.com

Dancing, the Dater’s Dilemma

ancing. One of the most romanticized methods of courtship. It ranks right up there with kissing in the rain, and like kissing in the rain, it’s often better in the movies than in real life. I’ve gone out dancing a fair amount, both alone and with dates, and let me tell you, the movie Dirty Dancing lied to us. You can’t skip that whole “learning thing” with a cute 80’s montage, and while the dance floor can be romantic, it is also a perilous world of bumps and bruises. Now, I am not trying to discourage anyone from getting out there and having fun, but it’s important to consider the “real-world” factor. Guys, this article is primarily aimed at you. Why? Because in couple’s dancing, the guy is the lead 90 percent of the time. As such, it is your job to make your partner feel safe as you maneuver through a dimly-lit environment filled with flailing limbs. If you don’t do that job, then you drastically reduce your chances of having fun while upping your odds of striking out. Here are five problematic archetypes among leads, and some advice about how to avoid being one: Archetype #1: The Nervous Newbie You courageously jumped onto the dance floor without taking a class, but now you feel all ferdrayt (dizzy and confused), and your arms feel like noodle kugel. Solution: There are nearly always free or inexpensive lessons before open dancing, so get there early! Also know that inexperience is not a problem, just don’t run your partner into stuff! Archetype #2: The “Pro” You took some classes once, and now you “know all the moves.” If only you could find a dance partner as infallible as yourself! Maybe then you wouldn’t have to yank her arm half way out of its socket to make her spin, and “correct” her every “mistake.” Solution: Dancing is about having fun. So check 22 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

your ego at the door. Friendly guidance is fine, but if you regularly have to force her to move, then you aren’t leading properly. Archetype #3: The Talker You are so eager to get to know your partner that you hardly notice the dance floor as you ply her with questions. Solution: If you want to get to know your partner better, ask if you can buy her a drink after the song ends. She’ll likely be more interested in talking when she isn’t worried about dodging other couples. Archetype #4: The Drunk Dipper You’ve had a few shots of liquid confidence, and now you’re ready to shake it, Baby! Solution: It’s okay to be a tad tipsy, but know your limits so you don’t risk giving your partner a concussion. Trust me, it’s happened.

Did you know?

Archetype #5: The Seducer Everyone knows dancing is totally sexy, and your hands always have a way of finding her tuchas. Solution: The dance floor is not a pre-matingground that exists so you can sweep her off her feet and into your bed. I’m not saying you can’t be flirty, but if she moves your hand, she’s not playing hard to get, she’s saying “no.” So guys (and gals), am I saying it’s hopeless, and that you should give up? Not at all! I’ve spent enough delightful evenings on the dance floor to keep me coming back. When partnered with a moderately skilled dancer who has pure intentions, dancing is lots of fun, and can be quite romantic. Just remember to set aside your ego, take a few lessons, and keep in mind that it’s all about having fun with someone you like, not taking a shortcut to the sack! A

Evolutionary biologists say larger and more variable movements of the head and torso are the dance moves that catch a woman’s eye most.

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guest column

GOD TALK

by Rabbi Philip Graubart rabbi@cbe.org

Income Inequality, the Spiritual Dimension

onsider a recent Tweet from Pope Francis: “Inequality is the root of social evil.” Clearly he’s taken on poverty as his sacred mission, but he’s also expressing a trendy idea, picked up by many politicians, and now popularized in a bestselling book by Thomas Piketty. For the Pope, economic inequality is an ethical issue, reflecting what, for him, is a frankly immoral division of resources. For Piketty, the economist, it’s more an issue of ineffective social policy, how inequality fails to produce a broad prosperity. Neither Piketty nor the Pope quote Leviticus, which, without a doubt, fights economic inequality though for altogether different and perhaps surprising reasons. The book features the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. The Sabbatical year produces greater equality by, in effect, eliminating private ownership of land once every seven years. During the Sabbatical year, all land is open to everyone, rich and poor – landowner and beggar. At least for that year, the poor have enough, and the wealthy rely on what they, along with everyone else, can pick and eat. The result is a sort of transfer of wealth – and greater equality. The Jubilee year is much more radical; it eliminates accumulated wealth entirely. All land – all accumulated property – reverts to the original owner. Everyone starts afresh, equal, with equal opportunity, but also equal resources. This sounds like a dream, for Piketty, the Pope, and all the pundits and politicians pushing economic equality. And, in many ways, these passages fit this current trend. But for me what’s interesting is the language and symbols the Torah uses to describe these institutions – a language which encodes very different priorities. For instance, according to the Torah, we announce the Jubilee years by blowing the shofar, on Yom Kippur, our most important, most transcendent festival. 24 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

So for the Torah, economic equality is not just an ethical imperative, or proper economic policy. It’s a spiritual issue, a ritual that creates transcendence. Also, the fact that we count – we’re commanded to count – 49 years from Sabbatical to Jubilee evokes the Omer, the period between leaving Egypt and the great revelation at Sinai. The Jubilee, then, is not merely a set of economic laws, it’s a supremely transcendent moment, an instant when we are in direct contact and communication with God. But where exactly is the transcendence in the Sabbatical and Jubilee years? Beyond the ethical imperative of helping the poor, these strange and beautiful institutions renew our sense of community by bringing us all together, out into our communal fields where we meet each other as equals. In other words, the Torah forces us to encounter each other in all of our amazing variety – rich and poor, Priest and Levite, boss and worker, leader and citizen – and in encountering each other we see the true face of God. There may be economic and ethical benefits to sharing the wealth, but the Torah seems more interested in the social benefit, which, in Judaism, is the spiritual benefit. We find transcendent meaning in community, and we create community by coming together. In the Torah, God informed Moses of the Sabbatical laws at Mt. Sinai. But – “What does the Sabbatical have to do with Sinai?” (Mah inyan shemitah etsel har Sinai). This is one of the Talmud’s most famous questions. Why single out the Sinaitic origins of the Sabbatical laws when, according to the rabbis, all of the Torah came from Sinai. For me the answer is clear. Don’t categorize the Sabbatical/Jubilee laws as merely ethical or economic instruments. These are spiritual rituals – institutions that bring us back to Sinai, the place where we discover God by encountering each other. A

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spirituality

THE ARTIST’S TORAH by David Ebenbach ebenbach@netzero.com

Walking Toward Your Fear

he book of Numbers contains a good deal of ancestral foolishness. As they wander the desert, the Israelites exhaust the patience of God and Moses repeatedly, complaining about their lack of good old Egyptian food (chapter 11); engaging in idolatry (chapter 25); and staging a doomed rebellion against Moses’ leadership (chapter 16). Even Moses’ siblings Aaron and Miriam make a fuss about all the attention Moses gets, and take potshots at his wife (chapter 12). Each time there are consequences – plagues, leprosy, the earth opening up to swallow the offenders. But the most consequential transgression happens in the episode of the spies. In the 13th chapter of Numbers, Moses sends scouts into the promised land of Israel to get a sense of how abundant and how well-defended the territory is. The scouts come back with good news and bad: the land is very rich, with grapes so huge you need two people to carry them, but its current inhabitants are downright scary. The Israelites panic; despite the assurances of Joshua and Caleb that they can prevail over the opposition, the people refuse to take on the challenge. As punishment, a severely disappointed God sentences them to wander for 40 more years in the wilderness – 40 years before they will, in fact, go on to take possession of the land that’s been promised them. And that’s the thing. The fear of the Israelites doesn’t change their long-term destination – they do still end up in Israel. It does, however, make their journey much more difficult. This is often how fear works. Many times we are confronted with a problem both daunting and unavoidable – we have to deal with it – and yet we hide from it, only delaying the inevitable and probably making things worse. We see this at every level: there are nations that refuse to deal with difficult and inescapable domestic, international, and global challenges because there are some “dangers” or “concerns;” there are people who refuse to engage

26 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

with urgent personal and interpersonal issues and instead allow them to fester. Bowing to fear can be like ducking a boomerang, only to buy yourself a few moments’ reprieve before you get whacked from behind. Yet the spies story is not as simple as all that. The length of God’s sentence – 40 years – is not arbitrary. “Your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness for 40 years,” says God, “... until your corpses are consumed by the wilderness” (14:33). In other words, the sentence is intended to be just long enough for the current, terror-driven generation of Israelites to die out. This is the generation that grew up in Egypt and in some sense can’t get Egypt off their backs: having spent their whole life knowing nothing but slavery, they’re not quite ready to embrace their freedom. Their children, however, are growing up free. They feel entitled and prepared to take it on, regardless of the challenges. Only once they’re in charge will it be possible to go forward. Fear sometimes works this way, too, requiring the gradual demise of resistance before one can move forward. Positive social change in our country has more than once required us to wait out the last intransigent citizens who couldn’t accept progress; peace between nations is sometimes delayed until the angriest generation passes on. Similarly, as individuals we might not be able to face a particularly upsetting problem until we’ve finished grieving a loss, let go of old habits or needs, or matured enough to handle it. There might be other personal work we need to do first. Still – there’s a fine line between discretion and denial. Fear isn’t an invitation to ignore what’s facing you. Maybe you can buy yourself some time before stepping forward (though possibly that’ll come at a significant cost and leave you with a problem that’s only gotten worse); regardless, at some point you have to acknowledge what you can’t avoid and, afraid or not, walk right toward it. A

 This

month’s Torah portions June 7: Beha’alotcha (Numbers 8:1-12:15) June 14: Shelach (Numbers 13:1-15:41) June 21: Korach (Numbers 16:1-18:32) June 28: Chukat (Numbers 19:1-22:1)

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FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION

israel

Nonprofit helps seniors get to Israel • BY NATALIE JACOBS

PHOTO COURTESY L’DOR V’DOR

L’Dor V’Dor’s October, 2013, group on a visit to Israel’s Knesset.

or young people hoping to travel to Israel, there are a handful of ways to get there without spending a lot of, or any, money. But once you pass the youth threshold, the resources available to you are considerably less. If money isn’t a problem and travel is on your wishlist, there are plenty of travel companies that offer guided tours for adults to remote and exotic locations all over the world. Try finding Israel on the list, though. That’s where Stacy Wasserman and her nonprofit L’Dor V’Dor come in. After her father passed away in 2007, Wasserman decided to create a charitable foundation with the money he left her. She spent a few years giving money to whomever asked for it but when a planned trip to Israel got canceled at the last minute, she realized she had an opportunity to do something bigger with her father’s money. “We were actually at the airport and they canceled our flight,” Wasserman says. “[My

28 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

husband] wasn’t very gung-ho on the fact of going to Israel, even though he had family there and his parents were Holocaust survivors. It just wasn’t that important to him.” But it was important to Wasserman, who had only been to Israel once, right after college. “One night, I came up with an idea that the way he would go to Israel with me was if I planned a trip that he would have to go on.” And L’Dor V’Dor was born. Since 2011, Wasserman has taken groups of 40 adults aged 55 and older on an 11-day trip to Israel. They stay in four-star hotels and travel Israel from “head to toe” in a bus with an Israeli tour guide. Though these trips are not entirely free, they cost considerably less than what someone would pay for the same trip on their own. The total for this year’s October trip, now full, was $2,300 which includes a $500 “pay-it-forward” donation to L’Dor V’Dor but does not include airfare. “I’m not really very strict,” Wasserman says of

the requirements to attend a trip. “You don’t have to be Jewish but it definitely has Jewish flair to it. A lot of people who go, one partner isn’t Jewish which I have no problem with. But it’s not a trip for somebody who was just there two years ago. “It’s important that we send our kids and our grandchildren [to Israel], but what’s really important is that we go there too,” she continues. “My feeling is, we send a lot of younger adults there but when they come home they don’t have any place to put all that enthusiasm if their parents or grandparents haven’t been to Israel.” For his part, after Wasserman’s husband finally went, he said he couldn’t believe what Israel was really about. For more testimonials and information about the trip, visit ldorvdorisrael.com. There will be two trips in 2015, one in April and one in the summer, specifically for teachers. Registration for April trips will open in June. A

Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 29

FEATURE STORY

S’MORES WITH ED SAMILJAN Camp Mountain Chai’s founder talks Jewish continuity BY NIKKI SALVO

PHOTOS COURTESY ED SAMILJAN

Camp Mountain Chai’s campers hang out with their counselors, many of whom are former CMC campers.

ust call him a s’millionaire. Ed Samiljan (pronounced sa-million) may be surrounded by an embarrassment of riches: his beautiful wife, Rae, his three daughters, their husbands and six grandchildren, and an astounding San Diego penthouse apartment with a sweeping view of the city. But he is all about giving back to the community that made him who he is today. Named one of KPBS/Union Bank’s Jewish Heroes for the month of May (Jewish Heritage Month), Samiljan specializes in creating Jewish continuity among young people in San Diego. He is the co-founder of Camp Mountain Chai, a place where kids can “discover who they are” and learn Jewish traditions they can take home with them, now in it’s 10th year. Samiljan considers Jewish continuity a “hot topic,” and asserts that 70 percent of couples intermarry and children of those marriages tend to have less exposure to Jewish culture. Summer camp gives today’s youth an opportunity to “recognize who and what they are,” Samiljan says, and to gain insight into the traditions that define “the grand culture they came from ... and big surprise – the kids love it!” He says campers return home and share what they’ve learned at camp, such as songs or the observance of Shabbat 30 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

dinner, with their families, which reignites those traditions for generations to come. At upwards of 7,500 feet elevation, a play on the word “high” was applicable when naming the camp, located in the San Bernardino mountains. Camp Mountain Chai welcomes about 500 kids per summer, and has the standard camp elements, such as a pool, archery, canoeing and kayaking on the lake, and also boasts a climbing wall, a zip line, and of course, activities in arts and crafts, music, dance and skits. Yes, this camp is tricked out, but Similjan says camping is not all fun and games. “[For the kids], it is something more significant than that,” he says. “It is the first time on their own, an introduction into the community with their peers.” Growing up poor in a Boston ghetto among other Jewish families like his, summer camp was considered a “frivolous expense,” Samiljan says. But his parents found a way to send him to camp for two weeks, and it was an experience he never forgot. No child has ever been turned away from Camp Mountain Chai due to financial need, and now his goal is to send as many kids to his camp as possible, even those with financial challenges. To address the need for scholarship aid, he and

his staff are developing an endowment fund that will ensure that all children have the opportunity to attend Jewish summer camp. It is the philanthropist in him that fuels Samiljan’s desire to help create cultural identity and the experience of a lifetime for kids, even those who need monetary assistance. It is the businessman in him that focuses on leading the camp to becoming a well-known brand, so that it can continue to grow and improve well into the future. He says if the endowment fund is accomplished, and scholarships are available to kids, then he and his team will have “created a worthy legacy.” The secret to his success? “Persistence,” Samiljan says. He describes how, after modest beginnings, World War II brought him and many other young men opportunities, namely the G.I. Bill. “Suddenly education was available to everyone,” he says, “and the young men in this time were allowed to create their own career identities to break through the class structure.” He graduated from Bowdin College, a small Ivy League university in Brunswick, Maine, where he met Rae, and planned to stay there and write a novel. His father-in-law encouraged him

FEATURE STORY

Sporting activities at camp are just as important as the Jewish ones, Samiljan says.

to take a job in photography, and he ended up working in a camera store alongside his brother on a 90-day trial basis. That three-month trial turned into a 45-year career in the camera store business. At age 48, with three children, two of them in college, and “no money,” Samiljan headed to California. People told him he was crazy to leave the East Coast, but, he says, “California became the golden dream come true. Now I hope to offer that dream to others.” By his 60th birthday, as most of his friends were retiring, he began his last and most successful enterprise. As a film processor (before digital), he serviced such high profile clients as Ralph’s and Costco. At one point, he says, his main competitor, Kodak, became sufficiently annoyed with him for taking all of its clients so the company bought him out. In 1991, he won Ernst & Young’s local Entrepreneur of the Year award in San Diego, which he insists he accepted on behalf of “all guys older than 60.” After spending many years working hard, Samiljan wondered how to gracefully transfer into retirement. He could easily be playing golf all day, like some would expect, but it is more important for him to “remain in the real world” and to “find a way to give back.” And, at 86, Samiljan shows no signs of slowing down. He and Rae have hiked all over the world, toured camps throughout California, and these

days frequently make trips out to visit Camp Mountain Chai. Though it is a nonprofit agency, “camping is a business,” he points out. “That doesn’t mean it’s in the business to lose money year after year,” he says, “and it is one that requires intense management.” The camp is open 52 weeks a year, and hosts a number of retreats and programs in the nonsummer months. Two new programs are in place this year to aid children who wish to become Jewish campers: one for kids of military families and one for the children of full-time Jewish professionals. Samiljan tells stories of his grandchildren whom he believes wouldn’t be where they are today if it weren’t for having attended camp. When his grandson was 14 or 15, he went to music camp in Maine. When Grandpa Samiljan came to pick him up, all the kids were in tears. The grandparents assumed the kids were sad to leave because they would miss their old camp friends. When they asked him what was wrong, their grandson said, “At camp I was free... liberated.” “It was that new experience, that taste of freedom, that was life-changing for him. It was about learning how to weave into the society with his peers and grow into a young man,” Samiljan says. Now, that grandson is an attorney. Samiljan, who has found a way to mass market Jewish continuity, credits his Jewish Heroes

award to another source. “The hero is truly Jewish camping,” he says, “for the impact it has on Jewish kids.” If camping delivers a higher level of Jewish continuity, a good deal of its San Diego success is due to Ed Samiljan. A To learn about Camp Mountain Chai and its programs, visit campmountainchai.com.

Samiljan with wife, Rae.

Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 31

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L-R: Katherine and Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Michael Bolton, Doreen and Dr. Myron Schonbrun. 32 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

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FOOD + WINE What’s Jewish About Being a Vegetarian?

Jewish Vegetarians of North America aim to show you BY ALANNA BERMAN

n G-d’s first conversation with mankind, the commandment to eat plants was given. The actual conversation, from Genesis 1:29, states: “Behold, I have given you every herbyielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree that has seed-yielding fruit –

34 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

to you it shall be for food.” So what does all that have to do with being Jewish? Many prominent rabbis are vegetarians, and there is no question that keeping kosher is easier when you cut meat out of the equation. Today, there are tons of recipes for meatless

versions of Jewish staples, and some of them actually taste pretty good. That’s the message of Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA), which advocates for a plant-based lifestyle as an expression of Jewish values. “There is a very strong Jewish base for

FOOD + WINE

PHOTO COURTESY JVNA

JVNA board members eat their way through a meeting.

vegetarianism,” Jeffrey Cohan, executive director of JVNA, says. “In fact there is no question that it is a Torah ideal. It’s not to say that eating meat is prohibited, because it is certainly permitted in Judaism, but it is not the ideal in the Torah ... The permission to eat meat is widely considered a concession to man’s moral weakness.” The Torah is full of commandments that speak to a vegetarian lifestyle, Cohan, who points to the emphasis on the humane treatment of animals as one of the biggest reasons for Jews to go vegetarian, explains. “This is really quite radical in the context of all the world’s religions. Judaism is the religion that places the strongest emphasis on the compassionate treatment of animals, yet what is happening in the factory farming and animal agriculture industries is in blatant violation of the Jewish mandate to treat animals with compassion.” Cohan, who now lives in Pittsburgh, grew up in El Cajon, and has fond memories of eating carne asada burritos from the local taco shop. He and his wife became vegetarian about eight years ago during the High Holidays. During the reading of the creation story in Genesis, he says “something clicked and we became vegetarians through Torah.” Cohan and his wife went vegan soon after, and today, even his teenaged daughter has adopted the lifestyle. Through educational initiatives and a website with recipe databases, Cohan and others at JVNA work toward ensuring the compassionate treatment of animals and the health of the environment, which they say is best achieved through vegetarianism.

“That said, what we really like to do is to open people’s hearts,” he says, “Because the reality is that the most Jewish people, as is with the majority of Americans, think animals should be treated with compassion and should be treated well, [and] that includes not eating them.” The JVNA website is full of materials for people who want to try out being a vegetarian or vegan. Recipes for vegetarian versions of matzah ball soup, cholent and halvah are just some of the Jewish foods you will find in their recipe archive, which features items for every meal and holiday. JVNA’s Rabbinic Council is also featured prominently online, with 10 of the most wellknown U.S. rabbis serving and advocating for the message of JVNA. Rabbi David Wolpe, named the Most Influential Rabbi in the United States in 2012 by Newsweek, is the spiritual leader of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles and a long-time vegetarian. “For me, the idea of being stewards of the earth also means being stewards of everything in it,” Wolpe says, adding that his work with JVNA is a supportive role, through which he is trying to raise some awareness about the cause. “Most people who do eat meat don’t think about it too much. It’s not a very reflective practice, to eat meat in America, but when someone talks about vegetarianism, it starts a discussion that is usually very fruitful (for our side). “The way that animals are treated is barbaric and the chemicals that are pumped into them are voluminous and [this is why] I think that vegetarianism is a much better way to allocate resources and to live a healthy life.”

And there are many more health reasons to consider a change in diet. In fact, on his nutrition blog, nutritionfacts.org, JVNA adviser Dr. Michael Greger asserts that a vegan diet has been found to “reverse heart disease and possibly even the progression of cancer.” In addition, The American Journal of Cardiology asserts that coronary artery disease, the leading killer of men and women in the United States, would not exist without elevated cholesterol, which is elevated by trans fats, saturated fats, and cholesterol, all found in animal-based foods. “Every major, long-term, large-scale nutrition study has shown that vegetarians and vegans live longer and have a lower incidence of chronic disease than people who eat meat,” Cohan says. “When we see the terrible toll that the standard American diet, which is meat- and dairy-centric, is taking on American’s health – the obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer epidemics – it becomes a very compelling argument. “Taken along with the fact that this is a Torah ideal, and knowing that animals are treated so horribly in animal agriculture today ... you have to consider going vegetarian or vegan.” Recently, JVNA launched a new program designed to help people interested in joining their cause through a “veg pledge.” The campaign, entitled “Beyond Brisket: Jewish Values on Our Forks” asks participants to pledge to go vegan one or more days a week. “The centerpiece of the campaign is going to be a six-minute video, and at the end of the video a pledge form will appear, where people will pledge to go vegan for a period of time that they choose,” Cohan says. The video is a web-based version of the group’s documentary, “A Sacred Duty,” which outlines Jewish reasons for the change in diet. Pledge participants will also receive Jewish-themed vegan starter kits and hands-on assistance in keeping their pledge. “We realize that most people are not going to go vegetarian or vegan with a flip of a switch. They will do it gradually, so it is about reductionism, which we advocate heavily. So if someone wants to start going vegan one meal or one day a week, it’s a start in the right direction, and we want to help people do that.” A To learn more, visit jewishveg.com.

Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 35

FOOD + WINE

Vegan Gefilte “Fish”

Caryn Hartglass Traditionally served as a first course during the Passover seder dinner, this vegan version of Gefilte “Fish,” can be served as an appetizer anytime. Gefilte “Fish” Ingredients 1 cup raw or blanched almonds 1 white or yellow onion, grated 1-2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning 2 tbsp potato starch 2 carrots 1/4 sheet of nori water several large leaves of kale or cabbage Directions: Soak almonds in water for at least 8 hours. Drain and remove skins if not using blanched. (I prefer using the raw almonds and removing the skins by slipping them off each almond, one by one. It is time consuming but can be relaxing.) Rinse almonds and shake them dry in a colander. Process almonds in a food processor, pulsing at first, then blending until the consistency of ricotta cheese, turning the power off occasionally to scrape down the sides. Scoop the almond dough into a bowl. Season with Old Bay and stir in potato starch, and onions. With a pair of tongs, take a 1/4 sheet of nori and wave it over a gas flame for about 5 minutes to toast it. If you don’t have a gas stove you can toast the nori in a 400 degrees F oven for 5 minutes. Using a spice mill or mini chopper, grind the toasted nori into a powder. Mix into the almond dough. Mold the almond dough into desired shape: small balls, egg-shaped or flattened logs. 36 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

Line a steamer basket with the kale or cabbage leaves. Place in a pot with water, just enough, not overflowing into the basket. Cook on high heat, covered until the leaves are limp. Carefully place the almond balls on to the leaves. Cover and let cook for about 20 minutes. Remove and cool. Slice the carrots thinly along the diagonal. Add to boiled water, lower heat and cook until tender. Remove the carrots from the water and cool. Optional Jelly 4 cups vegetable broth 1/2 ounce agar agar powder Directions: Bring vegetable broth to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer. Add in agar agar powder. Stir mixture until agar agar is dissolved, at least 15 minutes. Keep on heat until ready to pour on “fish.” Place each “fish” in a small dish, topped with a carrot or put them all in a large serving dish. If using the jelly, pour the vegetable broth over each “fish” and let set. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with horseradish. This recipe originally appeared online at responsibleeatingandliving.com. Responsible Eating And Living (REAL), a 501c3 nonprofit corporation, was founded by cancer survivor and vegan activist, Caryn Hartglass, who has been spreading the message about the benefits of a plant-based diet for more than two decades. She has appeared on Dr. Oz, Geraldo At Large, 20-20 and CNN. To learn more, visit REAL’s website.

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FOOD + WINE

Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria R E S TA U R A N T R E V I E W

Address: 3958 Fifth Avenue in San Diego Contact: (619) 260-1111 • amicis.com The Atmosphere: Casual Reservations: Only for large parties • Happy Hour: M-F: 3-5:30 p.m. Take Out: Yes Delivery: Yes • Catering: Yes • Patio Seating: Yes

PHOTOS COURTESY AMICI'S HILLCREST

38 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

orthern Californians know and love available in small ($10.95), large ($13.95) or Amici’s Pizza. In fact, there are 12 family size ($25.75). Among the other exciting pasta dishes locations in the Bay Area, and they’ve been around for more than 25 years. However, available are fettuccine Alfredo ($10.95 it took until recently for the popular pizza small, $13.95 large, and $25.75 family parlor to make its way down to the San Diego size). Linguine lovers have several selections, area. The first Amici’s to arrive in our neck of including linguine with marinara (the sauce is an old family recipe), and linguine with the woods opened in La Jolla last year. The newest restaurant in the chain is now white or red clam sauce. Another good choice nestled in the heart of Hillcrest, and if you is the baked penne parmigiana with eggplant like classic East Coast-style pizza, get there ($12.95, $17.25, or $30.75). Of course, pizza is the star of the show at quick. Along with thin-crust pizza that is finger-lickin’ good, the restaurant serves fresh Amici’s and the thin-crusted pies are as good salads and pasta dishes. The lunch crowd can as you’ll find anywhere. Here again, you can enjoy sandwiches served on rustic house-made opt for several sizes from mini ($7) to large bread until 3 p.m. – you can opt for meatball ($15). The pies are baked in very hot brick parmigiana, eggplant parmigiana, or hot ovens, the way Italians have been baking their Italian sausage. All three are available in half or pizzas for hundreds of years – which makes the crust crisp and delicious. That means the full size, priced from $5.95 to $10.75. The starter menu is fantastic too. It crust is darker than most, so if you don’t want a includes minestrone soup (made with fresh dark crust, just tell the waiter you prefer “light crust.” vegetables), gnocchi (with We tried several of these butter and parmesan or pesto), pizza concoctions and were beef meatballs, and garlic breadsticks – just to name a SIGNATURE DISHES very impressed. New York-style New York style pizza is topped with mozzarella and few. The soup is outstanding, tomato sauce, Boston pizza is and you can get a cup for $3.75 embellished with fried eggplant. or a bowl for $4.95. We loved HOURS: the gnocchi with butter and Sun-Th: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; F-Sat: The veggie pizza offers a vibrant array of roasted green parmesan ($4.95). These little 11 a.m.-11 p.m. peppers, sautéed mushrooms, beauties could serve as a meal caramelized onions, and by themselves. black olives. Amici’s Combo The salad selection is equally appealing. We adored the spinach salad ($6.25 has pepperoni, meatball, bacon, sautéed for a side or $8.75 for a full portion). It features mushrooms and black olives. The list goes on roasted red peppers, red onions, tomato, feta and on – and we were delighted with every one cheese, and toasted pine nuts. It’s a definite we sampled. If that assortment doesn’t satisfy your pizza treat for the taste buds, and the lemon basil craving, you can add additional toppings, such vinaigrette dressing is light and delicate. Antipasto consists of Italian salami, as anchovies, pineapple, provolone, artichoke pepperoncini, whole kalamata olives, and hearts, sliced chicken breast, pesto sauce and mozzarella, along with a fresh garden salad. more. Friendly service and a clean contemporary This classic appetizer is available for $8.75 (small) or $14.75 (large). For a restaurant ambiance – with a big open kitchen – add with pizza in its name, Amici’s has a wide to your dining experience at this welcome variety of other tempting offerings. There are newcomer. There’s really no topping Amici’s more than 14 pasta dishes on the menu, and pizzas. They’re in a class by themselves, and if the “family size” serves three to four people. you harbor a love for East Coast-style pizza, Don’t miss the four cheese lasagna. Like all the you’ll definitely want to check them out.A pasta preparations on this extensive menu, it is

FOOD + WINE

NEW YORK ON RYE

PHOTO COURTESY JAY MARGOLIN

INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY NATALIE JACOBS

Be on the lookout for this delicious-looking truck as you drive around during lunch and dinner times.

e can’t think about food without thinking about trucks these days, especially at lunch time. It’s all the rage for office complexes to invite a rotating cast of food trucks to their parking lots each day and there seem to be new trucks popping up on the streets to feed this need, but New York on Rye remains one of our favorites. They’ve been on the road for about two years offering a refreshing take on the traditional New York style Jewish deli. We asked owner Jay Margolin a few questions to get the details on this new take on an old classic. San Diego Jewish Journal: Why did you decide to start a food truck? New York On Rye, Jay Margolin: For a long time it’s been a dream to have a restaurant. It came to be a reality because my friend who is my partner in this venture is a chef. As we started to ponder our choices and look at what it would take to invest in a restaurant, food trucks were gaining popularity. It’s a much lower initial investment to get into business. SDJJ: How do you pick your destinations for the week?

JM: It was kind of hit-and-miss in the beginning. Now, we’re invited to come to places. We’ve been at this for two-and-a-half years and we’ve got a reputation and people know our food. Food trucks for offices, it’s becoming a fad. So I’m filling my schedule for my day with office complexes. SDJJ: What’s on the menu? JM: We’re a New York style Jewish deli, so we feature sandwiches that people are familiar with, but with some California elements. Classic meats, interchangable on all sandwiches: pastrami, corned beef, turkey or roast beef; Grilled Reuben with sauerkraut and Russian dressing; New Yorker with cole slaw, swiss and Russian dressing; The Coaster with avocado and goat cheese; The Beast with honey orange horseradish and port wine onion marmalade; Corned Beef Hash Burrito with chipotle and pico de gallo; Sides: knish, soup, fries, potato salad, cole slaw.

restaurant? JM: The reason I’m in my truck is because it offers me the opportunity to find the best market for what I sell. And also it’s just an ongoing marketing and advertising tool. SDJJ: What is the most Jewish thing about your food truck? JM: We sell knishes, and they’re homemade. We home-make all of our mustards and our Russian dressing. We pickle a lot of our own items. And we will do a lot more of those things when we have a restaurant. The disadvantage of the truck is we’re so limited with things we can do. A Hours: lunch, dinner and private parties Regular locations: food-truck meet-ups; office complexes from Carlsbad to Sorrento Valley to South San Diego; military bases like MCAS Miramar and MCRD; breweries like Green Flash; malls such as UTC and much more. Find the New York on Rye truck by visiting their website at newyorkonrye.com or following them on Twitter @NewYorkOnRye.

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FOOD + WINE

A Heartfelt Spirit ISRAELI VODKA MAKES ITS WAY TO SAN DIEGO BY NATALIE JACOBS

he small Northern Israeli city of Tzfat is a tiny, winding town that is known for being the location where Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism were first revealed. Today, the area remains a central point in the study of Kabbalah but it has expanded to house Orthodox temples along with a smattering of young artists and musicians. Tzfat is also home to family of distillers who have been making spirits in the holy land since 1824. Joseph Gold and Sons started making vodka in the Russian Empire, in an area that is now considered part of Ukraine, hundreds of years ago. In the early 1800s, like a real-life “Fiddler on the Roof,” the family was forced to leave Russia. So they took their distillery to Tzfat, on top of ancient cobblestone paths that overlook sweeping mountain views. When Marc Grossfield, a brand strategist and on-the-market investor, was told about Joseph Gold and Sons through a friend, he was captivated by their story. Grossfield had just sold his marketing agency and was looking to place his entrepreneurial sights on new territories. But with his next venture, he wanted to put his efforts forth for a much higher return on investment, in the form of good karma and spiritual enlightenment. He was also looking specifically to do business in Israel. “I went [to Israel] for the first time in May, 2001, right before 9/11,” Grossfield says. “Then I went back in December 2001, right after 9/11. I just fell in love with Israel and I’ve been back there probably 15 times. I have a passion for Israel, I have a passion for Torah and I have a passion for packaged goods.” The vodka opportunity with Joseph Gold and Sons proved to be the perfect combination of all these passions. When his friend first called from Israel to ask how he felt about vodka, Grossfield was reminded of an old family friend, a vodka man who essentially invented the “luxury” category of the popular spirit (vodka that costs 42 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

PHOTOS COURTESY AVIV 613

FOOD + WINE

between $25 and $35 per bottle). So Grossfield felt he would have the support of an expert in this endeavor and boarded a plane to talk vodka in Tzfat. Wanting to keep the spiritual aspect of this endeavor alive, Grossfield asked Yossi Gold, the current Gold family member in charge of the distillery, if he could make a vodka using the seven species of the Bible – wheat, barley, olives, figs, dates, grapes and pomegranates. “He said ‘yes, I can make vodka from anything, but it’s going to take a long time,’” Grossfield recalls. “I asked how long and he said at least three months. It actually took him three years. “It’s way more complicated than anyone would ever think. If he had told me three years [at the beginning], I don’t know that I would have done it. But it was worth it because it is a masterpiece.” What Gold and Grossfield finally created is AVIV 613, an award-winning vodka that is smooth, warm and sweet. In addition to the seven species, AVIV contains water from the

Actress Kaley Cuoco with the Grossfields at a fundraiser in April.

Sea of Galilee, considered to be one of the most high-quality water sources in the world. They distill the fruits separate from the grains, then add the water from the Sea of Galilee and distill everything together a final time. The rest of the recipe is locked away in a lawyer’s vault, but it’s worth conducting your own blind taste-test to see if you can identify all of the flavors in the complex spirit. The first thing you’ll notice, though, before the sweetness and the smoothness, is the uniqueness of the bottle. This is where Grossfield put his decades of consumer-packaged-goods marketing experience to the test, and he passed with flying colors. “The brand is really about the power of good thoughts,” he says, echoing their tagline. “My partner’s job was to create a truly unique vodka ... my job was to create the brand.” First came the name. AVIV in Hebrew means spring, but also suggests rebirth and renewal of spirit, so that satisfied his desire to incorporate the spiritual realm into the vodka. But he didn’t stop there. The bottle is a stretched pyramid, but an irregular one. “The bottom [of the bottle] is an unequal triangle, symbolizing the soul at birth with a big ego. The top of the bottle is an equilateral triangle; it stands for the soul perfected. The bottle gets narrower, representing the journey of your life to perfect your soul, to perfect your character.” Each side of the trianangular bottle also contains a different message – one with “Celebrate life” written in all major world languages, one with Kabbalah symbols and one frosted and containing all of the required alcohol and import information. The side with the Kabbalah symbols is curved to “represent all the curves that life throws us,” Grossfield says. “Everyone has their challenges. In spite of those curves, we’re supposed to find joy and celebrate life.”

Mark Grossfield makes an AVIV cocktail on LA Morning News before the Ocsars. Grossfield and his Minneapolis-based team are taking the rollout slowly. AVIV 613 is only formerly available Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida. When they got accepted into the Oscars’ 2014 “schwag bag,” a gift bag valued at more than $55,000, Grossfield scrambled to get a presence for the vodka here in California. In San Diego, the only store that carries it is Wine Connection at the Flower Hill Mall in Del Mar. But Grossfield has enlisted his brother, Phil, to introduce AVIV to restaurants, bars and the Jewish community here in San Diego. To that end, AVIV is interested in sponsoring events, big or small, around San Diego County. They were most recently at the San Diego Celebrates Israel festival, and have even done a bat mitzvah. To speak with Phil about sponsorship opportunities, email him at phil@avivvodka.com. A Learn more about AVIV 613 and the stories behind the brand at avivvodka.com. Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 43

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FOOD + WINE

New Israeli Cooking App Takes Off Look & Cook is “mind watering” BY LINDA GRADSTEIN/THE MEDIA LINE

Chicken Satay

hen Cindy Flash wanted to make eggs benedict recently, she turned to a new cooking app developed in Israel, called Look & Cook. “It’s a great idea – you set up your tablet in the kitchen and you can see all the ingredients laid out and get step by step instructions,” Flash, who lives in a kibbutz just a few miles from Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip says. “I read about the app, downloaded it, and the eggs benedict turned out wonderfully.” Flash says she appreciates the short

46 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

instructional videos that accompany the recipes. For example, she watched the video on how to poach eggs before tackling the eggs benedict. Look & Cook is the latest project of Kinetic Art, an Israeli company founded by Oran Huberman, a former journalist, and Dudu Nimran. Free to download, the app offers detailed explanations for preparing dozens of dishes, most of them from well-known Israeli chef Meir Adoni. For a casual cook, some of the dishes seem somewhat complicated. Chicken satay with peanut butter and curry marinade, for example,

starts off with: “using a mortar and pestle, crush one teaspoon coriander seeds and two cardamon pods and set aside.” The recipe also calls for date syrup, sherry vinegar, and fresh pineapple and cilantro – not everyday ingredients on hand for most home cooks. Thankfully, the app also has a tab called “shop” where a user can buy many of the gadgets or utensils used in the recipe. The satay offers a mortar and pestle ($65), a pineapple slicer and de-corer ($19.99), a nonstick oval grill pan ($39.99), a cookbook of Thai Street Food by

FOOD + WINE David Thompson ($41.12), a cookbook called Pok Pok ($22.14), a rainbow knife set ($36.89), a rice cooker ($14.38) and an auto measure jars carousel ($24.52). Co-founder Huberman says the app has been downloaded more than 500,000 times, mostly by users in the United States. His 12-personcompany has already raised “hundreds of thousands of dollars” and is in the midst of a second round of financing. They have just signed a deal with the James Beard Foundation, a national professional organization that aims to promote the culinary arts. It will enable them to include recipes from some of the most famous chefs in America, such as Mario Battali and Thomas Keller. The app now features both a

French and Hebrew edition. “Most people see a recipe on TV as a passive viewer and it ends there,” Huberman told The Media Line. “We want all recipes to be multiplatform, meaning you can see it on TV, and get it on your iPad or Tablet in a step-by-step format that allows you to clearly follow it.” Amazon Fire TV, a new streaming media player, has included Look & Cook as one of its built-in apps, along with Netflix, Bloomberg, and other content providers. “We will be built-in on 12 million sets and it will dramatically increase our customer base,” Huberman says. The app was already featured in a billboard campaign by Apple. Downloads went from

several dozen a day to 33,000 daily. While the recipes are free for now, they are introducing premium content as well. Another new feature will be a link to Amazon Fresh, a food delivery service, in which a user will be able to push a button at the end of a recipe and have all of the ingredients needed for the recipe delivered overnight. Huberman says that as a former journalist he is interested in using different platforms to present content. “Food touches all of us,” he says. “I think Look & Cook is like a digital Food Network.” For user Cindy Flash, she’s thinking about what to make this weekend and said the recipe for pancakes “looks quite tempting.” A

Dubbel Doppel:

The return of a Shmaltz Brewing favorite

ejuvenate your taste buds with the sacred nectar of California Merlot and New York Concord grapes – both fruits infused to create a truly divine species. Inspired by the spiritual brewing traditions of the monks and the cherished fruits of the Holy Land, this half Belgian-Style Dubbel Ale, half Doppelbock European Lager, is the only hybrid of its kind in the world. Like the mystical monks, the eight percent alcohol Dubbel-Doppel makes a clean, quiet entrance before the dark fruit flavors crescendo into harmonious notes of creamy caramel. “Brewed with a combination of Abbey and Trappist Belgian ale yeast and European lager yeast, this alelager hybrid showcases qualities of two of our favorite traditional styles in the most untraditional way,” Shmaltz Brewmaster Paul McErlean says. “The addition of California Merlot and Upstate New York

Concord Grapes brings Shmaltz’s bi-coastal roots full circle and contributes a luscious complexity of vibrant flavors.” The experimental process of brewing Rejewvenator® 2014 begins with four specialty malts and four hop varieties blending European tradition with the brazenly innovative American craft beer flavor and attitude. Cold, bottom fermentation starts with the European Lager yeast, and once the beer warms, McErlean pitches the Abbey/Trappist Belgian Ale yeasts brought in exclusively for this brew. Finally, the succulent juice of grapes is infused into the wort (beer) and ferments for several weeks before filtration and packaging. The result is a delicious tribute to the original craft beer warriors, the Monks, and a fitting welcome to warmer days and the new life of spring and summer. A

Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 47

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48 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

FOOD + WINE

Israeli Wine Reaches Vietnam Members of the Israeli and Vietnamese delegations at a party celebrating the signing of the agricultural cooperation agreement.

Israel’s Golan Heights Winery recently launched its award winning range of wines in Vietnam reflecting its rapid growth in an ever increasing Asian wine culture. The winery, which produces, markets and exports premium wines worldwide, has been selected to be the first Israeli winery to be marketed to Vietnam. As part of a new commercial initiative from Israel’s Ministry of Economy, the winery has begun to introduce Vietnam to Israel’s flourishing wine industry. In recent years, Asia has seen an expansion of its wine culture. Within South East Asia, Vietnam has one of the highest wine consumptions per capita. While the country has witnessed an impressive development of wine culture over the last century, there is very little internal wine production given unfavorable climatic conditions for vine growing. Vietnam has now become a prominent wine importer and wines from as far afield as Chile, France, Italy, Australia and New

Zealand are all readily available. Einat HaLevi-Levine, Director of New Export Industries from Israel’s Ministry of Economy in Vietnam has spearheaded the campaign to expose Vietnam to Israeli wine. Beginning with a wine tasting in Hanoi in 2012, a series of wine marketing events have been held around Vietnam. Reciprocal visits from Vietnamese wine import professionals were also received in Israel when they attended the Golan Heights Winery’s 30th year celebrations. Following the visit, the winery signed a distribution agreement with a Vietnamese distributor heralding the beginning of the next stage in this exciting endevour. As November drew to a close, an agricultural cooperation agreement was signed in Vietnam by Israeli Minister of Agriculture, Yair Shamir, and Vietnamese Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Cao Duc Phat. The agreement was signed at a dinner party hosted by the Israeli Ministry culminating with a “L’chaim” over a

glass of the newly imported Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon. “The Asian market is one of the most interesting and challenging markets for the wine industry,” explaines Anat Levi, CEO of the Golan Heights Winery. “The growth in consumption of quality wines here is among the highest in the world and Vietnam now joins the other Asian countries that we export to including Japan and China.” “We are very proud to lead the process and see the entrance of the Golan Heights Winery to Vietnam,” added HaLevi-Levine. “This achievement signifies an Israeli breakthrough to Vietnam, an accomplishment that should not be taken for granted in this country of nearly 100 million people.” HaLevi-Levine sees the entry of the Israeli wine industry to Vietnam as a significant strengthening of bilateral trade and also of Israel’s positive “brand” in Vietnam. A

Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 49

Sigrid Jutta Fischer 11.23.1920 – 05.14.2014 Sigrid Jutta Fischer died peacefully surrounded by her family on May 14, 2014. She was born in Ruhs, Germany, on November 23, 1920 to the late Minna and Max Rowelsky, and raised in Tilsit. She left Germany in 1938 and arrived in Lusaka, Zambia, in January 1939. Sigrid met Aaron “Jack” Fischer and got married in 1958. Jack and Sigrid were the first Mayor and Mayoress of the city of Lusaka. During their term, it was a great source of pride and honor when they entertained Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother of England, when she visited Lusaka to proclaim it a city. In 1966, they moved to La Jolla where she was a beloved member of the San Diego Jewish Community and was involved with several organizations; Seacrest, the Lawrence Family JCC, Jewish Family Services, Congregation Beth Israel and the United Jewish Federation. Sigrid is survived by her children Diane Hickman, Sylvia and David Geffen, Susan and Jim Morris and her six grandchildren Brian, Michelle, Sam, Tommy, Nikki and Jodi.

50 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

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Bubbelah, Let Me Tell You a Story Write Out Loud Presents Jewish Literature BY PAT LAUNER 52 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

PHOTOS BY JOHN BRYANT

THEATER

Write Out Loud is all about stories. In fact, their tagline, since their inception seven years ago, is “Let Us Read You a Story.” The company brings San Diego’s finest performers to the stage (they have a stable of some 15-20 well-regarded actors), and they read high quality literature to rapt listeners. “This is theater at its most elemental,” Executive Director Walter Ritter says. “An actor, a story and an audience.” Well, it’s more than reading, but less than a full-on theatrical performance. “First we pick the story,” Artistic Director Veronica Murphy says. “And then the reader. They do a lot of work on their own, and then they have a one-to-one session with me. “The actor’s challenge is to breathe life into the story,” Murphy continues, “to bring its characters off the page, to ignite the audience’s imagination. He does this chiefly with his voice, but also with his face and body as he stands behind a music stand with only his well-thumbed script between himself and the audience. There are no props, no costumes, no sound effects, no special lights. Just an actor, a story, an audience ... and magic.” Write Out Loud’s mission is “Restoring the Human Voice to Literature,” harking back to the beginning of human history, when folks loved to gather around a fire to tell stories. This is the modern equivalent of those fireside tales. “We never outgrow our love of being read to,” Murphy says, a comment affirmed by the nearly 30-year success of NPR’s “Selected Shorts,” stories performed live to sellout crowds at Symphony Space in New York, and broadcast weekly to 130 stations and 300,000 listeners. Write Out Loud brings read-aloud literature all over our region: on stages, in libraries, in classrooms, in senior centers and residences, at service clubs “and anywhere else an interested audience gathers,” Ritter says. From General Stories to Jewish Stories They’ve read Irish stories and Russian stories and love stories. So why not Jewish stories? This month, the answer is “Bubbelah, Let Me Tell You a Story,” June 16 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre. “Our programs of stories always have a theme,” Murphy explains, whether it’s seasonal or regional. “Reading as many short stories as we do – for work and for fun – we’ve found so many amazing Jewish stories.” Ritter “thought it made all the sense in the world to do a test program with all Jewish stories,

Walter Ritter (Left) reads during Write Out Loud's staging of " Voices of Ireland," 2012. with the hope that maybe we could find the right partners and venue to create a series.” He had a terrific time as part of a reading of new short plays at the JCC in La Jolla, and he “couldn’t believe how many people came. It was a wonderful audience, and I was bowled over by their numbers and attentiveness. I’d like to see how they respond to a short story concert.” That’s an apt description; what Write Out Loud does is comparable to a chamber music concert, Ritter and Murphy, who are life-partners, assert. “This show’s gonna be a blast,” Murphy says during our meetup at Elijah’s restaurant, where she ordered latkes and Ritter had a blintz. “We have a poem by Rabbi Laurie Coskey, ‘The Photograph,’ about when she, her mother and her sister were at the Jewish Museum of Athens, looking at a pre-World War II painting of four women having tea on the Island of Rhodes, which was, during the war, part of Italy. Later, in Rhodes, Coskey and her family said kaddish, the memorial prayer, for those who were taken to Auschwitz and died there. That painting inspired her to write about these women. I loved the piece from the first time she read it to me when we were on a walk together. I’ve been looking for a place to perform that poem ever since.” Ritter will read a story called “Dubinsky on the Loose,” by Joseph Epstein, former editor of The American Scholar, the Phi Beta Kappa magazine. A writer for The Forward once said Epstein was “perhaps the smartest American alive who also writes well.”

Epstein’s story is about Manny Dubinsky, a man in his mid-70s, who comes home from his retirement luncheon to find his wife dead on the kitchen floor. “He’s bereft,” says Ritter, “he’s totally lost. Until, at the local public library, he meets a kind African American woman.” “It’s a wonderful tale,” Murphy chimes in. “I first read Epstein as a columnist in the Weekly Standard magazine. Then I learned he wrote short stories. I think he’s terrific.” Murphy will present a story by Nobel Prizewinning British novelist, poet, playwright, librettist and biographer Doris Lessing: “Homage for Isaac Babel,” in which an older woman introduces a young girl to the beloved Russian writer. Another piece in the “Bubbelah” evening is by Isaac Bashevis Singer. “Brother Beetle” is set in Tel Aviv, shortly after the establishment of the state of Israel. While on a visit, a man encounters an old flame from Poland, whom he hasn’t seen since before the Holocaust. Much – and little – has changed between them. There’s a humorous piece about a Brooklyn star-obsessive: “Elvis, Axl and Me,” by Janice Eidus, two-time winner of the prestigious O. Henry Prize for her short stories. And then there’s the one that I’m thrilled to be reading: “Uncle Julius and the BMT,” a hilarious piece by Ethel Rosenberg (no, not that Ethel Rosenberg!). This Rosenberg is a humorist who wrote two successful volumes Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 53

THEATER

During a reading of "Twain Told Tales."

about the fascinating Jews of Brooklyn: “Go Fight City Hall” and “Uncle Julius and the Angel with Heartburn.” Eighty year-old Uncle Julius is quite a character. He’s the quintessential Eastern European immigrant, always hellbent on proving that, despite his unconventional ways (which he sees as perfectly reasonable), he’s a bona fide citizen and is entitled to his rights. Aunt Frieda is forever trying to dissuade him from his mishegas, including leaving various items on the BMT train and insisting that the company replace them. “The trick of all this,” says Murphy, “is putting together a program with stories of varied lengths and styles, alternating humor with drama. It’s really like a jigsaw puzzle. The Rosenberg and Eidus stories are the comic pieces in the ‘Bubbelah’ evening. Epstein’s story also has a lot of humor – and a lot of pathos.” How It All Began Murphy and Ritter are long-time local performers, as actors and singers. Both have theater degrees. Murphy served as actor and costume designer at Lamb’s Players Theatre for 22 years. She’s currently Development Director at Cygnet Theatre. Ritter has performed all over San Diego and is a founding company member of ion theatre. Write Out Loud was the culmination of their lifetime love of theater and literature. 54 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

“Walter and I were both read to as children,” says Murphy. “And ever since we got together 11 years ago, we’ve read aloud to each other. Then, about eight or nine years ago, I went to a bridal shower and someone told me about ‘Stories on Stage’ in Denver, using Denver Theatre Center actors to present stories to a live audience. Something like ‘Selected Shorts’ in New York. I came home and said to Walter, ‘We can do this!’ He got very excited. I mean, it was perfect for us. “We love reading, we love performing, we love stories and we love being read to. It’s something adults don’t get to experience very often. It took us a couple of years to get our project off the ground, a time of reading, investigating, planning. We knew we didn’t want to do this in some dumpy, schlocky place. We wanted to make it a special event.” The first performance of “Write Out Loud” was at North Coast Repertory Theatre in June 2007. And seven years later, this is exactly where “Bubbelah” will take place. When Murphy went to work at Cygnet Theatre, she talked to them about using their Rolando theater space on Saturday afternoons. So, for the first two seasons, all the Write Out Loud presentations were there. There were six performances the first year. Now, there are about 20: six at Cygnet Theatre in Old Town, a fourpart series at the Athenaeum in La Jolla, five

“The trick of all this,” says Murphy, “is putting together a program with stories of varied lengths and styles, alternating humor with drama. It’s really like a jigsaw puzzle."

presentations at Scripps Ranch Theatre. This year, the annual Irish program was at Lamb’s Players Theatre in Coronado. And there’s a wide range of additional venues. The Write Out Loud demographic is the same as the theater in general: mostly women, mostly age 50+, mostly highly educated. But the concept is old, and other countries have much more broadly based audiences for this kind of production. “Before TV, of course,” says Ritter, “there was loads of radio drama. Ireland still has it on all their radio stations. And every English-speaking nation except the U.S. – including India, Australia and New Zealand – has short stories presented on the regular commercial airwaves or

Veronica Murphy and Walter Ritter read during Write Out Loud's enactment of "Voices of Ireland," 2012.

government-sponsored radio stations.” Although Write Out Loud has come a long way, “it’s nowhere what it could be,” asserts Ritter. “We want full houses, demand for more stories, tours – maybe to the homes of great writers. We once got a request from a reading group in the Nebraska hometown of [Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist] Willa Cather.” “Somehow, they’d gotten an eblast we sent out,” Murphy marvels. “They offered us a restored opera house. We’d love to do that kind of thing, on a regular tour of literary high-spots. I’m thinking Saroyan’s Fresno, Jack London’s Oakland, Steinbeck’s Salinas and Monterey, Henry Miller’s Big Sur and Robinson Jeffers’ Carmel.” Murphy and Ritter have been very creative in stretching their wings. They initiated the TwainFest, now in its fifth year, which brings the whole community to Old Town San Diego State Historic Park for a free day of literary games and readings and a Book Emporium (last year, more than 800 donated books were given away as prizes for games won; many were “leftovers” from the JCC Used Book Sale). Six thousand people participated in last year’s TwainFest. This year’s event is Saturday, Aug. 16. Later in the year, Write Out Loud inaugurates a new season with an All-Twain program.

The company received a National Endowment for the Arts grant for two years of The Big Read, a national program designed to “revitalize the role of literature in American culture and encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment.” Only 76 NEA grants are given annually across the nation, and Write Out Loud has received the funding twice. The aim is to provide communities with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book. The first year, Ritter and Murphy chose the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Last year, it was Ray Bradbury’s acclaimed and provocative 1953 dystopian novel, “Fahrenheit 451.” This year, they’ve partnered with the San Diego Unified School District, and as part of their program called “Read – Imagine – Create,” they will distribute information to teachers about resources for teaching, and suggestions for how to encourage students to imagine and create something personally important to them based on the book. The two book options for this academic year were the Twain classic, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” for middle schools and Julia Alvarez’s historical novel, “In the Time of the Butterflies” for high school students. On June 2, at Cygnet’s Old Town Theatre, Write Out Loud will present the best music, film and stories created during the program.

“We encourage students to respond personally and emotionally to what they’ve read,” Ritter explains. And they want the same thing from the “Bubbelah” event. “We love the title, suggested by a Jewish friend,” says Ritter. “It was important to us that it sound like an enjoyable evening out. We’re not exploring some of the darker pieces of Jewish literature. What we’re after is emotional richness. You laugh as you cry. It’s filled with emotion and super-high literary content. Jews are, after all, the People of the Book!” A “Bubbelah, Let Me Tell You a Story” will be presented by Write Out Loud at North Coast Repertory Theatre on June 16 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets ($17-$20) and information are availble at (858) 481-1055 or tickets.northcoastrep.org. On June 9 (Cygnet Theatre Old Town) and June 10 (Scripps Ranch Theatre), WOL presents “Reconstruction,” a story by Mark Helprin, winner of the National Jewish Book Award, as part of their We Are Family program. Another piece in that program is by Henry Slesar, the Brooklyn-born son of Jewish Ukrainian parents. Tickets and info are at (619) 297-8953 or writeoutloudsd.com/buy-tickets.

Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 55

FEATURE STORY

Something Silver Seacrest Village Celebrates 25 Years in Encinitas BY NATALIE JACOBS

Seacrest Village’s aquatics and fitness center sits stately at their Encinitas location. INSET: a fire burns in the luxurious patio space.

ast month, Seacrest Village in Encinitas took the opportunity to pause and remember where they were 25 years ago – when they were just opening luxurious seaside doors to San Diego’s seniors. So we’d like to extend a belated “happy 25th anniversary” to the Jewish retirement community with a brief history lesson. The organization, operating under the name San Diego Hebrew Homes, started near San Diego State University in 1944. In 1989, the Lee and Frank Goldberg Residence Court opened at 211 Saxony Road in Encinitas with 98 independent living apartments (this is Seacrest Villages’ current location). The nonprofit retirement community specialized in caring for the elderly, specifically Jewish seniors, with dignity and respect. For those who have been in San Diego for many years, you may remember that the area east of Interstate 5 used to be all farmland. There were cows and pigs all through what is now Fashion Valley, Mission Valley and out to SDSU. Once development started, though, it spread like wild fire.

56 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

When they became aware of a 10-acre parcel of land available in North County in the late 80s, the team at San Diego Hebrew Homes decided it was time to take its operations northward. Within these serene seaside surroundings, Seacrest made itself comfortable and that’s where you will find them today, sprawling out in the fresh ocean air. “It’s been a remarkable journey and one for which we are most proud,” Pam Ferris, president and CEO of Seacrest Village, says. “Further development of our Encinitas campus has allowed us to serve more seniors in a variety of ways. This journey has continued for two remarkable associates as well. Robin Israel, vice president of philanthropy and Melanie Hoff, associate director of philanthropy, were both employees of Seacrest Village in the beginning and continue to contribute to the success of our organization today.” Just as they have always been looking to improve operations to better serve San Diego seniors, they haven’t stopped adding to their care offerings in the last two decades. Recent additions include assisted living, memory care

and long-term nursing care. Seacrest at Home is their newest offering, which provides Seacrest’s high level, round-the-clock care to seniors in the comfort of their own homes. Soon, an adult social day care center will be added. In addition to their new care offerings, Seacrest Village also added another location to its community, Seacrest Village at Rancho Bernardo. The Nellie Cohn Residence is an independent living community that serves the Jewish community of inland North County and offers much of the same care assistance as the Encinitas location. Both are comfortable spaces where community thrives and independence is encouraged. So, in another 25 years, we will have an even more robust story to tell about Seacrest Villages. A Seacrest Village Retirement Communities offers tours of their campuses. To schedule a visit for the Encinitas location, call (760) 632-0081. For the Rancho Bernardo location, call (858) 485-0700.

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Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 57

FEATURE STORY

Ohel Moshe Synagogue in Shanghai is now a Shanghai government museum focused on the Jews who once lived in Shanghai.

FAR EAST JEWRY: The under-the-radar story of Jewish China l MAAYAN JAFFE/JNS.org It was a long trek: 6,000 miles by boat from Central Europe to the Far East. But the towns of East Asia opened their gates for the waves of Jewish emigrants who had to find shelter from the tragic problems they faced first in Russia, and later in Central Europe. Though some believe their story still flies under the radar when compared to the prevalence of other Holocaust-related discourse – perhaps because most of Shanghai’s Jewish residents viewed their time in the city as a transient stage – historians now know there once was a large and thriving Jewish community in China. Records of immigrants kept by the Hebrew Immigrant Aid 58 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

Society (HIAS), which operated in the Far East from 1917-1950, paint an inescapable picture of Jewish refugees who survived the war in Shanghai. “The United States, Canada, Australia closed the doors to Jews and other immigrants in the 1920s,” explains Mark Hetfield, HIAS president and CEO. “HIAS had to ... find other places that were willing to allow Jewish refugees to live there. Desperate measures called for creative thinking.” The first Jews, Silk Road traders, arrived in China in the 8th century and settled in Kaifeng. The next Jews were those who arrived under British protection following the First Opium

War. Many of these Jews were of Indian or Iraqi origin, due to British colonialism in these regions, and they became the largest dealers in opium. These included David Sasson (the “Rothschild of the East”), philanthropic businessman Sir Eli (Eliazer) Khadori, and real estate lord Silas Herdoon. According to most accounts, the number of Sephardic Jews in China totaled around 1,000 at this time. Around 4,000 Jews would then arrive as refugees from the Russian Revolution of 1917. Finally, a surge as large as 18,000 Jews arrived as refugees from the Holocaust in the late 1930s and 40s. According to Peter Nash, a child survivor

FEATURE STORY

The first Jews, Silk Road traders, arrived in China in the 8th century and settled in Kaifeng. The next Jews were those who arrived under British protection following the First Opium War.

A historical plaque at a house in Shanghai, formerly the residence of Jewish refugees, including W. Michael Blumenthal, who went on to serve as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under President Jimmy Carter.

from Berlin who found refuge in Shanghai from 1939-49, about 8,000 of these refugees originated from Germany and about 4,000 came from Austria. “When Hitler came to power in early 1933, there were about 500,000 Jews in Germany and about 185,000 in Austria. Less than 100 Jewish professionals had already left in 1933 and 1934 and went to Japanese-controlled Manchuria. Japan and China had a war in 1937, which Japan won,” Nash explains. Japan’s win left Shanghai as the destination for the last refugees. The city was under a mosaic of rulers: the international settlement controlled by England and the U.S. with Japanese-controlled Hongkou on the northern Suzhou Creek, the French Concession, and the two Chinese districts that had grown up around foreigners of many nationalities. This mosaic is what enabled easy entry into Shanghai for Jews who were relieved of their citizenship from Germany and considered “stateless,” says Jody Hirsh, a former Jewish Community Center program director in Hong Kong. It was not Chinese humanitarianism that allowed for Jewish entry into Shanghai, but the absence of passport controls. The Jewish refugees arrived from Central Europe without means. The Sephardic Jewish

community, with the help of HIAS, provided the thousands of emigrants with food and shelter. A 1939 report by M. Speelman, chairman of the Committee for the Assistance of European Jewish Refugees in Shanghai, says upwards of $3 million in aid was sent to the Jews of Shanghai through the Jewish Aid Committee between November 1938 and December 1939. Anti-Semitism was not a factor in China or under Japanese rule. An August 1939 memorandum by the Japanese Consulate General acknowledged “the equality of all races and creeds and having pity with the misfortune of the Jews.” Liliane Willens, born in Shanghai in 1927 to Russian Jewish immigrants, described her early life as “upper/middle class” and “privileged.” She never felt discriminated against for being Jewish when she attended a French school under the Concession with other nationals. Her primary language at school was French; English and Russian were spoken at home. According to reports, Jewish refugees in Shanghai were in no way oppressed and enjoyed the same freedom as other Europeans who arrived in the city. It is true that new regulations were put forth soon after Pearl Harbor requiring Jews to reside in a restricted area – often mistakenly referred to as a ghetto – which was under the control of the Japanese authorities issuing their

permits. But that formal impediment was the only roadblock. “Under pressure from their [German] allies ... a designated area was [created] in March 1943, forcing all Jewish refugees who arrived after 1937 to move into this area,” Nash says. “But about half of the refugees – including my family – were already living in the area. This area was patrolled on the extremities by Jewish wardens. You could leave the area on application, provided return was made by a certain time.” Yet there were challenges. The restricted area was poor and diseases were rampant. Yvonne Daniels lost her older brother to malnutrition in Shanghai. She noted that many women who found themselves pregnant aborted the babies because “it was so difficult to nurture an infant.” But Daniels is grateful for the chance she was given. One of roughly 18 babies born in 1944 in Shanghai to survive, she says she is grateful for the two-and-half years she spent there. Had she been born in Germany, she says, it is likely she would not be here to tell her story. Nash noted that the Chinese benefited from the large numbers of Jews that arrived because the Jews gave them an economy in a ghetto district. Jews created businesses, cafes, and factories, which needed basic Chinese materials, equipment, and services as well as employees. Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 59

FEATURE STORY

"The Central European refugees were often doctors, lawyers, professionals, musicians. They were the top people in Germany and they ended up in a Shanghai camp, poverty stricken."

Shanghai’s famous Bund district, where most of the buildings were built and owned by wealthy Sephardic Jewish families. Rabbi Marvin Tokayer, former rabbi of the Jewish community of Japan, says Jewish contributions are still seen in China. The national anthem of China was written by famous Russian Jewish composer Aaron Avshalomov. The first Chinese psychiatrist was Abraham M. Halpern. German-Jewish pop artist Peter Max picked up his first paint brush in Shanghai. “The Jews came there as refugees with nothing and they left it a much better community,” Tokayer says. Simultaneously, Jews built their culture and community in the city. The Russian Ashkenazi community, according to Willens, built Ohel Moshe Synagogue, which is now a Shanghai government museum focused on the Jews who once lived in Shanghai. There were six other synagogues built in the area around the same time, Willens says. Among them, today only Ohel Rachel functions as a place of worship. Tokayer says most of the Jews currently living in Shanghai are students and entrepreneurs. Yet despite Shanghai having served a vital role in their lives, Jews looked to get out while China transitioned to Communist rule in 1949, says Tokayer. Sephardic Jews, at risk of losing their bank accounts and businesses, fled abroad. Russian and German Jews opted for Mandate Palestine, which welcomed all Jews. Others were able to secure U.S. visas. “While it was no secret, relatively few in the global community were aware that there were Jewish communities living in Shanghai,” Nash says. 60 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

Why? Some conjecture that Jews usually look to the West rather than the East. But Willens has a deeper explanation. “The Central European refugees [who came to Shanghai] were often doctors, lawyers, professionals, musicians,” she says. “They were the top people in Germany and they ended up in a Shanghai camp, poverty stricken. I have a second cousin whose husband is a Shanghai refugee. He never talks about it. It is as if he is ashamed.” Daniels, meanwhile, believes privacy was just part of being a survivor. Many survivors were hesitant to talk about the past, but chose instead to move on with their new lives. Hetfield of HIAS, however, stressed the importance of recounting the stories of Far East Jewry. “The rest of the world turned its back on us,” he says. “We can never again let this happen to us or to anyone else.” A Maayan Jaffe is a freelance writer in Overland Park, Kan. Reach her at maayanjaffe@icloud. com. Follow her on Twitter, @MaayanJaffe.

Liliane Willens with her Chinese nanny.

We celebrate our 20th Year in Coronado with the Bard's eﬀervescent comedy of love, longing, impersonation and mistaken identity.

Caitie Grady, Jason Maddy & Chrissy Yael / photo by Nathan Peirson

directed by Robert Smyth Through July 6

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ALSO...beginning June 18th, THE HIT MUSIC REVUE OF A GENERATION RETURNS TO THE HORTON GRAND THEATRE

BOOMERS LAMBSPLAYERS.ORG • 619.437.6000 Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 61

WHAT’S

GOIN’

ON?

No Such Thing as June Gloom

by eileen sondak • nsondak@gmail.com

t’s June – and the entertainment scene is busting out all over! The Old Globe ushers in the summer season with another Shakespeare Festival on the outdoor stage in addition to its indoor productions. Summer Pops is poised to perform music under the stars. Broadway San Diego is ready to unveil “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at the Civic Theatre. Moonlight will bring its brand of alfresco musical theater to Vista – and these are just a few of the entertaining possibilities on tap this month. Broadway San Diego’s much-anticipated “The Book of Mormon,” a nine-time Tony winner continues to entertain audiences with its politically-incorrect brand of

humor through June 8. Following on the Civic Theatre stage June 24-29 is the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” a great choice for family entertainment. The La Jolla Playhouse has taken “Chasing the Song,” a new musical from the winning team behind “Memphis,” from Page to Stage. Directed by the Playhouse’s own Christopher Ashley, this new workshop production of the musical is centered around an aspiring songwriter who happens to be a woman in the man-dominated world of 1960s rock and roll. The show will be ensconced at the Potiker Theatre until June 15, and it could evolve into another blockbuster!

The Old Globe will showcase its summer Shakespeare Festival with two of the Bard’s works this month. 62 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

The cast of “Dog and Pony” (L-R) Heidi Blickenstaff, Jon Patrick Walker, Nicole Parker, Eric William Morris, and Beth Leavel. The World Premiere runs through June 29 at The Old Globe.

PHOTOS BY JIM COX

L-R: Martin Moran appears as Vanya, Marcia DeBonis as Sonia, Tyler Lansing Weaks as Spike, and Candy Buckley as Masha in the San Diego Premiere of Christopher Durang’s “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” through June 22 at The Old Globe. Spectacular to close the outdoor season on Aug. 31. North Coast Repertory Theatre continues its world premiere production of “Faded Glory,” directed by NCR’s own David Ellenstein. “Faded Glory” tells the tale of a 19th century Congressman and the officer who almost cost the Union a victory in the most pivotal battle of the Civil War. The play is based on a real figure from American history. Ellenstein is convinced it will be “a highlight of our season.” You have until June 22 to see it and judge for yourself. The Lamb’s clever take on Shakespeare’s comic delight, “Twelfth Night” will play on through June 29. In honor of the Lamb’s 20th year in Coronado, the troupe moved the action in the Bard’s masterpiece to the 1930s and set it at the Hotel del Coronado. The popular “Boomers: The Musical Revue of a Generation” will move into the Horton Grand Theatre June 14, where it will reside through the end of August. The Lyceum Theatre is hosting the hit New York comedy, “My Son the Waiter” this month. The piece, penned by Brad Zimmerman (who stars in the show as well) has been dubbed “a Jewish tragedy,” and promises to be 90 minutes of non-stop laughter. Summer officially arrives for Moonlight Stage Productions on June 11, when the troupe will have a go at Monty Python’s “Spamalot.” The comically irreverent musical will remain on stage at the Moonlight Amphitheater through June 28. The Welk will feature Rex Smith in “Confessions of a Teen Idol: A Musical Autobiography” Wednesday evenings through

the end of June. The piece abounds with stories and anecdotes as well as rock ‘n roll music. You can catch up with the Welk’s production of “Grease” (also starring Smith) through the end of July. The San Diego Museum of Art just unveiled “Sorolla and America” – the first retrospective focusing on Spanish Post-Impressionist Joaquin Sorolla’s impact in the U.S. Consisting of 150 works, the show will be ensconced through Aug. 26. “Muxima” – a film by contemporary artist Alfredo Jaar – will continue through July 8. “Robert Henri: Spanish Sojourns and the Spirit of Spain” will be on view at the museum through Sept. 9. The show (the first exhibition dedicated to Henri’s Spanish subjects) turns the spotlight on 150 works by this influential American artist. Mingei is showcasing “A Golden Age of Marketing Design” through Aug. 17. “Masks” is the newest exhibition on display at the Mingei. The Oceanside Museum of Art is featuring two solo shows – works by San Diego-based sculptors “Jean Wells and Kenneth Capps.” An “Artist Alliance Exhibition” is also on view. “Music at the Museum: Nathan James” is slated for June 19. The Natural History Museum is highlighting the “National Geographics Real Pirates Exhibition.” This interactive show explores 18th century piracy with more than 200 artifacts recovered from a sunken ship off the coast of Cape Cod. The Birch Aquarium’s Green Flash Concert Series will feature Eric Hutchinson on June 18. A

The Playhouse is supporting development projects for several local artists this month. Teatro Mascara Magica will present a world premiere by Monique and Joseph Julian Gonzalez June 11-22. Iain Gunn will do a workshop June 19-21, and the Without Walls project will feature “El Henry” (adapted from Shakespeare’s “Henry IV”) at SILO June 1429, under Sam Woodhouse’s direction. Native Voices at the Autry completes its Playhouse residency on June 1. The Old Globe will showcase its summer Shakespeare Festival with two of the Bard’s works, but not in repertory as it had for years. On June 22, “Othello,” a classic tragedy of love and jealousy, will launch the outdoor Festival, where it will hold court through July 27. Blair Underwood stars in the title role, and Richard Thomas makes his Globe debut as Iago. The Globe will also feature Thomas in “A Distant Country Called Youth” on June 9. This one-night stand was adapted from letters by Tennessee Williams – and it sounds like a must-see. “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” will continue the Globe’s two-show Festival Aug. 10Sept. 14. The Old Globe’s production of “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” – a smash Broadway hit about three siblings named after characters from Chekhov – will amuse audiences at the White Theatre through June 22. The plot focuses on Masha (who has been off starring in B-movies, and is now returning to the fold to sell the family home). If the story has a slightly familiar ring, it’s not surprising. However, what follows in “Vanya...” is pure farce, and criticallyacclaimed playwright Christopher Durang is at the top of his game in this riotous comedy. Jessica Stone directs this little gem, which comes with a warning for strong language. The Globe’s Main Stage is jumping with “Dog and Pony,” a brand new musical from the awardwinning talents behind “Jersey Boys.” The story revolves around a screenwriting team with an enviable record of smash shows to their credit. The question is, “Will romance ruin their perfect relationship?” “Dog and Pony” – with its witty insights and feet-tapping score – will reside at the Globe through June 29. Considering its pedigree, “Dog and Pony” might even trot off to Broadway. The San Diego Symphony will move to its summer venue on June 27 with its annual Pops Tux ‘n’ Tennies event. This year, it’s a salute to Elvis Presley. A tribute to the Beatles is slated for June 28-29, when Pops takes audiences on “A Classical Mystery Tour.” The rest of the summer will feature a variety of special concerts, including The Music of Abba, Nathan Pacheco, and an evening of Vanessa Williams, before it culminates in the traditional 1812 Tchaikovsky

Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 63

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B business

HELPING KIDS THINK DIF� FERENTLY Therapeutic Literacy Center By Natalie Jacobs

Maria Bagby sits with nineyear-old Bailey Brosnan for a one-on-one session.

n 2011, the National Center for Learning Disabilities reported that 41 percent of students in the United States had learning disabilities. Their report, “Diplomas at Risk: A Critical Look at the Graduation Rates of Students with Learning Disabilities,” found the most common of these learning disabilities were: dyslexia, which presents as difficulties with word recognition, poor spelling and reading; dyscalculia, or trouble grasping math concepts; dysgraphia, difficulty writing letters; broad auditory/visual processing disorders which equate to a difficulty using and understanding language despite normal hearing and vision; and nonverbal learning disabilities which cause general information processing difficulties. While these disabilities make school difficult for individual students in classrooms across the country, overcrowded schools and ever-diminishing budgets make it nearly impossible for teachers and administrators to take the time that’s needed to teach these students. So they end up falling behind. Maria Bagby, who started her career as a teacher in Colorado, is familiar with these problems. Throughout her 27 years in the system, she worked in classrooms anywhere

from kindergarten to 12th grade, in district administration and also building curriculum tests at the state level. She worked with small groups of children with learning disabilities and quickly realized that each needed very individualized attention – the 45 minutes of classtime she was given wasn’t nearly enough. So she founded the Therapeutic Literacy Center in 2006 and in September of last year, she moved operations to San Diego. “We are a group of highly trained educational therapists,” Bagby explains, “that specialize in the underlying cognitive processes needed for efficient learning.” What does that mean in layman’s terms? It means Bagby is working with students to change the way their brain actually unpacks and interprets information. In some cases, that means using a microphone and headset to enhance the sound of the language and connect those sounds to their symbols, like individual or chunks of letters. But the process is individualized to the needs of the student. “It may be a working memory issue. It may be processing speed. It may be auditory or visual memory. A lot of times, it’s auditory

discrimination and sequencing,” she says. In other words, the kids are hearing one thing and thinking another. “When you can’t hear the sounds of our language and sequence them, then reading and spelling is very difficult.” Students at the center mainly suffer from those common learning disabilities noted in the NCLD report but Bagby also has students who come to her for help with their ADHD. The goal for those kids is to stop needing their medication. There are currently five clinicians on staff, each who have received specialized training in cognitive processing techniques. Students at the literacy center range from first- to 12th-graders, with the bulk of students in the third and fifth grades when kids with learning disabilities typically start falling behind in school. Programs are one-on-one and go from 12-24 weeks, depending on the student. A ______________________

THERAPEUTIC LITERACY CENTER 990 Highland Drive Suite 106-D Solana Beach, CA 92075 (858) 668-8366 therapeuticliteracycenter.com Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 65

in the kitchen WITH

TORI AVEY

PISTACHIO ROSE BLONDIES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE

Tori Avey is an awardwinning food writer, recipe developer, and the creator of the popular cooking website toriavey.com. She writes about food history for PBS Food and Parade. com. Follow Tori on Facebook by searching for “Tori Avey” and on Twitter: @toriavey.

66 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

I first tasted rosewater several years ago at the home of our Persian Jewish friends. They served rose ice cream, a rich and creamy rose-flavored concoction that was absolutely heavenly. I’d come across rosewater many times in my vintage and historical cookbooks; it was one of the most common flavorings in Medieval England and Colonial America. Its early popularity in America waned as vanilla extract and other flavorings became more widespread, however, rosewater remains a prominent flavoring in Persian, Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. Though the idea of rose-flavored foods and beverages may seem slightly odd, when used properly, the floral essence of rosewater is light and lovely – not at all overpowering. The practice of using steam to distill oil from flower petals was discovered around 1000 BC. The method was initially used to administer medicine, but it wasn’t long before flower essences like rosewater and orange blossom water were used in cooking and creating perfumes. In the case of rosewater, fresh Damask rose petals are used. During Shavuot many Persian Jews serve rose-flavored recipes; they refer to the holiday as the “Feast of Roses.” I’ve been wanting to create a dessert with rosewater for a few months now. Inspired by that first taste of rose ice cream, I wanted to make something sweet with both rosewater and pistachios (another popular Persian ingredient). I originally tried this concept with brownies, but something about the flavor combination didn’t work for me. My assistant, Ashley, suggested we try it with blondies. Based on the history that we can gather from old cookbooks, it appears that blondies may predate their chocolate brownie cousins. Their rich flavor comes from a combination of butter and brown sugar. These are the main ingredients found in butterscotch, a popular treat in America during the mid-19th century. Some of the cookbooks that appeared around this time feature recipes that call for butterscotch ingredients mixed with leavening and flour – essentially, blondies. While I would never turn down a gooey, chocolatey brownie, I do adore blondies. Their more neutral profile allows me to change things

up by adding different flavors to the mix. Rose-flavored blondies proved to be a match made in heaven, but it took a few tries to get them right. The first batch of blondies was missing some richness. I decided to brown the butter, which adds a nutty depth to the flavor, and I added some white chocolate chunks. The resulting tender, cookie-like blondies were rich, exotic, and completely irresistible. Top a warm Pistachio Rose Blondie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you’re feeling totally decadent. Rosewater can be found at most Middle Eastern and kosher markets. If you’re having trouble locating rosewater or you’d rather not use it, feel free to substitute 1 ¼ tsp vanilla. But I really suggest you try the rose flavoring, it’s kind of magical.

PISTACHIO ROSE BLONDIES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE Ingredients ½ cup unsalted butter ½ cup canola or grapeseed oil 1 ¼ cups brown sugar, packed 2 eggs 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour ¾ tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda ¼ heaping tsp salt ½ cup raw pistachios ½ cup white chocolate chips 2 tbsp rosewater You will also need: 9x9 inch square baking pan, small saucepan, mixing bowls, nonstick cooking spray Total Time: 45–55 minutes Servings: One 9x9 inch pan of blondies (9 large blondies, 12 small blondies) Kosher Key: Dairy

PHOTOS BY TORI AVEY

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a small saucepan, whisk the butter over medium heat until it turns golden brown and has a nutty aroma. Be careful not to let the butter burn. Remove from heat as soon as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s golden and place the pan on a cool surface. Once the browned butter has cooled, transfer to a mixing bowl and combine with the oil, brown sugar and eggs. Whisk until well combined. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine thoroughly with a whisk. In a small bowl, toss the pistachios and white chocolate chips with some of the flour mixture. This will help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the batter during baking. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture along with the rosewater and mix very thoroughly. Fold in the floured pistachios and white chocolate chips, along with the flour they were tossed in. Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and pour in the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the center of the blondies has set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. A

IKWTA Sivanâ&#x20AC;˘Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 67

N news

UCSD Prof. Authors New Book

The Adopt a Family Foundation welcomed 150 supporters to the Museum of Photographic Arts for its annual fundraiser in May. The program included a short movie by Alfredo Juarez with testimonies from adopted families and music performed by Yuval Ron Ensemble. The mission of Adopt a Family Foundation is to provide a means for giving financial and emotional support to Israeli citizens and their families who have been the innocent victims of terror. To learn more about the organization, visit adoptafamilyfoundation.org.

PHOTO COURTESY SD FOOD BANK

Dr. Margareta Ackerman, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at UC San Diego, recently published “Running from Giants: The Holocaust through the Eyes of a Child.” This illustrated memoir tells the true story of Ackerman’s grandfather as a young boy struggling to survive in Nazi-occupied Europe, from the forests where he and his brothers once happily played, to the horrors of the ghetto. “Running from Giants” is available on Amazon.

Fundraiser for AAFF a Success

In May, the Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank hosted its annual gala, this year called “The Viejas Foodstasia: Burlap and Silver,” at the Food Bank’s warehouse in Miramar. The fundraiser gala raised $258,000 to support the Food Bank’s hunger-relief programs including the Food 4 Kids Backpack Program which provides backpacks full of kid-friendly food to children living in poverty who receive free school meals during the week. The event was attended by notable San Diego civic leaders and philanthropists including Joan Waitt; Chairman Anthony Pico and his wife Diana of Viejas; CEO of Evans Tires, John Andonian and his wife Cynthia; Bill and Amy Geppert, Assemblymember Brian Maienschein; Chargers’ General Manager, Tom Telesco and his wife Larah; event chair Lisa Busalacchi and her husband Joe; and emcees Kimberly Hunt and Billy Ray Smith. Photo: (L-R) Cynthia Vassalo, Sheila Fortune, Joan Waitt, Nancy Kidder and Deborah Marengo at the Food Bank Gala.

EL AL Flights Increase by 30 Percent

Iris Pearlman and Carine Chitayat.

PHOTO COURTESY AAAF

Food Bank Gala

El AL Airlines now operates 31 nonstop flights to Israel from various locations around the U.S. A total of 22 weekly nonstop flights from New York (JFK and Newark, N.J.) are now offered as well as three to five daily departures from Los Angeles and four weekly nonstop from Toronto. The Los Angeles service is the only one offered by any airline between the West Coast of the United States and Israel. Special family fares of up to 50 percent off are available when up to five children between the ages of two and 12 years old travel with their parents. Flat seats with extended leg room are available to EL AL passengers traveling business class from JFK. For more information and to book a flight, visit elal.com.

68 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

N news

Digital Terror and Hate

StandWithUs Ranked by Charity Navigator

For the second year in a row, StandWithUs has received a fourstar rating from Charity Navigator. The nonprofit advocacy group received this rating for its fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency. The rating also means that StandWithUs adheres to good governance and best charity practices. Only 19 percent of charities in the United States have received a fourstar rating for two years in a row. To learn more about the rating, visit charitynavigator.org.

PHOTO COURTESY ISRAELI CONSULATE

The Simon Wiesenthal Center recently released its 20th Annual Digital Terror and Hate Report at the New York Tolerance Museum. The report analyzes conversations on the leading social media platforms, like Instagram and Twitter, to gauge their content for hate, terrorism, bigotry and intolerance and then grades the platforms. This year, Twitter received a D, YouTube a D-, Instagram a C, Facebook a B+ and Tumblr a C on the digital hate grading system. For more from the Wiesenthal Center, visit wiesenthal.com.

ORT America top leaders pose with the Annual Meeting’s two top graduates of ORT programs.

PHOTO COURTESY SWC

World ORT Charts New Path World ORT recently appointed Director General and CEO Shmuel Sisso addressed his first ORT America Annual Meeting in New York City in May. Supporters from across the country gathered together to celebrate the organization’s accomplishments of the past year and to strategize on how to advance the organization’s current fundraising. ORT America, the organization’s fundraising arm, is placing new emphasis on connecting and engaging young people with their Next Gen program. World ORT is a non-governmental Jewish education organization, educating and training more than 300,000 students in 60 countries. For more information on their work, visit ORTamerica.org.

CJC Summer Classes

The Center for Jewish Culture just announced the first of its summer class offerings. In June, instructor Elisheva Edelson will lead a class called "Naomi Shemer: First Lady of Israeli Song and Poetry." This class, $60 for members and $75 for nonmembers, runs June 9-July 1 at three times in three different locations. Then, instructor Laurel Corona will host "Convivencia: The Golden Age of Spain" at two times in two locations from June 18-July 9. Cost for this class is $70 for members, $85 for nonmembers and includes a copy of “The Mapmaker’s Daughter.” New classes begin each month during the summer. Visit sdcjc.org/sizzling or call Ilene Tatro at (858) 362-1154 for details and to sign up.

Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 69

N news

Teaching Financial Literacy

Holocaust Learning Center Opens in Romania

In an effort to increase financial literacy among young people, Glenda Sacks and Hillel Katzeff will host a workshop called “FACT$ OF LIFE” on Wednesday, May 14 at 11:30 a.m. The presentation, at 4330 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 330, will take an hour and a half with additional time for Q&A. It costs $15 for the presentation printout, a light meal and follow-up opportunities. Visit facts-of-life.com for more information and to register.

Medical Care in Jerusalem on Display

The first Holocaust Learning Center in Romania opened to the public in mid-May. Named the “Holocaust Cellar,” this feature of the Holocaust museum is located in the pre-war home of Nobel Prizewinning author Elie Wiesel. “I am honored and deeply moved that my cherished home in Sighet has become a place Romanians and others can learn about the crimes of the Holocaust,” Professor Elie Wiesel said. For more information, visit claimscon.org.

PHOTO COURTESY HLC

Visitors to Jerusalem’s Tower of David Museum can see a new exhibit entitled “Jerusalem: A Medical Diagnosis.” The show, which touches on the thousands of years of life in the city through the perspective of medical milestones, begins with Kings David and Hezekiah and goes to the modern histories of Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Hadassah Hospital. The wide-ranging presentation recounts everything from cures used in Biblical times and how plagues and sickness have impacted the course of history, to how the status of Jerusalem as a holy city has always attracted travelers and pilgrims, including those who required medical services and others who established clinics and hospitals. Artifacts on display include historical photos, an x-ray machine from the 1920s, the door knocker from the Order of St. John’s Hospital and record books from Shaare Zedek. The show will run to April 2015. To learn more about the exhibit, visit towerofdavid.org.il.

Jewish Community Day at Petco Park

It’s time once again for Jewish Community Day at Petco Park. This year, watch the Padres take on the Nationals on Sunday, June 8 at 1:10 p.m. and take home a free Padres yarmulke. Special ticket prices for the Jewish Community Day section are $42 for Field Box Infield, $32 for Toyota Terrace Infield, or $22 for Field Pavilion. In addition to the yarmulke, ticket prices also include a Kosher hotdog and soda from The Place in the Park at the Park during the pre-game, Jewish-themed entertainment. To purchase tickets, visit padres.com/jewish and enter the special offer code JCD. For additional information or groups of 10 or more, contact Logan Washburn at (619) 795-5137 or lwashburn@ padres.com. 70 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 71

TAKE NOTE JUNE 1-30

by natalie jacobs

NOTEWORTHY Mark your calendar.

Finding yourself with some extra time this month? While the kids are away at camp or in between vacations with loved ones, June has some great opportunities for you to indulge your creative side. Here are a few good places to start, and for more throughout the month, be sure to check out our online calendar at sdjewishjournal.com/site/ events-calendar. Spend the first weekend in June at the Spanish Village Arts Center for their weekend art workshops. On Saturday, June 7, choose from classes in polymer clay or copper repouse (10 a.m.-noon), traditional clay or hammered copper earrings (1-3 p.m.), and Chinese brush painting or colored pencil basics (4-6 p.m.). On Sunday, June 8, you can take classes in 3-D pop-up cards or palm-mask making (1-3 p.m.), or visual journaling (4-6 p.m.). These two-hour sessions are only $35, and 10 percent off if you have Balboa Park’s new Explorer Pass. Some classes are for adults only, while others are open to participants of all ages. For details on each class and to register, visit spanishvillageart.com. Next, challenge yourself with an old classic or pick up the best in beach reading at the Annual Used Book Sale at the JCC. One of our favorite summer traditions, this giant sale benefits the JCC’s Astor Judaica Library and takes place June 11-15. Want to be the first to rifle through this year’s selections? They’re offering an early bird shopping opportunity (perfect for collectors) on Wednesday, June 11 from 9 a.m.-noon with a $20 entrance fee. After that, the sale is free and open to the public during the following dates and times: June 11, noon-9 p.m.; June 12, 7 a.m.-9 p.m.; June 13, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.; June 15, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, June 15 is the bargain bag sale where everything you can fit into a brown paper grocery bag is yours for $10 or a plastic grocery bag for $5 (except specially priced items). For more information about the book sale, visit sdcjc.org/ajl/ used_books.aspx. Finally, enjoy a San Diego summer evening under the stars while supporting the Women’s Museum of California. Their 7th annual Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Festival will take place on Friday, June 20 at 6 p.m. on the grassy North Promenade at Liberty Station (in front of the museum). In addition to mouth-watering combinations of spirits, appetizers and desserts from local wineries, artisans and chefs, there will be dancing to the music of Sue Palmer, Queen of Boogie Woogie. Tickets are $50, with discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more. VIP reserved seats are $100. For more information, visit womensmuseumca.org. A

72 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

WEEKEND ART WORKSHOPS June 7-8 Times vary by class Spanish Village Arts Center 1770 Village Place San Diego, CA 92101 ANNUAL USED BOOK SALE June 11-15 Times vary by day Lawrence Family JCC, Astor Judaica Library 4126 Executive Drive La Jolla, CA 92037

7TH ANNUAL WINE, CHEESE AND CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL Friday, June 20 6 p.m. The Women’s Museum of California at Liberty Station North Promenade Lawn 2730 Historic Decatur Road., Suite 104, Barracks 16 San Diego, CA 92106

SAN DIEGO JEWISH

SENIOR EVENTS JUNE 1-30

Lawrence Family JCC 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla Contact Melanie Rubin for details or to R.S.V.P. (858) 362-1141. Newcomers’ Meeting Monday, June 9, 1:30 p.m. Meet new people for things to do around San Diego, lunch outings, book or movie discussions, or whatever your shared interests may be. Kick start your new friendships! The event is free but R.S.V.P. is required. Asian PROMenade Sunday, June 22, 2 p.m. The aura of Asia will surround us with pagodas, lanterns, origami, cranes, and the like at our annual senior party. Enjoy an afternoon with your friends for entertainment, dancing, tea and refreshments along with prize drawings. Price is $8 for members, $10 for nonmembers before June 16 or $15 afterward and at the door. R.S.V.P with payment to JCC Senior Department. Day at the San Diego County Fab Fair Wednesday, June 25, bus leaves at 12:30 p.m. This summer’s Fair pays tribute to the 50th anniversary of the British Invasion. So get nostalgic while enjoying traditional fair fun. Price is $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers which includes bus and fair admission. R.S.V.P. by June 16. Oceanside Senior Center 455 Country Club Lane, Oceanside Call Josephine at (760) 2952564 North County Jewish Seniors Club Third Thursday of each month, 12:30 p.m. Join us to hear speakers and/ or entertainment at our monthly meetings. Light refreshments served. Visitors welcome. Joslyn Senior Center 210 Park Ave./Broadway,

Escondido Call (760) 436-4005 Jewish War Veterans meetings Second Sunday of each month, 11 a.m. Preceded by a bagel/lox breakfast at 10:45 a.m. San Diego North County Post 385. JFS University City Older Adult Center 9001 Towne Centre Drive, La Jolla Call Aviva Saad for details or to R.S.V.P. (858) 550-5998. Shavuot Celebration Tuesday, June 3, 10 a.m. Lunch available at noon with reservation. Cost is $7. Father’s Day Celebration Thursday, June 12, 10 a.m. Tribute program to fathers begins at 10 a.m. with chair exercise and dancing at 11 a.m. Lunch begins at noon and entertainment by guitar player and singer Jasmine will commence at 1 p.m. Cost is $7. Brain Games, Exercise and Dancing Wednesday, June 25, 10 a.m. Musical performance by Peter Seltser. Lunch available at noon with reservation. Cost is $7. On the Go excursions A program of Jewish Family Service, On the Go provides transportation to events throughout the county for homebound seniors. For information on any of these excursions, please call (858) 637-7320. San Diego County Fair Thursday, June 12, bus leaves at 10:15 a.m. Cost is $38, due by June 6. “My Son the Waiter, A Jewish Tragedy” Sunday, June 22, bus leaves at 12:30 p.m. Cost is $75 due by June 13. “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” Sunday, June 29, bus leaves at 11:30 a.m. Cost is $75 due by

JFS UNIVERSITY CITY OLDER ADULT CENTER

9001 TOWNE CENTRE DRIVE, LA JOLLA Call Aviva Saad for details or to R.S.V.P. (858) 550-5998 Father’s Day Celebration Tuesday, June 12, 10 a.m. Tribute program to fathers begins at 10 a.m. with chair exercise and dancing at 11 a.m. Lunch begins at noon and entertainment by guitar player and singer Jasmine will commence at 1 p.m. Cost is $7.

June 12. “Star Spangled Pops” with Bill Conti Sunday, July 6, bus leaves at 6:15 p.m. Cost is $79 due by June 6. JFS No. County Inland Center 15905 Pomerado Road, Poway Call Melinda Wynar at (858) 674-1123 for details. R.S.V.P. for lunch by Monday at 12:30 p.m. 21 Years at the Met: Confessions of an Opera Violinist with Erica Miner Monday, June 16, 11 a.m. Back to the Beat: A Tribute to the Beatles in honor of Paul McCartney’s Birthday with 2 Guys Will Move You Wednesday, June 8, 11 a.m. Better Hearing: Strategies for Better Communication with Amy Marin of Connect Hearing Wednesday, June 25, 11 a.m. JFS Coastal Club at Temple Solel 3575 Manchester Ave., Cardiff by the Sea Call Melinda Wynar at (858) 674-1123 for details. R.S.V.P. for lunch by Monday at 12:30 p.m. The Benefits of Wine and Chocolate with Dr. Phil Goscienski Tuesday, June 10, 11 a.m. CarFIT: a free program of AAA Tuesday, June 24, 10 a.m. CarFIT is based on a 12-point checklist that provides one-on-one technicians to improve the “fit” of your vehicle for safety and comfort.

Call for an appointment, which are scheduled every 20 minutes until noon. Piano Selections with Sheldon Rosenbaum Tuesday, June 24, 11 a.m. JFS College Avenue Center 4855 College Ave., San Diego Call (858) 637-3270 for details or to R.S.V.P. Beginner’s Guide to the Cloud Tuesday, June 10, 10 a.m. Increasingly we are relying on services in “the cloud” for our entertainment, file storage and backup. This module will introduce the cloud and some of the popular services like Dropbox, Pandora, Evernote, iHeartRadio and Stitcher. Monuments of the West with John Kirwan Thursday, June 12, noon Beginning with Los Angeles’ alternative to The Statue of Liberty, this presentation takes you in search of those gateways to the West that redefine America. Father’s Day Celebration with Soaring Eagles Native American cultural dance group Friday, June 13, noon Join us for a special father’s day celebration with a very special and unique performance beginning at 12:30 p.m. Gmail, part 1 with Joan Kushinoff Wednesday, June 25, 1 p.m. Open a Gmail account, then learn how to send and receive messages. The cost for this class is $3.00. A

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THE MARKETPLACE

EVENTS

FOOD

Cantor Deborah Davis

Custom Wedding Ceremonies

Let me help you create a wedding, commitment ceremony or baby-naming that will reflect the beauty and spirituality of your special day. As a Humanist cantor I welcome Jewish and interfaith couples and will honor the customs of both families. I also perform all life-cycle ceremonies. For further information please contact www.deborahjdavis.com Deborah Davis â&#x20AC;˘ (619) 275-1539

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74 SDJewishJournal.com l June 2014

Upper & Lower Complete Dentures

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ronniew@sdjewishjournal.com • www.sdjewishjournal.com

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desert life

PALM SPRINGS by Pamela Price

pamprice57@gmail.com

Another Financial Success for Jewish Family Service of the Desert: One Night Only

Sharon McNight performed as Sophie Tucker, the genuine “Last of the Red Hot Mamas,” and belted out the song of the same name. Later, Peter Marshall (five-time Emmy Award-winning host of The Hollywood Squares game show) sang “Song on the Sand” from “La Cage Aux Follies” (composed by Jerry Herman), and hankies were needed to dry the eyes of a select number of audience members. If you’ve ever thought about visiting Palm Springs in April, wrap your vacation around attending “One Night Only,” and stay for the after party. This year it was held nearby at Acqua Pazza California Bistro, a popular restaurant at The River in Rancho Mirage. Jewish Family Service of the Desert is a fixture in our desert community, providing various levels of care, from senior care management and food assistance to orignal programs such as “Let’s Do Lunch” and “Shabbat in a Bag;” to camp scholarships, mental health counseling and their JFS Speaker’s Bureau. Established in 1982, the mission of JFS is to provide for the social service needs of the Jewish and General Community throughout the Greater Coachella Valley. A

PHOTO BY PAT KRAUSE

ewish Family Service of the Desert knows how to throw a party. That was proven when the curtain was raised on April 23, for their seventh annual “One Night Only” event, produced by Michael Childers, the desert’s premier producer of charitable fundraisers. This year’s theme, “Tradition: The Jewish Legacy of Broadway” was sold out and once again, a financial success. Every seat at the McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts in Palm Desert was taken, but that was no surprise to honorary co-chairs Helene Galen, Annette Bloch, Barbara Keller, Barbara Fromm, Terri Ketover and Harold Matzner; who made magic happen along every step of the way. Executive Producer Ken Katz once again pulled together a cast that won our hearts, from Billy Stritch and his Tin Pan Alley Medley to Mimi Hines, singing “Music That Makes Me Dance” from Funny Girl. Helene Galen was the Cast Party Sponsor, and the invitation-only event took place at her Rancho Mirage residence the night before. Among the Producer Sponsors were Newman’s Own Foundation’s Arthur and Patty Newman, Nina and Robert Wernick, Faye and Herman Sarkowsky, Gladys Rubenstein and Diane and Hal Gershowitz. The audience was mesmerized from act one when Jim Brochu began singing “If I Were a Rich Man” from “Fiddler on the Roof.” From a purely educational perspective the songs reflected Broadway’s deep relationship with Jewish composers, from Irving Berlin and George and Ira Gershwin to Marvin Hamlisch, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Jule Styne and Stephen Schwartz among others; and there were many. “What a night of musical memories and nostalgia,” said Phyllis Eisenberg, who has not missed a performance of “One Night Only” since 2008. “This was a night I compare to a non-stop musical Jewish history lesson with a lot of laughs in between,” she said. The laughs were provided by Bruce Vilanch, comedian, songwriter and winner of six Emmy Awards, who brought down the house with his Jewish inspired lyrics.

"One Night Only" Producer Michael Childers surrounded by (L-R) Barbara Keller, Terry Ketover and Barbara Fromm. Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 77

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THE HIT NEW YORK COMEDY IS NOW IN SAN DIEGO! From The Producers Of MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH & I’M IN THERAPY!; RESPECT: A MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF WOMEN and YOU SAY TOMATO, I SAY SHUT UP!

Philip Roger Roy and Dana Matthow present

Written By & Starring BRAD ZIMMERMAN

If you ever longed for something, desired it with all your heart… and were willing to wait tables for 29 years to pursue that dream, My Son The Waiter will give meaning to your Life! SEE IT IN SD BEFORE IT OPENS THIS OCTOBER IN NEW YORK CITY! “HILARIOUS.”

-- Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel

“AN ABSOLUTE MUST-SEE.” --Palm Beach Arts

“A MUST SEE. IT’S HYSTERICAL, HEARTFELT, TIMELY AND POIGNANT.I CRIED, I LAUGHED, I FORGOT WHERE I PARKED.” -- Brad Garrett

“I’VE HAD THREE GREAT OPENING ACTS IN MY LIFETIME: BILLY CRYSTAL, GARRY SHANDLING, AND BRAD ZIMMERMAN.” -- Joan Rivers

SD JEWISH JOURNAL DISCOUNT

$7.50 OFF EACH FULL PRICE TICKET Must use Code JJ06. Not valid with previously purchased, discounted or group tickets. Must purchase by June 20th.

Lyceum Theatre

SHOWTIMES: Wednesday 7 pm, Thursday 2 & 7, Friday 8, Saturday 2 & 8, Sunday 2 & 6 pm

79 Horton Plaza San Diego, CA 92101

Box Office: 619-544-1000 • Groups (12+): 1-888-264-1788 • PlayhouseInfo.com Sivan•Tamuz 5774 l SDJewishJournal.com 79

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