Louis Rose Society Newsletter No. 2                                       March 31, 2007

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In this issue:

Hillel commentary…          Jewish license plates…           Contribute to LRS…. 

Theological Debate            Advocates for Israel…            Community Calendar  

Robinson-Rose House        Welcome New Members         Thank you   

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Melanie Rubin spotted this license plate with an unusual spelling for “colossal nerve.”
Commentary: Those Birds of Prey near
the Proposed Hillel House at UCSD

By Donald H. Harrison

The property owners of La Jolla were able to persuade San Diego Superior Court Judge Linda Quinn on Friday, March 30, that the city needs to conduct a more comprehensive environmental impact report before a new Hillel house may be built across the street from UCSD.  The property owners said that besides their longstanding complaint that Hillel would generate too much traffic for the area, that now they were worried about the impact Hillel would have on certain wildlife species.

In their complaint to Judge Quinn, they mentioned peregrine falcons and hawks that allegedly might be dissuaded from making their homes in La Jolla if the Hillel house were built. 

I don’t think anyone in the Jewish community was surprised by the La Jolla homeowners’ interest in these birds of prey.  In concept at least these two raptors are related to bigotus lajollatanus, a particularly nasty kind of bird that lives up there in the hills.

Ever since UCSD told La Jolla realtors back in the 1960s that no campus would be built to boost property values in their area unless restrictions were lifted against Jews, some La Jollans have been trying to roll back the clock to what they consider the good old days of “covenants, codes, and restrictions” and a hilltop cross on public land that didn’t have to be disguised as a war memorial.

As more and more Jews moved into La Jolla, those who would have kept the community as a white, Christian preserve became increasingly bitter.  It was difficult for them to stomach the idea that their sanctum had been invaded by Congregation Beth El, Congregation Adat Yeshurun,  Congregation Beth Israel, Chabad of La Jolla, the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, an eruv—and, damn if those Jews don’t think they have rights like everybody else.

So La Jollans, who are doing whatever they can to make the Children’s Pool at La Jolla sea lion-rein, now with crocodile tears suddenly have taken up the cause of the hawks and the falcons. No doubt that they also feel a kinship with the buzzards and the vultures.        



Melanie Rubin finds another Jewish license plate. You can help us build our growing online collection by sending in your own or those that you spot on the road.|
Click here to see the full collection.

 

 

A Chabad rabbi debates

a born-again Christian   
Editor’s note: Following is a recent exchange between Dyan Salatino, a Christian proselytizer, and Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort of Chabad of La Costa.  We start with Salatino’s letter and conclude with Eilfort’s response. You may want to have this at the ready the next time a missionary comes to your door:

Dear Rabbi E,

G-d says in Leviticus, (and you know all of this), when He gave direction for the priests to offer the temple sacrifices, it was clear that blood was to be shed for the atonement of the people and with strict directions on how the sacrifices were to be offered. If the offering was not accepted, the priest would be struck dead! 

Numbers 23:10 says, "G-d is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" In Leviticus 17:11, He says, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul."  That atonement was provided for in the Savior who G-d sent; in Jesus.

In response to who Isaiah 53 is referring to, it can only refer to Jesus.  It can't speak of Isaiah or the Jewish people. Over and over it says, "He was..." (or variations). If it spoke of Isaiah he would have said "I" or if it was Israel it would have said "they."

Other reasons why Isaiah 53 can't be speaking of Israel (the Jewish people):

1) "My servant" (52:13) is a singular subject.
   
The pronouns "he" and "him" refer back to the antecedent indicating He is an individual.

2) There is no indication of personification or allegory.

3) The Servant is contrasted with Israel collectively (53:4-6, 8).

"He," "him" are contrasted with "we," "us, " "our, " "my people."

4) The Servant is compared to a man (52:14).

5) The Servant is righteous (53:11) in contrast to Israel who is called a sick and sinful nation (1:4-6).

6) The Servant is innocent (53:4-6,8,9).God never said Israel would suffer for being innocent.
 

7) The Servant is spoken of in messianic terms ("root," 53:2)

8) The Servant suffers voluntarily and silently (53:7)
 

The Jewish people have always protested and resisted in persecution (Warsaw Ghetto for one example).

9) The Servant undergoes a legal trial (53:8).

10) The Servant dies (53:8).

Despite numerous attempts to destroy the Jewish people they live.

11) The Servant dies a substitutionary death (53:4—6).

      a) God never said He would lay the iniquity of all men on Israel.

      b) Israel has only suffered for her own sins.

12) The sufferings of the Servant would bring healing (53:5).Centuries of Jewish suffering have failed to bring spiritual healing to the Gentiles.

Rabbi, I most respectively offer these points because I love the Jewish people. They are the people who G-d brought my Savior through. My heart is grieved when they are deceived by traditions and the teachings of man. I was brought up with men trying to teach me, in the Catholic church, ideas that just didn't sit right in my heart, only to find out it was the Holy Spirit, leading me away from that and to a (nondenominational) church 
where they would open the Bible and their focus was to teach me G-do’s pure Word, and not their own ideas.  

I dearly hope you will taste and see G-do’s complete hope that He has for you, in Jesus, this Passover. His blessings to you  —Dyan Salatino

* *

Dear Dyan,

I appreciate your sincerity. With due respect, however, I must inform you that I know Judaism to be the truth. You quoted it yourself - G-d doesn't change His mind. The fact is that the Torah is the eternal truth for the Jewish people. The Torah is beyond clear, G-d is not to be confused with anything or anyone found in the physical world. That is a contradiction with Christianity and its claims of Jesus' divinity.

You misread the purpose of blood as explained in Leviticus. Even if you didn't, Jesus' death is not a blood atonement. The Torah states clearly that each person is responsible for his own sins. Someone else cannot die for mine; if he would that would be unjust according to G-d's own definition. G-d will never abrogate His own law!

Other ideas in Christianity - other than Jesus or the Messiah being Divine that are in direct opposition to Judaism; "Original Sin," and most directly contradictory to Judaism is "The Trinity," which absolutely must be rejected by any believing Jew. G-d is One; not One in Three. Dividing G-d into three parts goes against the basic premise of the Torah and thusly Judaism.

About Isaiah: Those proofs you offered are all incorrect. I am sorry but I know Hebrew. For instance, there are many times the Jewish people are referred to as he (in the singular). There are many times that individuals refer to themselves as we (even G-d does so in Genesis).

Even if you want to argue - as some Rabbis have - that he is referring to the Messiah, Jesus - by definition - cannot be the Jewish Messiah. As I mentioned in my last message Jesus did not fulfill any of the major criteria of the Jewish Messiah. By the way, you quote Isaiah where he states the Jewish people are sinful. Somehow you failed to notice where he says, "And your people are all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever; they are the branch of my planting, the work of My hands, in which to take pride." (60:21).

You failed too to notice where in the Torah G-d called Israel, "His first-born son." According to your reasoning I would therefore have to conclude that the Jewish people are Divine beings.

Dyan, that is the bottom line point here: No matter what proofs you can offer of Jesus' divinity and/or his messiahship, he cannot be the Jewish Messiah. He did not do what our Torah promised us. In fact, much of the suffering of the last 2000 years has been brought upon the Jews in the name of Jesus. G-d promised us that the Messiah would come to bring us to a better world by embracing Judaism; not for abandoning it for another religion. Historically speaking, every time the Jewish people have weakened their belief in, and practice of Judaism, they have gotten into trouble. It is simple (and this should suffice to end all future debates), until all suffering ends for the Jewish people and then the world, until all wars end, and until the Holy
Temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem with all the Jews having been in-gathered

thereto, the Messiah described in the Torah has not come. Hence Jesus cannot be the Messiah promised in the Torah and therefore he can never be my Messiah (for I believe in the Torah).

Let me ask you from a totally rational standpoint: We Jews believe that G-d gave us His holy Torah on Mt. Sinai, with the entire nation witnessing the miraculous event. There were over 600,000 men (between the ages of 20-60). All told there were about 3 million people who saw the revelations of Sinai firsthand and heard G-d's thundering voice. Christianity comes along about 1300 years later - and let's be honest now - changes some of the major theological points of Judaism (as was pointed out earlier) through the person of Jesus.

If G-d were to make major changes to the religion He directly commanded to the Jewish people, would it not make much more sense for Him to do in the same direct manner as by Sinai? I mean really, why would any rational Jew change his beliefs based upon the word of a person - even if that person may be very righteous or even capable of doing miracles - the Torah warns us specifically not to change based upon any Prophet or the word of any man, ever. If G-d were indeed to want the radical changes in the religion - He would have done something even more openly huge and miraculous than the revelation at Sinai, and those events leading up to it - like the 10 plagues and the splitting of the sea. Besides, G-d doesn't change His mind. His Torah is eternal. In other words, I must view the Torah as being the ultimate authority and will continue to do so forever.

Another point to consider: It was the Jewish Nation that introduced the concept of the Messiah to the world. No nation on earth wants or needs Messiah more than the Jews. No nation knows more about Messiah than the Jews - for as said before - he comes from Judaism. The Jewish contemporaries of Jesus - especially the religiously educated ones - totally rejected his claims of both divinity and messiahship. Those who were desperate for the Messiah said clearly, "Jesus is not him." In my opinion they know better than both you or me the truth. They were there and saw it firsthand.  

The New Testament is not viewed as authoritative by Jews. If G-d would want me to view it as being the "New Covenant" that Christians like to site - He would have given it with more fanfare than the Torah. By the way, the New Covenant does not in any way represent an abrogation of even one letter of the Torah. The Torah can never, and will never be contradicted in any way by G-d. It is the epitome of truth.

We Jews resent having to defend our religion from those who think they have the truth. I do not go to others and say their religion as it is currently practiced is false. I think that it is disrespectful to do so - even if that is not the questioner’s intent, even if he feels his questions are coming from love. Dyan, do you not think that I could ask thousands of questions about things I have found in Christianity that are seemingly contradictory? If I started asking my questions you would feel hurt and disrespected.

I suggest you read a couple of books - Permission to Believe and Permission to Receive. They are short and easy and do not directly address these issues whatsoever, but give logical arguments of why Jews believe in G-d and Judaism. I find it offensive when members of other religions tell us Jews how to interpret OUR holy books and why our interpretations are incorrect, and that instead we should embrace their interpretations. There are also many many volumes of books about why Christianity is false from a Jewish perspective and how Jews can refute any/all arguments posed by missionaries.

As much as I find these discussions interesting I am afraid that I do not have the time to continue them. I refuse to allow myself to be put into a position of defending Jewish beliefs nor of trying to disprove other religions. There are Rabbis who make this their full-time job and it is to those Rabbis you should direct your questions in the future. Contact Rabbi BenZion Kravitz of JewsforJudaism.org and I am sure he can point you in the right direction.

All of these arguments have already been made thousands of times so there is nothing new to be added here (I offered no new arguments above and you offered no new arguments below).

Remember, if Jesus is to be accepted as the Jewish Messiah, he must meet the Jewish criteria. He doesn't, so he can't be. If you want to accept him as yours, that is your prerogative.

Respectfully,

——Rabbi Eilfort

PS Please understand that I consider this to be the end of our communications regarding if Jesus is the Messiah and/or whose religion is truth.

 

Melanie Rubin found the mother of all Jewish license plates

San Diego chapter launched by Advocates for Israel

A new Israel advocacy organization dedicated to getting out the message about Israel to the media and to the American grassroots will launch its San Diego chapter at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, April 17, at Congregation Beth Am.

Gary Acheatel, national organizer, said a San Diego steering committee for Advocates for Israel (AFI) is now being organized with David Polster and Rita Benchimol serving as co-chairs and board members including Mike Abrams, Roger Acheatel, I. Gerry Burstain, Len Gregory and J.J. Surbeck.

Describing AFI as a bottom-up organization in which initiatives will be taken by local groups—rather than being dictated by the national organization, Acheatel said the San Diego group has been planning such efforts as a speaker’s bureau and a “media initiative team.  The idea is to get a positive message out, not just reactive but proactive,” he said.

People interested in participating in the new volunteer organization may contact Gary Acheatel toll-free at (888) 650-5894.  

The San Diego chapter will be the fourth formed in the United States.  Others are located in Acheatel’s home of Ashland, Ore., and additionally in Aspen, Colo., and Milwaukee, Wis.
 —Donald H. Harrison
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Contribute to the Louis Rose Society!

Please make your tax-deductible check out to the Jewish Community Foundation –Louis Rose Fund. Mail to the Foundation at 4950 Murphy Canyon Road, San Diego, CA 92159.  Membership is $36.

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The Robinson-Rose House is featured on the cover of the cover of the current issue of The Journal of San Diego History.  The featured article by LRS President Donald H. Harrison is “A Bouquet of Roses: The Stories Behind San Diego Places Named for Louis Rose.”
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Welcome New Members!  The Louis Rose Society extends a hearty welcome to new members Linda Canada and Len Khrouner.
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S.D. Jewish Community Calendar
(Please consider pasting these listings into your own desktop calendar)

Now
Shoah Photography Exhibit—Eighty-eight images of former Nazi concentration camps in nine countries, all photographed by Michael Kenna of Great Britain, will be displayed through June 3 at the Carlsbad City Library, 1775 Dove Lane.  The exhibit is titled: “Impossible to Forget.”

Wednesday, April 17
We Want the Light—Film on the role of music in the concentration camps will be screened in two parts, at 7:30 p.m. tonight and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19, at the Lawrence Family JCC.

Thursday, April 26
Music of Spain’s Golden Age—Adam del Monte, flamenco and classical guitarist, appears with Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi in a presentation of the music of the Jews, Gypsies and Moors of the Golden Age of Spain, at 7 p.m. in San Diego State University’s Music Building’s Rhapsody Hall. More information on the free program at (619) 594-8695 from the Jewish Studies Program.

Marian Leibowitz—The clarinetist discusses her life as a performer and as a fundraiser at 7:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Family JCC.

Wednesday, May 2
Lebanon War—Prof. Moshe Maoz of Hebrew University in Jerusalem discusses the “Second Lebanon War: Causes and Consequences” at 7 p.m., at Congregation Beth Israel.  This event is this year’s Glickman Galinson Symposium on Current Israeli Affairs sponsored by San Diego State University’s Jewish Studies Program. (619) 594-8695

Jewish-Catholic—Msgr. Dennis Mikulanis, vicar for interreligious and ecumenical affairs for the Roman Catholic Diocese, discusses his religion’s views on intermarriage at a joint meeting of the Keruv Committee and Men’s Club, 7 p.m., at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, 6660 Cowles Mountain Blvd.

Friday, May 4
Scholar in Residence—Singer/actor and composer Danny Maseng participates in musical Shabbat worship tonight and tomorrow, then leads a music workshop on Sunday at Congregation Beth Israel.  (858) 535-1111.

Sunday, May 6
Jewish Music Festival—Israeli Bassist/ Composer Avishai Cohen combines Middle Eastern music and jazz at 7:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Family JCC.

Monday, May 14
Philanthropy—Representatives of various Jewish day schools will gather at 6:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center to express appreciation to the Gruss Foundation, which has contributed more than $250,000 for local programs using technology to enhance learning.  For more information about the dinner and desert reception call Marcia Tatz Wollner at the Agency for Jewish Education. (858) 268-9200, Ext. 24.

Sunday, May 21
Jewish Music Festival—ICSQ (Israel Contemporary String Quartet) offers a varied repertoire including 20^th century masters and contemporary composers from different genres at 7:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Family JCC.

Thursday, May 24
Jewish Music Festival—Pianist Jeffrey Siegel talks and plays music in a presentation titled “Keyboard Conversations,” at 7:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Family JCC.

Saturday, June 2
Jewish Music Festival—Keshet Chaim Dance Company offers an evening of colorful performance inspired by centuries of Jewish music of many lands, at 8 p.m. at the Lawrence Family JCC.

Sunday, June 3
SSDHDS Banquet—The 44^th annual banquet of San Diego Hebrew Day School will be held this evening at the San Diego Natural History Museum.  Honorees are Sam & Sandy Dimenstein; Arthur & Eilene Cummins, and Evelyn Wright.  (858) 279-3300.

Sunday, June 10
Jewish Music Festival—Marla Bennett Friends Society of American Friends of Magen David Adom sponsor an evening of music at 7:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Family JCC.  Call (800) 323-2371 for details.

Wednesday, June 27
Jewish Music Festival—An evening of Jewish Music is offered in a cooperative program among the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture, Jazz 88, and Twilight in the Park, beginning at 6:15 p.m at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park.

Sunday, August 5
Jewish Music Festival—Shira Kline, known to her young audiences as ShirLaLa offers two performances at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. of “outrageously hip Jewish music for kids” at the Lawrence Family JCC.
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The Louis Rose Society for the Preservation of Jewish History would like to acknowledge the kind donations of Lady Meringue of kosher cookies and of the Plaza del Pasado of juice for the hundreds of school children who attended the May 23 Old Town San Diego State Historic Park’s celebration of Louis Rose’s 200^th birthday!

Toda Raba!