Other items in this column include:
*Ethnic Studies
*Political Bytes
*San Diego Jewish World news
*In memoriam
(file photo)
SAN DIEGO — Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School, now observing a nine-day holiday for Sukkot, will delay the resumption of its in-person classes until Wednesday, Oct. 14, two days after the holiday period’s conclusion, as a precaution against coronavirus, the Orthodox school’s headmaster, Rabbi Simcha Weiser, reported.
He explained that on Tuesday, Sept. 29, Covid tests were administered to faculty and staff members at the K-8 school, and that one faculty member, who was asymptomatic, tested positive. The test results came at the end of the day, and notices subsequently were sent out to parents that the school would revert to distance learning via Zoom for the balance of the week, and then through and beyond the Sukkot break. The school previously had transitioned from distance learning to in-class learning immediately after Labor Day.
Rabbi Weiser said in the meantime the San Diego County Health Department has been conducting contact tracing on students, faculty, and staff who may have come into direct contact with the teacher. He said the parents of two school children on their own arranged for individual tests, and that those tests came back negative. In total, there are 300 students and 65 staff and faculty members at the school located in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood of San Diego.
Fourteen days is considered a normal quarantine period for anyone who may have come into contact with someone who had Covid-19.
If all goes well, said Weiser, the school will reopen on Wednesday, Oct. 14, for in-person classes amid the same strict safety precautions it had been following prior to the testing. The school requires masks to be worn, constant handwashing, social distancing, and lunch breaks scheduled to minimize possible contact, he said.
He added that while a small minority of students seem to thrive on distance learning, most K-8 students do much better, both educationally and psychologically, with structured in-class learning among their peer group, even with all the restrictions. “They take joy in being together,” he said. “The social/ emotional components of learning can only be mastered by attending school in-person.”
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Ethnic Studies
Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill backed by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber that would have required passing a course in ethnic studies a graduation requirement for California schools. In his veto message, Newsom said, “”I appreciate the amendments the author accepted to ensure that any ethnic studies coursework is free of bias and discrimination… This bill, however, would require ethnic studies to be taught in high school at a time when there is much uncertainty about the appropriate K-12 model curriculum for ethnic studies… In my opinion, the latest draft, which is currently out for review, still needs revision.”
The veto follows a concerted campaign by a variety of Jewish groups that complained that by limiting ethnic studies curriculum to Indigenous Americans, Asian Americans, Black Americans and Latino Americans, courses on the Jewish experience in the United States would be excluded.
“We are relieved Governor Newsom acknowledged the concerns that so many citizens across California have expressed about the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC),” said Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs. “The latest draft must be revised to accurately represent and include Jews, teach about antisemitism in all its forms, and remove guiding values and principles which will be used to justify bringing bias and hate into our classrooms.”
Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, Director of the AMCHA Initiative, commented: ““We applaud Governor Newsom for keeping politics and anti-Semitism out of an educational curriculum. There is an important distinction between the broad and worthy field of ethnic studies, with its goal of understanding and celebrating the contributions of California’s and our nation’s diversity, and the narrow field of “Critical Ethnic Studies” that the developing California curriculum is modeled after. The mission of this narrow understanding of ethnic studies is to promote political beliefs and political activism that are antithetical to the educational setting, inherently anti-Semitic and pose a dangerous threat to Jewish students. We commend the Governor for recognizing this important distinction, and we hope that moving forward, the state legislature will take steps to ensure that state approved instructional materials and K-12 classrooms are free from political bias and not used to advance political causes.”
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*Jan Goldsmith, a former mayor of Poway, former San Diego City Attorney, and former Superior Court Judge, has endorsed Joe Leventhal in his bid for the 5th District seat of the San Diego City Council. “Joe Leventhal is an accomplished attorney, business leader and former San Diego Ethics Commissioner who cares deeply about our community,” Goldsmith said. “His skills will help cut through political fog, solve problems and get things done while ensuring taxpayers’ interests are protected. As a resident of District 5, I fully support Joe for city council.”*Terra Lawson-Remer, a candidate in the 3rd county supervisor’s district, says incumbent Kristin Gaspar “is using the same tactics of lies, distortions, name-calling, and division” as President Donald Trump, whom Gaspar supports. She issued what she described as a point-by-point rebuttal, which may be accessed via this website.
*Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, chairman of the San Diego County Democratic party, has called upon Democratic political candidates to refrain from purchasing ads on KUSI television, which it accuses of homophobia. However, according to a report by Ken Stone in Times of San Diego, four Democratic candidates continue to advertise on that station: Barbara Bry and Todd Gloria, rival candidates for Mayor of San Diego; and congressional candidates Ammar Campa-Najjar in the 50th CD and Sara Jacobs in the 53rd CD.
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San Diego Jewish World News
*San Diego Jewish World editor and co-publisher Donald H. Harrison recently was interviewed by Sunbelt Publications about how Jewish pioneers in 19th Century San Diego celebrated the Jewish High Holy Days. The interview may be accessed via this website.
*Sheryl Rowling, who writes a financial advice column for San Diego Jewish World, has announced that Tara Weisinger, Lorenzo Sanchez and Juan Aguilar, will become the new principals and owners of Rowling & Associates, the firm that she founded over 30 years ago. “All three of them have shown tremendous talent and ability over the years and I am confident that they will be able to take the firm to the next level,” Rowling said. “In the meantime, I want everyone to know that I am not retiring – I plan to stay actively involved in the business and industry as I continue to enjoy working with clients – I’m not going anywhere!”
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In memoriam
Howard Rubenstein, M.D., 89, died Tuesday, Sept. 20, Am Israel Mortuary reported. Graveside services were conducted by Rabbi Jeremy Gimbel of Congregation Beth Israel on Thursday, Sept. 24, at Greenwood Memorial Park, 4300 Imperial Avenue, San Diego.
Dr. Rubenstein’s family provided the following obituary:
Howard S Rubenstein, MD, age 89, died September 20, 2020, peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by his loving family, at home, of stage four metastatic cancer. The funeral was private because of COVID-19. The family thanks friends and relatives for their kind and generous expressions of sympathy and help during his illness, and the caring attentions of Interim Healthcare Hospice, 1st Meridian Care Services, and his doctors and nurses and technicians at Scripps Clinic Torrey Pines, San Diego, and the Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center, San Diego, California.
Howard Rubenstein was a physician, writer, photographer, and gardener. He was born in 1931 in Chicago, the son of Sidney and Selma Moldofsky Rubenstein and older brother of his sister Susan. His father ran the family business of the Ruby Dry Cleaners, then one of the first and largest dry cleaners in Chicago. His mother was a homemaker and book keeper. He had his Bar Mitzvah at Anshe Emet Synagogue. He graduated from Lake View High School where he was co-Consul of the Latin Club. Howard was the first person in his family to go to college.
Howard received a B.A. magna cum laude from Carleton College 1953, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi and won the Noyes Prize for excellence in ancient Greek while a premedical student. In 1957 he received an M.D. from Harvard Medical School. He interned and took a residency in internal medicine at the Los Angeles County General Hospital. He returned to Harvard Medical School to conduct research in the field of Bacteriology and Immunology, first as a National Institutes of Health Fellow, then as the distinguished Harold C. Ernst Fellow, and then as an Assistant Professor of Medicine. In 1966 he was appointed Physician and Chief of Allergy at the Harvard University Health Services (HUHS), Cambridge, MA.
In 1968 he married Judith Ann Selig; their four children, Emily, Adam, Jennifer, and John, were born while they lived in Cambridge and Winchester and Howard was at HUHS. Howard and Judy won the prize in the contest to suggest the motto for HUHS, “Health Care with Caring.” In 1989 Howard was appointed Medical Consultant to the Department of Social Services, State of California and moved with his family to San Diego. In 2000 he retired from the practice of medicine. He continued to write and photograph. He has written many scientific papers, most during his research years; ten plays, all published and most produced; and more than eight books, all published. His work concerns Jewish, Christian, Classical Greek, historical topics, and classics and is listed on amazon.com. He is in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World.
Howard often spoke of a few major influences in his life before marriage beyond his family and his formal education. In 1951, at age 20, he participated in The Experiment in International Living, Rouen, France, where he lived with Drs. Rene and Madeleine de la Quierere and their four children and developed a lifelong love of French culture and international travel. He maintained contact with the family all his life. In medical school he spent one summer as a medical assistant at Alamoosook Island Camp in Maine where he learned to sail which he loved. One summer in the 1960s he volunteered as a doctor at Hopital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti, which exposed him to extreme world poverty needing correction.
One of the most important international experiences he had was in 1984 when he and his wife were invited to China, along with a group of American physicians, by the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Medical Association to lecture and exchange medical information. During that visit, the group was taken on a tour of the country. The Rubensteins loved China, her natural beauty, her great culture, and her famous cuisine. After Howard’s retirement from medicine he discovered the 13th century Chinese classical play Xi Xiang Ji and wrote his English adaptation Romance of the Western Chamber – A Musical, by Howard Rubenstein (book and lyrics) and Max Lee (music). In 2011, under the sponsorship of Dr. Li-Rong Lilly Cheng of San Diego State University, Rubenstein and Lee’s play had its world premiere at the Dongpo Theatre in Hangzhou, China, in Rubenstein’s English with Mandarin supertitles. In 2017 it had its American premiere at the Off-Off Broadway TADA! Theater NYC. It was scheduled for its west coast premiere July, 2020, at the Don Powell Theatre, San Diego State University, produced by Dr. Rosa Ovshinsky, sponsored by Dr. Li-Rong Lilly Cheng and the SDSU Chinese Cultural Center, Dr. Niyi Coker, Director of Theatre, Television, and Film, but COVID-19 forced the postponement.
Rubenstein’s version of the play was published as an illustrated children’s book in 2020
Romance of the Western Chamber: English-Chinese Version for Children, English version by Howard Rubenstein, Translated into Mandarin by Li-Rong Lilly Cheng, Illustrated by Moch Fajar Shobaru, Edited by Judith S. Rubenstein, published by Granite Hills Press™.
Prometheus Bound by Howard Rubenstein, a play published in 2020, was scheduled to be produced Off-Broadway in NYC at The Tank theater, Meghan Finn, Artistic Director, Ran Xia, Director, September, 2020, but it was postponed because of COVID-19. However, it has been rescheduled to be filmed for On Demand on TV.
In spite of all of Howard’s interests and activities, it always seemed to us that the family came first. He was always home for dinner by 6 o’clock, and we had family dinner together, and in warm weather he would take the children for a quiet walk around the block. The family spent summer vacations at their cottage on Suncook Lake in New Hampshire, where he led us in swimming, boating, walking in the woods, watching the sunsets, cooking out, picking wild berries, reading, and just regenerating. He taught the children how to divide one wild blackberry into six parts. These were memorable times for the family. He was a model supportive husband.
When Judy was completing her doctoral thesis, Howard spent many evenings making popcorn and reading to the children and putting them to bed. One of the stories Howard and Judy loved to tell was how they met in 1967, introduced by one of Judy’s students, Tova Reuter, an Israeli woman who was a survivor of the Patria, an illegal refugee ship carrying Jews fleeing Nazis from Europe, which was blown up and sunk in Haifa Harbor in 1940.
After the children grew up and had their own lives, Judy and Howard traveled extensively including throughout Europe, China, Israel, South America, Australia, Tahiti, the USA, with many interesting experiences such as participating in the Samaritan Seder on Mount Gerizim. In 2013 the Rubensteins moved to Pacific Regent La Jolla where they have been very happy amid the friendly residents and staff.
Life with Howard Rubenstein was a full and stimulating experience. His friends called him a Renaissance man because of his love of science, data, statistics, art, literature, music, and gardening. His brilliance, his marvelous, often irreverent, humor, the delicious fruit from his orchard, his kind, sparkling eyes, made people enjoy being in his company.
Howard was enormously proud of his family. He will be sorely missed. He leaves his beloved and grieving family: Judy Rubenstein (Dr. Judith S.), his devoted wife of 52 years, their children and sons-in-law Dr. Emily (Asaph) Engel, Dr. Adam Rubenstein, Dr. Jennifer (Dr. Benjamin) Zigun, and Atty. John Rubenstein, J.D.; four grandchildren Simon Engel, Elliot Engel, Noah Zigun, and Abigail Zigun; and his nephew Joshua Swartzberg. His parents and sister, Susan Rubenstein Swartzberg, are deceased. Howard also leaves his in-laws Elaine and Dr. David Gould and their children his nieces, Dina, Talya, and Sara, and many friends who cherished his friendship.
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to a charity of your choice.
Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com Free obituaries in memory of members of the San Diego County Jewish community are sponsored on San Diego Jewish World by Inland Industries Group LP in memory of long-time San Diego Jewish community leader Marie (Mrs. Gabriel) Berg.
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Gov. Newsom of California decided not to make a semester-long course in “ethnic studies” a graduation requirement at the state’s public schools, starting in 2019, but non-required ethnic studies high school courses are being taught and will continue to be taught in California high schools. Gov. Newsom announced his intention to support those schools with professional development services. (https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/AB-331.pdf)
Gov. Newsom stated that both the initial and subsequent drafts of the K-12 ethnic studies model curriculum needed revision due to insufficient balance and inclusiveness. He also stated that he looks forward to a K-12 model curriculum that achieves these goals. Clearly he has not vetoed a K-12 curriculum, he has merely sent the highly politicized curriculum back to the drawing board for more revisions.
Gov. Newsom did sign AB 1460, which mandated ethnic studies as a graduation requirement for the California State University System, and it is quite possible that in the future he will support making K-12 ethnic studies mandatory as well. Should that happen, we will see whether a future approved curriculum imposes predigested political views on students instead of widening their perspectives.
Julia Lutch
Davis, California
Progressive Zionists of California (PZC) thanks California Governor Gavin Newsom for his Wednesday veto of AB 331, a bill requiring all California high school students to complete an ethnic studies class before graduating high school.
PZC strongly supports the addition of an ethnic studies curriculum in California high schools. However, we have a number of concerns about the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) AB 331 would make a required course. The 2019 draft centered a deeply problematic approach to education and was riddled with antisemitism. The 2020 draft, though much improved, still leaves us with concerns about transparency in the drafting and approval process, inclusion of Jewish Americans, and confounding exclusion of significant communities of color in California.
Board Chair Rachel Bracker said:
“We’re disappointed that Ethnic Studies will not be a graduation requirement, but it is an unfortunate necessity following the significant problems with its model curriculum, which must be amended to include California’s Middle Eastern minorities, Armenians, and Sikhs. We sincerely hope that this hail mary to save the integrity of Ethnic Studies will encourage the model curriculum’s drafters to draw from versions created with community buy-in, like LAUSD’s, and add necessary anti-hate guidelines such as the IHRA definition of antisemitism.”
This veto demonstrates Gov. Newsom’s agreement that there is still much work to be done on this issue, following a significant advocacy campaign PZC launched to support the efforts of Middle Eastern minority groups like AIMEE and JIMENA. Quality educational guidelines are far too important to rush and we are heartened to see policymakers take the time to listen to their constituents.
We look forward to working with our partners to push for improvements to the ESMC as we advocate for an accurate and representative California educational ecosystem. PZC supporters who have not left a public comment can click HERE for more information on how to do so.
PZC has been a leading voice advocating for:
The inclusion of Mizrahi Jews and other MENA minority communities, which comprise an estimated 60% of California’s population from the region,
The State of California to uphold its promise of transparency and public input in reviewing the ESMC,
An explicit commitment to ensure that the curriculum will never promote the antisemitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement or other one-sided instruction about Middle Eastern conflicts that create unsafe classrooms for Jewish and Middle Eastern minority students throughout California, and
That an added section on Jewish communities of color include the widely recognized definition of antisemitism from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).