Other items in today’s column include:
* Veterans Shabbat
* Active Year for USD Hillel
* Jackie Tolley in so-called retirement
* Political bytes
SAN DIEGO – For the second year in a row, San Diego Jewish Academy has been expanding its student base by cutting the cost of tuition. In what is described as its “Open Door” policy, the school offers half-priced tuition for kindergarten and ninth grade students. That rate follows the students through the subsequent grades.
Students who came in under the “Open Door” policy during the 2018-2019 school year are now continuing in first grade and tenth grade. Over time, SDJA expects to cut its tuition in half for every grade K-12, according to school officials.
SDJA’s current enrollment is 600 students, and according to a study commissioned by the school, there are approximately 1,100 Jewish families that would consider sending their children to the private school if tuition could be kept between $10,000 and $15,000, depending on the grade level.
Chaim Heller, Head of San Diego Jewish Academy, said, “the success of Open Door is more than just numbers. A thriving school with more families means that we can offer different types of learning experiences, more opportunities for student social and emotional growth, and more extracurricular activities. We want to continue to welcome even more families who felt that San Diego Jewish Academy was beyond their reach.”
Heidi Gantwerk, who chairs the school’s board of directors, noted that anonymous donors are funding the difference between regular tuition and the half-priced tuition. “Making a Jewish day school education affordable for more families is a commitment we can all share and be a part of,” she said. “It’s an inspiring vision to pursue and it’s why we hope that every family fortunate enough to be part of this thriving community gives back to the Open Door Program as well.”
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Veterans Shabbat
Congregation B’nai Tikvah will honor veterans at its 7 p.m. family Shabbat service on Friday, Nov. 22, at 2510 Gateway Road in Carlsbad. The service led by Rabbi Ben Leinow and Cantor Lawrence Kornit will be followed by a potluck dairy kiddush.
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Active Year for USD Hillel
The University of San Diego is a Catholic-run institution, but there are plenty of activities for Jewish students, thanks to its Hillel chapter directed by Glenda Sacks Jaffe. Over the fall semester, the students built a sukkah, attended Shabbat services, schmoozed at the Hillel office and lounge, and hosted Holocaust survivor Rose Schindler for a talk about her book. Upcoming events include some lunch and learn programs and an early Chanukah celebration.
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Jackie Tolley in so-called ‘retirement’
Now that Jackie Tolley has completed her long tenure as director of the Hillel at San Diego State University, I wondered what she was doing in her retirement. She responded, “I am currently working very part-time (8hrs/week) consulting for the Israel Fellow Department of Hillel International. I work with the local Hillel staff who supervise the Israel Fellows in their campus. Just starting volunteering for JFS Rides and Smiles program. Joined the board of the SDSU Jewish Studies program. Most important, we run up to Pasadena a lot to spend time with the grandkids 
. Plus the other fun stuff like seeing friends, walking at Lake Murray, reading etc.”
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Political bytes
* Congresswoman Susan Davis, in a news letter for constituents, said she voted in favor of the SHIELD Act, which requires all political candidates to report any offers of campaign assistance from foreign governments and their agents. The House adopted the measure on a 227-181 vote and sent it on to the U.S. Senate. She also told of cosponsoring legislation that would provide health insurance coverage for breast prostheses for women having mastectomies.
*County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher has endorsed Marni von Wilpert, a deputy city attorney, in the race for the open 5th District San Diego City Council seat. Describing her as a “true problem solver who puts people over politics,” the county supervisor said he hopes to work together with her “to address our housing, homelessness, and mental health needs across the region.”
*San Diego Unified School District board member Kevin Beiser, who has privately settled a suit alleging he raped a former male aide, has told Ken Stone of the Times of San Diego that he no longer plans to run for San Diego’s 7th City Council District seat and will take “day by day” continuing his term, which has three years to run, on the school board. Since the allegations went public, Beiser, who is a former Math Teacher of the Year, has been placed on paid leave by the Sweetwater Union High School District. He told Stone he would like to get back to teaching.
* In the 53rd Congressional District from which Congresswoman Susan Davis is retiring UC San Diego political science professor Tom Wong has become a late entry candidate. He had immigrated from Hong Kong with his family as a child, and later learned that he was undocumented. At the age of 19, he was able to adjust his immigration status and became a citizen, later becoming an adviser to then President Barack Obama’s Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. “I’m running to ensure that the opportunities that I had are available to others – from immigrants and refugees to working-class families trying to put food on their tables—who, if just given a shot, can live out their own American dreams.” His news release said if Wong is elected, “he will become the first formerly undocumented AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) elected official in Congress. His announcement was promptly greeted by a news release from San Diego City Council President Georgette Gomez’s campaign consultant Dan Rottenstreich, who said, “As the only candidate endorsed by the Democratic party, Georgette Gomez’s strong grassroots support, unmatched record of accomplishment, her local roots as a first generation Mexican-American and her remarkable journey from community organizer to San Diego City Council President will resonate strongly with San Diego’s working families.”
*Assemblyman Todd Gloria has announced that he has won the endorsement of U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) in the race for mayor of San Diego.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com