April 2023

Passover Issue + JFS Gala at Rady Shell

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Pesach CELEBRATE

W I T H C H A B A D !

April 5-13, 2022

We have locations all over San Diego! Scripps Ranch (Chabad S. Diego HQ), Bonita, Carlsbad North, Carmel Valley, Chula Vista, Coronado, Downtown, East County, Encinitas, Escondido, La Costa, La Jolla, N. County Inland, Oceanside/Vista, Pacific Beach, Penasquitos, Rancho S. Fe, SDSU, UCSD, University City

To learn more about Pesach (Passover) visit Chabad.org

The closeness of family and friends gathered together in thankful celebration. A special feeling. A special warmth. A time for sharing, when age-old traditions proudly grace the seder table. Wondrously alive and vital.

PUBLISHERS

Mark Edelstein and Dr. Mark Moss

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Jacqueline Bull

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Makayla Hoppe

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Eileen Sondak

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Donna D’Angelo

SENIOR CONSULTANT

Ronnie Weisberg

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Emily Bartell, Linda Bennett, Leorah Gavidor, Emily Gould, Judith Fein (Senior Travel Correspondent), Paul Ross (Senior Travel Photographer), Patricia Goldblatt, Pat Launer, Sharon Rosen Leib, Andrea Simantov, Marnie Macauley, Rabbi Jacob Rupp, Saul Levine, Rachael Eden, Sybil Kaplan. ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES

Alan Moss | Palm Springs

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SDJJ is published monthly by San Diego Jewish Journal, LLC. Subscription rate is $24 for one year (12 issues). Send subscription requests to SDJJ, 7742 Herschel Ave., Suite H, La Jolla, CA 92037. The San Diego Jewish Journal is a free and open forum for the expression of opinions. The opinions expressed herein are solely the opinion of the author and in no way reflect the opinions of the publishers, staff or advertisers. The San Diego Jewish Journal is not responsible for the accuracy of any and all information within advertisements. The San Diego Jewish Journal reserves the right to edit all submitted materials, including press releases, letters to the editor, articles and calendar listings for brevity and clarity. The Journal is not legally responsible for the accuracy of calendar or directory listings, nor is it responsible for possible postponements, cancellations or changes in venue. Manuscripts, letters, documents and photographs sent to the Journal become the physical property of the publication, which is not responsible for the return or loss of such material. All contents ©2023 by San Diego Jewish Journal. The San Diego Jewish Journal is a member of the American Jewish Press Association and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

San Diego Jewish Journal

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COVER The gala honorees for JFS’s 2023 “Planting for the Future” Gala. L to R: Dr. Bob Rubenstein, Irwin Jacobs, Marie Raftery. Sitting: Joan Jacobs.

Serving

Family owned since 1977

Why is this EMS organization different than all other EMS organizations?

Israel at 75: Israel at 75:

IS IT ON THE BRINK OF CIVIL WAR?

PART I: PART I: PART II: PART II:

TUESDAY, APRIL 18TH 7:00 pm PT

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19TH 7:00 pm PT

PART III: PART III:

THURSDAY, APRIL 20TH 7:00 pm PT

For the first time since 2019, Professor Jacob Goldberg is returning to San Diego to present his annual lectures. Goldberg is a former senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. He earned a law degree from Tel Aviv University and a Ph.D. degree from Harvard University in Middle East politics. He is the author of "The Foreign Policy of Saudi Arabia" and has also been published in "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post."

ALL LECTURES WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE JCC's DAVID & DOROTHEA GARFIELD THEATRE

Diasporas and Migrations

Like many of us, I have family sprinkled over the globe and holidays always shine a light on that. Some years we are able to be together and treasure it and some years we spend it on FaceTime.

My family is fortunate that in both my lifetime and my parents’ it has not been wars or political turmoil that has pulled us to different time zones. My parents left their hometowns for my dad’s job — that brought them to many places actually. My siblings have moved around for education, their work or their spouse’s work. We’ve all been in search of the best life we could have and that has us parked in many different places nowhere near each other. Sometimes that reality is painful and sometimes that reality brings joy, excitement and gratitude to see them happy and fulfilled. Usually it is both.

Every once in a while I’m editing an issue where the themes and struggles the writers are talking about are ones I’m also dealing with that month. This was one of those issues.

Rabbi Ben Leinow’s piece about the Ukrainian couple he met that made such an impact on him made me think about my sadness for my dispersed family, but also my gratitude that the circumstances of the separation are completely different. Patricia Goldblatt’s piece made me reflect on the waxing and waning attendance at holiday meals with family and also the wider historical and cultural context. I know some families that have stayed in the same spot for generations and I absolutely cannot relate to them at all. Maybe some people just have something they are born with that compels them to move around. Maybe that thing is an uneasiness or a built-in barometric pressure sensor for certain kinds of trouble, or maybe it is an ambition or wanderlust.

Rabbi Rupp’s column discusses both physical freedom and spiritual freedom and that is also, like many of us, on my mind around Passover. He asserts that they are linked, but also leaves room for the idea that it is possible to have one without the other. I, of course, am less enlightened than Rabbi Rupp and have found the two are necessarily linked for myself; although I do want to echo his central assertion that it is meaningful to interrogate what, indeed, does freedom look like to an individual. Are you free? What are you enslaved by? What would freedom look like to you?

I hope this issue gives you an opportunity for self-reflection as it did for me. Happy Passover.  A

Our Town

by Linda Bennett and Emily Bartell

This year’s International Jewish Film Festival offered two ways to view the vast selection of films scheduled. Whether in person or virtually from the comfort of your own home, the caliber of offerings just gets better every year! As usual, Christina Fink, Chair, Joyce Axelrod, Founding Chair and their whole committee put together a wonderful event. How lovely to have been able to enjoy both virtual and in-person programming.

Some of the other film buffs we ran into at the JCC were Yosi Yedid, Pam & Ed Carnot, Stan Rodier, Silvana & Richard Christy, Cheryl Rattner Price, Lynette Allen & Larry Rothenberg, Susan Harrison, Sheryl Rowling, Marcia & Don Wolochow, Avrille Copans, Maxine & Arthur Geller, Bobbi & Steve Laufer, Robin Rubin, Susan & Ed Weiner, Marcia Schuster & Sidney Djanogoy, Joy Heitzman & Jack Cohen, Amy Stern, Susan Chortek Weisman & Eric Weisman, Jodi Roseman, Betty Fain, Denise Malicki & Elisha Blatt, Jackie Gmach, Carol Fox and Perri Wittgrove.

Congratulations to Rabbi Marty Lawson on being inaugurated as president of National Association of Retired Reform Rabbis (NAORRR). NAORR provides support, collegiality, learning opportunities and advocacy for Reform Rabbis and their spouses who are nearing retirement. Rabbi Emeritus of Temple EmanuEl, Rabbi Lawson, was honored at his inauguration in AZ with words of blessing written by Rabbi Andrea Weiss, who grew up at Temple Emanu-El.

Mazel Tov to Rabbi Laurie Coskey, Ed.D., on being named Vice Chancellor of Development and Entrepreneurship by the San Diego Community College District.

Mazel Tov to Jean & Bill Seager on their daughter, Rabbi Erica Asch, becoming President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. The CCAR is the Reform Rabbinic leadership organization, serving 2,200

Rabbis and more than two million Jews throughout North America, Israel and the world.

Mazel Tov to Emily Krause on becoming a Bat Mitzvah at Temple Beth Israel on Feb. 11. Emily’s parents, Hilary & Scott Krause, along with grandparents, Fred & Phyllis Cohen and Steve & Toby Krause, were beaming with pride.

Mazel Tov to Suzy Furlong and David Winick on the birth of their second grandchild, Ariel Jonah Kitain, born on Jan. 31 in Denver, CO. Happy parents, Nikki & Adam Kitain, along with sibling, Miles (1yrs old), and grandparents, Joan & Eric Kitain are overjoyed.

Mazel Tov to Randi & Charles Wax, on the birth of their 1st great-grandchild, Brady Vanderwiel, born on Feb. 12. Brady’s parents are Jaclyn & Blake Vanderwiel Grandparents, Staci & Andy Vanderwiel, are ecstatic by his arrival.

Yom Huledets Sameach to...

Edy Lange celebrating her 100th birthday. Milton Kodmar celebrating his 98th birthday. Roz Freedman celebrating her 87th birthday.

CELEBRATING Wedding Anniversaries

with infinite love & happiness, Mazel Tov to…

Ruth & James Harris, 75 years.

Ina & Irwin Rubenstein, 67 years.

Joan & Jeremy Berg, 63 years.

Barbara & Irvin Gellman, 61 years.

Phyllis & Daniel Epstein, 59 years.

Joan & Peter Winokur, 58 years.

Nancy & Dean Abelon, 52 years.

Kyiv Jews Celebrate their 2nd Wartime Purim with Renewed Resolve and Optimism

by Marcel Gascón Barberá, JTA News

In a historic building in the most industrial part of Podil, the hipster district of Kyiv that once was the heart of the Jewish trading community, a senior and passionate Esther seduces a much younger Ahasuerus. She flirts with the handsome king to the raucous giggling of the audience, which breaks into applause when the Purim shpiel comes to an end.

A year and a few days into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Jews in Kyiv and the rest of the country have celebrated Purim in precarious economic and emotional circumstances, under the continued threat of Russian attacks. Still, many of them are in much better spirits than in 2022, when the Jewish holiday of joy found Ukrainian Jews in a frantic state of worry and uncertainty about their immediate future.

Pro-Israel Stalwarts Miriam Adelson and Noa Tishby Join Chorus Condemning Judicial Reforms as Protests Continue

by Philissa Cramer, JTA News

Both prominent advocates have publicly joined what is turning out to be a resounding chorus of criticism of Israel’s current government and its efforts to sap the country’s judiciary of its independence and power.

Tishby wrote that she had never publicly criticized “any step taken by any government” in more than two decades as a public figure, but that she was writing “the most difficult public text I have ever written” because Israelis need to understand that the judicial reform legislation, which she called “not a reform, but a coup,” brings their country out of step with other democracies and would threaten its national security and support abroad.

Jewish Star Guard Abby Meyers Leads University of Maryland To No. 2 Spot In The NCAA Tournament

by Jacob Gurvis, JTA News

Last July, Abby Meyers helped lead Team USA to a gold medal in women’s basketball at the Maccabiah Games, or the “Jewish Olympics.” Meyers, a graduate transfer at the University of Maryland, is the starting shooting guard for a Terrapins team ranked

sixth in the nation going into March Madness. She averaged 14.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season and was named to the AllBig Ten Second Team, an honor that singles her out as one of the best players in the powerhouse conference.

LIVING ON THE FRONT PAGE

by Andrea Simantov | andreasimantov@gmail.com

Revisiting Redemption

The results of several polls indicate that 95–96% of Israelis will attend a Passover seder this year.

I find this information astounding because, as someone with eyes on the ground, I confidently opine that most Israeli Jews identify as secular (40–45%). 23– 33% call themselves Masorati/traditional and only 8–10% are ultra-Orthodox/ Haredi. In which camp do my husband and I fall? Running out of categories, I suppose that we sit uncomfortably under an umbrella called Dati, along with a broad range of folks who call themselves ‘orthodox’ or ‘National Religious.’

With all due respect to Wikipedia and the Pew Research Center, I’m revolted by the aforementioned labels. Faith? Sabbath observance? Torah learning? Our respective connections to heaven are meant to be personal, intimate and in keeping with the Torah concept of “Each person is a universe.” My circumstances, values, education, personal history, talents and intellect cannot mirror another person’s. We may share similar outlooks but, in fact, my view of the world is unique. Mine. Alone.

Only 20% of the Hebrew slaves left Egypt. According to the Talmud, the 80% that remained were so enmeshed in Egyptian culture that they chose to stay behind, forever lost to the Jewish nation.

How many in total escaped bondage?

Numbers vary, but the general consensus says that 600,000 men between the ages of 20–60. Let’s give them one wife each, approximately five children per family and we’re talking three-to-four million individuals. Shocked, frightened and inordinately brave, they linked their destinies with one another, despite a dearth of data and paralyzing trepidation and placed one foot in front of the other.

Throughout the sojourn in Sinai, no one was ultra-orthodox and no one was secular. No one’s membership card was better-laminated and there were no distinctions made other than “tribes.” Successful nation-building relied on

each of us raising our eyes toward heaven and sensing that we were all cherished. No one checked the other’s refrigerator to determine the level of kashrut or measured the length of his neighbor’s beard or the width of their head covering.

The Four Sons in the Pesach Haggadah exhibit various aspects of the human experience. Some of us are more intellectually gifted than others; some of us are timid and fearful; some of us behave arrogantly and mock that which makes us uncomfortable; and others are truly limited, challenged and need to have their hands held to bring them into the circle. I’ve heard it stated that they were not four individuals but, rather, represent four aspects of us all.

Regardless of interpretations, the Four Sons are not in a contest, vying for a gold medal. There is a place for each one at the table. And therein lies the rub. For a seat at the table, one has to be present.

This past weekend, a feature article in the “Jerusalem Post” posited that this year’s seder would be particularly difficult because of political dissension in families during this time of protests over proposed changes to the Supreme Court. The seder might be ruined as siblings and parents would exchange heated opinions, pitting left against right at the pristine holiday table. The shallow, opportunistic

continues on page 23 >>

Israel & Technion Partners In Innovation

Since the day it opened its doors in 1924, the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology has been the cornerstone of Israel’s remarkable advancements in science, technology, and education.

Together, the Technion and Israel have forged a partnership to advance the nation’s global prominence and thriving high-tech economy.

As we approach the Technion Centennial next year, we honor Israel’s 75th anniversary today, and celebrate the bright future we are creating together through groundbreaking collaboration. ats.org | 212.407.6300 |

OUR EMOTIONAL FOOTPRINT

by Saul Levine, M.D., Professor Emeritus in Psychiatry at UCSD | slevine@ucsd.edu

I Never Liked Dogs

I never liked dogs. When I was growing up in a poor and crowded Jewish immigrant area of Montreal, not a single one of my friends or neighbors owned a pet dog. Few people there had the space, money, time or inclination to accommodate yet another needy being in their midst.

Upon seeing a stray dog on the street, my hard-working father would remark, sardonically and ruefully, that he was taught in the shtetl to “run from Cossacks and dogs.” My mother, an intellectual and socialist activist, railed about money being “wasted” by the wellheeled on pets.

So I was never comfortable with these four-legged creatures. I avoided them, would even cross the street when I espied a particularly large or seemingly angry canine. My unease with dogs continued into my young adulthood and was heightened in medical school while working in emergency rooms and seeing countless patients with dog bite-related injuries.

I was convinced that I would never own such a dangerous beast. Fast forward five decades: I now share my home with my wife, assorted visiting children, grandchildren and with a Daisy!

Daisy is a ten-year-old white Labrador retriever who takes up considerable time and space in our lives. She constantly sheds fur, eats voraciously and poops accordingly, and alas, is also not particularly bright. She understands

very few command words and eschews exercise, especially retrieving, her breed’s avowed forte!

When she is not cuddling with us or sleeping at home, she walks with us, often smelling everything in sight and greeting people (likely wanting treats). Her tail wags almost constantly in our presence and she emits guttural moans of pleasure whenever she is petted. Daisy is thus time-intensive!

But, Dear Reader, I have to tell you: I. Am. Smitten.

How in the world did this change of heart happen to me? If you are a doglover, my recent genuine epiphanies about these animals are no surprise to you and they might even bore you. They even sound hackneyed to me.

But the truth is, Daisy’s presence has had a profound effect on this old shrink. She likes to touch us humans, cuddles up

to us on a sofa or our bed and props her 75 pounds of mass on our feet under the table during meals.

When we walk with her she evinces a herd instinct, standing stolidly in place until all present are moving forward together. She is always patient, pleasant, mellow and loving. Did I mention mellow? She seems to have a built-in silent clock alarm arousing her at the precise moment of her daily feeding, but she never begs, barks or demands; she just gets close to me, stares into my eyes and waits until such time as I can mobilize myself to feed her. When one of us is ill or out of sorts, she stays by our side, maintaining the exact distance or contact that we need. How she senses this is beyond me.

Daisy inhabits the very essences of simplicity, tolerance, acceptance, caring, serenity and love–all of which are of course profound human needs.

Daisy had major surgery last week to remove a mast cell tumor and we now await her gradual healing and, with trepidation, the results of the biopsy to determine her prognosis (read: future).

Since Daisy entered our lives, I am more relaxed, my blood pressure is down, my pulse slower and I sleep better. I am more grateful for my life, I feel more at ease with others and I can better see the forest for the trees.

Daisy is my Zen Master. A

Daisy inhabits the very essences of simplicity, tolerance, acceptance, caring, serenity and love–all of which are of course profound human needs.

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by Rabbi Jacob Rupp | rabbirupp@gmail.com

The State of Freedom

Imagine being able to create exactly what you want — time and time again, as if by clockwork. What would be possible?

While the Pesach story consists of many complex and profound themes, perhaps the core concept would be that of freedom. Clearly a concept millennia in the making, it still drives towards the core of human experience and an elevated human desire.

I suggest an elevated human desire because, as anyone familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs might propose, deep concepts of meaning can only come after the core biological and safety needs are met.

Yet, my understanding of Viktor Frankl’s read of human psychology is that even when humanity is stripped bare to the core, a person with a clear sense of why can manage even the most difficult of how.

The sages in the Passover story allude to as much when they suggest that the freedom we celebrate on Pesach is one of a spiritual nature, not of a physical one. This lesson is culled from (amongst other places) the fact that the Haggadah doesn’t mention Moses’ name much at all — as if he wasn’t a central character to the story.

The sages explain that this is because we are not celebrating the physical liberation that occurred (although that is crucial) and the liberation of which Moses was a most pivotal character. We are celebrating what occurs when

a person is liberated to achieve their most G-dly state.

Now, what is the “G-dly” state? If we see the clear progression of the Pesach story, it is something that happens outside the confines of Egypt. Consistently the Jews are pushing Pharoah to leave Egypt, which is a confusing request for the modern person because why should someone have to leave Egypt in order to serve G-d?

You might be a cunning historian or familiar with the Jewish legal understanding that all of Egypt was considered a house of idol worship, which would make authentic divine service inappropriate at best, and forbidden at worst, but what is underlying all of it?

Consider that Egypt wasn’t just a place, but a state of mind. A state of constriction, of established expectations, carefully calibrated to create a preestablished outcome. The outcome of Egypt was slavery and all of the education, culture and framework was to create people that were incapable of being themselves.

Now in 2023 you might consider that we are all about redefining, recreating and proudly supporting being individuals. But consider: even when we try to become something different than the norm, do these permutations fall outside of another equally narrow definition of identity?

Put it succinctly: how many of us are free?

Free to do what, you might ask?

In a world of YouTube and Google, of college and coaching, surely the ability to get anywhere is easy; how many of us know where we really want to go?

Many of us trod along the same steps each day, barely knowing what our monthly or quarterly plan is. Sure, we might know what we’re having for lunch tomorrow, but do we know where we want our lives to end up? And if we do have that clarity, are we setting ourselves up to do that, or are we spending our time wondering what the neighbors will think?

Even within our religious confines, are we really free? Are we really asking what the divine would want? Or are we too stuck in our habits, our old ways of thinking and our social confines?

Suffice it to say that we have the potential to be free, sure. We have the potential to break nature, both our own and that outside of us. G-d proved that many years ago. The question isn’t about capability; it’s about willingness. Are you willing to be free?

And are you willing to accept that answer and be committed to it?

This Pesach, assume you already are free and ask yourself what do I want? With my life? With my freedom? What is it that I truly want since I can have it all? A

Israeli Lifestyle continued

write-up completely sidestepped the purpose of the Seder. Worse than clickbait, the premise was as irresponsible as it was dangerous.

The Seder is not a dinner party. The word “seder” means “order.” The Haggadah service is long, multi-generational and interactive. Children are present and play their parts, trying to stay awake to find the hidden matzah called afikomen. Grandpas and grandmas bring their worn, wine-stained volumes to the table and might share a vivid memory of their childhood seders in between bites of matzah and charoset. And by following the “order” of the service, our respective seders historically connect us to generation-upon-generation of the original 20% who merited redemption from captivity. Politics? The Stock Market? Hollywood gossip? For shame... the Seder serves as a humbling reminder that the soul of every Jew witnessed the awe-inspiring and well-documented event that occurred at the foot of a small mountain. Let us bring the same spirit and passion that are the hallmarks of our people and bask in the blessing that rained upon us 3,335 years ago. Check the profane at the door and, together, let’s celebrate that which is holy.

Chag Pesach kasher vesame’ach from Jerusalem! A

Top: Party Pal’s games bring the fun to any Mitzvah.

Bottom left: Amazing decor makes a great background for photobooth memories.

Bottom right: Family fun at the Bar and Bat Mitzvah Expo.

PHOTOS BY HOFFMANPHOTOVIDEO.COM

Community Seders

compiled by Makayla Hoppe

CHABAD

Chabad Center of University City

3813 Governor Drive San Diego, CA 92122

(858) 455-1670

chabaduc.org

April 5, 7:30 p.m.

Member Cost:

Adults $50, Children 10-13 $25

Nonmember Cost:

Adults $60, Children 10-13 $30

RSVP required

Chabad of East County

7290 Navajo Road, Suite 207 San Diego, CA 92119

(619) 387-8770

jewishec.com

April 5, 6:30 p.m.

Suggested donation of $75 RSVP required at jewishec.com/seder

Chabad Jewish Center of Rancho Santa Fe

14906 Via De La Valle Rancho S. Fe, CA 92067

(858) 756-7571

jewishrsf.com

April 5, 7:30 p.m.

Cost: Adults $90, Children $65 RSVP required

Chabad of Oceanside/Vista

1930 Sunset Drive Vista, CA 92081 (760) 806-7765

jewishoceanside.com

April 5, 6:45 p.m.

Cost: Adults $75, Children $50 RSVP required

Chabad of Chula Vista

2086 Otay Lakes Road #101 Chula Vista, CA 91913 (619) 836-0770

jewishchulavista.com

April 5, 6:30 p.m.

Cost: Adults $50, Children $25 RSVP required at jewishChulaVista.com/Seder

Chabad of Coronado

1300 Orange Avenue, Suite 130 Coronado, CA 92118 (619) 365-4728

chabadcoronado.com

April 5, 7 p.m. & April 6, 8 p.m. Cost: Adults $54, Children $36 RSVP required

Chabad of Carmel Valley RSVP for event location (858) 333-4613

chabadcv.com

April 5, 8:30 p.m.

Cost: Adults $55, Children $25 RSVP required at chabadcv.com/3290283

Chabad of San Marcos and CSUSM

649 Shady Lane

San Marcos, CA 92078

(760) 481-7503

alefcenter.com

Call for details

Cost: Adults $54, Children 3-11 $18

RSVP required

Chabad of Downtown

275 Island Avenue

San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 289-8770

chabaddowntown.com

April 5, 7 p.m. & April 6, 8 p.m.

Cost: Adults $80 Wednesday and $70 Thursday, Children $30

RSVP required

Chabad of La Jolla

909 Prospect Street, Suite 224 La Jolla, CA 92037

(858) 455-5433

chabadoflajolla.com

April 5 and 6

Call or email to RSVP and get more details: chabadoflajolla@gmail.com.

Chabad of Poway

16934 Chabad Way

Poway, CA 92064

(858) 451-0455

chabadpoway.com/seder

April 5, 7:30 p.m.

Cost: Adults $75, children $40

RSVP required

Chabad of Pacific Beach

4240 Gresham Street

San Diego, CA 92109

(619) 333-0344

chabadpb.org

April 7, 7 p.m. & April 8, 8 p.m.

Cost: Adults $65, Children $45

RSVP Required

ORTHODOX

Beth Jacob Congregation

4855 College Avenue

San Diego, CA 92115

(619) 287-9890

bjsd.org/events

April 5, 8 p.m.

Member Cost:

Adults $75, Children 5-12 $55

Nonmember Cost:

Adults $80, Children $60

RSVP required

CONSERVATIVE

Ohr Shalom Synagogue

2512 Third Avenue

San Diego, CA 92103

(619) 231-1456

ohrshalom.org

April 6, 6 p.m.

Cost: Ohr Shalom member $55, Community member $70, Children 12 and under $30

RSVP required

Tifereth Israel Synagogue

6660 Cowles Mtn. Blvd.

San Diego, CA 92119

(619) 697-6001

tiferethisrael.com

April 6, 5:45 p.m.

Cost: Adults$60, Children 2-13 $36

RSVP required

Palm Springs, CA 92262

templeisaiahps.com

April 5, 6 p.m.

Cost: Member $75, Nonmember $85 RSVP required

Ner Tamid Synagogue

12348 Casa Avenida Poway, CA 92064 (858) 777-0256

nertamidsd.org

April 6, 6 p.m.

Cost: Adults $45, Children age 5-10 $20, Children age 0-4 Free RSVP required

REFORM

Congregation Beth Israel 9001 Towne Center Drive San Diego, CA 92122 (858) 535-1111

cbisd.org

April 6, 6 p.m.

Cost: Members and guests $50, nonmembers $55, children 6-12 $20, children 5 and under $10 RSVP required

Temple Adat Shalom

15905 Pomerado Road Poway, CA 92064 (858) 451-1200

adatshalom.com

Call or email for more information: info@adatshalom.com.

Kahal Am: The Humanistic Jewish Community of San Diego

Escala Clubhouse:

2840 Clubhouse Lane

San Diego, CA 92108

(858) 549-3088

kahalam.org

April 8, 1 p.m.

Cost: Members 17 and older $18, children 6-16 $5

Nonmembers 17 and older $20, children 6-16 $7

All children under 6 are free RSVP and payment by April 3

OTHER

Congregation B’nai Tikvah

Richard Walker’s Restaurant

2656 Gateway Road

Carlsbad, CA 92009 (760) 650-2262

bnaitikvahsd.com

April 5, 6 p.m.

Cost: Adults $75, Active military $50, Children under 12 $20

RSVP required via phone

Jewish Together Temecula Valley Bolero Restaurante

41150 Via Europa

Temecula, CA 92591 (925) 858-9995

April 5, 5:30 p.m.

Cost: Adults $18, Children 6-13 $5, Children under 6 are free RSVP at bit.ly/3yFWUrB

The 2023 WOW Festival Hits High Notes at the Rady Shell

La Jolla Playhouse’s annual Without Walls Festival offers theater and art at no cost this year.

by Makayla Hoppe

Since 2013, La Jolla Playhouse has offered new and imaginative performances outside traditional theater thanks to their Without Walls Festival. For the 2023 WOW Festival, the Playhouse has joined forces with the San Diego Symphony to put on an event that highlights the best of what both organizations bring to San Diego.

According to Festival Producer Amy Ashton, the Playhouse and the Symphony have had a creative relationship for years, and it is for this reason that the 2023 WOW Festival will take place at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park.

In 2020, Amy and other Playhouse staff were able to view the Rady Shell while it was still under construction.

“We went to go take a tour of this brand new site and as we were walking around, some of our colleagues were like, ‘This is exactly the kind of space that we would love to use for WOW.’ [We talked] to their team about the intentions of it being a public park and a really incredible place for San Diego…to be able to experience all sorts of different events and to open up that part of the waterfront to the city,” she said.

This is the first time the WOW Festival has collaborated with another

San Diego institution of this magnitude. Previous years of the festival took place at Liberty Station and while Liberty Station is an art institution in its own right, it isn’t quite the same. Amy explained that the partnership with the Symphony is significant because they are not just hosting the event, they are also contributing to it.

The Symphony’s installation for the festival is an interactive one, something that the Playhouse enjoys bringing to each of its festivals.

“Instrumentalists will be playing along with an innate, originally-written piece by Ryan Carter, who has created a way for audiences to become a part of the ensemble with their cell phones. So there’ll be live musicians stationed around the whole lawn and then audience members will be instructed and invited to participate in how that music gets made in a way that I am really, really excited to see happen,” she said.

Bringing theater and other art installations outside has always been one of the big selling points of the festival. Not only does the WOW festival break away from the confines of a building, but it also brings in productions from outside the city.

Amy has found a wide range of theater for this year’s lineup. “Just over half of the productions are from local groups, and then the other half is made up of national and international folks, which is pretty good for where we’re at right now. I think we would like to have a little more international presence, but...it is not easy to get folks over here, as you can imagine,” she said.

The Playhouse finds yearly performers by posting calls online and accepting proposals on its website. However, Amy and her colleagues do get to seek out productions with a more direct approach.

“Last summer, myself and one of my colleagues spent time in the Netherlands, France and England to meet some of the international groups that we’ve been hearing about or that we’ve been getting proposals from. [We wanted] to see how their festivals are run and glean new information because Europe has a stronger festival atmosphere than the United States does,” she said.

WOW Festival 2023 will take place April 27–30, 2023 and the programming will have shows for guests of all ages. The beginning of the day includes family-friendly productions including

interactive art and presentations specifically for kids. More adult-oriented art will begin to play as the day goes on and the sun sets.

La Jolla Playhouse’s mission is to advance theater as an art form. With the event this year being free to guests, it is clear that the Playhouse wants to offer these opportunities as a gift to all of San Diego.

“I think we talk a lot about how the work that we do challenges the boundaries between artists, art and the audience. So that the audience’s experience with the art is different than what you would get [from a ticketed show]–you know where you’re going to sit, you’re gonna clap at the end and the lights are gonna go down,” she remarked.

“And for us, the ability to put that off-kilter...we never know what you’re gonna get, or you never know what’s going to turn into art or a performer, or if you’re going to be able to interact with it or change how it’s experienced. That is a really magical space to live in. And the festival gives us a chance to kind of create a playground for that.” A

“A SHARED SPACE” presented by the San Diego Symphony

Festival goers can use their cell phones as instruments and participate alongside Symphony musicians. Helmed by Ryan Carter, the interactive performance will take place across the entire lawn at the Shell.

“BIRDMEN”

from Close-Act Theatre Company, The Netherlands

Puppeteers bring large, fantastical creatures to life. Illuminated, colorful and synchronized, the creatures react to the audience and their surroundings. Close-Act Theatre uses dance, music, fire and stilts in their street theater productions.

“CHOREO & FLY”

by DISCO RIOT, San Diego, CA

This interactive dance performance uses kite flying to engage audiences with movement and to build a sense of community.

“CIRCULAR DIMENSIONS” by Cristopher Cichocki

Featured at Coachella 2022, this audio and visual spectacular uses video projections of the natural world. The Coachella installation used 25,000 feet of PVC tubes as a canvas and the project can be adapted for many different venues or sites.

“DRIVE”

from Diversionary Theater, San Diego, CA

Broadway veteran Sharon Wheatley tells her real-life story of a 2020 cross-country road trip with her wife and family. Featuring fellow “Come From Away” actress Astrid Van Wieren, the two women share Wheatley’s story while stationed around a 30-foot RV.

“THE END” from Control Group Productions, Denver, CO

Audiences are shown a glimpse of a climate-fueled apocalypse from the inside of a renovated school bus.

“LAS CUATRO MILPAS” from TuYo Theatre, San Diego, CA

This piece is a 24’ x 28’ corn maze inspired by Las Cuatro Milpas, a Barrio Logan restaurant operating since 1933. The maze tells the story of a family traveling from Mexico to California. Participants can interact with the story by scanning QR codes and listening to audio tracks.

“THE NEST” by Megan Flød Johnson, St. Paul, MN

A hands-on, interactive exhibit for children that invites them to “explore the identity and home of an elusive and migrating Creature.”

“SALTY WATER” from Blindspot Collective, San Diego, CA

A group of 15 professional performers and 40 local youth incorporate music, movement, puppetry, poetry and spoken word to tell stories of their connection to the sea.

“LA LUCHA” by David Israel Reynoso/ Optika Moderna

An immersive show inspired by lucha libre. Partnering with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the Playhouse has brought back Optika Moderna for another WOW Festival. This production runs April 27–June 4 at MCASD’s Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building. (This is the only paid event of the festival. Visit mcasd.org/events/la-lucha for ticket information.)

Top photo: “Birdmen.” | Bottom: 2022 Festival.

A Tradition of Both Estrangement and Togetherness Passover

by Patricia Goldblatt

When my grandparents died, we no longer gathered for the big holidays. I recall only our immediate family arriving at my own parents’ house. In fact, there seems to be a gap in my memory between the delightful roughhousing with my adored cousins when I was a child in my Bubbe’s basement to the primly arranged grownup women with children that my sister and I had become at my mother’s table. Perhaps with the passing of first my grandfather, then my grandmother in her 80s, maybe we were parcelled out to our relatives. But I learned from gossip that my aunts were rather lazy, not particularly fond of my mother and only chose to celebrate with their own brothers and sisters. But I’m sure the tradition of extended raucous family Seders continued, but I cannot say where.

However, the diminishment of people at our Passover table began even earlier with my cousins abandoning us for life in California when Allan, the eldest of our tribe, turned 13. Like strangers in a strange land, they journeyed to the United States, away from family and friends in Canada. And like the Israelites who fled Egypt, they had to begin all over again. In the Bible, there are copious themes of travel away, of exclusion or banishment, beginning with Adam and Eve in Genesis and continuing throughout.

For example, the holiday of Purim that precedes Passover possesses similar threads. In both stories, Jewish life is made miserable and threatened. In the Passover story, we are slaves in Egypt who must flee and wander in the desert for forty years. In contrast, in Persia, home of Esther and Mordecai, political connections overturn the pernicious manipulations of Haman, the tormenting adviser of King Ahasuerus.

“Purim Themes and Theology” on My Jewish Learning states “If the triumph of the Israelites in Egypt is explicitly determined by the exercise of divine authority, the story of Purim is characterized by human deception, sexual manipulation and bloodshed... [whereas] the theology of Passover celebrates G-d’s determination to lead the Jews from exile to their own land; Purim reflects the situation of a people in the Diaspora surviving by their own wiles within a world of moral uncertainty.”

I think of the seder as a night of more questions that surround our human condition: Why is this night different from all other nights?...Why does it seem we are continual strangers in strange lands?

In both cases, the lives of Jews are vulnerable and insecure; they are forced to come together, plan perilous retreats and overcome.

Similarly, in The Book of Daniel, Daniel is exiled in Babylon. He is saved by G-d, redeemed for not eating unkosher food, participating in the language of Nebuchadnezzar and especially, not worshipping idols. Daniel is preoccupied with addressing the problem of exile and the challenges

of being a minority in an oppressive foreign land. The message appears to be that just as G-d saves Daniel from his enemies, so, too, will we be saved from those who would enslave and murder us. Once again, we contemplate a story of persecution and triumph.

Likewise, in the story of Naomi and Ruth, Naomi is a foreigner in Moab. She and her husband Elimelek had departed their home in Judea to escape severe famine (Ruth 1:1). When Elimelek passes away, Naomi is a widow in a foreign land (Ruth 1:3). Ruth, one of her sons’ wives, who is not Jewish, provides comfort and support to her mother-in-law, her famous words remembered over the ages, “Where you go I will go and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your G-d my G-d. Where you die I will die and there I will be buried.” These are stories of men and women, alone and in congregations, forced to leave their homes, needing to settle, re-settle, establish roots and persevere.

Interesting and challenging that these situations of flight are as well opportunities for growth. Now, to wander in the desert for 40 years, after enslavement in Egypt, could not have been a welcome or easy choice — and with no surprise, the people searched for meaning in a golden calf as their faith was tested. They must have despaired too that their leader, Moses, would ultimately not be allowed to enter the promised land. But without sorrow, without grief, how could they measure their joy at finally arriving at their destination and beginning anew?

In my cousin’s case, the family was reuniting with other family in the States. They were hopeful for a new job, sunnier climes and more lucrative opportunities.

And Naomi, we see, finds consolation with Ruth. But in the Bible, we often observe that disobeying G-d’s dictates is the cause for disenfranchisement and wandering. There has been no recourse, no choice but to leave.

As I listen to Cornel West on MasterClass ask, “What does it mean to be human?” And I reflect on Joseph Campbell’s work and try to understand the reasons for human behavior, growth and maturation even in the worst of situations. How do we deal with exile, loneliness, death and despair, particularly when our sources of comfort or stability are far away? And I think of the Seder as a night of more questions that surround our human condition: Why is this night different from all other nights?; Why is Maror eaten?; Why are there three matzohs on the table?; How many times do we spill wine?; Why do we open the door for Eliahu?; What does the song Chad Ghadya symbolize?; Why does it seem we are continual strangers in strange lands?

As we sit together at Seder, I am also mindful of Cornel West’s thoughts on the purpose of communities and traditions. Traditions created by those that come together in order to persist and survive and somehow continue to provide hope. He says there is no “I” without a “we.” My mind alights on my father’s mother, my Bubbe Molly and the other women who were responsible for building hospitals in their neighborhood — eventually Mt. Sinai hospital. How many Jews gathered together to initiate Workmen’s Circles/Arbeiter Rings to protect Jewish culture, ensure social Justice and facilitate education in the early 20th century?

I think, as well, of Bella, Marc Chagall’s wife, and her descriptions in her book “Burning Lights.” Her heavy, burdensome, clanking cooking pots transported food over miles to the Chagall table and (more importantly) warm, loving hugs to their family on the holidays. Most had traveled for at least three days to assemble for Passover Seder. Reminiscing about her memories of those days, Bella poignantly wrote:

“I am unfolding my piece of heritage and at once there rise to my nose the odors of my old home. My ears begin to sound with the clamor of the shop and the melodies that the rabbi sang on holidays. From every corner a shadow thrusts out and no sooner do I touch it than it pulls me into a dancing circle with other shadows.”

Sadly, the shadows of estrangement of people from their homes is a familiar tale, the motif connoted by Marc Chagall’s wandering Jew, his bag, his peccala on his back, searching for safety. With the destruction of the temples, first in the 6th century B.C. and then the second in 70 A.D., Jews have been dispersed from Yemen, Spain, Poland, Germany, and as in the Chagall’s case, Russia. And even today, anti-semitism causes us uncertainty, even as we gather to pray in synagogues. More questions. These

without answers that continue to surround our tentative state in society. Still.

Considering our relationships with one another, some forced, but others by choice, Jon Kabat-Zinn, a proponent of meditation, also reinforces the need to believe we are all the cells of one body; and if we are acting together in lovingkindness, we can be effective stalwarts of change against evil. In these post-pandemic times, we need to be reminded that communities can come together and overcome. And as we come together, eventually we will be able to breathe easily and aspire towards a world where we are free, residing in peace, ensuring G-d’s blessings.

At the end of Ne’ila service on Yom Kippur, the phrase “Next year in Jerusalem” is sung. But as well, this desire (this sentiment first recorded by Isaac Tyrnau in the 15th century) is soulfully pronounced at the conclusion of Passover Seder. And so we wish for that ideal, that freedom to settle and direct our lives, away from fear, from exile, finally secure from the tyranny of others who would destroy us.

The JFS-David Rubenstein Memorial Scholarship Awards up to $5,000 for Higher Education Available to Jewish Students

The JFS-David Rubenstein Memorial Scholarship seeks to encourage students to treasure their Jewish heritage, reflect on their Jewish values, and better understand their connection to community. Awards up to $5,000 are based on financial need, academic performance, and community involvement. Applications are open to undergraduate and graduate students.

Application Deadline: April 14, 2023

For more information, visit www.jfssd.org/rubenstein

Schanzlin, M.D. Michael Gordon, M.D. Julio Echegoyen, MD.

Ge en, O.D. Garrett Pennell, O.D. Wendy Gross, O.D.

YOM HASHOAH 2023

Celebrating 70 Years of Survivors in San Diego

Community Holocaust Commemoration

Sunday, April 16

On Yom Hashoah we remember the 6 million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust, honor those who survived, and teach future generations so it never happens again. Our mantra has been NeverForget and NeverAgain. This year we will explore 70 years of survivors in San Diego and the impact our survivor community has had on San Diego and the Jewish community.

REMEMBER | HONOR | TEACH

Sunday, April 16, 1:00pm

Our program will feature a video honoring and celebrating 70 years of survivors creating new life in San Diego. We will hear the story of Survivors thriving and creating new life in San Diego County from a panel of second-generation family members.

REMEMBER - Memorial Service

HONOR - Candle Lighting

TEACH - Panel of second-generation survivors remembering 70 years of new life in San Diego County. Panelists include: Joe Fox, Jack Morgenstern, Barbara Ostroff, Sandra Scheller, and Diane Strum.

Register and learn more at

jewishinsandiego.org

858-571-3444

Wednesday, May 24

text tell the story of survivors creating new life in San Diego. The self-guided exhibit will include a featured wall of the New Life Club, South Bay, North Park, and 54th Street JCC.

AM ISRAEL MORTUARY

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✡ We are here to help, call or email with any questions.

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2 side-by-side burial plots in El Camino Memorial in the Mount Sinai II section for $11,5000 each. Purchaser must buy both plots and pay a $400 transfer fee. Available immediately. Plots in this location are currently being sold by El Camino for $17,000 each.

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Passover is a wonderful time to experience the Heritage Pointe lifestyle. If someone you know is considering senior living, this is a unique opportunity to enjoy our inspiring lifestyle during Passover.

Jewish roots and traditions are an important part of the Heritage Pointe story and culture

Spend Passover with us this year! Experience a beautiful Kosher Seder, exceptional programming and activities, and a delightful community.

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A circle of like-minded friends

JFS Gala Delivers on Name “Planting for the Future”

by Makayla Hoppe

On April 15, Jewish Family Service of San Diego will hold its annual Heart & Soul Gala at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. This year’s theme, “Planting for the Future,” symbolizes JFS’ commitment to growing a sense of community and keeping people fed.

JFS Chair Emily Jennewein discussed how Jerri-Ann Jacobs and Tammy Vener, this year’s gala chairs, inspired the theme for the event.

“Jerri-Ann and Tammy started volunteering at the JFS garden several years ago, so I proposed to each of them, ‘Would you please consider sharing the

gala? You could base it on the garden,’” she said.

The theme includes specific imagery to represent the garden: olives, figs, wheat, pomegranates, grapes, dates and barley. Emily explained that these were selected because they are sacred fruits and grains grown in the ancient land.

The gala honorees for 2023 are Joan and Irwin Jacobs and Marie Raftery and Dr. Bob Rubenstein.

“We’ve asked the Jacobs many times to be honorees because they’ve been such amazing donors to JFS, and they said [in the past] it hasn’t been the right time for them. But this time, with Jerri-Ann, their daughter-in-law, and Gary, their son, sharing [as gala chairs], they agreed, at last, to be honored. But they could have been honored for years,” Emily said.

“Our other honorees are just amazing donors and long-time volunteers of

JFS Gala Chairs.

JFS. Marie and Bob have endowed a scholarship program, The JFS-David Rubenstein Memorial Scholarship, for Jewish students who go to graduate or undergraduate programs,” Emily continued.

The Heart & Soul Gala is the biggest fundraising event of the year for JFS and it helps fund all of its programs.

“We have a $90 million annual budget... When I joined the board seven years ago, the budget was $18 million. So to have it have grown from $18 million to $90 million is almost just daunting. As a board, we spent a lot of time trying to make sure that JFS has the resources that it needs — to have the infrastructure in place — to be able to be such a huge organization pretty suddenly,” Emily said.

A big project launched in 2022 was the Center for Jewish Care redevelopment, which was achieved with the help of previous galas. JFS aids San Diego members of all backgrounds, but assisting the Jewish community is obviously at the heart of the organization.

“You know, 105 years ago, we were founded to help Jews get into the US because a bunch of women noticed that it was hard to get in through the Tijuana border after World War I. And that was actually the founding of JFS. So,

we’ve always served Jewish people and recently we have branched out to serve all people. So we have just packaged it a little bit differently...[The Center for Jewish Care] is just a place where you’re going to be clearly understood if you are Jewish and have specific needs,” she said.

JFS Plans For Growth

The 2023 gala will help JFS fund its ongoing programs and services, but Emily says there are plans for the future taking shape.

“We do hope to get into housing. It won’t be in 2023, but we’ve been working on it already for a couple of years. We thought it was going to be about a fouryear horizon to lay the groundwork to be able to be a provider of supported housing. And what that is is a place to live if you need low-income housing, but also services. So that’s the beauty of us being in it, because we already provide all those services that people often need, such as food, care, whatever it is — we already do that. So that’s the one area of social services that’s really big and important — very important in San Diego — that we’re not yet in,” Emily said.

The Heart & Soul gala is an event JFS and its supporters look forward to every year. With this year’s gala taking place at the Rady Shell for the first time,

Emily is confident that people will have a good time.

“People just love giving to JFS because of the good work it does to help anyone in need... It’s really good work and everybody recognizes that,” she said. A

The 2023 gala will help JFS fund its ongoing programs and services, but plans for the future, including housing, are taking shape.

FRIENDSHIP WALK SD

We are pleased to announce the return of the Friendship Walk SD! On May 7, 2023, join Friendship Circle in Walking for Friendship at 10 am at Nobel Park UTC. The Walk will be followed by a Friendship Fair with games, rides, friends, and more!

To find out more, and register, visit FriendshipWalkSD.org

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

The Friendship Circle of San Diego is a non-profit that promotes friendships between children, teens, and adults with disabilities and their typically developing peers by providing social, recreational, vocational and educational experiences in an inclusive environment. The Friendship Circle supports the inclusion and celebration of our members as valued and productive members of the community.

"The joy that Friendship Circle adds to my life is immeasurable, our friends are funny, talented and loving."

- Amy Nissan

OUR PROGRAMMING

We offer a variety of programming for all ages! Whether it is adaptive yoga, karate, parent support groups or Friends @ Home, the Friendship Circle is here to help foster friendship!

Programming includes: Men's Club, Women's Circle, Teen Leadership Board, community events, performing arts and more!

VOLUNTEER WITH US!

Want to give back to the community in a meaningful way? Volunteer with the Friendship Circle SD! You can help us change lives all over San Diego!

FC MODEL SEDER; OPEN TO ALL!

Join us for a Model Seder, on April 2 at Chabad of SDSU and learn about the holiday of Pesach (Passover)! This event is open to the WHOLE community.

“I wish other people knew all the wonderful things that the Friendship Circle of San Diego does, because that would bring more friends, more volunteers and more great ideas to incorporate."

-Bela Breziner

Local Offerings

BY EILEEN SONDAK

NORTH COAST REPERTORY THEATRE

northcoastrep.org

APR. 19-MAY 21: Murder on the Links

The North Coast Repertory Theater has a world premiere by Steven Dietz waiting in the wings. This who-dunit is based on the novel by Agatha Christie. Directed by the author, the play features Hercule Poirot on a mission to solve one of the most intricate mysteries of his career. You can try to solve it with the great detective this month.

CYGNET THEATRE

cygnettheatre.com

THRU APR. 30: Present Laughter

Cygnet Theater will bring Noel Coward’s remarkable wit to the stage at Old Town. “Present Laughter” is a lighthearted farce — with a main character based on the playwright himself. The troupe’s talented artistic director takes on the role of this larger-than-life star, besieged by legions of adoring fans. Rosina Reynolds directs this delightful comic romp.

THE OLD GLOBE THEATRE

theoldglobe.org

THRU APR. 23: The XIXth (The Nineteenth)

The Old Globe’s Main Stage offering is a world premiere, titled “The XIXth (The Nineteenth),” a play based on real events from the historic 19th Olympic games. The saga deals with two Black American sprinters on the intersection of sports and activism, back in 1968. The show will be ensconced on the main stage under the direction of Carl Cofield.

APR. 8-MAY 7: Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play

The Globe’s White Theater will put the spotlight on another world premiere. The whimsical new work takes place in 1999, with an awkward Asian American high schooler at the center of the plot. The play is a hilarious time-traveling adventure through the world of teenaged crushes, family legacies and zany elements.

LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE

lajollaplayhouse.org.

APR. 27-30: Without Walls Festival

The Playhouse’s annual Without Walls Festival will kick off with a co-production at the Rady Shell in association with the San Diego Symphony. This unique cultural happening includes music, dance, puppetry, and immersive and sitespecific shows designed for the whole family. See page 26 for the full feature and list of shows.

L to R: Biko Eisen-Martin as John Carlos, Korey Jackson as Tommie and Patrick Marron Ball as Pete in The XIXth. PHOTO BY RICH SOUBLET II.

SAN DIEGO OPERA

sdopera.org

THRU APR. 2: Tosca

The San Diego Opera is staging the welcome return of Puccini’s “Tosca,” a masterful tale of treachery and lust that features one of the most powerful plots in the genre. Renowned soprano Michelle Bradley performs the title role. San Diego Opera favorite Greer Grimsley returns to reprise his role as the villainous Scarpia. Resident Director Alan E. Hicks will stage this operatic gem — known for its stunning arias and beautiful choral work.

BROADWAY SAN DIEGO

broadwaysd.com

APR. 11-13: Riverdance

Broadway-San Diego will bring the ever-popular “Riverdance” back to the Civic Theater to celebrate their 25th anniversary. Catch this exhilarating group of fleet-footed Irish dancers during their brief stay.

LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY

theconrad.org

The La Jolla Music Society has an eclectic slate on hand this month.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will start the month off on Apr. 4. Legendary Yo-Yo Ma will be at LJMS as part of their recital series on Apr. 6. They cap off the month with Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles & Villalobos Brothers on Apr. 30.

NEW VILLAGE ARTS THEATER

newvillagearts.org

New Village Arts Theater will give Jen Silverman’s black comedy, “The Roommate,” its San Diego premiere Apr. 1-22. The play focuses on an unlikely pair of pals.

LAMB’S PLAYERS THEATRE

lambsplayers.org

THRU APR. 16: The Classic Divas

The Lamb’s Players Theater is featuring the music of the great female singers of the ‘60s in “R*E*S*P*E*C*T.” Among the many greats portrayed in this homage, are Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, and Joni Mitchell. The show is such a blockbuster, it was extended twice, and now you have until Apr. 16 to enjoy this runaway hit.

TIMKEN MUSEUM OF ART

timkenmuseum.org

The Timken Museum of Art is introducing a new exhibition –“Reconsidering Rembrandt: Night Watching.” Based on the Rembrandt masterpiece, the show is a 3-channel video installation with sound. It will remain on view from through June 4.

“Tosca” director Alan Hicks.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at LJMS.

Irina & Konstantin

Humanitarian Ukrainian Couple Make a Home in San Diego

by Rabbi Ben Leinow

On Feb. 24, 2023, the 365th day of Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion, I was invited to lead a Friday eve Shabbat service in Balboa Park. From the first moment my partner and I stepped into the auditorium we felt energy, action and an enthusiastic spirit on the part of the participants. From our first glance, we saw three guitarists playing and singing Ukrainian songs and a group of teenage girls practicing a dance they were going to perform later in the evening. Every song, every moment and every word was about how good it will be when we live in freedom and peace in our homeland again.

At the event I met many dedicated Ukrainians anxious to bring peace and regrowth to their country. One couple I would like to introduce you to is Irina Isaeva and Konstantin Fam, a married couple with two pre-teen children.

In 2010, Irina graduated from USD with a Master’s Degree in Montessori education. Working in San Diego she became a school consultant, board member and a chairwoman of the Interregional Montessori Association. Before the start of the war she lived, studied and traveled between Ukraine, Russia and San Diego. Irina is also

a partner and co-producer of their documentaries.

Konstantin is an award-winning screenwriter, director and producer and a member of the European Film Academy. He is a founder of the Moscow Jewish Film Festival and the Odessa Jewish Film Festival in Ukraine. He says he decided to become a director when he saw Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List” almost 30 years ago; the main message of this film is contained in the phrase from the Talmud, “whoever saves a life saves the world.” This phrase has become a guiding thread in Konstantin’s work and creativity. Over the last 10 years he has created several feature and documentary films about the Holocaust life in postSoviet countries. I was overwhelmed by their energy and their desire to make the world a better place.

We invited them to our home for Shabbat. As we came to know one another, Konstantin shared some of his history. Both of his parents carried heavy memories of the wars that went through his childhood. His father was a resistance hero in the Indochina War and was sent to study in the USSR. His mother was a Holocaust survivor and hid her Jewish heritage all her life. The topic

of the Holocaust was taboo in the USSR. Official and educational sources talked about the victims of the Soviet people, but they never said that there was a tragedy of the Jewish people during and after the Second World War. The Soviet government would not admit that an entire segment of the nation was brought to the brink of annihilation. The topic of anti-semitism and the persecution of Jews by Stalin was always hushed-up. His parents’ stories influenced his outlook and shaped him as a filmmaker.

Konstantin and Irina visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial in 2008. A graveyard filled with children’s shoes profoundly impacted them. The film “Shoes” became their first film devoted to the Holocaust in post-Soviet Russia. “Shoes” is the story of a pair of women’s shoes that begins in a shop window and ends in a mass grave of shoes in Auschwitz. The film is included in the educational programs of Yad Vashem (Israel), the Shoah Foundation (USC), We Are The Tree of Life (San Diego) and a Ukrainian history textbook.

Irina and Konstantin have worked hard to bring knowledge and peace to Russia, Ukraine and Belarus during

Be More YOU

the last 10 years. They created and helped launch several Montessori schools in addition to their several films on the Holocaust experience.

Konstantin was kind enough to share with me some of his plans and projects he had been working on before the war started. Just the week before the full Russian invasion, he was in Kyiv finalizing a proposal of a TV series on Jewish history. The series would describe the pogroms which took place during the 100 years from the early twentieth century to the present day. It would tell stories of several Jewish families — going through horrors of pogroms, the First World War, the Holodomor, the Holocaust, Babyn Yar, Stalinist repressions and eventually the emigration of Jews from the USSR to the USA and Israel. Konstantin is planning to continue working on this project. Another dream of Konstantin is to make a 3D virtual film about the Jerusalem Temple, recreating in detail the Holy Temple.

The life of Konstantin and Irina turned upside down when the war in Ukraine began. They made a hard choice and left their businesses in Russia. They couldn’t remain silent about injustice and since they actively support Ukraine, they chose to leave Russia. “If we had stayed there, everything we had done over the last years would have been discounted.”

The couple is also actively involved in volunteer life in San Diego. They help Ukrainians in Ukraine, in the United States and wherever there may be a need. Recently, Irina assisted a birth as a doula here in San Diego. The baby was a Ukrainian girl; her mother had fled Kyiv while the father stayed there to fight for her future.

Irina is planning to open a family center in San Diego to support women and children. Konstantin hopes to continue his projects. Right now they are working on a documentary “Hug Me.” You can explore the pages of their website to find short videos of Ukrainian refugees in San Diego and links to helpful volunteer organizations that welcome any support you can offer (hugme.vision).

It is my hope and prayer that the war in Ukraine will soon come to an end, that peace will exist and a new and meaningful world will be created. A

by Micah Siva noshwithmicah.com

Pecan Pie Matzo Brittle

Matzo crack, matzo brittle, or matzo caramel crunch, whatever name you call it, we can all agree that we can call it delicious. Matzo brittle is typically made with a mixture of butter (or margarine, to make it pareve) and brown sugar, cooked until it reaches a soft-crack stage and poured over top of matzo, baked until bubbly and finished with chocolate. It’s a sweet treat that magically disappears from the table.

Instead of the classic chocolate crunch, I reimagined it, inspired by my husband’s all-time favorite dessert: the pecan pie! This chocolate-free matzo brittle is loaded with pecans, a sprinkle of cinnamon and flaky sea salt for a sweet and salty treat.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 to 6 unsalted matzos

• 1 cup margarine or butter, unsalted

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 tsp. cinnamon

• 1 ½ cup pecans, finely chopped

• Flaky sea salt

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and/or parchment paper. (For easy clean up, line with foil, then parchment.)

Place the matzos on the baking sheet in a single layer, breaking the pieces to fit the sheet.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the margarine, sugar, and cinnamon over medium heat. Let come to a boil until it reaches 270-280F on a candy thermometer. This will take about 10 minutes total. Once it starts to boil, it should take about 3 minutes to reach the soft crack stage of 270-280F.

3. Pour the toffee mixture onto the matzo. Top with the pecans. Working quickly, using a spatula to spread it in an even layer. Tap the tray two to three times on the counter to help the nuts settle.

4. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 4 to 5 minutes, until the toffee mixture is bubby. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with salt.

5. Let cool completely and use your hands to break it into smaller pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

In Mel Brooks’ ‘History of the World Part II,’ Jewish jokes reign from BCE to the Beatles

by Jackie Hajdenberg, JTA News

As with the 1981 original — written, directed and produced by Brooks, who also stars – the new series is littered with Jewish subject matter, even in the sketches that aren’t about Jews. And although comedy mores have changed in the past four decades, the series aims to retain Brooks’ signature combination of sharp parody, vaudevillian vulgarity and Borscht Belt antics.

“We really tried to embrace what we loved about [Brooks’] work and apply that to the work that we were doing, whether that was the themes of funny character names, or breaking the fourth

wall or anachronisms or certain kinds of playful blocking,” director Alice Mathias told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “The kind of comedy work that I was doing up until this point was a touch more restrained and not quite as slapstick in places. So it was really fun to get a little sillier.”

Part of the series’ Jewishness is thanks to Nick Kroll, the Jewish comedian who had been interested in creating “History of the World Part II” for a very long time and “nudzhed” Brooks to agree, Stassen told JTA, using the Yiddish word for pester. Kroll grew

up in a Conservative, kosher-keeping household.

Kroll joins Brooks, 96, Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen as a writer and executive producer, with Mathias of Netflix’s absurdist sketch series “I Think You Should Leave” as director.

“It wasn’t a matter of, is this the right time for this?” Stassen told JTA. “It was just like, how do we honor Mel? How do we do a show that’s different than current sketch shows, that is in Mel’s tone?” A

TIFERETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE

Frank Meeink speaking at Abraham and Anne Ratner Scholar-in-Residence Weekend

As a teenager, Frank Meeink was one of the most well-known skinhead gang members in the country. He had his own public access talk show, he appeared on several media outlets as a spokesman for neoNazi topics, and he regularly recruited members of his South Philadelphia neighborhood to join his skinhead gang.

As we watch the shocking numbers of antisemitic acts rise globally, who better to help unpack this reality? Meeink will share his personal story and offer insight to understand this growing phenomenon. When you hear

Frank’s story, and more importantly about his life post prison, you’ll understand why his message is so

important at this moment. Frank will be speaking on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.

FRIDAY & SATURDAY

APRIL 21–22

More details at our website: tiferethisrael.com/events/sir-frank-meeink Frank

Abraham and Anne Ratner Scholar-in-Residence Weekend

Meeink.

by Marnie Macauley, M.S. | marniemacauley@gmail.com

New Plagues For Passover 2023

My Dear San Diegans:

It’s time for another installment of: “New Plagues” for Passover. For thousands of years, on Passover, we Jews recite the Ten Plagues (Makot Mitzrayim) that the G-d of Israel inflicted upon Egypt to persuade the Pharaoh to release the Israelites from slavery. The Pharaoh capitulated after the 10th.

Let’s look.

NEW PLAGUE: HOA’s.

True they’re not new, but, like the digital universe, they’ve expanded, usurping the CIA and the FBI and the number one locator of evil-doers — next door.

Example: These are Homeowners Associations with sweet names such as The Great Briar, run by evil people. “You put your garbage bin out four inches from the curb. The rule is three inches from the curb. We must insist this violation does not continue!” We protested. Got a hearing date. They didn’t show. We got a $200 bill. I actually spied one trawling the neighborhood. I only saw his hat. I ran after him. He took off at 25 miles an hour, snapping photos of lawns you couldn’t see. I now know where old incompetent terrorists go. Having failed to capture their dream of being dictators of a tiny country, in their sunset years, they’ve settled on becoming Dictators of Shmona Drive, a cul de sac in San Diego.

NEW PLAGUE: Everybody knows my name — and my underwear size.

Example: Every morning I turn on my computer and enter “The Orwellian Zone.” Up pops “Good morning, Marnie. As you bought size 7 pink fluffy slippers yesterday at ShoeBay online, we at Moshpark, thought you might like to see our line of pink fluffy socks to complement your purchase!” Every company, online store, site and huge conglomerate knows me, my hair dye, my measurements and my antacids, more intimately than my late husband did. A month ago I had to identify myself to get onto a website. “They” popped up a quiz I failed — “me.” How could such a thing happen? Here’s how. The same yutzes who “network” my slipper habits also have thousands upon thousands of half-true, half-bupkes factoids. I failed “where do I live?” I sent the questionnaire to Moshpark.

NEW PLAGUE: Dating sites. Example: You’d think the computer overlords who know my slippers could find me a date. I “tried out” three sites. Now, despite my various neurosis, which include a mortal fear of curbs, going under that thingy on a down escalator and assuming a headache is a brain tumor, my “profile” is quite fetching (as is my picture — after a little photoshopping.)

Slightly known award-winning and Emmy-nominated Jewish writer,

counselor, speaker, Columbia U grad. Widowed. Late husband, Sr. Ed. The New York Times. I’m funny, enjoy science fiction and BFFs include: British royalty, Nobel Prize winners, actors, astronauts and writers. Looking for Jewish counterpart.

Ok so it’s a little over the top. I also didn’t give my correct age. These are what I got back as their “perfect matches” for me.

• 98% Match: ArcticAngus: 87, Devoted Wiccan but studying Jewish folk songs. Occupation: snow shoveling. Education: completed 11th grade. Hobby: tattooing every part of his body. His comment: “Can’t wait to tattoo you, babe!”

• 93% Match: MammalaMoshe: 41. Jewish. Occupation: Undecided. Education: working on AA degree in Viking Literature. Travel: Never left Brooklyn, but plans to visit Queens when he saves enough. His comment: “I wish to savor the world with a partner — and my mother who lets me live with her.”

• 90% Match: Cantor-i-Al: 65. Former Cantor who left to devote his life waiting to play Tevye when a new revival comes to Broadway. Sings at bar mitzvahs and Birthday parties. Looking for a partner to help shape his career — and looks like Elly May Clampett on “The Beverly Hillbillies.”  A

Buy Judith’s new books, ‘The Lost Art of Dating’ & ‘Your Soul Mate Awaits’!

Judith’s thoughtful system is a fabulous guide, a must-read for every single!

DR. DIANA KIRSCHNER, Bestselling author of ‘Love in 90 Days’

Judith Gottesman, MSW

No one cares more about helping people than Judith.

GIL H. IN LA JOLLA

If I wouldn’t have contacted Judith, my life would be very different. I wanted to thank Judith for the time and persistence to find me the right person.

GIDEON S. IN SAN DIEGO

I would recommend using Judith’s services in a heartbeat!

NEAL L. IN SAN DIEGO

All ages and backgrounds