San Diego Jewish World~July 4

British professors seek affiliation with
U of Haifa in anti-boycott symbolism

HAIFA (Press Release)—Over 100 academics from across the globe, mostly from England, have recently contacted the University of Haifa requesting to be symbolically appointed as an Affiliated Professor of the University of Haifa.

The requests have come following the threat of a boycott of Israeli academia, and they express the support of the academics for the University of Haifa. The appointments will enable the academics to introduce themselves at conferences and academic forums as researchers from the University.

"It is encouraging to see the trend of academics, who are totally absorbed in research, protest the effort to force political opinions through a boycott of academia, the symbol of freedom of thought and expression," said Prof. Yossi Ben-Artzi, Rector of the University of Haifa, who receives new requests each day.

The preceding story was provided by the University of Haifa..

Grandparents who take care of grandchildren

likely to have favor returned, research shows

HAIFA (Press Release)— Perhaps this headline isn't surprising, but now it has scientific backing: new research at the University of Haifa found that grandchildren who, during their childhood, were taken care of by their grandparents, expressed a greater desire to take care of their grandparents as they aged than did grandchildren who were not taken care of by their grandparents.

"Even little things, like occasional babysitting for a few hours were enough to make grandchildren want to return the favor to grandparents," said Dr. Ahuva Even-Zohar, from the School of Social Work at the University of Haifa who conducted the research.

The research, under the direction of Prof. Shlomo Sharlin, evaluated 216 pairs of grandchildren and their grandparents. According to the researcher, the study results reveal that not only did grandchildren who were taken care of by their grandparents express a desire to help, they were actually very involved in helping with day-to-day things like transportation, shopping, nursing care, emotional support and initiating visits.

The research also showed that gender affects the desire to help: granddaughters exhibited more desire to help their grandparents than did grandsons. However, in reality, no difference was noted in the actual assistance given to grandparents between granddaughters and grandsons. "It is important to note that while the grandchildren felt an emotional connection to past experiences, grandparents need to feel that they are also helping their grandchildren in the present," remarked Dr. Even-Zohar.

"The practical meaning of the research is that grown grandchildren can, and need to be involved in the ongoing care of their grandparents and it is possible to build a program of care which includes the entire family, including grandchildren. The grandchildren's involvement in caring for their grandparents should be an important part of the family support," summarized the researcher.

Rabbi Abraham Klausner was a chaplain
whom Holocaust survivors called 'one of us'

By Alex Grobman, PhD

ENGLEWOOD, New Jersey—Many Holocaust survivors did not know Rabbi Abraham Klausner, a Reform rabbi, who died last week, but he had a profound influence of those who lived in post-war Germany and Austria. Klausner, who was an American Jewish chaplain, arrived at Dachau during the third week of May 1945.

Convinced there would be nothing for him to do in Europe at the end of the war, he volunteered for duty in the Far East. After being assigned to Dachau, he began signing death certificates and burying the dead.

Just before his unit was ordered out of the camp on June 2, 1945, a man who was so ill that he was restricted to the barracks asked in a very distinctive voice if Klausner knew his brother. He did. Chaplain Abraham Spiro had come to Europe with him on the same ship.

After reuniting the brothers, Klausner realized the need for the survivors to find their families. He also recognized that he could not abandon his fellow Jews, and left his unit. This was a very chaotic period, and chaplains and other officers helped him finesse his unorthodox and unauthorized mission after his return to the camp.

He began working with the survivors to compile and publish six volumes containing lists of survivors in Bavaria and distributed them throughout the world. This was the first major attempt to communicate with Jews in the West.
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Amsterdam mulls monument to local Holocaust victims

AMSTERDAM—The Auschwitz Committee in the Netherlands wants to build a memorial wall inscribed with the names of the 110,000 Dutch men and women who were killed in Nazi death camps.

Jacques Grishaver of the committee said that the wall, inspired in part by similar walls in other countries, would be placed near the country's Auschwitz Never Again monument, in Amsterdam’s Wertheim Park.

He said the monument would be built in 2009, pending approval from the city council. The wall is to feature the names of murdered Jews, but would also include resistance fighters and political prisoners, according to Dutch media reports.

CHELYABINSK, Siberia, Russia (Press Release)—A neo-Nazi group has attacked residents in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk. Gangs of skinheads attacked music fans last week mingling in with spectators of a punk rock concert in the Siberian city, according to media reports.

The neo-Nazis reportedly have been "patrolling" the downtown area in groups of dozens, attacking local citizens. Police who were summoned to the scene reportedly talked to the gang members, but no charges have been filed against the group.

Remembering Entebbe on rescue's 31st anniversary

This week marks the 31st anniversary of Operation Yonatan, Israel’s dramatic rescue of 103 hostages that took place on July 4, 1976 at Entebbe, Uganda. As a college student in the US, I vividly remember watching events unfold as most of the rest of the nation was focused on the celebration of America’s bi-centennial.

Jews around the world held their breath as the terrorist incident ended with a relatively minimal loss of life. Pride and admiration for the daring and courage of Israel’s decision-makers and generals was the order of the day.

In Israel, the anniversary of the operation was marked for years by public official commemoration ceremonies. This year, it appears that the only remembrance will be for Yoni Netanyahu, commander of the operation and the only Israeli soldier killed at Entebbe. The Netanyahu family placed an ad announcing the annual pilgrimage to the grave of Yoni, older brother of Likud party leader Binyamin Netanyahu.

Back in July 2001, during the height of the terrorist war that followed the Camp David talks, things were different and an official state commemoration of the 25th anniversary took place at Binyanei Hauma in Jerusalem.

In a masterful, moving event that was at once entertaining and educational, the state of Israel marked the passage of a quarter of a century since the dramatic hostage rescue. If the event were to be translated and exported, Israel’s image problems could be improved dramatically, and Jews the world over might even begin to regain pride in the Jewish state.

In the week leading up to the anniversary, Israel’s media focused on the unprecedented operation that took dozens of soldiers from Israel’s elite brigades on a daring and dangerous mission to rescue Jews thousands of miles away.

A TV documentary focused on Yoni Netanyahu’s career, featuring extensive photos, film clips and interviews with his brothers and former girlfriend. True to form, a post-Zionist columnist in Haaretz said the program, “Seems more like a propaganda film,” and opined “the Yoni that emerges from the film is not a flesh and blood character, but something closer to a modern day Bar Kochba.”

A few years after his death, the Netanyahu family published a book of Yoni’s letters written over a 13-year period between 1963-1976. Entitled ‘Self Portrait of a Hero,’ the letters paint a picture of a passionate Zionist as they chronicle Yoni’s passage through the army and his participation as a paratrooper in two of the most crucial battles of the Six Day War.

The 25th anniversary event was attended by the nation’s leading politicians; those who took part in the Entebbe operation—former hostages and their rescuers; and thousands of soldiers from Sayeret Matkal, Tzanchanim and Golani—the brigades that carried out the rescue 25 years ago. (Jump to continuation)

Harris is the executive director of the American Jewish Committee. This column was originally prepared as a radio address, to which we link. We thank San Diego City Councilman Jim Madaffer from whose website we obtained the snazzy USA and flag logo.

Independence and tolerance: are we really
required to tolerate intolerance?

ENCINITAS, California—The 4th of July reminds us of the stirring words, deeds and thoughts upon which the United States of America was founded and forged. The crux and the crucible is in all being created equal in the eyes of our creator. We celebrate Independence Day for the enunciation of the core principle upon which we’re based and blessed, and which has been echoed around the world since.

That principle is extended by some to mean that we all, therefore, are deserving of equal outcomes, regardless of merit or effort, which is the basic dividing line in most political policy debates. Underlying that distinction is a both more practical and, at the same time, more philosophical question: How far should tolerance extend? And, underlying that is the ultimate question for philosophers: Is there objective reality, or is reality just relative to each?

If reality is subjective, then all individuals’ realities must be tolerated. However, if there are objective truths, then there are limits to tolerance.

Bertrand Russell piqued the limit of tolerance by asking whether intolerance of those not tolerant is itself intolerance. The answer must be yes, at least if tolerance is taken as the ultimate principle.

But, tolerance is not the ultimate principle. Openness does not mean vacuity or lack of distinction, unless it becomes meaningless to think or, more practically, have experience. Further, to fail to act upon experience is to deny both its existence and to deny the essence of being human in having volition of thought that, in turn, requires consonant action in living.

Independence is the ultimate principle, and its most basic application is that enslavement by others is intolerable, not only because of its immediate effects but, also, because it denies the equality of earning individual advancement and enhancement of conditions.

Judea Pearl, father of Daniel Pearl, who was beheaded by terrorists, is a world recognized leader in the study of causality. He has struggled to apply his rigor of thinking to the meaning of his son’s death. He differentiates between a religion and its adherents, Islam, and some of its members whose extreme behavior is a modern scourge. That upsets others who trace a connection between the teachings and history of application of those teachings with the present actions of its extreme elements. It’s a difficult distinction, especially when in modern asymmetric warfare the extremists swim in a sea that, by numerous polls, has 10-60%%, depending on country, supportive of extremists’ actions. But, nonetheless, the distinction must be made, as experience also shows us that elimination of the extremists – requiring armed confrontation -- relegates the underlying hostility to a level of danger that is not applied or is manageable without resort to arms, although certainly not to benignity or benevolence.
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'Not a patriot,' singer tells of USA she loves

By Candye Kane

LINCOLN, NEBRASKA—Today is the Fourth of July and I am here in Lincoln, Nebraska. This is corn field country where people actually stop for you when you get a flat tire, drive you through the McDonalds on the way to pick up the new tire, pay for lunch and then insist on changing your tire for you on the side of the freeway while the whole band stands aghast, watching. (This actually happened!) This is plain-spoken people country where they look you in the eye, with a firm handshake that they mean and do, what they say they will do. This is the heartland part of the US where young boys and girls go off to war because they really believe in our Grandparents vision of a democratic, honest country that would never condone torture. This is the part of the country where young soldiers go off to war not only because they want to see the world and get a shot at a good education but because they were brought up to respect the flag and the people whose blood spilt for it.

I am not a real patriot. There are a lot of problems in this great country of ours. We are stuck in the quagmire of this losing war in Iraq; we will leave our huge deficit to our kids and grandkids; The President has an imaginary friend who gives him advice (that, or he hears voices in his head.) Our government seems to virtually ignore global warming and is so gluttonous from the big money they get from oil lobbies that they spend zip on research for new energy resources. They would rather worry about keeping hard working Mexicans out of the USA and worry about whether two men might choose to marry and live in a committed relationship. The health insurance problem is vast, not only because we poor people have to choose between paying our phone bill or getting a check up, but because a woman of my size can be denied health insurance even with low blood pressure and low cholesterol, just based on my weight. Yes, it's a mess here, my friends.

Still, I am happy to be an American. Why? Because in my neighborhood growing up, there were black people, Mexicans and white kids. There were Catholics, Jews and Mormons. (I have been all three!) We didn't all agree about everything and we spent a lot of time fighting with each other but I learned early that people come in all sizes and colors. Here in America, there are mosques and churches of all kinds, synagogues and Krishna temples. There is Eckankar and Paganism, self-realization and even the dreaded scientology. There are women who walk around in cut offs and halter-tops, butches with beards and rings in their noses, women wearing Islamic head coverings and Amish dresses and bonnets at the same rest stop. There are hookers who hang out on my street and sell their wares to men who drive by in their souped up Toyotas with their stereo so loud it makes my I,U.D. vibrate. There are surfer boys, retired Marines, lesbians, Jehovah's Witnesses, Rastafarians and Samoan Christians all on the block where I live.

I love America because my government sucks, but I have the right to write about it and talk about it and write letters to my congressperson and my local paper. I have the right to protest and hold up signs and yell and scream at rallies. I don't have every right that I should have. I should have the right to marry whomever I want and I should have the right to be treated the same way under the law as any married couple, heterosexual or otherwise. Poor people and regular folks should have the right to run for office and it shouldn't be about money. But I still believe in an America that will eventually try to right its wrongs. (Not the ones that can't be righted; we can't bring back the buffalo or give the Native Americans back all their land. We can't take back our historic mistakes like slavery, refusing shiploads of Jewish children and women during WW II and Japanese interment camps. Some wrongs are so horrific they cannot be reversed or fixed.)

However, just like women fought for the right to vote, and people fought in the 60's for freedom and civil liberties for every American regardless of skin color, I believe someday we will get back to the noble American ideals of our forefathers and mothers. The America that our Grandparents loved and fought for; The America that valued honor and believed diversity made a country stronger just like the statue of liberty inscription said. An America that really does take care of its poor and its meek and huddled masses; An America that doesn't just fill us with fear while lining their pockets but cares about each citizen, poor and rich, gay and straight and strives to protect each of us. That's the America that I am reminded of when I am here with the good people of the Midwest.

There are good and bad people in every city in the world and I am not naïve enough to think otherwise. But I want to be the kind of American who helps my neighbor fix a flat and pays for lunch while doing it. I want to be the American that holds out a hand to someone who is suffering. I want to get my childhood vision back of an America that was good and noble, honest and true. A country where your vote counted and you didn't just have to vote for the evil guy or or the other evil guy. A country where our civil liberties are protected 100% and where we would never hold people in prisons without due process or overthrow the Geneva Convention as antiquated and out of date. I believe in an America that is compassionate and cares about our planet and all its inhabitants, realizing that we are all one in the great cosmic universe. So, when I sing that National anthem tonight at my show in Lincoln, I will envision that America and these salt of the earth American kids who are dying to defend her. I will envision us all as one human family protecting and caring about each other in a pollution free, peaceful world with polar bears and hybrid cars and health insurance affordable to us all!

When not on tour, Kane makes her home in San Diego

Jews in the News
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Like you, we're pleased when members of our community are praiseworthy, and are disappointed when they are blameworthy. Whether it's good news or bad news, we'll try to keep track of what's being said in general media about our fellow Jews. Our news spotters are Dan Brin in Los Angeles, Donald H. Harrison in San Diego, and you. Wherever you are, if you see a story of interest, please send a summary and link to us at sdheritage@cox.net and we'll acknowledge your tip at the end of the column. To see a source story click on the link within the respective paragraph.

*Marlene Canter has been replaced as president of the Los Angeles Unified School District by Monica Garcia, who was a backer of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's previously unsuccessful efforts to carve out a larger role for the mayor's office in running the schools. Canter had opposed the mayor's plan. The story by Howard Blume is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Herb Eckhouse has an unusual job you might not expect a Jew to be doing. He produces a high-end line of prosciuto, a pork-based product. The story by Amy Scattergood is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel is considering a constitutional challenge to the state's newest procedure for giving death row inmates a lethal injection. The story by Henry Weinstein is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*The family of slain Ron Goldman has acquired through bankruptcy court the rights to O.J. Simpson's shelved novel If I Did It, and say they are planning to have it published under a different title: Confessions of a Double Murderer. Simpson was acquitted of murdering his wife, Nicole, and Goldman in criminal court but a civil jury found against him in a wrongful death suit. The Associated Press story is in a package of briefs in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

*In a highly symbolic move, Hamas has forced an obscure group, the Army of Islam, to release British Broadcasting Corporation reporter Alan Johnston after four months of captivity in Gaza. Johnston then was taken to former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh's home to talk by telephone to reporters. Johnston is assigned to the BBC bureau in Jerusalem. The Associated Press story by Sarah el Deeb is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Now that he has plea bargained and won't be charged with rape, Israel's disgraced former President Moshe Katsav has told reporters he is actually innocent. The Associated Press story is in a package of briefs in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Rabbi Abraham Klausner, whose service as chaplain to the Dachau concentration camp is detailed in a story above by Dr. Alex Grobman, had wanted to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. But there is no place for plots, only for urns, and as an observant Jew Klausner did not want to be cremated. Democratic Congressmembers Nita Lowey of New York and Tom Lantos of California tried to intervene in his behalf, but to no avail. The story by Jocelyn Y. Stewart is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*The controversy over President George W. Bush granting executive clemency to I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, is not about to go away soon. The President left open the possibility that he might pardon Libby for his conviction on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, and Senator Hillary Clinton accused Bush of trying to protect his administration from whatever a jailed Libby might say, if Libby in fact had been sent to federal prison. The San Diego Union-Tribune has a pair (1, 2) of stories by the Associated Press on the controversy.

*To hear Jean Rouda tell it, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Television Anchorwoman Mirthala Salinas simply picked the wrong place to carry on an extramarital affair—her Sherman Oaks condominium. When he showed up one night with a take out bag of food and a bottle of wine, everyone in the condominium complex knew whom he was visiting. Most of the rest of the units are occupied by elderly Jewish people, and why would he be bringing them wine at night? the story by Duke Helfand and Steve Hymon is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Hy Zaret, the lyricist who wrote the words to the oft-recorded "Unchained Melody," has died at age 99. His obituary is in today's Los Angeles Times.

HOLOCAUST EDUCATION—There's a DVD out which will stimulate your Jewish pride, Freedom Writers starring Hilary Swank. It is based on the true story of Erin Gruwell, a teacher who came to an inner city school in Long Beach and found students from African-American, Latino and Cambodian backgrounds in gang wars with each other. She told them that race hatred can lead to occurrences like the Holocaust, took them to the Museum of Tolerance, had them read the Diary of Anne Frank, and then started them writing journals about their own lives. The results were transformative. One of the minor figures in the movie, played by an actor, is Carl Cohn, who is today school superintendent for the San Diego Unified School District. ... San Diego State University Prof. Lawrence Baron has been invited to Northern Arizona University to lead a workshop on how to teach the Holocaust and Genocide through film.

Bay Ray day A-okay for Kevin Youkilis

Unless otherwise indicated, source for these stories is today's edition of The San Diego Union-Tribune, to which we gratefully provide the links below. We do not apply halacha to determine if a player is Jewish; rather, if he or she has a Jewish parent or has converted to the faith, we count him or her as a member of our community.

BASEBALL— In games played Tuesday, Kevin Youkilis singled and walked and each time scored a run, as his Boston Red Sox defeated the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 4-1. In the field, Youkilis also was credited with participating in a double play, so it was a productive day both offensively and defensively. Youkilis is now listed as the American League's eighth best batter, with an average of .329. ... Scott Schoeneweis pitched an inning in relief for the New York Mets, allowing one hit but no runs, and striking out two to drop his ERA to 5.28. His teammate Shawn Green continued ot have troubles at the plate, going 0-4 as his batting average dropped to .271. The Colorado Rockies buried the New Yorkers under an avalanche, 11-3.... In a game that lasted 4 hours, 23 minutes over 13 innings, Brad Ausmus and the Houston Astros squeezed out a 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Ausmus contributed his 18th RBI to the effort in a game that saw him single and walk.... Mike Lieberthal batted 2 for 4 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but though he got into scoring position in one inning, his teammates stranded him on the base path. Nevertheless, the Dodgers prevailed 7-6 over the Atlanta Braves. ...Rockies pitcher Jason Hirsch, who sprained his ankle on Monday, was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

ISRAEL BASEBALL LEAGUE—You can call him the "American Eagle" after San Diegan Craig Eagle was the winning pitcher for the Modi'in Miracle on July 4th in an Israeli Baseball League game against the Netanya Tigers. His team biography tells us that Eagle, a right-handed pitcher, "recently completed his senior season at Cal State East Bay...in 2007, led Cal State East Bay in strikeouts with 78 in 79 IP and held opponents to .239 BA...possesses an active fastball, a cutter, slider and changes speed effectively...in high school was a two-sport athlete (baseball, basketball)…led Patrick Henry High School to the CIF playoffs in three-consecutive seasons…named All-Eastern League as a senior year…named to the San Diego Union-Tribune All-Academic Team as well as a scholar-athlete in his junior and senior campaigns." The website also informs that the 22-year-old stands 6'7, weighs 220, and is nicknamed Eagzz. He lists his favorite types of foods as Chinese, Mexican and Italian, raising the question how well the youngster adjust to tabuli, humus and felafel?

SWIMMING—Audrey Jacobs tells us that her husband Karl Jacobs, a psychiatrist who plans on making the 21 mile Catalina Channel swim Monday, July 9, and early Tuesday, July 10, has lined up some appearances on local television on Sunday. He will be on KUSI Live's sports show from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., and will be make a taped appearance on KNSD's evening sports show. Meanwhile, he'll be receiving encouragement of another kind for his venture to raise money for kids' swimming. At Congregation Beth El, Rabbi Avi Libman will recite a special blessing. And, as coincidence would have it, his father, Irvin Jacobs, will deliver the d'rosh.

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Jason Benson   Jason Rees         Michael Olson       Craig Eagle          Aaron Levin         Adalberto Paulino

Americans Eagle and Benson celebrate July 4th by pitching wins for their Israeli teams

GEZER, Israel July 4 (Press Release)- There was extra excitement at the ballparks on Wednesday as both games were played during the day in celebration of America's Fourth of July.

Michigan native Jason Benson brought his 'A'-game to Yarkon Field in
celebration of his country's birth, pitching the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox
to a 6-1 victory over the Petach Tikva Pioneers. The win puts the
first place Blue Sox at a perfect 8-0 on the season.

Benson threw a complete game, scattering one earned run on just two
hits while striking out three and walking two. The victory is
Benson's first of the season.

Bet Shemesh's Australian Outfielder Jason Rees slugged his fifth
homer of the season, a 3-run shot in the fourth inning that put the
Blue Sox up 4-0. Designated hitter Gregg Raymundo also had a solid
game, going 2-3 while scoring two runs to go along with one RBI.

Petach Tikva's only run came in the bottom of the fourth when
Australian catcher Michael Olson hit a solo home run to left field for
his first of the season. The loss drops manager Ken Holtzman's
last-place Pioneers to 1-7.

In the day's other game the Modi'in Miracle earned their third win in
a row, beating the Netanya Tigers 6-1 at Gezer Field. This game also
featured excellent pitching from the winning team as San Diego native
Craig Eagle tossed a complete game, giving up four hits and one run
while striking out six and walking none.

Miracle first baseman and IBL first overall pick Aaron Levin
continues to work himself out of his early-season slump. He went 2-3
with four RBI and one run scored, including an RBI-double that put the
Miracle up 1-0 in the first inning and a 3-run home run in the sixth
to put the game away.

Modi'in's Dominican centerfielder Adalberto Paulino raised his
batting average to .353 on the season, going 2-3 with a 2-run double
in the bottom of the fifth inning to break the 1-1 tie. The win moves
manager Art Shamsky's team into a second-place tie with the Tel Aviv
Lightning.

Summaries:
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   R   H   E
Bet Shemesh 2   0   0   4   0   0   0 6   7 3
Petach Tikva   0   0   0   1   0   0   0 1   2 2
W: Jason Benson (1-0); L: Abel Moreno (1-2); HR: Jason Rees (5),
Michael Olson (1)

1   2   3   4   5   6   7   R   H   E
Netanya 0   0   0   1   0   0   0   1   4 0
Modi'in 1   0   0   0   2   3 x   6   7 2
W: Craig Eagle (1-0); L: Justin Prinstein (1-1); HR: Aaron Levin (2)

Standings:
Team W L    %    GB
Bet Shemesh Blue Sox    8    0   1.000 –
Tel Aviv Lightning 4    2 .667    3.0
Modi'in Miracle   4    2 .667    3.0
Netanya Tigers    2    3    .400 4.5
Ra'anana Express    1 6    .143    6.0
Petach Tikva Pioneers   1 7    .125    7.0

Thursday at 5pm the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox host the Modi'in Miracle at
Gezer Field and at Yarkon Field the Ra'anana Express take on the
Petach Tikva Pioneers at 7pm. See www.IsraelBaseballLeague.com
for directions to the fields.

The preceding story was provided by the Israel Baseball League

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'Hidden Christian' adjusts to life as Jew in
Israel, in acclaimed film, Live and Become

By Dov Burt Levy

BOSTON—The film "Live and Become" has been acclaimed by audiences and has won film festival awards in France, Germany and Denmark.

The film tells the story of one Christian boy as he grows from boyhood to manhood, from about age nine to age 35. Yes, he becomes a Jewish Israeli.

We first see him holed up with his Christian family in a Sudanese refugee camp. With them are groups of displaced and struggling black Africans, including Ethiopian Jews (then called Falashas) readying to go to Israel, plus Christians and Muslims displaced by civil war and ethnic cleansing from Sudan and neighboring countries.

When the boy's mother sees a Jewish child die and then sees trucks entering the compound to take Jews to Israel, she finds a way out for her young son. She pushes, nay orders, him to join the woman whose son has died, to go with her to Israel and not to return until he has made himself a new, better life.

The Jewish mother understands the situation, takes the boy, but later when she dies in Israel, the boy is adopted by an Ashkenazi Jewish family.

The film portrays Shlomo's difficult absorption process, as he grows up and becomes an Israeli man in deed and in citizenship. Blending in as an immigrant is difficult under the best of circumstances, but when the subject is a black child from a very different place, a "hidden" Christian at that, the story is compelling.

Some viewers may ask why the movie makes the boy a Christian; Jewish Ethiopian immigrants have their own difficult absorption. That is of course true. Ethiopian Jews have faced opposition from ultra religious politicians who wanted formal conversions done before accepting them as Jews. Making him Christian just emphasizes the plight of the "other," not an uncommon situation that Jews have shared for thousands of years.

The film raises human questions that we all ask at one time or another. Who am I? What am I doing here? Whom can I trust? Whom can I love? What shall I be? What do I owe my family, my group, and my country?

Add to all that memories of the mother who sent him away and from whom he has not heard a word. Bottom line: a satisfying and heart-warming film with a realistic ending.

The key role of Shlomo, the boy and adult, is played by three impressive actors. There are no disappointments either among the actors playing other characters. Good, but imperfect souls, they confront dilemmas, sometimes successfully and sometimes not, but always with a humanity that you will appreciate and understand.

In short, when good movie producers set Shlomo's psychological and physical journey in the midst of Israel's intense and sometimes ferocious daily life, hire excellent actors and set the scenes well, movie goers get a delightful and satisfying movie experience.

Dov Burt Levy is a columnist for the Jewish Journal - Boston North.

Located between Little Italy and Old town above Saffron eatery on the upper terrace of India Street is Wine Vault & Bistro where I recently attended a winemaker dinner hosted by Swanson Vineyards, Napa Valley. I love their 2003 Alexis and wanted to try some of their other wines. For $65, I was introduced to 6 impressive wines (and drinking the equivalent of 230z.) that were paired with 6 different delicious dishes.

Chris Phelps, Swanson’s winemaker and on-the-map icon in the industry, was our guide who generously gave me face time to discuss wines to serve at my summer dinner parties and barbecues. He’s someone to learn from having been trained at Chateau Petrus and having served as winemaker at Dominus Estate and Caymus Vineyards. With each of the six courses, Chris read through his wine notes to help us “students” understand the process he went through for each pairing.

For example, with our eggplant parmigiano he paired the 2003 Swanson Salon Sangiovese (3oz. pour), the closest expression to traditional Brunello to be found in Napa. “The nose of this full-bodied, aromatic wine shows generous up-front raspberry, strawberry, and big cherry fruit with background notes of anise and allspice. Your perfect companion to tomato-based sauces or any dish throwing off generous acidity and spice, the 2003 Sangiovese can be enjoyed through 2010.” Priced at $75/bottle, believe it or not, it was a steal.

My favorite teacher of wine in San Diego is Lisa Redwine (she jokes she married her husband for his name). Lisa is the sommelier at Molly’s Restaurant located on the bayside of the Marriott Harbor Drive. Her signature cocktail, The Boa, is the perfect beginning to any meal with its combination of Domaine Carneros Sparkling, Elysium Black Muscat, and Aqua Perfecta Raspeberry Liqueur. But it’s her “Beyond Brie” wine and cheese hour that continues to capture my attention as she shares the secrets of cheese and wine pairing using her “Ten Commandments for Success!” Learn about them every Saturday from 4:00-5:00pm at Molly’s for $15/per person. Call 619.230.8909 to reserve your seat. Say hi to Lisa for me when you go.

I’ve been spending a lot of early Wednesday evenings at the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center for two reasons: 1) they have a terrific Happy Hour for dog owners and 2) I own 3 black Labs who are well-behaved enough to not embarrass me in public! Co-sponsored by Dog Wash & Pet Supplies this every Wednesday night event from 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm has been a huge success and a great way to meet people, especially those who love the coupling of canines and wine. Set on the huge dog friendly sunset patio, dog owners mix and mingle while enjoying good wine, food, and flattery (my Labs can never get enough rubs and hugs). In addition to food and drink, there’s a drawing for a doggy basket of cool items along with weekly fun doggy activities. Oh, how my dogs whine if their “mom” is deprived of her wine. For More Information, call 619-231-6400 or visit www.sdwineculinary.com...B’Tayavon

Klausner used the first of the Shearith Hapletah volumes to comfort the survivors and inform them of their rights. He assured them that they did not have to return to their former homes; were able to decide the question of their repatriation freely, and not under intimidation from the military that wanted them out of its jurisdiction; and that immigration issues would be resolved on an individual basis when the American Jewish Joint Distribution arrived.

Klausner also declared that the Jews had a right to communicate with their family and relatives. No mail service existed and civilians were prohibited from using the army postal system. Against army regulations, Klausner encouraged the Jewish displaced persons (DPs) to give their mail to camp leaders who then forwarded it to him. He then sent the correspondence under his name and address to the National Jewish Welfare Board in N.Y. to sort and mail to all parts of the world.

Knowing that the army was besieged with requests from DPs of all nationalities, Klausner offered to relieve the military of some its responsibilities for the Jews by creating separate Jewish camps. There they would be protected from harassment from non-Jewish inmates. Klausner also established separate hospitals for the hundreds of Jews who were traumatized by being treated by German physicians.

When Klausner saw Jews at Dachau still dressed in their camp uniforms, forced to live behind barbed wire and those in other areas in Bavaria living in deplorable conditions, he wrote an unauthorized report on June 24, entitled “A Detailed Report on the Liberated Jew As He Now Suffers His Period Of Liberation Under the Discipline of The Armed Forces of the United States.” This prompted American Jewish leaders to ask government agencies to help improve this situation.

When Earl G. Harrison, dean of the University of Pennsylvania, went to Europe to assess the plight of the Jewish DPs, Klausner accompanied him on his tour of the camps, and helped shape his itinerary and his report.

After reading Harrison’s report, President Harry Truman created the position of adviser on Jewish affairs to the commander of the U.S. forces in Europe in August 1945 to address the needs of the Jewish DPs. This gave the Jews an advocate they desperately needed.

Realizing the need for the Jews to be recognized as a separate nationality, Klausner convinced the Americans to allow the DPs to establish an organization to represent them in negotiations with the military. Known as the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Bavaria, the survivors now took responsibility for their future.

Klausner’s Kol Nidre speech at the Opera House in Munich to a capacity crowd of American Jewish soldiers is remembered as an impressive and dramatic event. Next to the podium where he spoke, Klausner had a table with something covered under a white cloth. After describing the plight of the DPs, he uncovered the plate to show what the DP daily rations. He then asked the soldiers to urge their families to send packages for them. Tons of desperately needed items soon began arriving to Klausner and other Jewish chaplains.

When the survivors asked Klausner’s help in establishing Unzer Weg, the largest Yiddish weekly in Germany, he agreed. Viewed by many as their national newspaper, Unzer Weg became a significant link for the survivors and world Jewry.

In the first issue of Unzer Weg, Klausner was paid the highest tribute when the editor wrote: “Rabbi, friend, brother, you have become one of us.” At a time when the survivors needed someone who understood who they were, what they had experienced, and their need to control their own destiny, Rabbi Klausner treated them with respect and dignity. He really had become one of them.

Dr. Grobman wrote about Rabbi Klausner in his book Rekindling The Flame: American Jewish Chaplains and the Survivors of European Jewry 1944-1948 and for the new edition of the Encyclopedia Judaica.

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Entebbe Anniversary
(Continued from above)

On film, we watched as the political leaders of 1976 debated what to do about the Jewish hostages who had been sitting under Ugandan dictator Idi Amin’s guard for days. The familiar faces of Yitzhak Rabin, Yigal Allon, Yitzhak Navon and Shimon Peres flitted across the screen.

Interspersed with film clips, the accomplished singing troupes of several army and air force divisions belted out some of the old rousing Israeli anthems.

President Moshe Katzav thanked those who had liberated the hostages. “We say to the terrorists of today: we did it then and we can do it now if we want.”

Following Katzav’s speech, several minutes of film of former hostages describing their ordeal were screened. The hostages tell of their disbelief that the IDF had sent their forces across the African continent to rescue them. In excruciating detail they calmly recount the selection procedure that separated the Jews and Israelis from the non-Jewish passengers on the Air France flight.

Foreign Minister Shimon Peres rose to speak and chose to address himself to the assembled young soldiers who filled the hall. He urged them not to think of the Entebbe fighters as legendary heroes. “Each of you has the potential to do the same thing,” he said. “You represent the best hope for the people.”

Next on film was a short clip of an interview with a handsome middle-aged civilian who was a pilot of one of the Hercules planes that left the Sirkin air force base for the seven hour trip to Entebbe. “We were so afraid of failure,” he says, his dark eyes looking unflinchingly at the camera. “But on the way back, I felt like it was Pesach. I recalled the words of the Hagaddah: ‘I and no angel: I and no messenger…brought you out of the land of Egypt,’ concluded the pilot who wore no kippa on his silver hair. “If they told me now, 25 years later to go on such a mission, I’d go without hesitation. Ayn Lanu Eretz Acheret—we have no other country,” he said, in a theme that was to echo throughout the evening.

Film interviews with others involved in the rescue followed. Almost all those who played significant roles in Entebbe went on to illustrious military and political careers. We watched as Ehud Barak, Matan Vilnai, Dan Shomron and Ephraim Sneh spoke of their recollections twenty-five years on. Shomron, the overall planner of the operation told the former hostages: “We knew we were endangering you too. No one had any idea how many would fall. You were part of the campaign, you’re part of the fight against terror.”

Two of the paratroopers came on stage to read short statements in their own words about their feelings on the anniversary of the operation. One tall, balding man with a gray mustache said he was disappointed that his teenage son’s classmates knew nothing about Operation Yonatan. “We’re facing the same things today—they need more than virtual Zionism, “ he said.

Benny, a younger man who was only 13 years old when he was taken hostage by the terrorists, told the audience in a trembling voice that he remembers every moment of the torment. “I was a kid who saw death in front of him.”

Tzipi Cohen was only 8 years old when she witnessed her father Pasco bleeding to death as he was accidentally shot by Israeli soldiers in the confusion of the rescue. Pasco Cohen lifted his head to look for his son when the shooting started and became one of four Jewish hostages who perished in Uganda. His daughter ended her brief remarks by reiterating her gratitude to the IDF for saving all the hostages, despite her personal tragedy.

The final segment of the two-hour program was entitled ‘The Price.’ Besides the loss of Yoni Netanyahu and the four hostages, one soldier, Surin Hershko, became a quadriplegic as a result of the injuries he sustained at Entebbe. We watched on screen as Surin used his computer at home. He uses an elongated straw manipulated by his mouth to write on the keyboard. Hershko is completely paralyzed, but rolled to the front of the auditorium in his wheelchair to reminisce about the last time he ran or walked. “I remember what it was to be a fighter,” he recalled.

After presenting Hershko with a special medal commemorating Entebbe, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon delivered a speech that tied Israel’s efforts to combat terror in the 1970s to today’s struggle against the same enemy:

“In these confusing times, when there are those who question our capabilities or the justness of our cause, we return to those few hours when Israel stood up and in the face of the entire community of nations, waged a battle against violence and terrorism, proving that we can win.

These days, when we are in the midst of an ongoing battle against terrorism, violence and incitement, and when we are making a joint national effort to return to political negotiations without fire, we must rekindle the spirit of that operation. The secret of our strength lies in such spirit and faith, and if we learn how to renew it we will be able to meet all the challenges that still lie ahead.”

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If independence means anything any more on Independence Day, then it must be the clear and guiding realization that the intolerable is not tolerable, and will not be tolerated. Relativity is not tolerance. Relativity, instead, undermines thoughtful, informed and realistic tolerance and, indeed, survival.