San Diego Jewish Journal Aug. 2015

AUGUST 2015 l AV • ELUL 5775

EDUCATION wSan

Diego Jewish Academy celebrates double chai wYom Limmud returns w CSU San Marcos expands diversity programming with help from an outstanding Jewish professor

SYNAGOGUE MEMBERSHIP

50

FOOD

59

THEATER

62

Checking in on Tifereth Israel’s bold new direction.

Barons Market and a collaborative take on business.

David Ellenstein previews North Coast Rep’s new season.

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SEVERAL local Jewish organizations and businesses have already taken advantage of this opportunity!

Don’t wait until the State & Federal incentives disappear! Call Ecocentric to see how we can benefit you!

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From the beautiful rolling hills of Rancho Bernardo to the stunning coastal views of Encinitas, Seacrest Village welcomes you! Our vibrant retirement communities offer senior living, independent, assisted, memory support and healthcare, all in the warmth and friendliness of a Jewish environment. Visit us to see how you can enhance your retirement experience at Seacrest Village Retirement Communities!

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7/8/15 11:38 AM

CONTENTS August 2015 Av/Elul 5775

30

EDUCATION: Yom Limmud, San Diego’s “day of learning,” is back with a decidedly revolutionary bent this year. Tina B. Eshel introduces us to two rabbis who plan to shake things up with their presentations.

37

EDUCATION: The San Diego Jewish Academy gears up for a big year in honor of their 36th anniversary, solidifying themselves as an institution that is unafraid to innovate.

50

SYNAGOGUE MEMBERSHIP: One year ago, Tifereth Israel implemented a bold new membership structure. Amanda Kelly checks back in to see how the congregation is coming along.

53

TRAVEL: Travel correspondent Judith Fein explores Jewish Prague in this first dispatch from a two-part series.

6 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

Income Generation in Retirement Our conversation on retirement income can help you move from “Can I retire?” to “How can I make the most of my retirement?”

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: 32 EDUCATION:

San Dieguito Chapter of Brandeis National Committee announces new season.

34 EDUCATION:

Chabad Hebrew Academy offers new safety program.

35 EDUCATION:

Introducing Gratz College’s new Master’s program. And why Beth Montessori?

39 EDUCATION:

Tikkun olam at Soille Hebrew Day School

40 EDUCATION:

Art FORM seeks to offer an art alternative for students and teachers.

43 EDUCATION:

In her decades at CSUSM, Professor Alyssa Sepinwall has expanded cultural understanding.

46 SYNAGOGUES:

Jewish Collaborative increases education offerings.

48 SYNAGOGUES:

Introducing Orot HaCarmel.

52 SYNAGOGUES:

Temple Beth Shalom keeps history alive.

56 FOOD:

Leichtag pt. 2: A day at The Ranch.

59 FOOD:

Barons Market and the business of food.

60 FOOD:

The Kosher club sandwich.

62 THEATER:

What’s to come at North Coast Rep.

Monthly Columns 10 The Starting Line 20 Parenting 22 Israeli Lifestyle 24 Dating 26 Aging 28 Spirituality 77 Advice

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Donald Lincoln, CFP®, CIMA®

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Around Town 16 Our Town 18 The Scene 70 Events In Every Issue 12 Mailbag 14 What’s Up Online 64 What’s Goin’ On 66 News 69 Diversions 73 Shabbat Sheet

858-523-7904

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Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 7

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CALL RABBI BEN LEINOW

PUBLISHERS • Mark Edelstein and Dr. Mark Moss EDITOR-IN-CHIEF • Natalie Jacobs ART DIRECTOR • Derek Berghaus ASSISTANT EDITOR • Tina B. Eshel ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR • Eileen Sondak ADVERTISING & OFFICE MANAGER • Ronnie Weisberg INTERN • Jackie Cohen

WHEN YOU NEED A RABBI Congregation B'nai Tikvah, Carlsbad

www.sdjewishjournal.com August 2015 • Av/Elul 5775

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tori Avey, Betsy Baranov, Linda Bennett, Abby Walker, David Ebenbach, Judith Fein (Senior Travel Correspondent), Michael Fox, Jennifer Garstang, Amanda Kelly, Brie Stimson, Pat Launer, Curt Leviant, Sharon Rosen Leib, Andrea Simantov, Jon Schwartz, Dave Good, Marnie McCauley CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS/ARTISTS Vincent Andrunas, Ediz Benaroya, Pepe Fainberg, Steve Greenberg, Pat Krause, Paul Ross (Senior Travel Photographer), Angela Sissa, Daniella DeVarney ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Nancy Segal (Account Executive), Alan Moss (Palm Springs) 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

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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 ©2015 by San Diego Jewish Journal. The San Diego Jewish Journal is a member of the American Jewish Press Association and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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THE STARTING LINE by Natalie Jacobs

EDITOR’S LETTER editor@sdjewishjournal.com

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

O

n our way home from a road trip around Arizona, I asked my boyfriend if he’d heard anything about our high school reunion. We had been driving in the dark for eight or nine hours and we were just outside the San Diego County line. Something about being away and approaching a familiar stretch of road after so much time must have sparked a memory (or cabin fever was just making me think all kinds of off-the-wall thoughts). He and I went to the same high school, graduated the same year, and share the two friends who are tasked with planning our reunion, but we didn’t know each other in school 10 years ago.

He said he hadn’t heard any update on the reunion, but went on to say something that I’ve heard many people my age remark lately.

“Why do we need a reunion when we have Facebook?”

It’s a fair question. I seem to be on a steady one-person-from-high-school-friend-requestper-month plan, which is slowly turning my Facebook newsfeed into a living copy of the yearbook that’s rotting in my old closet at my parents’ house. With that, I pretty much already know who from my high school social orbit has had a baby, who has been divorced and remarried, where people did or didn’t go to college.

In extreme cases, I know where they work, what movies they like, what songs they recently listened to on Spotify, and what makes them LOL or feel L. Then there are all of the more base assumptions I can make (but, um, try not to?) about a person from his or her online profile

but I’ll spare you those details.

That’s why people go to reunions, right, to size each other up? To see how far we’ve come or how far we’ve fallen from grace?

My boyfriend and I entertained ourselves on that interminable drive for 20 solid minutes by sharing meaningless anecdotes about people we barely remember. This kind of information overload apparently does have its place. Imagine how bored we would have been at that moment if we were waiting the traditional 10 years between high school and our reunion to get those kinds of updates. Or maybe we would have just listened to The Cranberries’ song “Zombies” a few more times.

Every day on social media we have countless opportunities to make ourselves feel bad about ourselves. Someone on Facebook is always on vacation or deadlifting her body weight.

Someone on Twitter always has a new thinkpiece out on the most-trafficked website or a self-congratulatory post about a job promotion.

There’s always a disgustingly adorable couple smooching on Instagram or eating something delicious when you’ve been too busy to pull your peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich out of the Tupperware in your purse (though, curiously, you’re not too busy to check Instagram). Oh and then there’s whatever happens on Snapchat and Vine and Periscope that I’m not quite hip enough to follow.

Of course there’s the other side of the social media coin too – those times when you go on vacation or have some exciting work news to share and you obsessively check to see who has

“liked” or “favorited” or “retweeted” your very important life update.

The point is, we’re really good at finding all the information we want to know about our high school friends, enemies, lovers, without ever having to talk to each other, let alone share a meal and maybe even a dance floor in some hotel banquet hall somewhere. And we’re equally as comfortable sharing information about ourselves, as long as we can pretend that everyone who loved/hated us in high school isn’t secretly looking at it.

We can rejoice or wallow or vow to never look again on our own time, without having to buy a new dress or Youtube “How to tie a tie.” So why bother with the formality?

For now, my attendance at my high school reunion next year is still pending, although, it should be noted, so are the invitations.

Maybe we should have a Google Hangout instead of a physical gathering. It will require only slightly more engagement than a scroll of the Facebook newsfeed, but pants will still be optional (as long as the computer screen is properly adjusted).

Or maybe we could stop checking in on each other on social media and leave the catching up for the occasional run-in at the grocery store?

It’s just that, 10 years is an awful long time to wait for some juicy gossip. A

“The Most Controversial Woman in School Reform” “The public school system in this country is broken,” Campbell Brown, the education-reform advocate and former NBC and CNN news anchor tells JTA. Through her nonprofit, 10 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

Partnership for Educational Justice, Brown has helped parents file lawsuits against New York State challenging teacher tenure. She has also become known as a vocal critic of unions and

the “status quo.” Now she has an education news website, The Seventy Four, referring to the 74 million schoolaged children in the U.S. Read her interview with JTA on our website now.

Are You Looking for a Meaningful Jewish Experience?

Come to our annual Open House Celebration!

Sunday, August 30, 2015, 1:30pm - 4:00pm Food, festivities, live music and fun for all ages.

Temple Etz Rimon, a Reform synagogue in the heart of Coastal North County, is celebrating another fantastic year with our annual open house event!

All are welcome to stop by and enjoy the food, fun activities for all ages and fabulous live music. Meet our rabbi and members in an informal relaxed and intimate atmosphere.

Learn more about our worship opportunities, social action, sisterhood and brotherhood, havurot, life-long learning programs, youth group and our premier children’s education programs. See for yourself why Temple Etz Rimon is a truly unique, close-knit Reform Jewish community that blends tradition with the modern world.

We have the premier Kindergarten through 7th Grade Sunday School, B’nai Mitzvah and Confirmation Programs for busy families in ALL of North County. For a limited time, we are offering special introductory rates for new 1st and 2nd grade students!

In partnership with Pilgrim Children’s Center, we offer an all new weekday pre-kindergarten education and development program with extended care.

Come to our Open House Celebration for more details and see for yourself why Temple Etz Rimon may be the right choice for you.

Call (760)929-9503 or email info@templeetzrimon.org for more information.

Temple Etz Rimon A Reform Synagogue in the Heart of Coastal North County

2020 Chestnut Avenue • Carlsbad • 92008 760.929.9503 • templeetzrimon.org Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 11

we’re listening let us know what’s on your mind BIKING ADVICE Dear Editor: I enjoyed reading Devon Lantry is biking to work [July, 2015]! This guy Alan rode a bicycle to work for many years to many schools in rain, fog, cold and extreme heat (central Calif.). My advice to Devon is to keep riding, increase miles and maintain good health. I ride with a group every Thursday 40-70 miles and am nearly 82 years young. Judaism does help!!

Alan Lubic California

MORE JEWCERS Dear Editor: While I enjoyed reading about “A Jewcing Revolution,” in your July/ Tammuz SDJJ Magazine, it seemed to be quite an endorsement of ONE company’s successful story. You are quite correct when you mention the health benefits for all of us, as well as the many options that are available in refrigerated sections of organic markets. However, please bear in mind that there are other successful Jewish-based companies here, locally, which could have added to a multidimensional (and fair) view of the market for your readership. To name one, SUJA, is another specialized juice company that many of us know about. They, too, give back to the community in so many wonderful ways.

Janet Rosenfield San Diego

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

12 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

CONVERSION COMMENTS Dear Editor: I am writing with regard to Michael Hayutin’s article, “Become a Jew,” in the July issue, which I personally found extremely offensive and inappropriate.

Mr. Hayutin asks what’s wrong with “tempting” people to embrace Judaism? Firstly, why should we have to “tempt” anyone to want to become a Jew? Then he suggests soliciting people from jails, soup kitchens, rehab facilities, and homeless shelters? Is he kidding? I believe that anyone who may be interested in learning more about Judaism will approach me or

another Jewish individual, if they desire information of any kind. We are not Jehovah Witnesses or BornAgain Christians who solicit those who are “ripe for picking.” Jews have always been very selective when it comes to conversion; quality adverse to quantity is what makes us unique.

I do not believe we have to compete with the masses of Hispanics, Blacks or Asians so that we are not a minority.

Judaism has survived for thousands of years without soliciting, and I believe it shall survive for thousands of years to come.

Sondra Burke San Diego

@SDJEWISHJOURNAL

L’DOR V’DOR

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what’s up on sdjewishjournal.com “ISRAEL WE GO HARD”

Noisey Music, a VICE media property, just launched a new online docu-series “Hip Hop in the Holy Land.” They promise to be balanced in their coverage of this budding movement. Natalie Jacobs gives her take on episode one.

ISRAEL FOR DIOR

OBAMA VS. BIBI

A 14-year-old Israeli girl recently became the new face of international fashion house Christian Dior. Read her rags to riches story.

When a nuclear deal was announced with Iran, a “face-off” began between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama.

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .eps

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .eps

Hear about all our web exclusives first: Like us on Facebook.com/ sandiegojewishjournal and follow us on Twitter @sdjewishjournal.

14 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

DROUGHT DETAILS

Jewish students at USC are working to spread awareness about the drought through a new film, in production now.

Your Ride to High Holy Days Services Is A Phone Call Away Free door-to-door transportation from your home to synagogue and back!

Participating Synagogues Include: • Temple Adat Shalom • Tifereth Israel Synagogue • Ner Tamid Synagogue • Temple Emanu El • Temple Solel • Congregation Beth El • Congregation Beth Am • Congregation Beth Israel • Ohr Shalom Synagogue • Congregation Dor Hadash

Reservations accepted through September 4 (858) 637-7320 • www.jfssd.org/onthego Limited Service Area • For Adults 60+ Need A Ride? We’re With You All Year Long!

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 15

our

TOWN

BY LINDA BENNETT AND BETSY BARANOV l PHOTOS BY DEREK BERGHAUS

Seacrest Village Patron Party

The 16th Annual 211 Club Patron Recognition Party for the Seacrest Village Retirement Communities was held on July 12 at the fabulous Pamplemousse Grille in Solana Beach. The crowd of more than 125 people gathered for cocktails then moved into the dining room for a delicious dinner. Delightful music was provided by Peter Marin and The Jazz Club.

Among those enjoying were Len and Marcia Fram, Beverly Schmier, Joan and Arthur Markovits, Sima and Joe Oppenheimer, David and Susan Kabakoff, newly elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees Len Gregory and Anat Friedman, Rusti Bartell, Sharon and Gary Pollak, Hildi Beyor and Charlie Rosen, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Joyce and Dave Abrams, Nancie and Rick Vann, Suzanne Cohen, Stephen Cohen and Adele Rabin, and Howard Bolotin and Sheri Hallis. As always it was a wonderful evening.

Mazel tov...

Brittney Lissner and Jeffrey Bloom were married in Squaw Valley on March 28 in a mountain top ceremony.

On June13, Jessica Mustard and Daniel Bloom were married at Japatul Springs Ranch in Alpine.

Rebecca Zaid and San Diego-native Michael Epsten were married on April 18 at The Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines. They are the children of Mahshid Zaid of Los Angeles and Jon and Mary Epsten of San Diego.

Mazel tov to Warren Treisman and Neola Benedek on their engagement!

Birthdays...

Happy 89th birthday to Gene Gotlieb!

Noah Joseph Dworkin was born on June 21. Happy parents are Gwen Gordon and Bension Bworkin of Penasquitos. First-time grandparents, on both sides, are Vicki and Mark Gordon of Poway and Linda Cherkas and Chaim Dworkin of Philadelphia.

Judith Gross and Marc Steingart happily announce the birth of their granddaughter Sloan Rose Silver on May 17 to Ariel and Brian Silver of Northbrook, Ill.

Clockwise from the top: Ellen and Ernie Addleson • Jane Ottenstein, Norma and Werner Dreifuss • Loretta Adams and Bill Snyder • Nomi Feldman, Len and Anat Gregory • Hildi Beyor and Charles Rosen.

16 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 17

the SCENE

BY EILEEN SONDAK l NSONDAK@GMAIL.COM PHOTOS BY DEREK BERGHAUS

The Zoo’s Party Animals

Supporters of the San Diego Zoo were dressed to kill in feathers, furs, and all manner of animal designs to celebrate the critters and raise funds for a new home for the endangered African penguins. There were no less than 1,000 animal lovers at the sold-out event, which the committee dubbed “Party Animals.” The new eight-acre enclosure will also be home to leopards, baboons, and dozens of bird species.

The festive evening began with a cocktail hour that spread across the Zoo’s sprawling entry. Guests enjoyed appetizers while they browsed through the silent auction items. A few animal ambassadors were on hand, and the legendary Joan Embry put on a show with a some special animal guests. Then the party moved to the Zoo’s outdoor ballroom – which was decked out in glittery designs, bright colors, and five-tiered crystal chandeliers. The whimsical backdrop featured playful African animals, and each table was adorned with red satin cloths and brilliant red roses.

In between courses of the sit-down dinner, the crowd enjoyed entertainment and dancing under the stars. Among the many delighted revelers were Carolyn Cohen, Julie and Mitchell Dubick, Diane and Elliott Feuerstein, Debby and Wain Fishburn, Nancie and Marc Geller, Susie and Don Gordon, Jennifer and Richard Greenfield, Jeri and Eliott Hirshman, Reena and Sam Horowitz, Linda and Mel Katz, Karen and Warren Kessler, Viviana and Charles Polinsky, Evelyn and Ernest Rady, and Harris Steinberg.

Clockwise from the top: Joan Embry, Jordan, dress designer • Nancy and Mark Geller • Richard and Jennifer Greenfiled, Sherry and Richard Manoogian • Stan and Jackie Drosch • Brian Boswell, Lynne Krepack, and Jo-dee and Glenn and Jacob.

18 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

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www.metroflooring.com Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 19

MUSINGS FROM MAMA

by Sharon Rosen Leib

PARENTING srleib@roadrunner.com

The Perils of Whistling Dixie

T

he mass murder of nine African Americans participating in a bible study group at Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church in June demonstrates that prejudice still kills. With that on my mind, I’m mortified to admit my truest claim to shame. In 1982, I attended the Kappa Alpha Order’s Dixie Ball. And yes, this fraternity party was as regressive as its name suggests.

According to Kappa Alpha bylaws, “Dixie Ball has evolved since 1920 as a traditional social function of the Order with the purpose to celebrate and to perpetuate the social attributes of courtesy, graciousness, and open hospitality, which are values of the Old South and were prominent in Virginia when our Order was founded in 1865.” So how did a California Jewish girl like me end up at a frat party wearing an antebellum ball gown complete with hoop skirt in celebration of Southern values?

At the time, I was a sophomore at UC Berkeley casually dating a sweet blonde-haired, blue-eyed Kappa Alpha guy. He invited me to be his date for Dixie Ball, a weekend event in Monterey. My sorority elders informed me that to be invited to Dixie Ball, Kappa Alpha’s most prestigious social event, was an honor bestowed upon the lucky few. One of my sorority sisters drove me and a few other lucky gals to a San Francisco costume shop to rent our elaborate Southern Belle gowns.

I remember thinking this all seemed expensive and slightly ridiculous. But as I gazed at myself in the costume shop mirror dressed like a comely Southern maiden, I fantasized about Clark Gable breaking a door down to carry me away.

Before I could contemplate the full meaning of my actions, I was sharing a Monterey motel room with three girlfriends (the Kappa Alphas gallantly observed Southern decorum regarding single-sex accommodations). We donned our “Gone With the Wind” satin getups and danced the night away with our fraternity dates dressed in the blue-gray uniforms of Confederate 20 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

“Racism didn’t cross my mind then. A weekend away just sounded like fun.” soldiers. I even remember singing “Oh to be in the land of cotton” after a few drinks. As my old Cal pal Laura, who also (to her embarrassment) attended the party, said, “Racism didn’t cross my mind then. A weekend away just sounded like fun.” How could this have happened at famously progressive Berkeley?

Worse yet, how can college students still be engaging in such racially insensitive behavior?

We don’t have to look farther than UCSD to see what contemporary collegiate racism looks like.

In February 2010, a group of UCSD students held an off-campus “Compton Cookout” party to mock Black History Month. Partygoers were encouraged to dress the part of Compton rappers by wearing baggy clothes, fake gold teeth, etc.

Then this past March, a video surfaced of University of Oklahoma Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity members aboard a party bus singing, “There will never be a n***** SAE.” When I saw this horrible clip I flashed back to Dixie Ball. What were we thinking? Here’s what I’ve come to realize – we weren’t thinking as individuals. We were engaged in thoughtless Greek-system groupthink, casually and carelessly reenacting racist tropes and traditions.

We can’t afford to sit around whistling Dixie while college kids attend parties that glorify Southern slaveholders, poke fun at Compton rappers and teach appallingly racist frat songs. As parents, we must come clean, step up and discuss our society’s pernicious racism with our kids. We all need to be more thoughtful and aware – to really think about the racial undertones in our social interactions.

Let’s educate our kids how to make racism, like the Confederate flag, a relic of the past. A

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LIVING ON THE FRONT PAGE by Andrea Simantov

ISRAELI LIFESTYLE andreasimantov@gmail.com

The Girl in the Bomb Shelter

H

undreds of young people have stayed in our home for Shabbat or holidays over the years, but one young woman has remained vivid in my memory. Unceremoniously, we called her “The Girl in the Bomb Shelter.” A cousin to a visiting yeshiva boy, Taryn appeared in the middle of the night. Apparently, halfway through a teen-tour, she’d had a falling-out and was told that if she could find a safe place until her parentally-approved flight departed, she could leave the group.

A cab dropped her off at midnight and I had no space for this bedraggled, dreadlocked girl. With my own children, a nephew and two lone-soldiers sleeping, I tossed a futon into the overstuffed safe-room. She seemed content to sleep among cartons of Passover dishes, duffel bags filled with clothing for charity and shelves that groaned beneath obsolete textbooks and broken fans.

Each night she pulled shut the weighty door of the airless shelter and emerged after we’d been up for hours. Showing no signs of leaving, the Girl in the Bomb Shelter even added a few of her own items to the family shopping list. She said little but her views of Judaism and Jewish identity felt foreign to our Orthodox lifestyle. We invited her to come to synagogue and loaned her a skirt. She was respectful and seemed to enjoy the services.

Finally, she left for America.

Seven years later, she returned, teaching English in a poor southern community. I’d seen on Facebook that she was active in streams of

22 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

Judaism that make me uncomfortable and I did not reach out to her. Still, she called several times and, finally, we met for dinner.

I almost choked on a falafel ball when she told me that I was the reason she’d returned to Israel.

“You told me that it was alright if I accidently turned on a light on Shabbos or put a dish in the wrong sink. Until then, I’d felt like an outsider when I wanted ‘in’.”

The Jewish groups with which she was aligning herself were open and embracing.

Shamefully, I was fully aware that my Orthodox synagogue would not offer a fuzzy, warm greeting to outsiders. A truthseeker to her core, Taryn yearned for a spirituality that was absent in these groups and celebrated every exception and none of the rules she ached to know. And despite my selective amnesia, she remembered that she trusted me.

I asked Taryn if she wanted to learn together in the remaining weeks of her stay. She agreed and consequently, I went to great efforts so as to relearn much of what I’d loved on the journey toward Torah observance.

The lesson immediately morphed into an exploration of gratitude. Sharing some elemental thoughts, I described our day as beginning with a canvas; a lovely blank sheet of prepared muslin, pulled tautly across a frame. When we open our eyes anew each day, we are exhorted to understand that this gift called “life” is to be used carefully. With figurative paintbrush in hand, it is up to us to create a piece either haphazardly or

When we open our eyes anew each day, we are exhorted to understand that this gift called “life” is to be used carefully. with care. It is our choice to “paint” despair and/ or anger or to splash the naked square with love, friendship, concern for strangers and kindness toward family. Upon retiring at night, will we deem that day’s “art” a masterpiece or disaster?

Gratitude is the understanding that regardless of what our contribution to the world that day, with the help of Heaven, we’ll be issued a fresh canvas the following morning. What an expression of unconditional love! Teaching our children gratitude is the first life-lesson and a first step in creating a kinder, holier world.

Can a passing comment alter a life? If not for her tenacious spirit, Taryn’s quest for authenticity might have waned and died. The challenge of answering her questions resulted in both of us embarking on a path toward a deeper understanding of our eternal birthright. The first leg of a journey may be no more complex than a word, a meal, an open house or a forgiving heart.

Or, perhaps it takes only a bed in the bomb shelter. A

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 23

PLAYING WITH MATCHES by Jennifer Garstang

DATING jenscy@gmail.com

Resetting Your Standards

I

’ve always had a clear picture in my mind of my perfect mate. He’d be an ambitious, extroverted, Jewish-but-not-overly-religious entrepreneur who would be skilled at writing, singing, and playing violin. He’d have no interest in computer games or sports, would be devastatingly handsome, and would adore my cat. A few years ago, I met my soulmate…or at least, the person who makes me almost believe in the concept of soulmates. He’s a laid-back, introverted, self-proclaimed “recoveredCatholic” software engineer and computer-game aficionado, who has been known to occasionally space out at dinner when the restaurant is airing the Giants at the World Series. He is pretty cute, though. And he loves my cat.

Obviously, I couldn’t find someone who met more of my criteria so I had to lower my standards, right? Not at all, or rather, not exactly. Yes, my standards were a bit overly-specific and (more than) slightly ridiculous. However, many of my exes were actually much closer to my original laundrylist than my current beau. But none of those relationships worked, and several got downright miserable. Why? Because the stuff on my list wasn’t the stuff that mattered.

Now, I’m not saying don’t have standards. But you have to understand the reasons behind those standards. For most of us, our dating criteria attempt to make sure we find a good relationship.

No duh, right? But what exactly makes a “good” relationship?

To answer that question, start by asking yourself what drives you. What are the fundamental states of being that you want to experience? These will be different for everyone, but for me, those states are happiness, contentment, and fulfillment. Yeah, it sounds corny, but those are the primary emotions that drive me and shape my goals. My plans to start my own business, pursue my creative outlets, and have a family all come from my underlying desire to achieve those fundamental feelings.

“Okay!” you exclaim, “enough with the Zen mumbo-jumbo. How does this apply to my dating life?” Patience, Kosher Grasshopper, I will explain.

24 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

Did his fundamental desires align with mine? Did he have a similar approach to achieving them? Was he caring, introspective, and kind?

Our relationships have a huge impact on both our life goals and fundamental states of being. A good relationship supports our (healthy) goals and helps us maintain our desired emotional state. A bad one holds us back and leads to misery, or at the very least discontent. With that in mind, we need to make sure our standards will really get us the relationship we want, and that they don’t miss the mark.

For instance, I wanted to date an entrepreneur because I wanted someone who would help me start a business. Turns out, just because someone’s an entrepreneur, it doesn’t mean that he’ll support your business goals. On the other hand, my current boyfriend may not have any desire to start his own business, but he is happy to support and encourage me as I grow mine.

Ultimately, it’s not about having “high” or “low” standards. It’s about having standards that actually lead to the relationship you want. After stumbling through a few bad relationships, I didn’t lower my standards. Rather, I rewrote them. I realized it wasn’t so important what my significant other did for a living, as much as who he was as a human being. Did his fundamental desires align with mine? Did he have a similar approach to achieving them? Was he caring, introspective, and kind?

No matter what makes it onto your own list of standards, though, remember to be flexible.

Because some of the best traits on your list will be the ones you couldn’t even imagine before discovering them in the person you love. A

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OLDER, WISER, BETTER by Jon Schwartz

AGING jonaschwartz@hotmail.com

But Wait, Are They Jewish?

W

hen I was a child, my parents frequently argued over one question: “Is he or she Jewish?”

I could never understand why they wanted to know – why did it matter if someone they heard on tv or read about in the local paper was Jewish? Their discussions, often disagreements, would lead with one of them stating, “See, I told you Mark Spitz is Jewish!”

A few weeks ago, I was having dinner with my sister when the words, “You know who I found out was Jewish?” came out of my mouth like I had been saying that line for years. My sister, staring somberly back at me, said, “You sound like mom and dad.” How is this possible? I vowed, like many kids do, not to turn into my parents. As much as I hate to admit it, over the past few years, my curiosity about people’s Judaism has grown.

From the people I see in tv, movies, sports, to almost every new interaction I encounter, I find myself wondering who’s a member of the tribe (although, so far I mostly keep my speculations to myself ). Given my family history, I believe this trait officially makes me a Jewish adult.

In this newfound identity – Jewish Adulthood – I find myself making regular trips to Wikipedia to confirm someone’s Jewish upbringing.

Once validated, I gain a sense of pride and inspiration for our people and their noble work and achievements. Three people who have been recently on my mind are: Viktor Frankel, Jonas Salk and Gabrielle Giffords. Learning more about these individuals has helped me understand what true perseverance, altruism, determination, courage, and integrity look like. In the same breath, they all happen to come from a Jewish identity, which, in some way, makes their story a little more personal to me.

This kind of research makes me think about role models and how important it is for us to find Jewish people to look up to. No matter one’s age, it can be beneficial to admire the character and work of others. In honor of that, and in keeping with the theme of my column, I will highlight famous Jews in history who have accomplished or are currently working toward incredible feats in older age.

As far as social activists, Betty Friedan (first President of National Organization for Women) was still writing and advocating for women and 26 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

human rights until her death at the age of 85 in 2006. Elie Wiesel, perhaps the most well-known Holocaust survivor, is continuing to speak about the atrocities of the holocaust and promote peace at 86. Scientist Albert Einstein gave speeches, taught and continued to work on new theories until his death at 76 years old.

News anchor Barbara Walters just retired last year from ABC News, at age 84, as professional and eloquent as she ever was. Larry King, perhaps one of the greatest interviewers of all time, continues at age 81 to interview guests on his own podcast. Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the second female justice of the Supreme Court, at 82 is still passing laws that will shape our future.

I found famous older Jewish athletes harder to come by, but it was quite easy to identify Jews in entertainment. Groucho Marx led a one-man comedy show at age 82. Jerry Lewis at 83 years old starred in the movie, “Max Rose.” He directed a play at the age of 85 and led a telethon fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association at age 86.

Mel Brooks said that two of his best plays, “Young Frankenstein” and “The Producers,” were taken to broadway after he was 75. Today, at 89, he is still performing stand-up comedy. Woody Allen seems to be writing, directing and starring in a new movie each year. Today, he is 79 and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Barbara Streisand is still showing off her voice to world-wide audiences at age 73.

In the political sphere, Shimon Peres, at 83 was elected President of the State of Israel. He retired at age 89, thus making him the world’s oldest head of state. Golda Meir, Israel’s first female Prime Minister, served well into her 70s. Alan Greenspan held his seat as Chairman of the Federal Reserve until age 80. Today, Bernie Sanders is running for President of the United States at 73.

Knowing that all of these people are Jewish is an important part of honoring their notoriety. But it’s important to remember that there are lesser known Jewish people, who in older age continue to carry out incredibly special work. I see these people every day. As we find these elderly heroes, feel free to wonder about their Judaism, and when you find out they are MOT, embrace that extra bit of pride you feel, even if you do end up sounding like your parents. A

FYI

KPBS is expnading its arts coverage. “To keep audiences informed about the local arts scene, KPBS has hired Nina Garin as the arts calendar editor,” the nonprofit news outlet said in a statement. “Garin will manage all aspects of a new online arts calendar, expected to launch this fall.” Garin joins KPBS from the recently re-instated Union Tribune where she covered the arts plus local personalities in her “Oneon-One” column. Mazel tov to Garin and KPBS on the expansion.

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THE ARTIST’S TORAH by David Ebenbach

SPIRITUALITY ebenbach@netzero.com

Turn It, Turn It

T

his month, as we settle deeper into the final book of the Torah, Moses continues his lengthy farewell to the Israelite people. He’s concerned about what will happen after he’s gone, and he serves up plenty of directions and warnings, the most striking of which comes at the beginning of Chapter 4: “You shall not add to what I command you to do, and you shall not take away from it (4:2). In other words: You’re going to need every one of the rules I’ve given you, and you won’t need any others. The Torah has just what you need – no more and no less.

It’s a bold claim, and we might question it.

After all, the Torah seems quite incomplete if you take it at face value. What does it tell us about intellectual property litigation, say, or stem cell research, or whether we should regulate the internet as though it’s a utility or as a private commodity? Even some of the commandments for ancient tasks, like the building of the Israelites’ portable sanctuary, are incomplete.

And it’s not as though people stopped thinking about difficult issues after Moses delivered his final words. The Torah is, in fact, followed by many other books of writing and prophecy and history that make up the rest of the Hebrew Bible, and then there’s the voluminous Talmud, full of guidance for human behavior, not to mention the later writing of thinkers like Rashi and Maimonides, and centuries of philosophy and theology and storytelling and poetry after that.

It would appear that we’ve actually added a great deal to the original text.

Of course, one might argue that the Torah should be approached the same way we approach the U.S. Constitution; it can’t possibly literally address every specific issue people will ever face, but it contains the broad principles that will allow us to reach good conclusions, conclusions in line with the original text. When we “add” to the original, then, we may not actually be adding so much as exploring, interpreting, and applying it to our world.

Indeed, our seminal text Pirkei Avot says of the Torah, “Turn it, turn it, for everything is in it.” What’s crucial here is that we are told not just to read the text in some literal way but to turn

28 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

One might argue that the Torah should be approached the same way we approach the U.S. Constitution; it can’t possibly literally address every specific issue people will ever face, but it contains the broad principles that will allow us to reach good conclusions. it – and we’re told it twice. That means that it’s important, and also that we’re going to need to do quite a bit of turning if we’re going to make the Torah work in our lives.

What does it look like, turning the Torah?

It looks like the Book of Esther, where people struggle to do the right thing in a story that never mentions G-d once; it looks like the Talmud questioning whether the eye for an eye penalty (Lev 24:20) really means you have to poke out someone’s eye if they’ve done it to someone else; it looks like the gradual development of prayer liturgy after the Temple was destroyed; it looks like centuries of Jewish music, from the Psalmists to Max Bruch to John Zorn and Debbie Friedman, who give living sound to ancient ideas; it looks like Allegra Goodman thinking hard about a family’s experience of Passover in her story “The Four Questions;” it looks like Yehuda Amichai reimagining the binding of Isaac in his poem “The Real Hero;” it looks like Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s book contemplating Shabbat, and it also looks like him marching alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. It looks like you, the inheritor of the Torah, facing with creativity your unique and unprecedented life. A

 This

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EDUCATION

The Changing Future of Judaism This year’s Yom Limmud looks forward to what’s next with four revolutionary lectures, plus lots more on the day’s roster

BY TINA B. ESHEL

A

fter chatting with just two of the speakers for San Diego’s 11th annual Yom Limmud, I have two words for co-chairs, Jose Aroeste and Silvana Christy, and the entire Yom Limmud team: Thank you.

I also have two words for the San Diego Jewish community: Come hungry.

This day will feed your mind, nourish your soul, and inspire your life. There are so many fantastic speakers in the line up, but if you only catch Rabbi Rami Shapiro and Rabbi Sherre Hirsch, you’ll leave feeling filled up, and not because of the kosher lunch included in the price of admission.

Rabbi Rami Shapiro is an award winning author, essayist, and adjunct professor of religious studies at Middle Tennessee State University. He received his rabbinical ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and a Ph.D. in contemporary Jewish thought. After 20 years as a pulpit Conservative rabbi, he now devotes most of his time to writing books and teaching classes, for which he says he has no set way of doing things.

“I don’t work off a script, I work off a group,” he shares by phone. What he does bring is a lot of passion and an outspoken nature that will inspire jewcy dialogue, if our chat is any indication. At San Diego’s Yom Limmud, Rabbi Shapiro will lead a discussion about the meaningful takeaways from the Biblical story of Job and introduce you to the concept he calls “JudaismNext.”

Today’s Judaism is “a Judaism that adults grow out of rather than into and it caters more and more to kids. This bodes ill for our future. It’s not dumbed-down. It’s just dumb,” he declares with a chuckle. JudaismNext is his version of a much-needed modernization.

“The notion that there is a creator G-d out there, wherever, who chooses one people over another, who wrote the Torah, who dabbles in real estate, this whole edifice for the vast majority of Jews is unbelievable. We have to come up with another notion of Judaism all together,” he says. But he believes we can do that with the Torah we have now.

“We can look at different texts in Torah and find an equally authentic Judaism, one that isn’t atheistic and doesn’t deal with a supernatural G-d and one that speaks to a post-ethnic time. We are so diverse. People less and less are drawn by tribe. The old Judaism is obsessed with who’s in and who’s 30 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

out. The new Judaism is going to be much broader and much wider.”

During our talk, he repeatedly expressed his compassion for pulpit rabbis whose workload is enormously high. Increasingly pressured to drive membership, maintain shrinking synagogue participation and cater to the needs of families with children (who are the financial lifeblood of many Jewish institutions), he sees conventional synagogue life as having to pave a new way to relate to Judaism.

“Personally what I’m looking for is a Judaism that speaks to the world and not just Jews. What’s happened in the 21st century, Judaism has become an ethnic religion that focused on Jews. That’s not what Jews are looking for.

That’s why when they look for spirituality, they look elsewhere. I want [a] Judaism that captures them.”

The mystics have it right, according to Shapiro.

“There are a number of mystics from the Chassidic tradition … I find [Pantheism] far more compelling,” he says, adding, “the Jewish Renewal movement is deep in this attempt to bring mystical experiences back into Judaism.”

When asked if he considers himself a mystic, he pauses.

“A mystic is someone who doesn’t want a second-hand experience of the divine. So in that sense, I’m a mystic,” but he goes on to note that really he considers himself more of an academic.

On the topic of G-d, Rabbi Shapiro welcomes questions about theology.

“For me, G-d is reality itself. G-d is everything that exists … is a manifestation of a singular reality that I call G-d.”

On the book of Job, he explains that it is an alternative, or a challenge, to normative Jewish theology.

“Conventional theology is that you do good, get good. You find this is in all kinds of religions. But Job was good and got nothing but suffering.

“So this book challenges this notion. It offers a very different view. In Job’s view, you do good, you get good, get bad, you get anything.

“G-d isn’t [one] you can bribe. It doesn’t work that way. G-d is beyond anything people can imagine. Beyond our theology, justice and injustice, and we have to live with that wild G-d and the wild nature of reality that G-d manifests.

In Shapiro’s Yom Limmud workshop about Job, he’ll make the case for

why Job is the better book, because, to him, it’s more honest.

At Yom Limmud, Rabbi Shapiro will be engaging San Diegans during two workshops.

In “The Untameable G-d: The Book of Job and the Nature of Evil,” come prepared to “wrestle the nature of evil and the perennial question of why good people suffer.” In “JudaismNext: Rethinking what it is to be Jewish,” you’re invited to “imagine Judaism as an entrepreneurial start-up with yourselves as the executive leadership team … using tradition as a catalyst for, rather than a constraint on, creativity, you and your team will articulate the purpose, vision, mission, values, and goals of Judaism along with key practices for bringing this alive in people’s lives.”

Rabbi Shapiro will be joined at Yom Limmud by Rabbi Sherre Zwelling Hirsch, who was the 60th Conservative female rabbi ever ordained, in 1998, after which she spent eight years as the pulpit rabbi for Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, the largest Conservative synagogue in the western United States.

These days, Rabbi Hirsch writes books, teaches and serves as a spiritual consultant for Canyon Ranch in Arizona and Massachusetts. Her mission is to inspire people to lead more fulfilling lives by giving a “modern twist to ancient wisdom,” and her pulpit has changed to include national television including “The Today Show,” PBS’s “Thirty Good Minutes” and “The Tyra Banks Show.”

“What I’m really thinking about right now is the liberal movement. How can we bring in people who are marginalized and disconnected,” Rabbi Hirsch says while on her family vacation at Bruin Woods having “the most fun you’ll have with kids ever … if you take nothing else from this call, you have to do this.”

Getting back to the topic at hand, she continues reflecting on the liberal movement.

“Do we dig our heals in deeper? [Or do we] redefine interfaith? What does interfaith mean?”

Like Rabbi Shapiro, Hirsch believes it’s time for a “re-understanding of what it means to be Jewish. Where are we going? And also how the movements will shift. I see them falling away. What’s the future of the movements?”

What will replace the traditional structure?

“I don’t know,” she admits. “I’m interested in being part of that conversation … so much of what I’m trying to do is to make Judaism accessible to everyone and let Jewish wisdom educate everyone. I believe Jewish wisdom is good for all people. I try to bring Jewish wisdom into the larger conversation. It’s good for all people. It’s the source. It’s the well. It’s about creating accessibility for all people.

“People want to be touched and moved. I have a huge Christian following and they want to know what the Jews say … we all have the same direct line to G-d. So let’s get skilled and trusted at hearing ourselves. I’d say healing is a corollary to hearing.”

In her lecture at Yom Limmud, Rabbi Hirsch will talk about her latest book, “Thresholds: How to Thrive Through Life’s Transitions to Live Fearlessly and Regret-Free” (Random House, 2015).

“I really want to empower people to be their own spiritual guide. I want them to walk away inspired to do something different in their own lives.

It moved me to take these actions in my life. If it doesn’t do that, it’s really kind of empty.

“It’s about, where do I go from here? Here’s your next step. A day of

SCHEDULE 8:00

Registration Opens

8:00–3:30

Bookstore & Book Signing in the Gotthelf Art Gallery

8:15–9:00

Back To School Workshop Awards Ceremony Alison Laichter Introduction to Jewish Meditation Rabbi Marvin Tokayer China, Mongolia and Manchuria: The Unknown Jewish Experience

9:00–10:00

Zev Bar Lev The Global Alphabet Goldie Milgram Back To School Workshop: Creating a Mitzvah-Centered Life: Rapid and Effective Creative Exploration of 52 Jewish Spiritual Practices Rabbi Goldie Milgram Do You Always Have to Forgive?

Rabbi Rami Shapiro Judaism Next: Rethinking What It Is to be Jewish In the 21st Century

10:15–11:15

Alison Laichter Preparing for the High Holy Days: A Jewish Meditation Workshop Rabbi Sherre Hirsch Back To School Workshop: Torah L’shma Rachel Korazim Back To School Workshop: Israeli Children’s Literature Rabbi Rami Shapiro The Untameable God: The Book of Job and the Nature of Evil Rabbi Sherre Hirsch Thresholds: How to Thrive Through Life’s Transitions to Live Fearlessly and Regret-Free

11:30–12:30

Rabbi Goldie Milgram The God of Curried Fish Jennifer Meltzer Taste of Foundations of Jewish Family Living Geula Hebron & Naava Michan Back To School Workshop: Tips and Tools for Interactive Hebrew Alicia Jo Rabins Back To School Workshop: Women In Torah

12:30–1:00

Lunch Seating available: Dressing Room, Rehearsal Room, The Bean, Outside front patio.

Rabbi Sherre Hirsch We Plan, God Laughs: What to Do When Life Hits You Over the Head

1:00–2:00

Rabbi Marvin Tokayer Jews and India: The Most Benevolent Jewish Diaspora Experience Claire & Roy Kaufmann M-O-T’s and P-O-T: Ending the Drug War as a Jewish Moral Imperative

2:15–3:15

Girls In Trouble Concert General Audience

Educator Session

Concert

Yom Limmud is so good because it has so many offerings to touch so many people,” she enthuses. “Part of going to Limmud is to be present and integrate what you learn and how it will change your life between this Limmud and the next.

Her final words of advice: “Try something new. Change it up. See Judaism through different doorways. Go against the grain.”

Rabbi Hirsch is facilitating two discussions at Yom Limmud. In “We Plan, G-d Laughs: What to do When Life Hits You Over the Head,” she will show that with hope, faith, and belief we can change our lives for the better and make a positive difference in the lives of others. In “Thresholds: How to Thrive Through Life’s Transitions to Live Fearless and Regret Free,” Hirsch will explore what it means to build a rich and rewarding life even during difficult and pressing transitions. A Yom Limmud: San Diego’s Community Day of Learning is Sunday, Aug. 30.

Ticket prices (range is $14-$118 per person) and the full schedule can be found at sdcjc.org/yomlimmud/index.aspx.

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 31

EDUCATION

Learning is Not Just for Kids Brandeis National Committee and local chapters provide lifelong learning opportunities for everyone

BY NATALIE JACOBS

San Dieguito Brandies National Committee members during an outing to the new Central Public Library as part of their programming last year.

To get involved with the San Dieguito chapter, visit blogs.brandeis.edu/bncsandieguito 32 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

Study Groups for the San Dieguito Chapter of the Brandeis National Committee 1.) Behind World Headlines: 4th Thursdays 2.) Contemporary Literature, Fiction: 2nd Mondays 3.) Daytimers with Congregation Beth Israel: Meets Oct. 15, Nov. 19 and April 28, 1:30 p.m. at Temple Beth Israel 4.) Experiencing America, a Smithsonian Tour: 2nd Thursdays 5.) Great Artists: 1st Thursdays 6.) Heroes and Legends: 1st Tuesdays 7.) History of the U.S. Supreme Court: 1st Wednesdays 8.) “I Remember When...”: 3rd Tuesdays

9.) Israel Today: 2nd Wednesdays 10.) Jewish Knowledge: 3rd Thursdays 11.) Legal Puzzlers: 4th Fridays 12.) Music with David Lewis: 3rd Mondays 13.) Sing-a-Long Movie Musicals: 3rd Fridays 14.) The Great Masters: Brahms: 3rd Wednesdays 15.) The Universal Kabbalah: 4th Tuesdays 16.) Understanding Great Music: 1st Mondays 17.) Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior: 1st Fridays 18.) Tuesday at the Movies: 2nd Tuesdays 19.) Women who Make a Difference: 2nd Fridays *Each meeting takes place at 10 a.m. at Seacrest Village unless otherwise noted

PHOTO COURTESY SAN DIEGUITO CHAPTER BNC

A

good advanced education in the 1940s was hard to find, if you were Jewish. To overcome this, a group of Jewish men got together to purchase an old veterinary school in Massachusetts and set out to make a secular school that would not subscribe to the (unspoken) quota system. The goal was to create a toptier education institution that was open not just to Jews but also other groups who were discriminated against by the prominent universities of the time (most of which are still prominent today, like Cornell, Columbia and Yale). In 1948, Brandeis University, named after the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, opened its doors to everyone.

When the school needed help fundraising, a group of eight women started gathering in the library to determine ways to increase financial support. And so the Brandeis National Committee was born. Today, the Brandeis National Committee has grown into 45 chapters spread throughout the country, boasting more than 25,000 members. While the groups still raise money for the now well-respected university, they also operate under a mission to keep education alive for everyone after the college years.

“Most everyone joins for the study groups,” says Jane Polgar, co-chair of the San Dieguito chapter. And the friendship, Polgar, who has been a member for 23 years, adds.

“I joined wanting friends and looking for a book group. I’d heard of the Brandeis organization in Phoenix and figured ‘Brandeis book group,’” she says. “I found just what I was looking for – bright people, lots of activities.”

This month, on Aug. 26 at 10 a.m. at Green Dragon Tavern in Carlsbad, the 327-member San Dieguito chapter will host its annual opening meeting where they will introduce all of the study groups for the year. Currently, there are 19 study groups for members to join and each meets once a month from October through April, May or June, depending on the group (book group meets all year long, except in September in observance of the High Holidays). Members can join as many or as few study groups as they’d like.

Polgar stresses that it’s not just “Jewish” topics, and members of the San Dieguito chapter, as with students of the school itself, are from all denominations. Topics cover books, current events, music, art, film, and the popular “Women Who Make a Difference” series. Past speakers include Dr. David Barzilai of UC San Diego; David Lewis from Mira Costa College; and Rabbi Joshua Burrows of the Jewish Collaborative of San Diego. The majority of meetings take place at Seacrest Village Encinitas.

What began with eight women in a library in Massachusetts has grown to become a powerhouse, and is still the only organization of its kind (a university fundraising and educational group consisting of alumni and non-alumni). Collective successes of the National Committee include funds raised to purchase more than one million books, an endowed Librarian’s Chair and $3 million in research and scholarships for neurodegenerative diseases. A

San Diego Jewish Academy Class of 2015, By the Numbers

47

Number of students in SDJA’s class of 2015

244

Number of college acceptance letters received

100

Percentage of the class of 2015 accepted to a 4-year college or university

4,200,000 dollars awarded through

$$$$$$$$$$

64

merit scholarships

Tour SDJA Today. 866-736-7873 admissions@sdja.com sdja.com 33 Av • Elul 5775 l|SDJewishJournal.com

EDUCATION

Chabad Hebrew Academy brings Sex Abuse Prevention Workshop to Campus The Jewish way to teach kids how to be safe

Tarbuton Celebrates 10th Year - Registration Open!

Tarbuton offers an award winning Modern Hebrew language program and Jewish & Israel education through an Israeli cultural lens. The program is ideal for Israelis and Americans alike who seek a two hour program one day a week that strengthens Jewish identity and builds deep Israel connections. The program is fun, active, filled with music, art, dance and even technology.

Celebrating 10 years with an incredible team of Israeli instructors who share their passion and personal experiences with students every week, the Tarbuton offers Kef Li for preschool age, Sababa for Hebrew beginners and Yesh Ivrit for Hebrew speakers and continuing Hebrew students. Tarbuton also offers year round Hebrew and Israel related programming for adults. The program warmly welcomes new and returning students for the 2015-2016 school year. Modern Hebrew, Jewish and Israel education for preschool-8th grade offered in Carmel Valley/Del Mar and in La Jolla. For more information visit www.tarbuton.orgQuestions?

Lital Gottlieb, Operations Manager at 858-201-6094 x2 or lital@tarbuton.org

BY TINA B. ESHEL

K

eeping children safe is a parent’s top priority, so when a school is willing to step in and add safety education to its already full curriculum, it’s worth stopping to talk about. Magen Yeladim is a program that teaches the ABCs of child safety. This past May, Chabad Hebrew Academy (CHA) invited the program to its Scripps Ranch school for a “comprehensive Child Sex Abuse prevention training of students, teachers, administrators, parents and the over all community. This was a first for a “Jewish school and institution in San Diego,” says Rabbi Joseph Fradkin, dean of CHA. A quick search of the Jewish Family Service website sheds some light on the program.

“Based on the National Child Abuse Prevention Network’s recognized abuse prevention program and adapted for the Orthodox community by the Aleinu Resource Center of the Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles, [Magen Yeladim] brings this critical education to Jewish schools across the country.”

To find out how it went during its first run in San Diego, I spoke with Mora Sura Leider, CHA’s long-time first grade teacher, about her takeaways from the training.

Magan Yeladim focused on the “fact that the body is holy ... we need to be modest and that gave it a little different slant and made it easier to talk about,” she says. “It’s your body. Nobody has to see it or touch it and you’re in charge … that is something that is added because it’s Jewish.” th young to that become of our Shechildren readily admits educatingmembers children on safety tips that extend synagogue atclassroom a dramatically-reduced rate.specific topics are beyond the is nothing new, but this program’s novel.

Call today to schedule a visit.

“In terms about sexuality, that’s something new and something we haven’t addressed in school theyBeth even talked about tickling. If you don’t to welcoming you into … the El family. like to be tickled, you can say stop. You are in charge, whatever it is,” she says of her lessons from the program. “If you don’t want to be tickled, don’t be tickled. If you don’t want to hug, don’t hug. You, the child, need to be comfortable … you can say no, you can say stop, you can say I don’t like it.”

The program literally teaches the ABCs – A is for “Ask questions” like who are you? B stands for “Bring a friend,” and C is for “Check” as in, before you cross the street. A 34 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

Through Torah study and by performing acts of loving-kindness, your children will gain faith, be embraced by a community of friends, and become rooted in Jewish values.

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EDUCATION

New Master’s Program The Value of Focuses on Managing Specialized Education Faith-Based Organizations Beth Montessori ensures students Gratz College dean offers details

BY JACKIE COHEN

gain Jewish understanding

BY JACKIE COHEN

G

E

For more information about the Master of Science in Nonprofit Management for Faith-based Organizations or to apply go to gratz.edu/programs/masterof-science-in-nonprofit-management. If you have questions, contact Rosalie Guzofsky, dean and vice president of academic affairs, at rguzofsky@gratz.edu or 215-635-7300 x 137.

To get started at Beth Montessori La Jolla, visit bethmontessori.com, call (858) 452-3030 or email admin@bethmontessori.com.

ratz College has created a new Master of Science in Nonprofit Management for Faith-based Organizations program, which aims to prepare leaders of all faith-based organizations – not just the Jewish ones.

“It would be a much more interesting depth of conversation and exchange of ideas if we address the faith-based organizations, not necessarily Jewish organizations,” says Rosalie Guzofsky, Gratz College’s dean and vice president of academic affairs.

Subjects covered in this Master’s program include leadership, writing and communication, accounting and financial management, nonprofit law, team building, marketing, and fundraising.

Guzofsky says the courses were chosen based off of Gratz College’s work with nonprofit organizations.

“We surveyed people and asked nonprofits what people who are working in faith-based nonprofit organizations, what their middle managers to their CEOs need to run a faith-based organization most effectively,” Guzofsky explains.

According to her, this research led Gratz to include more human resources courses that other similar programs do not include.

It is “a platform where all faith-based organizations can learn from each other to do their jobs better,” she adds.

Since the program, like all Gratz programs, is online, the faculty is not all based in the United States; some live in Great Britain and Israel.

The new Master’s in Nonprofit Management for Faith-based Organizations is expected to have 12 to 15 people for its inagural year beginning this September and continuing Gratz’s commitment to small class sizes. Although the goal is to have a balance of religions represented in the program, Gratz recognizes that at first, it will be predominantly Jewish.

“That is our following and demographic for the most part,” Guzofsky says.

The program is open for organizations “anywhere between a small grassroot church and large religiously-affiliated hospital system,” Guzofsky says. A

very Friday, the students of Beth Montessori preschool arrive with a flower. The children put the flowers together to create a communal bouquet for Shabbat.

“The neat thing is that when they walk in with their flower in the morning, it’s kind of like an indicator to them that it’s Shabbat and that it’s a day different from the rest of the week,” co-owner Cecilia Krongold says. “We do all of these very concrete traditions to help to make the Jewish curriculum very present and alive in their experience.”

The Montessori program focuses on hands-on learning that is specialized for each student.

Krongold describes it as a “very different, non-traditional method of education” and says that part of what makes it a passion for Lina Wolf (the other co-owner) and her is “knowing that it benefits all of the children.”

“I think that the most important part is that it focuses on how every single child is an individual [with] individual needs,” Krongold says. “You can’t expect all children to learn the same way and you can’t expect all children to learn the same things at the same time.”

Another important aspect of the Montessori program is that the classrooms are mixed ages.

“It gives for a much more dynamic social environment for the children.”

Beth Montessori has three programs: the infant program for children 9 to 18 months old (six children), the toddler program for children 18 months to 3 years old (three classes with 12 kids per class), and the primary program for children 3 to 6 years old (three classes with 24 children each). Each classroom has two Montessori-trained teachers.

Aside from teaching Jewish culture and holidays, Beth Montessori is also bilingual. Krongold and Wolf are both from Mexico and they realize the importance of speaking Spanish in San Diego. In each classroom, one teacher speaks in Spanish and the other speaks in English, to immerse the students to the new language.

“The most meaningful part for me is knowing how much we’ve been able to touch every single child that walks through our doors and knowing that we are a very important part of their life,” Krongold says. A

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 35

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36 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

PHOTO COURTESY SDJA

EDUCATION

San Diego Jewish Academy Celebrates Double Chai Lots in store for the school’s 36th year

BY AMANDA KELLY

S

an Diego’s largest Jewish day school will mark its 36th anniversary in the 2015-2016 school year. The San Diego Jewish Academy, founded in 1979, plans to celebrate by introducing a series of academic initiatives.

When I arrive at the Jaffe campus – a serene pocket of land in Carmel Valley – to meet with head of school, Chaim Heller, founding parent and campus namesake Ann Jaffe, and Director of Communications Harry Katcher, all three are quick to impress on me the opportunity this anniversary presents for SDJA to honor how far it has come since the school was founded.

As you may know, the number 36 is not an arbitrary milestone in the Jewish community.

Although in other circumstances we may celebrate nice rounded numbers, like a 10th or 50th anniversary, 36 is an important multiple of 18 that denotes a double chai or “double life.” As the academic year commences this fall, Heller says the challenge that his generation of leaders faces with this generation of young people rests partly in the school’s beginnings – how to honor the work of those leaders who established the day school, while also paving a visionary path that will navigate a Jewish day school through a rapidly evolving future.

Throughout the past year, SDJA has been working alongside Rabbi Jan Katzew of Cincinnati, Ohio, to redevelop its K-12 Israel curriculum. This summer, Heller

and his team traveled to Oranim Academic College in Israel to work alongside university researchers to further develop this program.

Their goal is to ensure that SDJA continues to utilize the best practices available in engendering Israeli-American relations.

Heller maintains that it is important for the academy to continue providing this strong Jewish programming.

“We’re a pluralistic school,” he says.

“Which means that we do not blend everything into one sort of salad or porridge, rather we strengthen each individual type of Jewish identity.”

Israel serves as an important core connection for SDJA students, all of whom come from various Jewish backgrounds.

Heller describes the vision of the new Israel curriculum as, “Moving from [the iconology of ] Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan and the kibbutzim, towards the next generation: Why do we care about Israel and why does Israel care about us. Bridging a new kind of relationship.”

Next year, fifth graders will experience how technology and creativity overlap to solve widespread community issues, such as severe drought and water shortages.

Heller explains that students will visit the Carlsbad desalination project (which is on course for completion by late 2015), and manage a project of their own – to cut water consumption on campus by five percent throughout the course of the year.

High schoolers will have the opportunity to experience a brand new engineering curriculum this fall, an opportunity that Katcher explains will expand the academy’s STEM education programming.

Furthermore, in late 2016, SDJA anticipates unveiling a science research institute.

The institute will have a public-private partnership and serve as a resource not only for students of the school, but also for the larger community.

It is not serendipitous that these initiatives are manifesting in the 36th year. Heller says these plans have come to fruition because of a strategic desire to align them with the celebration of the double chai. Jaffe, who was instrumental in the opening of the campus, says, “It was a whole team of people that came before us, we are standing on their shoulders. If it were not for them we would not be where we are today.”

There will be opportunities for the community to take part in the celebration, although most of these events are still in the planning stages.

“It is important for us that people see the academy not as an isolated place, beautifully perched on the hill,” Heller says. “But as a place that sees itself as a private school with public purpose.” A For more information about the San Diego Jewish Academy, its history and academic programs, visit sdja.com.

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 37

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Experience a Meaningful Membership and Sense of Belonging Opening our doors and removing all barriers, let us share the details of T’rumah, our innovative financial model: “Let each contribute as their heart so moves them.”

Put Yourself in the Picture Be our guest for an afternoon of fun!

Sunday, August 30th beginning at 3:30 p.m.

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6660 Cowles Mountain Boulevard, San Diego, 92119 • (619) 697-6001 www.tiferethisrael.com 38 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

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Soille Hebrew Day School Creating community leaders one service hour at a time

BY JACKIE COHEN

PHOTO COURTESY SOILLE HEBREW DAY

GET YOUR KID INTO COLLEGE!

EDUCATION

Andrea (Andi) K. Frimmer, M. Ed. the “Get Your Kid into College” Lady andi@Prep4CollegeNow.com 760.877.7200 www.Prep4CollegeNow.com

Flagging Our New Cuban Friends We joined fellow Americans and Cubans in front of the U.S. Embassy this morning, formerly known as the U.S. Interests Section, anticipating shade from the blazing Havana sun by a large American flag. Much to our chagrin, only a sole Cuban flag hung in a sea of empty flagpoles, flanking the building that has now returned to embassy status. Despite the main celebration of the new relationship between our two countries being held in Washington, D.C. today, waving our own flags, we shared tears of joy over this long overdue friendship.

In addition to forging friendships with our Jewish brothers and sisters, our organization has been bringing urgently needed items and tzedakah to these warm and appreciative people for years, and plan to continue doing so. It’s encouraging to know there are others who care.

Randi Simenhoff and Rhonda Slater Exclusive Expeditions www.exclusiveexpeditions.org a Southern California based non-profit organization

O

ne thousand eight hundred and fourty five hours. That’s how many hours of community service Soille Hebrew Day’s middle school students completed this year.

Three years ago, the Achieving Chesed and Excellence (A.C.E) program was created at Hebrew Day to encourage middle school students to participate in community service and grow as community leaders.

“Middle school is the emerging age for kids to take on these responsibilities when they are old enough to go out in the community and do things,” says Rabbi Simcha Weiser, headmaster of Hebrew Day. Soille also holds A.C.E. Community Day, where middle school students spend their entire day volunteering at various organizations. This year, their volunteer work ranged from visiting senior centers and volunteering at the JCC preschool, to working at Jewish Family Service’s Hand Up food pantry.

“It’s not just that one day of the year, but kids are on a consistent basis either designing projects of their own and taking them on the leadership way or they’re participating in other programs.

Throughout the course of the year, the A.C.E program requires that students complete a certain amount of community service hours (15 for 6th grade, 20 for 7th grade, and 30 for 8th grade), which can be completed through a variety of projects during evenings and weekends.

Another major new project at the Hebrew Day is modeled after Google’s famed 80/20 program. Middle school students are given two hours per week to create an individual project. This can be anything that interests them, but many students choose to dedicate those hours to community service (the Google idea is that employees spend 80 percent of their time on Google work, and 20 percent of their time on personal projects).

“What we find most exciting is that most of the kids actually continue in high school working in these same projects, even though they graduated from our program,” Rabbi Weiser says. A Learn more about Soille Hebrew Day school at hebrewday.org.

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 39

EDUCATION

Keeping Art Alive

Dain Bornstein works with budding artists at the Art FORM shop on Adams Ave.

Dain Bornstein and Art FORM work to make sure art remains available to kids

BY JUNE OWATARI

40 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

“Art is critical to well-rounded students” to instill a sense of pride, creative problem-solving skills and, because of Art FORM’s emphasis on re-using and recycling everyday objects, respect for the environment,” Bornstein says. firmly in Judaism.

“The biggest thing that’s stayed with me as I’ve grown and evolved is the importance of tzedakah, or charitable giving,” she says. Growing up Jewish, she was taught from a very young age to help the less fortunate, whether it’s through monetary contributions or community building projects like Art FORM. Although her family is not religious, she and her parents are immersed in Jewish culture. Bornstein was active in youth groups as a child and taught at a Jewish day school in Los Angeles before returning to San Diego. She believes her Jewish upbringing definitely affects her worldview for the better.

“That’s the beauty of Judaism,” she says. “You can feel connected culturally without identifying as religious.”

Now, as Bornstein raises her two-year-old son, she hopes to instill an awareness of Jewish culture and history so he can have that same connection.

If he grows up to be even half as passionate about and dedicated to helping others and the community as his mother, the next generation has a fighting chance to heal our world. A Learn more about Art FORM at artformsandiego.org and visit their supply store at 3316 Adams Ave. Suite B, San Diego CA 92116.

PHOTO COURTESY ART FORM

W

hen speaking with Dain Bornstein, her enthusiasm for community, art and helping the next generation is obvious and contagious. As a board member and the social media manager for Art FORM, an organization that offers free or low-cost art workshops to children, she hits those three passions in one fell swoop.

As school budgets get smaller, arts education is one of the first subjects to go. Started by Erin Pennell in 2011, Art FORM aims to fill a real void.

Bornstein became an assistant for the art workshops after meeting Pennell in 2008 through Pennell’s Rare Hare Studios. After a stint in Los Angeles, Bornstein returned with her husband th San Diego and reached out to Pennell again to help with social media, which led to a position on Art FORM’s board of directors.

“Art is critical to well-rounded students” to instill a sense of pride, creative problem-solving skills and, because of Art FORM’s emphasis on re-using and recycling everyday objects, respect for the environment, Bornstein says.

In fact, Art FORM doesn’t teach fine art but instead focuses on what students can do and learn by manipulating everyday objects. Doing so builds their confidence and teaches them how to solve problems.

“We see kids today without these skills,” she says. “But they need them when they go out into the world.”

In inner city schools especially, students who don’t do well are often left behind. Bornstein uses non-English-speaking students as an example.

“They can be insecure about typical school subjects, but art bridges that gap and boosts their confidence.” Building that confidence, she says, is “super critical to what we do.”

Another important aspect of Art FORM is their emphasis on diverting everyday objects like egg cartons and plastic bottles from landfills. The organization uses these objects in their workshops, but they also sell them in their creative re-use store where parents, kids and teachers can pick up materials for their own arts and crafts projects. There, you’ll find foam sheets, fabric, gently used or new art supplies and other “doo-dads” that can be used for different projects.

By using reclaimed objects, Art FORM hopes to educate students about taking care of the environment.

Bornstein believes this is another important part of the workshops.

“I’m concerned about the world we’re leaving for the next generation,” she says. When speaking of it, she cites tikkun olam, repairing or healing the world. These workshops sow the seeds of community and compassion in the students they teach that will hopefully grow even after the are workshops.

Her connection to the earth and commitment to helping people is rooted

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www.ElijahsRestaurant.com Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 41

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EDUCATION

The Jewish Face of Cal State San Marcos

How one professor has successfully created connections across campus

BY TINA B. ESHEL

Alyssa Sepinwall makes multi-cultural understanding a high priority in her history classes at CSU San Marcos.

16 years ago, there weren’t many Jewish happenings on campus. In fact, hers was the first Jewish course ever offered at the North County inland university. Her commitment to the Jewish community has lead to an exponential increase in the Jewish-themed courses and activities offered around campus.

“Now, we have some new classes this year thanks to the Leichtag Foundation,” she explains.

“Also, we have a Hillel now in North County that [many] people don’t know about yet. That’s been very exciting and made it easier to attract Jewish kids to campus because there’s a social life and an infrastructure there waiting for them.

“One thing that Hillel is trying to do at San Marcos is to build bridges with other organizations,” she says. “Instead of waiting for something bad to happen or for them to be attacked, they’re introducing themselves.” For example, Hillel has been partnering with the LGBTQ community and also with the Muslim community on campus. Other professors are participating in the outreach as well.

Sepinwall speaks with a strong voice and pauses to gather her thoughts. Her gentle inflections reveal a self-assuredness and enthusiasm for the collaborations she now experiences on campus with her colleagues from across academic

PHOTO COURTESY CSUSM

I

n a 2014 article in The Atlantic, Karen Swallow Prior explored “troubling trends” on university campuses across the country, including the pressure on professors to avoid provocative subject matter or make sure that what they were teaching didn’t offend any students. In the last few years, teachers have even begun writing disclaimers into their course syllabi, to warn registering students of any potential triggers the class might ignite.

Prior’s take is that political correctness is being replaced by what she calls “empathetic correctness,” and that this is changing how professors teach and, consequently, how students learn. Her premise is that students today are becoming increasingly hypersensitive to both the messengers and the messages.

“Now, instead of challenging the status quo by demanding texts that question the comfort of the Western canon, students are demanding the status quo by refusing to read texts that challenge their own personal comfort,” Prior writes.

No longer is it enough for a professor to conduct research, get published and teach courses to ensure professorial advancement (and tenure, that holy grail of the Ivory Tower). Professors today have to give great customer service, cater to the emotional needs of their students and make sure they don’t oppress anyone by challenging their views on any number of sensitive topics.

How is a professor, specifically a Jewish one, going to make the grade?

Alyssa Sepinwall is a professor of history at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) and the most recent recipient of CSUSM’s highest faculty honor, the Brakebill Award. This award is given to faculty on the basis of outstanding contributions to their students, to their academic disciplines, and to their campus communities. According to the school’s website, the nominees are expected to have “records of superlative teaching” and “quality contributions in the areas of research, creative scholarship, and service to the campus and the community.”

Sepinwall’s area of expertise lies in FrenchJewish History. Her first book was a biography of Abbe Henri Gregoire, an 18th century French priest and revolutionary who argued that Jews should not be oppressed and that slaves should be freed.

When Professor Sepinwall came to CSUSM

disciplines. She’s passionate about many things, especially French-Jewish history, and more recently, Haitian culture and history. But her influence on campus expands beyond her classroom.

“My colleague in political science, Elizabeth Matthews, has worked with me to bring all kinds of Jewish related programming to campus. For instance, for this year we had Yale Strom playing with his ensemble Common Cords which is Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Christian musicians.

That was extremely well attended.”

Sepinwall grew up in New Jersey in a Conservative Jewish home before going to the University of Pennsylvania where she studied French History and got involved with Hillel.

Post graduation, she headed to Israel for a year and participated in Project Otzma, a program of the United Jewish Federation geared toward training Jewish leaders for the future. She went to Stanford for graduate school where she earned her Ph.D. in history and Jewish studies.

Another of Sepinwall’s colleagues, Ibrahim AlMarashi, is an expert on Iraqi history and, she says, he is very interested in the history of Jews in the Muslim world.

“He teaches a class that’s called The Spanish Past in the Modern Middle East … he’s given Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 43

EDUCATION

Two views of the sprawling Cal State San Marcos Campus.

several talks now for the Agency for Jewish Education, which has been very nice,” she adds.

This past spring, Professor Al-Marashi brought his interest out of the classroom to host a moderated panel with students from a variety of faiths.

“They sat in a panel together and talked about their beliefs,” Sepinwall recalls. “That way [the participants and panel] could see commonalities and differences.”

She calls this development exciting and beneficial.

“That way the students see things they might share and not only [interact on Israel].”

Sepinwall notes another professor, Merryl Goldberg, in the School of Arts, who, as a founding member of the internationally acclaimed Klezmer Conservatory, is working to make Jewish connections in her courses too. “[Professor Goldberg] teaches classes about how to integrate arts into education and her students also learn about Jewish music from her.”

Sepinwall says the trend in history instruction is to help students learn a variety of perspectives from the past, not just that of the “winners.” She wants her students to read primary sources about events from history so they can from their own interpretations.

One of the more interesting classes we discussed was her Women in Jewish History course.

44 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

“This class looks more broadly at Jewish history and it’s a very popular class. Every time I offer it, it fills, which is interesting since San Marcos still doesn’t have a huge Jewish [student] population so it’s a class that’s full of mostly nonJews.”

It focuses on social history and everyday life with an emphasis on understanding the lives of ordinary Jews. And she approaches the history lesson by starting from the end, with contemporary times and the stereotypes about Jewish women that are perpetuated through modern popular culture. “[They] tend to be on tv about annoying Jewish mothers … the portrayal of Jewish women in American culture is very narrow. You either have the annoying overbearing mother or the annoying princess.”

The history lesson comes when the class delves into where these stereotypes come from. From there, Sepinwall challenges those stereotypes by taking the class through an exploration of Jewish women as social activists who shaped culture as we know it by pushing for focus on issues of diversity and gender.

“One thing that’s true is that Jews’ ideas about gender were different than a lot of the people they lived around. And women often had more latitude to be working. For instance, the traditional old fashion of men work, women stayed home isn’t the ideal Jewish version because

traditionally Jewish men study and Jewish women work and they raise their family and they make money.”

This way of living didn’t change for Jewish communities, especially in Europe, until the 19th century, she says.

Professor Sepinwall’s work also focuses on Haiti, because she’s interested in how the French Revolution affected both blacks and Jews. She’s keen on French Jewish films, especially those that look at French Jewish/Muslim relationships (she has long been involved with the San Diego Jewish Film Festival).

“There’s a lot of discussion about France not being safe” she says, but just as there are antiSemites, there are French people who believe their country should be a place of plurality and it’s important to take a stand for the values they believe in. For her part, Sepinwall is interested in stories that explore things like how Muslims and Jews got to think of themselves as opposed, if there was a time before there was conflict, and if there will ever be a time of cooperation.

In an era of political correctness on campus, Sepinwall’s questions are more than timely, they are essential to the health of academic rigor in an increasingly diverse, sometimes thin-skinned world. A Learn more about Alyssa Sepinwall and Jewish life at Cal State San Marcos at csusm.edu.

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SYNAGOGUE MEMBERSHIP

The Evolution of Jewish Education Jewish Collaborative’s growing membership puts focus on new ways to learn

BY NATALIE JACOBS

46 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

PHOTO COURTESY JCO

W

hen I last checked in with the Jewish Collaborative of San Diego, the budding community based in Carlsbad had 73 founding member families and a new approach to Jewish education. Now, nearly six months later, things have continued to expand for this new-wave synagogue. They’re home to 90 member families and receive upwards of 70 participants at community shabbats (often hosted at outdoor venues around North County). But changing the process of Jewish education remains at the top of their agenda.

Co-founder Rabbi Gabi Arad developed an individualized Hebrew learning curriculum that she and her husband, Rabbi Josh Burrows, are implementing across their community. Each child works through a series of packets that teach the fundamentals of Hebrew in digestible chunks. New in the last six months is JCo’s “Hebrew lab” which welcomes kids into the facility six hours per week. Arad and Burrows take turns on each hour-long session, making themselves available to anyone who comes in to work on the packets, including parents.

“The parents come with the kids so either the parents are working with the kids and we’re facilitating it, or the parents are hanging out and we’re working with the kids by themselves,” Arad explains. “It depends on the parents’ knowledge, some are really good at Hebrew and they’ll really sit down and educate their kids with us, and some don’t know any Hebrew and they’re learning along with us.”

This is “not a classroom situation,” Arad stresses.

“Everyone is just coming in there and doing their own thing,” she says of the lab time.

They have about 20 kids who attend the lab on a regular basis, and with registration opened for next year, Arad says they expect to double that number. One appeal of the class may be that you don’t have to be a member to come. It’s included for free as a member benefit, but families are welcome to bring their kids and pay per session, as just one of the synagogue’s a-lacarte participation options.

“We’ve taken Jewish education and we’ve just sort of broken it apart into different components. Hebrew lab is one component,” Arad says.

Another component is the JCo Kids Club, which has morphed into a youth group. Also bucking traditions where synagogue groups are managed by one person who’s sole job is to create activities for young members, the JCo Kids Club is run by the member families who participate. About a month ago, those families got together and agreed to each take on the planning responsibilities for one month per year, two events per month.

Coming up in August, they’ll go out on their first family-planned event, a beach clean up.

“It’s really nice because number one it’s solely social and social action, and the kids really enjoy it. But it’s an opportunity for them to all be together as Jewish kids and to take ownership over it,” Arad says.

To address the Judiac aspect of Jewish learning, JCo is beginning to develop an “academy” where they will offer Jewish learning in “pods.” As opposed to the traditional course of Jewish education where each year of after-school education is devoted to a different aspect of Judaism (holidays, B’nai Mitzvah, etc.), the JCo Academy will break topics up into three-

As opposed to the traditional course of Jewish education where each year of afterschool education is devoted to a different aspect of Judaism (holidays, B’nai Mitzvah, etc.), the JCo Academy will break topics up into three-month classes that members can choose to attend as their interests dictate. month classes that members can choose to attend as their interests dictate.

First up, JCo is looking at a class to explore Jewish history through art. So far, they have 16 total “pods” in consideration.

“Again, it’s like an a-la-carte kind of thing,” Arad says. “Parents and families can choose what they want their kids to be involed in.”

Also incorporated into JCo’s education initiatives are individualized Bar/ Bat Mitzvah programs, and a BBYO group open to 6-12th graders.

Part of JCo’s expansion includes moving into their own space. They’re hoping to settle into land on a Presbyterian Church in La Costa this December. From there, they will continue their interfaith work (another key component of their mission) with the church and the local Muslim community. A Follow JCo’s expansion and learn more about the community at jcosd.com.

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Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 47

SYNAGOGUE MEMBERSHIP

Introducing Orot HaCarmel The former KAY synagogue embraces name change

PHOTO COURTESY OROT HACARMEL

SUBMITTED BY RUFUS ABELSOHN

Rabbi Bortz (center) takes some time out to get silly with his youth group at Orot HaCarmel.

T

welve years ago, a group of Jewish families came together to form a new synagogue in San Diego’s Carmel Valley area. The goal of the founding members was to establish the County’s first Orthodox synagogue that was fully supportive of the State of Israel, including prayers for Israel during its regular services and special services on Israel’s Independence Day. This synagogue opened under the name Kehillat Ahavat Yisrael (and came to be known simply as KAY).

Last year, the leaders of KAY met with another group of families to discuss the idea of forming a larger and stronger community, still with the same commitment to the ideals of Modern Orthodoxy, Zionism, and the State of Israel, but with a new name to signify a fresh start.

“We felt that as a reflection of our rapid growth,” says Board President Lior Issacof, “that it was time to consider choosing a new name.”

As a result, a community-wide election was held and the name Orot HaCarmel was chosen.

“Orot HaCarmel means ‘Lights of the Carmel,’” explains the congregation’s Rabbi Baruch Rock. “This name expresses the tapestry of life and commitment to our families and homes here in the Carmel Valley area.

Simultaneously, it reflects an intimate bond with our people in the land of Israel.

“These two elements together are made manifest in the power of our community, the bonds we share: The Lights of the Carmel,” Rabbi Rock continues. “Orot is also the name of a book by Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook (the first Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel). The book is considered the cornerstone of religious Zionism.”

Rabbi Baruch Rock has been devoted to the Jewish community around the United States and in Israel for more than 15 years. In addition to his 48 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

Rabbinic Ordination (from Rabbi Shlomo Riskin of the Joseph and Gwendolyn Straus Rabbinical Seminary), Rock holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in history and journalism from New York University, and a Master’s of Arts in desert studies from Ben Gurion University.

“The Carmel is an area in northern Israel that includes Mount Carmel,” he says, expanding on the name choice. “The area is famous for a conflict between the Prophet Elijah and a vast group of idol worshippers where Elijah and the belief in Hashem (G-d) prevailed. There are also many similarities in climate and topography between the Carmel region of Israel and our home in San Diego’s Carmel Valley.”

Rabbi Rock is also a teacher, who holds classes at Maimonides Upper School of the San Diego Jewish Academy, in addition to weekly classes on the parsha of the week at his synagogue.

Part of the expansion of Orot HaCarmel includes a new youth program directed by Rabbi Daniel Bortz. Bortz grew up in San Diego and went on to create JTeen, a nonprofit movement for Jewish youth from middle school through high school. He will be working to prepare Bar Mitzvah students at Orot HaCarmel, along with other youth group programming.

“The addition of Rabbi Bortz allows us to reach out to families with children,” Board President Issacof says, “and to provide meaningful programming in a way that previously was not possible for us.

Rounding out the trifecta of leadership is Rebbetzin Carina Rock who imparts her knowledge by working with young women on their Bat Mitzvahs.

Orot HaCarmel services are held in the Moadon at the San Diego Jewish Academy campus and the whole community is invited to participate. A To learn more about the synagogue’s transformation, visit orothacarmel.org.

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Congregation Bnai Shalom Congregation Beth Am Choir on Sund ay, August 9, 2015 at 2 pm. Please join us on B’nai Shal om’s patio to hear a taste of Jewish music for all ages. Bring a friend or come alone and meet and socialize with Congregation B’nai Shalom’s members.

Wine and cheese will be served.

Donation $10 in advance/$12 at the door Please RSVP Irene at 858-481-7263 no later than August 4, 2015 Checks should be made out to Cong regation B’nai Shalom.

Make your High Holiday Reservations early this year with B’nai Shalom. Services are lead by our Rabbi Silverman and our Cantor Vladimir Staerman. Our High Holiday tickets will be only $125.00 which includes the first year membership and privileges for new members only. Contact Gary Polster at (619)701-7370. Checks must be receive no later than September 4, 2015 made out to B’nai Shalom for your High Holiday tickets.

B’nai Shalom is the only affiliated conservative synagogue in the Tri-City coastal and inland area.

The film for Sunday August 23, at 2:00 is Klezmer On Fish Street.

The film is about ironic revival of Jewi sh life in Eastern Europe particularly in Pola nd.

Light refreshments will be served.

Donation Members $8.00 Non-Members/at the door $10.00.

Contact for the film will be Joyce Spieg

el at 760-944-5774.

Deadline August 20th.

Congregation Bnai Shalom, 203 E. Broadway, Vista CA 92084

Please visit our Website at www.bnaishalomsd.org

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 49

SYNAGOGUE MEMBERSHIP

Not Your Father’s Tifereth Israel Checking in with the San Carlos synagogue one year after they implemented a ground-breaking membership program

BY AMANDA KELLY

A

bout a year ago, Tifereth Israel Synagogue, a Conservative congregation in the San Carlos neighborhood, made a bold leap in terms of synagogue finances – they switched to a voluntary membership dues system. At that time, I interviewed then newly-appointed President of the Board, Jerry Hermes, about the ground-breaking changes at Tifereth. The program, named T’rumah – a reference to Exodus chapters that describe how the Israelites built the first tabernacle through offerings from “the heart” – was implemented in response to declining membership and increasingly uneasy sentiments across the congregation towards the mandatory dues model.

When the opportunity came to follow up with Hermes a year after the program started, I jumped at the opportunity to report on whether or not some of what Tifereth hoped to accomplish last year had been realized.

For the first time in 25 years, the synagogue is noting a 10 percent increase in the number of new members. Hermes says that Tifereth has always attracted new members, but the overall trend was that the congregation lost more members than it gained.

“There is a whole new vibe here amongst our members,” he says.

He admits it would be difficult to attribute that change in energy entirely to T’rumah, though he does maintain that the new feeling of the congregation as a whole is “healthier and happier” and that it happened rapidly in the past year.

Currently, there are only 26 synagogues in the United States financed by a voluntary dues model.

Of those 26, only six are within the Conservative tradition. Throughout the past year, Tifereth’s success has attracted attention from local synagogues, as well as from other congregations across the country that face similar problems in 50 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

declining membership.

Lori Kurtz, who, as Tifereth’s administrative director, routinely explains T’rumah to potential congregants, says that people are more appreciative of the voluntary system.

“They feel we are more accessible because of the fact that we are not saying anyone has to pay x-amount of dollars to come here and pray. It is a big difference from what people are used to.”

Hermes breaks down the new member demographics as two-thirds 59 and younger. He adds that roughly 54 percent of new members are 49 years and younger.

“This is what we were dreaming,” he says, “not just that we would attract new members but also attract a younger demographic.

In 2013, the Pew Research Center published a report titled, “A Portrait of Jewish Americans” in an attempt to define what Jewish identity means in America today. The report, which surveyed 3,475 people of Jewish background, suggested that American Jews are no less proud of their Jewishness, but that the basis for that Jewishness at least amongst the youngest generation of U.S. adults was increasingly less rooted in religion.

Overall, 20 percent of American Jews described themselves as non-religious and less likely to attend religious services.

Last year when I spoke with Hermes about the changing dues program, just before it was implemented, he often talked about how the system of mandatory dues was driving away younger generations, who, in general, questioned “the necessity of synagogue membership.” He maintained even then that for Tifereth, the change in membership was in the best interest of the synagogue in terms of long-term viability.

Now he says families with young children have filled Tifereth’s preschool in what he describes as unprecedented numbers.

“It is certainly beneficial to the lifeblood of a congregation to be acquiring new members who have children that are younger.”

The synagogue’s Silverman Preschool recently expanded to include infant care for newborns of working parents.

“Once upon a time,” Hermes says, “a synagogue just had two or three functions.” Whereas the synagogue might have once existed solely as a place for religious services and to support events like weddings and funerals, he maintains nowadays it has to be something more.

“We’re trying to morph this from just being a synagogue to being a Jewish community for our members,” Kurtz adds. “Not just a place to come and pray on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but an entire community, here to serve their needs and to be a second home to them.”

During our conversation last year, Hermes often referred to T’rumah as a signal of what is to come. He spoke of the relationship between a synagogue and its congregants and what purpose the synagogue serves within the body of the Jewish community. I could not help but ask if he still sees Tifereth as a forerunner of what is to come for synagogues around the country. He tells me about his discussions with other synagogue presidents, locally and around the U.S. – other congregations are intrigued by what is happening in San Carlos, but many are not ready to take the same leap.

“I still believe we’re a harbinger,” he says. “But it hasn’t happened yet. I am confident that it will … sooner rather than later. Others will jump on the bandwagon.” A Learn more about Tifereth Israel synagogue at tiferethisrael.com.

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SYNAGOGUE MEMBERSHIP

Surviving History Temple Beth Shalom continues to reinvent itself in historic space

T

emple Beth Shalom has resided on the corner of a quiet neighborhood street in Chula Vista for 57 years. In that time, its membership has fluctuated as a once predominately Jewish neighborhood steadily shifted its demographics. Traditionally home to a mostly transient population – be that because of the military or the need to move to other, less expensive cities to find work – Temple Beth Shalom has had to continue to reinvent itself to maintain and increase membership.

When Rabbi Michael Samuel arrived as the congregation’s spiritual leader five and a half years ago, the community was down to 15 member families.

Today, Rabbi Samuel is proud to note that Temple Beth Shalom has 54 family members. Of those members, the synagogue sees 35-40 people at weekly services.

“There are synagogues with hundreds of members who would have trouble getting that many people at a service,” Rabbi Samuel says. “So we’re doing well, percentage-wise.”

He credits the increase to his outgoing and somewhat progressive approach to Orthodox traditions.

“Flexadox,” he says.

Ordained in the Chabad tradition in 1976, Rabbi Samuel has adopted a personal style that makes people feel welcome and encouraged to learn more about whatever aspect of Judaism may interest them. He offers classes in Kabbalah and Talmud and hosts weekly discussion groups on news-driven topics like gun control and race relations. He is quick to note that he has more than 225,000 books on his computer, on a huge variety of subjects, and he encourages his congregation to get equally involved in reading (he has just completed a library for the synagogue, where books line the walls of

Historical photos of the synagogue throughout the years, from Beth Shalom’s archives.

52 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

PHOTOS BY NATALIE JACOBS

BY NATALIE JACOBS

a small room next to his office).

The South Bay Jewish community bought the building, constructed in 1924, from an Episcopal Church in 1958. Various leaders have spearheaded restoration projects throughout the years, but Rabbi Samuel is ready to embark on a large-scale endeavor in the near future. The kosher kitchen, where they cook mostly vegetarian fare, (“Good kosher meat is hard to find,” Samuel says), is currently in the midst of a remodel. A few years back, the congregation completed an electrical rewiring project with subsidies from the state government in order to achieve better energy efficiency.

Now they’re ready to reinstate some of the original architectural design by eliminating the artificial ceiling in the sanctuary to reveal the early 20th century wood beams and high vaulted ceiling.

To raise money for this effort, Temple Beth Shalom is hosting jazz concerts throughout the year. They just finished a big show with the Bonita Jazz Band, and Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi will be headlining a performance in November.

“We think of it like a jigsaw puzzle,” Samuel says of the renovations. “We do one little piece at a time and determine the most important pieces first.

“One of the things that differentiates us,” he continues, “is that you don’t need to lot of money to be a member. We’re a real blue-collar community.”

In fact, Samuel says, two of the synagogue’s largest donors are gentiles who support the congregation because of the rabbi’s personal relationship with them.

“It’s a real congenial, home-like atmosphere. People can be themselves here.” A To learn more about Temple Beth Shalom, visit bethshalomtemple.com.

TRAVEL

Revisiting A seven-century history in two parts

BY JUDITH FEIN

S

everal decades ago, I visited the Jewish quarter in Prague and it grabbed my soul and shook it. The lugubrious cemetery was made of stones piled on top of stones, generations of burials, with headstones leaning towards each other and tilted at odd angles in the yielding earth.

I stood for a long time at the tomb of l6th century Rabbi Judah Loew, who is known as the Maharal of Prague. The good rabbi is believed to have created a being from clay; it was called a golem. Although it was intended to help the Jews, it turned into a sort of destructive Frankenstein monster that had to be deactivated. Legend has it that the golem is still in Prague, in the attic of a synagogue, and anyone who looks at it dies.

I met Jewish survivors, who had somehow escaped the maw of death at Terezin and Auschwitz, although their families and friends were gone. One of them whispered to me, “I have never since had a happy day in my life.

Not even a happy hour.”

I wandered in a miserable daze through a synagogue that housed hanging textiles from other synagogues and communities that were no more. I visited the tiny house, a short distance away, where Franz Kafka – a brilliant and

haunting Jewish writer – once lived. And I never forgot the mesmerizing power of the trip.

A few weeks ago, I went back to Prague, so my husband Paul could finally see what I so deeply remembered. I arrived and felt unexpected shock. Hoards of tourists clogged the streets of the Jewish quarter, which is now one of the city’s top tourist attractions. They came from China and Israel, South America and New Zealand. Some rolled through the streets on Segways and skateboards, and others snapped selfies in the synagogues and cemetery. In spite of this, Paul grew very silent, absorbing the mystical environment, pausing in front of the Maharal’s tomb, as I had done so many years before.

I learned that the Czech Republic was so anti-Nazi that, at the end of the war, they stripped the wealth from and exiled the Nazi sympathizers and collaborators. I loved being in the Bohemian region of Czech Republic, but also wanted to honor and see what remained of the once-thriving Jewish areas that dotted the Moravian countryside.

We arrived by bus in Brno, a former Celtic region, then a Slavic settlement, Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 53

and, starting in the l3th century, a walled town with five gates and approximately 1,000 Jewish residents who lived in an autonomous community, administered by a rabbi. Today 85,000 students hit the books in Brno and they wander through picturesque historical sites and participate in theater, art, and street festivals.

According to our guide, Brno was always a crossway between Prague and Vienna. Trying to establish its own importance, the town had opened its doors to everyone – artisans, people of different religions, Germans, Czech people, Jews. They all lived together, the town grew, and Brno became a royal city. Alas, the open door policy towards Jews ended; their property was confiscated and they were thrown out in the l5th to l9th centuries.

A few exceptions were made in the l7th century, when some Jewish merchants were allowed to enter the city through the Jewish Gate during two-day fairs. They could not enter Brno before 11 a.m. on the first day, and had to leave by 2 p.m. on the second day. In the 18th century, the Familiant Law was enacted in Czech lands. In order to limit the number of Jews, it stipulated that only the eldest son of a Jewish family was permitted to marry. Many Jews left for other countries, like Poland and Hungary, which did not have such odious, discriminatory laws. In 1787, every Jew had to select a German surname from a list of 109 male and 35 female names – often based on flowers, animals, and character traits. In 1848, after a revolution against the Hapsburg Austrian Empire, Jews were allowed to settle again and practice any trade or profession they wished.

We visited the 20th century Skorepka Street synagogue, and were shown around by community member Peter Bures, the architect who is supervising the renovation of the 1935 Functionalist (think Bauhaus) building. He

54 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

said that there used to be 17,000 Jews and three synagogues in the area, and his was originally for Orthodox immigrants from Eastern Europe who found the other shuls to be too liberal.

Surprisingly, they opted for modern architecture, and the purism, simplicity, and elegance of Functionalist design with clear lines, a cement and gray marble bimah, and a curved shelf for the torahs. The current furniture comes from other shuls that were destroyed by the Nazis, and when the new furniture arrives, the former will go to another prayer room or synagogue in the Czech Republic. There are currently 10 other communities.

Today, the Skorepka shul has 300 members from all branches of Judaism and they have their own Czech rabbi, who is Orthodox.

Bures said that a lot of his family members are still unaccounted for, and no one knows where they died during the war. In 1945, when the war ended, the Germans who had sided with Hitler and did not have Czech spouses were forced to leave on foot in a 50-mile trek to the Austrian border called the Walk of Death.

“This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. People went by bus to that border and walked back to Brno to symbolically reverse the past and show reconciliation and unity,” Bures explained. He added that their synagogue includes survivors, who are cared for by the community. On the other end of the spectrum, they have kindergarten and programs for families with children.

We drove to the Nezamyslova 27 Jewish

PHOTOS BY PAUL ROSS

OPPOSITE PAGE: Tombstones lean on each other at the old cemetery in Prague’s Jewish Quarter. ABOVE: No. 22 is the tiny blue house where Kafka once lived; The view of historic Brno from an old tower. BOTTOM: Clay figures of the golem make unusual souvenirs.

TOP: Advertising on the side of a truck for a Jewish restaurant features the golem as a waitperson; A forked stick is placed in the hand of the deceased so he/she can symbolically walk to Jerusalem when the Messiah comes; BOTTOM: Architect Peter Bures is overseeing the rebuilding of the functionalist style Skorepka synagogue. cemetery, which has been renovated with help from South Moravia Tourism and the European Union. Our guide there, Jara Hejl, is not Jewish but he was one of the more knowledgeable, respectful Gentile guides to Jewish places we met on our trip. He took us to three buildings at the cemetery – the ceremonial hall, the information center (which was the former house of the gravedigger), and the morgue (tahara). In the latter, we saw small wooden branches that are inserted into the hands of the deceased so they can be used as crutches to walk to Jerusalem when the Messiah comes.

The information center includes shimmeringly personal objects, like the (replica) pieces of pottery used to cover the eyes of the deceased, the small pot of earth from Israel that is buried with the departed, and the prayer books of Rabbi Richard Feder who was the chief rabbi from 1917-1942. Jara pointed to a talit with the fringes cut off; when a person dies, he no longer needs to observe the 613 mitzvot. And I learned there why the Jews were kicked out of the royal city in the mid-l5th century: many of the wealthy ones were money lenders, When it was time for local big wigs to repay the loans, they threw

the Jews out of the city and confiscated their property.

The cemetery itself dates back to l852 and includes 11,000 burials. Jara said that a Jewish tombstone was not supposed to be showy or bigger than others, but a number of the modern stones are huge – with some as high as nine feet – because people wanted to show their wealth as textile factory owners. A number of them were designed by renowned artists and architects. There are also unused headstones for Jews who were deported and didn’t die in Brno, and 807 graves of Holocaust victims who had no one left to mourn them or pay for their funerals.

We stopped at the tombs of Hugo Haas (a famous, Oscar-winning Czech actor who became Gregory Peck’s teacher), and Rabbi Feder, whose gravesite is strewn with prayers written on paper by those who hope that the departed holy man will intervene with G-d on their behalf. A NEXT MONTH: Heading north, Judith Fein uncovers more buried Jewish history in Boskovice, Austerlitz and Mikulov.

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 55

Jews and Farming Part Two A Day at The Ranch

BY PAT LAUNER

S

o you don’t think Jews and farming go together (except, maybe, on a kibbutz)? Check out last month’s issue of the San Diego Jewish Journal, for an update on the burgeoning nationwide Jewish farm movement. San Diego is on the cutting edge of the trend.

Take the I-5 to Encinitas Blvd. and turn left on Saxony Road. Just like that, you’re in farm country…the Leichtag Farm, that is, part of the Leichtag Ranch, a growing resource and an impressive community venture that you should make it your business to visit and connect with soon.

In December 2012, the Leichtag Foundation purchased the remaining 67.5 acres of the once vast Ecke Ranch, which was the nation’s largest producer of poinsettias (the other 850 Ecke acres were sold to developers in the 1990s). Now, the Foundation sees its Ranch as a “nexus of community and cultural life.”

A good part of that nexus is a community Farm.

“It’s very rare to find an urban farm of this scale, in a highly dense neighborhood with high real estate values” says Farmer D (Daron Joffe, Leichtag’s Director of Agricultural Innovation and Development). “Most urban farms are about two acres in size.”

The Leichtag property includes a farmhouse, the Foundation offices, and 850,000 square feet of greenhouses. Approximately 20 acres are designated 56 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

as the Jewish community educational farm, including 2.2 acres set aside as a vineyard for cultivating kosher wine (Syrah, Viognier and Sangiovese).

There are plans for a Biblical Farm, featuring ancient plants and practices, an outdoor teaching kitchen, and an Apprenticeship Village for Jewish community farmers from the U.S. and Israel. Chickens and goats will be part of the mix (farm animals are important for engaging young people and building a culture of collaboration, says Joffe).

A percentage of the property is leased, with tenants on the land growing lettuce, cactus, lilies and poinsettias. The Farm’s flower beds are planted, says Farmer D, “with beneficial plants to attract beneficial insects.

“And around all this Ranch,” Joffe marvels, “are these amazing neighbors: the 22,000-member Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA (one of the most active in the country); more than 280 seniors at Seacrest Village Retirement Communities; the San Diego Botanic Garden, with 240,000 annual visitors; the San Dieguito Heritage Museum; and opening this fall, the 10acre home of the Encinitas Union School District Farm Lab, an interactive learning center for agro-ecology. A public school and senior facility next to a public and botanic garden: it’s now a much more social community environment.”

All these community-friendly nonprofit neighbors joined together

PHOTOS COURTESY LEICHTAG FOUNDATION

FOOD

A variety of community events take place at The Ranch, where people are often invited to come try fresh food grown on the ranch or on nearby farms.

to form the E3 Cluster (Encinitas Environment Education), to provide environmental learning opportunities for people of all ages.

“We’re laying a rich agricultural/social foundation,” Farmer D says.

With all of its outreach, the Farm supports programs and educational activities inspired by ancient Jewish traditions: Ba’al Taschit: Ethical consumption.

Shmita: Honoring natural cycles of the earth.

Peah: Making the corners of the field available to the stranger and the poor.

Kayamut: Ecological sustainability.

Ma’aser: Reserving at least one-tenth of the agricultural produce for the poor.

K’vod Briut: Maintaining the dignity of all creations.

Hachnasat Orchim: Welcoming guests.

Haganat Ovdim: Fairly treating those who work in the fields.

Tsa’ar Ba’alei Chaim: Treating animals kindly and humanely.

Tikkun Olam: Healing the world.

Reaching out to the community The Farm’s primary goals are to be a source of healthy organic food, to model sustainable agriculture, to host Jewish rituals and celebrations, and to serve as a tool for strengthening food security in North County San Diego.

Since the beginning of this year, the Leichtag Foundation has presented, hosted or sponsored the following educational programs: a pickling demonstration, the San Diego Fermentation Festival, a plant and produce sale, a transplanting workshop and a four-week class at the JCC’s Center for Jewish Culture entitled “Eat, Pray, Farm: An Exploration of Jews and Agriculture in America.”

Another important aspect of giving back to the community is peah, which literally means “corners.” In accordance with the Mishnah (rabbinic Torah interpretations), a corner of every field should be left unharvested and accessible, for the poor.

“Our ancestors thought deeply about how to provide for those in need in the community and how best to maintain their dignity,” says Leichtag Executive Vice President Charlene Seidle. “Traditionally, the corners of the field were left unharvested to allow for the poor and the stranger – those who are most vulnerable – to harvest for themselves. We’re proud to observe peah at The Farm and continue this ancient, but never more relevant, tradition.”

The Leichtag property includes a farmhouse, the Foundation offices, and 850,000 square feet of greenhouses.

Approximately 20 acres are designated as the Jewish community educational farm, including 2.2 acres set aside as a vineyard for cultivating kosher wine (Syrah, Viognier and Sangiovese).

In the northern corner of the Leichtag property, four acres have been set aside for peah.

“The corners touch Saxony Road and the public trail,” says Farmer D. “The crops are easy to walk by and pick. Cherry tomatoes are right there, near the bus stop for agricultural workers. An affordable housing project is planned nearby.

“Not wasting is another Jewish principle, from the Shulchan Aruch (the code of Jewish law),” Joffe continues. “We compost on site. One tenant here grows lettuce. Every day they throw out a pickup truck worth of spent lettuce. We use that for composting.”

“It’s a closed loop,” he says, referring to the biodynamic system on which the Farm is organized. “What was imagined as refuse has a new beginning.”

There’s one field that was put to rest for the entire 2014-2015 year of Shmita, beginning last Rosh Hashanah. This is the Biblical injunction about farming.

“In the seventh year thou shalt let the land lie fallow,” Exodus tells us. It’s the agricultural “sabbatical year.” Just as Shabbat is an individual’s weekly day of rest, Shmita is the land’s year of rest. Some have called it “rest for the soil and the soul.”

During this “fallow” period, the Leichtag Farm is letting the land rest, but it’s also continuing to grow crops, by farming on top of the soil, with an ingenious creation.

“We call it the Shmita sock farm,” Farmer D says. All the crops (kale, squash, beans, cucumbers, strawberries) are grown above ground, within an innovative, serpentine, protective “sock.”

“Our best crop is strawberries,” he concludes.

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 57

At a recent “Farm and Hangout” event, families gathered at The Ranch for an evening of live music and farm-fresh food.

I heartily agree. On my bumpy, whirlwind mini-jeep tour, I was treated to a fresh-picked berry – by far the best strawberry I’ve ever eaten.

Being at the hub of social entrepreneurism The Leichtag property is also home to the North County Hub, a working space for a creative collaboration among a community of social entrepreneurs. The 15 members (including the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture, Hazon (a nonprofit that promotes the creation of sustainable Jewish communities), Entwine (a movement for young Jewish leaders), Hillel, Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School and others work together to foster innovation and create social, cultural and agricultural programs throughout San Diego.

Members are offered professional development opportunities to foster innovation and leadership. They “pay forward” the value of their membership by volunteering on the Farm, helping to improve the physical Hub space, and sharing their skills with other Hub members.

Not all member organizations are Jewish, but all are focused on inspiring sustainable and connected communities. One non-Jewish member of the Hub, Healthy Day Partners, promotes community health by assisting schools with environmental and wellness education programs.

“All our North County Hub organizations,” says its manager, Jenny Camhi, “really mirror the priority areas of the Leichtag Foundation. We see all these organizations as interconnected and benefiting from working together.”

These ancient traditions and values are as meaningful and relevant today as they were thousands of years ago. And they’re flourishing locally.

With its mild Mediterranean climate, San Diego has more small family organic farms than any place else in the country. But still, more than one in five people in the County goes to bed without knowing where their next meal is coming from.

The majority of the produce grown on the Farm is donated through a collaboration with the Leichtag Self-Sufficiency team and local food banks.

Since last July, more than five thousand pounds of fresh produce have been donated to San Diegans. The culturally-appropriate foods for each community are determined in consultation with the local food bank.

The Israel connection “We look at Jerusalem as our second home,” Joffe says. “The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens is the sister of the San Diego Botanic Garden. Jim Farley, 58 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

the Leichtag CEO, was on their board for years; it’s the hub for many programs. Our Hub is onsite and at the Botanic Garden next door.”

The Jewish Community Farmer Advisory Committee that convened at The Ranch last January reached a unanimous consensus that working together collaboratively would strengthen each group and increase the impact and sustainability of their collective efforts.

“With philanthropy, our nonprofit partners and the Farm, we can make a significant impact,” says Leichtag executive VP Seidle.

The impact is already being felt. As Farmer D puts it in his awardwinning book, “Citizen Farmer,” ready, set, grow! A The Leichtag Ranch is located at 441 Saxony Road in Encinitas. Tours of The Ranch and Farm are offered weekly: leichtag.org/the-ranch/ranch-tours/.

FOOD

A Family Affair Barons Market treats weekly meetings like Shabbat dinner, but between noshes, there’s work to be done

O

n an unseasonably warm Thursday in early June, 89 products are carefully set up around the perimeter of a tiny back room at Barons Market in Point Loma. Twenty five employees, ranging from store managers, deli and bakery managers, marketing and purchasing executives and the owner himself are crammed into the storage room underneath a stairwell. The team meets here weekly for a meeting that lasts upwards of three hours.

There are currently five Barons locations spread throughout the County with a sixth under construction in Murrieta. Owned and operated by a big Persian Jewish family, the Point Loma location opened in 1992 and the patriarch Joe Shemirani has been slowly expanding their reach ever since. The big Barons idea is to carefully select products in order to offer a smaller but more tailored selection to customers. Each product offered at Barons, about 9,000 at each store, is selected through this monthly meeting.

Nothing arrives on the shelf without first being tasted, discussed and approved by these managers.

Rachel Shemirani, Joe’s daughter and the company’s marketing manager, provides some context. Trader Joes has 3,500 products. Whole Foods offers 60-70,000.

“We carry major national organic labels but want limited selection,” she says in the crammed hallway, preparing me for the taste-test we’re about to walk into. “You’ll hear, ‘If we’re going to add something, we have to take something away.’

“Less selection leads to greater customer satisfaction,” she adds.

Dana Shemirani, buyer and also Joe’s daughter, coordinates with food brands to introduce entirely new products, new flavors of existing products, or different packaging sizes to the group three Thursdays out of the month.

These products are in this room today because of customer request, manager curiosity, or

marketing on the food brand’s part.

It’s a meeting, but it’s also an excuse for the managers to catch up and it sort of feels like Shabbat dinner, or, as some people mention, Thanksgiving. The managers, coming from as far away as Temecula and Alpine, carpool together and although we’re stretching into the 3 o’clock hour, for the moment, traffic isn’t a big concern.

The food samples line the room and their packages rest behind them because the way the food looks to the customer is a deciding factor in whether or not the item will make it to the Barons shelf, in addition to the taste and the price point. While we load our plates, conversations fill the room to a low rumble. For now, it’s not really about profit margins and staying competitive with Whole Foods. What’s more important are questions like “Did you try these truffles?” and “Where are the spoons for the organic ice cream?”

Once everyone has a few plates and bowls and cups overflowing in from of them, Rachel calls the meeting to order by holding up a box of Padma’s Easy Exotic curried lentils. She explains that this is the new heat-and-serve collection from Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi.

“I think we should try these,” someone calls out.

“They’re shelf-stable, right?” Joe asks from his seat at the head of the table. He asks a couple more questions, punches some numbers into his calculator and says he’s game to try them in the stores. Rachel moves down the row.

Things run smoothly and everyone seems to have the same ideas about what foods will and won’t work in the stores, until the deli soups are up. Deli managers remember earlier versions of soup from this vendor before the label was pulled because they were watery and lacking in flavor.

One manager touts the gluten free nature of one particular flavor as a big selling point for their customers. Joe becomes concerned.

For something to be considered gluten free, it must be made in a certified gluten free facility.

This is true of the kitchen that made the soup that the crew is discussing, but Barons will open the bag using uncertified utensils in an uncertified kitchen and sell it in the self-serve deli section. The minute a Barons employee opens the package, it can no longer be considered gluten free.

“We worked so hard for this,” Joe says, explaining why he’s so firm on keeping “gluten free” out of their signage if they decide to bring the soup back.

Eventually, everyone agrees. Two soup flavors make it through and no employees will use the words “gluten free” when describing them to customers.

Instead of gluten free and organic, the managers here are most concerned that the ingredients are “clean,” meaning without preservatives. One manager carefully reads the fine print on a bottle of Tajin and announces it has preservatives so they skip over that one quickly.

On a few products that managers agree their customers will like, Joe is willing to cut the margins to remain below Whole Foods and other competitors like Sprouts. Managers echo each other’s concerns about spoilage rates and overcommitting to case sizes they aren’t sure they can sell in time.

Of the 89 products that were considered on this Thursday in June, the team approved (by hand-up consensus) 49 new items. While they did that, Dana was carefully noting which products will be removed.

When we walked out of the cramped quarters an hour later, the food that lined the shelves took on new meaning. I wondered what kinds of debates were sparked by each of the glistening packages as I walked out the door and back into the blaring heat. A Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 59

PHOTO COURTESY BARONS MARKET

BY NATALIE JACOBS

FOOD

in the kitchen WITH

TORI AVEY

SMOKED SALMON CLUB SANDWICH

M Tori Avey is an awardwinning food writer, recipe developer, and the creator of the popular cooking website toriavey.com.

ost of us have heard of the fourth Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, best known for his association with one of our favorite food concoctions. In the late 1700s, French writer PierreJean Grosley recounted his observations of English life in a book called “Londres” (translated to English under the name “A Tour to London”). A few lines in the book forever tied the Earl to centuries of picnic lunches: “A minister of state passed four and twenty hours at a public gaming-table, so absorpt in play, that, during the whole time, he had no subsistence but a piece of beef, between two slices of toasted bread, which he ate without ever quitting the game. This new dish grew highly in vogue, during my residence in London; it was called by the name of the minister who invented it.”

While it is not clear if this anecdote is completely

She writes about food history for PBS Food and Parade. com. Follow Tori on Facebook by searching for “Tori Avey” and on Twitter: @toriavey.

60 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

true, the book gained popularity and the story took hold. Soon it was official – when you ate two pieces of bread with something in the middle, you were eating a “sandwich.”

The club sandwich cannot be pinned down to one specific origin story. There are several possible “first” club sandwiches. One popular tale involves the kitchen of a New York casino called the Saratoga Club; in another story, a man raids his pantry after a night out and accidentally “discovers” the club sandwich. These early tales are interesting in that they only call for two slices of bread, unlike the customary three or four layers we’re accustomed to today. The double-decker version of the club sandwich was first called a “Club House” sandwich; simple versions of the recipe were published as early as 1894. One early recipe appeared in “The

PHOTOS BY TORI AVEY

Neighbourhood Cook Book,” a charity fundraising cookbook first published by the Council of Jewish Women in Portland, Oregon in 1912.

Yes, you read that right – the Council of Jewish Women included bacon in their cookbook, as well as ham and copious amounts of shellfish.

There are a couple of possible explanations for the appearance of bacon in an early American Jewish cookbook. Around the turn of the century, the Reform Judaism movement was in full swing. In 1883, the first four Reform rabbis were ordained in North America; their matriculation was celebrated with a banquet of shellfish, frog’s legs and ice cream. Reform Judaism rejected the traditional reasoning behind keeping a kosher diet; it was the first movement to embrace a more relaxed view of the kosher laws.

Reform Judaism had a major impact on our country’s Jewish population.

dill. While some might cringe at the notion of smoked salmon and cream cheese on bread instead of a bagel, I would argue that toasted fluffy bread layers provide a perfect vehicle for layers of luscious flavor. This version is a lot healthier than a regular club sandwich – the Greek yogurt lightens the spread, and the salmon is packed with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Serve it as a whole sandwich, or cut it into quarters for a more bite-sized treat. Either way, this is a club I definitely want to be a member of!

Smoked Salmon Club Sandwich Ingredients 3 slices white bread 2 tbsp lowfat or nonfat Greek yogurt 1 tbsp cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese 1 tsp minced fresh dill Dash of salt 4 oz smoked salmon 2-3 leaves butter lettuce, torn into 3-4 pieces 2-3 slices ripe red tomato 1 tsp capers (optional) You will also need: small mixing bowl, toaster, cutting board, toothpicks (optional)

By the early 20th century, most American Jews were not strictly kosher (although the open consumption of treif foods like pork and shellfish was not widespread). It’s possible that the ladies who compiled this cookbook were part of the Reform movement; it’s also possible that non-kosher recipes were included in order to sell the book to a wider audience. It was, after all, published for charity. Whatever the reason, the recipe for chicken “Club House” sandwiches with bacon can be found on its pages.

Over time, this basic sandwich concept came to be known as simply the “Club,” regardless of how many layers of bread were used. In 1928, Florence A. Cowles created more than 17 different versions of the club sandwich, including a Russian Club that carried a five-course meal between six slices of bread. In 1930, the Club found itself in the middle of a heated political debate when the House of Representatives submitted a $30,000 bill to Congress to fund their restaurant’s Club sandwich ingredients (how little has changed in Washington!). In protest, an Ohio congressman rose from his seat, waving two Club sandwiches and exclaiming that they were just not worth that much money.

Nowadays, a Club sandwich is most often made with three slices of bread, turkey and/or ham, bacon, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise and sometimes cheese. Here I’ve created a kosher take on the classic Club by using smoked salmon, lettuce, tomato and capers. It’s sandwiched together with a delectable homemade spread of cream cheese, Greek yogurt and

Toast the bread slices and lay them out on a cutting board.

In a small bowl, use a fork to mix together the Greek yogurt, cream cheese, dill and salt until blended. Spread each of the three pieces of toast with a tablespoon of the cream cheese spread.

On one piece of the toast, on top of the cream cheese spread, layer the torn lettuce and half of the smoked salmon. Place a second piece of toast on top of the salmon layer, spread side facing upward. Sprinkle the cream cheese spread with capers. Layer the rest of the smoked salmon on top of the capers, then top with the sliced tomatoes.

Place the final piece of toast on top of the sandwich, spread side facing down, to create your smoked salmon club sandwich. You can serve it whole or slice an X into the top and through the sandwich to create four triangular quarter-sandwiches. Use toothpicks to hold the quarters together. This is a fun presentation and easier to manage, especially if you want to serve the sandwiches as hors d'oeuvres or as part of a buffet.

This sandwich goes great with soup...I like to make one sandwich, cut it into quarters, and split it with my husband alongside a bowl of tomato soup.

Note: most Jewish movements consider fish parve, which means there is no issue mixing fish with a dairy spread. For those who would prefer a nondairy sub, use non-dairy cream cheese and substitute non-dairy sour cream for the Greek yogurt. A Research Sources The Neighbourhood Cookbook (1912). The Council of Jewish Women, Portland, Oregon.

Fishkoff, Sue (2010). Kosher Nation. Schocken Books, New York, NY. Wilson, Bee (2010). Sandwich: A Global History. Reaktion Books Ltd, London, UK.

IKWTA

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 61

THEATER

Putting the Pieces Together David Ellenstein shares his process for developing a dynamic season at the North Coast Rep

BY NATALIE JACOBS

“I

want to do classic plays, new plays, comedies, dramas. Realistic plays,

nonrealistic plays. So my canvas is wide open,” says North Coast Repertory Theatre’s artistic director David Ellenstein of what’s on his mind when he starts developing a season.

But with so many choices, where does one start when there are only seven slots to fill?

“I keep a master list, it usually has about 100 titles on it, of plays that I might like to do at some time,” he says. “If a play piques my interest, I throw it on that list.”

When the time comes to start planning a new season (which takes about four to five months), Ellenstein pulls out his master wish list and starts to pick and choose. It helps that there are very specific parameters within which he must stay. First, the physical confines of the Solana Beach theater. At 194 seats, there is only so much room to play with.

“I have to tailor everything to North Coast Rep’s confines,” he says, “I cannot do largecast plays there, I cannot do anything that requires a two-stage set or a lot of scene changes that are realistic.”

Then, he wants to make sure there’s a little bit of everything for the subscribers, things that will challenge but also delight his audiences.

“Most audience members will go with me, 62 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

because they’ve come to know me and they trust me so they’ll take a chance. But I can’t take too many chances. I have to put enough titles in that I’m pretty confident they’ll enjoy, so if there’s one or two titles I’m taking a chance that they may not enjoy, that I find interesting and satisfying, it doesn’t outweigh the whole season.”

At 12 years with the theater company, Ellenstein has worked hard to earn that trust from his audience. His ability to walk the line between edgy and crowd-pleasing, while attracting top directing, acting and design talent, likely comes from his personal history on the other side of the stage. Ellenstein worked for 25 years as an actor in film, tv and regional theater all over the country. He brings that experience to the North Coast Rep stage as well, but only in very limited quantities (he has acted in four shows in his 12 years there).

“If I act in the play, I’ve got to be there every single night for nine weeks and that makes it very hard to have any other kind of life. And I have two kids – they’re about to turn 13 and 11 – and they like dad to come home sometimes. ... When my kids are out of the house, who knows, maybe I’ll act more.”

Ellenstein takes a seat in the director’s chair more often, typically doing three shows per season, but even that comes with lots of thought.

“It’s a balance between what me as a director wants to direct and [what] me as an artistic director decides is best for the theater.”

OPPOSITE PAGE: North Coast Rep artistic director David Ellenstein; costume sketch for last season's "Fallen Angels" by Alina Bokovikova; TOP LEFT: Stage design mock-up for "Mandate Memories" by Marty Burnett.

“If I had to pick one I’m really excited about that would be ‘Way Downriver,’” Ellenstein says of the forthcoming season.

“I think it’s extremely theatrical and epic For instance, on the 2015-2016 roster, Ellenstein was thinking he would direct the San Diego premiere of “Chapatti” a heartwarming tale of a late-in-life affair between two animal lovers. But then Tonyaward winning actress Judith Ivy agreed to direct an NCR show and Ellenstein let her have pick of the litter.

“She’s an old-time Tony person, she’s coming here to direct so I let her do the one she wants to do.”

No bother for Ellenstein, he just returned to his list and selected a different one to lead. As it happened, each of the three he’s directing this season are “new in their way” – “Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Great Nome Gold Rush” is a world premiere, while “Way Downriver” is a West Coast premiere and “Hedda Gabler” is a world premiere adaptation of a classic.

“If I had to pick one I’m really excited about that would be ‘Way Downriver,’” Ellenstein says of the forthcoming season. “I think it’s extremely theatrical and epic in its storytelling and I’m excited about putting it together, I think it’s going to be a dynamite

in its storytelling and I’m excited about putting it together, I think it’s going to be a dynamite show.

For some reason, that one’s really caught my fancy.” show. For some reason, that one’s really caught my fancy.”

As he’s into the nitty gritty details of putting the season together, Ellenstein is also always focusing on the bigger picture of what he has an artistic director wants to communicate with the world at large. And it’s a tall order.

“At this point in my life,” Ellenstein continues, “I’m most interested in plays that are hopeful. I’m most interested in plays that are about where the audience is going to walk out interested in their own lives. I don’t mean in a preachy way, but that the play will touch something in them that will make them want to go out and treat each other better and do good things for the world. Sometimes a play that’s really negative and dark can do that too, so I’m not saying that every play has to be a comedy, but there has to be something about the play that I glean and I feel is a worthwhile thing to put out in the world.” A

A Snapshot of North Coast Rep’s 34th Season “The Fox on the Fairway” Directed by Matthew Weiner Sept. 9-Oct. 4 “Chapatti” Directed by Judith Ivey Oct. 21-Nov. 15 “Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Great Nome Gold Rush” Directed by David Ellenstein Jan. 13-Feb. 7 “Now You See It” Directed by Bruce Turk Feb. 24-March 20 “Way Downriver; William Faulkner’s ‘Old Man’ adapted by Edward Morgan” Directed by David Ellenstein April 13-May 8 “Hedda Gabler” Directed by David Ellenstein June 1-June 26 “Ain’t Misbehavin’” Directed by Yvette Freeman July 13-Aug. 7

Explore the North Coast Rep’s 34th season at northcoastrep.org.

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 63

' ? what’s ' ? ? ? goin on???’

Summer Finale

BY EILEEN SONDAK

PHOTO COURTESY SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY

Natalie Cole will perform for one night only on Aug. 23 at the San Diego Symphony's Summer Pops.

S

ummer vacations will be winding down soon, but we still have a bountiful crop of entertainment choices on offer around the county. Symphony Pops and La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest are playing up a storm, and most of the year-round theaters continue to show their wares so you don’t have to look far to find live performances to savor.

Broadway San Diego is unwrapping a touring production of “Pippin” for an Aug. 25-30 run at the Civic Theatre. The show not only features songs from the composer of “Wicked,” it abounds with high-flying acrobatic feats and exciting choreography. The revival snared four Tony Awards in 2013, including Best Musical Revival.

San Diego Symphony’s Summer Pops is in full swing at the Embarcadero.

“Hooray for Hollywood” starts the month off on Aug. 1. This salute to the silver screen will highlight famous movie music – with clips from dozens of vintage film treasures. Pops goes classical on Aug. 2, with “Passport to the World: A Night in Spain,” a tribute to the passionate music of Spain, featuring composers such as Enrique Granados.

“A Rodgers & Hammerstein Celebration” commemorating the 50th anniversary of “The Sound of Music,” is slated for Aug. 7-8. A veteran Broadway cast will perform songs from that beloved musical, along other hits from the likes of “South Pacific” and “Oklahoma.” “Disney in Concert,” starring Johnny 64 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

Depp, will turn the spotlight on “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” on Aug. 9, with the Symphony orchestra playing the swashbuckling score.

“Sinatra at 100” pays homage to the Chairman of the Board with Cary Hoffman singing the most memorable music from the Sinatra songbook.

That concert will take place Aug. 14-15. The timeless music of Burt Bacharach will ring out over the Embarcadero Aug. 16. A trio of superb singers will bring the music to life. “Esperanza Spalding Presents: Emily’s D+Evolution” is on tap for Aug. 20. The Grammy-winning artist will vocalize in styles as diverse as classical and jazz.

Leann Rimes, an international sensation since she was 13, will perform some of her best songs Aug. 21-22. Nine-time Grammy-winner Natalie Cole performs a welcome one-night stand on Aug. 23.

“Tribute to Journey” is a chance to relive the ’80s with the band’s greatest songs. This nostalgia trip is coming our way Aug. 27.

“A Night of Classic Rock” is due Aug. 28-29 when fans of Kansas vocalist John Elefante can watch him perform an evening of rock anthems, from such legends as Aerosmith and Zeppelin. All the Pops concerts will be followed by a fireworks display.

La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest is back bringing aficionados a series of concerts at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Sherwood Auditorium, under the supervision of music director Cho-Liang Lin. It all begins on

PHOTO BY KEN JACQUES

The cast of Cygnet Theatre's "Dogfight," playing through Aug. 23, L-R: Eric Von Metzke, Alex Hoeffler, Patrick Osteen, Scott Nickley, Charles Evans, Jr., Ben Gibson.

Aug. 5 with a free outdoor concert at Scripps Park. On Aug. 7, the orchestra will perform “Souvenir de Florence,” among others, followed on Aug. 8 by “Viennese Masters.”

“In Memory” will feature music by Debussy, Ravel and others on Aug. 9. “Baroque Virtuosi” is slated for Aug. 11, with a program that showcases works by Vivaldi and others. An eight-piece program dubbed “An Evening with Steven Schick” is planned for Aug. 12. “Encounter” with the Huntington Quartet and Joseph Kalichstein performing Schumann and the Sycamore Trio and Paul Neubauer playing Brahms is next on Aug. 13 (at the Athenaem).

“Three Great Quintets” are slated for Aug. 14, courtesy of SummerFest.

That program will feature works by Dvorak, Franck, and Granados.

Celebrate with the Society on Aug. 15, at the SummerFest Gala. That promises to be an elegant evening of music and fun. Following on Aug. 16 is “Beethoven’s Time Machine,” featuring the Borromeo String Quartet.

“Russian Masters” is next on Aug. 18, with works by Rachmanoff, among others.

“An Evening with Time for Three” will highlight the eclecticism of this innovative group on Aug. 19. “Encounter” is due to perform at the Atheneum on Aug. 20, followed by “Shostakovich I, II & III” on Aug. 21-23. This Shostakovich smorgasbord will include 11 pieces. On Aug. 25, expect to enjoy “Music of Our Time,” a mix of three new works.

The Society has scheduled “An Evening with Peter Serkin and Julia Hsu” for Aug. 26, followed by another “Encounter” at the Athenaem on Aug. 27.

The SummerFest Finale will take place on Aug. 28, with “Strings, Glorious Strings!” – a four-piece program that includes works by Mozart, and Grieg.

Cygnet is giving “Dogfight” its San Diego premiere. The new musical – based on a romantic and heartbreaking film that follows three young marines on their boys’ night out before deploying to the conflict in Southeast Asia – will play on at the Old Town Theatre through Aug. 23.

The La Jolla Playhouse is showcasing the world premiere of “Up Here,” a musical comedy happily ensconced at the Mandell Weiss Theatre through Sept. 6. The storyline revolves around an introverted computer repairman whose inner world thwarts his attempts at a relationship with an outgoing designer.

The Old Globe’s Shakespeare Festival will whip up a whirlwind of laughter

and fun on the outdoor stage Aug. 16-Sept. 20, when “The Comedy of Errors” comes to town. This hilarious tale of mistaken identity and all sorts of merry mayhem is a sure-fire crowd-pleaser and Broadway veteran Scott Ellis will make his Old Globe debut directing the play. Sounds like a great recipe for success. The Globe will continue its summer film series on the Festival Stage Aug. 3 with “Much Ado About Nothing.”

The Old Globe’s Main Stage production of the Cole Porter masterwork, “Kiss Me Kate,” will close on Aug. 2. Still weaving its zany and mysterious spell, is Ken Ludwig’s “Baskerville,” an inventive and zany adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic Sherlock Holmes mystery. This West Coast premiere, playing at the White Theatre through Aug. 23, will bring the iconic sleuth and his sidekick Watson to life in the world of Victorian England as the pair embark on one of the most diabolical cases of their careers.

The Lamb’s has humor on its mind with the unveiling of “The Nerd,” one of the troupe’s most successful comedies. The show focuses on a staid architect who suddenly finds his life uproariously upended by the appearance of his old army buddy. David Heath returns to the fold to reprise that unforgettable character. The show will keep audiences rolling in the aisles of the Lamb’s Coronado home Aug. 14-Sept. 20. The Lamb’s Horton Grand venue will revive the popular “Mixtape” an ’80s-based musical revue slated to run Aug. 13 through Oct. 4.

North Coast Rep will continue to keep the spotlight on Stephen Sondheim, with a musical revue. “Side by Side By Sondheim” through Aug. 9. NCR will feature the music of Rosemary Clooney, Patti Page, and other iconic singers in its next show, “The Girl Singers of the Hit Parade.” The musical will be performed Aug. 20-30.

San Diego Rep will launch its 40th season on Aug. 20 with “Violet,” a modern fairy tale featuring a musical melange of folk, blues, and honkytonk rock. The show will be ensconced at the Lyceum through Sept. 13.

Moonlight’s production of “Peter Pan” will be flying high at the Moonlight Bowl until Aug. 6. The outdoor theater will continue its summer season on Aug. 12, when “Shrek the Musical” takes to the stage. “Shrek...” will stay put through Aug. 29. A

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 65

news Upcoming at Friendship Circle

On Aug. 30, San Diego's Friendship Circle will celebrate the beginning of its 10th year with their Rosh HaShanah BBQ at Torrey Hills Community Park. From 4-6 p.m., children and adults with special needs are invited to spend the afternoon with Jewish teens and adults in an accepting environment. Activities will include Shofar making, games, and arts and crafts. Cost is $5 per person, $18 per family plus $10 extra for each Shofar made. R.S.V.P. to monica@friendshipcirclesd.org.

Also this month, Friendship Circle is hosting a special summer camp, "Camp Let Loose," for children with special needs. Running Aug. 1014, the organization is accepting registrants and volunteers. Email Monica for details.

SDO Announces Budget Surplus

San Diego Opera hosted its Annual Meeting in June in which it projected a surplus on operations for the 2015 fiscal year. This surplus was attributed to community support and expense reductions. SDO also announced a $1 million gift from Board President Carol Lazier and $250,000 gift from Darlene Shiley.

After a strong season, the company received a four-star rating from the Commission of Arts and Culture, which has recommended funding SDO with $437,356, the largest grant from the City since 2009.

Local Educator Selected for Fellowship

The JCC Association has selected 19 early childhood educators as fellows in its first Sheva-Covenant Directors Institute. The program, funded with a $230,000 Covenant Foundation Signature Grant, will develop high quality leadership in the field of early childhood education to ensure excellence in programming in the field and address anticipated leadership shortages.

Kathy Shuman of the Lawrence Family JCC San Diego County-Jacobs Family Campus is one of the 19 selected.

In all, there are 147 JCC early childhood programs in North America, which educate approximately 21,000 children. JCC Association research indicated that across the next five to seven years, approximately 40 percent of active JCC early childhood education directors will retire. By focusing on early childhood center leadership, this program intends to address that attrition.

The fellows currently serve in leadership roles in their JCCs’ early childhood programs and have expressed a desire to stay and advance within the field.

The Directors Institute will allow them to do that, while ensuring that future educators benefit from the knowledge and research gleaned as the Directors Institute develops and imparts best practices, and seeds the field with those steeped in highest standards and grounded in Jewish knowledge. For more information on the JCC preschool, visit lfjcc.org.

New CJC Class Starts Soon

The Center for Jewish Culture will offer a three-week course, “Sex, Vitality and Longevity: The Key to Meaningful Life,” in September. Based on the premise that your human system is actually built to last 125 years, the class will look at how your choices determine your life expectancy.

“Our life expectancy today is greater than at any time in history; how we spend those years is the key to a meaningful life,” the class description said. “Examine the formula for a healthy long life through an overview of research and academic study presented by Dr. Gary Frost, learn how to experience greater happiness and well-being by living mindfully with Jacquelyn Schwartz, MA, LMFT, joined by an interactive text study from Jewish resources with Dr. Ilana De Laney.”

Register by phone with Ilene Tatro at 858-362-1154.

66 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

SDJMC Releases New Album

On Aug. 9, the San Dieog Jewish Men's Choir will release its second full-length album, entitled KOCHI. Prior to the release, interested parties can pre-order the cd on Amazon.

To celebrate the launch and draw a connection to the charitable aspect of the album, the Choir will host an evening of celebration at Bombay restaurant in Hillcrest on Aug. 9 at 5 p.m.

About the album, the Choir writes: "Your purchase helps preserve Jewish music for generations to come, and also helps thousands of chidren in the slums of Mumbai, India, receive nutrition, literacy support and basic health care throughour partnership with the Gabriel Project Mumbai."

Learn more about the album and find a link to the Amazon listing at sandiegojewishmenschoir.com.

California Ballet Announces New Season

Jewish Organizations Create Talent Alliance

Three leading Jewish organizations – BBYO, Hillel International and Moishe House – are teaming up in a global initiative to recruit, train and retain top professionals throughout their organizations. Called the Talent Alliance, the collaboration links 780 Jewish communal professionals in 37 countries in a global ecosystem designed to promote rising stars in these Jewish non-profits.

The initiative is among the first of its kind in both the Jewish and nonprofit sectors.

With support from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, those behind the Talent Alliance say the goal is to create a long-term career path across the organizations, which collectively connect three critical phases of Jewish life from the teen years to college and into young adulthood.

The pilot year of the Talent Alliance will focus on several joint initiatives designed to enable employees to transition to open positions within any of the three organizations as they look to advance in their careers. The Talent Alliance has created a career paths map, showing positions across the three organizations, ranging from entry to executive level and covering programs, development, operations and leadership. Visit talent-alliance.org to learn more.

California Ballet Company announced its 2015-2016 season featuring the West Coast Premiere of “The Great Gatsby.” Opening Oct. 23-25, this ballet adaptation of the 1920’s classic will be set to live music by composer Billy Novick and his Blue Syncopators as a multi-genre production heralded to appeal to both ballet enthusiasts and first-time theater goers. In December, the company will perform “The Nutcracker” at the San Diego Civic Theatre, and in March 2016, the California Ballet returns to the historic Balboa Theatre for the first time in six years with “Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet” adapted by choreographer Charles Bennett. For more information on California Ballet’s 48th Season please visit californiaballet.org/ season or email Joe Shumate at jshumate@californiaballet.org.

Science Program Expands in Israel

The Bridges for Peace peace program is expanding technology programs in Israel. Started in 2013, the network of charter schools in Israel run technology programs for more than 500 Jewish, Arab, Druze and Bedouin students from 14 schools. They work together in Google+ web-based circles to solve technology problems together. Former Iraeli president Shimon Peres announce he leading the charge to make the program a national initiative.

“To get a true coexistence within Israel and break down barriers, we need to bring science and technology to everyone, Jews and Arabs,” stated Peres. For more information about visit israel-scitech-schools.org.

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 67

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DIVERSIONS

By Natalie Jacobs

“Take My Spouse, Please” A reminder about how imporant laughter is to marriage.

“A Borrowed Identity” It’s hard to imagine a time when the stories of relationships between Israelis and Arab Palestinians will stop being interesting. Director Eran Riklis is counting on that not being any time soon. His latest film, “A Borrowed Identity,” follows a West Bank teenager named Eyad who is offered a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school in Jerusalem. It’s hard enough to be a minority student at a school in the United States (as recent NPR reports have found), but imagine the difficulties for an Arab in Israel. JTA reports that Eyad is played convincingly by Tawfeek Barhom, himself an Arab-Israeli. The movie is said to be an adequate portrayal of the reality of Arab Israeli relations within the small country. If you hurry, you can catch “A Borrowed Identity” at the Digital Gym Cinema until Aug. 6.

“Don’t Stick Stuff Up Your Nose” Doctor’s orders! And this just in, author Jerald Altman will be in San Diego at the local author table for this year’s Jewish Book Fair.

“Larry Kramer in Love & Anger” It may already seem hard to believe, but not too long ago, homosexuality was nearly a death wish.

Part of that fear was fueled by the HIV/AIDS outbreak of the early 1980s, and part of what helped to turn the tides for gay people was a man named Larry Kramer. This new HBO documentary chronicles his life as an activist, beginning with his difficult childhood in a Jewish home in Connecticut.

“The Brink” Also on HBO this summer, Jack Black returns to the small screen. It’s “something new for me,” he tells L.A.’s Jewish Journal, as this show is a political suspense comedy. In the imaginary world of “The Brink,” Secretary of State (played by Tim Robbins) enlists the help of Black’s character, a lowly foreign service officer, to help prevent World War Three.

What could go wrong?

“Marvel and a Wonder” A grandfather and his grandson journey through the Midwest.

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 69

HAPPENINGS by tina b. eshel

W

ith movies, art, song and more, this month is filled with a lot of freebie and virtually-freebie entertainment.

First, it’s about time you took a stroll through Little Italy, because it’s likely much more delicious than you remember it (if you can believe it). Every Saturday night at 8 p.m. through Labor Day, the neighborhood is about more than food and drink. Check out the Little Italy Summer Film Festival where Italian films with subtitles are shown at the corner of West Date and State Streets. At $5 per person, you’ll have plenty left over for pizza and canolis. More details at littleitalysd.com.

For more movies, there’s North County’s largest film festival, Oceanside International Film Festival (which includes a submission from Israel) showing Aug. 9-16. Check out the complete listing and purchase your $15 ticket at osidefilm.org.

And, you can catch oodles of family-friendly films for free at San Diego County’s Summer Movies in the Park series, going on now through Sept. 27. There are literally dozens of nights at parks around the County, so visit summermoviesinthepark.com to find the showtimes in your neighborhood.

While we’re still in the summer spirit, here’s a question: Do you know what flowboarding is? Neither did we but now that we’re aware of the hybrid sport where riders take on a simulated wave on a contraption that is like a skateboard without wheels, don’t be surprised to catch us at Belmont Park’s WaveHouse for Night Flight. Free performances take place at sunset every Thursday night through Labor Day. Learn more at belmontpark.com.

Fine art meets San Diego sunshine at Liberty Station’s ArtWalk NTC Aug. 15-16. The event is free but the art you’ll want to purchase is not. Learn more about the vendors who will have art on display at artwalksandiego.org.

Got a critter lover in your midst? Take them to the Tijuana Estuary on Aug. 19 for Discovery Lab! – Real Live Reptiles. Located in Imperial Beach, this South Bay park, reserve and museum is open to the community and is a great way to teach youngsters of all ages about the amazing place we call home – San Diego. More at trnerr.org.

The Art of Music – Opus Orange on Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m. is this month’s performance as part of the San Diego Museum of Art’s free concert series The Art of Music. This one’s happening in the Plaza de Panama and will pay homage to the music of the 1915 PanamaCalifornia exhibition. Details at sdmart.org.

Spreckels Park is the place to be on Sundays through Sept. 6 for the Coronado Promenade Summer Concert Series. In its 45th year, the music is exceptional and the atmosphere festive. A variety of musical genres play, so check coronadoconcert.com for the full list.

Lovers of fur-babies, don’t miss the Dog and Cat Adopt-a-Thon and animal companion celebration Aug. 22, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the NTC Park at Liberty Station. Bring your friendly pup, and check out the pet products and services, music, kids area, auction prizes and more. Adopt your new family member at doggiestreetfestival.org. A

70 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

BEST BETS

Mark your calendar.

LITTLE ITALY SUMMER FILM FESTIVAL Every Saturday at 8 p.m. through Labor Day Corner of West Date and State Streets littleitalysd.com

ARTWALK NTC Aug. 15-16 Liberty Station in Point Loma artwalksandiego.org

SUMMER MOVIES IN THE PARK Several times and showings a week through Sept. 27 San Diego countywide summermoviesinthepark.com

THE ART OF MUSIC – OPUS ORANGE Aug. 20 7:30 p.m.

Plaza de Panama, Balboa Park sdmart.org

SENIOR CENTERS DAY AT THE RACES Lawrence Family JCC 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla Contact Melanie Rubin for details or to R.S.V.P. (858) 362-1141.

Day at the Races Wednesday, Aug. 5, depart at noon.

Whether your horse wins, places, or shows, everyone has fun where the surf meets the turf. Food and beverages are available for purchase, or bring your own lunch. Cost: $19 nonmember/ $15 JCC member.

Oceanside Senior Center 455 Country Club Lane, Oceanside Contact Josephine at (760) 295-2564 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.

Veterans Association of North County 1617 Mission Avenue, Oceanside CA 92058. Contact Marc Poland (858) 232-1645.

Jewish War Veterans meetings Second Sunday of each month, noon.

San Diego North County Post 385.

Seacrest Village 211 Saxony Road, Encinitas Call Jon Schwartz at (760) 516-2001 Monthly Senior Dance First Friday of every month, 1 p.m.

Refreshments and appetizers from our kosher kitchen will be provided.

Free and open to the public.

JFS University City Older Adult Center 9001 Towne Centre Drive, La Jolla Contact Aviva Saad for details or to R.S.V.P. (858) 550-5998.

Memories in the Making Art Class Monday, Aug. 10, 10:30 a.m.

Individuals with Alzheimer’s or related dementia are invited to attend along with an adult caregiver or family member.

Open House and Family Day Tuesday Aug. 11, 10 a.m.

Find out what this program offers for older adults in the community. Play BINGO, exercise and dance to the music of Musicstation. Cost: $10.

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, please call Jo Kessler at (858) 637-7320.

Behind the Scenes at MOPA, Museum of Photographic Arts,

Lawrence Family JCC. Contact Melanie Rubin at (858) 362-1141.

Wednesday, Aug. 5, depart at noon.

Where the surf meets the turf.

Cost: $19 nonmember/$15 member.

Balboa Park Tuesday, Aug. 18, bus departs at 10:30 a.m.

Behind the scenes tour of MOPA followed by lunch at Casa 1915 Mexican Grill or the Tea Pavilion in the Japanese Friendship Garden.

Cost: $25 by Aug. 8.

Tall Ships Spectator Cruise, San Diego Embarcadero Friday, Sept. 4, bus departs 9:45 a.m.

Enjoy close-up views and expert narration regarding over 50 San Diego landmarks and over a dozen historic Tall Ships. Includes picnic-style lunch. Limited seating - reserve early. Cost: $64 by Aug. 25.

JFS No. County Inland Center 15905 Pomerado Road, Poway Contact Jodi Rudick (858) 674-1123 for details.

Most Activities are free to members, and lunch is $7 with reservations.

Exploring Prejudice with Tina Malka of the ADL Wednesday Aug. 19, 11 a.m.

Followed by lunch at noon and Yoga with Yana at 1p.m.

Cost: $5 for non-members/free for members.

Sights of Summer with the Museum of Photographic Arts Monday, Aug. 24 at 11 a.m.

Whether summer conjures up memories of family vacations, beautiful beaches, ballgames, festivals or fairs; you're sure to connect to these summer-themed photos from MOPA. JFS Coastal Club at Temple Solel 3575 Manchester Ave., Cardiff by the Sea Contact Jodi Rudick (858) 674-1123 for details.

Celebrate Balboa Park’s 100th Anniversary Tuesday, August 18, bus departs at 10:30 a.m. Behind the Scenes at MOPA, Museum of Photographic Arts, Balboa Park, followed by lunch at Casa 1915 Mexican Grill or the Tea Pavilion in the Japanese Friendship Garden.

Cost: $25 by Aug. 8.

JFS College Avenue Center 4855 College Ave., San Diego Contact Sara Diaz (858) 637-3270 for details on any events or to R.S.V.P. Documentary: When Comedy Went to School Thursday, Aug. 6 at 12:45 p.m.

Luau with Pride of Polynesia!

Friday, Aug. 7 at noon Take a cultural tour of the Polynesian world through traditional dance of the Islands and people. Kosher salad bar and hot dog lunch. Cost: Adults 60+ years, suggested donation of $4; all others, $7. The performance is free.

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 71

SHABBAT EVENTS

SYNAGOGUE LIFE OUTDOOR SERVICES: Beth El’s Summer Shabbat Beach Services Aug. 7, 6:15 p.m., Play Pacifica in Mission Bay Park Temple Solel’s Shabbat Service Aug. 14, 6 p.m., Moonlight Beach State Park in Encinitas Ohr Shalom’s Shabbat at the Bay Aug. 21 at 6 p.m., Playa Pacifica in Mission Bay Park Beth Israel's 9th Annual Shabbabeque Aug. 21, 5:30 p.m., 9001 Towne Centre Drive, San Diego, CA 92122

SPECIAL EVENTS

MOVES AND MAZEL TOVS:

Jonathan Valverde in Concert Honoring Phil and Alice Cohn, z”l Aug. 30, 7 p.m., Temple Emanu-El, Del Cerro, free teesd.org

On July 1, Temple Emanu-El in Del Cerro welcomed a new Director of Education, Joseph Maghen into the congregation family. He comes to San Diego with more than 30 years experience in Jewish education.

Putting Your Joy in EnJOYment Two speakers discuss serenity, happiness and fulfillment Aug. 5, 7 p.m., Brought to you by JCoSD's Health Cohort jcosd.com

Temple Adat Shalom is also welcoming a new Director of Education. Karen Flexer-Friedenberg, who has a long history with the Poway congregation, is replacing Susan Cohn who just retired. Mazel tovs all around!

Brews and Blessings Men are invited to the home of Norm Katz for a unique session of craft beer tasting and sharing stories of personal pride. $10.

Aug. 13, 7:30 p.m.

Tifereth Israel, tiferethisrael.com.

Congregation Dor Hadash would like to share that their offices, Sunday school, and Shabbat programs are now housed on the San Diego Jewish Academy campus. Contact Education Director Betsy Schneider at eddirector1@dorhadash.org to get involved.

72 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 73

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Check your answers at: www.thefamousabba.com/SANDIEGO

• Brother of Nepheg and Zichri, son of Izhar, and great-grandson of Levi.

• Uncle of Korach, Uzziel and Sitri and grandson of Levi.

Can you name the following people: (hint: The book of Exodus, Chapter 6)

GENEALOGY

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ACROSS 2. Barrier (10:16) 4. Covenant (7:12) 5. Ban (7:26) 6. Tribe (10:8) DOWN 1. Love (11:1) 2. Calf (9:21) 3. Today (8:1) 5. Wheat (8:8)

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(Hint: Grace After Meal)

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Complete the crossword by translating each English word into Hebrew. Use the parsha reference for help.

CROSSWORD

There is a parsha named after me. Moshe was my first cousin. Chevron was an uncle of mine.

I had 250 followers.

who AM I?

Taking the initiative: As soon as you finish with your meal, say the appropriate blessing to thank HaShem.

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Find the bold italic words on this sheet.

The unused letters spell a secret message!

WORD FIND

Moshe tells the Jewish people they will receive many blessings from HaShem for listening and observing the “minor” mitzvos.

HaShem also assures the success of the conquest of the Land of Israel. The people are reminded of all the kindness HaShem did for them in the desert, including the daily manna and clothes and shoes that didn’t wear out. HaShem said Israel will be a land of wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranate, oilolives and honey. The Jewish people are told to remember that HaShem is the source of everything. Moshe reminds the Jewish people of various times they rebelled and that all HaShem asks of them is to fear Him, follow Him, love Him, and serve Him. Moshe also recounts the miracles HaShem performed against Egypt and others in the desert. The people are informed that although they will have to work the land in Israel, HaShem will keep an eye on them and help them. Moshe recites the second paragraph of the Shema.

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Visit www.thefamousabba.com/chinuch-podcasts for this week’s Chinuch Podcast! Hear from a new speaker each week.

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‫א ב ג ד ה ו ז ח ט י כ ל מ נ ס ע פ צ ק ר ש ת‬

‫צ‬ –‫נ‬

The theme of one of the blessings of the Grace After Meal:

gematria

When saying Grace After Meals, remember that HaShem provides enough food for the whole world!

‫= הזן את העולם כולו בטובו בחן בחסד וברחמים‬ Who nourishes the whole world in His goodness, with compassion

ROLL

MATZAH

UNDERSTANDING BLESSINGS

SANDWICH

BREAD

spot the difference

Which one is different? (Hint: Grace After Meal)

• Your left shoe was not where you left it the night before.

• The pages to your book were sticking together.

Can you judge these situations favorably?

you be the judge

• Moshe promising the Jewish people that if they will fulfill the mitzvot of the Torah, they will prosper in the land (7:12).

• The special food of the Land of Israel - wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olive oil and dates (8:8).

Act out these scenes with friends and family.

PARSHA SKIT ideas

SUPER SHABBAT SHEET

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HEALTH

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Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 75

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SAN DIEGO JEWISH COMMUNITY OBITUARIES Arrangements by Am Israel Mortuary ALL SERVICES ALREADY HELD Charles Simons-Escondido 7/07/1925-4/30/2015 Survivors: Daughter, Miriam Chatigny; and Sons, Sheldon and Daniel Simons.

Survivors: Parents Alan and Nancy Inessa Galperina-San Diego 8/08/1927-5/20/2015 Agree; Wife, Dara Kauftheil and Survivors: Daughter, Irena Contos.

Daughter, Blair Manley.

Frederick Borga-San Diego, 9/20/1929-5/11/2015 Survivors: Wife, Barbara Borga, Daughter, Gerribeth Borga and Son, Jake Schwartzberg.

Yona Andranovich-Bonita 4/16/1922-5/03/2015 Survivors: Daughters, Tamar Kalir, Laura and Vicki Andranovich: Sons, Iosif Babayev-San Diego Greg and Mchael Andranovich; 3/04/1938-5/13/2015 and five Grandchildren.

Survivors: wife, Mariya Babayev; and Son, Arkady Babayev, Clarice Benita Kirsch-Encinitas 8/08/1931-5/05/2015 Phillip Rand-San Diego Survivors: Daughter, Beth Linge; 9/28/1920-5/16/2015 Sons, Bruce and Harmon Kirsch Survivors: Wife, Charlotte Rand; and six Grandchildren. and Daughters, Rochelle and Rhonda Rand.

Mindlya Kofman-San Diego 01/28/1925-5/05/2015 Francine Sucknow-San Diego Survivors: Sons, Arkadiy and Ge3/20/1924-5/17/2015 naidy Kofman; six Grandchildren Survivors: Daughter, Lynn Gordon; and four Great-Grandchildren two Grandchildren and four GreatGrandchildren.

Charles Agree-San Diego 11/01/1964-5/09/2015

76 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

Ashram Bakhshi-Los Angeles 1/01/1924-5/20/2015 Survivors: Son, Bijan Bakshi Adam Raskind-San Diego 12/09/1987-5/21/2015 Survivors: Parents, Jerry and Sheila Raskind; and Brothers, Justin and Brandon Raskind; Simon Pasternak-San Diego 2/23/1921-5/21/2015 Survivors: Daughter, Faina Pasternak; and two grandchildren and three Great-Grandchildren.

Mikhail Lubomirsky-San Diego 3/23/1935-5/22/2015 Survivors: Wife, Esther Lubomirsky; and Son Matt Lubomirsky.

Galina Tselniker-San Diego 11/25/1928-5/21/2015 Survivors: Husband, Yefim Tselniker; and Daughter, Marina Slepak.

Richard Cohen-San Diego 11/29/1952-5/22/2015 Survivors: Mother, Susan Cohen, and Wife, Joni Cohen.

Lillian Huberman-San Diego 2/18/1914-5/24/2015 Survivors: Daughter, Helen Elias; and Son, Harris Huberman.

Carole Witz-San Diego 1/30/1940-5/27/2015 Survivors: Husband, Gerald Witz; Daughters, Lori Witz and Deborah Hawkins; Son, Craig Witz; five Grandchildren and two GreatGrandchildren.

ASK MARNIE

by Marnie Macauley

ADVICE asksadie@aol.com

Grown-up Questions and the Powers That Be This month, young people create conflict in themselves and others.

Marnie works to put out the fire.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE – WHAT? Dear Marnie: I’m unsure of my future. Both my parents are lawyers, and my sister just applied to law school. Naturally, my family expects the same from me. I’ve been an A student all my life (I’m in high school) but law doesn’t interest me. I’m really feeling the pressure to make a career choice.

I want to do something I love where I can enjoy all the hard work. I’ve always loved movies, so I’m thinking why not get into the film business? How do I know if I should focus my studies there or just do what everyone expects? I really need an answer.

– Isaac,16 MARNIE SAYS: The ponderous weight of your question left me so breathless on my office floor, it took quart of Ben & Jerry’s just to revive me.

Papa, you’re 16! That’s the age where you’re still pondering the perfect zit cream and you want some aging Agony Aunt to tell whether you should take “Lawering 101: A Nice Way to Earn A Living” or “Street Miming 101: A Climb to Nowhere?” when you enter college. Pish posh.

Look around. How many adults do your parents know who changed careers in mid-life because they were forced into decision five years after their Bar Mitzvahs? According to my personal count, about one out of three.

Your parents may fry my curls for this, but at your age, your “Big Mission” in life is not to nail down a career you’ve been handed. It’s to explore all those glorious nooks and crannies known as Isaac. Therefore, young man, start by deciding not to decide. Decide instead, to experience. You like film? Intern for a budding filmmaker (the poor thing could use a decent cup of java), paint scenery, take courses in everything from “The Stooges: A Retrospective,” to “Ingmar Bergman: How to Depress a Nation.” Volunteer! Soup kitchens, senior centers, animal shelters, hospitals all need you. And you need them to scope your talents, increase your skills, widen your vision, and

test what makes your heart beat just a little faster.

Then one day, the answer will stun you. Perhaps not “the” answer forever, but simply your first answer to a very big question.

That answer is called “passion.”

When you feel it – the passion for something –you won’t be asking me, your parents, or any other imperious fool what you should “be.” Your mission will be simply to follow who you “are.”

FIRE(D) UP? Dear Marnie: I’m an assistant headmaster at a private Jewish middle school in California. We also have summer sessions. Several weeks ago, we had our usual fire drill. We got the students out, except for one, I’ll call “Daniel.” He insisted on staying in the art room (to which his father contributed) and finishing his project. When his teacher couldn’t get him out, I was called in. I cajoled, reasoned, and finally threatened him with suspension. Nothing worked. He insisted his father, a huge contributor, taught him to stand up for his rights. I called his father to explain, who agreed with his son! The upshot was, he stayed there, in the empty school, refusing to comply. After the incident, I suspended him for two weeks. This started a fray. His father called a meeting of the Board, who lifted the suspension and censured me. Was I wrong?

– Distressed Educator MARNIE SAYS: When I first read your e-mail, I thought my Miss Clairol had dripped into my eye, thereby causing partial blindness. So, I ran to wash it out before its “time,” and re-read. And then, I shook my half-gray, half-auburn head and ran for the Tums. Yes. You were wrong.

Here it is. Forget the cajoling, the reasoning, the threatening. If it had been me, I promise you the only call I’d have made would’ve been to the fire department. I’d ask for their burliest fire fighter to get that arrogant, snot-nosed little tweenie-twit out of there, even if they needed the jaws of life.

Here it is. Forget the cajoling, the reasoning, the threatening. If it had been me, I promise you the only call I’d have made would’ve been to the fire department. I’d ask for their burliest fire fighter to get that arrogant, snotnosed little tweenie-twit out of there, even if they needed the jaws of life.

And had it been a real fire? What then? Would Mr. Macher prefer his progeny become fodder for a Hebrew National weenie roast?!

I know that private schools and yes, even some public school are at the mercy of boards, and yes, some ego-maniacal nincompoops. And yes, these schools need the dough. What they don’t need are deranged despots promulgating danger.

And yes again, you could lose your job. But, my friend, the course you’ve chosen demands common sense over dollars and cents. If you weren’t able to make the Board buy it and back you, I’d start scouting the want ads under “Jewish Private School Desires Head Master with Chutzpah.” A

Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 77

Saturday

N ov e m b e r 1 4 , 2 0 1 5 Celebrate in style at the University of San Diego’s Founders’ Gala. The evening will feature unique silent and live auctions, an exquisite dining experience and an unforgettable After Party. Don’t miss out on USD’s signature black-tie event in support of student scholarships.

HONORARY CHAIRS

Andrew and Kim Busch Legacy Sponsor

Heritage Sponsors

Event Sponsors

Bartell Hotels

Cox Communications

Gala Dinner

Wireless Services

Jackson Design and Remodeling Printed Materials

Swarovski Auction Reception

Trace3

Wells Fargo

Reception Bar

After Party

Tradition Sponsors Aruba Networks | Cox Media | Entravision | US Foods | Partners Data Systems, Inc. / Quantum Corporation

For more information please contact: usdevents@sandiego.edu | (619) 260-8814 | sandiego.edu/foundersgala

78 SDJewishJournal.com l August 2015

WORLD PREMIERE DANCE-THEATRE MUSICAL!

IN YOUR ARMS

ts , e y ck ida i T e Fr 7! l e t ng al us i S n S ug O A Placeholder for photo credits.

The cast of In Your Arms. Photo by Buck Lewis, courtesy of New York Stage and Film & Vassar’s Powerhouse Theater.

A ravishing evening that glides, leaps, and twirls through the giddy extremes of romantic love. This unique event ranges across eras and cultures and tells its stories through the universal language of dance, from classical ballet to swing to tap to ballroom to jazz to flamenco and more. In Your Arms is as intoxicating as a sunset cocktail and as exhilarating as a first kiss.

IN YOUR ARMS

Stephen Flaherty Stories Written by Douglas Carter Beane, Nilo Cruz, Christopher Durang, Carrie Fisher, David Henry Hwang, Rajiv Joseph, Terrence McNally, Marsha Norman, Lynn Nottage, and Alfred Uhry Title Song Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens Conceived by Christopher Gattelli and Jennifer Manocherian Directed and Choreographed by Christopher Gattelli Music by

Generously Sponsored by Anonymous Hal and Pam Fuson Susan and John Major Paula and Brian Powers Sheryl and Harvey White Vicki and Carl Zeiger

SEPTEMBER 16 – OCTOBER 25 (619) 23-GLOBE

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| www.TheOldGlobe.org Av • Elul 5775 l SDJewishJournal.com 79

Announcing

SEASON 34

April 13 – May 8, 2016

Oct. 21 – Nov. 15, 2015

PR U EM .S. IE RE

Jan. 13 – Feb. 7, 2016

Feb. 24 – March 20, 2016

July 13 – Aug. 7, 2016

December 8 – 27, 2015

June 1 – 26, 2016

EN R GA ET GE UR M N EN T

W O TR RL AN D P SL RE AT MI IO ER N E

W E PR ST EM CO IE AS RE T

Sept. 9 – Oct. 4, 2015

PR WO EM RL IE D RE

W E PR ST EM CO IE AS RE T

NORTH COAST REPERTORY THEATRE | 2015–2016

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For more information call (858) 481-1055 NorthCoastRep.org • Solana Beach, CA

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