The State of the Arts
A World Premiere and a Grand Opening
Inon Barnatan SummerFest Music Director
Cécile McLorin Salvant
Alisa Weilerstein
Noah Bendix-Balgley
Alan Gilbert
Osmo Vänskä
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PUBLISHERS
EDITOR
Susan Edelstein
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Makayla Hoppe
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Donna D’Angelo
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Eileen Sondak
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Emily Bartell, Linda Bennett, Andrea Simantov, Trevor James McNeil, Marnie Macauley, Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort, Galia Miller Sprung, Micah Siva, Lisa McGuigan
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Pepe Fainberg
ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Alan Moss | Palm Springs
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CAMP LET LOOSE
SUSAN EDELSTEIN
Art Is All Around Us
Engaging with art is an emotional experience, whether you’re the creator or the observer. It can evoke joy, inspiration, sadness and contemplation; it fosters empathy and compassion. We reflect and discover something new about ourselves. Live theater connects us as we tumble headfirst into excitement and anticipation. We sit in the dark with strangers and often converse — it’s a shared atmosphere. It allows us to step into the shoes of others for a deeper understanding of human experiences. We can escape reality and engage new perspectives. There is a symbiotic relationship between actors and audiences: they uplift each other. The memories of our theater experiences can stay with us forever. In this issue, you’ll read about a world premiere at the Old Globe Theatre; the grand opening of The Joan, Cygnet Theatre’s new home at Arts District Liberty Station; and the Open-Air Gallery, a perfect blend of art, nature and history.
Art is also found in the things we’re good at and enjoy. It has the power to comfort and heal. Our regular contributors shared with us their ways of engaging with art.
For Trevor James McNeil, it’s the art of books which we bibliophiles look forward to each issue. For Micah Siva, it’s the art of celebrating with food and the enjoyment of feeding a crowd. For Marnie Macauley, it’s the art of language and humor and creating new words. For Rabbi Eilfort, it’s the art of planning and making each day count — ‘enjoying the journey and bringing as many folks as we can along for the ride.’
For Andrea Simantov, it’s the art of camping and conversing with other campers — ‘if we don’t let in different people with different ideas, we might miss out on miracles.’
And for Galia Sprung, it’s the art of honoring lives lost, ‘the art of drinking coffee, picnicking and remembering.’
We’re lucky to live in a city with such an abundance of art and beauty. Enjoy it all. A
Our Town
by Linda Bennett and Emily Bartell
Excited to bring the best of Jewish learning to the east county, The San Diego Center for Jewish Culture presented a new East County Lecture Series at Tifereth Israel Synagogue. Sponsored by William and Judith Friedel, this three-part inaugural season has brought a slate of inspiring speakers: Navy Chaplain Rabbi Joshua Sherwin, Professor of Sephardic Studies
Dr. Devin Naar and Ethiopian-Israeli Scholar Michel Avara Samuel, each captivating their audiences in a completely immersive learning experience. What a great community draw! A few of the folks we ran into during the course of the lecture series were Judy Gumbiner, Sue Braun, Frank Borkat, Brian Berlow, Saul Snyder, Barbara and Bill Sperling, George Kaplan, Avrille Copans, Perri Wittgrove, Andrea Sneider, Lily Strassburg, Sheila and Jeff Korn, Rabbi Hanan Leberman, Olga Worm, Marty Goldberg, Seth Krosner, Sharon and Bill Goldschneider, Rolf Polichar, Ruth Romanoff, Ed Cherlin, Leslie and Shlomo Caspi, Jane Zeer, Shelly Druskin, Barbara Pollack, David Freidel, and Harris Steinberg
We recently attended an extraordinary event, A Night with Isaac Mizrahi at the LFJCC, and were thoroughly taken away by his magnificent performance. We loved listening to quick-witted observations and enjoyed his song choices, too!
As another programming season of the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture gets ready to wrap up, we can honestly say that the 2024-2025 Season has been nothing short of inspiring, invigorating and powerful.
On April 6, we attended the Kindness Initiative’s official grand opening of Kindness G’MACH, their
new distribution center at 9372 Cabot Street in Mira Mesa. With over 200 people in attendance, there was something for everyone — from a bouncy house and face painting to a mezuzah hanging ceremony and tours of the new facilities. It was great to see all the generous donations of Passover essentials collected just in time for the holiday. So many generous donors and volunteers attended in support of helping to alleviate poverty in San Diego’s Jewish Community. Some of those we saw were Sheryl Baron, Sharon Davidson, Julie Abrams, Bruce Abrams, Anne Spector, Laurie Berenson, Martin Hodes, Selyn Isakow, Barbara and Larry Sherman, Melanie Rubin, Barbara Bry, Alex Stolarski, Sue Applebaum, Rabbi Schulman, Judi and Fred Sheinbein, and Susan and Jordon Levin. Serving the San Diego Jewish community, the Kindness Initiative’s mission is to assist and empower financially vulnerable Jewish San Diegans. The Kindness G’MACH Gift Closet is a warehouse where they collect and distribute clothing, food, toys, furniture and other material goods and services to Jewish community members in need.
Mazel Tov to Suzie and Bernie Feldman on the birth of their second grandchild, Alice, born in April to Paulie and David Feldman. Older sibling Misha, age 3, was thrilled with the arrival of his sister! Alice is the fourth great grandchild for Lee Goldberg.
Mazel Tov to Temple EmanuEl’s Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class on completing this educational milestone in Jewish learning. The class led the congregation in an exceptional Shabbat service on April 19. The members of this Adult B’nai Mitzvah class are Georgine Brave, Elissa Landsman, Erin Karp, and Nick Silverstein.
Yom Huledets Sameach
Richard Silberman celebrating his 96th birthday.
Linda Gordon celebrating her 85th birthday.
Ellen Addleson celebrating her 85th birthday.
Paul Schulman celebrating his 82nd birthday.
YOUR VERY OWN VACATION FROM REALITY
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CELEBRATING
Wedding Anniversaries with infinite love & happiness,
Roann and Samuel Krasner, 72 years.
Vicki and Howard Gelbtuch, 52 years.
Susan and Richard Ulevitch, 51 years.
Bonnie and Kevin Hall, 51 years.
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FROM LEFT: Jay and Julie Sarno with Mark Edelstein at North Coast Rep’s Spotlight Gala on May 17. (Photo: Vincent Andrunas.)
Photo by Sandy Huffaker
The
20th Century was very good for these Jewish Icons. Is the Golden Age really over?
by Andrew Silow Carroll, JTA News
Has David Denby written about an American Jewish golden age precisely at the moment it is ending?
In his new book “Eminent Jews,” Denby celebrates four leading Jewish cultural figures who emerged in the middle of the 20th century: Mel Brooks, Betty Friedan, Norman Mailer and Leonard Bernstein. All four were born after World War I and came of age after World War II; all four were secular Jews who took full advantage
of the prosperity, tolerance, ambition and explosion of new media that helped turn their era into what the historian Yuri Slezkine calls the “Jewish century.”
Part biographer, part cultural critic, Denby calls the book a “group portrait of unruly Jews living in freedom,” describing how his subjects overcame centuries of Jewish insecurity to assert themselves as society’s prophets, scolds, satirists and teachers.
Meet the pioneering Jewish female comedian you’ve probably never heard of by
Joseph Strauss, JTA News
Before there was Joan Rivers and Susie Essman, and long before showrunner Amy Sherman-Palladino dreamed up “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” one Jewish comedian helped blaze a trail for the generations of hilarious women who followed her. Her name is Jean Carroll, and she’s considered the first Jewish woman stand-up comedian. And if you’ve never heard of her, the American Jewish Historical Society aims to rectify that.
Born in Paris in 1911 as Celine Zeigman, Carroll immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 8.
In a First, Israeli Rookie Robert Schwartzman Wins Pole Position at Indy 500
by Ben Sales, JTA News
Robert Shwartzman, a Russian-Israeli driver, will take pole position at the Indy 500 next Sunday — the first rookie in more than 40 years to do so. Shwartzman, 25, won the leading spot at Indianapolis Speedway by achieving the fastest four-lap average
in the final day of qualifying races on Sunday.
Pole position is no guarantee of a victory, but if Shwartzman prevails, he would be the first Jew to win the race since Hall-of-Famer Mauri Rose won in 1941, 1947 and 1948.
Images via Wikipedia.
(Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.
LIVING ON THE FRONT PAGE
by Andrea Simantov | andreasimantov@gmail.com
Flowers in the Sand
It had been more than a year since we’d gone camping at our happy place in Israel’s north. The towns surrounding Betzet Beach at the foot of Rosh HaNikra have been deeply affected by countless missiles and other assorted attacks. Merely two kilometers from the border of Lebanon, that inconvenient siege, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, had infected every corner of our beloved country.
So when the rumor reached us that the caravan park was open, we did not care that it was too early in the season to expect warm weather or pristine water and electric connections. Or that we might be the only fools to venture into the poorly protected wild during a week that saw us in and out of bomb shelters and shadowy stairwells four to five times. We. Did. Not. Care.
We barely packed anything into our rickety, weather-worn caravan. Just some dog food for our lazy Border Collie, sunscreen, respective toothbrushes, whisky and gin. There would be ample opportunity to shop in Nahariya in the morning. A bathing suit and two ratty sundresses, and I was set.
The moment I espied the turquoise Mediterranean peeking through the bramble and reeds that framed her vista, everything became quiet. Speech stopped even before we pulled into the gate; my heart, limbs and soul grew quiet. For a brief moment, I thought that a suitable prayer should be uttered until I realized that I was in prayer,
enveloped in His benevolent arms. The sea, the wind, the sky and a raven’s caw told me so.
For two days and nights, we were alone. We built small bonfires, waded the shoreline even though the water felt frigid, arose at five and watched the sunrise while downing copious mugs of coffee. We admired stalwart cyclists, joggers and walkers who scooted by, and we enjoyed catching snippets of Hebrew, Russian and French. We did not hear English. At night, cars adorned with Druze flags raced past, their stereos blasting Arabic music. Anyone who accidentally noticed us gave a wave, a honk, or a thumbs up, and we knew that they thought us odd — a little bit off. An empty trailer park in the midst of a recent war zone looked crazy. There were a few times when we questioned whether or not we were acting responsibly. But there was a formidable army base abutting the caravan park, and every time a heavily armed jeep drove by, we reassured ourselves that we were just a couple of madcap geezers and quickly recovered from any self-doubt.
It happened on the third morning when, after two days of blissful solitude,
the site’s rusted iron fence creaked open and admitted another caravan. What was this? There I was, merrily sautéing tofu, peppers and mushrooms on an open grill when our Garden of Eden was invaded. Their camper was three times the size of our shaky box house, and even worse, despite 17 available spots in which to park their behemoth, they pulled in next to us. The nerve! The show-offs! In no uncertain terms, I told Ronney to ignore them, which, I reasoned, would be easy. They were obviously Israelis, and my Hebrew is poor, and we’d have nothing in common, and I wanted to hold onto the ‘zen.’ The wife waved at me several times while I washed dishes in the communal outdoor sink, and, when I felt forced, I waved back. She took it the wrong way and believed we were friends.
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Founder Myra Chack Fleischer
WRITTEN IN FIRE
by Trevor James McNeil tremcneil1980@gmail.com
The Doctorow Will See You Now
Most kids have an idea about what they want to do when they grow up. Most of the time, it is something they already like or think is cool that, in reality, likely isn’t going to work out that way. Very few people get to follow their passion, let alone their childhood dream. Even fewer manage the sort of consistent success achieved by the novelist, journalist and technology theorist Cory Doctorow.
Born in Toronto in 1971, Cory Efram Doctorow descended from a line of Jewish Poles and Russians. His paternal grandparents shrewdly escaped Germany in the 1940s, living in a refugee camp in Azerbaijan, where his father was born. As soon as they had the chance, his dad’s family fled the Soviet Union for the free west, settling in Canada.
When Doctorow was still young, he went to a “hippie summer camp” on an island that was a disused naval base in Ontario, which had an impact on his thought process. Clearly clever, Doctorow would meander academically, taking until he was 20 to finish high school. It was a pattern that persisted in college. Not only did he go to college, he went to four over the course of two years from 1991 to 1993, never actually completing a degree. Not that it kept him from succeeding and getting a job at a New York-based software company.
Even before his college adventure, Doctorow was slightly unusual, selling
‘You Can’t Own Knowledge’ was highly influential in the information freedom movement...
his first work of fiction when he was 17. While still writing, Doctorow also kept going in the tech world, especially in terms of free-source software.
He co-founded a company called Opencola in 1999 and later sold it to the University of Waterloo, which was the last university Doctorow attended in his ultimately doomed college career. He then moved to England and served as the European Affairs Coordinator for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which promotes internet freedom around the world. He was later named the Canadian Fulbright Chair for 2006 and 2007.
In 2000, Doctorow branched out into nonfiction with “The Complete Idiot’s
Guide to Publishing Science Fiction.”
He is also a journalist, contributing to techy publications such as Boing Boing, Popular Science, Make, Wired, The Globe and Mail, and The Boston Globe. His 2006 essay, “You Can’t Own Knowledge,” was highly influential in the information freedom movement that challenges the traditional notion of copyrights and advocates for more options, such as an easing of public domain requirements and Creative Commons licensing, particularly in terms of academic and out-of-print work.
By 2003, Doctorow had returned to fiction after nearly four years, publishing his first full-length novel, “Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom,” released on a Creative Commons license, allowing readers to circulate the electronic version with only the initial purchase. Taking place in a postscarcity future society, the book follows competing groups conflicting over how 22nd-century technology should be used in the still-existing Walt Disney World theme park, with some concerned it could sully the famous park’s reputation, which is really all it has.
This was followed in 2004 by “Eastern Standard Tribe.” Riffing on the notion of standard time, it features a context in which the world is populated by online “tribes” that have circadian rhythms based on the same universal timezone,
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Literature continued
despite being located around the world in real life, coming to impact human biology.
Doctorow also returned to short stories in 2004, publishing the collection “A Place So Foreign and Eight More,” with one of the stories, “0wnz0red,” nominated for a Nebula Award.
It was followed by “Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town” in 2005. A techno-fantasy unusual for Doctorow, the first of the two plot lines is par for the course, following the main character who befriends a literal “cyberpunk” who uses computers he salvages from dumpster-diving to set up a network of free wifi access points to make Nicola Tesla proud. Getting truly surreal in a way few can, it is revealed through the fantasy elements in the secondary plot that main character Alan’s father is a mountain, his mother is a washing machine and all of his siblings have their own oddities and powers, making Alan the most normal-looking.
An incredibly prolific writer, Doctorow balanced his research and teaching responsibilities with his nonfiction and fiction writing to the point where he managed to
Israeli Lifestyle continued
On Shabbos morning, after my husband folded his tallit and sat down to kiddush, we heard the muffled sounds of our neighbors ending their own prayers. Ronney and I stared at one another, and he said, “Should we invite them?” In a flash, they were by us. She brought a cake and napkins (two items I eschew), and we feasted on pasta/ bean salad, grilled salmon, vegetables, eggplant dips, coffee, whisky and more. We swapped data, argued politics, laughed, and celebrated our mutual love of camping, Torah, and defying the labels that come with aging. We retired for the requisite siesta and effortlessly reunited at the third meal — seudah shlishit — for more conversation and Havdalah, ushering out the Sabbath.
It has occurred to me that, on occasion, even ‘comfort zones’ can imprison the spirit. Without letting in different air, different music and different people with different ideas and accents, we might miss out on discovering the miracles that wait for us at any age and in the most unexpected corners of this beautiful and blessed life. A
New York-born Andrea Simantov moved to Israel 29 years ago. She is a small-business owner and both a print and media journalist. Her popular podcast, “Pull Up a Chair,” is produced by Israel News Talk Radio. She can be reached at andrea@israelnewstalkradio.com.
publish 10 stand-alone novels between 2003 and 2023, releasing one or more a year between 2003 and 2012, the biggest gaps coming between “Pirate Cinema” in 2012 and “Walkaway” in 2017, and “Walkaway” and “The Lost Cause” in 2023.
Somehow possessing a near super-human level of focus and creativity, Doctorow also managed to produce the “Little Brother” trilogy (2008-2020) and the “Martin Hench” series (2023-2025), including “Red Team Blues,” “The Bezzle,” and his most recent novel, “Picks and Shovels” in between his stand-alone novels and beyond. At only 53, Doctorow shows no indication of stopping his endless stream of thoughtprovoking, tech-tinged creativity anytime soon. A
Growing up in the far north, Trevor James McNeil had little to do other than read when the temperature went below 40 Celsius, and he developed an affinity for stories of all sorts. Graduating from the University of Victoria in 2009, he has been reading and writing in a professional capacity since. He lives in a cabin in the woods with his dog, and firmly believes The Smiths would have been better as a trio.
SPECIAL TO THE SAN DIEGO JEWISH JOURNAL
At the 100-year mark, Hebrew University’s American friends are looking to capitalize on a unique moment
by Larry Luxner
In 1974, Pamela Nadler Emmerich—then a teenager from Montreal—arrived in Jerusalem for her freshman year at Hebrew University.
Not knowing what to expect, she signed up for a course on Jewish intellectualism, “Philosophical Implications of Rabbinic Thought,” taught by Montreal native Rabbi David Hartman.
“After class, I went up and told the professor that I had grown up in an Orthodox Jewish community but wasn’t sure if I believed in God,” she recalled. “I didn’t even know what the word belief really meant. And he smiled and said, ‘That’s wonderful, it means you’re thinking!’”
That encounter made a lasting impression on Emmerich, who is now president of the American Friends of the Hebrew University (AFHU).
This month, the American organization, which was created to support Hebrew University, is marking its 100th anniversary in tandem with that of the University in Jerusalem. With global antisemitism on the rise and many U.S. campuses a hotbed of anti-Israel ferment, supporting the Hebrew University is more important than ever, according to Emmerich.
“One hundred years ago, the University was founded to be a safe haven for Jewish students. And it still serves that role today,” she said.
Hebrew University was co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in 1918 and formally inaugurated on April 1, 1925. Meanwhile, AFHU was founded by American philanthropist Felix M. Warburg, who established a $500,000 endowment for the organization.
Today, fundraising by AFHU, which has an $800 million endowment and raises $65-$75 million annually for the University, accounts for over half of Hebrew University’s overall fundraising revenue.
The historic connections between Jerusalem and New York run deep. Hebrew University’s first chancellor and president was Judah L. Magnes, a prominent New York rabbi. The American Jewish Physicians Committee, founded in 1921, helped finance the Institutes of Microbiology and Chemistry in Jerusalem—which later became part of Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School.
Today, Hebrew University boasts 1,000 faculty members and 23,000 students spread across three campuses in Jerusalem—Givat Ram, Mount Scopus, and Ein Kerem—and one each in Rehovot, Rishon LeZion, and Eilat.
In 2024, AFHU, which has 45 staffers and regional offices in Florida, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, DC, raised $74.2 million for the University—the biggest annual haul in its history. The
FROM LEFT: Albert Einstein, renowned physicist and Hebrew University founding father | Students at Hebrew University’s Rothberg Amphitheater on its Mount Scopus Campus (photo: Yonit Schiller) | Felix M. Warburg, founder and first President of American Friends of the Hebrew University.
organization’s long-term goal is to raise $100 million a year, said Clive Kabatznik, chairman of AFHU’s board.
“The pre-state generation of donors and supporters is essentially dying out. Anybody who was alive when the state was born is at least 77 years old now,” Kabatznik said. “That generation of donors—on whose shoulders we stand—had a different perspective towards Israel and Hebrew University than the high-tech, hedge-fund, private equity players of today.”
The South African-born Kabatznik enrolled at Hebrew University in 1974, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, met his wife and got married.
“It was the most incredible liberal arts education one could get,” said Kabatznik, now a venture capitalist who divides his time between Israel and South Florida. “The level of teaching was just through the roof, and it really was a formative experience for me. It molded me and taught me how to think on my feet.”
Since 2003, Kabatznik has been active in AFHU, developing its U.S.-based alumni initiative and spearheading programs showcasing Israeli-led technologies in fields such as cybersecurity, clean energy, fintech, and nanoscience.
One of Hebrew University’s most urgent challenges these days is the international boycott of Israeli academics and institutions.
“The major impact Oct. 7 has had is this overt and covert closing of international academic ties,” Kabatznik said. “We’re successful in fighting this on a formal basis, but informally, when professors stop replying to emails, it’s much more insidious.”
In an effort to attract more international students, Hebrew University’s Rothberg International School recently began offering a three-year, fully accredited undergraduate program entirely in English.
Compared to American universities, Hebrew University represents a bargain—and not just on tuition. Philanthropists will find that endowing a chair at Hebrew University costs less than half what it would at an Ivy League school, according to Stanley Bogen, a longtime AFHU donor who is now its honorary chairman and president.
“Whenever I talk to people, I tell them that the money they give goes so much farther in Israel,” Bogen said.
With many Jewish alumni disaffected from their U.S. alma maters’ recent record on antisemitism, Emmerich would like AFHU to get them to become supporters of Hebrew University.
Joshua Rednik, the CEO of AFHU since 2021, said his goal this year is to raise at least 100 new commitments of at least $100,000.
“Over the last 100 years, few institutions have had as significant an impact on the land, people, and politics of Israel as Hebrew University,” Rednik said. “We frequently say Hebrew University was the original Zionist project before Israel was even Israel. It has touched every corner of Israeli society.”
Children ages 9 months to 6 years
Proven Montessori Method and Philosophy
Bilingual Program: English & Spanish
Learning through hands-on experience
Integrated secular and Judaic curriculum
Skilled teachers, trained in early childhood development
Secured, state-of-the-art facilities
Arts District Liberty Station and Cygnet
by Susan Edelstein
US Naval Training Center (NTC), now known as Liberty Station, opened in 1923 at the north end of San Diego Bay and the foot of Point Loma and consisted of 550 acres of boot camp. The Training Center closed in 1997 and was transformed into houses, stores, restaurants and schools; the 100 acres devoted to the Arts District have since become a hub for creative energy and a showcase for art in our city. Liberty Station honors the site’s Navy heritage by preserving, adapting and reusing its historical buildings. It is the city’s largest historical renovation project since Balboa Park and is a marvel of preservation and innovative design. Since 2017, Liberty Station Arts District has been home to the OpenAir Gallery, an outdoor collection of temporary public art installations of sculptures and murals highlighting the culture and diversity of our region. It is an ongoing program with partnerships among local galleries, museums and artists. Artists apply, are selected, and their work begins. Their pieces adorn the grounds and buildings and will be exhibited for one year. This process is meant to show San Diego’s dynamic and constantly evolving visual arts community. Self-guided tours include learning about the artists and their inspirations and some images of the works as they progressed.
Lisa Johnson, President and CEO
of Arts District Liberty Station,
said, “We wanted to offer the community a fresh, innovative way to experience Arts District like never before. With the launch of the Open-Air Gallery and its accompanying bilingual website
complete with audio, our public art is now even more accessible for visitors to learn about the creation process and inspiration behind each piece.”
Although Liberty Station Arts District is home to 120 galleries, museums and studios, there was no
A behind-the-scenes tour of The Joan revealed two exquisite theater spaces, beautiful lobbies, plus dressing rooms, green rooms, office space, and plenty of rehearsal and orchestra spaces, as well as an outdoor patio with seating, strung lights and fire pits.
Open-Air Gallery at Liberty Station
Arts District
as “The Joan,” began in July 2023, and it will hold its official grand opening in September 2025 with Cygnet’s production of “Follies.”
“This partnership is the exciting natural progression in Cygnet Theatre’s steady growth since our founding 20 years ago. This new location will not only cement Cygnet’s long-term sustainability as a San Diego institution but will fill an important need for a flagship theatre destination and live performance venue in Liberty Station,” said Cygnet Theatre Artistic Director Sean Murray.
Cygnet Theatre, known for its highcaliber productions, was founded in 2003 near SDSU. The organization expanded in 2008 and moved to its current venue in Old Town. The upcoming production of “Oklahoma!” will be Cygnet’s last show in the Old Town theater before moving to The Joan. Interestingly, the name of the theater company was chosen as an homage to The Swan, the rival stage of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, but since the new company was so small, it became Cygnet.
place for the performing arts until the NTC Foundation partnered with Cygnet Theatre to transform Building 178 into a world-class venue and the permanent home of Cygnet Theatre. Construction on The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center, known
A behind-the-scenes tour of The Joan, led by Sean Murray, revealed two exquisite theater spaces, one 289-seat proscenium theater and a 150-seat flexible studio space, beautiful lobbies, plus dressing rooms, green rooms, office space, and plenty of rehearsal and orchestra spaces, as well as an outdoor patio with seating, strung lights and fire pits.
“Building 178 is a cornerstone of the Arts District, and as it transforms into The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center — and home of Cygnet Theatre — it will be a true anchor tenant for our campus and community,” said Lisa Johnson. “Our collaboration with Cygnet is an ideal partnership, as our organizations have blended seamlessly on this milestone project that will bring a highly-anticipated, one-of-a-kind venue to our city.”
People are going to understand why this piece of art, this work, this exploration, is in its truest form as a play with live bodies on stage.”
— Director Maggie Burrows
‘The Janeiad,’ a World Premiere From the Old Globe
by Makayla Hoppe
Penelope waited 20 years for Odysseus to return from the Trojan War. Despite a line of suitors at her door, she remained faithful to her husband. The story of Penelope and Odysseus is parallel to Jane’s own story: for 20 years, she has remained faithful to her husband since 9/11.
Jane and Penelope are the two main characters of “The Janeiad,” a new world premiere playing at the Old Globe this summer. Written by Anna Ziegler and directed by Maggie Burrows, the play explores grief, longing, and hope for the titular character.
“On that morning, it was just a regular day, and [Jane] was reading ‘The Odyssey’ for a book club,” Maggie explained. “The character of Penelope gets imprinted on her because she was around at the moment of emotional impact. She begins to rely on, learn from and emulate certain parts of Penelope’s process, ethos and way of living. The story is about how and when that serves her and what kind of journey she goes on with this guide and this support structure through her grief and her life over the subsequent 20 years.”
The show stars Michaela Watkins as Jane. Although the play explores grief and tragedy, it still relies on humor to process those emotions, and it requires an actress capable of channeling both drama and comedy.
“Anna’s writing is so spectacular in the way it kind of bobs and weaves between poetry and real belly laughs
and humor about something that is deep and universal and hard,” Maggie said. “[Michaela] has this incredible combination of an internal engine and such honesty to her and then happens to be one of our greatest living comedic actors. So, the combination of all those things really spoke to the version of Jane that we were interested in moving towards.”
Nadine Malouf plays Penelope and other characters. The team needed an actress who could take on a major supporting role while also shifting into an entirely different set of characters.
“I was interested in an actor who could shift character by just using their body, voice, tone and posture. I didn’t want to put her in a different costume for every character because the play feels so much more psychological to me...I wanted an actor who could, just with the tools that they have available to them, really be able to shift into all of these characters — I think she plays seven characters besides Penelope. Nadine Malouf has done a tremendous amount of theater and just has this
chameleon-like quality. I thought, ‘Wow if we could get this for the play, we would be so lucky to explore the elements of what we have as theater artists.’”
This is the Old Globe’s third collaboration with playwright Anna Ziegler. Previous productions include “The Wanderers,” a 2018 world premiere, and “The Last Match” from 2016.
“Anna’s been such an amazing collaborator,” Maggie said. “I love working on her [plays] so much because of how theatrical it is... People are going to understand why this piece of art, this work, this exploration, is in its truest form as a play with live bodies on stage. And that is always such a tremendous honor and privilege to get to work on shows like that. Anna’s theatrical imagination is so vast. As a director and, I think, as an actor, we get to have that as a sandbox to play in.”
“The Janeiad” runs June 21-July 13 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre. Bringing together love, literature and the power of grief, this world premiere will show how storytelling affects us all. A
LEFT: Anna Ziegler, playwright.
RIGHT: Maggie Burrows, director.
Getting from Here to There
by Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort
Picture yourself preparing for a long-awaited road trip. Let’s imagine you will be taking a couple of weeks to visit as many of the US National Parks as you can. You will research the parks at length, seeking to discover the features and highlights of each, and then carefully select the parks that most appeal to you.
That is merely the beginning of your quest. You must figure out how long you want to drive each day, where you want to stay each night, what you will eat, and which detours interest you most. Where will you stay for Shabbos? Where will you fill up your gas tank? (Or recharge your EV, as the case may be.)
Then it is time to open Waze (or Mapquest or any other direction-finding app), enter the information and discover what route you will be taking.
Of course, you understand that each and every twist and turn, each crossroads, and every highway is a key component in getting to your final destination. You may make a mistake from time to time, but you need to know your general
direction and your final destination. Ultimately, you need to get back home.
After we mark the Festival of Our Freedom, Passover/ Pesach, we keep progressing. As we all know, Pesach is a very big deal, which is why we even adjust our diet and endeavor to bring together as much of our family and community to observe its rituals and customs. After Passover has, well, passed over, it is time to look ahead to the holiday of Shavuot.
Shavuot is the holiday on which we celebrate receiving the Torah from the Almighty on Mount Sinai.
When the Jews left Egypt, they knew that a great event lay ahead of them. They knew that when G-d would bestow the Torah upon humankind, humankind would be enabled to bring heaven down to earth and imbue the physical with holiness by revealing the G-dliness within all of creation.
How was a nation that had spent so long being spiritually and physically oppressed slaves supposed to transition to be a nation that would serve as an appropriate receptacle for the
greatest gift in all of eternity? How does one go from being crushed by creations to being the chosen of the Creator?
We follow the map given to us for this very purpose.
From the second night of Passover to the Eve of Shavuot, some 49 days later, we count the days and weeks. It is a special Mitzvah called Sefirat Ha’Omer, ‘Counting the Omer.’ Each day of these seven complete weeks is an opportunity to refine part of our character. Each day serves as a positive step forward.
During the Hebrew month of Iyar, the month between Nissan (Passover’s month) and Sivan (Shavuot’s month), we have this unique and precious Mitzvah. And now that we stand on the Eve of Shavuot, we can take an inventory of where we are versus where we were. Count the days. Each day counts.
In our times, how do we go from being enslaved to our egos and animalistic tendencies to being crowned with the diadem of Torah? We do it by looking inward and relating to that which is best within us — we turn to our G-dly spark, our Neshama, our soul. Through the processes of Passover, we have quieted and even negated what stands between us and G-d. We have expunged our inner Chametz, leavening that which represents our arrogant ego.
The map tells us how to reach the pinnacle of human greatness, where the human being reveals his/her G-dly purpose and achieves the status of a partner in perfecting the world. Every twist and turn counts. Let’s enjoy the journey and bring as many folks as we can along for the ride!
As we make the final preparations for Shavuot, it is time to make sure that we do our part to gather all of our people together. Every Jewish man, woman, and even infant needs to be welcomed in our synagogues, where the 10 Commandments will be read — the very same 10 Commandments that were given over 3,300 years ago. The very same 10 Commandments will be read in synagogues around the world on Shavuot day.
We are not complete if some of our brothers and sisters are missing from our midst.
Like anything else that is worthwhile, the more effort we invest in encouraging others to participate, the greater the level of participation will be. When Shavuot occurs on a weekday, we must double and redouble our efforts to recruit others. There is nothing more important. Not work. Not school. Nothing.
In the words of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of saintly memory, “We wish everyone success in receiving the Torah joyously and inwardly!” A
Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort co-directs, with his wife Rebbetzin Nechama Eilfort, Coastal Chabads, Chabad at La Costa, Encinitas, and Carlsbad North. The Eilforts pride themselves on the welcoming and inclusive environment they have built where everyone, regardless of level of knowledge or observance, feels cherished and loved. Rabbi Eilfort welcomes and encourages readers’ comments and questions sent to his personal email: rabbie@chabadatlacosta.com.
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September 13
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A Summer Soirée for Seacrest
by Phoebe Luff, Seacrest Foundation
For Mary Epsten and Orna Wittenberg, supporting the Seacrest Foundation isn’t just about giving back; it’s deeply personal. Mary Epsten, President of the Women’s Auxiliary, first encountered Seacrest as a teenager when it was called the San Diego Hebrew Home for the Aged.
“I remember visiting residents after 54th Street JCC activities and the wonderful feeling that went with it.”
In 1989, Mary joined the Women’s Auxiliary and has been committed to raising funds for seniors in our community. Decades later, Mary’s involvement has come full circle, from her early days of pushing her daughter Alana in a stroller to Women’s Auxiliary meetings to entrusting the care of her mother-in-law to Seacrest’s exceptional staff.
For Gala Chair Orna Wittenberg, the mission is just as heartfelt. “Both of my parents were cared for by the remarkable and compassionate team at Seacrest. I could sleep at night knowing they were in good hands,” she shared.
Both women are passionate about preserving a vibrant, loving Jewish home for seniors in need. “It’s a place filled
with joy, warmth and a deep sense of community,” says Mary.
“I’m truly proud to be part of the Seacrest family because that’s exactly what it feels like, an extension of my own,” shares Orna. “The staff here bring a level of kindness and genuine love you simply don’t find in other care communities.”
Now, they are inviting the community to celebrate and support this mission at the 2025 Women’s Auxiliary Gala: Seacrest Summer Soirée, to be held on
Saturday, July 26, 2025 at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines. Orna adds, “We ask our community to honor residents by contributing to this event, ensuring continued peace and security for those who need it most.”
With heartfelt leadership and a legacy of care, the Seacrest Summer Soirée promises to be more than a gala — it’s a celebration of compassion, connection and home.
All proceeds from the gala benefit the residents of Seacrest Village. A
FROM LEFT: Neysa MacBaisey, Jane Scher, Anne Nagorner, Sylvia Roth, Mary Epsten, Rusti Bartell, Lisa Braun Glazer.
Remembrance Intertwined with Life
by Galia Miller Sprung
Once, it was just another stony hill overlooking the coastal plain to the west and the rugged yet often green landscape to the east. Now, visitors navigate its gravelly surface to buy espresso and pastries from a coffee truck — an agalat café — sit at rustic tables, take in the view, and commemorate the memory of Aviya Genut, who was 22 years old when she was murdered at the Nova festival on Oct. 7.
Several miles away is the community of Tzur Yitzhak, where a new, unique park was dedicated to the memory of Roni Eshel, a field observer in the IDF, who was murdered by Hamas at the Nahal Oz army base on Oct. 7. Here, visitors, ranging from school children to soldiers, sit and interact with two real field observer stations, learning about Roni. They also enjoy the greenery and pick and eat fruit from the trees that Roni loved.
This might seem unusual, even unsettling – people drinking coffee and eating pastries, kids playing and eating fruit at memorial sites for victims of Oct. 7 — but in Israel, remembrance is intertwined with life. With 1,200 murdered souls on one day and hundreds of fallen soldiers since the war started, families across Israel look for creative ways to honor their fallen, ways that reflect the loved one’s personality, aspirations and spirit. Families like Aviya’s and Roni’s have transformed grief into spaces of memory, life and resilience.
Before Oct. 7, the hill, a short stroll from Aviya’s home in the community of Tzufim, offered a quiet spot, providing you didn’t mind the wild thorny bushes, the stones or the challenge to avoid stepping on blue squills and patches of pink cyclamen. Elad Genut, Aviya’s father, chose this spot because he knew Aviya loved nature, peaceful moments and sunsets. Only later did they discover that there was a picture of Aviya on this very hill.
I sat with Avia’s mother, Ifat, on the hill one day and heard more about the project. “Aviya loved coffee, and Elad already had this idea for a coffee cart — agalat café — before Oct. 7, but he had put it off because of Aviya’s travels,” Ifat said.
“After she was murdered, this became the perfect place to commemorate her life.” Aviya, whose smile radiated joy, was going to manage the agala, resembling mini food trucks, which are very trendy in Israel today.
Youth from their community cleared paths and dug a fire pit. Heavy equipment leveled an area for tables and benches. The site has become a favorite destination for family walks and picnics for people from around the area and soldiers from a nearby base. But even more importantly, it became a focal point for Aviya’s parents. “Everyone wanted to help,” said Ifat. “We got a lot of support when Aviya was murdered, and we wanted to help others in return.”
The agalat cafe with Aviya’s mother (2nd from left) with friends at the agala.
At first, the family traveled to different communities with their mobile agala, hosting events for families of army reservists, families who may have thought to themselves, “They have lost their daughter, yet here they are visiting others, making coffee, handing out popcorn, ice cones, and treats to lift our spirits.”
The Genuts soon realized it was time to give the agala a permanent home on the hill. A year after Aviya’s death, the agala was placed at the bottom of the hill, and Giv’at Aviya was established. “Aviya was a woman of connection,” Ifat said. “That was her thing. And now her hill is the place for people to meet.” It’s called “Aviola,” Aviya’s nickname.
Aviya lived a few houses away from us, but we didn’t know her. I often walk to the hill to have a good espresso and a sandwich, to write and to absorb the positive vibes that can evolve from tragedies. I see the joy in Ifat when she sees friends making their way up the path. I sip my coffee, and I look at the picture of Aviya painted on the side of a huge metal container storage room near the agala. Aviya will always be sitting on the edge of a crater, looking at the sunset.
I wonder how families can continue. But they do. “We hope to expand the venue to include performances for the community, such as movies or lectures,” Ifat said. But she doesn’t feel there is a contradiction between a commemorative site and drinking coffee or picnicking.
“When people are in an open space, in nature especially, it’s easier to listen to stories of people who have died, and the stories can bring a smile to the listeners. Life needs to continue. We need strength for life, to keep going.” They hope to expand their hours of operation to increase income. Their end goal is to create a residential trauma treatment facility in the Jordan Rift Valley – a retreat in nature. They want to create positive ways to strengthen their community and the country as a whole in memory of their daughter.
It’s the same with Roni Eshel’s family. Roni, like Aviya, was listed as missing for weeks at the beginning of the war. Roni, 19, was a soldier — a brave and determined surveillance observer. I listened to released tapes of her last moments, reporting to superiors that the fence had been bombed, that Hamas fighters had broken through. She and the other observers stayed at their stations, eyes on their surveillance screens, giving clear, cool reports as the terrorists approached until the transmissions ended.
Roni’s parents, Eyal and Sharon Eshel, chose a unique and significant way to honor their daughter and her fellow courageous observers. They created a park in Tzur Yitzhak, where they live. It’s not just any park but a site with real field observer stations with computer screens, push-button phones, a field phone and keyboards. I first heard about the park when listening to an interview with Eyal. I was drawn in by his desire to create a memorial where visitors could hear the voices of the observers
MAIN: Observer console.
INSET: Roni Eschel picture in the park.
Photos courtesy Galia Miller Sprung.
themselves and hear and understand the “very sacred and pure work of a female observer in the IDF.” It is important for the Eshels that children know that the female observers did everything they could to warn of impending attacks but that, in the end, their warnings were ignored. And I was drawn in because one of my granddaughters, N, is also a field observer. I, too, know how sacred their job is. “There are children here all the time,” Eshel told me. “They come with their school, listen to the tapes and pick the fruit.” But he added that it’s not just school children; soldiers come with their units as well, and Eshel tries to meet with them when they do.
“Roni loved children, green spaces and fruit,” Eshel said. “We’re planting 120 more fruit trees and expanding the lawns and installing playgrounds for children.” He revealed that they are also planning to have a coffee agala, like at Aviya’s memorial. Eyal, like Ifat, does
not see a contradiction with having joy at a commemorative site. “The memorial is to honor Roni and to continue with life,” he said. “Children come here, learn about Roni and pick fruit she loved from the trees.” As a teacher, I love this concept — an outdoor classroom, hands-on experience and hearing the voices of the heroes.
There were no visitors the day I was there. I sat alone on the shaded stone benches facing the consoles. I tried to imagine Roni and the other observers sitting at them with calm urgency, reporting the horrors of terrorists coming through the fences. Her picture is behind me on a large canvas strung between two trees. Roni’s brown eyes and bright smile remind visitors to follow the quote on the commemorative plaque: “Do everything with a smile, and everything will be easier.”
My granddaughter, N, began her army service a few weeks after Oct. 7.
Scripps Clinic OB/GYN
The brutal murders and kidnappings of the field observers at the Nahal Oz base shook her confidence, but not for long. We all knew that if commanders had listened to Roni and the other observers, Oct. 7 would have turned out very differently. Becoming an observer filled N with an intensified sense of purpose she hadn’t felt before Oct. 7.
I told Eyal about N and her friends. How they saw a video on social media of Roni and her fellow observers singing and laughing on their base. Now, N and her friends make sure to do the same to honor Roni. I think that’s what the Eshels have in mind. We are all in this together. Memorials anchor us — not in death, but in life. They inspire us to take strength from the stories of the fallen and from the families who give back to their communities out of love and appreciation. These memorials bring us close to people we never knew. Perhaps that is the greatest tribute of all. A
Local Arts
BY EILEEN SONDAK
THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY
CONTEMPORARY ART
mcasd.org
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is continuing to highlight “An Artful Life: A Tribute to Matthew C. Strauss,” through Aug. 3. The museum also added “Celestial and Terrestrial Worlds” and “Land and Sea” to its current offerings.
THE NEW CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
thinkplaycreate.org
The New Children’s Museum is featuring “Artopia,” a new art studio space designed to encourage kids to think, play and create. Sounds like the perfect way for the small-fry set to expand their horizons.
LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE
lajollaplayhouse.org
La Jolla Playhouse kicked off its season with “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.” The show (direct from Broadway) takes place in a Harlem shop where African hair braiders work their magic on the heads of neighborhood women. You can see this co-production with several distinguished theater troupes at the Mandell Weiss Theater through June 15
The Playhouse is ready to unveil “Indian Princesses,” a play that brings five young women of color and their white fathers together for a bonding program. They share quirky and magical moments while learning the power of love and connection. This fascinating piece will be at the Weiss Forum from June 10 through July 6
THE OLD GLOBE THEATRE
theoldglobe.org
The Globe’s Shiley Stage is featuring “One of the Good Ones,” a funny and heartwarming new comedy about cultural differences and how they complicate relationships. This laughout-loud work will tickle local funny bones through June 22
Coming up on June 21 is “The Janeiad,” another world premiere. This new work is a poetic and emotion-charged tale set in modernday Brooklyn — with a nod to “The Odyssey.” It’s the Globe’s third collaboration with Anna Ziegler, and it promises to be another evocative piece. The play will continue through July 13
The Globe’s outdoor Festival Stage will launch its summer season on June 8 with Shakespeare’s “All’s Well That Ends Well.” The witty work is a romantic comedy that pits Helena against the aristocrat Bertram, and the results are hilarious and heartwarming. You can enjoy this delightful play under the stars through July 6
NORTH COAST REPERTORY THEATRE
northcoastrep.org
North Coast Repertory Theatre is ready to show off the San Diego premiere of “Birthday Candles,” a play that takes audiences on a touching journey into the evolution of relationships over the passing of time. In the process, it honors five generations and a litany of dreams. You can celebrate with “Birthday Candles” June 4-29.
BROADWAY SAN DIEGO
broadwaysd.com
Broadway San Diego will present the popular sensation, “The Book of Mormon,” at the Civic Theatre June 10-15. This side-splitting send-up is always a big hit with its dagger-sharp wit and satirical songs. The organization will continue to delight audiences from June 24July 2 with the glorious “Moulin Rouge.” Based on the high-voltage movie extravaganza, the show takes audiences back to the Paris Degas chronicled in his famous drawings.
cygnettheatre.com
Cygnet Theatre is ready to take on a classic bit of Americana with “Oklahoma!,” a majestic musical that has thrilled audiences for generations. This masterpiece by Rodgers and Hammerstein will be the swansong for the troupe’s Old Town location before they move on to their new home in Liberty Station. You can see this rollicking musical June 11 through July 20.
LAMB’S PLAYERS THEATRE
lambsplayers.org
The Lamb’s Players is taking a sentimental journey back to the 1970s with “The ‘70s! The Golden Age of the Album.” If you’re a fan of the era – or just looking for a good time with vintage music – head to the Lamb’s Coronado home June 17 through Sept. 14.
SAN DIEGO JUNIOR THEATRE
juniortheatre.com
“Disney’s The Lion King, Jr.” will arrive on June 27. The blockbuster musical has a score by Elton John and features a world of animal puppetry. You can see it through July 13
NORTH COAST REP: “Birthday Candles.” Photo by Aaron Rumley.
Food
Honey Tahini Tiramisu
by Micah Siva
For as long as I can remember, I learned that Israel was referred to as “The Land of Milk and Honey,” and during Shavuot, we’d take this literally and consume all the dairy that our digestive systems would allow. Shavuot is actually an agricultural holiday and typically coincides with the weaning of calves, thus the emphasis on dairy products. While we typically think of blintzes or bourekas during this agricultural holiday, I’m thinking outside the box for a simple, no-bake dessert that is perfect for prepping ahead and feeding a crowd.
This year, Shavuot begins on the evening of Sunday, June 1st until Tuesday, June 3rd, and starting on a weekend means that it’s the perfect year to host friends, neighbors and family to celebrate together over dairy-rich foods. While I love cheesecake and blintzes, it’s time to rethink a Shavuot-themed dessert with an easy-to-make treat. This no-bake dessert isn’t just for the holiday, it’s the perfect way to enjoy a little sweet treat all summer long.
SERVES 6-8
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, or vegan alternative
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• ⅛ tsp. kosher salt
• ¾ cup strong coffee, at room temperature
• ¼ cup Grand Marnier
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 20 to 24 ladyfingers
• 1 cup (8 oz) mascarpone cheese, or ½ cup vegan cream cheese + ½ cup full-fat coconut yogurt
• ¼ cup tahini
• 2 tbsp. sesame seeds
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• pinch ground cardamom
PREPARATION:
1. Place a mixing bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes to chill. Once cold, add the whipping cream, honey, vanilla extract and salt to the bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip on medium speed for one minute. Once foamy, increase the speed to high, and whip until stiff, soft peaks form. To check if you have soft peaks, pull the beater out of the mixture; it should create a peak that flops over within a second or two.
2. Add the mascarpone cheese and tahini, and continue to whip to stiff peaks. Set aside.
3. In a shallow dish, combine the coffee, Grand Marnier and sugar. Dip the ladyfingers into the coffee mixture and place in a 8x8-inch baking pan. Briefly dip them in the coffee, don’t let them soak, otherwise they will fall apart. Place the dipped ladyfingers into the baking dish, about 20 per layer.
4. Spread half of the whipped cream mixture over the ladyfingers, and repeat the process with the second layer of ladyfingers and cream.
5. In a medium bowl, combine the sesame seeds, cinnamon and cardamom, and sprinkle on the top of the tiramisu in an even layer.
6. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
7. Slice, and serve.
Leftover tiramisu will last for up to 5 days in the fridge.
ASK MARNIE
by Marnie Macauley marniemacauley@gmail.com
New Yiddish for Gen-Zers, today’s fast-moving generation
My darling San Diegans:
There was a time when even assimilated Jews knew a smattering of Yiddish or Yinglish. In the case of we Boomers, many of us had parents who spoke this majestic language — to keep us kids out.
Now, revenge! Today’s Gen Zers have invented a new vocabulary to keep us out. They shorten and reverse meanings and can have a convo that is completely indecipherable to any adult with a fifthgrade education. While every generation has had its own weird slang (23 skiddoo, bee’s knees, cat’s meow — they obviously had a thing with animals), most mercilessly faded out of existence, as they were redundant or just plain stupid. These new words, however, are not the occasional slang. They’re whole dictionaries that have transformed even the high-toned press who are constantly “woked.”
Face it. Between social media, texting, tweeting, IMing and SMSing, not one person under 30 can say a whole word in any language without ROFLing. (In a few years, not only have they reduced millions of words to maybe seven abbreviations, but Gen Z will lose the power of speech altogether. The good news is, they’ll have palms that can double for catcher’s mitts.) Some
examples of what our kids are saying: Staycation: A vacation where you don’t go anywhere.
Freemium: A free product with premium stuff.
Sammich: For those too lazy to ask for a pastrami on rye.
Hangry: Your hunger made you angry. Benching: You’re a back-up date.
Watch and learn. “He benched me, so staycation was my savior. For two weeks, all I did was think of my benchment until I got hangry. Cool, online I saw a freemium for a sammich
Got it?
In my never-ending quest to keep pace, it occurred to me that why should Yinglish or Yinglidish as I call it, suffer the neglect of Gen-Zers?
Feh! The following are new words I created, whether by combining, shortening, hyphenating, compounding or portmanteau-ing that I hope will keep Yinglish alive even when we’re mime-aloshening.
New Gen Z Yinglish Word: MEESMENCH
Origin: Meeskite and mensch
Meaning: A wonderful person who isn’t so good-looking.
Usage: “OK, Milton, so a Natalie
Portman she isn’t. Ah, but a personality? She volunteers 36 hours a week studying with the Matzo Preservation Society to keep our bread of affliction from crumbling and adding to global warming. She is some meesmench!”
Other word forms examples: Meesmenchen, Meesmenchly, Meesmenchesque
New Gen Z Yinglish Word: SHVIMKA
Origin: Simcha and Shvitz
Meaning: A joyous occasion that took such work I sweated through my Gucci or caused so much fighting, we all stained our Guccis.
Usage: “The bar mitzvah? Eight caterers backed out, and the hotel for the reception was booked up until our Kelvis was 16, so we had to wait for a cancellation! The bubble machine we rented kept flooding! The cousins didn’t stop kvetching about the food! The family – 20 people from Boca – brought 10 friends. A monsoon hit two hours before, 50 people didn’t show up, and we still had to pay for their chickens! And would you believe the cake arrived saying ‘For Ben On Your Christening!’ This was one hellava shvimka!”
Other word forms examples:: shvimkaful, shvimkad, shvimkaphy
New Gen Z Yinglish Word: BUBCHIK
Origin: bubbe and chik (Yid. Diminutive Suffix)
Meaning: A grandmother who’s turned 60 into the new 30.
Usage:: “Do you believe Bella since her tummy tuck and the Botox? With four grandchildren, she’s some bubchik!”
Other word forms examples: bubchikels, bubchikelism, bubchiklshtikl
New Gen Z Yinglish Word: HORAFIDE
Origin: Hora and Fied
Meaning: That gruesome moment when the group is happily doing the Hora, and two rotten dancers get in the middle of the circle and try to do a duo.
Usage: “The ambulance just came! The paramedics think Uncle Morris may have a dislocated knee and Uncle Yankel a twisted ankle. I was horafide when I saw two 80-year-old men trying to kick with the same foot at the same time!”
Other word forms examples: horafiable, horafytion
New Gen Z Yinglish Word: CHALAHAZZ
Origin: Challah and chazzer (pig/greedy)
Meaning:: This is the person who, on Shabbat, grabs the challah and tears a piece so big, it could feed all 3,300 Jews in Kazakhstan.
Usage: “Pssst. Did you see Pinkus? What he did? With the challah? Stuck his hand in and took the best bumps – all of them! Is he a chalahazzer or what?” Maybe we should report him to the San Diego Hebrew Association for chalahazzing. It must be a sin somewhere.”
Other word forms examples: chalahazzing, chalahazzeration, chalahazzeretic
New Gen Z Yinglish Word: BEGALY
Origin: Bagel and Bialy
Meaning: No, it’s not an Irish soda bread, but a simple, shorter way of saying one wants a mixture of bagels and bialys.
Usage: “Sol, when you go to the appetizing store sure with the lox you also get begallys.”
Other word forms examples: begalys, begalyless, begalyphile
New Gen Z Yinglish Word: HAYMSHIK
Origin: Haymish and Shikker
Meaning: A lovely, down-to-earth person when he’s not “Schnappsing.” (Think Haymitch in The Hunger Games.)
Usage: “Uncle Leo is a bit of a haymshikk. The terrific news is, he’s a doll three times a year! But the other times he visits, lock up the liquor and go to Laos for a month, maybe two.”
Other word forms examples: haymshikism, haymshikness, haymshikaholic
New Gen Z Yinglish Word: MIZMAKA
Origin: Mitzvah and macher
Meaning: A person who is or thinks he is the G-d of Mitzvahs and wants everyone to know it.
Usage:: “Are you going to the testimonial dinner for Meister? It’s $300 a plate.”
“Well, he did donate $10 million for the Advancement of Israeli Chickpeas. I hear there’ll be a sculpture of him – in hummus.”
“Meister is such a mizmaka. If he’s that terrific, why does he need so many character witnesses?”
Other word forms examples: Mizmakament, Mizmakally, Mizmakahaya
New Gen Z Yinglish Word: KLOOGLED
Origin: Kloolye (curse) and Google
Meaning: 1.) A Google glitch; it’s annoying; or crashes all by itself; 2.) When Googling becomes (G-d forbid) an addiction.
Usage: “I’d look it up to prove to you I’m right and you’re wrong, but my Mac is currently kloogled.”
“David, stop with the internet before you become kloogled.
I don’t think my KrankKare covers that. Sam! Get the policy!” Other word forms examples: kloogle, kloogling, klooglency Should you wish to add to my mission, by all means suggest away! A
Marnie Macauley, MS, Columbia University – Creator of Strategic Relationship Thinking (an innovative way to solve problems), writer, editor, author, lecturer, clinician, and administrator – is a straightshooter, with a distinctive voice and take on the world in her columns, features and books. She has been nominated for both an Emmy and a Writers Guild award.
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Meet the Jewish artist behind a towering new sculpture in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park
by Jackie Hajdenberg, JTA NEWS
Anew abstract bronze sculpture that celebrates motherhood and caregiving was unveiled in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.
Created by Jewish artist and activist Molly Gochman, the sculpture, part of her “Monuments to Motherhood” series, is 15 feet tall and resembles a loosely tied knot. It stands just opposite Grand Army Plaza, whose most notable feature is the Soldiers and Sailors Arch, which was built between 1889 and 1892 to honor Civil War Veterans.
Gochman’s sculpture, by contrast, is designed to subvert monuments that glorify violence and battlefield victories.
“What I’m trying to do is monumentalize the act of care,” Gochman told the
New York Jewish Week in a recent phone interview.
The artist added that her sculpture is designed to “invite people to think of mothering in a more expansive way, like how we mother the earth, how we mother each other,” Gochman said. “I wasn’t thinking of one caregiver, specifically, I was thinking of this act of care.”
Molly Gochman — whose work has been shown at the Ukrainian Museum in New York, and included in group exhibitions at Lincoln Center — moved to New York in 2012. Aside from a stint in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, she’s mostly lived in downtown Manhattan. In addition to creating art, Gochman serves as board chair for the Freedom Fund, a nonprofit
working to end modern slavery, and is also on the Brooklyn Museum’s Council for Feminist Art and the New Museum’s Artemis Council.
Gochman’s latest work, which will be on view at Prospect Park through May 2026, is inspired by both her experience as a mother and her Jewish identity. “I wasn’t raised religious, but I was raised with Jewish values,” Gochman said.
“I think of it as looking like a hug when you enter Prospect Park,” Gochman said. “And hopefully when people enter, they feel embraced and welcome and feel like not only is Prospect Park your park, but this is your sculpture.” A
Main photo: Chris Roque. Inset
photo: Alex Mctigue/courtesy of Molly Gochman.
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