By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – Jews from South Africa have played an important role in the development and maintenance of the overall San Diego Jewish community, says Pamela Nathan, president of the South African Jewish American Community (SAJAC).
Yet, she said, their story, which began in such Eastern European countries as Lithuania and Latvia, and continued through immigration to South Africa, and later to San Diego, has rarely been told.
So, SAJAC is working with filmmaker Isaac Artenstein, whose last documentary, To The Ends of the Earth: A Portrait of Jewish San Diego, was produced in conjunction with the San Diego History Center’s major exhibition on the Jews of San Diego, to make a new film about the three-continent experience of South African Jews, tentatively to be titled Across Many Oceans—The South African Jews of San Diego.
Filming will begin March 3 at a Newcomer’s Brunch that SAJAC will be hosting in La Jolla. Artenstein anticipates interviewing on camera many members of the South African Jewish community, asking them to relate their families’ narratives.
“These stories will be illustrated with family photographs and films, as well as archival footage, and complemented with evocative footage of our region’s beautiful natural and cultural landscapes,” Nathan said. “An original soundtrack will weave these stories and images into an engaging cinematic journey for audiences to enjoy and learn from.”
There is a long list of South Africans who have been active in a variety of San Diego Jewish organizations. Although it has not been decided who will be in the documentary, the list of South Africans who are active in the Jewish community is long. Among the people that I can think of, off hand, are Claire Ellman, a past chair of Jewish Federation; Jane Scher of the Jewish Community Foundation; Selwyn Isakow, Robyn Lichter and Simone Abelsohn of Shabbat San Diego; Norman Smith and Stacey & Alan Katz of Friends of Israel Defense Forces; Tamara & David Klein of the San Diego Jewish Academy and Friends of the Israel Defense Forces; Gavin Mandelbaum of the San Diego Jewish Academy; David Levy of Congregation Adat Yeshurun; Graeme Gabriel of Congregation Beth El; Rabbi Zalman Carlebach of Chabad of Downtown; Rabbi Daniel Bortz of JTeens; Deena Feinman of Hadassah; Myrice Goldberg of G’mach San Diego Jewish Gift Closet; Avra Kassar of the former Agency for Jewish Education; Jean Gaylis and Judy Nemzer of Shalom Baby; Darren Joffe of Coastal Roots Farm; Jeff Essakow of Challenged Athletes Foundation; Charlene Seidle of the Leichtag Foundation; and Jenny and Julian Josephson, StandWithUs.
The documentary will be financed with tax deductible contributions. Information may be obtained via Pamel Nathan at sajacsandiego@gmail.com
“Donors will be prominently acknowledged in the documentary’s credits and promotional materials, individually and/or for their business,” the SAJAC president said.
In addition to his film on the Jews of San Diego, Artenstein has made documentaries about the Jews of New Mexico, and about the Jews of Tijuana, Mexico.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com