By Ruth Maston
SAN DIEGO — Shalom, I’ve got some good news, and some urgent news.
The good news is that the House of Israel, along with the other International Cottages in Balboa Park, is set to re-open on July 4th. We’ve waited a long time for this and can’t wait to swing back into action, welcoming visitors from around the world and sharing Israel’s story.
The urgent news is that we need YOU!
Before the COVID shutdown, the House of Israel was struggling with a tiny handful of dedicated volunteers to keep our doors open as required by the City of San Diego. If we fail to keep our end of the deal, we stand to lose this precious gem that’s represented Israel in the heart of San Diego’s greatest tourist attraction since 1948.
We are the only pro-Israel organization that’s not “preaching to the choir”. On any weekend, we welcome hundreds of people from around the world. Visitors who can’t find Israel on a map, or who know only what they hear in the media, can learn the truth of Israel’s history, diversity, freedoms, and contributions to the world.
To be brutally honest, a handful of volunteers is simply not enough. Some of us were spending every single Saturday and Sunday at the House, from opening to closing. This not sustainable, and it’s not fair.
We understand that coming on Saturdays is a problem for many people, and we absolutely respect if you are shomer Shabbat. However, being open on Saturdays is a requirement by the City for retaining the House. If you can’t volunteer on Saturday, volunteer on Sunday—but volunteer! Ideally, a Volunteer Committee could handle volunteer recruitment, orientation, and scheduling.
In addition to a reliable, dedicated group of volunteers to open the House, greet visitors, answer questions, serve bourekas, clean and close up, we desperately need “behind the scenes” help. Once we have regular volunteers to share the responsibility for keeping the doors open as required by the City, we can look beyond immediate needs to ensure the House of Israel continues to shine in Balboa Park for the future.
Because we have so few people involved, we are missing out on many opportunities to represent Israel. For example, we currently have no young women representing Israel in the House of Pacific Relations Queens Organization, while some Houses have multiple Princesses and even Junior Princesses in addition to their Queen.
Members of our Board of Directors have valiantly served in the same positions for years simply because no-one else has been willing to do it. Again, this is not sustainable. We need new blood, new energy, and new ideas!
Fundraising is always crucial, and right now we depend on one annual mail campaign plus donations from visitors, which have obviously dried up during the COVID closure. We need a Fundraising Committee to develop and carry out campaigns.
Governmental and private organizations are offering grant monies that could improve security at the House, but we need a Development Committee to research these grants, prepare applications, and monitor the process.
Annual event such as December Nights, the Yom HaAtzmaut Lawn Program, Earth Day, and the Ethnic Food Fair bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Park and require lots of planning and work for success. We’d love to have a dedicated committee for each event (and possibly add some new ones!).
Right now, our social media is limited to our Facebook account, so we need a Social Media Committee to plan and implement campaigns across a range of platforms, ensuring that future generations of tech-savvy San Diegans know what is going on with the House and in Israel.
We need an Outreach Committee to act as liaison between the House and the community, building links with Jewish and Israeli organizations, synagogues, schools, groups, and anyone who supports Israel and wants to help tell her amazing story to the public.
Schools, civic organizations, scout groups, bar and bat mitzvah classes, families, and many others can enjoy volunteering together, and students can fulfill requirements for volunteer hours at the same time. Local university students could become interns on some of the committees we envisage. In years past, virtually every synagogue in San Diego (including Sisterhood, Men’s Clubs, and youth groups) committed to a certain number of volunteer days every year.
We’re setting up a WhatsApp group to make it easier to connect with the House of Israel and one another, so if we don’t already have your phone number, please provide it.
When our cottage is not open to the public, we can offer meeting space at no charge in the House of Israel, including our beautiful courtyard. For larger groups, we can access the Hall of Nations, which includes a full kitchen and AV setup.
The opening of nine new international houses later this year will bring lots of attention from the media and the public:
• Chamorros
• India
• Korea
• Mexico
• Palestine
• Panama
• Peru
• Philippines
• Turkey
What else could we do, with enough people and energy? The sky’s the limit! You may have some amazing ideas we haven’t even thought of. With you, nothing is too hard. Without you, we stand to lose the House of Israel and close a proud chapter in our history on a sad note of defeat.
We call on the community—especially the Israeli community and the Jewish community—to ACT. Not merely to keep the House of Israel on life support, but to revive it and make it into the vibrant, dynamic place we know it can be.
Please feel free to call or email or use the link below to access my calendar directly to schedule an appointment and share this message as widely as possible. Is there someone else I should speak with? Please let me know, and I’ll be happy to come make a presentation to groups of any size who want to learn more about the House of Israel.
Todah rabah,
Ruth Mastron, President
House of Israel, Balboa Park
ruth.mastron@gmail.com
760 644 0335 M
Schedule a call with me here.