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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
FRIDAY, SEPT. 26-SUNDAY, OCT. 5 LYRIC OPERA'S CANDIDE
MON., SEPT. 29-THURS., OCT. 9 Congregation Beth Israel High Holiday Services
JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Ways that you may contribute for the relief of Hurricane Ike victims
SOILLE SAN DIEGO HEBREW DAY SCHOOL
FROM THE GATES OF THE NEGEV
Chance meeting in San Diego topic of amazement in Kibbutz Kfar Aza
By Ulla Hadar
 KIBBUTZ AZA, Israel—Back at her job as a nurse at the clinic in this kibbutz smack against the Gaza border, Gila Peled, 44, is still telling the story of her recent accidental meeting in San Diego with Dr. Ronit Lev, a physician at Murphy Scripps Hospital and a donor to the very bullet-proof clinic where Lev works.
Peled, along with her husband Izhar and sons Daniel,13, and Rotem 5 and two other families took a four week American vacation, allocating a week for San Diego at the end of their trip. A travelling companion, Neta Baton, developed an infection, which she tried to treat with over-the-counter remedies. After two weeks as the infection grew worse, it was decided that she should seek treatment from a doctor, so that stronger, prescription medicine might be brought into play
The two Israeli women checked their car’s GPS system to find a hospital near their hotel. Four kilometers away was Murphy Scripps Hospital where they were accepted into the emergency room and where a doctor told them the results of the test would be back in a half hour. “It can take up to a week before similar tests are returned in Israel,” Peled said in admiration.
While the two women were waiting, Peled thought that another doctor she noticed look familiar. Approaching her, she asked in English if she had ever been in Israel. Turning around Dr. Lev exclaimed, “I know you—we met in Kibbutz Kfar Aza!” The two women, excitedly exchanging hugs, could not believe their chance meeting in a big city like San Diego.
After Baton was successfully treated, Lev and Peled decided to keep in touch, expressing the desire to develop their relationship both personally and professionally.
Along with her husband, Dr. Stephen Lee, Dr. Lev had been a major donor to the emergency medical center in Kfar Aza’s clinic. The center was named during a ceremony in 2004 for her father-in-law Robert Lee. It was then that the two women had first met.
The center has been specially outfitted to provide quick response times. Its equipment includes a defibrillator, an EKG machine and advance electrical and lighting systems for triage and trauma rooms. Total cost was 350,000 shekels, of which Drs Lev and Lee provided about half the amount. Other contributors are the Jewish Agency, the Home Front Command, the Ciallit Health Fund, and Kibbutz Kfar Aza itself. Lev is a former Israeli and she and her husband became aware of the need for the clinic thanks to the partnership relationship between the Sha’ar Hanegev municipality and the United Jewish Federation of San Diego.
At the emergency medical center, multiple patients can be treated quickly prior to their evacuation to a full-fledged hospital. The medical staff includes a doctor and another nurse, who, like Peled, have been trained in trauma medicine and live on the kibbutz.
The residents of other kibbutzim and moshavim near Kfar Aza also use the clinic for ongoing health services.
Peled said during their group’s week-long stay in San Diego, they visited Balboa Park on a Sunday that Palestine was featured at the House of Pacific Relations. They were surprised by the displays of Palestinian flags and the sale of Palestinian foods under a tent. They were pleased to see that nearby Israel has its own cottage and even more so when they saw that the flag of Sha’ar Hanegev was on display.
However, the volunteer guide on duty that day knew little about Sha’ar Hanegev, and Peled said she felt amazed and proud when her son Daniel began explaining in English much of the background and details of the Sha’ar Henegev communities.
CATERING BY CHARLES RUBIN
Now, Catering for the High Holidays!
 Taigelach per dozen, $20 ... Kigel per 1/2 lb., $10
Crispy Kigel, 1/2 lb., $10 ... Chopped Herring per lb., $10
Danish Herring per lb., $10 ... Creamed Herring per lb, $10
Mock crayfish per lb., $10 ... Chopped Liver per lb., $10
Gefilte Fish each, $4 ... Perogen per dozen, $18
Brisket (tomato, mushroom sauce), $6.50 per person
Hawaiian or Roast Chicken, $4.75 per person ... Teriyaki Salmon, $6.50 per person ...
Potato or Lokshen Kugel ... Baby Roast Potatoes ... Assorted Grilled Vegetables ...
$20 (10 servings); $35 (18 servings); $50 (30 servings)
TEMPLE SOLEL High Holy Day Greetings
SEACREST VILLAGE RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES
THE JEWISH CITIZEN
Jewish advocate for Mt. Soledad Cross seeks community votes in council race
By Donald H. Harrison
  SAN DIEGO—Phil Thalheimer (right), a candidate for City Council in San Diego’s northwestern 1st District, is a member of the Jewish community who served as a spokesman for preserving the tall Christian cross as a war memorial on the public land atop Mount Soledad. His position in that still-active, oft-litigated controversy angered many of his fellow Jews, who saw the City of San Diego’s long and expensive battle to keep the cross on the mountain top as an example of the government showing preference for one religion over others in violation of U.S. constitutional principles.
Given that Thalheimer is a conservative Republican and a majority of the Jewish community votes for Democrats, one might expect that Thalheimer would have a difficult time recruiting to his cause many members of the Jewish community. But, Thalheimer may well obtain the votes of numerous co-religionists, not because they’ve suddenly come around to his way of thinking, but because his opponent, Sherri Lightner, who enjoys Democratic party support, has been an active, even hostile, opponent of two Jewish community projects in the La Jolla section of the 1st District. She has led efforts to prevent the Orthodox community near Congregation Adat Yeshurun to erect an eruv, and she has rallied opposition to the construction of a Hillel House near the UCSD campus. Both projects still are pending.
I recently interviewed Thalheimer at a hotel coffee shop near his home in the Carmel Valley section of the 1st District. He told me that his father’s family fled Tubingen, Germany, for Yugoslavia during the 1930s, and that his father in 1939 joined relatives in Philadelphia. His mother grew up in Belgrade—and in fact worshipped at the same synagogue where the Thalheimers prayed—but did not meet Thalheimer’s father until after the war. In the meantime, she was captured by Italian troops in 1941, sent to an Adriatic island, and eventually was included in the unique group of refugees who were sheltered from the Holocaust by the United States, spending the balance of the war at an old fort in Oswego, New York.
Thalheimer, 49, said that his parents were quite European in their customs and the way they brought him up. “They had a much higher deference for school; my father viewed a teacher as ‘herr doktor “; it was really up there, and so if I got in trouble in school, I got it much worse at home than I did at school!”
Furthermore, “I played baseball and football, and not soccer, and that was heartbreaking to my father; he couldn’t believe it,” Thalheimer said.
The family belonged to the Congregation Beth Sholom in a suburb of Philadelphia. Its synagogue, incorporating numerous triangles into its design, was created by Frank Lloyd Wright, and as such, is a pilgrimage site for many architectural students. Wright or not, Thalheimer said he always considered the synagogue ugly.
“The original design was going to be stained glass, but they ran out of money,” said Thalheimer. “It would have been stunning with the light coming through the stained glass. The other thing I remember: it leaked. I think it was 108 feet to the top. During my bar mitzvah the water is dripping on the Torah—drip, drip—and on my back. And I came down and my mother looks at me and my back is soaked, and she starts getting all bent out of shape, and I said ‘Mom, it is leaking…’ There was water dripping, all through my haftorah.”
Perhaps because their experiences during World War II were so different, Thalheimer’s parents had different feelings about telling their children about the Holocaust, in which numerous relatives on both sides of his family were murdered by the Nazi killing machine. His mother refused to discuss that period of her life; it was simply too painful. On the other hand, his father, after arriving in the United States, volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Corps, but instead was recruited to serve as a German translator and interrogator. He participated in the questioning of Germans for the Nuremberg Trials.
“Now using my psychological background, he had somewhat of a cathartic experience; he could forget some of this stuff,” Thalheimer surmised. “My mother didn’t have that.”
Thalheimer attended Temple University and Dropsie College in Philadelphia, before earning a degree in psychology, and obtaining what he calls the equivalent of a master’s degree in Judaic Studies from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. He also flirted with various movements in Judaism during those years, davening with Chabad and at one point considering the idea of applying for admission to the Reconstructionist rabbinical college, which is located in the Philadelphia area. Instead he settled on Industrial Psychology, the field which brought him to San Diego to work in the employee assistance division of General Dynamics. When that company sold off divisions and downsized, he moved to the City of San Diego, first as an unpaid intern, and later as part of the city’s Financial Management Department. He developed a specialty in information technologies.
Back in high school and college, Thalheimer had hoped he could become an Air Force pilot, but during a basketball game he crashed into a wall, injuring his knee and making himself ineligible for military flight training. He continued to hanker for flying, and in 1989 opened San Diego Flight Training International, a Montgomery Field-based company that today has 19 aircraft and annual earnings of $3 million, according to Thalheimer.
That airport is practically across the street from the Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School, which Thalheimer said he had considered, along with San Diego Jewish Academy, as possible places to send his two elementary-school-age daughters, Arianna and Ilyssa.
However, he said, his wife, Jessica, had a far different Jewish background than he did: “She was not bat mitzvahed, she was really traditional Reform .. they had (Christmas) stockings,” he said. “I wanted them to go and get the Judaica; she was uncomfortable with the fact that within 15 minutes they would know more about Judaica than she did; that worried her a lot. So we ended up at La Jolla Country Day, and I am delighted with that decision. The education my kids are getting is remarkable.”
Thalheimer said that he was involved as a volunteer with the United Jewish Federation in 1986 and 1987, but said he quit after becoming disillusioned with what he said were the Federation’s accounting methods. He said the Federation and other Jewish institutions counted the same financial contribution more than once so as to be able to pad reports of the aggregate amount of dollars being raised by the Jewish community. He said this in some way had something to do with the amount of money the U.S. government would give in aid to Israel, but said he could not remember the details. “I didn’t want to make a big deal about it; this is a very important organization, being Jewish was very important to me.”
Later, I recounted Thalheimer’s on-the-record comments to Michael Rassler, president and CEO of the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County, who responded that no such practice occurs today and that he doubts that was what happened over 20 years ago. The people who were decision makers at Federation back then can’t be asked because they have either moved on to other jobs or have retired, Rassler said, suggesting that Thalheimer probably misunderstood what was told to him.
He said that there long was a general belief in the Jewish community that the more individuals who contributed to Jewish causes, the more impressive it might be on Capitol Hill, where members of Congress consider support for Israel and other causes. However, he said, the United Jewish Federation, synagogues and other Jewish agencies and organizations maintain separate and transparent records in fulfillment of their responsibilities as non-profit organizations, and absolutely do not co-mingle their funds.
“I would invite Mr. Thalheimer to meet with me at his convenience to discuss today’s Federation and our sincere desire to have him back involved as a contributing, participating and supporting member of the Jewish Federation and the broader community,” he said.
After withdrawing as a United Jewish Federation volunteer, Thalheimer said, he became involved with the Home of Guiding Hands and with the YMCA near his home and, later, with the local Republican Jewish Coalition. He said he sent his children to the preschool at Temple Adat Shalom in Poway, making contributions to that congregation and over the years to such groups as Hillel and the Jewish Book Festival. Today, his family is not affiliated with any congregation, but he said he plans to join Congregation Beth Israel.
Thalheimer ran unsuccessfully in 2004 for City Council against incumbent Scott Peters. At that time, he also was a familiar face in the campaign to keep the cross atop Mount Soledad, taking the title of “chairman of San Diegans for the Mount Soledad War Memorial.”
Having written editorials against maintaining the cross on public land, I told Thalheimer that I never understood his reasoning in that controversy.
He said that he had multiple reasons:
“One is the stories of my father of symbols in Germany … symbols of faith coming down—primarily Jewish, but not exclusively so,” he replied. “So you start down this slope, where does it end up? So that was one.
“It has been up there for nearly a century and it has been part of the San Diego history, that was the second thing. And the third piece is that there are some significant Jewish institutions, not excluding the Sephardic shul in Rhode Island – the original – that are on public land, and they are historic symbols as well as religious.
“The last thing for me, there is no requirement in Soledad in any way, shape or manner for you to pay money to go up there.” He recounted that he was confronted by one angry Jewish man who demanded, “’ how can you do this; as a Jew I couldn’t get married up there, yadda, yadda.’ I said let’s start with the fact that I am not sure that as a Jew you would want to be married in front of a memorial anyway, but let’s set that issue aside…You could get married there, you may not want to; I wouldn’t want to … but that doesn’t preclude you from being there…”
Thalheimer contrasted his position concerning the cross with what he said would be his opposition to someone putting a Christmas tree in a public school classroom. “I would be vehemently opposed to that because you have a captive audience; it is something where the children have to go there. This (going up the war memorial with its cross) is voluntary participation, yeah or nay. And that for me was a significant distinction.”
In the 2004 councilmanic campaign against Peters, Thalheimer also opposed the conveyance of land to Hillel for an off-campus Hillel House near UCSD. “I opposed it because of the land use issue; I thought that the encroachment on the neighborhood was worrisome,” he said. “Now that the land is theirs (a court okayed the sale), let’s get that thing built, so I have come out strong in support of Hillel, much to the chagrin of the (La Jolla) Shores people,” a neighborhood group, which Lightner headed. “I am waiting for the flip flop charge, I understand that; but the land is theirs (Hillel’s) and they should have a right to build it, and I know at this point this is becoming a punitive lawsuit.”
Thalheimer said that he has supported the stringing of a monofilament around portions of La Jolla to serve as a symbolic boundary known as an “eruv,” which permits observant Jews to extend the boundaries of their “home” in which it is permitted to carry items, or push baby carriages, on Shabbat.
“I don’t understand how you take the opposite (view),” Thalheimer said. For people who are not Orthodox Jews, “It doesn’t do anything; it has no effect on you. The average person wouldn’t know that it is there, so to come out that strongly raises the question, what are we really arguing about … I was very, very stunned by how aggressive they were. I ‘d vote for it, I supported that; I even spoke on its behalf. “
During City Council hearings on the eruv, Councilman Jim Madaffer who represents the 7th Council District said he believed the vehemence of the opposition, as expressed in letters to the editor of various publications and some of the rhetoric at various hearings, indicated that there were some opponents who did not like Jews, and did not want more Jews in their neighborhood. The council approved the eruv unanimously, but the controversy revived memories of the time up to 1960s when La Jolla realtors refused to sell homes to Jews.
Did Thalheimer believe that the opposition to the eruv was a reflection of anti-Semitism? I asked.
“Sherri (Lightner) was a supporter of mine in 04 and what that meant was she hated Scott slightly more than she disliked me,” Thalheimer said. “I never experienced any form of anti-Semitism from Sherri, although the eruv thing made me wonder; it really did. It is too strong a response to a non-issue, and you can see the difference, University City’s group looked at this and said ‘why are we wasting our time, go – why are we even talking about it; yet in La Jolla this is a huge thing.”
The eruv in University City was requested by the Chabad House in that community, which is also part of the 1st Councilmanic District.
“Is there anti-Semitism in La Jolla?” Thalheimer continued. “Probably. Is there residual stuff? Probably. Have I personally seen it? No. I could buy a home in La Jolla, you could, we both could. To say it isn’t there is foolish; but it is also in Mira Mesa and other places; it is what it is. Does it affect my life? No. But it makes me step back and say, ‘wow, what are we fighting about? The eruv really left me with a great sense of there is more to this—there is something unsaid here, and I don’t know what it is. And I would be lying to you, if I didn’t say that this is about being Jewish, it’s not about a wire across a fence… because that is what we are talking about.”
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
What we really wanted: Reader feedback!
Temple of Dreams poem wins praise
Editor, San Diego Jewish World:
Re: Temple of Dreams
Loved the poem by Sara Appel-Lennon. Thank you.
Susan D. Rhea
San Diego
'White Privilege' essay delights Obama supporter
Editor, San Diego Jewish World:
Re: White Privilege
I agree 100%. We have to vote for Obama! Please!!!!!!
Fran Sesti
Carlsbad
JEWISH-AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
Jewish Labor Committee
Southwestern Jewish Press, January 27, 1950, page 6
On February 5th, at 7:00 p.m., the Jewish Labor Committee will open the doors of the Beth Jacob Center and everyone is invited to attend their installation ceremonies.
Mr. Benjamin Levine, Executive Secretary of the Jewish Labor Committee for the Pacific Coast will be the installing officer.
Entertainment will be provided by Mr. Isidore Bassin, Tenor, form Los Angeles, who will interpret Yiddish and Hebrew songs.
As a special attraction a Silver Service for eight will be raffled off.
And, of course, there will be refreshments. No collections or solicitations will be made. Come all!
Birdie Stodel Bnai Brith. Chapt. No. 92
Southwestern Jewish Press, January 27, 1950, page 6
By Bess Schissell, President
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the chairman, Bess Borushek and Marie Richards, and their co-chairmen, Ruth Brav and Betty Freedman, along with the committee whose efforts made the January 9th luncheon welcoming 22 new initiates into the Women’s B’nai B’rith a huge success. I would like to give a special vote of thanks to Anne Shelley and Cele Schwartz for their unceasing work for the organization. Cele and her assistants, Mitzie Ornstein and Rose Aved gave a quiz program at the luncheon which was most stimulating and enjoyable, resulting in a good time for all.
To the many members who helped wrap packages for the servicemen through the American Red Cross, at the Marine Base during the month of December, many thanks. And a great big “thank you” to Ruth Brav, chairman, and her committee of omen who so unselfishly gave of their time and effort when Birdie Stodel B’nai B’rith manned the Mass Chest X-ray inWalker’s Department Store for a week.
An Orchid to Mitzie Ornstein, who spent the recent vacation in Los Angeles with her family. While there she won $20.00 to be donated to her favorite organization when she attended a radio broadcast. That organization, she tells us, is Hillel.
The B’nai B’rith Girls, who are the pride of the parent body, conducted wonderful services and made charming hostesses at Tifereth Israel Synagogue this past Friday, January 20th.
Don’t miss the Birdie Stodel Chapter 29th Birthday Celebration on February 12th at Temple center at 6:00 p.m. The Chapter will celebrate by sponsoring a supper and card party, a fund raising event to cover the many philanthropies of B’nai B’rith.
Jewish War Veterans San Diego Post 185 Auxiliary
Southwestern Jewish Press, January 27, 1950, page 6
By Binnie Brooks
The Jewish War Veterans Post No. 185 Auxiliary is completing plans for the arrival of Anna R. Abelow, National President. A reception committee will welcome her Saturday afternoon, February 18th. She will speak that evening at 8:15 p.m. over Station KFMB. Sunday morning, February 19th, a Lox and Bagel Brunch is scheduled for 10:30 at Exchange Hall, Meade at 30th.
Members and friends are asked to be present to hear the urgent message President Abelow will deliver. This affair is open to the public and everyone is welcome.
Another in the series of monthly Naval Hospital Tubercular Ward parties was held Tuesday, January 24th, with Post members assisting the Auxiliary Hospital Committee. Most of the 190 patients in the ward are veterans of World War II.
Jean Spatz, Hospital Chairman, stressed the urgent need for additional volunteers. Wives, mothers and sisters of veterans are invited to join the Auxiliary and aid in this wonderful project. Funds are needed and we must work together to achieve our goal.
Hadassah
Southwestern Jewish Press, January 27, 1950, page 6
The month of February has a special meaning to members of Hadassah. It is “Jewish National Fund Month” –the project which buys land through the medium of blue boxes and aids in the planting of trees on that land.
Members are urged to bring their Blue Boxes to the February8th meeting. A Bingo Party will highlight this regular meeting to be held at the Temple Center, 12:00 Noon. Beautiful prizes will be awarded and a home cooked luncheon will be served. The price will be 75 cents.
Co-chairmen for the luncheon are Mrs. Al Slayen and Mrs. Harry Rosenthal. Serving as hostesses will be a committee of twenty members of the Board of Directors.
A brief memorial tribute will be paid to Henreitta Szold, founder of Hadassah. After a very short business meeting the entire afternoon will be devoted to Bingo.
Anyone wishing to plant a tree in Israel in memory of a person or event is urged to attend the meeting. Come and help in the reforestation of Israel through your contributions on February 8th.
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UNITED JEWISH FEDERATION OF SAN DIEGO
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JCC Holiday Hours Reminder
The Quest for Historical Israel: Debating Archeology and the History of Early Israel by Israel Finkelstein and Amihai Mazar; Brian B. Schmidt, editor.
The Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, GA
ISBN 978-1-58983-277-0, 2007, $24.95, 195 pages
By Fred Reiss, Ed.D.
 WINCHESTER, California—Suppose knowledgeable archeologists were brought together to settle once and for all the question of the veracity of the history presented in the Bible. We might expect some to argue for higher-biblical criticism; the idea proposed by Julius Wellhausen in the latter third of the nineteenth century that the Bible had multiple authors and editors, who weaved the Bible together for their needed political ends. Others might argue that archeology supports varying degrees of the biblical text; making it a reliable historical source. A third group, the Minimalists, might well declare that the Bible completely lacks an historical basis.
In The Quest for the Historical Israel, renowned archeologists Israel Finkelstein, Professor of Archeology at Tel Aviv University and co-director of the Megiddo excavations and Amihai Mazar, Professor of Archeology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, who excavated in Tel Batash and the Bet She’an Valley, debate how and where archeology supports or contradicts the history presented in portions of the Old Testament. Brian B. Schmidt, Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible and Asian Cultures at the University of Michigan, as the book’s editor, offers summaries of the points made by each of the archeologists as they interpret the archeological record. However, there are no once-and-for-all conclusions.
Finkelstein and Mazar face off in six debates spanning the time from Israel’s earliest history, the patriarchs; through the conquest of Canaan, and the divided monarchy after the rule of King Solomon (Did he really live?). Unfortunately, both Finkelstein and Mazar are close to the center of the archeological spectrum and so their interpretations are similar and the debate lacks the spirit we might expect from at least one author having an extremist position.
The first debate puts a spotlight on the accuracy of the Old Testament; per se. Finkelstein takes the position that the Iron Age history described in the Bible, which covers the period from Joshua through II Kings, is generally factual. Mazar believes that the Bible contains much literary creativity and often reflects the ideology of the writers. Yet, he is willing to concede that there are many blocks of text that are historically accurate and might even preserve pre-Israelite material. He is also of the opinion that archeology confirms some of the history portrayed in books from Judges through II Kings.
Another debate covers the authenticity of the existence of the Jewish patriarchs, who by tradition lived from about the seventeenth to fifteenth centuries B.C.E. Finkelstein says that these stories could not have been written by someone with knowledge of this time frame because camels were domesticated and used as beasts of burden well after the life time of the patriarchs. The same is true of the City of Gerar (mentioned eight times in the Book of Genesis), established by the Philistines about 1200 B.C.E., or nearly half a millennium after the patriarchs lived. In fact, Finkelstein asserts that much of the descriptions about people and politics during the life of the patriarchs reflect a much later time period, possibly the eighth or seventh centuries B.C.E., than portrayed in the Bible. Masar acknowledges that the Old Testament was passed down orally and therefore one is bound to find missing, lost, distorted and changed stories. Therefore, it is quite likely that writers wove together early history with their present-day politics and geography. In short, both accede that the likelihood that the patriarchs lived the lives described in the Bible is remote.
Both Finkelstein and Mazar fall somewhere between accepting the existence of Kings David and Solomon and rejecting them outright. Finkelstein discards the idea of a tenth century B.C.E. united monarchy, but is willing to accept the possibility of a unified monarchy a century later in Samaria, ruled by Omri and his descendents. Yet, the Omride Kingdom was not a grand territory, but rather a marginal chiefdom. For him, the books of Samuel and Kings cannot be regarded as straightforward history. Mazar recognizes the historicity of a united monarchy. One prominent reason is the discovery of a tenth century B.C.E. Campaign List of Sheshonq I of Egypt, which names many cities he conquered in Judea’s hill country. From this, Mazar concludes that Egypt invaded Judea because of the existence of some political entity requiring Egyptian intervention. That political power was Solomon’s Kingdom.
Finkelstein ends his debate with the idea that biblical history and archeology are two very different disciplines because the Bible is not history in the modern sense of the word, but rather a fascinating tale of the relationship between a people and their God. Archeology, which ostensibly offers an objective look into the past, is itself not free from biased interpretations and modern trends. In addition, archeology might provide general knowledge, but it lacks the ability to answer many essential questions about the past. For Finkelstein, the truth about Israel’s past, if finding the truth is at all possible, can only come about by using a variety of sources, such as, archeological finds, the Bible, and Near Eastern records, in combination with each other. Mazar concludes by noting that it makes no difference if this or that biblical persona ever lived or not because the importance lies not in the life, but in the spirit and values portrayed in that life. “What matters is what these stories symbolize; their heritage persists even if they were not actual historical realities.”
The publisher of The Quest for the Historical Israel, The Society of Biblical Literature, makes publications available for scholars in the fields associated with critical investigation of biblical literature. As such, neither the authors nor editor take the time to define important terms used throughout the book, such as Iron Age II, Levant, Cisjordan, and so forth. This is a minor distraction. To their credit, however, the authors do provide a map of Iron Age sites; offer a thorough index, as well as an index of biblical passages and an extensive list of publications for further reading. The Quest for the Historical Israel contains noteworthy debates that shed light on many portions of the Bible with Israel’s heretofore discovered archeological record as construed by two renowned scholars in the field. The Quest for the Historical Israel is a worth-while read for all who are interested in biblical archeology.
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Issue Dedication:
SAN DIEGO JEWISH WORLD: THE WEEK IN REVIEW
Thursday, September 18, 2008 (Vol. 2, No. 225)
NATIONAL/CAMPAIGN 2008
‘White Privilege’ in the United States by Tim Wise in Topeka, Kansas
JUDAISM
The Akedah and my gay life decision by David Benkof in New York
SAN DIEGO
Children begin tiling Seacrest's Viterbi Wall at intergenerational barbecue by Gerry Greber in Encinitas, California
ARTS
Dreamgirls soars in S.D. Musical Theatre Co. production at the San Diego Rep by Carol Davis in San Diego
Thursdays With the Songs of Hal Wingard:
—#19, Young Hawks
—#227, Love Can Grow
—#325, Oh, oh, Love
ADVENTURES IN AN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—January 27, 1950: Jewish War Veterans
—January 27, 1950: S.D. Hebrew Home For the Aged
—January 27, 1950: Cottage of Israel
—January 27, 1950: Paole Zion
INTERNATIONAL
JAFI is revitalizing the Zionist Dream by Zeev Bielski in Jerusalem
The Jews Down Under, a roundup of Australian Jewish News by Garry Fabian in Melbourne:
—Roozendaal sworn in as NSW Treasurer
—Younger Australians have less favoured view of Israel
—Australian Jewish News wins national award
—Jewish Business Tribunal comes closer to reality
—National community survey launched
—The Tax Man at the Shabbat Table
—Adelaide congregation marks 160th anniversary
—Jewish Farewell for Governor-General
—Calling all Genealogists
—Appeal for Assault Victim
—A Guiding Light in Beijing
—Something in a Lighter Vein
NATIONAL/ CAMPAIGN 2008
Why I won't vote for Barack Obama, commentary by Isaac Yetiv in La Jolla, California
ARTS
Students, celebrities decorate ceramic butterflies for SDJA's Holocaust project by Donald H. Harrison in San Diego
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—January 27, 1950: Who’s New? (Maybe They Came From Your Home Town)
— January 27, 1950: Morgenthau To Make ‘Report to Nation’ On Coast to Coast Telephone Hookup, Jan. 31st
— January 27, 1950: Jewish Community Center by Lou Mogy
—January27, 1950: Pioneer Women (Negba) Club
NEWS FROM OUR ADVERTISERS
Reserve Now for Seacrest Village Retirement Community Anniversary Gala
NATIONAL
A conversation with Andrew Viterbi, National Medal of Science laureate by Donald H. Harrison in La Jolla, California
LETTERS
Parents urge "No on 8 Vote" to protect same-gender marriages in California from Carl & Marilyn Hansen in San Diego
ARTS
Temple of Dreams, a poem by Sara Appel-Lennon inspired by last Sunday's dedication of Temple Emanu-El
Rescue of Yemenite Jews recounted in "The Prophecy of Elijah" by
Cantor Sheldon Merel in San Diego
Vagina Monologues playwright looks up to stomachs in The Good Body, now at Rep by Carol Davis in San Diego
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—January 27, 1950: Have You Had Your Chest X-Rayed
—January 27, 1950: Letters to the Editor
—January 27, 1950: Temple Beth Israel Sisterhood
—January 27, 1950: J.C.R.A.
SAN DIEGO
Temple Emanu-El dedicates new sanctuary; congregants return to Del Cerro home by Sheila Orysiek in San Diego
Jewish moments with 2 retired journalists by Donald H. Harrison in San Diego
ARTS
Envisioning U.S.-Iran nuclear nightmare, book review by Donald H. Harrison in San Diego
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—January 27, 1950: UJF Drive Date Set
—January 27, 1950: Where Does the Money Go {Editorial}
—January 27, 1950: United Jewish Fund
—January 27, 1950: Overseas News and Views by Maxwell Kaufman
NEWS FROM OUR ADVERTISERS
Tifereth Israel Synagogue: Rabbi Rosenthal to lead trip to Israel for Tel Aviv's 100th birthday!
CAMPAIGN 2008
Jewish auxiliary groups of Democrats and Republicans in battle to define Sarah Palin—spin doctoring by the Democratic National Jewish Caucus and the Republican Jewish Coalition.
JUDAISM
—Solel offers variety of Jewish choices by Donald H. Harrison in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California
—Torah demands accurate weights, measures by Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal in San Diego
—When the kind lady was locked out by Rabbi Baruch Lederman in San Diego
LIFESTYLES
My Money, Your Money, or Ours by Natasha Josefowitz in La Jolla,California
SPORTS
A bissel sports trivia with Bruce Lowitt in Oldsmar, Florida
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—January 13, 1950: Temple Beth Israel Sisterhood
—January 13, 1950: Temple Beth Israel
—January 13, 1950: Tifereth Israel News
—January 13, 1950: Congregation Beth Jacob
NEWS FROM OUR ADVERTISERS
Students pay Labor Day tribute to San Diego Jewish Academy’s silent heroes
CAMPAIGN 2008
The choice between Obama and McCain could be this generation's most important by Howard Wayne
Jewish access to Palin in government by Gary Rotto in San Diego
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Add Haym Salomon to list of important Jews from Sheila Orysiek in San Diego
Seven years after 9/11, what's Bush's legacy? from Dr. Norman Mann in San Diego
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—January 13, 1950: “What’s Cookin’” At Troop 99?
—January 13, 1950: Council of Jewish Women
—January 13, 1950: Inside AZA by Leonard Naiman
—January 13, 1950: Jewish Youth Council
—January 13, 1950: Tifereth Israel Young People’s League
ARTS
Night Sky audience experiences aphasia by Carol Davis in San Diego
LIFESTYLES
16-year courtship finally reaches chuppah by Norene Schiff-Shenhav in Fallbrook, California
NEWS FROM OUR ADVERTISERS
—Adoption Alliance of Jewish Family Service: Upcoming Events
—Bronfman Youth Fellowship Awarded to San Diego Jewish Academy’s Jack de Tar
—Tifereth Israel Synagogue schedules Selichot showing of Iraq documentary
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