The Jewish Hospice Program LightBridge Hospice & Palliative Care wish you and your loved ones a good and sweet new year.
(858) 458-3602
6155 Cornerstone Court East, Suite 220, San Diego, CA 92121
TheJewishHospice.com/specialty-programs/ohr-ami
Cornerstone Court East, Suite 220 Diego, CA 92121
Ohr Ami – The Jewish Hospice Program invites you to participate in a virtual
JEWISH BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUP
facilitated by Rabbi Aliza Berk, LMFT
This group will address the social, psychological, emotional, religious and spiritual dimensions of the bereavement process from a Jewish perspective. This group will meet virtually via Zoom.
Dates: Tuesdays, 10:00 – 11:30am
Six Sessions: October 15, 22, 29; November 5, 12, 19
VIRTUAL GROUP VIA ZOOM Cost: $18 per session
Pre-registration is required. For further information and to register, contact Rabbi Berk at 858-220-5412 or by email at rabbializaberk@gmail.com.
You can also discuss any concerns about cost with Rabbi Berk.
T H E H I G H H O L I D A Y S A R E C O M I N G U P
T
H E G A T E S O F H E
A
V E N W I L L B E O P E N . . .
S o W i l l O u r s
H I G H H O L I D A Y S A T C H A B A D
* I n s p i r a t i o n a l H e b r e w / E n g l i s h
S e r v i c e s
* S p e c i a l C h i l d r e n ' s P r o g r a m m i n g
* M e m b e r s h i p N O T R e q u i r e d
* T i c k e t s N O T R e q u i r e d
* J o y f u l & C o m f o r t a b l e
A t m o s p h e r e
* E v e r y o n e W e l c o m e
R o s h H a s h o n a h -
O c t 2 - 4
Y o m K i p p u r -
O c t 1 0 - 1 1
S u k k o t -
O c t 1 6 - 2 3
S h e m i n i A t z e r e t a n d S i m c h a t
T o r a h -
O c t 2 4 - 2 5
T H E R E I S A C H A B A D
C E N T E R N E A R Y O U !
W e h a v e l o c a t i o n s a l l o v e r S a n D i e g o !
S c r i p p s R a n c h ( C h a b a d S .
D i e g o H Q ) , B o n i t a , C a r l s b a d
N o r t h , C a r m e l V a l l e y ,
C o r o n a d o , D o w n t o w n , E a s t
C o u n t y , E n c i n i t a s , E s c o n d i d o ,
L a C o s t a , L a J o l l a , N o r t h
C o u n t y I n l a n d , O c e a n s i d e / V i s t a ,
P a c i f i c B e a c h , P e n a s q u i t o s ,
R a n c h o S . F e , S D S U , T i e r r a
S a n t a , U C S D , U n i v e r s i t y C i t y
T o f i n d y o u r l o c a l C h a b a d
J e w i s h C e n t e r a n d t o l e a r n
m o r e a b o u t H i g h H o l i d a y s l o g
o n t o
w w w . C h a b a d . o r g / H i g h H o l i d a y s
"May you be written and sealed in the Book of Life."
PUBLISHERS
Mark Edelstein and Dr. Mark Moss
EDITOR
Susan Edelstein
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, Patricia Goldblatt, Sharon Rosen Leib, Andrea Simantov, Marnie Macauley, Lisa McGuigan, Rabbi Jacob Rupp, Rachel Eden, T.S. McNeil, Sybil Kaplan.
ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Alan Moss | Palm Springs
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the New Year and the Day of Atonement, respectively, will be observed this year in October, but September is the month to prepare for and think about the traditions that hold a people together. It’s the time of year to reflect, atone and vow to keep going. There is a sense of renewal and a coming together to uphold and continue to pay it forward. It will be the Hebrew year 5784, which is 3760 years more than our secular year. That’s a long history of carrying out the observances and celebrations of the High Holidays, continuing the traditions that bind, no matter the circumstances.
At this time of year, Rabbi Eilfort reminds us that time is our greatest gift; it is the Jewish ethos to use it wisely, and the High Holidays afford us the “perfect opportunity to analyze the purpose of time from a Jewish point of view.” And to conclude — pay it forward.
Andrea Simantov tells us about living with the tension everyone feels in Israel but continuing to go to the gym, the beach, to prepare for the holidays. She recounts when her friend’s son and hundreds of other young people at an IDF induction center, in the face of their trepidatious parents, “...broke into spontaneous song and dance, expressing great honor in defending our holy land and protecting our people.”
Galia Sprung grapples with the fact that it is almost a year since the October 7 massacre, but she knows the indestructibility of the Israeli spirit and “...our ability to find the strength to continue to carry on with our traditions and our religious observances in the worst of times.” This is how you pay it forward.
Marnie Macauley just hopes “it’s not a Jewish sin to add a little humor to September,” and Trevor McNeil reminds us that “laughter can be a comfort even in tragedy, something Jewish people know well.” And Micah Siva brings the sweetness to the season with her recipe for cookies worth sneaking into services.
Our two main features are also about history, tradition and building community. The San Diego Natural History Museum celebrates 150 years of studying our local environment, protecting it and teaching San Diegans about our wondrous ecosystem. And the La Jolla Art & Wine Festival will celebrate its 16th year of providing fun and providing funds, taking care of its community. Paying it forward. A
Our Town
by Linda Bennett and Emily Bartell
On July 28, Seacrest Foundation held The 211 Club’s Annual Patron Recognition Dinner, where everyone in attendance enjoyed a beautiful evening complete with gorgeous views, dinner and entertainment on the magnificent outdoor patio of the private residence of Mayo and Jeffrey Strauss. Patrons of The 211 Club are “Visionaries of Jewish Eldercare.” These compassionate contributors are a prestigious group of community leaders whose annual support fund the charitable care and mission of Seacrest Village and Seacrest at Home, ensuring the greatest possible quality of life for the frail and elderly. Some of those we saw enjoying the evening were Susie Sosna, Sarah and Jeff Blackwell, Sharon and Rick Forber, Carol and Max Shakter, Linda and Larry Okmin, Zita Liebermensh, Lily Strasberg, Norma and Werner Dreifuss, Sue and Hal Small, Ellen and Ernie Addelson, Joyce and David Abrams, Jeff Stoff, Bev Greene, Sophie and Henry Haimsohn, Dena and Michael Swidler, Orna and Lee Wittenberg, Sherry Hallis and Rabbi Sheldon Moss, and Eyal Askenazi
Reflecting on a wonderful event we recently attended, The Comedy Hypnosis Show on June 23 at Tifereth Israel Synagogue was truly memorable. Featuring the Hypno Diva Marsha Starr, this lighthearted, enjoyable evening was presented by Hadassah San Diego Miriam Chapter. Some of those laughing along with us were Robin and Jeremy Barron, Sonia and Ken Ohlbaum, Dena and Avram Shachar, Hanna and Joe Fox, Jacqueline and David Gmach, and Yael Gmach.
Mazel Tov to Robin and Ron Israel on the engagement of their daughter, Talia, to Sebastian Feldman. Talia’s grandparents are Dr. Lawrence Krause and Susan Sobel (z”l) of Encinitas, and Marilyn Israel and Jack Israel (z”l) of Green Valley, Arizona. Nuptials will take place next year.
Yom Huledets Sameach to...
Rose Okmin celebrating her 99th birthday. Josephine Stoff celebrating her 94th birthday.
CELEBRATING
Wedding Anniversaries
with infinite love & happiness, Mazel Tov to…
Deborah and Isaac Bejar, 71 years.
Ruth and Marty Weiss, 62 years.
Sybil and Charles Grossman, 61 years.
Jackie and David Gmach, 56 years.
Pam and Sandy Monroe, 54 years.
Jackie and Sue Geller, 50 years.
Lynn and Michael Maskin, 50 years.
David Schanzlin, M.D.
Michael Gordon, M.D.
Julio Echegoyen, MD
David Ge en, O.D. Alison Gordon, M. D. Wendy Gross, O.D.
ISRAELI LIFESTYLE
LIVING ON THE FRONT PAGE
by Andrea Simantov | andreasimantov@gmail.com
The Gym Was Full This Morning
Idragged myself to the car, a halfhearted shlep that said something about practicing integrity. My blood test indicated that I’m relatively alright. In her typical, no-frills fashion, she said, “Lose weight and get to the gym.” Thus, tightly encased in bellbottomed leggings and an Honor the Blue T-shirt with a stylish hacked-off collar, I attended for the third agonizing morning in a row.
What my doctor didn’t mention during the checkup were the elephants in every room in Israel: The war and the Iranian threat to annihilate us at some indiscriminate time in the nebulous near future. It is clear that the doctor is tense. I am tense. My husband is tense. We are all candidates for Oscars as we parent and laugh with our children and grandchildren, trying not to traumatize them any further than osmosis will permit. The summer temperatures hover at 34° centigrade (93°F) on most days, and treating the kiddies to a water activity or day on the beach is required.
My pantry is stocked with canned black beans and garbanzos, and we have enough water for three days. Over coffee, my husband and I debate whether or not we really need a transistor radio and if such things even exist anymore. We both grow pensive and mildly angry: How dare they do this to us? They practice a form of psychological terrorism that we fear may be more successful than their
military prowess. Both stink, and we feel exposed, nakedly Jewish, as we celebrate life and assay how to heal and bring good to the community of man. How did it come to this that we are so hated by a poisonous behemoth that is doggedly determined to wipe us off the map? A monstrous regime that spreads its tentacles into every corner of the world with messages of martyrdom, supremacy and domination?
Channeling my inner Golde, wife of Tevye-the-Milkman, I do not want to leave dirty dishes in the sink before going to bed lest I’m charged with keeping a dirty house by the enemy. Jerusalem is not Anetevka, and I try to get to bed on time, knowing that I’ll need some
rest when the sirens go off. The biggest dilemmas I face after brushing my teeth are which pajamas I should wear and whether I should wear a bra to bed. What is bomb-shelter etiquette, after all? How good must I look?
My friend Leah posted a video of her precious son, along with hundreds of other young men at the induction center at Tel HaShomer, duffel bags and knapsacks forming a carpet of khaki green. To the amazement of teary-eyed parents, these holy heroes broke into spontaneous song and dance, expressing great honor in defending our holy land and protecting our people.
My reservist son is scheduled to return to the fight; he informed us while
Israeli Lifestyle continued
sitting at Shabbat dinner. Which border? I don’t know, and the generals aren’t telling me. I smiled, uttered a lame joke and served tea. My trepidation wore a cloak.
No other war in the history of war has been under such scrutiny. My friend Kathy says, “I can’t begin to understand how you must be feeling.” This is the most compassionate sentiment that anyone can make to an Israeli today.
On Friday, in the hours leading to Shabbat, families were on the beach, catching some sun, some waves and some normalcy before returning home in time for candle lighting. We weren’t hunkering in safe rooms but did, just to be safe, set our phones to the Home Command app.
The gym was full this morning, and I was there. Because life goes on, and my doctor says I’m lethargic, fat and need to take better care of myself. A
New York-born Andrea Simantov moved to Israel 29 years ago. She is a small-business owner and both a print and media journalist. Her popular podcast, “Pull Up a Chair,” is produced by Israel News Talk Radio. She can be reached at andrea@israelnewstalkradio.com.
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WRITTEN IN FIRE
by T.S. McNeil tremcneil1980@gmail.com
Peace Upon You
Sometimes, a subtle approach is the best way to deal with a problem, and laughter can be a comfort even in tragedy, something the Jewish people know well. Someone who used their sense of humor and proportion in a positive way, even in the face of horror and tragedy, was the Russian-born satirist Solomon Rabinovich.
Born to a Jewish family near what is now Kyiv, Ukraine in 1859 during the Russian Empire, Rabinovich was in for a rough start. The first blow came when his once-successful merchant father made some bad investments, and the family was left in poverty. Adding to the trouble, his mother died horribly of cholera when Rabinovich was only 13.
Graduating from school at 20 in 1876, Rabinovich entered into an intellectual life, first finding a position as a teacher and then as a rabbi following his ordination in 1883. Eventually, he reached the position of crown rabbi, an official representative of the Jewish community to the Russian imperial court. He also worked for many years as a journalist, writing for the popular Russian-language Jewish newspaper Voskhod, based out of Odessa.
Another turn in his fortunes came in 1883 when Rabinovich married Olga Loev, the daughter of a land owner whom he had tutored while still a teacher, who inherited the family lands and fortune when her father died.
Following the anti-Jewish riots and infamous actions by the Cossacks,
[Rabinovich] reached the position of crown rabbi...to the Russian imperial court.
Rabinovich, still mostly taking things in his stride, left the Russian empire, getting set up with his family in a house in Geneva, Switzerland. Continuing to teach, even at the height of his fame, he took on a grueling schedule of lectures and readings to keep things going as Olga’s inheritance continued to dwindle, much of it held in land back in Russia, which was soon to be seized by the Soviets. Suddenly stricken with a relapse of tuberculosis, Rabinovich eventually settled in New York in 1914.
Like many writers, Rabinovich’s experiments began early in life, and his very first instances still showed shadows of the impish humor he would employ in his later work. This includes an
alphabetic glossary of every epithet used by his stepmother and a Jewish parody of Robinson Crusoe, all before he had finished school. An attitude of gentle fun reflected in his favorite pseudonym, Sholem Aleichem, an intentional twist on the Hebrew expression “shalom aleichem” based on the Yiddish spelling/ pronunciation, basically translating as either “peace be with you” or “peace upon you,” making it so anytime someone said or wrote his name they were conferring a blessing on anyone who might see or hear it.
In the already eventful year of 1883, Rabinovich published his first story, translated as “Two Stones” in Yiddish, under the Sholem Aleichem pen name for the first time. It was one of many stories that would be published in periodicals mostly in Yiddish, and the first English translations appeared posthumously following his rediscovery by American audiences after WWII.
Among the most popular of his tales was the collection, “Tevye The Dairyman,” first published in Yiddish in 1894. Discovered by American audiences much later, the book served as the basis for “Fiddler on the Roof,” the source material providing much of the humor in the 1964 film version, such as the memorable prayer: “May God bless and keep the Czar far away from us!” A line with even more bite in light of Rabinovich’s experiences with the Cossacks.
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Literature continued
Published fairly early in his career, in 1888 and written in Yiddish, Rabinovich’s first full novel, “Stempenyu,” is rooted in the real life of Iosif Druker, a popular 19th century Klezmer violinist who often went by the name Stempenyu. In the fictionalized account, the title character is so preternaturally talented that he seduces a woman while playing at a wedding.
Rabinovich carried on the musical theme the next year with the novel, “Yossele Solovey,” which was not available in English until 1949. The title character is the handsome son of a shtetl cantor who could sing so beautifully he was often called “The Nightingale.”
Taking on the pogroms directly, “In The Storm” follows three Russian-Jewish families of different beliefs and economic backgrounds and their response to the events that forced Rabinovich to leave Russia.
First published in Yiddish in weekly editions between 1909 and 1911, the picaresque novel “Wandering Stars” follows lovers from different sections of society who leave their roots behind to go on an adventure with a traveling theater troupe, giving the title a delightful triple meaning. Also finished in 1911, “Marienbad” was Rabinovich’s fifth novel and his interpretation of the epistolary novels that were ridiculously popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Accurately called “the rediscovered novel,” it wasn’t until 2021 that a workable English translation of the novella “Moshkeleh the Thief” was published. Following much of the style established by earlier work, especially “Tevye” and “Wandering Stars,” the story is an incisive depiction of the Jewish rural class with characteristic humor and absurdity.
Rabinovich was also known for his theater work, staging no less than ten productions between 1887 and his death in 1916, with a stage version of “Tevye” performed posthumously in 1917. As with his prose, much of his stage work was written in Yiddish, all but two of them, “Mazel Tov” and “Yaknez,” translated into English.
In addition to all the other hats he wore in his short 57 years on earth, Rabinovich was also a dedicated activist advocating that Yiddish should be an international Jewish language alongside Hebrew, arguing it should be given equal status with the recognized European languages. A
Growing up in the far north, Trevor James McNeil had little to do other than read when the temperature went below 40 Celsius, and he developed an affinity for stories of all sorts. Graduating from the University of Victoria in 2009, he has been reading and writing in a professional capacity since. He lives in a cabin in the woods with his dog, and firmly believes The Smiths would have been better as a trio.
Founder Myra Chack Fleischer
DAZZLE, DINE, AND DANCE
Sparkle on the field and under the bright lights of America’s Number One Ballpark at the Founders Gala in celebration of the University of San Diego’s 75th Anniversary.
The Old Globe Partners With San Diego Blood Bank for the Opening of ‘Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors’
Ablood drive! What a perfect way to celebrate the opening of “Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors.”
The Old Globe announced the West Coast premiere of “Dracula…” and its partnership with San Diego Blood Bank held a blood drive at the theater in celebration of the upcoming production. During the first offering of “Dracula” tickets on August 9, the San Diego Blood Bank set up on Copley Plaza and collected 26 pints of blood from ticket buyers, exceeding the goal of 20 pints. Even Dracula would be proud of you, San Diego.
This Halloween, celebrate at the Globe with a new side-splitting adventure based on Bram Stoker’s classic tale that’s sure to induce blood-curdling screams—of laughter. Famed vampire hunter Jean Van Helsing and her motley
crew chase Count Dracula around the English countryside in a madcap race to save his innocent victims. Filled with imaginative staging, irreverent farce and special effects, this hilarious scarefest is the perfect way to get spooky this season.
“There’s no sound quite as happy as that of a theater full of people laughing hysterically, and ‘Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors’ delivers that every night,” said Barry Edelstein, the Globe’s artistic director. Gordon Greenberg, co-playwright and director, and Steve Rosen, co-playwright, are back at the Globe “...working their merry mischief, and with ‘Dracula’ they’ve fashioned a fresh, new and entirely hilarious take on this classic tale. The play is clever, witty, imaginative and sexy, and the production is, as always with Greenberg, top-notch. Break out your Halloween
costumes early and come to the Globe ready for fun!”
The cast includes Drew Droege as Mina, Van Helsing, and others; Gizel Jiménez as Lucy and others; George Krissa as Dracula; Linda Mugleston as Dr. Westfeldt, Renfield and others; and Brady Dalton Richards as Harker and others.
Performances begin September 20, and the show will run through October 27 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre in Balboa Park.
The Tony Award–winning Old Globe Theatre is one of the country’s leading professional nonprofit regional theaters. Now in its 90th year, the Globe is San Diego’s flagship performing arts institution, and it serves a vibrant community by creating theater that lives beyond the stage. A
Guide to the
High Holidays
Our annual guide to local High Holiday services and meals will be available online as a downloadable PDF beginning Sept 15 at issuu.com/sdjewishjournal.
Events will be updated the last week in September as we approach Rosh Hashanah and more information becomes available. We’ll send an e-blast when the updates are published.
If you don’t currently receive e-blasts from us and want to be notified, sign up for eNews at sdjewishjournal.com. (Click on ‘Subscribe to eNews’ at the top of the page.)
Shana Tova! A SWEET AND HAPPY NEW YEAR
We Invite You to Join Us for the High Holy Days!
Make Us Your Family for the High Holy Days and More!
We invite you to join us at Temple Adat Shalom for a full complement of spiritually uplifting in-person and livestreaming worship for all High Holy Day services from S'lichot through Yom Kippur, including Sukkot and Smichat Torah.
Please call our office 858-451-1200 for more information about services and tickets. www.adatshalom.com
High Holiday Services
conducted by Rabbi Wayne Dosick & Cantor Kathy Robbins
Combining traditional davening, with powerful English prayer, joyous singing and chanting, authentic kabbalistic meditation, Rabbi Dosick’s inspiring teachings and sermons, and the magnificent voice and music of Cantor Robbins, with Kol Eli’ahu, The Elijah Minyan Choir, in a warm, heimesh atmosphere of festive celebration.
Not that “same old” rote, boring service; a new inspirited Judaism for a new age
Get Ready for the New Year
by Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort
The unstoppable march of time continues. As much as we may want to change that, it cannot be altered. Einstein’s theory of relativity aside, we know how to measure a year, and we know that time is consistent. In practical terms, this means that when we turn our calendar to September, we can be assured the Jewish High Holidays are either already here or are about to be. The yearly cycle of the unique Jewish calendar affords us the perfect opportunity to analyze the purpose of time from a Jewish point of view.
A New Year means that we are another year distant from Creation, the Exodus from Egypt, receiving the Torah, building the Holy Temples, the destruction of the Holy Temples, and entering the Diaspora. It also means
The need to fix the world is in our DNA!
that we are that much closer to the future era of Universal Peace and blessings for all of humankind. Jewish history is long indeed, with many ups and downs. During our long and rich history, we have been blessed with countless opportunities to learn from our ancestors.
Let us consider Abraham, our father, for a moment. The Torah attests that Abraham was blessed “with everything.” Our sages tell us that the Torah is conveying critical information. “Blessed in everything” means that Abraham and his life partner Sarah, our mother, used every moment of their existence to serve G-d. In fact, it is by virtue of this approach that Abraham and Sarah earned the special honor of being called the first Jews.
Have you ever wondered why the Jewish people are so industrious? How come we immediately seek to improve our surroundings wherever we may be? Why are Jews so radically over-represented in the sciences and professions, as evidenced by the
disproportionate number of Jews who have earned the Nobel Prize and who are doctors, lawyers and engineers? It is a Jewish ethic to use our time wisely. Even when we are at rest, our minds keep moving at a million miles per hour, thinking of ways to improve ourselves, our communities or our surroundings. Many find Shabbos, as restful and spiritually uplifting as it is, difficult to observe because of the old ants in the pants syndrome. The need to fix the world is in our DNA!
Conversely, wasting time is considered, in many ways, one of the worst sins. How can one make up for lost time? If an opportunity is missed, it is often impossible to make up. No, time is the greatest gift, the most valuable treasure bestowed on humanity by the Creator, and it comes in very limited supply. The Almighty limits our time
so strictly that we feel an urgent need to use it wisely. Youth do not feel the urgency as keenly as those with more decades under their belts. It is one of the most important lessons the older generation can bestow on the younger. “Use your time wisely!” If I had a nickel for every time I heard that phrase while in Yeshiva, I would be a millionaire. In my youth, I may have heard the words, but I cannot promise to have really heard the words. Did they truly penetrate to my core?
Now I realize that every moment in time is like a blank check, generously bestowed upon me by the Almighty. What entry shall I fill in the blank? Every moment affords limitless opportunities. Will I use my moment to study Torah, say a heartfelt prayer to the Creator, or help my fellow human being? “Killing time” is a decidedly un-Jewish expression.
Instead of killing time, it behooves us to imbue time with life!
Specifically, now is the time to take stock. This, in fact, is the most important preparation any of us can engage in as the High Holidays head our way. We have just over a month to prepare. We have been invited to stand before the King, the Holy One, Blessed be He, and to petition for our lives, our livelihoods, our families, the Holy Land, our beloved United States, and numerous other things. Those who invest the time and energy now into proper preparation will reap the most benefit when the New Year arrives. Yes, it is directly proportional.
May the Almighty bless each and every one of us to be written in the Book of Life, and may we be blessed with an abundance of good health, happiness and success in all of our positive endeavors. A
On the Path to Tkuma — Rebirth
by Galia Sprung
Rosh Hashana. Yom Kippur. Sukkot. Simchat Torah. The words are hard to write. My chest tightens. My arms and legs are a frenzy of inflamed nerve endings. I want to delete the words and shut down the computer. But it won’t help. September will pass too quickly. We have to face it. Whether you follow the Hebrew calendar or the Gregorian, it’s about to be a full year since 1,200 souls were slaughtered in the South.
A full year of hostages in the hands of Hamas, of soldiers fighting, of death, of horrors, of funerals and shiva calls, of rhetoric, of rockets, of running to shelters, of volunteering at army bases and in agriculture.
Of waiting. We are waiting for the hostages to return. We are waiting for reservists to be sent home and for
soldiers to get leave. We are waiting for the army spokesman’s updates; we are waiting for our evacuated citizens to return to their homes; we are waiting for children to study in their own schools and play in their own parks and activity centers. We are waiting for rockets from Hezbollah, from Syria, from Iran, from Hamas, from the Houthis. We are waiting to hear that more terrorist leaders have been blown to bits. Too strong? Refer to the above. What do we do while waiting? We continue. We plan.
“How are you going to celebrate Rosh Hashana this year?” I ask a friend, trying to make it a casual remark, not one coming from trepidation. “Celebrate?” she says with that look of despair we all share. “You mean ‘observe,’ don’t you?” A joyous holiday is drowning in the depths of our sorrows.
We focus on the “how” as opposed to the “where.” Just like last Pesach, the “where” was determined by who was in reserves, and who would be coming home, who would have the strength to deal with hosting, with or without the demands of Kashrut. The “how” was all over social media. There were specially written Haggadot, meaningful poetry and texts focused on the hostages, and new prayers for them and the soldiers. Everyone I know placed the familiar empty chair with a yellow ribbon tied to it at the table. But now it’s not just the how of the Rosh Hashana but the knowledge of what is coming. How can we possibly deal with the countdown to the end of Sukkot? To Simchat Torah? At the beginning of the war, our TV screens were filled with videos of
A joyous holiday is drowning in the depths of our sorrows.
mangled sukkot booths, remnants of decorations that children made in school with such anticipation, and the excitement of eating and sleeping in the sukkah. We saw the cloth walls, ripped and floating as banners of defeat. Simchat Torah. The Joy of the Torah. How do we reconcile the joy and the agony of that day?
During the Yom Kippur War exactly fifty years earlier, I was living on a moshav on the Jordanian border. My husband had been called up along with most of the men. Only a few remained on the moshav to farm and protect. They were joined by army reservists who were stationed in our compound on a windy hill above the Jordan Rift Valley. Then, too, we were surprised by our enemies. Then, too, soldiers were killed every day, including two from my moshav. Yet, on the morning of Simchat Torah, I woke up to the sound of loud, joyous singing. The reservists were holding a Torah scroll and dancing in circles around their tents. Here in the middle of a war, knowing they could be losing friends and family members on one of the fronts, they sang and rejoiced. Simchat Torah of 2023, of course, cannot be compared to the Yom Kippur War. But I do see a comparison in our ability to find the strength to continue, in our ability to carry on with our traditions and our religious observances in the
worst of times. On the day of Simchat Torah during the Yom Kippur War, we were still fighting on two fronts with horrendous losses.
In Judaism, we cannot observe a yahrzeit, or have memorial services and ceremonies on a Holy Day. As with the Yom Kippur War, the upcoming Day of Remembrance for the Iron Swords War cannot be held on Simchat Torah, nor on the following day, Isru Chag. The official National Day of Remembrance for the Iron Swords War has been declared as Kaf-Dalet Tishrei — two days after Simchat Torah.
In one sense, this allows some room for personal observances, and it keeps the holiday of Simchat Torah, hopefully, maybe, as it was meant to be: the celebration of the end of the Torah cycle and the beginning of the new one. For some, it also means family outings or attending festivals, many of which are held on kibbutzim and moshavim. The holiday of Sukkot is also known as the Harvest Festival, which is the start of the agricultural year and prayers for the first rains. These are special times on moshavim and kibbutzim, including or even especially, for those who suffered the atrocities of Hamas.
For many, I’m sure that October 7 will be more significant than Kaf-bet Tishrei. I sometimes wonder why Simchat Torah
is rarely referred to as the beginning of the war. It’s always October 7. The Yom Kippur War started on Yom Kippur and that name stuck. Perhaps it’s because there is no simha — joy on Yom Kippur anyway. Whatever the reason, this war has a name: Iron Swords. And this year ONLY, the Day of Remembrance will also be observed on October 7, seventeen days before Simchat Torah. This year at least, the distance between the two days takes some of the horror from Sukkot and Simchat Torah, allowing for a breath of Tkuma — Rebirth.
I can’t speak for all of Israel, but I know our spirit. We will build our sukkot and we will welcome family and friends for a meal. We will fill the national parks and attend traditional festivals and street performances, and, of course, we will rejoice in the new cycle of the Torah.
“No one is taking our traditions from us,” said a friend who lost family and friends on her kibbutz. “We will return and hold our traditional festival on Simchat Torah.”
Tkuma. A
Galia Miller Sprung moved to Israel from Palm Springs, California in1970 to become a pioneer farmer and was a founding member of a moshav in the Jordan Rift Valley. Today she is a retired high school teacher, a writer and editor. She lives with her husband in Tzufim.
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The Nat’s 150th Anniversary Is Full of Scientific Celebration
by Makayla Hoppe
In 1874, a group of scientists and naturalists formed the San Diego Society of Natural History. Their goal was to innovate, discover and study the ecosystem and habitats in Southern California. Today, that society has become the San Diego Natural History Museum, which shines as a pillar of Balboa Park and has helped San Diegans learn more about their city and the scientific world around them.
The museum is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2024, and there is a full roster of events, exhibits and opportunities to enjoy.
The anniversary celebration officially kicked off in January with the groundbreaking of a new native plant garden around the museum. “Nature Trail at The Nat” is a 22,000-square-foot outdoor exhibit that showcases the local flora and fauna; it is free to all visitors and serves as the centerpiece of a new education initiative.
“We’ve been working in partnership with the city and Balboa Park to essentially convert that landscaping that was mainly grass and traditional ornamental foliage—and some trees that had just been dying—into a new native habitat,” said Rebecca Handelsman, senior director of communications and exhibits for The Nat. “So, we have little pocket gardens that surround the building, focused with interpretation and signage that focuses on different aspects. And that’s essentially taking the museum outside of our doors, if you will, greening the city and helping teach people about the benefits of native plants.”
The nature trail opened to the public on June 29 with a special “Garden Fair,” which featured discussions with community partners, free flower seeds, raffles and a giant game of Chutes and Ladders focused on local wildlife.
If you’d like to venture inside the museum, The Nat is offering a special exhibition for their birthday.
“It’s a small exhibit on our 4th floor called ‘Action from the Archives,’” Rebecca said. “It’s sort of a historical review of our what I would call greatest hits in conservation over the past 150 years, and that’s a lesser-known aspect of the organization. A lot of people think of us as the building or the museum, and that is essentially the physical form our research takes...but lots of people don’t know about all of the fieldwork and research that goes on behind the scenes and has for decades.”
Lots of people don’t know about all of the fieldwork and research that goes on behind the scenes, and has for decades.
The museum building will be receiving some upgrades in honor of the celebration, as well.
“A paleontology center is being built in the lower level of our museum,” Rebecca said. “It was formerly our traveling exhibit hall, but we’re not doing many traveling shows anymore. We’re basically turning that lower-level basement space into a brand new stateof-the-art collection space for our Paleo collection. It’ll also be open to the public through a glass wall; you’ll be able to see scientists at work.”
If you’re looking for a party, The Big Birthday Bash will be held on September 27. It is described as an “un-stuffy, unexpected, unusually fun un-gala celebrating [The Nat’s] 150th birthday.” The gala will feature food, drinks, activities and a silent auction.
“It’s not your traditional sit-down dinner in the atrium with 300 people,” Rebecca said. “It is an all-museumplus-rooftop event. The museum will be completely decked out with lounge seating and music. [There will be] live musicians, scientist meet-and-greets, and we’re bringing in some really wellknown chefs in town.”
The food from featured restaurants will include Juniper & Ivy and Chef Owen Beatty; Rancho La Puerta and Chef Reyna Venegas; TRUST Restaurant Group and Chef Brad Wise; and Valle and Chef Roberto Alcocer. Specialty desserts will be provided by Hatsuzakura; Sugar Kiln and Chef Lea Marie Dennis; Sweet Petite Confections and Chocolatier Michelle; and Lomelin.
The paleontology section of The Nat currently has 1.5 million items from San Diego and other areas of Southern California. According to Rebecca, the museum holds contracts with developers, landowners, the military and others to have paleontologists on sites when construction happens. The collection has been growing for decades.
The Nat’s Board of Directors Chair, Andy Garman, firmly believes in the museum’s dedication to preserving San Diego’s natural habitat and celebrating it for another 150 years.
“We’ve been going through a sort of long-term strategic planning process this year to really think about the future of the museum and what we want to be,” Andy said. “Our emphasis is going to be more and more on being a conservation organization that gets actively involved in preserving the flora and fauna of San Diego County and also, to a lesser extent, Baja Mexico. It’s just so important now that we preserve the natural environment.”
Happy 150th birthday to the San Diego Natural History Museum. May you continue to educate and conserve San Diego for many more decades to come. A
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La Jolla Art & Wine Festival: It’s All About Giving to the Children
by Susan Edelstein
Atrue festival is joyous and merry, noisy and colorful, and puts out its own air of excitement. That’s what it’s like at the La Jolla Art & Wine Festival, whose 16th annual two-day extravaganza covering multiple blocks of Girard Avenue in the heart of La Jolla will occur on Saturday and Sunday, September 28 and 29. I have been many times, and this is what happens: The crowds come and fill the street and sidewalks, ambling, no one’s in a hurry, and there is so much to see and do. Truly, there is something — many things — for everyone. The festival features about 170 artists in every medium possible, from jewelers to painters to photographers to ceramicists. The wine and beer garden offers a cool respite along with many delicious beverage choices. There is also live entertainment, some musical, some on stilts. There are even puppies to
adopt. All the merchants on the blocks participate, their doors flung open, goods spilling out. It is definitely a fun time. And do you know what’s even better? The profits from this festival benefit the five neighborhood schools.
How this all began is an interesting story. Meet Sherry Ahern, the indefatigable force behind the festival. Long ago, when Sherry’s daughter was a student at La Jolla Elementary, there was no school library. There were no funds for a library, or a librarian, or the books needed to fill a library. Sherry was inspired to bring
funds to the school, and at the same time, to bring the community together in a way that hadn’t been done before. After lots of red tape and lots of resistance, in 1998, right in front of the school, the La Jolla Open Aire Market began and has since become an integral part of the neighborhood and has raised more than $2 million over its 26 years.
Then Sherry turned her attention to something even bigger. La Jolla was once a thriving artists’ village set within a pretty small, close-knit community nestled in a wonderland of nature.
Sherry wanted to recreate that ambience, that flair, that pride in community. She wanted to promote La Jolla and all it has to offer and at the same time, of course, raise money for its schools. This time, the task was even larger, but Sherry is an organizer nonpareil. First, she had to get all the required city permits, then she had to get Girard Avenue’s many merchants behind the idea, then she had to cajole the five schools into becoming a united front and put up $30,000 each to get the festival up and running.
In 2008, the La Jolla Art & Wine Festival was established, and so far, it has raised $1.2 million, and it keeps growing. It began on the same block as the weekly market but has now moved farther west on Girard Avenue and takes up multiple blocks. It began with 80 booths and now has 170; the wine and beer garden
began with room for 400 people and now holds 1,200. The festival also conducts a silent auction, the items of which are contributed by the street merchants and the artists filling the booths. Sherry chooses all the vendors and this year, all the booths sold out in one week. The booths cost a lot, but here’s a secret: if you can’t afford a spot and Sherry wants you to be part of the festival, you can work off the cost. For example, some of the live entertainment are dance groups who perform all around the festival for free, and for food.
The La Jolla Art & Wine Festival is now considered the third-best such festival in the state. About 45,000 people attend each year, and about 70% of them return year after year. It, like the La Jolla Open Aire Market, has become a cultural landmark.
The profits from the festival fill in the pretty big gaps created by the defunding of school programs like art, music, science, P.E. and technology. The funds also pay for extra teachers and full-time school nurses. It’s amazing how things that become taken for granted were once not there, and without people like Sherry Ahern, were not even envisioned, let alone brought to fruition. She has been honored by the City of Hope and by the Salvation Army, and she has been compared to the Scripps Sisters for her dedication to her community. Sherry has been called many things, like the “Head of Lettuce” when she began the market, the “Queen of the Arts” when she founded the festival, and most apropos, a “beacon of philanthropy.” Let it shine, and let’s have fun. A
PHOTOS: Love Like Harry Photography.
Blindness, Bravery, Beethoven: ‘Best Laid Plans’
Vantage Theatre is presenting a world premiere play starring two characters who are stricken with disabilities that change their lives and have the potential to halt their passions, dreams and life’s work. This play is about facing adversity and changing course because your life is now different than it was. This play, “Best Laid Plans,” brings to life the idea that disability does not mean inability.
“Best Laid Plans” was written by Robert Salerno and is based on the true story of Chris Downey, a brilliant young architect who unexpectedly wakes up
We knew we had a blind actor playing the blind architect, but we had no idea a deaf actor would play the great composer who lost his hearing.
blind following surgery for a brain tumor. He is devastated and distraught and cannot fathom his new life. Then, along comes Beethoven, who, as you may know, composed some of his most beautiful music after becoming completely deaf, to guide Lucas, the lead character, on his journey of transformation. Says Salerno, “Losing an essential part of oneself that is integral to one’s life work is devastating. Thinking of people who adapt, change direction and find meaningful lives despite such a loss brings to mind the quintessential
Blindness, Bravery continued
example of sheer energy, heroic fortitude and creative genius. This is, of course, Ludwig van Beethoven.”
Blake Stadnik, a well-known blind actor (“This Is Us”), plays the lead role of Lucas. Says Stadnik, “Lucas’s story is one of transformation after his world comes crashing down. Through facing fear and uncertainty, he discovers a far more compassionate, mindful and creative version of himself. I’m very excited to help bring him to life.”
Richard Trujillo, who plays Beethoven, was especially drawn to this character as he himself is deaf. This fact was unknown at the time Trujillo was cast in the role. Says Salerno, “We knew that we had a blind actor playing the blind architect, but we had no idea that we would have a deaf actor playing the great composer who lost his hearing.”
This show runs through September 22 at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center. A percentage of the ticket sales goes to the blind organizations. A
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Blake Stadnik (Lucas) and Richard Trujillo (Beethoven).
MAIN PHOTO:
INSET: Left to Right: Stadnik and Trujillo at Table Read.
PHOTOS BY JOHN HOWARD.
JWV POST 385 — NORTH COUNTY “Boldest Post in the West”
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OHR SHALOM SYNAGOGUE
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Exciting programs in 5785, please join us!
• Adult Education Classes • Daf Yomi
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• and much more...
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Meet 2nd Sunday of the month 11:00 AM Veterans Association North County (VANC) 1617 Mission Ave, Oceanside, CA 92058
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• Movie Nights • Tot Shabbat & Ta’am Torah
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Local Arts
BY EILEEN SONDAK
VANTAGE THEATRE
vantagetheatre.com
Vantage Theatre is showcasing “Best Laid Plans,” a new play by Robert Salerno, based on a true story. It deals with a young architect who suddenly finds himself blind after brain surgery. Blake Stadnik from “This Is Us” plays the lead. This new work will continue through Sept. 22 at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center.
SCRIPPS RANCH THEATRE
scrippsranchtheatre.org
Scripps Ranch Theatre is bringing the hilarious “Fully Committed” to its stage Sept. 6–29, under Ted Leib’s direction.
THE OLD GLOBE THEATRE
theoldglobe.org
The Old Globe’s Shiley Stage is ready to unveil an exciting production of the celebrated Agatha Christie mystery, “Murder on the Orient Express.” The world-famous detective Hercule Poirot is at his best in this enthralling who-dun-it, and the Globe’s staging provides a spectacular thrill ride on a train traveling through Europe. You can catch it from Sept. 7 through Oct. 6.
The Globe’s outdoor theater is in full swing with a landmark adaptation of Shakespeare’s epic history plays. The two-part staging of this ambitious saga will keep audiences at the Festival Stage on edge through Sept. 15, with a sprawling cast and a top-notch design team bringing it all to life.
The Globe’s intimate White Theatre is ready to deliver screams with laughter on Sept. 20, when “Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors,” takes up residency. Writers Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen have created a hilarious adventure, with Jean Van Helsing and a motley crew of vampire hunters in a madcap race to stop Dracula. You can get in on this scarefest through Oct. 13
cygnettheatre.com
Cygnet Theatre will bring “The Rocky Horror Show” to the Old Town Theatre on Sept. 11, where it will amuse audiences with its wit-filled weirdness and its clever song and dance numbers through Oct. 20. Sean Murray is directing this little romp.
OLD GLOBE: “Henry 6.” PHOTO BY RICH SOUBLET II.
CYGNET THEATRE: “Rocky Horror” director Sean Murray (upper left), musical director Patrick Marion (upper right) and choreographer Luke H. Jacobs.
NORTH COAST REPERTORY THEATRE
northcoastrep.org
North Coast Repertory Theatre is ready to launch its 43rd season with “A View from the Bridge,” Arthur Miller’s award-winning play about a family in 1950s Brooklyn. The show, with its compelling characters and intense relationships, will be performed at NCRT Sept. 11 through Oct. 6, under David Ellenstein’s direction
LAMB’S PLAYERS THEATRE
lambsplayers.org
The Lamb’s Players is gearing up for one of Oscar Wilde’s most brilliant masterpieces, “The Importance of Being Earnest.” The endearing comedy features delightful hijinks and some of the cleverest dialogue in the English language. The show will be in the Coronado theater from Sept. 14 through Nov. 10
LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE
lajollaplayhouse.org
La Jolla Playhouse will feature “Primary Trust” at its Mandell Weiss Forum Sept. 24 through Oct. 20. This West Coast premiere of a highlyacclaimed play revolves around a bookstore worker who suddenly finds himself out of work. The heartwarming show is considered a perfect blend of emotion and humor.
THE SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
mcasd.org
MCASD is showcasing “For Dear Life: Art, Medicine & Disability,” an exhibition that explores sickness, health, and medicine. The show will be on display from Sept. 19 through Feb. 2, 2025
LAMB’S PLAYERS: Michael Louis Cusimano, Lauren King Thompson and Brian Mackey in “The Importance of Being Earnest.” PHOTO BY NATHAN PEIRSON
Baruch Dayan Emet
Jacqueline (Jackie) Woolf z”l
Philanthropic Leader and JDC Board Member
The Officers, Board, and global staff of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) mourn with great sadness the passing of Jacqueline (Jackie) Woolf, an admired philanthropic leader and devoted 25-year member of the JDC Board. Highly regarded for her compassion, humility, and steadfast commitment to our mission, Jackie was passionately dedicated to supporting and strengthening the world’s most vulnerable Jews, Israeli women, at-risk youth, and global Jewish communities. With her characteristic warmth and generosity, Jackie enthusiastically opened her home to engage new JDC supporters and was instrumental in ensuring our newly renovated campus in Israel was a hub for innovation, action, and global Jewish care. Jackie and her late husband, Bertie, extended their leadership to their San Diego Jewish community. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Jackie’s children, Lara and Brandon Grusd and Anton and Julie Woolf, and to her seven grandchildren. May Jackie’s memory be for a blessing and may her legacy live on for coming generations.
Annie Sandler, President
Mark Sisisky, Chair of the Board
Ariel Zwang, CEO
Marlene Katzman – La Jolla
Rhoda Slifka – San Diego
Peter Shaw – San Diego
Shirley Sofer – Mentor, OH
Deborah Fletcher – San Diego
Allen Gelbart – Carlsbad
Emma Karnovskaya – San Diego
Eileen Ferber – Carlsbad
Alex Segal – San Diego
Harriet Block – Las Vegas, NV
Pearl Blumberg – La Jolla
Irving Tannenhaus – San Diego
Larry Cantor – La Mesa
Peter Louis – San Diego
Lester Lefkowitz – La Mesa
Ernest Abbit – San Diego
Luisa Mizrachi – San Diego
Isobel Fenton – San Diego
Peter Felber – La Mesa
Alberto Calderon Fernandini – La Jolla
William Kuperman – La Jolla
by Micah Siva noshwithmicah.com
Apple & Honey Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
When I think of the High Holidays of my childhood, I remember sitting in synagogue, my stomach rumbling, desperately wishing I had eaten a bigger breakfast (or stashed a snack in my father’s tallis bag). This year, I’m looking for ways to enjoy the taste of Rosh Hashanah all day long, and I’m packing a little nosh for services, in case hunger strikes for me or my little one with these simple, breakfast-worthy cookies that showcase apples and honey for a sweet new year! Shanah tovah from my family to yours!
MAKES 12
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 cup rolled oats
• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• 3 tbsp. melted unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• ¼ cup finely chopped apple
PREPARATION:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, whole wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the melted butter, egg, honey and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just combined.
5. Fold in the walnuts and chopped apple.
6. Use a heaping tablespoon measure to scoop out 12 cookies, spaced about 1-inch apart.
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until just set. Let cool on the baking tray.
ASK MARNIE
by Marnie Macauley marniemacauley@gmail.com
A Politically Incorrect Column — About Guilt
My dear San Diegans:
As Yom Kippur is about atoning for our sins, the subject of “guilt” captured me. While our Christian neighbors believe they are born sinners, Jews do not. We know we’ll collect them to make up for the difference. Nor do Jews catastrophize about melting in an evil sauna because we had a bacon sandwich in 1953. Not our style. On Yom Kippur, our sins have more to do with our offenses or negligence in our relationship with God than with people. This being said, until “inclusion” comes to mean we all become a one-billion-piece puzzle of Mt. Everest, today, at least, most religions still know from “guilt” which varies with whom you “include.”
My best friend, an Italian Catholic, was hit daily with the reminder that she was going down for habitual cheating at Scrabble, unless she confessed. It did a lot for her soul but not for my score. I got to thinking, are Jewish and nonJewish guilt similar or different? What are the differences? (I just hope it’s not a Jewish sin to add a little humor to September.)
Three Guilty Sins the Jewish and Non-Jewish Way
SIN: GLUTTONY.
Sin Strategy: Define gluttony according to your highest principles. Jews measure the success of a meal if plotzing people have to be helped to
Jews: We do not complain, we remind.
their cars. Food is love. Massive food is somewhere close to worship. How often have we heard: “Only two helpings? I knew the brisket was dry!” To avoid offending, the proper Jewish guest (any guest) will load up with enough brisket to feed Tel Aviv. Leftovers are a must, and even if you don’t want anything, the goods will be dutifully planted somewhere on your person.
Strategic summary: Jewish gluttony is when Uncle Giddy grabs your leftovers, even the ones he brought you as a gift. Gentiles make “portions.” Seven guests, seven slices of ham. Should you crave two slices, the other guests will stare at you like Augustus Gloop in “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.” Unless offered, the same applies to asking for leftovers, including what you brought. Should starvation throw you into sinful confusion and you ask for your unused seafood casserole back, you may hear: “Oh...um...well...um...Tim already put it in the extra fridge in the basement,
but...we can look for it...if you’d like,” all of which will add to your I’m-a-terribleperson feeling which, of course, will keep you in a state of guilt unless you report it or repent.
Strategic summary: Gentile gluttony is when Uncle Chris hovers over your slab of ham with a big fork and says, “Are you eating that?”.
SIN: SLOTH.
Sin Strategy: Define not caring enough about your health according to your highest principles.
Jews: Historically, we haven’t generally felt too good, or if we do, we’re afraid to admit it. This isn’t just some Larry David rant or back-then cliché where asking a Jew, “How are you?” will lead to an X-Ray viewing. The entire Gen alphabet over the last 60 years has reason to worry. If older Jews were warding off evil eyes or were just kvetchables, later Gens have had to deal with Covid 1 and its descendants, making masks an indispensable part of our wardrobe, which deeply interferes with those Jewish delights of kissing and eating. Many of us practice PAP, Proactive Preventive. Should little David sneeze, it could be nasal polyps, which, if not checked, could become something requiring major surgery and life-long ultrasounds yet still turn into a chronic nasal affliction that might cause another plague. True, we know it’s probably a sneeze, but if not? We have hugely
Advice continued
sinned, which is why we send the pediatrician images and updates of David’s nose.
Strategic summary: Jewish sloth is when you don’t have the doctor in your smartphone on Emergency SOS.
Gentiles: Only a Gentile who is considered a severe hypochondriac will admit to worrying about illness. They practice IA or Illness Avoidance. My friend, Craig, could cough up a lung...“It’s nothing...“ he reassures me after heaving upon me. Responding to illness is a sign of weakness, which is a massive source of personal sin. A true example: Here in Las Vegas, a couple was brought into the ER because they thought silver was healthy — so they dug, found nuggets and ate. What?? They didn’t notice the peculiar after-glow in the kitchen? Gray eyeballs? Or that they were talking backward?
Strategic summary: Gentile sloth is when you ask your brother Patrick if he has Neosporin when something yellow is oozing from you.
SIN: CONTINUOUS COMPLAINING.
SIN Strategy: Define complaining according to your strictest principles.
Jews: We do not complain, we remind. If an iPhone bulges from the belly bag you bought your daughter, the two-ply toilet tissue is missing a ply, or, say, there are only five gefiltes in the jar instead of six, we’re on the job and open our mouths continually to describe the problem, and more, the odious consequences to us and to the world at large, in order to restore fairness and make sure everyone knows of our efforts. This is also to avoid being guilted by our families, who may say, “Didn’t you check before you clicked on PAY??” The more you “remind,” the more your family and others will respond with gratitude, even if it takes flying to HQs to annoy the CEO about the coupon that never arrived.
Strategic summary: Jewish continuous complaining is when you don’t stop “reminding” after you get the coupon.
Gentiles don’t want to make a fuss. Heaven forbid they should annoy another person; they not only feel guilty but are ashamed of themselves. For example, a Gentile finds her Chevy is broken. You’ll hear: “Look, it happens. Nothing’s perfect. How big a deal would it be to fix it?” The dealership wants $5000 to open something no one ever heard of, only on that model. They are lying. A sinless Gentile will say: “Jimmy, I’ll get the duct tape and bring me the gorilla glue.” Should they try to bring something like a broken new toaster back to the store in pieces, many actually take a “No. It was fine when it was here!” and leave feeling remorseful, wondering if maybe the English muffin was too thick.
Strategic summary: Gentile continuous complaining is when you don’t bother anyone about anything and stiffupper-lip it. A LIVE ABUNDANTLY!
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“A masterful display of storytelling, with Miller’s vivid characters and intense drama making it a timeless classic in American theatre.”
— THE GUARDIAN DIRECTED BY DAVID ELLENSTEIN NOW-OCT 13
Catch Every Moment of Drama, Comedy, Romance, and Music of Season 43
Among the offerings are one world premiere, two San Diego premieres, comedies, dramas, and a murder mystery, comedic musical.
Three ways to buy tickets to our exciting new season:
For the lowest ticket price, buy our 7-play subscription package. (Get 7 shows for the price of 6*!). Also receive $10 off our Variety Night shows including 2 PIANOS 4 HANDS.
Buy 3 shows or more and receive $9 off each ticket*.
Buy an individual show at our regular price. (Senior, Student, Military receive $5 off).
