Volume 2, Nu

mber 30
 
Volume 2, Number 223

     
 
 


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Today's Postings

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

{Click an underlined headline in this area to jump to the corresponding story. Or, you may scroll leisurely through our report}

National

A conversation with Andrew Viterbi, Naitonal Medal of Science laureate
by Donald H. Harrison

Letters

Parents urge "No on 8 Vote" to protect same-gender marriages in California
from Carl & Marilyn Hansen in San Diego

Arts


Temple of Dreams, a poem by Sara Appel-Lennon inspired by last Sunday's dedication of Temple Emanu-El

Rescue of Yemenite Jews recounted in "The Prophecy of Elijah" by Cantor Sheldon Merel in San Diego

Vagina Monologues playwright looks up to stomachs in The Good Body, now at Rep by Carol Davis in San Diego

Adventures in San Diego Jewish History

—January 27, 1950: Have You Had Your Chest X-Rayed
—January 27, 1950: Letters to the Editor
—January 27, 1950: Temple Beth Israel Sisterhood
—January 27, 1950: J.C.R.A.

The Week in Review

This week's stories on San Diego Jewish World: Monday, Sunday, Friday, Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday,

Upcoming Events

Want to know about exciting upcoming events? San Diego Jewish World now stacks event advertisements in chronological order, below: Sept. 17, Sept. 20, Sept. 23 , Sept. 29-Oct. 9

Dedications
Each day's issue may be dedicated by readers—or by the publisher—in other people's honor or memory. For today's dedication, please click here. Past dedications may be found at the bottom of the index page for the "Adventures in San Diego Jewish History" page.

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TAKING A CALL—Qualcomm co-founder, Dr. Andrew Viterbi, took a quck phone call on—what else?—a cell phone during a break in an interview with San Diego Jewish World. His ring tone played "Bolero" by Maurice Ravel.


THE JEWISH CITIZEN

A conversation with Andrew Viterbi,
National Medal of Science laureate

By Donald H. Harrison

LA JOLLA, California— Dr. Andrew Viterbi learned too early about the National Medal of Science that will be bestowed upon him in a White House ceremony September 29.  Conversely, he learned too late about the presidential medal he received some years ago from his native Italy.

“I have been honored in more ways than I deserve, but I don’t believe in knowing that I am being considered,” Viterbi told San Diego Jewish World in an interview.  Viterbi was the discoverer of what is known to fellow scientists as the “Viterbi Algorithm,” a formula that is imprinted on the chips in cell phones throughout the world.  He also is a pioneer in Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), a process that Qualcomm patented to improve cell phone technology.

About two years ago, Viterbi heard his office phone ringing, and because the secretary was out, grabbed it himself.   The party on the other end was a representative of the University of Southern California, home of the Viterbi School of Engineering, to which the Viterbi family made a gift of $52 million. The caller asked if the university could have a list of Dr. Viterbi’s publications.

That call tipped Viterbi off that something was in the works and he dutifully sent the publication list to USC, after first having to search for it.  More than a year later, Viterbi received a letter from the Office of White House Science Advisor John Marburger saying that he was being considered for “presidential recognition.” 

The letter went on that it couldn’t be divulged what the recognition might be, but that in order for the matter to proceed, the FBI needed a copy of his signature—apparently for a handwriting analysis that is part of a background check. Viterbi dutifully sent a copy of his signature to the federal officials. 

Then came a telephone call from Marburger, but Viterbi was out.  When Viterbi  returned the call, Marburger was out.  Finally, an assistant to Marburger told Viterbi what was becoming obvious, that President George W. Bush would bestow upon him the Presidential Medal of Science.

He will be among eight honorees. Viterbi said that he and perhaps three others are Jews—problematic in that the White House award ceremony has been scheduled for the morning of Erev Rosh Hashanah.  The White House promised that everything would be concluded by noon, thereby enabling Viterbi to fly back to San Diego to be with his family for the High Holidays.

The White House ceremony will be in the East Room on a Monday morning, but there will be a black tie dinner the evening before, Viterbi was advised.  The President usually doesn’t attend this dinner, but such luminaries as the Science Advisor, the Secretary of Commerce and, of course, the other medalists will be in attendance.

In addition to Viterbi, the National Medal of Science Laureates for 2007 are: Fay Ajzenberg-Selove, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia;  Mostafa A. El-Sayed, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta;  Leonard Kleinrock, University of California, Los Angeles;  Robert J. Lefkowitz, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina;  Bert W. O’Malley, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston;  Charles P. Slichter, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and David J. Wineland, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado.

Viterbi, whose parents fled with their family from Italy to avoid the Holocaust when he was four years old, has been awarded his native country’s second highest award—that of a Grand Officer—several years ago

“What was funny about it, just by coincidence, I was in Italy at the time with an interesting group, the University of Pennsylvania Judaic Studies Center, doing a tour of all the Italian ghettos, most of which I had toured on my own, but having a professor, a specialist in the area, is nice," Viterbi recalled. " So we were there, and it was the Second of June, which is the national holiday because it marked the time in the post-War that the Italian Republic was declared, and that is the day that the president gives out the honors. 

“But I didn’t know anything about it, and I didn’t find out until I got back to the States and I got congratulatory messages from friends and family and I said, ‘for what?’ and finally someone sent me the newspaper that I was on the honors list from the President.”

Eventually, Viterbi was invited by Italy’s Consulate in Los Angeles to be an honored guest at an annual conference for Italian scientists so that he could formally receive the award.

That was the second award from Italy; Viterbi previously had received the Christopher Columbus Award for Science bestowed by the City of Genoa.  He also has been recognized by governments and academic institutions in Israel, Finland, Germany and Japan.


ART LOVER—This Calman Shemi painting invoking Jerusalem is exhibitedat Andrew
Viterbi's office in La Jolla.


While the U.S. National Medal of Science citation makes reference to Viterbi’s overall career, it places particular emphasis  on the Viterbi Algorithm which he developed while he was a faculty member at UCLA.

I asked Viterbi if he would explain in “layman’s terms” just what the Viterbi Algorithm is.

He responded that the algorithm permits cellular communications “to operate in a channel that is noisier and which is more prone to multi-path interference.”  The latter problem, he explained, particularly affects urban cell phone users.  Pointing out the window of his conference room in La Jolla, Viterbi said “if you used your cell phone in here, it (the signal) might bounce off the building next door, or somewhere else, and so when it arrives at your (receiving) station, it will arrive in multiple forms.  ... All these deflections tend to interfere with each other, causing fade.” By using the algorithm, cell phone manufacturers can predict and eliminate some of the variances that would otherwise interfere with communications.

Viterbi said his algorithm built upon the theory of the 19th century Russian mathematician Andrey Markov “who came up with a model for statistical sequences.”  Unlike a roulette wheel, Viterbi said, “what happens next depends on what happened last, along with some other random phenomena.

Not only does the Viterbi Algorithm enable more certain cellular communications, but to Viterbi’s surprise, it also “has applicatiiions in all sorts of things—recording…voice recognition…even DNA sequencing.”

Given that he discovered the algorithm while a professor at UCLA, why did he give his $52 million gift to arch-rival USC?  I, as a former UCLA Bruin, couldn’t help but wonder.

“I have a very good relationship with both schools,” Viterbi laughed.  But the gift from Andrew and Erna Viterbi to USC also was a matter of sentiment.

He explained that when his family relocated from Italy to Boston, his father had to be recertified as an ophthalmologist, and did not start up his American practice until he was already 60 years old.  The family was able to send Andrew (né Andrea) to Boston Latin School (which is one year older than Harvard University) and to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but to do so, the family had to watch over its pennies very carefully.

After receiving a master’s degree from MIT, Viterbi came out west to work at CalTech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena during an era when the U.S. government—then in a space race with the Soviets—made funding for science and technology a priority.  Viterbi  worked on projects so advanced, he felt certain they were at a doctoral level, and so he decided to pursue his studies with an eye towards becoming a professor.

The problem was that Viterbi needed to work to support his parents—his father was now 75—and within a few years Viterbi was married, and he and Erna had two children. So Viterbi couldn’t enroll full time in a doctoral program.  USC allowed him to work on his doctorate part-time, a  concession other institutions were not willing to make.  Viterbi obviously was quite grateful, and after he became wealthy as the co-founder with Irwin Jacobs of Qualcomm, he decided that USC would be one of the institutions to which he would give back.

Albert Einstein on occasion wondered whether the world was better or worse off for his having discovered the formula leading to the development of nuclear fission.  I asked Viterbi if he ever had similar thoughts about whether the world was better or worse off as a result of the fast and sure communications enabled by the Viterbi Algorithm and CDMA.

He responded with characteristic modesty.  First, he said, he certainly isn’t in the same league as Einstein, who was one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century.  Second, he said, cell phone technology would have developed with or without his algorithm.

With those caveats, he suggested that fast communications—whether by the Internet or via cell phone—in fact have improved the world, despite some drawbacks such as people walking along the street and driving their cars while talking on the cell phone, and paying minimal attention to each other.

“One interesting statistic is that worldwide in the year 2000 there were 600 million users of wired telephones,” Viterbi recounted.  “That year the number of cell phones reached the number of the fixed, and then fixed went down and then cell kept rising at an exponential rate so now there are about 3 billion, so that means that virtually every country has service.  In countries like China, or India, every village has at least one phone.  There is the ‘phone lady.’  When they talk about ‘micro-loans, it is usually to a woman  who buys a cellular phone, and then rents it out to the whole village.  It takes the place of the phone booth.”

Furthermore, he said, in developing nations, the infrastructure costs for cellular are far less than for fixed systems.   If such inventions as cellular and the Internet had been available in previous periods of our history, he said, they might have averted some man-made disasters.

“Everybody who can read or write can access it; that to me is the most important thing,” he said.  If you think about the greatest catastrophe that confronted us (Jews) as a people—the Holocaust—the total lack of information, the lack of wanting to believe or to listen to what was happening, today that couldn’t happen.  You would have had 100 million bloggers and it couldn’t be ignored.”

Viterbi retired from Qualcomm in 2000.  Today, an energetic 73, he was interviewed last week in the offices of the Viterbi Group, to which he devotes approximately one-third his work time.  He said that a number of the companies in which his group has invested are based in Israel, but that the attraction is not only that they are Israeli but that they are run by “some very clever people.”

Among those he mentioned were Provigent, Sandlinks and Cellint.  Provigent provides software solutions for cell phone transmission from tower to tower.  There are numerous companies that have produced hardware for this purpose, but Provigent “has put it all on one chip.”  In that there are many different companies with cell towers, having a single chip that can communicate with them all enables interconnectivity, according to Viterbi.

Sandlinks is involved in radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, which not only identify their product but also relay information to other tags and readers, Viterbi added.

And, Cellint tracks the number of cellular calls being made from various stretches of the road systems to develop real-time traffic density portraits, he said.

Giving lectures mostly at USC but also at various venues around the world also takes about a third of Viterbi’s time.  Of particular interest to the Jewish community is the remaining third of his working time, which he spends on family philanthropies.

With education being his and Erna's priority, major beneficiaries of the family largesse include such Israeli institutions as the Technion; the soon-to-be-built Sha’ar Hanegev High School in the partnership region of the United Jewish Federation of San Diego; and the Israel Venture Network which offers advanced training for principals in smaller and poorer school districts.  In San Diego, the Viterbis support such local Jewish institutions as the Agency for Jewish Education  and San Diego Jewish Academy.  They contribute to secular schools as well, from preschool all the way through post-doctoral studies.  Most of their contributions are given either through an advised fund with the Jewish Community Foundation, or through a JCF Family Foundation.

Health is another arena to which the Viterbis like to give, with their donations covering “everything from help for the elderly” through Jewish Family Service and Seacrest Village Retirement Communities to “cutting-edge biological research such as at the Scripps Institute or the Burnham Institute.  Also we just made a commitment to (Rady) Children’s Hospital,” he said

Viterbi is an important contributor to the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County. In fact, the community building at 4950 Murphy Canyon Road that houses the United Jewish Federation, Agency for Jewish Education and the Jewish Community Foundation—The Joseph and Lenka Finci Building—is named after the parents of Viterbi’s wife, Erna.

Harrison may be contacted at editor@sandiegojewishworld.com

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


Parents urge "No on 8 Vote" to protect same-gender marriages in California

Editor, San Diego Jewish Press Heritage


On June 18th, 2008 our daughter married her domestic partner of 15 years. Our granddaughter stood between her moms to witness their commitment to each other and to the long term security of
their family.

Every Californian should have this choice to marry the person they love. It is a personal and fundamental freedom guaranteed by the California Constitution. This November, Californians will
have an opportunity to vote on Prop. 8, a divisive measure that aims to take away this basic freedom from same-gender couples.

We have been married for 41 years, and we wish this longevity for our daughter and her wife. As parents and grandparents we urge you to vote against discrimination and to VOTE NO ON 8.

Carl & Marilyn Hanson
San Diego


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GUEST COLUMN

Temple of Dreams

Embraced by Jerusalem stone walls
Jewish prayer and songs shared by all
Room filled with shofar blasts
Reflections from the stained glass
Rainbows dance across the bima
Divine sense of Shechinah

Donors carry torahs up the aisle
613 commandments adorned in style
Respect, pride, and hope fill our souls
Feeling connected, we feel more whole
Judaism enhances our life and our views
Standing tall, we're proud to be called Jews

—Sara Appel-Lennon


Appel-Lennon submitted this poem after attending last Sunday's dedication of Temple Emanu-El. She has taught French and English-as-a second language, as well as creative writing at the San Diego Blind Center and at the College Rolando Public Library. She may be contacted at appels@jewishsightseeing.com


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UNITED JEWISH FEDERATION OF SAN DIEGO


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THE SONGS OF OUR PEOPLE

Rescue of Yemenite Jews recalled in
Jospe's "The Prophecy of Elijah"

By Cantor Sheldon Merel

SAN DIEGO—This dramatic song, "The Prophecy of Elijah" is a reminder of an amazing rescue mission that took place secretly during the early 1950’s and ‘60’s.  Entire communities of Jews from Arab countries were transported to Israel en masse.  Large passenger planes made some 380 flights from Aden in this secret operation that was not made public until several months after it was over.  The rescue operation was called "Magic Carpet"(1949–1950), and an overwhelming majority of Yemenite Jews - some 47,000 Yemeni, 1500 Aden as well as 500 Djiboutian and Eritrean Jews - were airlifted to Israel.

Operation Magic Carpet was in response to an increasingly perilous situation for Jews in Yemen, shortly after Israel became an independent state.  The Jewish Agency paid a high ransom to the Imam of Yemen to spare the lives of Yemenite Jews and allow them to leave for Israel.   Within one year over 43,000 Yemenite Jews were flown to Israel.         

These primitive but very religious, and Biblically well- versed Yemenite Jews, had been completely isolated from the western world for several centuries, and knew nothing of the modern world. In order to save their lives, they were going to be uprooted from their ways as farmers, and suddenly face modern technology of the western world.  On the verge of escape, upon seeing the monstrous flying machines that had arrived to carry them to Israel and freedom, they panicked and refused to board.  Only after hearing their rabbi quote the following Biblical verses were they able to gather faith and courage to enter the airplane, and fly to freedom, as if on “Eagles’ wings”!

(Isaiah 27:13)  "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great shofar shall be blown and they shall come who were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and they shall worship the Lord at the holy mount at Jerusalem." 

(Exodus 19:4)   "And bear you on eagles' wings…" 

(Malachi 3:23)   "Behold, I shall send you
Elijah The Prophet, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord."

Erwin Jospe used these exact words in composing, The Prophecy of Elijah in tribute to Operation Magic Carpet.  His musical setting opens with a declamative recitative,  and then suddenly introduces a brief rhythmic touch of Torah cantillations, almost like Miriam’s dance at the Red Sea.  The song closes with the assuring words of the Prophet Malachi, “I shall send you Elijah the Prophet, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” 

I had the privilege of studying with Erwin Jospe when he directed the Opera Department at Roosevelt College in Chicago.  He was my coach in the late 1950's, and at that time gave me a copy of his manuscript. The Prophecy of Elijah has never been published.  It remains in manuscript form, and to my knowledge, my CD, Standing Ovation is its only recording.




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THREE GOOD BODIES—Karole Foreman, DeeAnne Driscol (center) and Linda Libby appearing
in Eve Ensler's The Good Body at San Diego's Lyceum Theater.

ARTS IN REVIEW                                                     

Vagina Monologues playwright looks up to stomachs in The Good Body, now at Rep

By Carol Davis

SAN DIEGO—Since I have always treated my stomach as a separate entity from the rest of my body, I decided to take it with me to the theatre as my guest the other night to see Eve Ensler’s The Good Body, directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, at the San Diego Repertory Theatre’s opening show of its 33rd season.

The reason my stomach has a life of its own, and has become its own thing is simply because from my earliest memories everyone told me to hold my stomach in, stand up straight, get some tummy tuck underwear, don’t let my stomach get too big and on and on! I’m guessing it was after I reached puberty since I recall overhearing a conversation an aunt of mine was having with someone (it was always up for discussion) about how she couldn’t believe ‘how developed I was because I was such a scrawny kid’. Wow! I never remember being scrawny, but I do have a few pictures. So, it must have been so.

Anyway, back to Eve Ensler. It’s the same Eve Ensler whose credits include being on the “Jewish American Activists”, “Jewish American dramatists and playwrights”, “Jewish Feminists” and “Jewish American writers” lists and who also penned The Vagina Monologues some ten years ago.

That show, which was performed on Broadway and in thousands of venues across the world, was a groundbreaking experience. After all, who else would have had the chutzpah to mention the ‘V’ word in public, let alone in countries that don’t even acknowledge that women had a voice. Well, someone like Ensler with the credentials of being an advocate for women and an activist who walks her talk, that’s who.

She’s written and talked of more pressing issues as an advocate but this particular topic, The Good Body struck a nerve with me as I’m sure it did millions of others men and women (the gentleman sitting next to me reassured me) alike. The Good Body is about, well, loving our bodies. Easier said than done to a generation (or more) of consumers who have been told through TV commercials, magazine articles, Dr’s. Clinics, weight reducing clubs, drugs, friends and family (yes friends and family) that our bodies need revamping, re-sculpturing and revisiting. And if they say so, it must be so. The $$$$$$$ spent in this effort could have help find a cure for… you name the disease. 

For the time being let’s suspend the health issues and move on to the play, shall we?

The production is being mounted in the Lyceum Space and on opening night it was filled with folks, who like me, wanted just a little extra nudge on how to feel good about our bodies. Standing right at the top of the stage are six designer? mannequins, all very skinny, a large exercise ball and sliding doors that the actors enter and exit. (Victoria Petrovich is also responsible for the back projections and Eric Lotze is responsible for the on target lighting effects.)

Helping to reach this end of coming to grips with the extra bulk around our stomachs are three of our most talented local actresses, Linda Libby, DeeAnna Driscoll and Karole Foreman. They take us on a journey or walk us through a dialogue, if you will, that spans ideas across the universe and throughout the ages. It’s certainly not an epic journey but the magnitude of the mindset, which lends itself well here, is of epic proportion.

Ensler is said to have interviewed women all over the world about body image. In the preface to the play she is quoted as “being in a dialogue with her stomach for the past three years…this play is my prayer, my attempt to analyze the mechanisms of our imprisonment, to break free so that we may spend more time running the world than running away from it." Wow! Only three years. I’ve got about fifty + on her.

Ensler’s play while hitting home on some serious issues also has its funny moments especially when the trio do a number on Botox, Helen Gurley Brown and of course the talks we have with our stomachs and what foods we put into them, how we feel when someone touches it while having sex and what we do to try to reshape them through surgery or injection or now, laser.

 In one touching segment Libby (excellent, as always, as she takes on several different roles) plays a woman (Jewish. I don’t know why) who decided to have laser on her vagina to make it tighter so her husband could have better sex. And while he enjoyed it, the surgery was botched and it was excruciating for her. Throughout I kept wondering if women actually did this? I guess I’m more sheltered that I had thought. 

Eve meets a young woman who told her that after she reached puberty and her breasts had grown, men were looking at her in a different way. She was a tomboy and loved to race and swim. When her mother found she had sex and enjoyed it, she was livid. The girl decided that in order for her to be the same person she was before she “grew breasts’ and still have her mother’s love, she would have a double mastectomy. Her mother had to give her permission, and she did. Karole Foreman is excellent here and as Leah, the Masai woman from Africa.

DeeAnna is Eve (her alter ego?) and stays in character throughout as someone who travels the globe in search of stories (interviews?). Nothing new in being a reporter, but (Eve) who should have been eyewitness to these stories, saw many of her faraway gigs from a treadmill in a gym!  Driscoll is funny, poignant and charming as she walks us through her journey.

She travels to India, Africa and Afghanistan. The women she meets there have made peace with their bodies. These women are perplexed by her obsession with her body. In Africa her guide makes the point that we are all different, like trees. Just because one tree doesn’t look exactly like the other trees doesn’t mean it’s not a good tree or a handsome tree. It’s a good beginning.

Both Libby and Foreman take on all the other characters in the play and do a great job of making each one an individual, each story both credible, heartwarming and/or funny. Some did seem to go on a bit too long, however.  The gravity of the obsession, the time spent talking about it and the money wasted on all the false claims and cures is certainly worth another look. All three of these young women deserve credit for having come to grips with their body images.

I’m still working on mine. We both enjoyed the production.

The Good Body continues through Sept. 28 downtown at the Lyceum Theatre. The play is performed without intermission.

See you at the theatre.

Davis may be contacted at davisc@sandiegojewishworld.com

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Friends, my husband, Don, is the publisher of this daily news web publication. The slogan of San Diego Jewish World is "there's a Jewish story everywhere." I can help you travel to the locales of such stories. I'll work hard to find you the very best prices!

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ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY

Editor's Note: To create a permanent and accessible archive, we are reprinting news articles that appeared in back issues of various San Diego Jewish newspapers. You may access an index of the headlines of those articles by clicking here. You may also use the Google search program on our home page or on the headline index page to search for keywords or names.


Have You Had Your Chest X-Rayed
Southwestern Jewish Press, January 27, 1950, page 2

It takes only a minute of your time and you might even like it as much as the man who kept coming back to a local unit.  When a hostess recognized him as someone who had been in before she questioned him. He answered, “It made me feel so good the first two times, I came back for another.”

The San Diego Mass Chest X-Ray Survey comes to a close in San Diego on January 31st.  If you have not been X-rayed, don’t delay, do it today!


Letters to the Editor
Southwestern Jewish Press, January 27, 1950, page 2

Editor
Jewish Press
333 Plaza
San Diego, Calif.

Dear Sir:

I have been a subscriber to your newspaper for many years and I wish to take this opportunity of thanking you for the great improvement it has shown sine you have taken over publication. The reason I now write to you is a matter of serious consideration to us all.

The other day I picked up a New York newspaper and noted a story on the riot caused by the passing out of a newspaper called “The Broom.”  It seemed that some Jewish ex-servicemen objected to the anti-semitic and undemocratic tone of this so-called “newspaper.”

I need not tell you that this “Broom” is a product of San Diego and has preyed upon the people of this community for years.  This scurrilous and vicious sheet has been a stench in the nostrils of all decent people.  Its continued existence makes a mockery of Freedom of the Press.

The Jewish people of this community continue to live in harmony with their non-Jewish neighbors in spite of the poison spread by hate-mongering sheets.

It is my hope that he Jewish Press will become the “Voice of the Community” in combating undemocratic sources and at the same time continue to give us a fine newspaper suitable for the entire family.

Cordially yours,
A.H.
San Diego


Dear Mr. Kaufman:

As previously published in your paper the Ladies Auxiliary of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States gave a Christmas party to 170 patients in the Tubercular Wards of the U.S. Naval Hospital, Balboa Park, the evening of December 20, 1949.

It might be interesting and certainly enlightening to your many readers to note how well received are our services, from the contents of a card received by the Commander of our Post, which I quote below. Such expressions of appreciation are indeed potent factors in anti-defamation as well as a very concrete example that “Peace on Earth, Good will to Men,” may be a daily realization and all men are truly brothers.

“Dear Commander:

“While in the Hospital (Navy San Diego) a group of charming young ladies representing your Auxiliary, called and kindly presented me with a Christmas gift, a plate of tidbits in keeping with the festive season, and their good wishes.

“As the stress of our days sometimes makes us forget consideration of others, this display of friendly thought or others was a puissant reminder that the forces of Goodness are still fighting to make this world of ours a better and happier one.

 “I send to All, my thanks and wish that the coming years will bring you Health and Rewards for your kindness.

/s/ George H. Gregory
402 S. Coast Blvd
La Jolla, Calif.

Sincerely,
Nixie Kern, Pres.


Temple Beth Israel Sisterhood

Southwestern Jewish Press, January 27, 1950, page 3

Adding impetus to program planning for the New Year is the announcement by Mrs. M.D. Goodirch, president of the Temple Beth Israel Sisterhood, that a series of three book reviews will be presented for your enjoyment by Ida Nasatir.  Mrs. Nasatir, beloved member of our community, will review books of a general nature which will hold appeal for all groups.

In order to accommodate the anticipated capacity audience, the seat accommodations of the Temple proper will be utilized. The dates for this delightful addition for your plans for “events you cannot afford to miss” are—Tuesday, March 7th—Tuesday, April 11th---and Tuesday, May 16th.  The entire community is invited to share in this wonderful event and it is hoped that your reservations for tickets will be made at a very early date.  Mrs. Ben Harris is ticket chairman and may be reached at T-1-3328.

Kaufman speaks—the January 18th meeting of the Temple Sisterhood was a complete success.  Nearly 200 women enjoyed the delicious spaghetti luncheon and all the trimmings prepared under the supervision of Mrs. Marvin Gray and Mrs. Rodin Horrow, hostess for the day.  A magnificent job was done by the committee who worked in the kitchen.  Many, many thanks to the following women who aided with preparation and serving: Mesdames I. Penter, Joe Silverman, Raymond Lowitz, Sam Serutin, I Merkowitz, M. Ackerman, Florence Corwin, Harry Rose, Morris Douglas, Dave Rubinstein, Norman Gelman, Ed Schwartz, Arthur Gardiner, B. Freundlich, Saul Chenkin, Lou Bickman, Joe Krone and Sig Blumenfled.  Special commendation is accorded Mrs. Mack (Ruth) Esterson, whose attractive table decorations are so greatly appreciated.

The fine program planned by Mrs. Sam Friedman received hearty approval. The audience was thrilled with Maxell Kaufman’s stirring talk on his experiences as a worker with the American Joint Distribution Committee in Europe.  It was with some surprise that the women present heard of the re-nazification program in Germany instead of the hoped-for denazifacation program.  Mr. Kaufman stated that, “The Germans are not ashamed for what they did—but felt that Hitler meant well, only that he made too many mistakes.”  It was shocking to hear Mr. Kaufman tell that, “The German people still remember Adolf Hitler kindly.” Relating the horrors of the Dachau Camp, where the doing away with people was accomplished with such complete efficiency, Mac Kaufman said, “The gas chambers—and ovens—were a monument to German ‘culture.’  Concluding his talk, Mac made the observation that “the world must never forget—the United States must remember.”

Another very fine program is planned for the next meeting of the Temple Sisterhood It is hoped that all who could not attend the January  meeting will attend the February meeting.  Sisterhood meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month—won’t you please circle the day on your calendar?  A delicious luncheon and stimulating program are in store for you.


J.C.R.A.
Southwestern Jewish Press, January 27, 1950, page 3


By Anna B. Brooks

How quickly the Sands of Time flow!

Once again it is concert season for the J.C.R.A., a benefit affair sponsored annually for the Tuberculosis Sanatorium at Duarte. The concert will be held on Sunday, February 26th, at the Temple center at 7:30 p.m.

The Jewish Consumptive Relief Association appeals to this generous-hearted community to patronize this ALL IMPORTANT show.  The doors of the City of Hope have been open to low income Tubercular sufferers for thirty years. Thousands have been cured. But there are many still knocking at the hospital door for admission. Let’s not let lack of money lock the door.

“Tickets are obtainable from any member of the J.C.R.A. and will be available at the door on opening night,” said general chairman, Jennie Siner.

“Following the concert a tea will be held for the audience and the talented entertainers who are coming from Hollywood,” stated co-chairman, Bessye Siegel.  Names of the entertainers will be announced as soon as they are received.

Esther Schwartz, auxiliary president, reminds all those who attended last year’s concert of the enjoyable evening they had and urges them to come again and bring their friends.


“Adventures in Jewish History” is sponsored by Inland Industries Group LP in memory of long-time San Diego Jewish community leader Marie (Mrs. Gabriel) Berg.  Our indexed "Adventures in San Diego Jewish History" series will be a daily feature until we run out of history.
  
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SAN DIEGO JEWISH WORLD: THE WEEK IN REVIEW


Monday, September 15, 2008 (Vol. 2, No. 222)

SAN DIEGO

Temple Emanu-El dedicates new sanctuary; congregants return to Del Cerro home by Sheila Orysiek in San Diego

Jewish moments with 2 retired journalists
by Donald H. Harrison in San Diego

ARTS

Envisioning U.S.-Iran nuclear nightmare, book review by Donald H. Harrison in San Diego

ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY

—January 27, 1950: UJF Drive Date Set
—January 27, 1950: Where Does the Money Go {Editorial}
—January 27, 1950: United Jewish Fund
—January 27, 1950: Overseas News and Views by Maxwell Kaufman

NEWS FROM OUR ADVERTISERS

Tifereth Israel Synagogue:
Rabbi Rosenthal to lead trip to Israel for Tel Aviv's 100th birthday!

Sunday, September 14, 2008 (Vol. 2, No. 221)

CAMPAIGN 2008
Jewish auxiliary groups of Democrats and Republicans in battle to define Sarah Palin
spin doctoring by the Democratic National Jewish Caucus and the Republican Jewish Coalition.

JUDAISM
—Solel offers variety of Jewish choices
by Donald H. Harrison in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California
—Torah demands accurate weights, measures
by Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal in San Diego
—When the kind lady was locked out
by Rabbi Baruch Lederman in San Diego

LIFESTYLES
My Money, Your Money, or Ours
by Natasha Josefowitz in La Jolla,California

SPORTS
A bissel sports trivia
with Bruce Lowitt in Oldsmar, Florida

A
DVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—January 13, 1950: Temple Beth Israel Sisterhood
—January 13, 1950: Temple Beth Israel
—January 13, 1950: Tifereth Israel News
—January 13, 1950: Congregation Beth Jacob

NEWS FROM OUR ADVERTISERS
Students pay Labor Day tribute to San Diego Jewish Academy’s silent heroes


Friday, September 12, 2008 (Vol. 2. No. 220)

CAMPAIGN 2008

The choice between Obama and McCain could be this generation's most important by Howard Wayne
Jewish access to Palin in government by Gary Rotto in San Diego

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Add Haym Salomon to list of important Jews from Sheila Orysiek in San Diego
Seven years after 9/11, what's Bush's legacy? from Dr. Norman Mann in San Diego

ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY

—January 13, 1950: “What’s Cookin’” At Troop 99?
—January 13, 1950:
Council of Jewish Women
—January 13, 1950: Inside AZA by Leonard Naiman
—January 13, 1950:
Jewish Youth Council
—January 13, 1950: Tifereth Israel Young People’s League


ARTS
Night Sky audience experiences aphasia by Carol Davis in San Diego

LIFESTYLES
16-year courtship finally reaches chuppah by Norene Schiff-Shenhav in Fallbrook, California


NEWS FROM OUR ADVERTISERS

—Adoption Alliance of Jewish Family Service: Upcoming Events
—Bronfman Youth Fellowship Awarded to San Diego Jewish Academy’s Jack de Tar
—Tifereth Israel Synagogue schedules Selichot showing of Iraq documentary

Thursday, September 11, 2008 (Vol. 2, No. 219)

Remembering 9/11/2001
Does government need 'back door' authority to break encryption codes? by Martin Charles Golumbic in Haifa, Israel.
'Ordinary' citizens demonstrated grace in an extraordinary disaster by Sheila Orysiek in San Diego

National
Who were 3 most important U.S. Jews? by David Benkof in New York

Campaign 2008—Letters to the Editor

—Matthew Brooks column draws rebuke from Carol Davis in San Diego
— Obama didn't protest Wright for 20 years; how would he act towards bombastic leaders of anti-U.S. nations? from Donald A. Moskowitz in Londonderry, New Hampshire

Adventures in San Diego Jewish History

—January 13, 1950: San Diego Jr. Pioneer Women
—January 13, 1950: Labor Zionists
—January 13, 1950: Junior Charity League


Arts
Thursdays with the Songs of Hal Wingard.
—#243, Mary Had a Little Lamb
—#244, The Itsy Bitsy Spider
—#246, The Little Star

News from Our Advertisers
—Mental Illness: Coping Strategies, Current Treatments, & Paths to Wellness from Jewish Family Service
—San Diego Jewish Academy focuses on academics, athletics and arts

Wednesday, September 10, 2008 (Vol. 2, No. 218)

International
Don't trivialize the Shoah by making light of it, or using it for partisan ends by Dvir Abramovich in Melbourne, Australia
The Jews Down Under, a roundup of Australian Jewish news by Garry Fabian in Melbourne:
—World No Safer after 9/11—Juval Aviv
—Tough opening game for peace team
—Submission highlight campus bias
—Community Security Group first public appeal
—A remarkable musical milestone
Jewish Community welcomes new Premier
Outrage over Arab leader's remarks
A grave situation in Brest, Belarus
Something in lighter vein - The Jewish Car


National
Campaign 2008: Democrats' attacks on Palin lack merit by Matthew Brooks in Washington D.C.

Adventures in San Diego Jewish History

—January 13, 1950: Senior Pioneer (Negba) Club
—January 13, 1950:Yo-Ma-Co News
—January 13, 1950:Guardians
—January 13, 1950: J.C.R.A.

Arts

It’s a Hit! It’s the Housewives! by Cynthia Citron in Sherman Oaks, California

Sports
Will Spitz legend survive Phelps? Book review by Donald H. Harrison in San Diego

News from Our Advertisers

Musical Selichot at Congregation Beth Am
San Diego Jewish Academy Unveils New Gymnasium & Sports Complex


Tuesday, September 9, 2008 (Vol. 2, No. 217)

International

How much of a criminal is PM Olmert? by Ira Sharkansky in Jerusalem
Budgetary caution saves lives in Georgia by Donald H. Harrison in San Diego


National
Campaign 2008: Palin opposes abortion, evolution, sex ed by J. Zel Lurie in Delray Beach, Florida

Judaism
Florida rabbi questions why some areas have many synagogues, only one mikvah by Bruce Lowitt in Palm Harbor, Florida

Songs of Our People: Eylu D'Vorim—Torah study prelude by Cantor Sheldon Merel in San Diego

Adventures in San Diego Jewish History
—January 13, 1950: 1950 {Editorial}
—January 13, 1950: Former Major Israeli Army In San Diego
—January 13, 1950: Who's New
—January 13, 1950: Samuel L. Fox Lodge by John L. Kluchin
—January 13, 1950: Hadassah

Arts
Memphis: Racism and rock n' roll by Carol Davis in La Jolla, California


Message from Our Publisher
—Please actively support San Diego Jewish World

Monday, September 8, 2008 (Vol. 2, No. 216)

International
Israeli professor worries over course his native United States is taking in world by Ira Sharkansky in Jerusalem

Judaism
Non-practicing vegetarian chooses to make a kosher compromise by Rabbi Dow Marmur in Toronto, Canada

Undeterred by vandals, Ner Tamid leaders predict bright future for the congregation by Donald H. Harrison in Poway, California

A new daughter embraces the Covenant by Sheila Orysiek in San Diego

Sharing a meal at Chabad of La Costa by Gerry Greber in Carlsbad, California

Adventures in San Diego Jewish History

—January 13, 1950: Fund Ends Year With Over $207,000
—January 13, 1950: Institute to Feature Course in Mental Hygiene
—January 13, 1950: Youth Aliyah To Present Film
—January 13, 1950: There’s Room For You {Editorial}


Arts
Picking right shows for teenage grandkids by Carol Davis in San Diego

News from Advertisers & Our Publisher

—Please actively support San Diego Jewish World
—Upcoming events of the Jewish American Chamber of Commerce


Link to previous editions

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