My daughter's front-row seat to Israeli history
SAN DIEGO—There is still a slight chance, okay very slight, that my daughter
Sandi Masori can actually go to tomorrow's inauguration of Shimon Peres as
president of Israel. Most likely, she'll watch it on television,
notwithstanding some strings being pulled for her. But, either way, she
and her husband, Shahar, and sons Shor and Sky have had front row seats to
Israeli history. Shor, 6, might well remember it. Sky, 4 months,
will be told all about it.
For the last week or so, Sandi and the children have been houseguests of Shor's
and Sky's godparents, veterinarian Yonatan Peres, middle child of the
President-elect, and his wife Sigal. Shor and one supposes, Sky, have been
having a wonderful time getting to know the Peres' two daughters Maya and
Eden. They all have been visiting sights and friends in Israel. Yoni plans to
write some stories about Israel from time to time for San Diego Jewish World,
and as he is a rabid sports fan, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them
will deal with Israeli sports. I've asked Sandi to write a story about the
inauguration if she goes.
The reason chances aren't too high that Sandi will go is that only 950 guests
were invited to the ceremony to be held at the Knesset. Foreign leaders
weren't invited, so that the Israeli character of the proceedings could be
emphasized. The extended Peres family itself received only a limited number of
tickets. As the President-elect and wife Sonya have two other children as
well as grandchildren, and relatives of other descriptions, the family allotment
from Israel's Acting President Dalia Itzik barely covers the clan, much less
visiting family friends from the U.S. So it's very much touch and go.
Yoni has been calling around to other invitees to suggest that in the event
someone can't go, he certainly could use a spare ticket. Like an
inauguration in Washington D.C., such a ceremony in Israel is the kind of event
where people like to be seen. Sandi is not unlike an airline passenger on
standby with a long line ahead of her; nevertheless, the suspense is killing me.
You might say that Yoni's and Sandi's friendship began here in San Diego, thanks
to a slip-up in scheduling. In 1998, Yoni was teaching surgery at the veterinary
school at Hebrew University and was on a fundraising speaking tour of the United
States. I received a telephone call asking whether I'd be interested in
meeting and interviewing him. I decided to follow him around to several
public events. After the first one, Yoni looked around and whoever was
supposed to drive him to the second event wasn't there. "I'm going to be
covering you all day," I volunteered. "You're welcome to come in my car."
He agreed and along the way, we talked about our families. I told him that
Sandi was establishing dual U.S-Israeli citizenship, that she was working as a
balloon artist in Israel, and also that she recently had appeared on the Dudu
Topaz Show there.
"I saw her," he exclaimed, describing her balloons and noting that her Hebrew
still needed work. "Give me her phone number and I will tell her I met
you." I did and he did, and before long he took on the role of mentor and
confidant to Sandi. "What are you doing for Passover?" he asked her.
"Not much," she said. "Then come for seder with my family." After
she accepted, she realized what that meant. She phoned from Israel to say
how nervous she was at the prospect of meeting Shimon Peres. Why? I
countered, pointing out that she had been exposed to politicians her whole life.
I even took a picture once of then-Gov. Jerry Brown kissing her when she was two
years old. "Politicians, yes," she responded. "But I've never been
with a Nobel Peace Prize winner before!" She had a point there.
(Jump to continuation)
(Return to top)
A Dead Sea Scrolls
lecture reunites San Diego family with an old friend, Prof. Shalom Paul
By
Eileen Wingard
SAN DIEGO—Speaking without notes, Professor Shalom Paul of the Hebrew University
in Jerusalem delivered an inspiring lecture on "The Ever-Alive Dead Sea
Scrolls." His was the first in a series that will span the entire six-month Dead
Sea Scroll Exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum. As Chairman of the
Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation, Professor Paul was a fitting choice for the July 9
inaugural address. He has spoken at all previous exhibits in North America.
He lauded the San Diego Dead Sea Scroll Exhibit and curator Dr. Risa Levitt Kohn
for her outstanding work. In addition to the creative displays and illuminating
information, the exhibit marks the first time that scrolls from Israel and
Jordan are displayed together.
Professor Paul structured his lecture like a four-movement symphony. First, he
spoke about the discovery and study of the scrolls. Paul described the Bedouin
goat-herd’s monumental discovery when he threw a pebble into the cave, breaking
a tall pot that housed a scroll. The lecturer told of the Hebrew University’s
Archeology Professor Eliezer Sukenik’s authentication of the scrolls hours
before the first shots were fired in Israel’s war of independence. And Paul
related the coincidence, six years later, of Sukenik’s son, Archeologist Yigal
Yadin, being in New York and reading a for-sale ad in the Wall Street Journal
for three of the scrolls. Through a proxy, Yadin was
able to purchase those scrolls for Israel.
Paul also explained the many techniques used to reassemble scroll fragments.
Through examining the language in which a fragment is written (Hebrew, Aramaic
or Greek); understanding the context of the writing; analyzing the scribe’s
handwriting; establishing, through carbon dating, the time it was written; and
identifying, through DNA testing, the animal from which the parchment derived;
the Dead Sea Scroll scholars are able to piece together the challenging puzzles.
In the second section of his talk, Paul focused on the inhabitants of Qumran.
From written documents by the group’s contemporaries such as the historian
Josephus, and through archeological evidence such as the system of cisterns and
the size of their communal buildings, Paul concludes that they could not have
numbered more than 150. He speculates that they were extremely pious and pure.
Their water system included three ritual baths. Paul believes that the people
were of priestly descent, pushed aside by the Maccabbean ascension to the
priesthood at the temple in Jerusalem.
(Jump to
continuation)
(Return to top)
Research on 1,800 women with breast cancer
shows little differences in survival rates
HAIFA (Press Release)—The survival
rate of women with a genetic mutation that leads to breast cancer is as good as
that of women who are not carriers of this mutation.
This was the result of research conducted by the Community Medicine and
Epidemiology Department of the National Israel Cancer Control Center of the
Clalit Health Services in Carmel Medical Center and the Technion’s Rappaport
Faculty of Medicine.
The research team was headed by Prof. Gad Rennert and worked in cooperation with
Prof. Steven Narod of the University of Toronto in Canada. The comprehensive
research, which included 1,800 women with breast cancer, found that women who
carry genetic mutations that cause breast cancer should be related to
differently from non-carriers with breast cancer. The result of the research,
which was financed by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), was published
this week in the leading medical journal “New England Journal of Medicine.”
“The research’s
main finding is that, contrary to expectations, there is no difference in the
survival rate between women who carry the genetic mutations and those who do
not,” says Prof.Rennert. “This is despite the fact that women carriers with the
disease have clinical characteristics that are more severe, including a lack of
estrogen receptors in the tumor and tumors that are generally of a lower level
of differentiation. These characteristics are generally connected with lower
survival rates. It was found that, contrary to what is commonly accepted, the
size of the tumor does not affect survival in non-carrier women and there was an
indication that chemotherapy in women carriers is of far greater benefit than
for non-carriers, with a difference in possible risk of death difference of up
to 50%. This research, for the first time, demonstrates the frequency of genetic
mutations unique to Jews, both Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi. It was found that
the mutation also occurs in about 7% of Jewish women of Iraqi origin and is
concentrated in one gene – BRCA1. In women with BRCA1, the cancer was detected
at a better stage than in the general population. However, women with the
mutation in the BRCA2 gene had a much lower rate of cancer detection in the
disease’s first stage. Women carriers were f ound to have a much lower rate of
positive estrogen receptors (24% as opposed to 65% among non-carriers).” The
presence of estrogen receptors is very important in determining a woman’s
fitness for hormone treatments.
To date, two genes
have been discovered with mutations that significantly increase the risk of
getting breast and ovarian cancer. Among Ashkenazi Jews and those of Iraqi
origin, it was found that these mutations are responsible for about 10% of the
overall cases of breast cancer. The research reveals that it is very important
to individually evaluate women carriers with respect to surgery and oncology in
order to ensure a higher survival rate. “For women with a family history of
breast and/or ovarian cancer, especially if there are a number of cases in the
family or the disease appeared at a young age, it is recommend to get
appropriate counseling,” says Prof. Rennert.
“Following counseling and genetic screening of the genes involved in this
syndrome, we can tailor a treatment package which will significantly reduce the
chances of getting cancer and will increase the possibility of early detection.”
(Return to top)
For Hebrew U students, it will be G-mail
for life
JERUSALEM (Press
Release)—Hebrew University students will now be able to use their university
e-mail accounts for life – with the help of Gmail. The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem is the first academic institution in Israel to join other institutions
around the world that are collaborating with Google and adopting Gmail as an
e-mail system for its students.
University email addresses will accompany the 24,000 students currently studying
on campus once they complete their studies, thus enabling the university to keep
in touch with them after graduation. In the future, 100,000 graduates are
expected to join the system. All users will retain the university domain name '@huji.ac.il'
in their e-mail address, while enjoying the benefits that Gmail has to offer.
Every student will receive a username and password from the university enabling
them to choose from several interface languages.
''We are happy about the cooperation with Google and expect that the move to
Gmail will improve the management of communication between the university and
the students,'' said Elhanan Hacohen, Vice President and Director-General of the
Hebrew University. ''The students will enjoy all the advantages of large storage
space, a popular interface, advanced e-mail search options, increased spam
protection and other applications with the address of the Hebrew University,
which they will be able to use after graduating.''
Riki Drori, director of marketing at Google Israel, said, ''We are excited about
this joint cooperation with an institution like the Hebrew University and
identify with its vision of utilizing technology for the empowerment of its
students' lives and as a basis for building a long-term network system for its
alumni.''
The preceding story was provided by Hebrew
University
(Return to top)
No accident that Shinar
tapped as head of road safety
BEER
SHEVA, Israel (Press Release)—Prof. David Shinar from Ben-Gurion University of
the Negev has been appointed the new Chief Scientist of Israel’s National Road
Safety Authority as of August 1.
The Road Safety Authority is responsible for the coordination of all government
activities to increase highway traffic safety. In confirming the appointment,
Director-General of the Authority Lior Carmel commented that “this is a man who
has researched driver and pedestrian behavior and the cause of road accidents
for more than 30 years. He is one of the top researchers in Israel and the world
in the area of human factors in road accidents.”
He added that “the
appointment reflects a huge leap in the level of our activities” and
demonstrates the Authority’s desire to “recruit the best people for road
safety.” The appointment was announced by Minister of Transportation Shaul Mofaz
on the recommendation of the director of the board of the Road Safety Authority
Dr. Yoav Sarne.
Shinar, a professor
in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management and incumbent of the
George Shrut Chair in Human Performance Management, is a graduate of the Hebrew
University in Jerusalem. He earned his doctorate in Psychology and Engineering
from the Ohio State University. At BGU, he established a driver behavior
research program that includes a laboratory with a full size state-of-the-art
driving simulator and an eye movements tracking system. Several of his past
graduate students are now faculty members at the university and are involved in
expanding this line of research.
Shinar is a member of
the executive board of the International Council for Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic
Safety, an honorary fellow of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of
America and a recipient of the Society’s A.R. Lauer Award for his contributions
to highway traffic safety.
Upon hearing of his
appointment, Shinar said that his goal in this new position will be to “promote
science-based and knowledge-based decisions and activities.” Toward this end, he
will “assume responsibility for the management and development of relevant
databases; the planning of long-term and short term research to identify causes
of and countermeasures to road accidents and injuries; and the provision of
scientific evaluations of safety activities.” In addition he hopes to institute
evaluation research as a standard component of most of the Authority’s
activities in order to assess their benefits and relative efficiency in
improving highway safety.
The preceding story was provided by Ben Gurion
University of the Negev
(Return
to top)
Boxer and Feinstein back legislation to name
U.S. post office branch for singer Buck Owens
WASHINGTON, D.C
(Press Release) – U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein,
both California Democrats, introduced legislation on Friday, July 13, to honor
country western legend Buck Owens by designating the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 118 Minner Avenue in Bakersfield, California,
as the “Buck Owens Post Office.”
Owens was one of
the pioneers of the so-called Bakersfield Sound, which brought a fresh
California tone to country music. In 1950, Buck moved his young family to
Bakersfield, California, where he began to make his mark on country music as a
performer, a songwriter, and recording artist. His 20 number-one hits are a
testament to his place among the greatest artists in country music history.
Boxer said, “I was
fortunate to have met Buck ten years ago when I was invited to Bakersfield to
present one of his special red, white, and blue guitars to a promising music
student named William Villatoro. I still vividly remember how the young man was
deeply moved and inspired by Buck’s generous gesture. Although he is no longer
with us, Buck leaves behind a wonderful legacy of artistry and love of music. I
am proud to introduce this legislation in his honor.”
Feinstein said,
“This post office will serve as a fitting tribute to Buck’s contributions to
country music and to Bakersfield. I am delighted to join my colleague, Senator
Boxer, in co-sponsoring this legislation.”
The preceding story was
provided by the office of Senator Barbara Boxer
(Return to top)
Senator Sanders will oppose nomination of
Dr. Holsinger as next U.S. surgeon general
WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release)—Senator
Bernie Sanders (Independent, Vermont) announced Thursday, July 12, that he
would vote against confirmation of President Bush's nominee for surgeon general
because he is unconvinced that Dr. James W. Holsinger would withstand pressure
from White House political operatives who muzzled the last surgeon general.
Sanders, a member of the Senate Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, announced his decision after a
confirmation hearing. Holsinger was questioned about his independence in light
of revelations earlier this week that Dr. Richard Carmona, whose term expired in
July, was silenced by the Bush administration on embryonic stem cell research,
mental health care, smoking and other health issues. He also was ordered to
insert President Bush’s name at least three times on each page of his speeches,
a demand Sanders called “outrageous.”
Sanders said: “At a time when the
administration muzzled the previous surgeon general, censored his remarks,
controlled his travel, and – unbelievably – told him how many times in a page he
had to mention President Bush, we need a surgeon general who is prepared to
stand up to an extremely ideological administration and resist that pressure. We
need a surgeon general who will stand up for the scientific and medical needs of
the American people. While I was impressed by his intelligence and with some of
his positions on issues, I simply do not believe that Dr. Holsinger is the right
person for this important position at this moment in American history.”
The
preceding story was provided by the office of Senator Bernie Sanders
(Return
to top)
Latin America
& Caribbean |
Dear Readers,
Along with my husband Don, I co-publish San Diego
Jewish World. As a couple we have gone to many places. Cruising ranks
at the top of our list of favorite ways to travel.
Watch this ad for a different cruising photo
each day. A similar adventure can
be yours!
Anderson Travel, with which I'm affiliated,
is a multi-branched travel agency that is able to provide you both good prices and
good service. Before you book anywhere else, please ask me for a price
comparison.
Please call me at (619) 265-0808 for information about booking a cruise from San
Diego or anywhere. Or email me at
sdheritage@cox.net
Thank you!
Nancy Harrison
|
Adventures in Cruising
Aboard Holland America Ryndam
San Diego to Mexico cruising
Watermelon carving aboard
Ryndam
Thanks to Abe & Bea Goldberg of San
Diego and
Ruth Kropveld of Cincinnati for sharing their family
cruise photos!
|
Commentary
Your letters to
sdheritage@cox.net, or to San Diego
Jewish World, PO Box 19363,
San Diego, CA,
(USA) 92119. Please include the name of the city where you live.
|
Far better to be a 'coach' than to be a 'rescuer'
LA
JOLLA—When your kids or grandkids can’t get it right the first time, do you do
it for them? When your husband procrastinates with the dishes, do you go ahead
and wash them? When your wife does not understand how to program the VCR, do you
take over? When people around you have problems for which they could find
solutions with some research, do you take it upon yourself to resolve the
problem? If you answered yes to these questions, you are a rescuer.
A rescuer
is a person who does for others what they could learn to do for themselves.
Rescuers feel good about themselves because they believe they are being helpful.
Some of those who have been rescued love their rescuers because they do not have
to work as hard. So what is wrong with rescuing? In time, the rescuers become
overloaded, get tired of doing all the work and take it out on the rescued, who
do not understand the sudden change in attitude. When family members, friends
and employees are used to being helped instead of taught how to help themselves,
they learn to expect this help, become dependent upon it and will feel anger at
their former rescuer for not doing it anymore.
This kind
of dependence is called “learned helplessness,” because the people involved are
in fact not helpless to begin with, but become so when not expected to perform
on their own. Many of us head committees with individuals assigned to specific
tasks. Not confronting the person when realistic objectives are not being met
and withholding feedback so as not to hurt the person, also withholds the
possibility of improvement, growth and development.
If someone
does not complete his or her project on time, do you stay up late and finish it
yourself instead of figuring out together what the problem is? It is surprising
how many people complain they have too much work while constantly rescuing the
individuals they have delegated the tasks to by doing their work for them.
Every time
someone asks you a question, ask what solutions he or she has considered. If
someone doesn’t know how to operate something, train him or her. What seems like
taking too much time now will save you time one hundred-fold later.
So don’t
pat yourself on the back for being such a nice person. Many rescuers create
dependence because they want to be loved, appreciated and needed. Some of these
may be valid reasons, but the greatest gift anyone can give to another person is
the gift of self-help.
The three
rules to avoid learned helplessness are:
Hold
people accountable for their assignments.
Set
realistic completion dates and stick to them.
Expect
people to find solutions to their problems.
A word of
caution—if you have been a habitual rescuer, stopping the behavior will make
people angry at you for not being there for them as they have been used to. If
you change your behavior, you need to explain why you are doing it and what the
long-term benefits will be.
Going from
rescuer to coach may not be an easy leap, but the rewards are great. Most people
prefer to be challenged, and when people learn to think for themselves, they
will become more independent and productive.
And this
goes for your children and grandchildren too. But you must expect balking at
first, so you will have to repeat again and again what needs to be learned,
tolerate mistakes, and be ready to reward success with praise.
It is the
same on the home front. Men can learn to go grocery shopping and return with the
correct items, women can learn to fix things around the house, and even youR
sister-in-law can be taught to program the VCR.
So instead
of a rescuer, become a coach, become a teacher, and you will both gain in the
process.
This
column also appears in the current issue of the La Jolla Light
(Return to top)
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Jews
in the News
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
|
*Hedge fund manager Steven A.
Cohen's exhibit of a 13-foot tiger shark suspended in formaldehyde is
going on exhibit Aug. 29 at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Bloomberg News
story is in today's Los Angeles Times.
*Notwithstanding legislative progress
by U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein
(Democrats, California), reported here yesterday, the proposed subway under
Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, faces a tremendous obstacle: it
would cost an estimated $5 billion. The
story by Ari Bloomekatz and Steve Hymon is in today's Los Angeles
Times.
*U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (Democrat, Michigan) is co-author of a bill
similar to one passed by the House of Representatives to mandate a troop
withdrawal from Iraq. Republican Senators Richard Lugar of Indiana and
John Warner of Virginia want President Bush to submit a plan by the end of
the year for troop withdrawal. What impact the Republican measure may
have on support for the Democratic measure is a question Capitol Hill
reporters now are trying to assess. The story by Noam N. Levey and Julian E.
Barnes is in today's Los Angeles Times.
*Ed Mirvish,
the discount store operator who became a major force in theatre in Toronto,
Canada, has died at age 92. An
obituary by Reuters is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. We
also provide
a
link to a 1999 feature on "Honest Ed," written for the late San Diego
Jewish-Press Heritage by Donald H. Harrison, editor and publisher of
San Diego Jewish World.
*U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, (Democrat,
California) says the White House has acted inappropriately in refusing to
turn over requested documents to various committees of Congress, including
his House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The latest instance was
a refusal to turn over documents concerning the friendly fire death in
Afghanistan of Pat Tillman, who volunteered for duty after 9/11 and gave up
an NFL contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Associated Press
story by Scott Lindlaw is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.
(Return to top)
________________________
Click the ad above to go to the "I'm there for you baby" website
SUNROAD—Aaron Feldman, owner of Sunroad Enterprises, is the subject of a
pair of negative commentary in today's
letter section of the San Diego Union-Tribune. But in the same
column the architecture of the top two stories that have been ordered torn down
from his building near Montgomery Field have received praise.
(Return to top)
'Junk
DNA' better described as 'DNA punctuation'
By Debra Kain
LA JOLLA (Press Release)—Scientists have only recently begun to speculate that
what’s referred to as “junk” DNA – the 96 percent of the human genome that
doesn’t encode for proteins and previously seemed to have no useful purpose – is
present in the genome for an important reason. But it wasn’t clear what the
reason was. Now, researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
School of Medicine have discovered one important function of so-called junk DNA.
Genes, which make up about four percent of the genome, encode for proteins, “the
building blocks of life.” An international collaboration of scientists led by
Michael G. Rosenfeld, M.D., Howard Hughes Medical Investigator and UCSD
professor of medicine, found that some of the remaining 96 percent of genomic
material might be important in the formation of boundaries that help properly
organize these building blocks. Their work will be published in the July 13
issue of the journal Science.
“Some of the ‘junk’ DNA might be considered ‘punctuation marks’ – commas and
periods that help make sense of the coding portion of the genome,” said first
author Victoria Lunyak, Ph.D., assistant research scientist at UCSD.
In mice, as in humans, only about 4 percent of the genome encodes for protein
function; the remainder, or “junk” DNA, represents repetitive and non-coding
sequences. The research team studied a repeated genomic sequence called SINE
B2, which is located on the growth hormone gene locus, the gene related to the
aging process and longevity. The scientists were surprised to find that SINE B2
sequence is critical to formation of the functional domain boundaries for this
locus.
Functional domains are stretches of DNA within the genome that contain all the
regulatory signals and other information necessary to activate or repress a
particular gene. Each domain is an entity unto itself that is defined, or
bracketed, by a boundary, much as words in a sentence are bracketed by
punctuation marks. The researchers’ data suggest that repeated genomic
sequences might be a widely used strategy used in mammals to organize functional
domains.
“Without boundary elements, the coding portion of the genome is like a long,
run-on sequence of words without punctuation,” said Rosenfeld.
Decoding the information written in “junk” DNA could open new areas of medical
research, particularly in the area of gene therapy. Scientists may find that
transferring encoding genes into a patient, without also transferring the
surrounding genomic sequences which give structure or meaning to these genes,
would render gene therapy ineffective.
Contributors to the paper include Lluis Montoliu, Rosa Roy and Angel Garcia-Díaz
of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centro Nacional de
Biotecnología in Madrid, Spain; Christopher K. Glass, M.D., Ph.D., UCSD
Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine; Esperanza Núñez, Gratien G.
Prefontaine, Bong-Gun Ju, Kenneth A. Ohgi, Kasey Hutt, Xiaoyan Zhu and Yun Yung,
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular Medicine, UCSD School
of Medicine; and Thorsten Cramer, Division of Endocrinology, UCSD Department of
Medicine.
The research was funded in part by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the
National Institutes of Health.
The preceding
story was provided by the University of California at San Diego
(Return to top)
The Jewish Sports Fan
|
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.
Green and Schoeneweis fare better than rest of the Mets
ON THE BASEBALL FIELD—Friday was a good day for
Shawn Green and
Scott Schoeneweis, if not for their New York Mets, as both turned
in fine performances during the Mets' 8-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Green
went 2-4 as a batter, and augmented his offensive contribution with his 7th
stolen base of the season. His batting average is now .275 Reliever
Schoeneweis pitched just one inning, but he retired the side with no runs and no
hits. His ERA is 5.09 ...
Kevin Youkilis hit his 23rd double, and participated defensively in two
double plays, but his Boston Red Sox were defeated 6-5 by the Toronto Blue Jays.
With his .324 batting average,
Youkilis has slipped to 8th position in the roster of the
American League's top batters (The stats on the league leaders can be
found below the summaries of the Los Angeles Angeles/ Texas Rangers game in
today's San Diego Union-Tribune.)... Los Angeles Dodger
Mike Lieberthal got some time behind the plate as a relief catcher for
Russell Martin, but none at the plate as a batter during a game in which the
Dodgers bombed the San Francisco Giants 9-1.
OFF THE BASEBALL FIELD—New York Yankee Jason
Giambi complied yesterday with Baseball Commissioner
Bud Selig's order that he meet with former U.S. Senate Majority Leader
George Mitchell to discuss steroid use in the league. Following the
meeting neither of the principals nor Selig had any comment. ...We told you
yesterday that Florida Marlins owner David Samson had expressed
incredulity over a report that the Seattle Mariners might pay as much as $100
million for a five year contract extension to Ichiro Suzuki. Well it
turned out it was only $90 million; will that make Samson feel any better?
(Return to top)
_____________
{Marc Kligman, who combines being a
sports agent with his life as an observant Jew, invites you to listen. Click on
the ad above for more information}
______________________________
Avenue Q: 'Sesame Street' for grown-ups
SAN DIEGO—If you are stubborn like yours truly and decided to wait for Avenue
Q to come to our fair city rather than going to someone else’s fair city to
see it, wait no longer. It recently opened downtown at the beautiful Spreckels
Theatre on Broadway and plays through Aug. 5th. The Globe is producing the West
Coast premiere of this Tony Award winning musical as an addition to it’s summer
series.
“The Globe’s relationship with the Spreckles dates back to 1978 when the
Spreckles graciously hosted the Globe’s 1978-’79 winter season following the
devastating fire in The Old Globe Theatre”.
Years ago, I used to see plays there as well as the old Fox Theatre (now home to
Symphony Hall) which were brought in as part of The Playgoers Series, a
precursor to Broadway/San Diego. For Louis Spisto, executive director of The Old
Globe producing Avenue Q at the Spreckles rather in its own space made
sense since Q is a show for downtown audiences as well as for the Globe’s. And
it’s a happy reunion for both the Globe and Spreckels owner Jacqie Littlefield.
Avenue Q with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez, book by Jeff Whitty and
based on an original concept by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, a friend confided to
me, is an equal opportunity offender: Jews, Blacks, Gays, Republicans, big
companies, bosses are all fair game. “Everybody’s a Little Bit Racist” goes one
of the songs in a parody to the above mentioned groups. But I get ahead of
myself.
Picture an episode of Sesame Street for adults. That’s right, an adult
puppet show (puppets are conceived and designed by Rick Lyon) that is a take off
of the popular kids anthem, "Sesame Street." There are ten character puppets and
four puppeteers, all worth their weight in gold and all either from the Broadway
or Wynn cast in Vegas.
The setup is pretty simple, Princeton (Robert McClure), a recent college
graduate can find neither work nor an affordable place in which to live. His
city could be any big city. Princeton begins looking for an apartment on ‘Avenue
A’ and the best he can afford is on Avenue Q, a low rent, cleverly designed
tenement neighborhood (Anna Louizos) where like folks, who are out of work,
looking for work or in low paying jobs just getting by, live.
And you guessed it. Here we have the cross section of Americana: Gary Coleman
(Carla Renata) is the Black super; Rod, a conservative, closet gay, Republican
investment banker and Nicky, who is between jobs, a slob and gay, are
roommates; Brian (Cole Porter) is a wannabe comedian and Christmas Eve (Angela
Ai) are the interracial couple; Kate Monster (Kelli Sawyer) is an assistant
kindergarden teacher), and Lucy (Kelli Sawyer) is a ‘girl gone wild’ entertainer
(read slut). Other puppets shown are Trekki Monster and a pair of good news,
bad news bears. And of course, Rod.
There are a few ‘what to do’ and ‘how to’ questions hanging out to dry that move
the story along. For instance, “What is their purpose?” and “What do they do now
that we are grown up and need to fend for themselves?” From the opening song,
“Can’t pay the bills yet/ ‘cause I don’t have the skills yet” to “It Sucks to be
Me” to “The Internet is for Porn” to the little ‘how to’ videos that drop down
from time to time, to first time sex (with the puppets of course and…somewhat
graphic, I might add.), to love and rejection to coming out, are all on the line
A
biggie was the Jewish wedding between Christmas Tree and Brian with the Black
preacher officiating under the Chuppa. Christmas Tree had a white gown with
flashing lights under her organdy skirt, as in Christmas Tree. And the message?
Even a Jew and a non Jew can get married under the Chuppa with the bride wearing
a Christmas tree for a gown. And, of course, everyone wore a yarmulke.
That’s life in the Big City or on Avenue Q!
Fun? Yes! Add to the entertainment, the excitement of theatre downtown and some
great acting, and puppetry and a good time was had by all. Christian Anderson
who played several of the puppets is outstanding as is Kelli Sawyer who is both
Lucy and Kate Monster. There were a few weaker links in the character and actor
playing Brian (Cole Porter). He just didn’t seem to gel with the others and his
counterpart, Angela Ai as Christmas Tree was a little off in both Japanese and
Korean accents and it was difficult understanding her.. Director Jason Moore,
choreographer Ken Robertson, lighting designer Howell Binkley and Mirena Rada,
costume designer all deserve Bravos!
From San Diego the tour continues to San Francisco, Los Angeles and zig zags
back and forth across the country landing in Milwaukee in February.
For more information call 619-23GLOBE or theoldglobe.org.
See you at the theatre.
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Front Row Seat...
(Continued
from above)
Sandi went to the seder at
Shimon and Sonya Peres' home, where to her relief they had Haggadot in
English and Hebrew. When it was her turn to read, Sandi, of course,
read in English, and Shimon Peres playfully congratulated her on her
facility in that language. The story is similar to one
told
on these pages yesterday by Dov Burt Levy. After dinner, Sandi
made balloon hats, swords, cartoon characters, and other creations for the
Peres grandchildren—one of whom walked over to the illustrious grandfather
and stuffed a balloon hat on his head. "Wow! What a photo for my
brochure!" Sandi enthused. The former Prime Minister and future
President wagged his finger at her, "No, no," he cautioned. Can't say
I blame him.
Anyway, after that, there were other occasions of social interaction with
Shimon Peres not only for Sandi, but for the rest of our family. However, we
cannot claim to be friends of his. Honestly I doubt if he would
remember us at all unless Yoni first whispered in his ear. He meets so
many people, impressing each one with his graciousness. My apolitical
daughter describes the relationship aptly: "For other people, Yoni is the
son of Shimon, but for me Shimon is the father of Yoni."
When Sandi married Shahar Masori here in San Diego in January of 2000, Yoni
served as a member of the wedding party, and eight days after Shor was born
in 2001, Yoni was the sandak at Shor's brit milah. We figured that as
a veterinarian, Yoni would not be squeamish, but he said later he almost
fainted. A case of emotional projection, no doubt. Rabbi Moishe Leider
did a wonderful job as the mohel. One of our treasured photos is a
picture of Shor as a tyke sitting on Shimon Peres' lap during his first
visit to Israel.
Yoni went from the Hebrew University to chief veterinarian of the Israel
Guide Dog Center and now owns his own veterinary hospital at the Hayarok
Agricultural School, north of Tel Aviv. For many years he has had a
miniature pinscher by name of "Tempo," whom he adopted after someone brought
the little dog to Hebrew University to be "put down" because its fourth leg
dragged behind him. Other than that deformity, Tempo was perfectly
healthy and Yoni couldn't bear the idea of euthanizing him. Now Tempo
rides with Yoni almost everywhere. One time my wife Nancy was looking after
Tempo in Israel, and took him with her wherever she went. She reported
to us that Tempo really loves to shop!
When Yoni was courting Sigal Shalev, then employed at the Consulate General
of Israel in Los Angeles, there was a time when he thought that he would
lose her. Greatly depressed, he drove down here from Los Angeles, not
knowing what to do or to think. Not having yet met Sigal, I gave Yoni
the dumb advice that surely there were other women to date. I didn't
realize then how deeply he loved her. Now, neither he nor Sigal will
ever let me forget my ill-chosen words of advice. If anyone in similar
circumstances should come to you, please don't make my mistake. Just
shut up and listen!
Notwithstanding the faux pas, I was still on good enough grounds with Yoni
and Sigal that I got to attend the henna for Sigal before their wedding, and
later to be in attendance at their wedding. During the time leading up
to the ceremony, I also did some touring of Israel with Yoni and Sigal, even
as Sandi, Shor and Sky are doing now. Shahar gets to fly in and out of
Israel for his job, so he is able to join the fun on layovers.
Now, we're waiting the next chapter of the story. Like millions of
well-wishers around the world, Nancy and I also want to wish Shimon Peres a
mazal tov on becoming the president of Israel. We also want to
congratulate Israel's Knesset on having elected a man of such unparalleled
decency and standing.
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Scrolls Lecture...
(Continued from above)
The third section of
Paul’s lecture dealt with the scroll discoveries’ impact on our knowledge of
Judaism. Although most of Qumran’s Hebrew Bible scrolls have the same wording
as today’s Hebrew Bible, there are some significant differences. Paul gave two
examples. In Genesis 46:27, our Hebrew Bible states that the number of people
from Canaan who entered Egypt with Jacob was 70 (three score and ten). In the
Qumran scroll, the number is 75. In today’s Hebrew Bible, there are 150
psalms. In the Qumran scrolls, there are 151 psalms. Paul concluded that these
discrepancies indicate that the Jewish Torah was not yet canonized at that time.
The final section of Paul’s lecture was about the relationship of the scrolls to
Christianity. Although evidence indicates that these scrolls were written
before the New Testament, it is interesting that scrolls other than those of the
Hebrew Bible contained concepts that permeate Christianity. One of the scrolls
refers to a "son of light." There are references to the duality of "good and
evil." There is also mention of predetermination. These are all concepts which
were not part of Rabbinic Judaism.
The lecture was a clear and ardently delivered presentation which served as an
excellent preview for those who had not yet seen the exhibit and a marvelous
summary for those of us who had experienced the remarkable display. The Dead Sea
Scrolls Exhibit is another testament to the high degree of culture in San Diego
and the great esteem San Diego is held in the world of letters.
A Personal Note About Our Friendship With Professor Shalom Paul—During
the brief question and answer period, my daughter Harriet posed a question. She
came to visit from Portland in time to attend the lecture of her former
professor. Paul was one of her teachers when she was studying at the Hebrew
University during her junior year abroad from Amherst College.
We had an opportunity to chat with Shalom Paul before the lecture, recalling
that our families have had connections for many years. When my sister Zina
Schiff was studying violin at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, his parents
befriended Zina and our mother Rose. Once, while doing reserve duty in the
Negev, Shalom Paul heard on the radio that Zina was scheduled to solo with the
Haifa Orchestra. He drove north clear across the country to arrive in Haifa in
time to
hear her performance.
The compelling lecturer was a frequent speaker at the Brandeis-Bardin Institute
when my eldest daughter Myla worked there. And when Shalom Paul’s son Ben Zion
first came to Southern California to study, he stayed at our place for several
weeks.
Attending Shalom Paul’s remarkable lecture served as a welcome reunion with an
outstanding speaker and scholar whom we have been privileged to know as a dear
friend.
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