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Our Town by Betsy Baranov and Linda Bennett
San Diego Jewish Press-Heritage, January 17, 2003

Alan and Nancy Spector announce the engagement of their son, Michael, to Dr.
Donna Jones, a local veterinarian who hails from Big Rapids, Mich. The
wedding will be in the fall of this year. Michael has started an
organization with friends called S.D. Backed that helps local charities. The
group gets together for a social event once a month and plans activities
such as taking children to the Wild Animal Park and Disneyland. They have
501-C status and a Web site, www.sdbacked.com.

Ze'ev (formerly Todd) Amster was married Dec. 22 to Meira (formerly Melissa)
Fuhrman of Arcadia in Los Angeles. Happy parents are Judy & Harvey Amster
and Janis & Bruce Fuhrman. The couple met during high school as both were
active in the B¹nai Brith Youth Organization (BBYO).

Dec. 24 found lots of familiar faces at a local Chinese restaurant,
including Nancy Deutsch, Freda & Al Weiss, Maureen Millman, Ricki & Allan
Jay, Toby Hartman, Mike Rossman, Ora Greer and Ahron Duben, Jordan Stein and
Ruth & Bill Braun. Congratulations to Ruth and Bill on the arrival of their
granddaughter, Aidel Adina Bracha, daughter of Stacey & Danny Betsalel of
New Hempstead, N.Y. She was born Nov. 5, weighing 7 lbs., 15 oz. and
measuring 20 inches long. Also, mazal tov to Dr. David Meyer Braun and his
wife, Dr. Paula McSteen-Braun, of Los Angeles on accepting assistant
professorships in plant genetics at Penn State.

Dec. 25 found us at our yearly gathering at the Wohlwend home (Vivian &
John). Among the regulars were Jared De Jong, Sandy & Pam Monroe, Marilyn
York, Ben Siegel, Ronny Mor, Lyn & Sandy Lary, Andy Wohlwend, David
Wohlwend, Mike Stein, Jon Braunstein, Susan & George Kaplan, and Evelyn
Baranov and Stanley Singer.

Lunching at Anthony¹s of La Mesa, we visited with Hadarah Chemnick, Estelle
Greenstein, Rita Luftig, Ruth Malin and Esther Rosenberg. ... Another day,
another lunch, this time at The Prado, where we ran into Rob Levi and also
Mark Block. ... At holiday parties we saw Amy Rosenberg of Atlanta, Brett
and Hillary (Small) Weiner of San Francisco, Sara Yellen, visiting from
Cincinnati with her boyfriend, Danny Sapadin of New York City, Hal & Sue
Small, Henry Haimsohn, Allison Small, Matt Small, Daniel Green, Amy &
Michael Stern with baby Julian, Matt Rosenberg, Judy & Jay Rosenberg, Renee
& Bruce Persky, Diane & Sol Finklestein, Jerry Bordin, Sandy & Ken Geist,
Jim & Sarah Holtzman, Heidi & Bernie Blotner, Norm & Raya Jackel, Gregg
Bartell with sons Jay and Adam, Warren Treisman, Linda & Gary Keslik, Laurie
Weigandt, Penny & Paul Arenson, Adam Arenson (in from Yale) and Aliza
Arenson (in from Barnard).

On Dec. 31 at noon, the Jewish Family Service Berman Senior Adult Day Care
Program held its New Year¹s party with sparkling cider, entertainment,
raffles, dancing and door prizes. Attire included gold hats and some of the
staff even wore tuxes. ... Did you see the January 2003 issue of San Diego
magazine with Scott Silverman and Gary Jacobs as two of "Fifty People to
Watch in 2003"? ... In the Jan. 5 edition of the Union-Tribune, Julie
Phillips was pictured with Rich Wise and Lucy and Laverne, Wise's beagles,
who accompanied him to Paris. He gave them a bone voyage party!

Previewing the new film The Pianist on Jan. 2, we shared a poignant evening
with Mendel Flaster, Shelly & Abie Flaster, Marilyn & Dick Rowen, Joel &
Faye Snyder, Esther Nahama, Marilyn Stern, Rabbi Arnold Kopikis, Rabbi
Martin & Anita Lawson, Josh Lawson, Laurie Speigler, Carol Levy, Kirby &
Barbara Wohlander, Ted Steuer and Kathleen Chapman, and Mark Berger and
Jackie Tolley, among others. This Holocaust film is based on a true story
and the buzz is that it¹s an Oscar contender.