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JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
BALLOT RECOMMENDATION
No on California Proposition 4
SAN DIEGO—If you have been a bit embarrassed to talk to your teenager about, ahem, s-e-x, California’s Proposition 4 has presented you with a perfect opportunity.
You might initiate the discussion with your daughter this way: “Honey, I need your advice on how to vote on this ballot proposition.”
“What ballot proposition, mom?”
“Proposition 4: If it passes, a doctor would be required to notify parents 48 hours before their daughter could get an abortion. What do you think?”
“Ummm, I don’t know.”
“Well, the people who are in favor of this bill feel parents could prevent their daughter from making a decision she might regret for the rest of her life. But, the people who are against the bill say that if a girl doesn’t want to consult with her parents in the first place, the law shouldn’t force her to do so. Honestly, honey, I don’t know how to vote. I’d like to know how you feel about it.”
“Well, if she doesn’t want to consult with her parents, there’s probably a good reason.”
“Well, say it was someone you knew at school. Why wouldn’t she want to discuss the whole situation with her parents?”
* *
A conversation that might ensue from a dialogue such as that above could be eye-opening for both mother and daughter. Mom might find out how her daughter goes about evaluating a situation, whereas daughter might learn how much mom (or dad, or both, depending on the family dynamics) really respects her and values her opinion.
* *
But what about those of us who don’t have teenage daughters with whom to have heart-to-heart talks? How should we evaluate this proposition?
Those of us who already have come to ideological conclusions on the issue of abortion likely will attempt to be consistent. If we are “pro-life,” that is, of the belief that the fetus already is a human being vested with rights, then we will vote in favor of this proposition. It increases the chances that the teenager can be talked out of having an abortion.
On the other hand, if we firmly believe that the right to decide whether or not to bear a child belongs to a woman, and to that woman only, then we will reject this proposition as an attempt to vitiate various court decisions favoring a woman’s autonomy in such matters.
If we’re somewhat undecided—say, we think women ought to be able to decide, but we are not sure that teenage girls are women—then we are the voters who will be most critical in this election. How we vote will determine the outcome of the election.
Unlike the conversation outlined above, in many households conversations between parents and teenagers sometimes resemble power contests rather than real attempts at communication. In many households parents have told their children, “Eat your dinner—or no dessert.” “You are not going to leave the house wearing that.” “There is no way I’m going to let you pierce your tongue!” In each of these instances, parents try to regulate what a child may do with her body.
More often than not, the child may retort, “So, fine, keep your dessert.” “You can’t stop me!” “That’s not fair!”
There are some households in which the child always is fighting for a sense of autonomy, so much so that gaining that autonomy becomes a prime objective, perhaps to the exclusion of everything else. If a daughter of one of these households becomes pregnant, she is less likely to want to discuss the matter with her parents than would a daughter living in a household where parents value her opinion.
And, sorry to say, there are some daughters who live in households with abusive parents, and they would be frightened to discuss the pregnancy with them for fear of being beaten.
The option of talking to a responsible adult—like a doctor—who, by law, must respect the girl’s right of confidentiality can prove to be the best solution to this problem. A doctor, or a trained counselor, can help a teenager understand all of her options, and by treating her with respect, can help her decide the course that is in her best interests. This is exactly what organizations like Planned Parenthood should do.
We oppose Proposition 4 because a mandatory 48-hour notification process increases the chances that a teenager will refuse to see a qualified doctor, and instead, to attempt to terminate the pregnancy in an unsafe manner.
If there is an area in which society should seek a consensus, it is what steps should the doctor and counselor be required to take to assure that the child understands all her options so that her autonomous decision is a well-reasoned one?—
SAN DIEGO CENTER FOR JEWISH CULTURE
TEMPLE SOLEL Festival of short films
THE VIEW FROM JINSA
Pending leadership changes in Israel, West Bank and U.S. stymy Middle East progress
By Shoshana Bryen
 WASHINGTON, D.C.—The 2008 Flag & General Officers Trip took place during a period of political and military flux. The upcoming changes in the administrations of the United States, Israel and the Palestinian Authority were a constant presence and possible source of additional instability. Many Americans are unaware that Abu Mazen faces the end of his legal term in January. Half of his constituency lives under direct Hamas control in Gaza, and Hamas is making military and political inroads on the West Bank as well.
The political uncertainties made it difficult for security professionals to focus on the broader implications of any specific policy, or the absence of policy. We were struck in three areas by the impression that we were speaking with good people doing important jobs, but with only partial mandates from their governments. The political gaps ensure that: a) the job won't be done, because security professionals can only work under the mandate they are given, and therefore; b) important security matters are being pushed down the road, where they will only metastasize into greater threats.
The Commander of UNIFIL forces in Lebanon, the American general in charge of training Palestinian security forces, and various Israeli military officials in charge of various parts of policy for Gaza were frank in their descriptions of their jobs and more than willing to discuss the problems. But in each case, the result was our understanding that they were focused very narrowly on things they could do, ignoring (sometimes of necessity) the security implications of the "missing mandates."
Each of these areas - Lebanon, Palestinian security and Gaza - will be considered in more depth in upcoming JINSA Reports.
But the first, overriding concern is that while Israel and the United States - and even some Palestinians - find themselves unable to move forward on vital issues because of politics, others in the region have no such problem.
Hamas has been preparing for defensive warfare in Gaza, laying mines and moving from a terrorist command structure to that of a small army, while upgrading its rocket capabilities. Jordan, Israel's security partner, has responded to the growth of Hamas influence in the West Bank by opening a dialogue with the organization that formally seeks its destruction. Iran has replaced and upgraded what Hezbollah lost in Lebanon in 2006. Syria is trying to entice Russia back into the region; the Russians thus far have agreed to sell weapons to Syria on credit. There are credible reports that elements of the Fatah security forces have approached Iran for money and support, and that Fatah is establishing a "Hezbollah-style" militia in the West Bank.
The threats to security for Israel, and the implications for regional stability, require that politicians stop worrying about (re)election and begin to provide leadership for their security establishments.
TIFERETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL
LETTER FROM JERUSALEM
Second intifada not officially over, but clearly it has lost almost all its steam
By Ira Sharkansky
 JERUSALEM—No officials have declared an end to the second intifada, which began in September, 2000. It is reasonable to conclude, however, that it has petered out with another catastrophic loss for the Palestinians.
Estimates are that more than 5,300 Palestinians have died, along with 1,100 Israelis, and 64 others caught in the cross-fire.
As with much that deals with the Palestinians, the numbers are not precise. Also, it is not clear how many died as the result of fighting among Palestinians, and how many died while making or transporting munitions.
Added to Palestinian casualties are some 12,000 prisoners in Israeli custody. Added to the Israeli casualties is the one soldier taken captive to Gaza.
The imbalance in the tolls is only part of the Palestinian catastrophe. No less damaging to the Palestinian cause is their civil war, resulting in Gaza being cut off from the rest of the world, subsisting on meager rations, and governed by religious extremists who offer the residents little more than an afterlife.
If the injured are in the same proportions as the dead, that is another component of the Palestinian catastrophe. They have few resources for medical care and rehabilitation.
Better than "intifada," this period should be labeled the "second failed war of Palestinian statehood." In this reckoning, the first was the earlier intifada, from 1987 until the signing of the Oslo accords in 1993. Those accords could have put the Palestinians on the road to statehood, but continued violence and failed attempts at further agreements sent them to the dustbin. The Oslo accords granted autonomy to the Palestinians in much of the West Bank and Gaza, including extensive responsibility for security. Autonomy has declined in the second intifada as Israeli forces routinely enter West Bank areas to seize individuals suspected of violence. Currently a tense cease fire has stopped Israeli incursions into Gaza, and Palestinian rocket fire from Gaza.
We could argue about the numbering of the intifadas as the first and second wars of Palestinian statehood. It might be better to label them the n+1 and n+2 wars, with n standing for all the previous surges of Palestinian violence going back to the 1920s.
The label "wars of statehood" is more appropriate than "wars of independence." There are several reasons to doubt that the thrust of Palestinian national desire is independence. Numerous Palestinians are inclined to absorb Israel rather than live alongside of it as an independent state. And many of the Palestinians living in East Jerusalem and elsewhere in Israel are not inclined to become citizens of an independent Palestine. The status of a minority in Israel is tolerable if it comes with health care, other social benefits, and greater civil rights than enjoyed by full fledged Palestinians.
It is also inaccurate to describe these as struggles for independence insofar as Israelis have long wanted to be free of any responsibility for Palestinians. It would not involve a struggle, much less a war, for Palestinians to achieve independence. The problem is that they want much of what Israelis view as their own. The devil is in the details.
The tragedy in all of this is that neither Palestinians nor much of the world (including many Israelis) recognize the realities.
Palestinians in nominal charge of the West Bank insist on turning back the clock. They demand the borders that existed in 1967, and the return of refugees plus descendents to homes left in 1948. Palestinians in charge of Gaza are even more extreme. They would eliminate Israel altogether and immediately.
I doubt that benefits like those will come to a people who have tried time and again to get what they want with violence, and have failed at each attempt.
It is no surprise that Palestinian aspirations have wide support among Arabs and other Muslims. At least some of the Palestinian aspirations also have the endorsement of the United Nations, as well as the United States and other western governments. Israeli leftists signed on long ago. Most recently the widely repudiated but still hanging on prime minister recanted positions held throughout his career and proclaimed the wisdom of giving into substantial territorial claims of the Palestinians.
So where does this leave us?
Pretty much where we were when the first intifada began, and perhaps long before then.
Israelis claim to be peace loving, and now the government ascribes to a two-state solution. There remains a low level of Palestinian violence, marked by occasional attacks by organizations or enraged individuals.
The Palestinian leadership occasionally threatens a renewal of violence if it does not get its demands. Given the record of imbalanced losses, and the inherent distrust of Israelis, those threats do not advance their cause. We know how to live alongside a restive population, and maintain security forces capable of dealing with what may become the next outbreak of violence.
This is the time of year when we should aspire to new beginnings. There may be a new prime minister shortly, but a limited change in personnel is not likely to counter Palestinian intransigence and other stubborn elements of the Israeli-Arab conflict.
We may not be at the end of the n+i wars of Palestinian statehood.
JERUSALEM DIARIES
Imagine, Israel without any traffic!
By Judy Lash Balint
 JERUSALEM—I know most Jews call Yom Kippur by other names, but here in Jerusalem, it's the Day of No Traffic Lights. There are no traffic lights because there's no traffic on Yom Kippur in Jerusalem. The city just turns them off for 25 hours. Imagine—an entire country without any motor vehicle traffic apart from emergency vehicles and army patrol jeeps. The quiet is absolutely stunning. Starting from sundown on erev Yom Kippur, 25 hours of blissful peace and quiet. Think of the negative carbon footprint impact! No traffic; radio and TV stations are silent; no airplanes overhead—you can actually hear the wind in the trees and every bird's song.
Pedestrians share the road with bicycles ridden by hundreds of secular Israelis who savor the day as a safe opportunity to try out their biking skills with no annoying traffic lights or crazy Israeli drivers. But the overwhelming sense is of a people taking a complete day to evaluate and perhaps change their lives.
Walking to Kol Nidre, the streets are thronged with people clad in white, to signify purity and a withdrawal for one day from the vanities of our usual fancy clothing.
Every synagogue is packed to overflowing, and several hundred community centers around the country also offer Yom Kippur services, with emphasis on discussion and openness for those who might never have stepped foot in a synagogue.
After the Kol Nidre prayers are over, it's as if the entire city spills out onto the streets. Strolling along in the middle of roads usually clogged with cars is the main pastime as people saunter off home, greeting friends along the way.
This Yom Kippur, the weather was a perfect 75 degrees. Last year, I spent the closing Neilah service of Yom Kippur at a shul just down the street, as it was too hot to trek back down to my regular shul after the break.
As I took a seat at the very back of that neighborhood shul, an elderly woman was wheeled in by her son who parked her wheelchair just in front of me. Her fingers were severely misshapen and she wore thick glasses. She carefully unfolded a copy of the Amidah part of the Neilah service that had been blown up on large sheets of paper. Next, she carefully extracted a magnifying glass from a little box and oblivious to the Chazan, proceeded to painstakingly slide the magnifying glass over every word of the prayers. She completed her reading just as the congregation came to the closing verses and she joined in the fervent singing of 'Next year in a Rebuilt Jerusalem.' She even managed to clap as the men danced in a lively circle to express joy at having been given another opportunity to make amends before God.
After the piercing tones of the shofar marked the conclusion of another Day of No Traffic Lights and the congregation clamored out of the doors to get home for refreshments, half a dozen secular people from the neighborhood were just arriving, hoping to hear the shofar. This particular shul finished a few minutes before the appointed time for the end of the holiday, so the neighbors were disappointed to have missed it, but another group was still praying in another part of the building, and the outsiders quickly made their way down the stairs to take in the tradition.
Before I even made it home, a few cars were already on the streets and the Day of No Traffic Lights was no more.
SOILLE SAN DIEGO HEBREW DAY SCHOOL
JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE
Pease click the ad above to learn more about JFS "On the Go" program for seniors. To read a San Diego Jewish World story on the program, please click here.
Thanksgiving Day Run for the Hungry Benefits JFS Foodmobile, S.D. Food Bank
Gabriela Stratton, originally from Chile, now directs SDJA Admissions
LAWRENCE FAMILY JCC, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS
Journalist Sheila Weller presents new book on Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon at San Diego Jewish Book Fair on November 6
THE JEWISH CITIZEN
Marty Block, a pioneer in educational outreach, seeks 78th Dist. Assembly seat
By Donald H. Harrison
 SAN DIEGO—Marty Block is completing eight years service as chairman of the San Diego Community College Board and prior to that he served for eight years on the San Diego County Board of Education. Now, he wants to take to the state Assembly the experience he gained in those two positions—along with the knowledge he acquired in his "day job" as an assistant dean at San Diego State University's School of Education.
Over the last 30 years, Block has been involved in various Jewish community organizations. He served on the Hillel board of directors at San Diego State University, on the Jewish Community Relations Committee (JCRC) of the United Jewish Federation, as a co-founder of the National Jewish Democratic Council chapter in San Diego, and as president of the San Diego chapter of the American Jewish Committee. In the latter capacity, Block helped to form the Latino-Jewish Coalition, a group that seeks to strengthen bonds between the two communities.
The 58-year-old educator seeks election in the 78th Assembly District, which for the last six years has been represented by Republican Assemblywoman Shirley Horton, who under California's "term limits" law is barred from seeking re-election. His Republican opponent is a Chula Vista City Councilman with a familiar sounding name: John McCann. Block tries to have some fun with the similarity between his opponent's name and that of the Republican presidential nominee. "Barack is going to be beat John McCain, and B-Lock is going to beat John McCann," he predicts.
Not surprisingly, educational issues are a major part of Block's campaign. He has been calling for construction of a new state university in Chula Vista, which he says will not only aid underserved college students in the South Bay area but which also will have a beneficial effect on the education of children in grades K-12 in surrounding neighborhoods. At the same time, he said, construction of a new campus will relieve housing pressure at San Diego State University and could eliminate the need for "mini-dorms" which have become irritants in neighborhoods surrounding the campus. Block said the first bill he would introduce, if elected, would be one to authorize a feasibility study for a new South Bay campus.
Like Marti Emerald, another Jewish candidate who is seeking election to the 7th District seat of the San Diego City Council, Block thinks the city of San Diego should explore the possibility of leasing part of Qualcomm Stadium to San Diego State University for construction of more student housing and related amenities. By building parking structures, he said, this could be done without eliminating any parking spaces needed for fans attending San Diego Chargers games--assuming the hard-negotiating Chargers remain in San Diego. As Qualcomm Stadium is on the trolley line that continues to the San Diego State campus, Block says this might ease the SDSU housing crunch while providing greater utilization for the Qualcomm Stadium area--often empty since the San Diego Padres moved to Petco Park downtown.
In television commercials, Block stands in front of a whiteboard and decries the loss in California of taxable income to the Cayman Islands, and the loss of employment opportunities to the Peoples Republic of China. Subliminally emphasizing his educational credentials by using the whiteboard, Block calls for the closing of loopholes and for job creation in California—two issues particularly timely amid the nation's economic crisis. Another commercial, which he said was in response to attack mailers sent to constituents by his opponent, criticizes McCann for collecting a salary for service on a government board which had no meetings. Block pledges in that commercial to refuse his salary for any day in which the Legislature, like this year, operates without having an approved budget.
Block was born in Chicago and since the second grade was raised in Skokie, Illinois, an area of high Jewish concentration. His grandparents in Chicago were members of a congregation, where Block had his bar mitzvah, but his parents were secular Jews, who followed a life style similar to that followed by many Israelis. They observed Pesach with a seder; his mother was involved in Jewish communal organizations, but they were not synagogue members. Except when he attended the Hillel at San Diego State regularly at the behest of his friend, Rabbi Jay Miller, Block has not been a synagogue member either.
In Skokie, he said during a recent interview in a campaign office close to the Grantville Trolley Station, almost all his friends were Jewish, and he rarely had to think about being Jewish. His experiences were similar at Syracuse University and Indiana University (where he became a huge basketball fan). After receiving a bachelor's degree and a teaching credential from Indiana University, Block moved back to Skokie, where he taught junior high school history. At the same time, he enrolled in night classes at DePaul University Law School. It was during this time of his life that neo-Nazi groups aroused national controversy by announcing they would march through Skokie, where a large number of Holocaust survivors lived.
Skokie passed laws to prevent the march, the neo-Nazis sued, and the court case gripped both Skokie and the country. Eventually, the neo-Nazis won the right to march, but then called the planned demonstration off. Block remembers the episode as a "teachable moment" for the American history class he was teaching at Orchard Junior High School. He said he endeavored to show his students how the First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and assembly were in conflict with the community's desire to protect its citizens from reliving the horrors of the Holocaust. While he stayed neutral in the presentation to his class, privately Block said he believed that no matter how unpleasant or nasty neo-Nazis might be, their constitutional rights needed to be protected.
After graduating from law school and finishing the school term, Block went into private law practice, handling a variety of cases, many of them divorces. "That kept me single until my 50's," said Block, who is now married to the former Cindy Edwards, a teacher at Crawford High School. "My clients were all people who were very much in love when they got married and who literally came to hate the other person several years later when they were going through a divorce." Edwards broke through Block's reserve, and "now I am happily married," since 2004, Block declared.
About six months after going into private practice, Block was hired by Western Illinois University in the small town of Macomb to represent any of the school's 12,000 students who might encounter legal troubles. "I did that for 18 months and I represented students who had landlord problems or consumer problems or were accused of crimes, mostly misdemeanors," Block said. "I got a lot of courtroom experience but the town grew increasingly small, and the winters were cold."
He attended a conference in San Diego of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. "I had left my car in the Student Union parking lot back in Macomb, Illinois, and flew to San Diego, where I was amazed by the climate. I went to the ocean and the beach—things which I hardly ever do today. I drove around to UCSD and saw the cliffs overlooking the ocean, went out to Cabrillo National Monument—all the places you take friends when they come to town for the first time—and I was just enamored with the geography and the climate....
"
I also liked the size of the town," Block recalled. "I had grown up in Chicago, which is a huge city like L.A., and then I spent the year in Macomb, which was a tiny town. Parts of being in a small town I really liked—the ease of getting around, the familiarity I had with people very quickly. But I missed the cultural activities, the professional sports, the things that we had in Chicago. This (San Diego) seemed like a good combination. Not as big as LA or Chicago, and more easy to navigate. Yet it was not as small as Macomb, so it was a great compromise in addition to having wonderful weather and geography. And then when I flew back after the conference my car was under three or four feet of snow and I had to leave it there several days until there was a partial thaw, and that confirmed my decision."
Figuring he would be able to find a job as an attorney in San Diego, Block decided to give himself at least four months to scout the area. Not long after arriving in 1979, he realized that his alma mater, Indiana University, would be playing under coach Bobby Knight in the Cabrillo Classic, and he went to the information booth at San Diego State University to see if he could purchase tickets. It must have been beshert because posted near the ticket booth was an announcement of a job opening for someone to represent SDSU President Tom Day to various boards and committees on the campus. According to the notice, a legal background, while not required, would be a plus. Block applied for the job and was hired.
On the campus, he met Jerry Varon, a fellow Jew who, like him, had a legal background, but was then working in education. (He is today a commissioner in small claims/ traffic court, and was the officiant at Block's wedding) Varon acquainted him with some of the Jewish activities both on campus and in the community, and also introduced him to Rabbi Miller. Soon Block was becoming more involved in the local Jewish community. Whereas in Skokie it seemed everyone was Jewish, in San Diego, Block felt himself a member of a minority group. He said he found welcome fellowship with other Jews.
After six years at San Diego State, Block felt conversant enough with educational issues to throw his hat in the ring for one of the five seats on the County Board of Education, surprising himself when he won.
Occasionally, his responsibilities as a county school board member and as a Jewish community activist merged, he said. "There were issues in Poway about schools starting on the High Holidays and students not getting excused from examinations for the holidays," recalled Block. "The county board set up a series of sessions for superintendents to train them in sensitivity to various religions, and the JCRC and the county board worked together to put that on."
Another Jewish member of the board, Jack Port, was enthusiastic about the "opportunity to educate people in the outlying districts," Block said. "We ended up hiring as our county superintendent in the middle of my tenure a man named Harry Weinberg, and Harry, though carefully balanced, always had the concern of Jewish students at heart."
Two county school board programs of which Block was the most proud were the downtown school started for homeless youths by Sandy McBrayer (now head of the Children's Initiative) and AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), originated by Clairemont High School Teacher Mary Catherine Swanson.
The school for homeless and unattended youth "already had been started when I got on the Board," Block said. "These were runaways and sometimes throwaways, a lot of them gay and lesbian kids whom the families had cast out. McBrayer—who was named National Teacher of the Year in 1994 and received an award in the Rose Garden from President Bill Clinton and I got to go to that—she had a school downtown for homeless kids, which then was simply called 'The Place' but now is called 'the Monarch School.'
"It was interesting, some of the things that happened at that school. The homeless kids were dirty, they slept outside in Balboa Park, a lot of them, and they would come to school without having any food. They would go through garbage cans. So we as a board tried to get funding to get them breakfast and showers, and we were told no, we couldn't, by the state. So what we did was—and his was largely Sandy--she started a home economics class in the second period. We had about 30 kids all day, but we divided the class into periods and had a home-ec class the second period. Home-ec class would make breakfast so the kids got fed, and it was okay for us to buy the stove and he equipment because we had a home-ec class. And the first period was a P.E. (physical education) class, so we could buy showers. They would do five jumping jacks and they would be able to take a shower. It was fascinating. We got around those state regulations."
The AVID program started by Swanson was "a program to take kids who have the intelligence to do college-level work but don't have a background that would predict that they would go into college--maybe no one in their family went to college, and they don't have study skills, or role models. What Mary Catherine did was she had kids one period a day at Clairemont come to her class, and she would help with their study skills, bring in mentors. It wasn't a subject class, so much as it was a 'how-to' class—how to do well in different disciplines. It was extraordinarily successful: 95 percent of her students went on to college, whereas before almost none would have gone to college. So we at the County Board of Education tried to replicate that program throughout the county. We put a lot of money into it, and now it is throughout the nation, and with the Department of Defense programs, throughout the world. While I was on the board, I was also at San Diego State and in the early 90s a student named Joel Horiye ran for Associated Students president—there are 36,000 students at San Diego State— and he won. I worked with him in that capacity and one day he told me he had been an AVID student in Mary Catherine's class, and he said if it had not been for the AVID program he would not have been in college, much less president of the student body." After working in Washington with Congressman Norman Mineta of California, Horiye returned to San Diego and later became president of the San Diego Community Housing Corporation.
Before leaving the County Board of Education, Block said he participated in the hiring of the first Latino County School Superintendent, Rudy Castruita. Upon finishing his term on the County Board, Block began serving as an elected member of the San Diego Community College Board, selected as chairman on the first day he served on that board. He said he considers one of his greatest accomplishments on that board—on which he will serve through the end of next month—the appointment of Constance Carroll as the chancellor. "She is the first African-American woman to be chancellor of a multi-school community college district and last year she was awarded as the National CEO of the Year by the National Association of Community Colleges," Block said.
"In AJC (American Jewish Committee) my involvement is diversity and intergroup relations and having hired the first Latino County Superintendent and the first African woman community college chancellor are important," he said. "I would never have hired them if they were not the most qualified, but there were times in our history when people on boards may not have hired them even though they were the most qualified."
During his tenure on the community college board, he learned that community colleges in Los Angeles and San Francisco were receiving from the state $6,000 per student, whereas for San Diego and other districts the allocation was only $4,000. The reason for this rested simply on the fact that the two large districts had more clout with the Legislature than other districts. Block cobbled together a coalition of underfunded districts, raised funds to hire a Democratic party lobbyist (former state Senator Dede Alpert) and a Republican party lobbyist Jim Brulte ( a former Republican leader in the state Assembly) and through these unified efforts was able to persuade the Legislature that no district should receive less than 90 percent of what the top-funded districts receive.
"It didn't hurt L.A. and San Francisco, but it brought the rest of us up," Block said. San Diego benefitted by an increase of $27 million per year, and "that meant hundreds of additional professors and thousands of additional classes." Students who might have had to spend three to four years completing their studies now could go through the required classes and graduate within two years, he said.
A lover of politics, Block has attended several Democratic National Conventions as a delegate, none perhaps more personally significant to him than the one in 1988, which nominated Michael Dukakis as the party's presidential candidate. At that convention in Atlanta, "there was a move by Jesse Jackson to have certain planks in the platform that were pro-Palestinian, and more importantly anti-Israeli," Block said. "I was part of a group that formed then. I was recruited and was affiliated with some of the people who tried to make sure that the Democratic party didn't move away from Israel. The National Jewish Democratic Council was officially formed in 1989. Around 1991 a chapter was formed here in San Diego and myself and Marcia Dickstein were the founding chairs. Murray Galinson (today chairman of San Diego National Bank) was a national board member and Larry Lawrence (then owner of the Hotel del Coronado) hosted the first event, a free event with ice cream. A few hundred people were there, and I remember Larry commented (facetiously) that he didn't know San Diego had so many Jews or so many Democrats. As the co-chair here, I was a member of the national board of that organization."
As president of the American Jewish Committee in San Diego, which represents the Jewish community to other religious and ethnic groups, Block helped to form the Latino-Jewish Coalition. At the time AJC's Regional Director Gary Rotto was a close friend of newly elected San Diego City Councilman Ralph Inzunza, "who then was at the pinnacle of his career," said Block. Rotto and Inzunza invited various people in the two communities to explore creation of the organization. After Rotto left, AJC's new executive director, Sam Sokolove, continued to build the organization, which still thrives today notwithstanding Inzunza’s departure years later from office in disgrace following a conviction on charges of extortion and fraud.
Recently the California Rural Legal Assistance Corporation gave Block an award for his work promoting intergroup relations, making particular mention of his role in helping to establish the Latino-Jewish Coalition. Accepting the award at a banquet, Block told the mixed group that in the Jewish community a guiding principle is Tikkun Olam -- Repair of the World, and that in Spanish there is a phrase, "Si, se puede (Yes, it's possible!)" and that the two concepts go hand-in-hand.
"We have to repair the world and we have to do it together," said Block. "That kind of captures what I feel about politics and religion—we need to do it because we have a moral responsibility."
XLNC-1 RADIO
SARA-N-DIPITY PLACE
Sam Sultan was a blessing in our lives
 SAN DIEGO—If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue or walk with kings nor lose the common touch. This verse from the poem,"If", by Rudyard Kipling, reminds me of Sam Sultan because of his friendliness to others. He was easy- going, amicable, good-natured., and showed that he cared.
Sam Sultan had many notable accomplishments. He served in the U.S. Army in Holland and Belgium from 1943-1945, as a sharp shooter and scout behind enemy lines against the Nazis. One of his buddies was seriously injured during a mission in Normandy when he stepped on a mine, resulting in the tragic loss of both of his feet. Sam was directly behind his buddy when the shrapnel from the mine struck Sam's eyes, blinding him. Sam walked with his buddy on his back while his buddy served as Sam's eyes by directing him where to step to avoid stepping on any mines. The two soldiers eventually returned safely to their unit. when Sam promptly collapsed. Fortunately, Sam's eyesight was restored over time. Fifty years later, Sam was awarded the Bronze Star for his heroic deed.
As a journalist and Radio-TV announcer, his writing and interviewing skills served him well. In 1948 with a degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota, he was hired to be a radio and TV news reporter, where he wrote the news reports for KSTP, the first Minneapolis TV station. Because this was before computers, Sam learned to type news reports quickly on a typewriter using only his two fingers. In San Diego, Sam was active in many Jewish causes, with the House of Israel being among his favorites.
On a personal note, I originally met Sam and his wife Charlotte (Char) in San Diego at Temple Emanu-El in the Millennium Havurah. He served as secretary for two years. As a token of appreciation, the havurah bought him a yarmulke, which he wore religiously.
Last April, my husband and I had the pleasure of celebrating Passover with Sam and Char, and their family and friends. I was impressed that Sam and Char researched and created a new haggadah every year.
Two events regarding Sam stand out in my mind. The first was when Sam asked me to sing Chad Gadya in Yiddish, which I remembered from my Yiddish school days in Cleveland, Ohio. The second event was at a Friday night Shabbat service, when Rabbi Martin S. Lawson and Anita stood side by side and talked about their marriage as they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Sam called out in a timely manner "You may kiss the bride."
Speaking of brides, Sam and Char were married 61 years. They were best friends, and sweethearts, an affectionate couple, sitting shoulder to shoulder, holding hands throughout their lives,
In his eulogy for Sam, Rabbi Lawson referred to him as a "passionate Jew." His love of Judaism was apparent especially when he chanted the Hashkiveinu prayer with pride and fervor. I shall alway think of Sam when I hear the Hashkiveinu.
The translation of the Hashkiveinu describes Sam Sultan's approach to life:
Let there be love and understanding among us; let peace and friendship be our shelter from life's storms. Eternal God, help us to walk with good companions, to live with hope in our hearts and eternity in our thoughts that we may lie down in peace and rise up to find our hearts waiting to do Your will.
Sam Sultan died on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2008 in San Diego, California. Besides his lovely wife, Char, he is survived by their three children and spouses, Gail and Craig, Jim and Patti, Cathy and Mark, and by their grandchildren.
RHODES MARKETING GROUP
CAMPAIGN 2008
U.N. won't hamper U.S. defense of Israel, McCain and Obama agree during debate; by Donald H. Harrison in San Diego
Ballot recommendation: Vote No on California Proposition 8; a San Diego Jewish World editorial by Donald H. Harrison
RJC blasts Obama on Iran policy; by Suzanne Kurtz in Washington, D.C.
NJDC ad extols Obama's energy policy; by Aaron Keyak in Washington, D.C.
JUDAISM
Jerusalem sights, sounds of Days of Awe; by Judy Lash Balint in Jerusalem
INTERNATIONAL
The Jews Down Under, a roundup of Australian Jewish news by Garry Fabian in Melbourne, Australia:
—JNF briefs Australian minister on its efforts to provide environmental scholarship
—Shul merger proposal on hold
—Young footballer on international stage
—Best & Fairest Award caps off great season
—MP calls for bi-partisan support for terror conviction
—Uniting Jews of the Asia-Pacific
—Holiday Havoc - How it impacts on business
—Yom Kippur do's and don'ts
—Toben could face jail in Australia and Germany
—Australia's nuclear free agenda
—How elections are run "Down Under"
ARTS
Thursdays* With The Songs of Hal Wingard:
—#295, Time To Think
—#311, Father-Son Advice
—#300, Medical Advice
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—February 24, 1950: Hadassah by Mrs. Louis Bickman
—March 10, 1950: ‘Keep The Miracle Alive’ Will Take $283,000 For S.D.
—March 10, 1950: United Jewish Fund Rally March 21st To Hear Naval Commander
—March 10, 1950: United Jewish Fund Drive {Editorial}
—March 10, 1950: The Cottage of Israel {Editorial}
COMMUNITY WATCH
—Jewish American Chamber of Commerce: Sukkot Mixer on Thursday 10/16 @ 5:30 p.m.
—Jewish Family Service: Free Transportation To Yom Kippur Services for Older Adults!
—San Diego Jewish Academy: Bogomolny and Decker semifinalist in National Merit Scholarship competition |
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INTERNATIONAL/ CAMPAIGN 2008
Israel handled its bank crisis much better; by J. Zel Lurie in Delray Beach, Florida
Now it's nuclear India, front and center; by Shoshana Bryen in Washington, D.C.
JUDAISM
The dramatic story of the Kol Nidre, by Cantor Sheldon Merel in San Diego, with a recording of him chanting the well known Yom Kippur melody
A stereotype in time for Yom Kippur by Rabbi Simcha Weinstein in New York
ARTS
Third Story was about three too many by Carol Davis in La Jolla, California
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—February 24, 1950: Labor Zionist Organization
—February 24, 1950: Inside AZA by Leonard Naiman
—February 24, 1950: Temple Beth Israel Sisterhood by Lillian Heiman
—February 24, 1950: JCRA by Anna B. Brooks
COMMUNITY WATCH
Jewish Family Service: Free Transportation To Yom Kippur Services for Older Adults!
San Diego Jewish Academy: DeTar returns from Bronfman Youth Fellowship summer in Israel
Tifereth Israel Synagogue: Does the Torah Really Say That? - An Exploration of Midrash Agadah
INTERNATIONAL
Democrats, please speak up on Israel! by Donald H. Harrison in San Diego
Israel's justice ministry in disarray about what to do about the Katsav scandal; by Ira Sharkansky in Jerusalem
JUDAISM
55-year quest resumed, circle completed by Sheila Orysiek in San Diego
ARTS
Dying City juxtaposes Iraq war, and wars we fight in our homes by Carol Davis in San Diego
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—February 24, 1950: S.D. Birdie Stodel Bnai Brith, Chapter No. 92
—February 24, 1950: Tifereth Israel Synagogue
—February 24, 1950: Pioneer Women (Negba) Club
—February 24, 1950: Defy Income Tax Blues
COMMUNITY WATCH
Jewish Family Service: Free Transportation To Yom Kippur Services for Older Adults!
Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School: Soille Hebrew Day preschoolers enjoyed sounds, aroma of Rosh Hashanah
Tifereth Israel Synagogue: October 11 Midrash Shabbat Program: The Ushpizin
INTERNATIONAL
Arab, Jewish children join in peace performance in Jerusalem; by Dorothea Shefer-Vanson in Jerusalem
NATIONAL/ CAMPAIGN 2008
RJC, NJDC unveil new ad campaigns (from news releases), with links to video clips
JUDAISM
What about the deeds we failed to do? by Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal in San Diego
Yom Kippur thoughts on foregiveness; by Rabbi Baruch Lederman in San Diego
SAN DIEGO
Award-winning religion writer urges clergy to become more 'relevant'; by Donald H. Harrison in San Diego
SPORTS
A bissel sports trivia with Bruce Lowitt in Oldsmar, Florida
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—February 24, 1950: Who’s New
—February 24, 1950: Brotherhood In Action
—February 24, 1950: Toy Shower
—February 24, 1950: Jewish War Veterans Auxiliary by Binnie Brooks
—February 24, 1950: News of the Fox by John Kluchin
—February 24, 1950: Tifereth Israel Men’s Club
COMMUNITY WATCH
Jewish Community Foundation: Government and Philanthropy - Setting a Common Agenda
Jewish Family Service: Free Transportation To Yom Kippur Services for Older Adults
San Diego Rabbinical Association: San Diego Rabbinical Association tells Kever Avot/ Imahot service schedule
Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School: How Rosh Hashanah was celebrated in Soille’s Hebrew classes
Tifereth Israel Synagogue: Israel Advocacy and Israeli Dance
Friday, October 3, 2008 (Vol. 2, No. 237)
INTERNATIONAL/ CAMPAIGN 2008
Biden, Palin clash over whether Bush policies successful in Israel, Middle East; by Donald H. Harrison in San Diego
The shamelessness of the RJC; by Ira Forman in Washington D.C.
JUDAISM
Weighing ourselves on the moral scale; by Sheila Orysiek in San Diego
LIFESTYLES
How to embrace life in the midst of loss; by Sara Appel-Lennon in San Diego
DINING OUT
Chefs join a pair of fun fundraisers; by Lynne Thrope in San Diego
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—February 24, 1950: Congregation Beth Jacob
—February 24, 1950: San Diego Bay City Bnai Brith Women
—February 24, 1950: Temple Beth Israel
—February 24, 1950: Daughters of Israel
COMMUNITY WATCH
Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School: Beautiful Rosh Hashanah creations made in Soille Hebrew Day’s art classes
INTERNATIONAL
Suing the terrorists for their assets; by Larry Stirling in San Diego
Moviemaker tells impressions of Jews in Andhra Pradesh; by Jonas Pariente in Chebrole, India
A Bene Israel educator in Andhra Pradesh; by Sharon Galsulkar in Chebrole, India
CAMPAIGN 2008
Coping with a Conservative Supreme Court; by David Benkof in New York
ARTS
Thursdays With the Songs of Hal Wingard
—#182, I'll Stay As I Am
—#44, The Prince and the Rose
—#265, Change
Christian production, This Beautiful City, presented at the Kirk Douglas Theatre; by Cynthia Citron in Culver City, California
COMMUNITY WATCH
Lawrence Family JCC: Special event October 12: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra program, a prelude at the Lawrence Family JCC to the November 2 performance at the Civic Center
Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School: What’s happening in Soille Hebrew Day’s Middle School science classes?
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
—February 24, 1950: Hadassah Presents Fourth Annual Premiere March 26
—February 24, 1950: Letter to the Editor from Victor Schulman
—February 24, 1950: Jolly Sixteen
Link to previous editions
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SAN DIEGO (Press Release)—San Diego Jewish Academy is delighted to welcome Gabriela Stratton as the new Director of Admissions. Born and raised in Santiago, Chile, she attended Jewish Day School until she came to the USA in 1965 via Israel. Her professional career includes 16 years of residential Real Estate sales in Silicon Valley and six years as Catering Sales Manager with UCSD Faculty Club and the Westgate Hotel downtown. “I am thrilled to be part of the SDJA family,” said Ms. Stratton. 
