LETTER FROM JERUSALEM


Election results may mean Israelis are tired of being
pushed into unilateral concessions by world opinion


By Ira Sharkansky

JERUSALEM—An American friend has sent me an editorial from the New York Times that supports Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's missions of promoting the creation of a Palestinian state, an opening to Syria, and pressure on Israel to stop the expansion of West Bank settlements, bring down barriers to Palestinian movement on the West Bank, and halt the destruction of Palestinian homes built illegally in East Jerusalem.

My friend is worried that I do not recognize the strength of American sentiments in favor of these actions.

Not to fret. Israelis are aware of international opinion. My concern is that this friend and other Americans are isolated from Israeli opinion.

One should never exaggerate interpretations of an election. There are many reasons for individuals to vote in one way rather than another. Nonetheless, there was at least an element in Israelis' recent voting that rejected the widely-held and long failed promotion of a Palestinian state, and its associated concerns for Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Many Israelis feel that its governments have tried reasonable proposals, including settlement freezes, and efforts to make life easier for Palestinians. Many also feel that the Palestinian cause is hopeless as long as "moderate" leaders reject every Israeli gesture as inadequate, and other leaders encourage their followers to fire missiles at Israeli cities and do whatever else they can to kill Israeli civilians.

There is a component of "in your face" in the selection of Benyamin Netanyahu as the politician most likely to become the next prime minister. The message of "in your face" will be even stronger if he selects Avigdor Lieberman as foreign minister.

Neither selection may be wise. "In your face" is not the conventional way to get along in politics. It is risky to upset the world's greatest power and Israel's most important friend. If Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama find themselves uncomfortable with Israel's new leadership, imagine the reception in capitals of important countries whose populations are much less supportive of Israel than Americans.

All that being said, there are good reasons for American officials, and all those decent American Jews who want peace for Israel and its neighbors to pay some attention to the people selected by Israel's voters.

Americans and others say that they support a Jewish democracy. This is what the Israeli democracy has done. At least part of the reason is the failure of the mantras pursued for years by international liberals.

As always, failure has many parents. They include the ascendance of radical Islam, the oil wealth of Iran, the attractions of drugs that originate in Afghanistan, and the failure of Americans to deal with the hard core of radicalism whether in places like Afghanistan/Pakistan or the friendly state of Saudi Arabia. There is also the large bloc of Muslim votes in the United Nations, the pressure of Muslim immigrants in Western Europe, the need of American officials to be "even handed" if they want to maintain world leadership, and the attractions of business to be done in Muslim countries for Germany, France, Britain, and Russia. One is tempted to look for opportunities missed by Israeli governments, and the constraints created by Jews living throughout the area that Palestinians aspire to be Judenrein.

The new Israeli government seems likely to bother the sentiments of those who think of themselves as decent and supportive of Israel not only in its cold shoulder to a Palestinian state, but in elements of internal politics. Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox parties are getting ready to exercise their weight. They did not grow as a result of the election, but a Likud government is likely to be more hospitable to their demands than one led by Kadima or Labor. This does not bode well for the desires of non-Orthodox religious Jews in Israel. Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist Jews will be able to find their synagogues and rabbis throughout Israel, but disappointment seems likely for non-Orthodox rabbis who want all the rights they enjoy elsewhere, or women who want to perform at the Western Wall the rituals assigned to men by the Orthodox .

The future is by no means clear. Prime Minister Netanyahu will speak clearly, but may behave differently than he speaks. There is a serious land mine ticking within the his likely coalition. Lieberman's party depends heavily on the support of Russian immigrants, and they demand things that the Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox resist. Civil marriage and the sale of pork are high on the agendas of both sides, one intensely positive and the other intensely negative.

Moderates like me prefer cool tempers, a quiet discussion of options, and a lack of emotional response when the votes fall in undesirable ways. "In your face" is not the style of politics we find comfortable. For us it may be a time to hunker down as American and European officials accuse their Israeli counterparts of faults ranging from shortsightedness to acting in bad faith, and non-Orthodox religious Jews proclaim violations of religious freedom.

There are several items on my hopeful agenda: that my American friend and his government will be wise enough to ponder the sources of the Israel's election results, and decide that pressuring Israel is not the only way to deal with madness among the Muslims in our region and elsewhere; that pragmatism will compete with bluster in Bibi's coalition; and that enough of this will happen to keep me optimistic.


Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University. He may be contacted at email: msira@mscc.huji.ac.il





UNITED JEWISH FEDERATION SAN DIEGO JEWISH ACADEMY



To visit the United Jewish Federation or San Diego Jewish Academy websites, please click the respective ad above

SDJA'S Learning Center Supports K-12 Students with Special Needs

SAN DIEGO (Press Release)—Developed to provide extra assistance to students with diagnosed learning differences, The Learning Center is a new resource program at San Diego Jewish Academy that offers the expertise of two Resource Specialists who guide an individualized program for each student to help increase student success in the classroom. Through the Learning Center, students are able to access the individualized help they need in 45- or 60-minute sessions, and parents, credentialed classroom and Learning Center teachers work as a team to help students reach their full potential. 

The full-time Learning Center operates during school hours and accommodates students in grades K-12 who need help with organizational skills or additional, specialized support beyond the regular classroom. The Resource Specialist, with qualified teachers rounding out the staff, also observes and helps students in the classroom setting, writes up reports with individualized goals and objectives, and may see students in individual or very small groups to work on classroom projects.

Educational therapist Debra Cohen (pictured at left) works with students from Golda Meir Lower School in one-on-one sessions that use a variety of instructional activities and are custom designed for the student to complement his or her unique learning style.  Cohen also works with students in small groups when students are tasked with challenging classroom projects.  Cohen has had experience both as a classroom teacher and as a resource specialist in the public school system since 1996.

Maimonides Upper School Program Director Brenda Moss works as an educational therapist with students from SDJA’s upper school, assisting them in academic areas such as test preparation and accommodation, homework skills, and student advocacy in building relationships with teachers.  Moss has experience in both public and private schools as a classroom teacher, special day teacher, resource specialist, as well as working as a private Educational Therapist since 1984. 

The Upper School Learning Center is also supported by SDJA Math instructor, Mandy Moussavi, and SDJA’s Hebrew instructor, Sharone Kauffman.  In describing what the Learning Center is about, Moss says, “Our goal is to help students become independent and pro-active learners.  We try to provide an atmosphere that is relaxed, safe, and accepting.  This is important for students who may find school stressful due to the learning challenges they face on a daily basis.”  

Unlike tutoring, which is often associated with one subject or content area, educational therapy is broader and includes goals like restoring self-esteem, improving the learning process, developing learning strategies, and helping the child feel more comfortably in the classroom.  The Learning Center staff works alongside the student in the classroom to enable him or her to keep pace with classroom learning.  Since the inception of the program, many students have benefited from its services and each year the number of students has grown. 
           
San Diego Jewish Academy, one of the country’s premier K-12 Jewish day schools, challenges students to achieve their full academic potential and become individuals of strong moral and ethical character, while inspiring them to make Judaism a vital and relevant aspect of their lives.

For information, visit www.sdja.com or contact Renee Sherman, Admissions Director, at rsherman@sdja.com or 858-704-3716.

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THE VIEW FROM JINSA


Debating the defenders of NIA's Charles Freeman


By Shoshana Bryen

WASHINGTON, D.C.—It turns out JINSA is one of the very few organizations to go on record with our concerns about Charles "Chas" Freeman, the President's pick for the non-confirmable position of Director of the National Intelligence Agency. It has produced an interesting reaction.

One Jewish professional had no problem with Mr. Freeman sitting on the board of a Chinese oil company doing business in Iran, or Saudi Arabia's sponsorship of Mr. Freeman's non-profit organization, the Middle East Policy Council. His view, to paraphrase, was, "We don't complain when someone is pro-Israel. We expect Jewish government officials to be 'neutral' when it matters. Why should we complain when someone is pro-Saudi, and why shouldn't we expect him be 'neutral' in his work as well?"

First, the mixed metaphor. Mr. Freeman is not Saudi - or Chinese. Institutions in those countries pay him and the comparison to American Jews working for the American government is odious.

But skip that, for the moment. We, at least, don't want neutrality on all issues from any of our government employees. We want a bias toward democratic, free-market countries with multiple centers of power including an independent legislature, unions and journalists, and respect for civil and religious liberties, minorities rights and the rule of law. We want a bias in our government toward the government of Costa Rica and away from that of Venezuela. Toward Italy and away from Zimbabwe. Toward Great Britain and away from Myanmar. Toward Taiwan and away from Sudan. Away from the Palestinian government - either of them.

Toward Israel.

Saudi Arabia and China are important countries with which the United States should have good relations. Saudi Arabia, in particular, has been operating on the Western side of the "great divide" of countries of late. We believe it is because Saudi Arabia, like Israel, has understood that Iran - not Israel - is the primary threat to stability in the region. China has, in the main, been obstructionist on both Iran and on Sudan.  

Neither country qualifies as an ally based on shared values. Neither should receive a presumption of friendship or allied status. Neither is entitled to "bias toward."

In no way does bias toward a country - France or Mali, Liberia or Argentina, Turkey or Israel - mean that everything its government does is right, or that the United States should do everything they want us to do. American interests are always determinative; we can and, no doubt, will argue with all of them - as friends.

Mr. Freeman's position is non-confirmable, but there has been congressional interest in vetting and better understanding his financial relations with Saudi Arabia and China. We are more interested in where his biases lie. We hope they lie with America's fundamental interest in protecting our security and protecting our democratic friends and allies, including Israel, while maintaining relations with Saudi Arabia and China - and others - that serve that bottom line.

Bryen is special projects director for the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. (JINSA). Her column is sponsored by Waxie Sanitary Supply in memory of Morris Wax, longtime JINSA supporter and national board member


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CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL SAN DIEGO JEWISH CHAMBER


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GUEST COLUMN



A Congressional resolution to honor 4 Immortal Chaplains

By Congressman Bob Filner

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Many of us remember hearing about the heroic sacrifice and display of selfless love by the four Immortal Chaplains when we were younger.  I recently re-introduced legislation (H.Res. 86) to ask President Obama to designate a day in their honor.  The story of the Immortal Chaplains needs to be heard so we can continue to learn from their demonstration of faith and strength in the face of hopelessness.

On February 3, 1943, The U.S. Army Transportation Service troopship Dorchester was torpedoed in the North Atlantic by a German submarine. Of the 900 passengers and crew, four were the ship's chaplains – Methodist Chaplain George Lansing Fox, Rabbi Alexander Goode, Dutch Reformed Minister Clark V. Poling, and John P. Washington, a Roman Catholic Priest.

As the ship was sinking, the chaplains comforted the crew and distributed life vests.  When supply ran out, they took off their own life vests and gave them out as well. The Chaplains were last seen by witnesses standing arm-in-arm on the hull of the ship, each praying in his own way for the care of the men.  Almost 700 died, making it the third largest loss at sea of its kind for the United States during World War II.  Many of the men who survived owed their lives to the Four Chaplains.

Memorials to the Chaplains’ sacrifice exist throughout the country. In 1948, the United States issued a stamp honoring the Immortal Chaplains as true examples of “Interfaith in Action.”  Congress also recognized the chaplains’ selfless acts with a special medal for valor in 1960.

The heroism of these four exemplary men of faith is an example of love for others without regard to race, religion, or creed, and an acknowledgment of the human potential for compassion.

To learn more about the four Immortal Chaplains, you can visit the website of The Immortal Chaplains Foundation, which was established by the Chaplains’ relatives and Dorchester survivors: www.immortalchaplains.org

Filner, a San Diego Democrat, is chairman of the House Committee on Veteran Affairs.

SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY COLLEGES XLNC1 CLASSICAL RADIO

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TORAH ON ONE FOOT

The perennial question of why God permits evil


By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal

SAN DIEGO—For several weeks my Basic Judaism students have been involved in heated theological discussions about the existence of God and the nature of evil. The basic problem: if God is all good and all powerful, then why does evil exist? Or, as Rabbi Harold Kushner asked in his well known book on the subject: Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

One response that I unequivocally reject is that the pain and suffering that people experience in life is punishment from God for their bad behavior. This is the theology of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel and the current spiritual leader of the Shas party. Rabbi Yosef once announced on Israel radio that the Shoah (Holocaust) was God's punishment for the sins of the secularized Jews of Europe.

Although condemned by many other rabbis, including Orthodox rabbis, Rabbi Yosef was not innovating, but rather reiterating a well established Jewish approach to evil: bad things happen to good people to punish them for their sins. Many years before the Shoah the Ketav Sofer (Abraham Samuel Benjamin Schreiber of Pressburg, 1815-1879) gave the same response in commenting on this week's special maftir, Zachor. On the Shabbat before Purim we read the Torah's account of the tribe of Amalek's attack on the Israelites in the desert. Amalek attacked Israel from the rear, assaulting the weakest and weariest members of the people first. Haman is a descendant of Amalek, and his death is seen by our tradition as retribution for the vicious attack of his ancestors, as well as his own misdeeds.

The Ketav Sofer asks the theological question, which he says is well known: "Why were Pharaoh, Amalek, Haman, etc., punished? How could they be held responsible for their actions? Weren't they all agents of God sent to punish the Israelites for their transgressions?"
His answer? Although they were agents of God, they were motivated by their own desire to attack Jews. Here is how he parses Deuteronomy 25:17-19:

"Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt-how, undeterred by God, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear....you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heaven. Do not forget!"

(The Ketav Sofer's following interpretations are in italics)

"Remember what Amalek did to you..." even though "you were famished and weary and [you, the Israelites] did not fear God" and therefore were deserving of Divine punishment, despite this "you shall blot out the memory of Amalek" what he intended to do you, that he wanted to cause you harm. What you should not forget (i.e., remember) is that even when you battle Amalek today you should not do it out of anger and vengeance but rather to fulfill the will of God.

In this rather convoluted way, the Ketav Sofer was teaching that a) the Israelites were attacked by Amalek as punishment for their sins, and b) everything that happens is the will of God, and that human feelings and emotions should be sublimated to doing God's will.

Needless to say, I have a problem with both of his conclusions! I do not believe in a God who punishes people for their bad behavior through illness, pain, or death. I also do not believe that is possible to completely sublimate human emotion and personality in taking any action, including the performance of mitzvot. I believe that God recognizes our humanity and makes allowances for our failures, shortcomings, and feelings. I find such beliefs masochistic and "blame the victims" for their suffering.

How, then, does one adequately explain the existence of pain and suffering in the world in the presence of an all-powerful and all-good God? Unfortunately, at this point in my life, I cannot. I am still searching for an adequate theological response. But I know what I do not believe, which includes claiming to know what is in God's Mind.

Rabbi Rosenthal is spiritual leader of Tifereth Israel Synagogue. He may be contacted at rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

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TIFERETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE LAWRENCE FAMILY JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER




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Jacob Goldberg Annual Series To Address Israeli and World Issues

LA JOLLA, California (Press Release) – The Jacob Goldberg Annual Series: 2009 – A Year of Decision, a program of the Astor Judaica Library presented by the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jacobs Family Campus, will run March 30-April 1 at 7:30 p.m. The lecture series takes place in the David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre.

“Jacob Goldberg’s insights into modern Israeli and Middle Eastern issues always create such intense interest that we’ve made his lectures an annual event,” said Jackie Gmach, Program Director.

The Jacob Goldberg Annual Series –2009 – A Year of Decision

Against the backdrop of a new American administration, Israel will face a moment of truth on three fronts. The decisions Israel will make this year are bound to shape Middle Eastern history and events for many years to come. Lectures will focus on each of these challenges:

Mon., March 30, 7:30 p.m. – The Hamas Dilemma: Palestinina-Israeli relations in the aftermath of the Gaza War

Tues., March 31, 7:30 p.m. – The Northern Puzzle: Between confrontation with Hizballah and prospects of a Syrian-Israeli peace.

Wed., April 1, 7:30 p.m. – The Nuclear Challenge: Iran crossing the point-of-no-return.

Goldberg was an adviser to the Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Barak, on regional and international affairs from 1999 until 2001. He participated in the negotiations with the Palestinian leadership as well as in meetings at the White House, the Kremlin, and numerous other capitals.

For the last decade Goldberg has been a professor at the College of Legal Studies in Israel. Prior to that, he was Acting Head and Senior Research Fellow at Tel Aviv University’s Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies. He is an internationally respected lecturer and consultant on the Middle East, with particular emphasis on Arab-Israeli relations, Persian Gulf politics and oil, and American-Israeli relations. Goldberg is the author of The Foreign Policy of Saudi Arabia, published by Harvard University Press. He has also published numerous articles in the leading newspapers in Israel and the U.S., including the New York Times and the Washington Post.

General Information—The Jacob Goldberg Annual Series is a program of the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jacob Family Campus, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. Ticket prices range from $9-$12 for each individual lecture. For information or tickets call the JCC Box Office at 858-362-1348, or visit the web site at www.lfjcc.org

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AMAZING STORIES OF JUDAISM DVAR TORAH: Purim ~ Matonos L'evyonim


The rabbi's mother served a most memorable soup

By Rabbi Baruch Lederman

SAN DIEGO—On Purim, it is a mitzvah to give Matonos L'evyonim; Gifts to the Poor. Tzedaka is quintessential to Jewish life as the following true story, documented in Jewish World Review, illustrates:

When Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Tajtelbaum of Golders Green, London, passed away in May 2004, he left a staggering legacy of philanthropy both in London and in Eretz Yisroel. His son, Rabbi Mendel, shared the story that shaped his father's life:

Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid grew up in the poverty-stricken town of Sierpc (pronounced Shepps) in Poland. Though the Tajtelbaums were better off than others, often a supper consisted only of a thick soup with some pieces of vegetable and scraps of chicken.

On one particularly cold snowy evening, Mrs. Shprintza Tajtelbaum began serving this kind of soup to her husband and nine children. Everyone had a bowl and she went from bowl to bowl, filling them according to the ages of children, giving each of them a fair share from a limited pot.

As she finished filling the last child's bowl and was getting ready to fill her own bowl, there was a nasty knock on the front door. Mrs. Tajtelbaum sent one of the children to answer it.

A poverty-stricken foul-smelling beggar walked in. He was far from clean and his tattered coat dripped with snow that fell on the floor as he made his way into the room dragging slushy muddy dirt with him. He barely looked up and barked in Yiddish, "Gitz essin!" (Give something to eat!)

The children frowned from the putrid odor that emanated from this vagabond. The mother said softly, "Go into the bathroom and wash up. You will feel better."

The children then watched in amazement as she went around the table and took a spoonful of soup from each of their bowls and put in it a separate bowl, which she then set down on the table for their unexpected new guest.

As the man ate his soup, it was obvious he hadn't eaten in a while. Repulsed as they were by this grimy individual, the children would never forget their mother's magnanimity.

Years later it was said that when Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid was interned in the Auschwitz slave-labor camp, where he was subjected to deprivation, starvation and cruelty, he kept only half of his daily bread ration for himself. The other half he would divide into tiny pieces and dispense them to others who were on the verge of starvation.

Decades later, as a wealthy man in London, he observed that the Torah states, When you lend money to My people, to the poor person with you ... (Exodus 22:24). Since the Torah, in its original Hebrew, has no vowels, the word for "loan" can also be read, "to accompany. "This would teach us If you want your money to accompany you [in the Next World,] lend it or give it to My people, the poor man ...

"You can't take your money with you," Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid would teach, "but that which you give to others will escort you in the Next World."

Dedicated anonymously in memory of Rabbi Baruch Lederman's father, Mr. Irving I Lederman.

Rabbi Lederman, spiritual leader of Congregation Kehillas Torah in San Diego, may be contacted at rbl613@nethere.com
     
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JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE SOILLE SAN DIEGO HEBREW DAY SCHOOL

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Soille Hebrew Day Second Graders on their way to knowing 400 Shorashim! 

SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — How does Morah Danielle teach the second graders at Hebrew Day 400 shorashim (Hebrew root words)?  With lots of fun games! This photo shows two teams of second  graders competing in the Shorashim speed quiz. In the game, Morah Danielle calls out a shoresh (a three letter root Hebrew word) to two students, one from each team.  The student who rings the bell has to translate it from Hebrew to English. If they get the answer correct, they get a point for their team; if they get it wrong the other team gets a point. Of course Morah Danielle has lots of prizes to give everyone, making learning Hebrew fun!

Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School serves children from infants through eighth grade and offers generous financial aid grants to families to make a Jewish day school education affordable to all.  For more information on the school, visit the web site at http://www.hebrewday.org/ or contact Audrey Jacobs, Director of School Advancement at 858-279-3300 ext. 106 or ajacobs@hebrewday.org

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L.A. BEAT



The yenta whose son celebrates 'first five nights of Kishka'

By Cynthia Citron

HOLLYWOOD - Annie Korzen calls herself a yenta (a busybody; someone who will offer you unsolicited advice whether she knows anything about the subject or not). You, on the other hand, might call her Joan Rivers with Class. Or you might even recognize her as Doris Klompus, a recurring nudnik in the Florida episodes of Seinfeld.

Annie Korzen is also a hilarious standup comedienne, currently rambling through her life story and other ruminations on the stage of the El Centro Theatre in Hollywood. The show, called Yenta: Straight from the Mouth is the second in her yenta series; the first, Yenta Unplugged started in L.A. and went on to New York, Sydney, Copenhagen and other cities around the world that were obviously starved for Jewish humor. That show, like her current one, was first produced here by the West Coast Ensemble.

Yenta: Straight from the Mouth is disjointedly held together by three threads: periodic philosophical profundities from Kierkegaard, commentaries on her plans for “when I rule the world,” and the ongoing preparations for her son Jonathan’s wedding.

Her son Jonathan, at the time, was working in London, which, Korzen notes, gave him a distinct advantage since “the English don’t know anything about Jewish culture” and Jonathan could invent holidays at will. Like the time he took off from work to celebrate “the first five nights of Kishka.” (Korzen herself likes to introduce the uninitiated to Jewish culture by “taking them out for a good Chinese dinner.”)

She acknowledges that her favorite activities are eating out, going to the theater, and shopping. (Loehmann’s, she says, is for her “a form of meditation.”) It was at Loehmann’s, in fact, that she invented a cure for people who conduct loud, distracting cell phone conversations in the midst of her meditation: she joins in the conversation as if she were the person on the other end of the line, wisecracking for the amusement of all the other customers in the dressing room.

Politically, Korzen claims to be “somewhere to the left of Sean Penn,” and, mangling Kierkegaard, she advises, “Don’t keep your mind so open that your brains fall out!”

She plays the piano, singing her own insightful lyrics, including a paean to her husband of 45 years, Danish film producer Benni Korzen, who sits blissfully in a back row of the theater kvelling over her performance.

Yenta: Straight from the Mouth is directed by Judy Chaikin, although Korzen doesn’t appear to need much direction. She notes that her primary goal is to “just be myself,” but adds that “in my case that’s the wrong choice.”

The best choice for you, however, is to hurry to the El Centro Theatre at 800 N. El Centro in Hollywood, where Korzen will be appearing Saturday afternoons at 3 and Sunday evenings at 7 through March 22. For tickets call (323) 460-4443.

Bureau chief Citron may be contacted at citronc@sandiegojewishworld.com

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AMERICA'S VACATION CENTER Nancy Harrison cruise & tour specialist (619) 265-0808 nancy.harrison@americasvacationcenter.com Friends: The slogan of San Diego Jewish World is "there's a Jewish storyeverywhere." I can help you travel to the locales of such stories. I'll work hard to find you the very best prices!

CAROL ANN GOLDSTEIN Carol Ann Goldstein provides the following services: Web Developer-information and ecommerce sites Database programmer Math Tutor -- all ages (San Diego, CA.) Call 858 452 0386 or email cag_92122@yahoo.com

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A bissel sports trivia with Bruce Lowitt

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Jewish Internet Favorites

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Chico Marx plays the piano in Go West




Harpo Marx performs mirror image magic with Lucille Ball





Max Linder tries to officiate match in Combat de Boxe

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Adventures in San Diego Jewish History

Editor's Note: Read in this continuing column how the generations who came before us helped to build San Diego's Jewish community! You may access an index of San Diego Jewish history articles by clicking here. You may also use the Google search program at the top of this page or on the headline index page to search for keywords or names.

Beth Israel Sisterhood
Southwestern Jewish Press, October 17, 1952, page 6

At right, historic listings from the October 17, 1952 issue, page 6:

Mrs. Samuel Friedman will preside at the Wednesday, October 22 luncheon meeting to be held at 11:45 a.m. in the Temple Center, 3rd and Laurel St.  A current problem, pertinent to our city, will be presented in a panel discussion.  The subject is “Moral and Spiritual Education in the Public Schools.”

Appearing on the panel will be:  Dr. Robert Jenkins, Assistant Superintendent of City Schools; Mrs. Jean DuPaul, 1st Vice-President, 9th District P.T.A.; Mr. Albert A. Hutler, Executive Director, United Jewish Fund; Rabbi Morton J. Cohen, spiritual leader of Temple Beth Israel.  The moderator will be MRS. Mary Fay, member of the Board of Education.  Luncheon Chairmen are:  Mre. Louis Steinman, Mrs. M. Feldman.  Reservations should be made early by phoning Mrs. John Ruskin or Mrs. J. Alweis.  The public is invited to attend.

City of Hope Aux.
Southwestern Jewish Press, October 17, 1952, page 6

The City of Hope Auxiliary will hold a rummage sale on Oct. 22 and 23 at 13th and Market Sts.  For rummage pick-up call Mrs. Harry Douglas, chairman, Mrs. Herbert Borner, Marie Richards, Mrs. Chas. Blooomfield, Mrs. Martin Borenstein, or Mrs. Robert Strauss. 
The City of Hope Telethon has been postponed to Oct.  Be sure to tune in Channel 8 to see Jimmy Durante and a galaxy of stars.

Young Jewish Couples Club
Southwestern Jewish Press, October 17, 1952, page 6

This is to be a last reminder that the Young Jewish Couples Club is sponsoring an open meeting to discuss “What the Two Major Parties Do for Young Couples,” and “What can Young Couples Contribute to the Community Politically?”, Sunday evening, October 19 at 8:00 p.m. at Tifereth Israel Synagogue.

DeGraff Austin and David Feldman, Democrats; Bob Wilson and George Bond, Republicans, will be the guest speakers.  A question period will follow the regular program.

J.W.V.  Aux.
Southwestern Jewish Press, October 17, 1952, page 6

Jewish War Veterans Auxiliary No. 185 will have a social meeting on Monday, October 20th, at 8:30 p.m. in the War Memorial Building, Balboa Park.  An interesting evening is planned, and members and friends are cordially invited to attend.

The auxiliary will hold a rummage sale on Tuesday, October 21st.  Please deliver rummage to 4363 37th Street, or call W. 7-0867 or T-7579 and it will be picked up.

City of Hope Jr. Aux.
Southwestern Jewish Press, October 17, 1952, page 6

The week of October 19th through October 26th has been set aside as Fun and Fund Week  by members of the City of Hope Junior Auxiliary.  During that time card parties, bingo parties, luncheons and many other affairs will take place in the home of members of the organization, to raise funds for the City of Hope Medical Center at Duarte.

“Success seems to be assured since almost all members have taken it upon themselves to sponsor such an affair.  As a rule, only non-members are to be invited to these parties, and it is gratifying to hear that the girls are meeting with so much enthusiasm when contacting their non-member friends,” reports Irma Ruden, Chairman.

Beth Jacob Auxiliary
Southwestern Jewish Press, October 17, 1952, page 6

The Beth Jacob Auxiliary invites all its friends to attend a Simchas Torah Dinner to be held on Oct. 30 at the Beth Jacob Center.  A delicious turkey dinner with soup and kreplich and all the holiday trimmings will be served.

Come and have a delightful evening.  For information or reservations call J-2566 or M-1366.

Pioneer Women
Southwestern Jewish Press, October 17, 1952, page 6

Pioneer Women’s Regional Conference has been postponed until Nov. 14 to 17 inclusive due to an Israel Bond Conference in Los Angeles on the former announced in the last issue of the Jewish Press will be followed beginning with Pioneer Women Sabbath services on Friday evening.

Cottage of Israel
Southwestern Jewish Press, October 17, 1952, page 6

Officers for the year 1952-53 have been announced previously and following is the completed list of committee members.  Display committee:  Phil Abrams, Florence Barach, Zahava Fishman, Gerda Krypka and Russ Linton.  Hostess committee:  Anna Peckarsky (chairman), Betty Cohan and Jeanette Abrams.  Guide committee:  Russ Linton (chairman), Seymour Gates, Gerda and Hilde Krypka, Meir Barach, Phil Abrams, Maedelle Richlin, Fred Yaruss, Sumner Alpert, Dr. Ernest Wolf, Daniel Schaffer and Hyman Blech.  Maedelle Richlin is our program chairman.

Our display committee is to be commended for building the attractive Succa in front of the Cottage entrance in honor of the Succoth festival.  It was admired and commented on by many visitors who attended our Sunday afternoon Open House on October 5th.  Hostesses were Betty Cohen and Jeanette Abrams of our Cottage Hostess Committee.

“Adventures in Jewish History” is sponsored by Inland Industries Group LP in memory of long-time San Diego Jewish community leader Marie (Mrs. Gabriel) Berg. Our indexed "Adventures in San Diego Jewish History" series will be a daily feature until we run out of history.


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THE JEWISH CITIZEN


A heartfelt apology to SDSU Prof. Risa Levitt Kohn et al

By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO—Let me begin this column with a heartfelt apology to Dr. Risa Levitt Kohn, the professor of religious studies at San Diego State University who served as the curator of the Natural History Museum’s exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Similarly I would like to apologize to her many colleagues who helped make the exhibition a reality; to Risa’s family and to any other persons close to her who shared her pain.  I am truly sorry.

At the same time let me announce that for the first time in this publication’s history, we have withdrawn four articles from the archived record.  All the articles had appeared in 2007.  Two were short items about a controversy over the origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and two were articles—one in the form of a letter to the editor, the other in the form of a guest column -- purportedly written by a man calling himself Charles Gadda.

In response to a query for verification, I was  informed on March 6 by spokeswoman Alicia Maxey Greene of the Manhattan District Attorney’s office that “Charles  Gadda” was not a real person, but in fact was an alias used by Raphael Haim Golb in a “campaign of impersonation and harassment” to discredit scholars who disagreed with his father, Norman Golb, about the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

For readers’ background, I am reprinting a press release that the Manhattan District Attorney’s office issued on  March 5, and then will go on to explain how San Diego Jewish World unwittingly got sucked into Gadda/Golb’s alleged campaign.  Finally, I will ask your suggestions how situations like this one can be avoided in the future.

Here is the press release, which to avoid confusion I am setting in a different type font:

Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau today announced the arrest of a 49-year-old man for creating multiple aliases to engage in a campaign of impersonation and harassment relating to the Dead Sea Scrolls and scholars of opposing viewpoints.
The defendant, RAPHAEL HAIM GOLB, was arrested on charges of identity theft, criminal impersonation and aggravated harassment. The crimes in the Criminal Court Complaint occurred during the period of July to December of 2008.

The investigation leading to today’s arrest revealed that GOLB engaged in a systematic scheme on the Internet, using dozens of Internet aliases, in order to influence and affect debate on the Dead Sea Scrolls, and in order to harass Dead Sea Scrolls scholars who disagree with his viewpoint. GOLB used computers at New York University (NYU) in an attempt to mask his true identity when conducting this Internet scheme. He gained access to NYU computers by virtue of being a graduate of the university, and having made donations to its library fund.

The investigation, which included a court-authorized search warrant that was executed this morning at GOLB’s apartment, began in response to a complaint by Lawrence Schiffman, Ph.D., that he was impersonated over the Internet. Dr. Schiffman is a NYU professor, chairman of the Hebrew & Judaic Studies Department and a leading scholar in the field of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
In August 2008, Dr. Schiffman became subject to a campaign of impersonation and harassment through the Internet, by an anonymous individual. An investigation by the District Attorney’s Office revealed that this individual was GOLB, the son of Norman Golb, Ph.D., a Dead Sea Scrolls scholar who resides in Chicago. RAPHAEL GOLB used methods which were intended to maintain his anonymity, and opened an email account - larry.schiffman @ gmail.com - purportedly in Dr. Schiffman’s name and sent 11 emails to multiple NYU recipients, in which he pretended to be Dr. Schiffman, and purported to admit to plagiarism. Simultaneously, RAPHAEL GOLB, using other Internet aliases, sent emails to NYU personnel and administration accusing Dr. Schiffman of plagiarism, and created Internet blogs accusing Dr. Schiffman of plagiarism.

GOLB also created email accounts in the names of other individuals active in the field of Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship, including Stephen Goranson and Jonathan Seidel.

The Dead Sea Scrolls consist of roughly 900 documents, including texts from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves in and around the ancient ruins of Qumran, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, in present-day Israel. The texts are of great religious and historical significance, as they include the only known surviving copies of biblical texts made before 100 A.D., and preserve evidence of considerable diversity of belief and practice within late Second Temple period Judaism, the Judaism of the second and first centuries B.C. and the first century A.D. These manuscripts generally date to between 150 B.C. and 50 A.D. Publication of the scrolls is now complete, however it was delayed for many decades.

There is considerable academic scholarship that surrounds the Dead Sea Scrolls, with areas of general consensus, and with areas of debate and differing opinions and theories. Because of the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and because of the delay in publication, the scrolls are also subject to some conspiracy theories.

Many scholars view the scrolls collection as having been assembled by an ancient Jewish sect, which many call the Essenes. Furthermore, many scholars believe that this sect resided in the settlement in Qumran, in close proximity to the caves where the scrolls were found.

The defendant’s father, Dr. Norman Golb, is a professor at the University of Chicago. He has been a proponent of the viewpoint that the Dead Sea Scrolls found in the caves of Qumran had nothing to do with the buildings and settlement at the Qumran site. He believes that they were not the product of the Essenes, but of many different Jewish sects and communities of ancient Israel, who hid the scrolls in the caves at Qumran while fleeing from Jerusalem.

RAPHAEL GOLB, through his Internet aliases, promoted the theories of his father and criticized the theories of others. Frequently, he criticized the manner in which the Dead Sea Scrolls have been exhibited, for not giving sufficient attention to the theories of his father.

GOLB is charged with Identity Theft in the Second Degree, a class E felony, which is punishable by up to 1⅓ to 4 years in prison; Identity Theft in the Third Degree, Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree, Forgery in the Third Degree and Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree, all class A misdemeanors, which are each punishable by up to 1 year in prison. He is scheduled to be arraigned today in Manhattan Criminal Court.

The investigation is continuing.

The investigation and prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant District Attorney John Bandler of the Identity Theft Unit, under the supervision of Antonia Merzon, Unit Chief.  Analyst Sarah Briglia of the Identity Theft Unit participated in the investigation.  Investigators from the District Attorneys Investigation Bureau, including Senior Investigator Patrick McKenna and Investigator Ariela Fisch, participated in the investigation, under the supervision of Investigation Bureau Chief Joseph Pennisi. 

Defendant Information:
RAPHAEL HAIM GOLB, 1/10/1960 
206 Thompson Street
New York, New York

I first learned about this press release on Thursday when Dr. Kohn's husband telephoned me and directed me to the website of the Manhattan district attorney.  In the process, he vented his anger at me for having carried the four articles which I have now removed.  Unknown to me, apparently he had been stewing over this for a long time. Well, he was right to tell me off.  Were our circumstances reversed, I’d have been angry too.  I take him for a good, loving husband, who doesn’t want to see his wife hurt.  I hope if my wife Nancy were ever unfairly under attack I would do the same.

After I heard the husband out, and read the press release, I wrote Risa Kohn a note, which said I was checking with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to verify whether Gadda was one of Raphael Golb’s aliases.  My  note added:

“If indeed the younger Golb was Gadda, then I and my publication were scammed, and I want to extend to you my apology for unwittingly permitting this man to masquerade as an objective third party in what, for most of us, is a highly arcane dispute.  

“In the meantime, if you have any comment about the Golb/ Gadda matter that you would like us to publish, please be assured that I will be pleased to incorporate it into whatever story eventuates, or to run it as a separate letter to the editor…”

Dr. Kohn didn’t reply to my note directly, but instead forwarded it to Dr. Robert R. Cargill of the UCLA Center for Digital Humanities.  “Can you send him the link to your wiki piece.  Thanks,” Kohn wrote to Cargill, according to the email chain that Cargill forwarded to me.

Cargill wrote the following to me:

“’Charles Gadda’  is Raphael  Haim Golb. Golb used over 80 aliases to promote the views  of his father, and  smear all scholars that opposed  him. Please see http://www.who-is-charles-gadda.com for more proof than you’ll ever need. You and your publication got  scammed on a grand scale. You weren’t the only ones, but you now have the  opportunity to remedy the  situation.”

Until the aforementioned events, I pretty well had forgotten the controversy as nearly two years had elapsed.  Anyone who reads the “who is Charles Gadda” posting linked above, will see that it describes the same pattern that we fell into, although Cargill’s narrative deals with the experiences of other news organizations.

On April 13, 2007, San Diego Jewish World carried a note that there was a commentary in the Jewish Daily Forward on the controversy over the Dead Seas Scrolls origin and provided a link. The Forward, of course, is one of the best known and revered Jewish newspapers in the world.

On May 3, 2007, we printed a letter purportedly from “Charles Gadda” alerting us to a debate that had been held in Kansas City concerning the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls in which Norman Golb had participated.  There was a link to a story in the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle telling of the event.  The letter writer said Norman Golb ought to be permitted to present his views at the San Diego exhibition.

On June 26, 2007, just before the opening of the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, the Los Angeles Times carried a story about the exhibit, and made reference to Golb.  In a brief item, we provided a link to that story.

Finally, on October 8, 2007, we published a commentary by “Charles Gadda” contending that the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit was biased in its presentation of the Dead Sea Scrolls origin.  Preceding that column, we wrote a note which stated:  “Editor’s Note: The following commentary appears on the NowPublic website and is reprinted with permission. Author Charles Gadda’s references to previous stories refer to articles published on that website. San Diego Jewish World is interested in presenting all points of view on this subject.”   Until the call on Thursday, no one contacted us to challenge "Gadda" or the allegations made in his article.

Given the official allegation that "Charles Gadda" is not a real person,  I have withdrawn the articles which were written under that name, as well as the two other brief items which I believe, but cannot recall exactly, were instigated by the man calling  himself Gadda.   I have been advised by Cargill that other publications similarly have withdrawn stories that appeared in their archives. 

I have apologized above to the Kohn family and to Risa Levitt Kohn’s academic colleagues for allowing the "Gadda" stories to get by me.  Had this been a private dispute, rather than one over a public exhibition, I wouldn’t have been interested in the story in the first place.  But as it was about an exhibition in San Diego of major importance to the Jewish community, I felt it was my duty to publish stories reflecting all points of view about the exhibit.  Long prior to hearing from “Gadda,” I had been one of the first reporters to write a feature on what the exhibit would entail.

 It’s true that I didn’t write the letter or column from “Gadda”  — I never would knowingly publish false material -- but this incident demonstrates to me that I need to be a far better gatekeeper in deciding what gets passed on to readers and what is not run in our publication. Because I did a poor job of this in the "Gadda case," I apologize to our readership.

I solicit the opinions of our readers on how I can prevent something like this from happening again, without stifling debate on controversial issues.  Opinions in politics, academia, literature, music, art—in fact in almost every range of human endeavor – may vary and sometimes become intense.

Given the intensity of the debates on Israel, combating anti-Semitism, responding to the religious right, I have learned that there never will be unanimity amid such contentiousness.  Rather than abdicating my responsibilities as an editor by not covering controversial issues—or declining a forum to people of different opinions —I try to moderate the debate.  I try to prevent writers from engaging in personal attacks by requiring them to stick to the issues in contention.  I have tried to reject letters that engage in outright name-calling.

Similarly, I have refused to print anonymous letters, no matter how innocuous the subject matter of those letters may seem to be.  I have insisted that people put their names to their opinions, believing that if people know they will be held responsible for what they say in print, they will be more careful about what they say. *

In the first six days of March, our site received 11,371 visits, for an average of 1,895 visitors per day.  We know who some of those visitors are, but obviously we can’t know who they all are.  So, it is not uncommon to receive letters or communications from purported readers who are not personally known to us.  In our apparently mistaken view, “Charles Gadda”  back in 2007 was such a reader.  Now I have to wonder, considering the charges of identity theft leveled against Raphael Haim Golb, whether we should require letter writers to provide us some other proof of who they are, and, if so, in what manner?

All of us are familiar with the rabbinic tale about leshon hara—gossip, or evil talk – in which to show how difficult it is to take back gossip, a rabbi told a gossiper to release a bushel of feathers in the public square.  The winds caught the feathers, in time scattering them all over the landscape.  With the Internet, gossip or leshon hara can get scattered all over the world in just a few seconds.  The rabbi told the gossiper, after releasing the feathers, to go gather them up.  Impossible, she said, they are scattered too far.  How much further gossip or malicious commentary can be scattered today!  While everyone who reads this column will understand that Risa Levitt Kohn and the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit were the subject of a manufactured controversy by “Gadda,” what about those who read the original items, but don’t read this item?   How are the “feathers” retrieved from them?

I feel bad about this, and I ask for forgiveness from Risa Levitt Kohn and all the others to whom I have apologized.

At the same time, I also believe that there is an ongoing need for journalism that tres to covers controversy, and tries to facilitate the free flow of expression.

I need to do a better job.  I will keep asking myself how.  Your input will be welcomed.

Harrison welcomes your comments and opinions at editor@sandiegojewishworld.com


Responses and addenda to this story:

With thanks to all correspondents for their input, here are some responses to the story above. To add to the chain, please include your city of residence and, per Marsha Sutton's suggestion below, your telephone number for our verification purposes (and not for publication.) All communications to us are considered to be on the record unless we are told otherwise by the letter writer at the time the letter is written.

From Dr. Risa Levitt Kohn in San Diego: Thank you very much for looking in to the situation.  I appreciate your taking the time to set the record straight.

From Dr. Robert Cargill in Los Angeles: That was very kind of you. Thank you.

From Ira Sharkansky in Jerusalem: I think you go overboard in your mea culpa. Sure you fell into a problem lurking everywhere for participants in the internet. The ease of communication which is a great blessing is also the potential curse of deception.

There may be no greater defense than openness to diversity, and action against those who violate obvious norms of courtesy. I see no way that you or others can probe all communications before posting them.

Bogus identity, and particularly impersonation are sins in anything approaching civilized discussion and especially anything associated with research. I've been fortunate to have worked in settings where dispute remains within wide, but civilized boundaries. My publications, and my postings on the internet have aroused some nasty responses. I've decided that my own best defense is the delete button.

You did right to apologize. I'm curious about the details. As ever, I am amazed at the energy that individuals can invest in attacking others in what are disputes destined to remain unresolved. I don't know any of the participants, but feel some pity for the scholarly father whose son condemned his work to be a subject of scorn and ridicule.

From Marsha Sutton in Del Mar, California:When I've sent a letter to the editor to the SD Union-Tribune, I was required to submit my phone number. Both times they printed one of my letters, someone called me to verify that I was who I was and that I had actually written the letter. Now, this may be too time-consuming for you to do, as a one-man shop. But it's certainly an effective way to eliminate anonymous or alias letters. Good work on your retraction. Tough one to have to do.

Addendum from Don Harrison: I write above that I don't accept anonymous letters to the editor. Initially I identified my angry caller by name to provide the proper context of the story. Subsequently, I have edited the story to comply with his request that, for personal reasons, I refrain from using his actual name. How can I differentiate these two policies? It's a tough one, but a letter writer initiates the request to have his/her name in print. In the case of this article, it was my decision, not his, to put this story into print. Shades of gray, I know.

From Ulla Hadar in Kibbutz Ruhama, Israel: I read your story today and I feel that you are not in the best of moods with what happened. I am sure that you did what you could to make everything as professional as possible. Chin up, everything will be OK in the end.

From Lawrence Schiffman, New York University: I read with great interest your mea culpa regarding the article you published against Risa Levitt Kohn and the excellent exhibition that she curated. I do not think that the issue you faced was, in reality, one of how to confirm that the article you had received was from a real human being, accurately identified. That would have been a good idea, but even if the author had been a real person, it would not have justified publication of this article. I think the better question is how you could decide to publish a scathing attack on a respected local scholar and a respected local museum without confirmation from experts in whom you could have had confidence. While the author of this scurrilous article assumed that the vast majority of scholars were prejudiced, bought off or incompetent, you should have exercised sounder judgment and solicited true expert opinion. I salute you on your apology to Professor Levitt Kohn. But please remember that if not for the efforts of a few scholars and the office of the Manhattan District Attorney your own neighbor would have continued to be attacked and chastised by the very community that should be most appreciative of her important work. Lawrence H. Schiffman Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies



Sports Trivia Answer: (a) Richard Bergmann



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