MARCH 2016
Family
...AND BABY MAKES THREE at San Diego Fertility Center
A PINCH, A DASH AND A SPRIG
Bastyr University and Clinic Integrates Mind, Body and Spirit
m i r u P WHAT’S IN A NAME?
BREWISH STATE
Israel taps into growing craft beer bazaar
Miracles happen every day at San Diego Fertility Center... A Center of Excellence and a Global Leader in Fertility Services
InVitro Fertilization • Egg Donation • Surrogate IVF • Preimplantation Genetic Screening • Family Balancing Dr. Brooke Friedman is a double board certified physician in obstetrics and gynecology as well as reproductive endocrinology and infertility. A local San Diego resident, Dr. Friedman is proud to be serving the Jewish community, offering fertility solutions and options in building your family.
OH BABY!!
MAXIMIZING YOUR NATURAL FERTILITY April 21st • 6pm San Diego Fertility Center 1st Floor 11425 El Camino Real San Diego, CA 92130 At SDFC we recognize that struggling with fertility can be one of life’s most difficult challenges, medically, emotionally and financially. Please join Dr. Brooke Friedman for an informative evening as she clears the path to a better understanding of fertility challenges and presents options to maximize your natural fertility. • All attendees will receive a FREE consultation certificate, which includes an ultrasound (valued at $500). • Complimentary hors d’oeuvres & beverages will be served. • Parking is complimentary in front of the SDFC Center • Dr. Friedman will remain after for any 1-on-1 questions
To reserve your seat today : 858.794.6363 Seating is limited, reservations required.
MISSION VALLEY 2020 Camino Del Rio N. Suite 805 San Diego, CA 92108 619.906.4471
DEL MAR 11515 El Camino Real Suite 100 San Diego, CA 92130 858.794.6363
TEMECULA VALLEY 44274 George Cushman Court Suite 201 Temecula, CA 92592 951.303.0355
For more information visit us online at 2
www.sdfertility.com • www.eggdonor4u.com
L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • MARCH 2016
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March 2016 • www.lchaimmagazine.com
L’Chaim 12 A Thousand Words Jayde Elmaleh, Make My Baby Smile
Family 16 ...And Baby Makes Three San Diego Fertility Center Helps Make Features the Seeminly Impossible POSSIBLE 20 Serving Seniors in San Diego
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22 A Pinch, a Dash and a Sprig Bastyr University and Clinic Integrates Mind, Body and Spirit
Food 24 It’s Better if You Get it Yourself Stuffed Mallow Leaves l Oven Roasted Tomatoes l Bulgar
Purim 26 Purim: What’s the Meaning? 28 Purim and the Poor in Israel
Features 19 Cal-Israel Innovation Expo
30
Comes to Univeristy of San Diego
30 Brewish State
Craft Beer in Israel
33 Waiting for Godot
Headlines 36 News to Know Now Columns
6 8 10 37
My Comic Relief What Jew Mean Of the Book Mazel & Mishagoss
PUBLISHERS Diane Benaroya & Laurie Miller EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alanna Maya CREATIVE DIRECTOR Laurie Miller
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Copyright 2016 L’Chaim San Diego LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any CONTRIBUTORS means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without Yigal Adato, Daniel Bortz, Stephanie Lewis, the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in Rita Mailheau, Mimi Pollack, Salomon Maya, critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission Sharon Rapoport, Eva Trieger, Deborah requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator” to: publisher@ Vietor lchaimmagazine.com ©
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RANDOM RANTS l BY SALOMON MAYA “These characters are stuck and hopefully the audience will be able to see their transformations (or lack thereof) as they sit in traffic.”
my
comic relief Setting the Stage for Gridlock
T
his month marked something very special for me. It was the commencement of rehearsals for a project that has been two years in the making. Inspiration seems to pop up in very unique places. For me, it seems to come from two distinct places … the shower and my car … the latter being where this project was born. Gridlock sprouted wings as I sat in bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway heading home. As I looked around at the other drivers, I began seeing a mosaic of differences, a potpourri of people in cars. Everyone had a story different from the next. While some screamed into Bluetoothconnected cellphones, others just stared off into nowhere, their minds distant from the flood of red brake lights. I arrived home that day and wrote the first two scenes of Gridlock. I went further back into my memory banks and harnessed another moment in my life when I sat in traffic for what seemed like an eternity.
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L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • MARCH 2016
Back in 2012, a person decided to climb onto the ledge of the Cabrillo Bridge connecting Bankers Hill and Balboa Park overseeing the 163 freeway. At the time, I lived in the South Bay and exited L Street to find a parking lot on the 805 north. Soon news of the jumper reached my ears and anger ensued. That day, I had to present in front of my entire company and I knew I was going to be hours late. I never knew this jumper … but I knew I hated him/her. I didn’t care what their reasons were to attempt to end their life… all I cared about was my tardiness. I looked around at other people and you could feel the hate they also felt. It was palpable. As the words clicked on my keyboard I created six total characters; four strangers stuck in traffic and two above them on a bridge, a person attempting to jump and a transient living on the bridge at the time. Gridlock was born. People go to the theatre for a myriad of reasons. Anytime I write anything I want
my audience to feel something. Feelings in today’s world have been muted (with the advent of Social Media our feelings are now tangible cyber code…Salomon is feeling blessed…t i red…a ng r y…happy…NO!). I wanted to create real people; the very people I have seen in my own experiences while stuck in gridlock. We go through so many emotions while stuck, both physically as well as emotionally. These characters are stuck and hopefully the audience will be able to see their transformations (or lack thereof) as they sit in traffic. One of the themes of Gridlock is suicide. To take one’s life, to me, is the last and ultimate cry for help, at times heard too late. According to the San Diego County Suicide Prevention Council, reported suicides in the county dropped from 441 in 2013 to 420 in 2014. Yet visits to the organization’s suicide website, www.up2sd.org/, rose from 98,960 two years ago to 134,574 in 2014. The character in Gridlock attempting to end their life is central to the progression of the story, and suicide prevention is real and important work. This June, Gridlock will be performed as part of the 23rd Annual Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival at the San Diego Repertory Theatre by San Diego’s only Latino Jewish Theatre troupe, Teatro Punto y Coma. Please keep reading L’Chaim Magazine for more information on Gridlock and everything the Lipinsky Jewish Arts Festival will have to offer in 2016. SALOMON MAYA IS A LOCAL ACTOR AND PLAYWRIGHT. FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER @SALOMAYA.
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SPIRITUAL l BY YIGAL ADATO
what
jew mean
“Clarity is essential to achieving any goal you have.”
The Importance of Clarity
A
s the year begins, most people start with the traditional resolutions. From wanting to lose weight to making more money, we talk about our resolutions around the dinner table and even during lunch meetings. But if only people knew the secret weapon to achieving these goals, they wouldn’t be repeating the same resolutions year after year—but accomplishing them. Picture this: An Olympic gold medalist archer sets up to hit the bullseye. He breathes, sets his stance and pulls the bow back. As he releases the arrow, it flies through the air and pierces the bullseye perfectly. He is asked to do it again, so he takes the same steps he has been mastering for years and once again hits the bullseye. This time, something changes. He is asked 8
L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • MARCH 2016
to try once again but only with a slight difference. He is blindfolded and spun around three times, leaving him a little disoriented. Now, do you think he can hit the bullseye again? My guess would be no because he doesn’t know where the target is. When the archer is blindfolded, he loses clarity; this is what happens when we are vague with our goals. One of the most popular resolutions is losing weight. Let’s go over an example to see how clarity can help achieve this resolution. Your goal is to lose 15 pounds. You get excited and buy a gym membership. You spend lots of money on expensive gym clothes and you even spend money on a heart rate monitor because you read somewhere that it’s important to track. I am sure you will hit the gym the first couple
of weeks, but more likely than not, at some point after the first few months of the year, you will be charged for a gym membership that you have quit using. With improved clarity, you frame your goal so as to be as clear as possible, knowing what needs to happen. That same resolution to lose weight might start to look something like this: Lose 25 pounds by May 31, 2016. Step 1: Buy a gym membership and workout every Tuesday and Thursday, 7-8 a.m., lifting weights or taking a class. My backup day will be Friday at 7 a.m. in case I can’t make one of those days. Step 2: Eat clean six days a week, consisting of no processed foods or fast food. Step 3: The goal is to lose 1 pound a week while maintaining strength. Step 4: Find a gym buddy to hold each other accountable to your goals. Now that is a plan! With clarity, you will be able to measure your progress every step of the way. If you are not clear, your mind tends to think you are just saying words again that will not be supported by action and another year will go by without you hitting your goals. This process works for any goal you have, from making more money to going on a dream vacation. The most important part is to write down your goals and then clarify as much as possible about how you will make it to the finish line until you are 100% positive what needs to be done to get there. I wish you the best of luck in your goals for 2016 and remember clarity is essential to achieving any goal you have. CONNECT WITH YIGAL ON TWITTER @YIGALADATO.
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TORAH l BY RABBI DANIEL BORTZ
of the
“An outward smile means little if one is aching inside. Conversely, a person sitting alone may be the happiest in the room.”
book No Laughing Matter “When the (Hebrew) month of Adar begins, we should increase in joy.” (Taanit 29a) “Serve G-d with joy.” (Psalm 100) Clearly, being happy is a crucial aspect of spiritual service and Jewish living. We can all agree that we’d love to be happy, and the desire for happy living is one of the most sought after pursuits of our time. But what is the secret to attaining it? What is true happiness? Is happiness the popular caricature of a fashionable crowd exiting an expensive shopping mall and laughing with abandon? Or partying amongst hundreds of other acquaintances? We know this is not a proof at all of true happiness. An outward smile means little if one is aching inside. Conversely, a person sitting alone may be the happiest in the room. Many will say that our natural state is one of joy. Before worries and struggles came, young children are carefree and can laugh, dance, and dream. This sentiment can be heard in a new hit song by the band Twenty One Pilots’, entitled “Stressed Out.” One may similarly argue that happiness comes from a lack of pain. While these ideas have some truth, one could argue that as we mature and progress and our goals move from wanting new toys to desiring loftier goals (not just more 10
L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • MARCH 2016
expensive toys), living without struggle and pain isn’t enough to satisfy us and bring us lasting joy. More than that: A person in great pain may be the happiest of all! Imagine an athlete preparing for a competition, lifting heavy weights until the point of exhaustion. An alien observing this gym activity might think there’s someone with a gun pointed at this person forcing the activity. But the truth is, this person is beaming inside, knowing that this effort will result in true satisfaction down the line – something great is being built here. The struggle and pain don’t deter joy, they actually lead to joy! In Jewish thought, happiness comes from the understanding that you are on the right path, doing what you should be doing, living a meaningful life with purpose. If you realize that you are going in the right direction and building something great in your life, happiness naturally ensues. True inner joy and contentment needn’t be manifest in wild laughter, drinking games or somersaults. We are made of body and soul, and the soul needs to feel that its higher purpose for being on this earth is being fulfilled. True sadness comes when we don’t know which road we’re supposed to be going on. Those annoying and painful burdens? Those daily tests and struggles? They are not random, but are in your life for a reason:
to help make you a stronger and better person, helping you reach your life goal. Adding weight on the bench press may feel painful, but the lifter smiles inside with the knowledge that the goal of a strong body is getting closer. Pain during your life journey isn’t the same when you know it’s building your character into greatness. The Jewish nation is often compared to fish, while Torah and spiritual wisdom is likened to water. Just as a fish needs to dwell in water to survive and thrive, a human needs Torah and its spiritual guidance to excel. You can take a fish out of its natural habitat onto dry land, and it will bounce up and down and appear to be having the time of its life. But in truth, it’s dying. Spiritual striving, meaningful goals and living a life of purpose are crucial to happiness. Let’s look at the verse, “Serve G-d with joy” differently and divide it up. “Serve” – live for G-d, for others, for a higher purpose, and then will come “joy.” Happy Adar and Purim! May we always look to align our lives to our individual purpose, striving to transcend our natures and grow from strength to strength. RABBI DANIEL BORTZ IS THE DIRECTOR OF JTEEN SAN DIEGO, JTEENSD.COM. FOR INFORMATION ON CLASSES, CONTACT HIM AT DANIELBORTZ@GMAIL.COM.
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L’CHAIM l BY ALANNA MAYA
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L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • MARCH 2016
L’CHAIM
A THOUSAND
WORDS JAYDE ELMALEH, MAKE MY BABY SMILE
Y
ou can always spot them: new parents. They’ve got that glow in their eyes that only stealing a glimpse at their bundle of joy can bring. Many wear an ear-to-ear grin each time they talk about their little ones, which is a lot. They might also be dragging, staring off with their eyes glazed-over, or even falling asleep at their desks or dinner tables, because let’s face it: babies and sleep don’t mix. Or so you thought! With the help of a professional sleep trainer, new parents can finally get the sleep they – and their babies –t so desperately need. Originally from South Africa, Jayde Elmaleh is a mother of two, qualified sleep trainer and mommy consultant with Make My Baby Smile. Early on with her first daughter, Elmaleh learned the importance of establishing a good routine, which she worked on with Rochel Ferman, founder and partner at Make My Baby Smile. “I spent so much time reading everything that was out there [on how to establish a routine] and I would try [everything], but what ultimately helped me was to have the guidance of one person, one voice, and an answer to help me specifically with my child, not an overview of ‘most children,’” she says of her introduction to sleep training. The Make My Baby Smile approach worked so well for Elmaleh’s first daughter that she began advising friends with young
children and eventually joined Ferman as part of the Make My Baby Smile family, where she now helps families from all over the world get the rest they need through sleep training and mommy coaching. L’CHAIM MAGAZINE: WHAT IS SLEEP TRAINING, EXACTLY? JAYDE ELMALEH: There are many definitions, and I think in general when people hear the term “sleep training,” they instantly think of crying babies, which turns a lot of people off, but this is a huge misconception. Babies will cry to communicate, whether too hot, overtired, uncomfortable or for a dirty diaper, so crying is not a bad thing, it’s your babies way of telling you something. Sleep is a skill, and we need to teach this skill to our babies, just like riding a bike, once they learn, this is a skill they will have forever. In my opinion, when we don’t teach babies how to sleep, we run into bigger sleep issues as they get older for example a toddler who constantly wakes at night and comes into their parents room.So yes, there may be one or two days of crying with sleep training, but it’s controlled crying, and for an ultimate important goal- knowing how to self soothe and sleep entirely on their own. (no rocking or feeding to sleep.) L’CHAIM: ARE THERE DIFFERENT METHODS OR APPROACHES THAT YOU USE TO SLEEP TRAIN?
J.E.: Yes, The methods range depending on the age of the child and some other factors like the overall type of family and their particular situation. I train babies as young as 4 months old and all the way up until 3 or even 5 years old. L’CHAIM: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SLEEP TRAINING? J.E.: The biggest benefit is the ability to understand your baby. I feel that parents, especially first-time parents, get overwhelmed with advice and information from friends and books about how to get their children to sleep. Sleep is the nucleus of everything. If your baby sleeps well, they eat well, then they are happier and can enjoy things like music/swimming and other classes more. When they sleep well, you also sleep well, and then you are happy, now your partner is happy because you are and there is peace in the home. With a baby who is sleep-trained, you can literally lay them in their crib wide awake and they are able to put themselves to sleep entirely on their own AND they stay asleep for 11-12 hours at night, uninterrupted. This is a wonderful gift of time you can give yourself to accomplish other tasks, like work or washing the dishes, folding clothes, having a peaceful mealtime with your other half or taking a much needed nap! The other benefit is removing the guesswork for when your baby is crying. WWW.LCHAIMMAGAZINE.COM
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L’CHAIM
Check it out
Elmaleh with her (very well-rested) family.
PHOTO BY LEETAL ELMALEH
makemybabysmile.com
A sleep trained baby will only cry when something is truly wrong eg. Getting sick or teething vs. just crying because they don’t yet know how to sleep. L’CHAIM: WHAT DOES IDEAL SLEEP LOOK LIKE FOR BABIES, IN GENERAL? J.E.: Firstly, “early to bed later to rise” is absolutely true for babies. The ideal sleep time for a baby eg. 6 months old, is 1112 hours of uninterrupted sleep at night and 2-3 solid naps in the daytime (3 hours of sleep in the day). For this to work, an acceptable awake time is 6-7 a.m. with a bedtime between 6 and 7 p.m. These are not numbers that I make up; it’s what works for babies, but we need to teach our children how to fall asleep on their own and stay asleep through the night. Ideal sleep is a baby that knows how to put themselves to sleep and stay asleep. L’CHAIM: WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN 14
L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • MARCH 2016
YOU WORK WITH FAMILIES? J.E.: Prior to training, I first assess the baby’s medical history and make sure all other concerns are under control. In addition to sleeping, I cover feeding, appropriate stimulation and winding down times. I make sure to have the family understand the reasons for each method used in my training, and go over each client’s specific concerns to customize a plan unique for their child. What may be surprising is that in my line of work much of what I do incorporates counseling and emotional support. For example, parents may have tendencies to feel guilt when leaving their baby to return to work or even simply seeing their baby cry. I make a great effort to assist in reducing stress in the household as a whole. It’s a cycle, once the baby starts sleeping well, the parents sleep improves, and they begin
to feel much more at ease. Consequentially they now have the time to reach their personal goals, or simply leaving the house knowing what the baby’s routine is like, having date nights and hiring a nanny etc. I am a mom myself and I am empathetic to these feelings. I hold my client’s hands from the beginning to the end of the process, and as you can see we cover a lot more than just sleep. L’CHAIM: WHY SHOULD PARENTS SEEK OUT YOUR SERVICES? J.E: They should seek out my services because they are looking to take out the WHY element to their baby crying. They want everyone to get the sleep they all need and deserve. They are looking for a greater balance & an easy-to-follow routine in their lives with a baby. Mostly, they want to give their child the gift of sleep!
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FAMILY l BY DEBORAH VIETOR
...and
THREE San Diego Fertility Center Helps Make the Seeminly Impossible POSSIBLE 16
L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • MARCH 2016
COURTESY SD FERTILITY CENTER
BABY MAKES
FAMILY
R
ecently, we visited a place where magic happens daily in Del Mar: The San Diego Fertility Center, where terms such as IVF and IUI are tossed around freely. Meet Dr. Brooke Friedman, A Princeton graduate who attended University of California-San Francisco, medical school. In addition, Dr. Friedman attended Stanford for her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology and fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Having been recognized by her patients with a Patients Choice Award and Top 10 Physicians certification, her credentials are impressive. Even more impressive is what she does daily along with a staff of physicians for infertile couples, who number 1 in 8 in the U.S. today. With state of the art medical equipment and a center which is growing for the fertility needs of couples, Dr. Friedman explained the process regarding the treatment of infertility: “Cryotanks are stored in the surgical center next to the medical facility,” she says. “Through IVF, eggs, once retrieved; are injected with sperm. The fertilized eggs, or embryos, are grown in the lab and a biopsy can be done in order to determine if they are genetically healthy. Healthy embryos are implanted and the rest are frozen.” In 1978, Louise Brown was the first person born through the IVF procedure. Since then, technology has come a long way. Dr. Friedman mentioned that there are medical protocol rules and although no two patients are the same, they are each supported in a unique way. The clinic respects and appreciates the struggle and stress level of couples and individuals experiencing fertility challenges. With more than 70 years of collective experience diagnosing and treating infertility, SDFC is a leading fertility provider in San Diego. The Center specializes in helping patients map out a strategy and fertility treatment plan which fits their individual goals, schedule and values. We asked Dr. Friedman some other
questions regarding the center and fertility. L’CHAIM MAGAZINE: DO YOU RECEIVE REFERRALS FROM OTHER PHYSICIANS? DR. BROOKE FRIEDMAN: Doctors refer patients, or patients hear about us through word of mouth and refer themselves. L’CHAIM: DO YOU OFTEN HAVE PATIENTS WHO REQUEST MULTIPLE BIRTHS? B.F.: Years ago, we often implanted multiple embryos whereas today it is more common to implant one. With our improved lab techniques, including genetic testing, we can feel more confident with Elective Single Embryo Transfer (ESET), in which a single embryo is implanted. L’CHAIM: DO PEOPLE WANT THE SEX OF THEIR BABY IDENTIFIED? B.F.: The ratio is about half and half. L’CHAIM: WHAT IS YOUR RATE OF SUCCESS AND COULD YOU PLEASE DESCRIBE THE PROCESS FOR NEW PATIENTS WITH REGARDS TO FERTILITY ISSUES, THE AVAILABLE PROCEDURES AND OPTIONS. B.F.: If a woman under 35 years old has tried to conceive for over a year, or if a woman over 35 years old has tried to conceive for over 6 months, it is recommended that the couple undergo a fertility evaluation. For a new patient, the first step is scheduling an appointment at our facility. During the initial consultation, we review the patient’s history, previous evaluation, (if any) and perform a pelvic ultrasound. We than determine what tests need to be performed to determine the cause of infertility. The results of the evaluation guide us regarding next steps. Often, a first step in fertility treatment is an intrauterine insemination (IUI), also known as artificial insemination. During this procedure, sperm are washed, concentrated and placed directly inside a woman’s uterus, in order to increase the number of sperm in the fallopian tubes where fertilization takes place. IUI is most successful when it is combined with fertility
drugs that recruit more than one egg to be released in a given month. In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a technology in which a woman takes injections to recruit multiple eggs. Her eggs are then removed with a procedure and then fertilized with sperm in our IVF laboratory. The fertilized eggs, or embryos, are grown in our IVF laboratory, and later reintroduced to the uterus. IVF also allows for the genetic testing of embryos prior to transfer. There are egg donors and surrogacy options for people from all over the world. L’CHAIM: IS THERE AN AGE THAT YOU CONSIDER TO BE TOO LATE FOR A PREGNANCY? B.F.: There are many different paths to building a family. It becomes more difficult to conceive when a woman reaches her 40s and it is unlikely that a woman will be able to conceive with her own eggs after the age of 44. Another wonderful option, however is becoming pregnant through egg donation and this can be performed up to the age of 50 as long as the mother is in good health. L’CHAIM: WHAT IS THE AVERAGE TIME FOR A PREGNANCY TO TAKE PLACE ONCE TREATMENT HAS STARTED? B.F.: Each case is different. Sometimes a couple will conceive with their first month of artificial insemination. For other couples pursuing IVF, it may take 3 months or longer until a pregnancy occurs. We continue to work with patients until we achieve success and help them build their family. L’CHAIM: YOU ARE CURRENTLY CONSTRUCTING A NEW FACILITY. HOW WILL THE NEW BUILDING ASSIST THE ORGANIZATION IN PROVIDING SERVICES TO PATIENTS AND HOW MANY NEW PATIENTS PER YEAR CAN BE HELPED DUE TO THE ADDITIONAL SPACE? B.F.: The new building is designed with transparency in mind. We wanted to demystify the IVF process and allow patients to see through the glass window into our IVF lab where the embryologists are working. We also wanted to create a very tranquil and peaceful environment in WWW.LCHAIMMAGAZINE.COM
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FAMILY
which all patients could feel welcome and feel comfortable during their treatment. L’CHAIM: WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE SETS YOUR ORGANIZATION APART FROM OTHERS? B.F.: After your first visit, and after our front office staff has had the opportunity to meet you, you are now a part of the SDFC family. Upon arrival to your next visit, you are greeted by name. People are always amazed at how our front office remembers everyone’s name. It gives our patients a warm feeling and proves to them that they are not just a patient. [at subsequent visits, they get a hug and we let them know they are not a stranger. We hug, we cry and we get excited at positive pregnancies and heartbeats. We are on this journey with each other and every one of our patients. We are not a cookie cutter practice and believe that we are on the team that can make miracles happen! The road is not always straight or smooth, but with our combined efforts of cutting-edge treatment and compassionate care, we are committed to helping each patient achieve success. L’CHAIM: WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT YOUR JOB AS A PHYSICIAN? WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING? B.F.: When choosing to specialize in infertility, I knew going in that it was not 18
L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • MARCH 2016
going to be easy. It is a very scary and challenging time for the patients and this is where my job begins. One of my favorite things about being a reproductive endocrinologist is when I get to call the patient and tell them that we have a positive pregnancy result. The bond that is created throughout this journey is close and personal. As a physician, this is when I take a moment to be grateful for having the ability to help others. The most challenging aspect of my job is when a patient has gone through treatment without success. At times it’s hard for the patient to understand why this is happening to them. It is a very emotional and frustrating time. My goal is to help the patient understand that although we have not succeeded this round, we have learned a lot about how their body responds to the given protocol and we will make adjustments and try again. It doesn’t always happen the first time and sometimes not the second, but the good news is if patients are persistent, the majority will experience success. If there is a will, there is a way. Patients have options and there are many different paths available to building a family. Dr. Friedman shared that SDFC works with agencies to facilitate donors from Israel who come to donate their eggs and with Jewish couples this is very important. Jewish
couples are also tested for many genetic disorders, such as Taysachs disease, which are more commonly found in Ashkenazi Jews. Both parents need to be carriers for a child to be at risk of being affected by the disease. We learned that embryos can also be tested for the BRCA gene which is a gene carrying an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Other genetic disorders can be tested for as well. Patients are educated about potential complications and doctors are up front and honest through each step of the fertility process. At the San Diego Fertility Center, the belief is “High tech and high touch.” Areas of focus for infertility include: Intrauterine insemination, In vitro fertilization, (IV), egg freezing, egg donation, surrogacy, preimplantation genetic screening, and fertility financing. There are many qualified doctors at the San Diego Fertility Center available to help patients. People come from all over the world to receive help for infertility issues and assistance is provided for single individuals and for gay and lesbian couples as well. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE SAN DIEGO FERTILITY CENTER, CALL (858) 794-6363 OR VISIT THE WEBSITE AT WWW.SDFERTILITY.COM. THE SAN DIEGO FERTILITY CENTER IS LOCATED AT 11425 EL CAMINO REAL, SAN DIEGO, CA 92130.
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Improving the world through innovation, commerce and education
T
he Cal-Israel Innovation Expo is a prime example of the collaborative mindset that is moving this millennium forward, transcending the boundaries of politics of religion. Imagine an event where the main proposition is for all participants; from private companies to visitors, scientists, government officials, college students, faculty, business leaders and investors to come under one roof to work together, do business together and educate one another. Everyone is welcome. That is the principle on which the Cal-Israel Innovation Expo was created, with a key focus on Education and Commerce through betterment. The Cal-Israel Innovation Expo and Conference, hosted by the renowned University of San Diego Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, will take place on March 8 and 9 at the Hahn Hall at USD. “We are honored to host this premiere event that will showcase emerging technologies to power the future and foster global innovation, cross-cultural education, and professional development worldwide, the commerce and education event
connects Israeli start-ups and companies with students, faculty, investors, business leaders, strategic partners, and government delegations,” said Chell Roberts, Dean of the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering. Speakers include San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Gary Jacobs, founder of Jacobs Investment Company LLC. The Expo will offer guests the opportunity to meet the innovators and developers of new products, obtain critical information and guidance from strategic partners and community members in San Diego and Israel, and enroll in an interesting array of seminars, on topics ranging from Business leadership to cyber security and startup funding. The cross-cultural nature of the event is evidenced by the diverse sponsor list, which includes Jewish and non-Jewish organizations, government and nongovernment entities; both local and from Israel, and private companies. Some of these partners include Mintz Levin, the City of San Diego, the Government of Israel Economic Mission to the West Coast, Office of the Chief Scientist (Ministry of Economy, Israel), Bio Jerusalem, Israel
Advanced Technology Industries, World Trade Center San Diego, Thompson Instrument Company, San Diego Economic Development Corp., and many more. Exhibitors include Netafim, Percepto, Metabias, TopGan Drone, Amnis Therapeutics, Magic Software Enterprises, HealthWatch LTD, the Law Offices of Jacob J. Sapochnick, Wolf MGMT Consultants, StandWithUs, and others. Over 30 companies will be exhibiting at the Expo. A common aspect of all participating companies is the fact that they are improving the world through innovation. These include medical, computer and cyber tech, energy, water conservation and agricultural developments; providing solutions to many of the problems faced by the world today. Studies reveal that the vast majority of U.S. college graduates work in jobs that aren’t strictly related to their degrees, so this will be a tremendous opportunity for students to connect with potential internships, exchange programs and job in their fields of interest. The Expo works closely with several government offices that assist in providing students with several opportunities. Attendees will have the opportunity to attend seminars given by highly acclaimed leaders, obtain critical information and guidance from strategic community members in San Diego. Student attendees will have the opportunity to showcase ideas to business leaders, exhibitors and investors. Professionals from many trades will be attending the Expo, from financiers to startup founders, worldrenowned scientists and investors curious about new ideas. San Diego, with its large concentration of biotech companies, is a logical place for launching this first-of-itskind Expo, and plans are being made to bring it to all 50 states. Major institutions and universities across the U.S. have already shown an interest in bringing the event to their hometowns. ATTENDANCE FOR THE CAL-ISRAEL INNOVATION EXPO IS FREE, BUT REGISTRATION IS NEEDED. TO REGISTER AND LEARN MORE, VISIT WWW.ISRAELINNOVATIONEXPO.COM
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FAMILY l BY PAUL DOWNEY
Aging Successfully FOR ALL SAN DIEGO SENIORS
I
t’s a goal that most everyone wants to reach: living successfully during our golden years. Aging successfully refers to physical, mental and social well-being in older age. Yet for many seniors, these years are not so golden. With the increasing number of aging Americans -- every 8 seconds a baby boomer will turn 65 until 2030 – we need to be prepared to address a multitude of growing issues. How do we age successfully? Factors that enhance successful aging include financial security, physical wellness, interactions with family and friends, and a sense of purpose to get up each day. This is a formula we can aspire to achieve, but it is a challenge when living on a fixed income, when family and friends are miles away, or when physical issues prevent getting basic services. For many seniors, aging becomes more of an exercise in survival than in living comfortably during their golden years. The California Elder Index documents the cost of living for seniors is a minimum of $1,943 20
L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • MARCH 2016
per month to cover housing, food, health, transportation and other costs. However, many seniors live on about $850 per month. Some seniors are forced to choose whether to pay rent or buy their medicine and food. Consider this: by 2030, the population of seniors in San Diego will increase by 75 percent to 929,766 people. That’s nearly one million people who will be aiming to age successfully. If your birthdate falls before 1971, you will be in this population of one million. Now, consider that 41 percent of San Diego County’s senior population lives below the self-sufficiency level. At the projected rate of aging adults, we will soon have an epidemic-sized crisis of aging adults who cannot meet their basic needs. Successful aging begins with successful service. Quality care can be coordinated in one place to offer housing recommendations, mental health services, legal advice, financial literacy skills, volunteer opportunities, wellness services, dental services and more. Serving Seniors is
one organization that is leading the way in providing a best practices model for carecoordinated service delivery to seniors. With the collaboration of partners in health, education, government and philanthropy, Serving Seniors is improving the lives of thousands of seniors every day. The need for services will persist as more adults age. Aging successfully requires a community effort to embrace innovative approaches that offer solutions. Please join our efforts in advocacy, philanthropy or collaboration to make the golden years accessible to all seniors. Because by 2030, many of us will be one in a million. PAUL DOWNEY HAS BEEN PRESIDENT/ CEO OF SERVING SENIORS FOR ALMOST 21 YEARS. HE ALSO SERVES AS THE VICECHAIR OF THE CALIFORNIA COMMISSION ON AGING AND IS THE IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NUTRITION AND AGING SERVICES PROGRAMS BASED IN WASHINGTON D.C. HE CAN BE REACHED AT: PAUL.DOWNEY@SERVINGSENIORS.ORG.
CHAI NIGHT AT THE REP THURSDAY MARCH 24 AT 7PM
Avalon Hospice Avalon Hospice &&Palliative Care Care Palliative Comfort & Care In The Last Phase & of Life Comfort Care In The
Join us on March 24 and 25% of your ticket purchase will go to benefit the Salk Institute.
Each patient’s care Phase plan is individually Last of Life tailored to meet his or her needs and the needs of the family. Each patient’s care plan is individually tailored to meet his or her needs and the needs • Dedicated Medical Directors of the family. • Registered Nurses • Social Work Services • Dedicated Medical Directors • Home Health Aide Services • Registered Nurses • Transitional Care Services • Social Work Services • Home Health Aide Services • Transitional Care Services For more information
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FAMILY l BY DEBORAH VIETOR
A Pinch, a Dash and a Sprig Bastyr University and Clinic Integrates Mind, Body and Spirit
W
elcome to Bastyr University and Clinic, where east meets west and healthcare professionals work with you to determine what is best. Bastyr is the home of naturopathic medicine in San Diego, where many modalities are utilized and supported. Whether you are looking for acupuncture, hydrotherapy, chiropractic adjustments for the spine or neck, women’s medicine or lifestyle services, the whole patient is treated at the facility. During December, class attendees participated in an Herbal Gift Workshop, where herbal gifts were created in a botanical medicine lab. Whole food cooking classes are offered regularly, providing tasteful treats that 22
L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • MARCH 2016
support a healthy lifestyle. These are unique and affordable, focusing on individual needs and a variety of cultures. Attendees learn how to prepare flavorful, low calorie, healthy meals for their family. There are even healthy baking classes. Whether sugar free, gluten free, vegan or vegetarian, dishes could even include meat depending on the individual’s dietary requirements. Dr. Neal Malik has a personal passion for sharing information regarding nutrition, exercise and wellness. A prolific author and a regularly featured healthy lifestyle expert on television and national radio, Dr. Malik leads the Master of Science in Nutrition for Wellness program at Bastyr University and teaches core courses.
He is a Certified Exercise Physiologist from the American College of Sports Medicine, Certified Health Education Specialist from the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, holds a Bachelors in Psychology and Social Behavior, a Masters in Public Health and a Doctorate in Public Health. Dr. Malik believes in maintaining optimal health through nutrition and lifestyle behaviors and stresses that graduates of the program will be prepared for cutting-edge careers in corporate wellness, community health, and group nutrition education as well as nutrition marketing and communication roles. When asked what excited him most about
FAMILY
the nutrition program Bastyr has to offer, Dr. Malik shared that many diseases can be prevented and lives saved by educating and motivating others to make small daily routine changes. He emphasized that graduates will be recognized as nutrition, food, and wellness experts with educational and practical experiences to help them affect the lives of others in a positive way. Currently, Bastyr has 14 full-time faculty naturopathic doctors. Naturopathic doctors treat patients with less invasive, natural treatments first and are able to prescribe medication when necessary. Medical professionals work with patients to develop the right health plan for the individual. The clinic supports current medical programs with other facilities, overseeing an integrative approach to medicine. Although the clinic does not accept insurance, most insurance plans will reimburse for lab work and co-payments for services are similar to those accepting HMO and PPO plans with discounts for seniors and students. Dr. Ryan McNally is a core faculty member in the School of Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University and a faculty supervisor at Bastyr Clinic. Prior to working at Bastyr, Dr. McNally was a primary care provider at Alice Internal Medicine in Texas. He completed an integrative medicine residency in the Yale UniversityGriffin-University of Bridgeport Residency Program. Dr. McNally is a Doctor of Neuropathic Medicine and received a degree from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2008. Dr. McNally also holds a Master of Science in physician assistant studies from Northeastern University and A B.S. in biology from the University of Massachusetts. His clinical interests include primary care medicine with a special interest in preventative medicine, disease risk assessment and therapeutic lifestyle interventions which can prevent disease. His other interests include mental health disorders, autoimmune disorders, weight loss, diabetes, digestive disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancer and skin disorders. Dr. McNally believes the best medicine starts with excellent communication
and discusses health issues and therapy options, answering patient questions, actively engaging the patient to be a part of the healing and decision-making process. He supports an integrative approach and has worked in conventional and natural medicine. He uses nutritional and herbal medicine, exercise and lifestyle prescriptions, and injection therapy while focusing on the underlying cause of the disease The doctors at Bastyr share a caring and passion for health and longevity combined with a love of teaching and a true connection to the students. The university and clinic model an integrative approach to education, research and clinical service. With state of the art technology and medical practices, exam rooms are the same as conventional physician’s office. Patients can feel comfortable sharing their medical information and look forward to alternate treatment programs, which in many cases support conventional medicine. Thousands of patients have come from all over. Currently Bastyr has 4,000 patients and is growing to accommodate up to 10,000 patient visits each year. Bastyr University is connected to the clinic and is the only accredited university for Naturopathic medicine in the state
of California. Bastyr has a location in Washington as well. The university offers an alternative approach to medicine while supporting traditional medical practices when necessary. Often an integrative approach is taken regarding the patient. There is a study room where medical students work on cadavers and study the human body just as one would in a traditional medical school. The expanded facility includes a teaching clinic, new library, full lab space, classrooms, a teaching kitchen and botanical lab. Doctors are enthusiastic and passionate about an environment where they can practice and teach, sharing the latest naturopathic methods with students who are excited to make a difference in the lives of many. Tours are given throughout the week of both the university and the clinic, educating the community regarding services and practices in a positive, calm environment. VISIT BASTYR UNIVERSITY AND CLINIC AT 4110 SORRENTO VALLEY BLVD., SAN DIEGO, CA. 92121. CALL FOR A TOUR OR APPOINTMENT AT (858) 246-9730 OR VISIT THE WEBSITES AT WWW. BASTYRCLINIC.ORG AND WWW.BASTYR. EDU/CALIFORNIA.
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BADASS KOSHER l BY MICHAEL GARDINER
It’s Better if Y ou Get it Y ourself
STUFFED MALLOW LEAVES l OVEN ROASTED TOMATOES l BULGAR
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owadays you can eat just about anything from anywhere and do so any time of year. And it’s tempting to do so. Sometimes a Caprese salad sounds great, even if the closest you can get to a wonderful summer heirloom tomato is a hard winter hothouse version. But there are powerful reasons to eat seasonally and locally — flavor, health, money and more 24
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— and there is more than one way to do so. Take, for example, foraging. Nearly every American of a certain age remembers famous forager and Grape Nuts pitchman, Euall Gibbons, asking viewers “Ever eat a pine tree … many parts are edible” before commenting that the cereal’s taste “reminds me of wild hickory nuts.” While that commercial may have been
the spot that launched a thousand jokes, he may have won the battle. Of course, Gibbons may have won the battle in the end. His life’s work was pointing out that we regularly discard as “weeds” may plants far tastier and more nutritious than ones we cultivate. And many of the ones he specifically pointed to now regularly feature on restaurant menus and in home
BADASS KOSHER
kitchens: purslane, amaranth and lamb’s quarter, for example. With a trip into one of San Diego’s many, wonderful urban canyons you can discover that for yourself. If, as Mark Twain supposedly said (but is more likely more genuinely attributable to others) “golf is a good walk ruined” then foraging is a good walk enhanced. And the enhancement can be mouthwatering. This time of year the floor of our canyons is carpeted in greens such as nasturtium and mallow. Nasturtiums, in a couple of months, will grow the sorts of orange and red flowers that frequently garnish salads and other restaurant dishes. The greens themselves may feature in those salads or be used as a peppery, lemony base for a pesto or chimichurri sauce. Later in the year one of the real prizes is stinging nettles—yes, stinging nettles. They may have a fearsome name but they are absolutely delicious, with a deep savory, zesty flavor. They do sting if you touch them with your bare hands, but handled with gloves they’re both perfectly and wonderfully tasty. Try them in a soup. Right now, perhaps the best candidate for foraging is mallow. The leaves of the mallow plant, which goes by the botanic— and perhaps poetically accurate—name malva neglecta, are perhaps the best part. They can be used in salads, in soups (much as their cousin, okra, is commonly used), or sautéed as a green. My favorite way, however, is to stuff them as grape leaves are used in Middle Eastern dolmata. The stuffing can be just about anything. Rice with nuts and dried fruits is classic. Meat-based stuffings are common. When serving them hot the stuffed leaves— called dolma in Ottomon Turkish—are often accompanied by an avgelemono (egglemon) or garlic-yogurt sauce. But they can be appreciated, perhaps, more fully in their own right served cold without a sauce. Just about every Middle Eastern country has some variation of dolmata. But since we are in Southern California I wanted to put a spin on the dish that honored both California cuisine and the new cuisine of Baja just to our south. So, instead of the more traditional rice as the base grain I chose to use a nutty-flavored course grain
bulgur. Rather than dried fruit I used ovenroasted tomato. Lastly, rather than lemon I used Mexico’s ubiquitous lime. And, of course, instead of the classic grape leaves, I used the mallow leaves we foraged from a nearby central San Diego canyon. The result was a dish that was instantly recognizable as a dolma. It was comfortably familiar but with subtle changes in direction of the flavor that made it an easy fit for Southern or Baja California. It was seasonal, organic and very, very local.
STUFFED MALLOW LEAVES OVEN ROASTED TOMATOES l BULGAR SERVES 8
INGREDIENTS:
24 large Mallow (or grape) leaves, blanched Juice of six limes (more if necessary) ½ cup extra virgin olive oil Maldon (or other finishing) salt
FOR THE OVEN ROASTED TOMATOES:
2 tablespoons olive oil 2 pounds tomatoes (16 small or 8 mediumsize) Kosher salt
FOR THE FILLING:
2 cups course grained bulgur 5 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth (or water) ½ cup slivered almonds Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1. Make the Oven Roasted Tomatoes. Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit (165° Celsius). Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally. Using a sharp paring knife and your fingers, remove the stems and seeds. Add the olive oil to a baking sheet, place the tomatoes (cut side up) on the sheet and season them with kosher salt. Roast the tomatoes for one to two hours, or until the tomatoes are completely softened and wilted, and start to wrinkle. Remove from
pan and cut each tomato into three pieces. 2. Make the Bulgur. Combine the broth and bulgur in a large sauce pan, bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. 3. Make the Filling. Combine the tomato pieces, the slivered almonds and two cups of bulgur. Mix thoroughly and season with kosher salt, black pepper and smoked paprika. Taste the filling and adjust the seasonings as desired. Add more bulgur if desired. 4. Stuff the Leaves. Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit (190° Celsius). Place about a tablespoon of the filling in the bottom third of the mallow leaf. Starting with the bottom of the Mallow, fold the bottom two lobes toward the center over the filling. Next, fold the two sides of the leaves toward the center over the top. Compact the package and, holding the two sides with your fingers, continue rolling it on to itself, jelly roll-style. Continue rolling the stuffed leaves until all of the mallow and/or filling is utilized, placing them in a baking pan as each is completed. 5. Bake the Stuffed Leaves. Squeeze the lime juice and olive oil all over the stuffed Mallow leaves through a strainer (to catch the pits). Place the baking pan with the dolmas in the oven and bake until completely cooked through (about half an hour to forty minutes). If the pan gets too dry squeeze some more lime over the dolmas. 6. Plate the Dish. If offering individual plates, serve two to three per plate, leaning the dolma up against each other in a “V” pattern or a zig-zag. If serving a table arrange enough on a large plate to offer two to three per guest, perhaps cutting one in half vertically to reveal the filling inside.
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PURIM l BY BINYAMIN KAGEDAN l jns.org
PHOTOS COURTESY PUSHKIN MUSEUM VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.
A painting by Rembrandt of King Ahasuerus and Haman at the Feast of Esther.
PURIM
What’s the name all about? 26
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T
he names of religious holidays are usually fairly straightforward, pointing us to the central symbol or theme of the festival. Pesach refers to the ancient lamb offering, the korban pesach; Shavuot, meaning “weeks,” points to the careful counting of seven weeks that
precede it; Sukkot are the booths that Jews inhabit during the celebration of that name. But just what is the name “Purim” all about? Purim is a plural noun, but incidentally, not a Hebrew one. Pur, as I will explain in more detail below, is an Assyrian word meaning “lot,” some object involved in a game or ritual of chance. The Megillah (or “Scroll”) of Esther, whose reading is the highlight of the Purim liturgy, uses the word pur to describe the method employed by Haman to choose the day on which the Jews of Susa (or Shushan) were to be massacred. For the benefit of its Hebrew speaking audience, the megillah offers an on-the-spot translation: hipil pur hu hagoral, meaning “he cast pur, that is, lots,” goral being the common biblical term for a lottery. We can infer from this quick annotation that even ancient readers of the megillah would have been unfamiliar with the word pur. That’s not to say that ancient Hebrews were strangers to methods of chance. The most famous use of goral in the Hebrew bible was the so-called scapegoat ritual of the Yom Kippur liturgy. Two goats were placed on either side of the high priest; one would be sacrificed upon the altar, the other would pushed off a cliff on the edge of Jerusalem. The choice of which goat was to be used for which purpose was decided by lottery. The high priest would reach his hands into an urn containing two slips of paper, one reading “for the Lord” and the other reading “for Azazel” (the precise meaning of which is another biblical linguistic mystery). The slip that ended up in his right hand would designate the fate of the goat on his right, and the same for the left. The element of randomness in this practices put the outcome squarely into the hand of fate, or the will of heaven. What then do we know about Haman’s pur? In a fascinating 1983 article for The Biblical Archaeologist titled “The First Purim,” William Hallo explains that the pur was nothing less than the oldest game in human history: dice. As the curator of the Yale Babylonian Collection, Hallo had under his care a clay cube dating back to the 9th century BCE, which belonged to a minister of the Assyrian king Salmaneser III. A portion of the cuneiform text inscribed on the cube reads, “Iahali the grand vizier… in his year assigned to him
A painting of the triumph of Mordechai, who was paraded in royal clothing by around the city of Shushan by Haman, an honor Haman had hoped he—not Mordechai—would receive upon suggesting the idea to King Ahasuerus.
by lot (pur) may the harvest of the land of Assyria prosper and thrive, in front of the gods Assur and Adad may his lot (pur) fall.” Here we see two striking similarities to the megilla text. Firstly, in both places the pur is used to make a decision about calendar time; secondly, both sport the verb “fall,” as in “Haman caused the pur to fall (hipil pur).” So how did it work? Hallo suggests that the ancient dice were dropped or thrown (that is, made to fall) from a specialized bowl toward statues of the gods, in this case Ashur and Adad. With each minister casting their own dice, the hope was that one’s own cube would end up in some desirable position, perhaps closest to the idol. The prize was extremely valuable— the winner of the game had an entire year of the king’s reign named after him (e.g. the “year of Iahali”), resulting in wide scale publicity and immortalization in the official
PHOTO COURTESY REMBRANDT HOUSE MUSEUM VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.
PURIM
chronicles. Exactly how similar Haman’s use of the pur would have been to Iahali’s is still not clear. Scholars assume that the Scroll of Esther was written in the late Second Temple period, centuries later than Salmaner III’s reign, and the practice of pur may have evolved and changed by over time. There is still much more for archaeologists and biblical historians to uncover. In the meantime, novel insights like this one continue to de-mystify and animate our ancient texts. The image of Haman rolling his dice enhances the color and drama of this most distinguished Jewish tale about the twists and turns of fate. BINYAMIN KAGEDAN HAS AN M.A. IN JEWISH THOUGHT FROM THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY OF AMERICA. HE CAN BE REACHED AT BKAGEDAN@GMAIL.COM. WWW.LCHAIMMAGAZINE.COM
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PURIM l BY JUDY LASH BALINT l jns.org
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L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • MARCH 2016
PURIM
PURIM and the POOR in ISRAEL
I
sraelis take Purim seriously—kids get the day off school, many towns put on a lively Purim parade, and the streets are filled with people of all ages running about in costumes, delivering mishloach manot baskets of prepared food goodies to their friends and neighbors before sitting down to the seuda, a festive meal that includes plenty of spirits. But all these items add up, and Purim can be a costly event. For the one third of all Israeli children who live in poverty, Purim wouldn’t be Purim without the help of an array of non-profit organizations who take the holiday’s other mitzvah to heart. According to Maimonides, the great medieval Jewish scholar, “Gifts for the poor (matanot l’evyonim) deserve more attention than the seuda and mishloach manot because there is no greater, richer happiness than bringing joy to the hearts of needy people, orphans, widows and proselytes.” Despite Israel’s image as the hi-tech “start-up nation,” there are plenty of needy people in the Jewish state. In 2012, according to Israel’s National Insurance Institute, there were 1.75 million poor people in Israel (out of a total population of just more than 8 million), among them some 817,000 children. That’s more than a third of all children in Israel. In 1980, only 8.1 percent of Israeli children were poor, meaning that child poverty has grown fourfold over the past 30 years. Many organizations that are set up to help the poor are run by Torah observant Israelis, and at Purim, they go into high gear to fulfill the precept of Maimonides. Rabbi Yakov Schischa, founder and director of the Tov V’Chesed Foundation based in Jerusalem’s Meah Shearim neighborhood, explains how his group not only prepares and delivers hundreds of mishloach manot Purim baskets packed with prepared foods, sweets, wine, and toys, but also sends out teams of volunteers who visit single-parent families to spend time bringing Purim joy into homes that may be short on simcha (happiness). A large number of the families also receive a gift of cash in honor of Purim, “but we know it will
actually get used to prepare for Passover,” Schischa notes. As the child of a large, poor, haredi family, Schischa remembers the humiliation of standing in line for food handouts, so Tov V’Chesed makes a point of preserving the dignity of recipients by having volunteers make home deliveries. His organization serves some 2,500 families per year. The motto of Yad Ezra V’Shulamit, another group founded by someone with first-hand knowledge of growing up poor, is “Breaking the Cycle of Poverty One Child at a Time.” Aryeh Lurie, a 50-something religious businessman, named the organization after his parents who despite their own difficult circumstances, managed to help neighbors with food. The organization, which has been running since 1998, operates on a nation-wide scale. Spokesperson Meira Brandwein elaborates on those who turn to Yad Ezra V’Shulamit. “The families we reach are in very deep poverty,” Brandwein says. “They’re not just people who have fallen on hard times. These are people who need immediate relief, “ she adds. The breadwinner in a family dies; someone in the family needs urgent specialized medical care; a working single parent loses her job—situations that can spiral out of control and leave a family with no resources. Brandwein enumerates the programs that serve more than 1,000 children every day with hot meals as well as tutoring and social programs; clubs for teens at risk; food baskets filled with healthy food for 2,800 families per week; vocational counseling for the unemployed; and financial assistance to help with bar/bat mitzvah and wedding celebrations, winter clothes, and school supplies that are beyond the budget of those at the bottom of Israel’s economic ladder. For Purim, matanot l’evyonim donations to Yad Ezra V’Shulamit are added to the funds that come from a mix of private Israeli and foreign donors, U.S Jewish federations and in-kind contributions from Israeli businesses, to provide needy families with items to enable them to feel part of the holiday.
At the restaurants run by Meir Panim, a network of nutrition-related programs for the poor, Purim is a time for increased efforts to bring relief to thousands in need. “Meir Panim means lighting up faces,” explains assistant director Goldie Sternbuch. “We do it all year around, but especially at Purim.” Anyone who has walked from Jerusalem’s Central Bus Station to Yirmiyahu Street has walked past the unobtrusive storefront that opens into a free restaurant. Inside, dozens of hungry Jerusalemites—Arabs, Christians, Jews, elderly immigrants and foreign workers—are served a nutritious lunch with a smile by volunteer waiters. The restaurants operate in six other cities around Israel providing what Sternbuch calls “a dignified approach to feeding the poor.” But needs are burgeoning and while food is an urgent issue, it is only one component of a holistic approach to help get people “back in the mainstream.” One target group for mainstreaming is teenagers from disadvantaged families. The After School Youth Clubs of Meir Panim reach thousands of at-risk youths, who get motivated by energetic young volunteers and professional counselors to stay in school and continue their education. As soon as the final chunk of money is raised, Meir Panim will launch its most ambitious project to date—a $12 million Israel Nutrition Center located in the southern town of Kiryat Gat and named for well-known U.S. philanthropist Mortimer Zuckerman and his daughter Abigail. The facility will be the largest food distribution center in the Middle East, set to serve 30,000 meals every day to disadvantaged school kids, the free restaurants and meals on wheels programs around the country. It is a massive undertaking that will be managed in partnership with a large Israeli catering company. Rabbi Schischa of Tov V’Chesed acknowledges that programs like his “can’t fix the world,” but “at Purim, everyone can take part in the mitzvah of matanot l’evyonim to bring more joy into the world.”
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FEATURE STORY l BY MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN l jns.org
BREWISH STATE
ISRAEL TAPS INTO GROWING CRAFT BEER BAZAAR
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L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • MARCH 2016
FEATURE STORY
PHOTO BY MAAYAN JAFFE
I
t’s widely known that Israel has penetrated the wine market, with some of its sophisticated Israeli blends surpassing historically excellent wines from areas such as the Napa Valley or Bordeaux. But what about beer? For decades, Israel has offered solely the Maccabi and Nesher brands. Not anymore. “There is a huge push of people making beer at home. The country is approaching over 30 craft breweries in the last year or two, making nearly 200 beers,” says Avi Moskowitz, owner and founder of Beer Bazaar, Israel’s latest brewery and bar, which is located in Jerusalem’s Shuk Mahane Yehuda. An immigrant entrepreneur and startup aficionado, Moskowitz says making craft beer is like working in a laboratory— something Israelis are accustomed to. But brewing beer is also quick; one can brew a keg in a couple of days. That’s ideal for the stereotypically impatient Israeli. “You can tinker with it and come up with so many flavors. There is no limit to what you can do with beer,” Moskowitz tells JNS. org. Indeed, Israeli beer makers are tapping into this market. The first microbrewery in the area was actually opened by a Palestinian in 1995 in the village of Tayibe. But a low marketing budget and restrictions on alcohol in Islamic culture prevented the beer of the Taybeh Brewing Company (taybeh meaning “delicious”) from successfully penetrating the marketplace until around 2000. In 2006, New York native David Cohen opened Israel’s first microbrewery, Dancing Camel. Cohen says he started brewing beer in the 1980s in his home. He kept up the passion through his aliyah in 2003, and today owns one of the most successful breweries in Tel Aviv. “From the beginning, the focus was to whenever possible use local ingredients, spices and fruits that would give the beers an Israeli accent, that they could be identified as Israeli beer,” Cohen tells JNS.
The tap wheel, giving customers a shot each of 10 beers, at the Beer Bazaar in Jerusalem’s Shuk Mahane Yehuda.
org. Dancing Camel brews about 20 beers a year, the Talmud-inspired Old Papa beer, brewed with silan (honey made from dates), which sweetens the bitter IPA. The Carobbean Stout is brewed with carob. Around the time of Sukkot the Trog Wit beer is developed from etrogim (the traditional citron fruits). “I did not set up a brewery in Israel to brew another English ale or American IPA or German lager. The mission of the brewery was to make a connection between Israel and the beer. I came here like a kid in a candy shop with all the fruits and herbs and spices to play with,” says Cohen. “No one has experimented with them for at least 1,700 years. It is very much a passion to go after these flavors and make them beers.”
Cohen says that less than 15 years ago, there was no knowledge about boutique beer in Israel. Over the last decade, as more microbreweries have opened up—and have been successful despite a crippling NIS 4.19 (more than $1) per liter tax on beer— it has become easier for Dancing Camel to explain itself. And he says the competition is healthy, save for all the beer bellies. Earlier this year, Israeli beer made international headlines when Jerusalem’s Herzl Beer was selected to collaborate with a German brewery to create an international beer blend that will celebrate Jewish contributions to beer, especially in Germany, as part of a 2016 exhibition commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot, Germany’s and perhaps the world’s first beer purity law. WWW.LCHAIMMAGAZINE.COM
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Beer bonds people, brings people together, washes away their differences. Sure, you could come in and sit down to have a beer on your own—but you won’t be alone very long. It’s just beautiful. Herzl is the only beer that is actually crafted in the holy city. What else is making bubbles in the Israeli craft beer scene? Jem’s Beer Factory, also started by an American immigrant, Jeremy Welfeld, has become a Petah Tikvah favorite. At 8.8 percent alcohol by volume, it’s a red Belgian-style triple ale that’s rich, sweet, and fruity, with a mild bitterness. The Negev Brewery, tucked away in the development town of Kiryat Gat, is now the official beer maker for the posh and breathtakingly beautiful Beresheet Hotel in Mitzpe Ramon. It makes a beer named for the colorful sand getaway. The brewery has become best known for its light and fruity passion-fruit ale, with its rich tropical aroma and taste. All of these beers and more can be tasted at Moskowitz’s Beer Bazaar, which was opened only a few months ago. On a recent Thursday night when this reporter stopped by, there is nowhere to sit or even stand. Nestled in the covered section of the shuk and sandwiched between a dried fruit stand and vegetable market just off Jaffa Street, Beer Bazaar is about as trendy as you get—for the young and young-at-heart alike. Moskowitz says the shuk beer scene 32
L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • MARCH 2016
started a few years ago when Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat began bringing local talent, such as musicians and artists, to the market for evening performances. He harnessed an inherent authenticity and spiritual energy that Jerusalem residents were craving. “In so many ways, the shuk defines the pulse of this country. Here you can see the full spectrum of Israeli society: Jews, Arabs, haredim, and secular people. They are not necessarily socializing, but they are all interacting and I feel the energy, the pulse,” says Moskowitz, who sells more than 100 Israeli beers, including two of the company’s own crafts. A NIS 25 (about $6) tap wheel gives consumers a shot of each of 10 beers on tap (counting Buster’s Dry Cider, which has become all the rage in Israel and is served from the tap, though cider is essentially a weak wine because it goes through the same fermentation process). An 11th option is nitro coffee, which Beer Bazaar brought to Israel, though that doesn’t come with the wheel. The Bazelet wheat beer is refreshing, slightly tangy with light fruity notes. Alexander Black is an award-winning stout, full of flavor.
Beer Bazaar’s Six Mix allows visitors to mix and match a six pack of their choice for NIS 79 (about $20). “We encourage visitors to dry different things. People go away with the six and every week make it through a few more bottles of Israeli beer and become more familiar,” says Moskowitz. “We ask, ‘What have you been drinking?’ Chances are there is a great or even better Israeli beer for whatever you are used to.” Moskowitz doesn’t purport that the growing beer and bar scene will bring Israeli-Palestinian peace, or even necessarily reduced tensions between the Israeli left and right, religious and non-religious. But he does think it has the potential to bring a little more harmony. “There is a real community component,” Moskowitz says. “When I am able to sit there and experience the people congregating around the beer, I see everyone from religious people dancing to secular girls jumping up on boxes—they are socializing.” He adds, “Beer bonds people, brings people together, washes away their differences. Sure, you could come in and sit down to have a beer on your own—but you won’t be alone very long. It’s just beautiful.”
BY SALOMON MAYA l FEATURE STORY
San Diego Waits FOR GODOT
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imee Greenberg is totally fine with waiting. As an actor, writer, director and a veteran theatre artist whose work has been produced in Europe, Asia and the United States, she knows it comes with the territory. Waiting is a central theme in most people’s lives, but never so predominant as in Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece Waiting for Godot, where two men wait endlessly for the arrival of a third. Godot has been produced numerous times and in numerous languages, most recently on Broadway starring Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. And now Greenberg, who founded fruitlessmoon theatreworks in 2013, brings Waiting for Godot to San Diego, March 25-April 10 at the White Box Live Arts space within NTC at Liberty Station. “What is really challenging and exhilarating and demanding of this play, especially directing it,” Greenberg says, “is it’s like walking a tight rope, constantly, between extremes ... pathos and humor, despair and redemption, poetry and concise language.” Greenberg, who wrote Light Falling Down, a piece inspired by stories of women Holocaust survivors and (presented at Oceanside Theatre Company); acted,
directed and co-produced Occupy the Rice Fields (an original piece about Greenberg’s experience in Bali presented at Space 4 Art and North Coast Rep); and directed and produced A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Zoro Garden, Balboa Park; is not afraid of taking on that challenge. “Godot is not realistic, the text is allimportant, and the stage directions are very concise and very efficient,” she says. “Unlike other plays where you ignore the original stage directions from the first production in order to ‘craft your own’ performance; Beckett’s directions are part of the text or score as it were. The moment you start looking at [Waiting for Godot] as a moment-to-moment realistic play, you’re dead in the water.” After surviving World War II in the French resistance, Beckett wrote Godot, pulling from his personal experience in a world similar to our own, Greenberg says. “We have terrorism, global dissent, we have a serious refugee problem [today]; there are horrors of today that this play speaks to,” she says, noting that this isn’t the first time Waiting for Godot has traveled to countries where genocide or disaster was prevalent. In 1993, American writer and political activist Susan Sontag
produced Godot in civil war-riddled Sarajevo, and more recently, the work was produced in New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina starring two African-American actors in the title roles. Godot was even produced in California’s San Quentin State Prison to prisoners who, for obvious reasons, could sympathize with the characters’ endless waiting. “I would love to do this in Israel,” Greenberg says. “We’ve been waiting for peace since the inception of the country. We never meet Godot, but is Godot peace?” Whoever Godot is for Greenberg, it doesn’t truly matter. “Becket denied that [Godot] was God; he didn’t want to talk about it ... for me it’s a personal symbol ... some sort of spiritual entity ... the fact that everybody waits in their life ... we’re always in a state of waiting, of stasis.” Fortunately, San Diego audiences will not have to wait much longer for Greenberg’s production of Godot. She has cast an amazing group of local actors: Joe Powers as Estragon; Tom Steward as Vladimir; Fred Harlow as Pozzo; Don Loper as Lucky and Jordi Bertran as the Boy; to bring the timeless tale to life this month. Waiting for Godot is categorized as an absurdist comi-drama. Even though the Beckett estate requires producers to abide by the text, including stage directions, Greenberg states that she has given liberty to her actors to truly encompass themselves in these cherished characters as she hopes to honor the Nobel Prize-winning playwright’s work, saying, “This play is such a conundrum, and just when you think you’ve nailed it, the text takes a U-turn.” YOU CAN SEE GODOT LIVE AT WHITE BOX LIVE ARTS, 2590 TRUXTUN ROAD, STUDIO 205 MARCH 25- APRIL 10, 2016 TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT GODOT. EVENTBRITE.COM OR AT THE DOOR. WWW.LCHAIMMAGAZINE.COM
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CREATING NEW BONDS IN ISRAEL: The Story of Peter and Elad
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t Aleh Negev-Nahalat Eran, a rehabilitation village and partner organization of Jewish National Fund (JNF) that serves people with severe disabilities in Southern Israel, an unlikely friendship has formed. Peter Von Brockhausen, a native of Holland who recently discovered his family’s Jewish roots, and Elad Sair, 30, have built a strong relationship, which is difficult given that Von Brockhausen knows only basic Hebrew and Sair has special needs. Von Brockhausen, 57, is a teacher and a businessman, who decided he wanted to live in Israel after visiting several times. “From the first moment I arrived in Israel,” he said, “I felt like I was coming home. I was adopted by everyone.” A fellow Dutchman directed him towards Aleh Negev, and Von Brockhausen said, “I lost my heart here in Aleh Negev.”
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Sair is a blind resident there, whose behavior and outbursts of anger kept him from utilizing the wide range of services offered at the village. When Von Brockhausen came to Aleh Negev to volunteer in 2015, his calm nature seemed a perfect pairing with Sair. “It’s been very slow work,” Von Brockhausen offered. “He was blind and afraid. He needed to trust me 200%. It was on me to build this connection.” Sair’s love of swimming helped forge this trust. Von Brockhausen started with daily sessions in a small tub to build a bond with Sair and foster confidence in their relationship; eventually, they made it to the pool together. Sair has a wheelchair to get around the sprawling campus, but Von Brockhausen knows that he loves to walk and takes the 30 minutes to get to their destination. The communication between these two is
mostly non-verbal. “He feels relaxed with me,” said Von Brockhausen, “even though we don’t have ‘traditional’ methods of communication. I have picked up on Sair’s gestures to understand what he needs and he feels my support.” Von Brockhausen, who will soon trade in his volunteer status for that of a fulltime employee, is part of a growing group of international volunteers who come to Israel from Europe and North America to give their time and talent to Aleh Negev. Through it all, JNF has proven to be an indispensable partner. With the aid of JNF and its Task Force on Disabilities, Aleh Negev empowers residents and outpatients to develop a greater degree of independence. In addition to the swimming that Sair and Von Brockhausen enjoy, residents can take advantage of a wide variety of innovative treatments including hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, shiatsu, music therapy, animal therapy, and craft workshops. In the U.S. nearly one in five people -- and one in eight in Israel -- live with a disability. JNF strives to provide a high quality of life to those who would typically be homebound. In cooperation with its Israeli partners, JNF works daily to help children and adults with physical, sensory, mental health, and intellectual disabilities to enjoy a better quality of life. Thanks to selfless individuals like Peter Von Brockhausen, even when language barriers may exist, genuine human kindness transforms lives. For more information, please contact Amy Hart at ahart@jnf.org or 858.824.9178 x988; or visit jnf.org.
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HEADLINES
NEWS
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NOW WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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CHABAD HEWBREW ACADEMY DECALRES ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
Construction recently began for a solar power system at the Chabad Hebrew Academy in Scripps Ranch. Locally-headquartered solar firm, Sullivan Solar Power is installing a 131,652-watt solar power system at the Jewish day school’s 27-acre campus. “Every part of the solar project is an educator’s dream. From students being involved in soils testing to student awareness of their own consumption habits and the cause and effect of their energy use with a live energy usage display as they come onto campus,” said Liz Earne, Principal of the Chabad Hebrew Academy. “The Chabad Hebrew Academy is investing in a brighter future for their students and our community,” said Daniel Sullivan, founder and president of Sullivan Solar Power, “They have joined the solar energy revolution at a time when our local, state and federal government have cleared all hurdles for solar and now back solar as our preferred energy source.” “The energy savings offset by our solar installation will go directly toward a new scholarship for 30 deserving students to benefit from a private school education,” said Josef Fradkin, Head of School of the Chabad Hebrew Academy. The solar power system consists of 446 Sunpower 327watt solar panels. Sunpower makes the highest efficiency solar panels commercially viable available today, and holds the world record for the highest efficiency silicon solar panel. For more information about the Chabad Hebrew Academy, visit www.chasd.org. For additional information about solar power or net metering, visit www.SullivanSolarPower.com.
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To receive a monthly free high quality Jewish book or cd, register your child or children at www.pjlibrary.org. Tell your friends to mention your name upon registration to be entered to win the Amazon Fire.
Visit http://igg.me/at/hineni/x/13272920 to contribute to the campaign.
FREE HEBREW BOOKS AND A CONTEST
The PJ Library is a program that provides free Hebrew books each month to families with young children. Generously funded by the Viterbi Family Fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego, Leichtag Foundation, Jewish Federation of San Diego County, and the Claire and David Ellman matching gift, from now until March 21, families who refer a friend to the program are entered to win an Amazon Fire kids edition.
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L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • MARCH 2016
HIGH HOLY DAYS MUSIC CD
Cheri Weiss is recording a CD of High Holy Days music and prayers entitled Hineni. Her purpose is to bring this music to those who are homebound or otherwise unable to attend High Holiday services. One of her goals is to make it available free of charge to hospital chaplains and retirement communities as well as anyone who wants it but is unable to afford to purchase it. She is asking for the community to support this mitzvah project (a project that reflects the spirit of the commandments of the Torah) by donating to her crowd funding campaign. Your generous donation will help pay for recording the melodies, as well as producing and distributing the CD.
BY STEPHANIE LEWIS l HUMOR
mazel &
mishagoss Her Barb is Worse than Her Bite!
B
arbie had a makeover so her body more closely resembles normal bodies, helping girls have realistic role models. But how about adult women strolling through Toys ‘R Us, hoping for a plastic person they too can identify with? Take notes Mattel, because I’m raising the Bar on Barbie! Barbie Barberg: Q) Why is this Barbie different from all other Barbies? A) She suffers in silence, but shvitzes, pees, and cries on demand if you fill the water reserves under her Mahjong hand. Includes kosher pots & pans, plus a hot stove to slave over. Contains sweaters she insists her children wear during balmy breezes. Pull her string and she says, “Oy Vey, PJ!” and “Call me the instant you land!” or inquires, “But is he Jewish?” Guilt sold separately. Barb Mitzvah Barbie: Contents: guest list, invitations, postage, yarmulkes, table assignments, themed centerpieces, DJ stage, an open bar, movie montage, candlelighting ceremony, chocolate fountain, and of course a “But let’s keep this meaningful” mindset. Low-Carby Barbie: She’s a pretty little waist-watcher, this one! Hasn’t met a bagel she likes yet. But wait, there’s more! Sold as a boxed set with Bingey Barbie. When the diet gurus reverse their thinking, (and they will!) proclaiming carbs aren’t the evil enemy anymore, all bets are off as Barbie binges on every sweet treat not nailed down to her Dream House. Comes with a bejeweled yo-yo, (for cool symbolism) a wardrobe spanning every size, and a Ken Doll who pleads the Fifth when asked if
these jeans make Barbie look fat. BarBell Barbie: Barbie’s matching gymnasium has heavy weights, which promise to get rid of flabby arms on her more realistic body type. Um, thanks Mattel. Barraged Barbie: Barbie is bombarded with grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking, laundry, homework help, financial woes, marital problems, on top of volunteering to be Room-Mother. Comes with enough pretzel sticks and Hershey’s kisses to make 32 chocolate dreidels for her son’s 2nd grade holiday party because Chanukah is never represented. Bargaining/Bartering Barbie: Now Barbie can make clever deals with her hot new accessories! Trade an iPad for son’s promise to clean room. Loan out cellphone in exchange for daughter’s agreement to wash dishes. Endless imaginative possibilities when you purchase the entire set of hightech electronics. Barky Barbie: Nope! Barbie isn’t a dog lover, but her six kids are. And they’ve signed contracts to walk, feed, bathe, and play with any canine they beg for. Comes with a pink leash so Barbie can threaten to hang herself when nobody follows through. Barge-In on Barbie: Realistic working toilet, sink, shower and enough grooming products to beckon grades K-6 dolls to disrupt Barbie’s personal time. Barricade Barbie: Same bathroom as above but includes a deadbolt so Barbie can lock
herself in for some peace and quiet. Godiva chocolate next to tampons sold separately. Barbarian Barbie: SIX kids, remember? You know what they say, if you can’t beat ‘em….join ‘em. Barfy Barbie: The stomach flu has spread through entire family. Comes with extra bed linens for Skipper. Not to be confused with… Barfly Barbie: Would you give Barbie a break already?? And give her a margarita? Barbiturate Barbie: Barbie is calm, cool and collected (but sadly, she’s no longer collectable!) with her Xanax, Valium AND glass of wine. Barbra Streisand Barbie: “Memories, may be beautiful and yet … what’s too painful to remember, we simply choose to forget.” Even if that’s all this Barbie ever did, (sing these famous lyrics over and over) “Dayenu! It would have been enough.” Barbed Wire Barbie: This Barbie isn’t a rolemodel or mentor for anybody. But she’s tied into her packaging with nylon twist cables so scissors-resistant that the “wrap rage” generated to free her from her box inspires enough bondage excitement to satisfy any Fifty Shades of Grey fan! STEPHANIE D. LEWIS IS A REGULAR WRITER FOR THE HUFFINGTON POST AND PENS A HUMOR BLOG AT ONCEUPONYOURPRIME.COM. FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @MISSMENOPAUSE. WWW.LCHAIMMAGAZINE.COM
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RSVP FOR OUR OPEN HOUSE: MARCH 16, 8:30-10am admissions@sdfrenchschool.org or (858)456-2807 Ext. 306 Please include the birthdate of your child
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