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MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 11, N0. 15
Holocaust survivor Edith Eva Eger Ph.D., left, with Rabbi Levi Raskin of the Chabad Jewish Center of Rancho Santa Fe, speaks to an audience about her experiences as a prisoner of the Nazi’s concentration camps during World War II. Photo by Christina Macone-Greene
‘Ballerina of Auschwitz’ recounts experiences Edith Eva Eger, a Holocaust survivor, talks to Ranch residents of her experiences during World War II By Christina Macone-Greene
RANCHO SANTA FE — From 1941 to 1945, the Jewish populations in parts of Europe during World War II were victims of genocide under Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime. Tragically, it is estimated this mass murder ended the lives of six million Jews. One of the Holocaust survivors is Edith Eva Eger, Ph.D., who emerged amid the devastation with dignity, grace and the hope for a better future. In her younger years, Eger was known for her gymnastics and dance skill, which is why she was referred to as, “The Ballerina of Auschwitz.”
Eger turned 17 while a prisoner at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Last week, the Benedek Family opened up their Rancho Santa Fe home for the Chabad Jewish Center of Rancho Santa Fe so everyone could have the opportunity to meet and hear Eger. A humble Eger, now 87, called the evening a heartwarming experience. Although recovering from a recent bout of pneumonia, her positive spirit was contagious. “I feel that this is my opportunity to meet people and to find more meaning in my life by serving others. If I cannot serve others, I don’t know whether I could really survive much longer,” she said. Eger continued, “Surviving Auschwitz, I am so grateful that I was given an opportunity to give people their opportunity to look at their own lives and make a decision that they could be victims or survivors.” American Soldiers from the 71st Infantry rescued Eger while she was at the Gunskirchen labor camp in Austria. Among a pile of corpses, it
was the faint movement of her hand which alerted a soldier she was alive. When Eger came to America, survivor’s guilt also followed her. So much so, she couldn’t will herself to attend her graduation ceremony at the University of Texas in El Paso, where she earned honors. After some time, however, she realized through the emotional hardship that she no longer was going to be victimized. And this is precisely what she wanted to convey to guests at the Benedek home. She desired the evening be a renaissance for all people. “And to let go of the biggest concentration camp that is in your mind and the key is in your pocket,” she said. It’s about reclaiming one’s genuine self. A clinical psychologist, Eger has a practice in La Jolla, and she also fulfills a position at the University of California, San Diego. Over the years, she has helped TURN TO BALLERINA ON 18
Contract awarded for Solana Beach entry sign By Bianca Kaplanek
SOLANA BEACH — Visitors driving into Solana Beach from nearly every angle will soon have no doubt they are entering the city. At the July 8 meeting, council members unanimously awarded a contract to Greenfield Fence Inc. to construct an entry sign at the intersection of Lomas Santa Fe and Highland drives. The artistic monument was planned as part of recently completed traffic calming improvements in the area east of Interstate 5. That project created a new median on Lomas Santa Fe that was considered an excellent site for the city’s fourth entry sign. The other three are located on the north and south ends of Coast Highway 101 and on Valley Avenue, at the Eden Gardens pump station, just north of Via de la Valle. Council approved the
The city’s fourth entry sign will soon be added to this median at the intersection of Lomas Santa Fe and Highland drives. Photo by Bianca Kaplanek
design of the new sign in January. Called the “Gateway to Sunshine,” the structure features a long serpentine, corten steel “S” shape with cut-outs of an abstract sunset on the high end and the words “Solana Beach” on the low front end facing east. The sculpture is 55 feet long and a little more than 6 feet high at the west end. The lettering will be in a font used throughout the
city. Solar lights will illuminate the city name at night. Drought-tolerant landscaping will be added. Mike Swanson and Brett Reisdorf, members of the Public Arts Commission, volunteered to design the piece based on feedback from residents and city staff. During a 50-day public review period the city received about 30 comments that included a variety of
opinions and emotions. Close to two-thirds of the people who responded support the project. Jane Schucard said the piece is “artistic, interesting and unique.” Jane Morton described it as “lovely and fluid.” Other residents were less positive, saying the entry sign is “horrendous” and “tasteless” and “could TURN TO SIGN ON 18
JULY 24, 2015
Ruth Westreich, president of The Westreich Foundation, will receive honors LightBridge Hospice Community Foundation in recognition of her steadfast commitment to hospice and palliative care. Courtesy photo
Westreich will receive Lights of LightBridge Award By Christina Macone-Greene Education.
RANCHO SANTA FE — The LightBridge Hospice Community Foundation, a branch of LightBridge Hospice and Palliative Care based in San Diego County, just announced its recipients for their Lights of LightBridge Award. One of its honorees is the president of the Westreich Foundation, Ruth Westreich. A Fairbanks Ranch resident, Westreich is being honored for her unwavering commitment to hospice and palliative care. Jill Mendlen, the chairman of the LightBridge Hospice Community Foundation, is quick to point out that the award is not so much about the Westreich Foundation, but rather, Westreich. “It’s her passion for integrative therapies, for palliative care and really for hospice. She is an undying advocate for those kinds of programs,” she said. Every year, the foundation tries to pick a leader and volunteer who have gone above and beyond to make a difference in the end-of-life journey for people. “And Ruth is one of those lights,” Mendlen said. Westreich has a compassionate roster, which includes being a board member of the UCLA Arts and Healing Initiative, advisor to the Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Healthcare, and devotee to the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine. She is also an avid supporter of Cal State San Marcos’ Institute for Palliative Care and their School of
In the past, she fulfilled seats on the board with Bravewell Collaborative and the Samueli Institute. While Westreich commends LightBridge Hospice for the excellent work that they do, she’s poised on the educational front that supports the whole progressive movement of hospice and palliative care. She also conveys to individuals that palliative care is not always relatable to death and dying. “It can be, but palliative care is also living with chronic illnesses when a cure is no longer possible,” she said. “Quality of life can still be attainable and we are educating the public about what is and what is not care for chronic illness.” By combining integrative medicine to an individual’s care, there are avenues for comfort and alleviation of pain. When Westreich heard she was a recipient for the third annual Lights of LightBridge Award, she was incredibly honored and surprised to receive it. Mendlen describes Westreich as a woman of passion and someone who really cares about people. “Ruth will leave the world a better place because she wants to make that difference,” she said. Mendlen wants people to know that Westreich is not only committed to endof-life care, but in general, all health and wellness. “Ruth can be feisty and she doesn’t mind being out there ‘fighting the fight’ for people and that is part of what I love about her. She is real and genuine.”