Minyan of Jewish candidates on S.D. County ballots

Other items in today’s column include:
*New Robots Inspired by Movements of Cockroaches, Lizards
*The International Shabbat Project Adjusts for COVID19

By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO – We do not know the names of every member of our Jewish community who is running for a public office in San Diego County.  While we are aware of those running for major offices at the federal, state, county, and San Diego city,  community college and school board levels, we are unfamiliar with those who might be running in outlying cities or for the other school boards and special districts throughout our region.

So, what follows is not a comprehensive list, nor is it an indication of San Diego Jewish World’s endorsements.  You may find our endorsements via this link.

This is simply a partial list of Jewish candidates who are following in the tradition started by such 19^th century San Diego pioneers as Louis Rose, Lewis Franklin, and Marks Jacobs of civic engagement, a tradition that has seen Jewish Republicans and Jewish Democrats over 170 years of San Diego’s history serving our greater community.  We think of such Republicans who previously held office as Mayor Susan Golding, Sheriff Bill Kolender, and District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, and such Jewish Democrats as Congresswomen Lynn Schenk, State Senator Marty Block, Assemblyman Howard Wayne, and in our current congressional delegation Susan Davis, and on the current San Diego City Council, Dr. Jen Campbell.

As important as it is that Jews have served as candidates and officeholders on both sides of the aisle, it is even more important that our community participate fully in tomorrow’s elections.  If you have not already cast your vote, we urge you to do so at an authorized polling place as early as you can.  The polls close at 8 p.m tomorrow.

There are at least ten Jewish candidates on San Diego County ballots — a near minyan.  They include:

Federal Offices
53^rd Congressional District; Sara Jacobs

State Offices
75^th Assembly District: Kate Schwartz
78^th Assembly District: Sarah Davis

County Offices
3^rd Supervisorial District: Terra Lawson-Remer
1^st District, Board of Education: Mark Powell

City of San Diego Offices
Mayor: Barbara Bry
City Attorney: Cory Briggs
5^th City Council District: Joe Leventhal

9th City Council District: Sean Elo-Rivera

San Diego Community College Offices
District B: Bernie Rhinerson

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New Robots Inspired by Movements of Cockroaches, Lizards
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers have developed a new robot that “swims and runs on top of water at high speeds and crawls on difficult terrain,” according to David Zarrouk, PhD, of the Bioinspired and Medical Robotics Laboratory and graduate student Avi Cohen.  According to Zarrouk, “The AmphiSTAR uses a sprawling mechanism inspired by cockroaches, and it is designed to run on water at high speeds like the basilisk lizard.  We envision the AmphiSTAR can be used for agricultural, search and rescue, and excavation applications, where both crawling and swimming are required.”

The size of an adult human’s palm, the AmphiSTAR is “a wheeled robot fitted with four propellers underneath whose axes can be titled using the sprawl mechanism.  The propellers act as wheels over ground as as fins to propel the robot over water while swimming and running on water at high speeds of 1.5 m/s (meters per second)” according to a news release from the university located in Beer-Sheva, Israel.  “Two air tanks enable it to float and transition smoothly between high speeds when hovering on water to lower speeds swimming, and from crawling to swimming and vice versa.”

A video of the AmphiStar in action may be viewed via this link.

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The International Shabbat Project Adjusts for COVID19
For the last six years, Jews in cities across the world have prepared challah for their Shabbat tables and then participated in Shabbat and Havdallah services on a day of international Jewish unity and  optimism.  This year, the designated Shabbat falls on Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7, but the coronavirus has required the global program to make adjustments, according to the Shabbat Project’s founder and director, South African Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein.

In a news release, Rabbi Goldstein informs us:

One of the silver linings of this year’s exclusively online array of events is that geographical barriers have dissolved. Seed UK will broadcast an extraordinary 24-hour challah bake featuring 19 different live events from cities such as Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Sydney, Moscow, Toronto, and New York. A pre-Shabbat event in Arizona featuring Latino pop singer Miriam Sandler will include participants from four continents. And in the wake of the Abraham Accords, an event hosted in Israel will include the Jewish communities of Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, and Oman.

In Argentina, a challah bake will unite Jewish communities in 32 cities across the country for the first time. And Long Island’s “Cook and Connect” event, featuring young cooking sensation and Chopped winner Rachel Goldzwal, will bring together teenagers from around the world to share traditional Shabbat dishes and cultural cuisines.

This is front-row access to Jewish life all over the globe. You could attend a challah bake in Singapore, sit in on a Shabbat cooking class in Panama, enjoy Kabbalat Shabbat at the kotel, and end off with havdalah in Colombia. It’s an opportunity to experience different Jewish cultures and Shabbat traditions from the comfort of your home.”

Other event highlights this year include Mizrachi UK’s “Shabbaton at Home,” involving some 30,000 Jewish households and 75 shuls across the country, with thousands of Shabbat booklets distributed to enhance the Shabbat experience. The event will kick off with a pre-Shabbat launch on November 5, featuring Israeli singer Ishay Ribo as well as live addresses by UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Goldstein, and will conclude on Saturday night with a live Zoom havdalah followed by the “Great UK Shabbaton at Home Quiz.”

Elsewhere, a group of Israeli volunteers will be cooking and delivering all four Shabbat meals to Magen David Adom first responders in Raanana, Herzliya, and Kfar Saba. A website in Denver is offering Shabbat meals, Shabbat classes, and Shabbat “survival kits” on demand. And an all-day “women’s day” event hosted in Netanya will feature international singers.

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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World.  He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com