Church, regardless of the religion or denomination of the partner.

Turning specifically to the case of the Jew and the Catholic, Mikulanis said that he typically attempts to determine if either one of them has a strong faith. Is it a case of a strong Catholic marrying a Jew who hasn't been to synagogue since bar/ bat mitzvah? Or is it a Jew who goes to shul every Shabbat and a Catholic who is not practicing? In either case, he said, "my recommendation is that they marry in the religious faith that is the strongest." To the Catholic he says: "I don't care if your family is the top contributing member of the parish, if you're not going to church and you don't care how your children are raised, then be married by the rabbi." To the Jew, he says: "If you don't go to synagogue, and you haven't been to synagogue in years, and yet you are at mass every Sunday, and it is important to you, then you should be married by the Church."

Sometimes neither the man nor the woman has really defined personal religious priorities. "My next question is, if they are struggling with it, 'which of you has to compromise your principles to the point of dishonesty of giving up your faith life to satisfy the other?' and that makes them think. .. To get the discussion going, I always, always mention to them, 'what is your family going to say?'" He confronts the Jewish partner with this question: "What about the Six Million, are you turning your back on the Six Million from the Shoah? Can you do this in good conscience?" and that gets them to think.

"On the otherhand," Mikulanis said, "I turn to the Catholic and ask, 'What is your family going to say? You have professed your faith that Jesus is the Christ, Messiah, the savior of the world, and you are willing to abandon that? How in conscience can you do such a thing?' And that gets them to think."

Sometimes, he said, the couple will tell him that they will just have to work out such issues. He said he then asks what they will do after the woman becomes pregnant: "How are you going to raise the kids?"

"'Well,'" they might say, "'the boys will be Catholics and the girls will be Jews' But it doesn't work that way....In a divided house, what you have is a schizophrenic household.... 'How come he does this; I do that?' There have been families that have tried this and when Chanukah and Christmas come near, they are are celebrating Chanukah at the same time that they are putting baby Jesus in the manger. It doesn't make any sense. The kids don't quite know what is going on."

The couple may say, "well, we will let the kids grow up and make their own decision." To this Mikulanis said he replies: "Really! Why don't you let the kid grow up ... to be 18 years old and let him decide what dentist he is going to go to. See what kind of teeth he has. If you think going to the dentist is more important than spiritual upbringing, you are barking up the wrong tree with me. And I would say the same is true of the rabbi."

Sometimes the couple might say, "well we are not planning to have children." However, "in the Catholic Church for a couple that is the right age, in order for the marriage to take place, to be a valid sacramental marriage...they must be open to having children." If the couple says nevertheless they are not going to have children, "sorry you can't have the marriage here...The exclusion of children at the time of marriage, that marriage is null and void sacramentally from the beginning."

With weddings required to be held in Church, unless an exception is granted in the San Diego Diocese by Bishop Robert Brom, interfaith couples also need to think of the different effect the ceremony may have on their parents.

Imagine how the Jewish family will feel when "seeing that huge crucifix that every church has," Mikulanis said. "For us, it is a sign of hope, resurrection, new life, God's unquenchable love for us when Jesus takes the sins of the world upon himself and offers himself as the ultimate sacrifice. What does a Jew see? A centuries-old sign of persecution..."

In a question and answer session, the monsignor was asked how he counsels Catholic parents who are distraught about their child marrying a non-Catholic. He said he responds, "I know, I know, but he or she is an adult... It doesn't mean you should love them any less... It doesn't mean you should not accept the spouse."

How big a problem is intermarriage for Catholics? Msgr. Mikulanis said the incidence is low for the Latino and Filipino communities that he has served in San Diego County. But among Anglo Catholics, the intermarriage rate is about 50 percent.

Tomorrow: Monsignor Mikulanis on Vatican-Israeli relations

Keruv   (Hebrew: To Bring Together}

Based at Tifereth Israel Synagogue,
we are a Jewish organization that
reaches out and welcomes
intermarried couples.


                                     |
Tifereth Israel Synagogue, 6660 Cowles Mountain Blvd.

For more information: Phil Snyder: (619) 475 7775

Forty activists attend inaugural meeting
of Advocates for Israel, San Diego chapter

SAN DIEGO (Publicity Release) —Advocates for Israel has launched a San Diego chapter.

"I am extremely pleased with the turnout and the level of commitment," said AFI founder Gary Acheatel, following an April 17 meeting that drew more than 40 participants to Congregation Beth Am in Del Mar.

"So-called 'narratives' are increasingly replacing historical realities when public views are formed about the Arab-Israeli conflict,'' Acheatel said. "The result is that voices of reconciliation are being drowned out by voices of hatred which do not seek peace, but rather the eradication of the State of Israel. The antidote is to spread the truth, so AFI's plan is to spread this antidote: program against propaganda."

After Acheatel's speech, members of the new San Diego chapter organized themselves into two action committees: the Speakers' Bureau and the Media Initiative Team.

"We plan to reach out to people of good faith among all faiths," said J.J. Surbeck, Speakers' Bureau chairperson. "We will arm ourselves with the facts. We seek to address anybody willing to listen and approach the topic with an open mind and in fairness."

As for the media committee, its challenge will be to reach out to the local news community, somewhat prone to slanted, though not openly hostile, coverage.

The media may not be the root cause of the problems we are seeing, but it does spread misinformation, usually unwittingly," said Media Watch co-chairperson, Rita Benchimol. "We believe we can work constructively with the local media and we plan an approach that moves beyond criticism.

"We will try to sensitize our news professionals to bias and to 'code words' in the coverage, whether it is produced locally or comes from wire services or other national feeds."

David Polster, co-chair of AFI SD said, "this is terrific! We have a simple platform that is resonating with talented, busy San Diegans. Even in our infancy we are attracting business owners, housewives, professionals and retirees who are passionate about Israel regardless of their religious beliefs.”

Pollster continued:

“Uniquely positioned AFI connects Israel supporters in the Diaspora who are interested in putting their talents and passion to critical use to make the case for Israel. AFI is complementing the work of other organizations by coordinating Israel advocates into effective action. This action makes Israel's case to the public and not only TO the 'proverbial choir.' AFI organizes effective programs that provide the public with the truth and counters pernicious propaganda wherever it appears. We are adopting successful programs designed elsewhere, as well as functioning in an open-architecture environment which encourages creative program development.

“We don't have to reinvent the wheel, various initiatives are ready to be implemented and all good ideas will be considered, especially ONCE we have the manpower to both lead and execute.

“It feels good having the support of other organizations such as CAMERA and others who view us as a distribution channel, and also connecting with other start-up AFI chapters elsewhere in the country. This is grassroots activism and its time is overdue." AFI may be reached at (888) 650-5894, or via its website.

The foregoing was provided by Advocates for Israel.

NEW YORK (Publicity Release)— The acting Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr. Ahmad Bahar, has called for the murder every Jew and American. In an address broadcast on Palestinian Authority (PA) television, Bahar stated, "This is Islam, that was ahead of its time with regards to human rights in the treatment of prisoners, but our people was afflicted by the cancerous lump, that is the Jews, in the heart of the Arab nation… Be certain that America is on its way to disappear, America is wallowing [in blood] today in Iraq and Afghanistan, America is defeated and Israel is defeated, and was defeated in Lebanon and Palestine… Make us victorious over the infidel people… Allah, take hold of the Jews and their allies, Allah, take hold of the Americans and their allies… Allah, count them and kill them to the last one and don't leave even one" (PA TV, April 20, translation courtesy of Palestinian Media Watch, April 30).

Both Hamas and Fatah, who constitute the present PA unity government, are committed in their respective Charters to the destruction of Israel (Fatah Constitution, Article 12: Hamas Charter, Article 15) and the use of terrorism (Fatah Constitution, Article 19: Hamas Charter, Article 7), while Hamas also calls for the murder of Jews (Hamas Charter, Article 7).

Bahar's call for genocide of Jews is not new among recent pronouncements by the Hamas/PA regime. Despite efforts to tone down some of their positions in appearances before Western audiences, Hamas officials continue to speak plainly in support of Hamas' genocidal positions to Arabic-speaking audiences.

Thus, in a March 7 sermon broadcast on PA TV, Hamas spokesman Dr. Ismail Radwan made it clear that the classical Hamas ideology had not changed.
Radwan declared, "The Hour [Resurrection] will not take place until the
Muslims fight the Jews and the Muslims kill them, and the rock and the tree
will say: 'Oh, Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, kill him!'
We must remind our Arab and Muslim nation, its leaders and people, its scholars
and students, remind them that Palestine and the Al Aqsa mosque will not be liberated through summits nor by international resolutions, but it will be liberated through the rifle. It will not be liberated through negotiations, but through the rifle, since this occupation knows no language but the language of force… O Allah, strengthen Islam and Muslims, and bring victory to your Jihad-fighting worshipers, in Palestine and everywhere… Allah take the oppressor Jews and Americans and their supporters!" ((PA TV, March 7, translation courtesy of Palestinian Media Watch, April 30).

PA's approval for killing Americans is also far from new. The PA's official daily newspaper, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, has not only produced several dehumanizing anti-American cartoons which depict the United States as a menace to the Arab world. (The journalists of Al-Hayat Al-Jadida are on the payroll of the PA), but has also celebrated the losses of American servicemen and women in Iraq in another cartoon showing the stripes of the American flag replaced by skulls with Uncle Sam looking on and weeping. The caption for the cartoon reads, "More than 100 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq this past month!" (Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, October 30, 2006, translation courtesy of Palestinian Media Watch, November 2, 2006).

Morton A. Klein, national president of the Zionist Organization of America, asked, "Why is Israel and the U.S. silent in the face of such Nazi-like threats and policies? Where is Congress, where is the Knesset? The silence is deafening. How can we support negotiating with the PA's Mahmoud Abbas? How can the U.S. be giving him $500 million a year? How can we be talking about establishing a state for these Nazi-like, Hitler-like Islamists and killers?"

The foregoing was provided by the Zionist Organization of America.
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Public sector organizations in Israel, Slovakia
prove more innovative than most European firms

HAIFA, Israel (Publicity Release)—Israeli public sector social welfare and health organizations lead in organizational innovativeness, followed closely by those in Slovakia. This was revealed in new research conducted at the University of Haifa for the European Union, that evaluated public sector organizations in those two nations as well as Great Britain, Ireland, Holland, Lithuania, Sweden, Norway and Spain.

The research, which was conducted by Dr. Ayalla Ruvio in cooperation with Prof. Eran Vigoda-Gadot, Dr. Aviv Shoham and Dr. Nitza Shuvebsky of the University of Haifa, collected 100 questionnaires from employees and managers at social welfare and health organizations in the public sector in each of the countries in the study. The research found that the traits that affect organizational innovativeness are: openness to change, risk-taking, future-orientation, creativity and pro-activeness. Of these five traits, Israeli organizations lead in three and are second in two.

The study revealed that Israeli organizations are outstanding in their creativity – receiving a grade of 4.25 out of 5. In second place are the Slovakian organizations which scored 4.21 and in third place are the Norwegian organizations that scored 4.08.

The future-orientation of the Israeli organization is also a leading trait. The Israelis scored 3.93 while Slovakia scored 3.89 and Norway 3.55. Israelis are also first in their pro-activism, scoring 3.76, followed by the Norwegians (3.7) and the Spanish (3.55).

Israelis are second in risk-taking with an average score of 3.19, while the Slovakians lead with 3.47. The Slovakians are first in their openness to change with a score of 4.29 while Israelis are second with a score of 3.9.

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Can a scientist be religious? UCSD scholar plans to answer in Coronado

CORONADO, Calif (Publicity Release) -- How do very devout people manage to embrace scientific principles that appear to be at odds with their religious beliefs? The twentieth century has given us a number of examples of individuals who attempted to reconcile faith and science.

Steve Casedy, UCSD Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, will focus on two such individuals during an Agency for Jewish Education-sponsored presentation at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 9 in the Coronado Library, 640 Orange Avenue

John Shelby Spong (1931- ), the former Episcopal Bishop of Newark, believes that we have no choice but to accept the fundamental findings of modern science. When he comes to defend his religious faith, however, we see that, in order to make room for modern science, Spong has redefined religion-but in a way that is likely to offend many fellow Christians.

Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903-94), an Israeli scientist and philosopher, attempted to reconcile the life of a scientist with the life of an orthodox Jew, by drawing a distinction between two different types of knowledge and by assigning a symbolic meaning to much of Scripture. A number of orthodox Jewish scientists have found Leibowitz's theories helpful as they attempt to balance shul and laboratory.

Casedy, a professor of Slavic Literature, earned his Ph.D. in comparative literature at Princeton University in 1979. He has been a member of UCSD’s Department of Literature since 1980.

The foregoing was provided by the Agency for Jewish Education

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Jews in the News
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News spotters: Dan Brin in Los Angeles, Donald H. Harrison in San Diego, and you. Wherever you are, send a summary and link to us at sdheritage@cox.net. To see a source story click on the link within the respective paragraph.
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*Eitan Cabel, a junior minister from the Labor party, resigned from Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Cabinet in protest of Olmert's continuing leadership in the wake of the damaging Winograd Report on the 2nd Lebanon War. The story by Joel Greenberg of the Chicago Tribune is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Comedian Billy Crystal has been selected as the tenth recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, according to officials at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The story is in the Public Eye section of today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Kalooki Nights, a humorous novel by Howard Jacobson about growing up Jewish near Manchester, England, drew a mixed review from novelist Jennifer Gilmore in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut independent and one of President George Bush's most vocal war backers, says in the debate over funding, he hopes Congress won't spend anymore time " trying to send a message... then you begin to jeopardize funding for the troops." The Associated Press story is in today's Hartford Courant.

*LoveMusik by Harold Prince is not an easy play to categorize, but at its core is a story about the relationship between Three Penny Opera composer Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya. Patrick Pacheco provides a background story on the play in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Fred Zeidman, a longtime Texas friend of President George W. Bush, was not surprised by Bush's veto of the war spending bill even in the face of public opinion polls showing Americans want the war over. "He is not going to let public opinion interfere with what he thinks is right for the United States," Zeidman said. The story by Michael Abramowitz and Peter Baker of the Washington Post is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

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The Jewish Grapevine

RECOMMENDED READING—Morris Kuritsky was impressed by an article by Ruth King in Outpost, the publication of Americans for a Safe Israel, entitled "Kosovo—A Cautionary Tale." You may follow this link to that publication, then scroll down to Page 3.

COMING SOON—Olga Worm, longtime member of the National Council of Jewish Women, reports that she and her husband Oscar expect to be back in the barbecue restaurant and catering business by June. Formerly the owners of Bekkers Barbecue, they now are opening West Coast Barbecue which she says will be a place "where the west will meet the coast" gastronomically speaking. Besides western barbecue dishes, there will be such favorites as you might find on the coast, including pizza with salmon and various vegetarian dishes. And, she added, "we're thinking of having special kosher barbecues on Monday nights." The restaurant to be, now undergoing renovations, will be at 6126 Lake Murray Blvd in La Mesa.

IN MEMORY—George Shulman, who died in a hospice of heart and kidney problems in March, was the subject of a tribute that appeared in the May issue of Pathfinder, the news letter of Temple Solel. Connie & Len Robin recalled him as the "thin, gray haired man, usually wearing a sweater, giving you a prayerbook and telling you, 'You look terrific." Besides ushering, Shulman was a real estate maven, helping find the property on which the Reform congregation built its home and helping Temple Solel find the church buyer for its old property.

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Natural History Museum schedules Israeli photo exhibit opening in June

SAN DIEGO (Publicity Release)—The San Diego Natural History Museum will present dramatic fine-art photography by Israeli photographers at The Ordover Gallery from June 21 through January 1, 2008. An opening reception, with live music and refreshments, will be on July 14 from 10:30 AM to 1 PM.

Contemporary Israeli Photography is a collaborative effort between the Museum and The Ordover Gallery, complementing the Museum’s coming exhibition, Dead Sea Scrolls. View the faces of Israel’s founding leaders, images of children in Torah class, ancient Israeli architecture, and religious rituals. The contemporary aspect of the show features interpretive and modernistic color imagery. Sculpture and glass will also be shown.

The featured Israeli photographers include Neil Folberg, David Harris, Didier Ben Loulou, Max Richardson, Duby Tal, and Yuval Yairi. There will be wood sculpture by Jeremy Kimchi, ceramic sculpture by Charles Sherman, and glass sculpture by Dick Ditore. Also, the back wall of the gallery will display works by other Ordover Gallery artists. Select prints from the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition will be available for purchase as part of the Contemporary Israeli Photography show. Throughout the six-month exhibition, new imagery will periodically replace works currently on view.

Admission to The Ordover Gallery is included in general Museum admission (however, tickets to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition are not). All artwork in The Ordover Gallery is for sale; a substantial portion of proceeds will benefit the Museum. The Ordover Gallery’s imagery and artists’ biographies can be viewed at www.ordovergallery.com. For more information about the show, please visit www.sdnhm.org.

General admission is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for students, military and youth ages 13–17; $4 children ages 3–12, free for children 2 and under; and always free for members. The Museum is open daily (see website for hours) with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The foregoing was provided by the San Diego Natural History Museum.

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SAN DIEGO (Publicity Release)—Project SARAH of Jewish Family Service in San Diego is teaming up with the 14^th Annual Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival to bring the performance of Flowers Aren’t Enough, written and performed by Israeli actress and writer Naomi Ackerman.

The performance will take place on Monday, June 25from 7:00-9:00pm at the San Diego REPertory Theater at the Lyceum (79 Horton Plaza, San Diego, 92101). Tickets for the performance are $18 and tickets including a dessert reception with Naomi Ackerman are $36. Special Advance Purchase Discounts will be available for performances at the Lyceum Theatre only. Tickets can be purchased at the San Diego REPertory Theatre’s box office by calling (619) 544-1000, or online at www.sandiegorep.com.

Flowers Aren’t Enough is a monologue that tells the story of Michal, a young woman from an upper-middle-class family who finds herself in an abusive relationship. Michal describes how her partner gradually narrows her world, isolating her from her surroundings. Her denial, guilt and the negative effects of social conditioning become apparent. Michal sinks into darkness before taking charge of her life and rediscovering herself. The monologue is woven from true stories and scenarios of women willing to talk about their all-too-common experiences. Since its debut almost 9 years ago, Flowers Aren’t Enough has been performed over 600 times for audiences and organizations all over the world.

Naomi Ackerman is an American-born Israeli with a BA from Hebrew University and teaching credentials from David Yellin Teachers Seminar in Israel. Her acting credits include theatre, musicals, film and television. Naomi writes, directs and performs many of her own plays, including films promoting tolerance and dialogue between diverse cultures and plays based on lives of at-risk children. She is also a well-known mediator and conflict resolution specialist and works with various organizations adapting and creating drama techniques to deal with social, gender and educational issues.

This program is sponsored by Project SARAH (Stop Abusive Relationships At Home), a program of Jewish Family Service, which provides a safe and confidential setting for individuals who are experiencing abuse to explore resources and options and assists them in making critical life decisions. Project SARAH offers many services including counseling, crisis intervention, case management, educational outreach, support groups and referrals. Learn more at www.jfssd.org.

If your partner has pushed or shoved you, kept you from using the phone or visiting friends or relatives, insulted or humiliated you in private or public, destroyed your property, withheld your access to joint finances, or caused you to feel fearful in any way, you may be experiencing domestic violence. For more information or to receive confidential assistance, please contact Project SARAH at (858) 637-3238. There is never an excuse for abuse.

The foregoing was provided by Jewish Family Service

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'Book 'em' will arrest performers'
attention when Steve Kader says it

SAN DIEGO (Publicity Release) —Lyric Opera San Diego has appointed Steve Kader as the new in-house national/local talent buyer for the historic Birch North Park Theatre.

Steve Kader was formerly the lead talent buyer at 4th & B Theatre from 1997 to 2004, and currently continues to book the annual Adams Avenue Street Fair. At 4th & B Theatre during his tenure he was also responsible for breaking such acts in the market as Thievery Corporation, The Flaming Lips, and The Afro-Cuban All Stars in addition to genres as world music, electronica, salsa, and rock en espanol. Kader has a long history in the San Diego music market, including working in the early 1990s at radio station 91X-XTRA FM and band management with groups like The B-Side Players.

"It is with great pleasure that we welcome Steve Kader to our staff," said General Director Leon Natker. "Steve brings a wealth of experience in the area of talent research and booking. Adding an eclectic series of concerts and events to the Birth North Park Theatre schedule has always been a part of our plans. We now have the right person in place to make that plan a reality."

Kader's initial directive is to bring in a diverse mix of all music to the venue with eight to ten shows on a monthly basis. He began bookings with a sold-out date with The Gyuto Monks on Fri., March 9. Future shows include legendary New Orleans artist Allen Toussaint with special guest AJ Croce on Tues., May 15; 19-piece big band The Count Basie Orchestra on Fri., June 15; and guitar icon Allan Holdsworth on Fri., June 29.

The Birch North Park Theatre is a new San Diego entertainment destination. Its renovation has transformed it from an unused, out-of-date venue to a world-class performance space with high-tech, state-of-the-art staging and lighting systems, projection equipment, and a multi-channel theater sound system. Connections to nearby fiber-optic lines provide high-speed access to the Internet and to global telecommunications systems, enabling simultaneous webcasting of performances or a hookup to the Convention Center for meetings. With Lyric Opera's performances, numerous other arts productions, film exhibitions, and pipe organ concerts, the Birch North Park Theatre is drawing a diverse audience on a steady basis to the North Park community.

The Birch North Park Theatre was built in 1928 and is the only theatre of its size in San Diego County (730 seats) featuring a fly-loft for legitimate live theater productions, a full-size movable orchestra pit, and a projection room for motion picture exhibition. In addition, the natural acoustics of the venue enables performers to develop their natural speaking and singing voices in a non-amplified, acoustically pure environment. Combined with the technologically advanced features accompanying the renovation, the acoustics of the Birch North Park Theatre make this an appealing option for live recording and all facets of live performance.

The Birch North Park Theatre is within a one-half hour drive from almost any where in San Diego. In addition, new shops and restaurants are thriving in this environment, and when added to the eclectic array of dining and shopping choices already in the community, the North Park area is quickly becoming an even more attractive area in which to live.