Our Shtetl San Diego County: Love for Critters

By Cailin Acosta

SAN DIEGO – Animal rescue is an important aspect of the San Diego County Humane Society, according to Gary Weitzmann, its President and CEO. I rescued an Angora rabbit from a depressing living situation and she is living the best life as a “free roam” house rabbit with my family. Animals might not be able to tell you how thankful they are but they can definitely show you how much they appreciate being a part of the family which is very rewarding.

In a recent newsletter from the Humane Society, three rescues stood out to me.

“Pepper” and her five siblings: “When a few community members set out on a sunset hike at Mission Trails Regional Park, the last thing they expected to encounter was six shivering puppies huddled together in a box. Yet when they reached the base of Cowles Mountain Trail, that’s exactly what they found. Pepper and her five siblings were cold and crying when the hikers discovered them. Our team got to work immediately to warm the puppies up and provide examinations. After receiving treatment and lots of doting attention from our staff, all six puppies were adopted into loving homes!”

“Taylor Swift”: “A pint-sized superstar kitten was left in a box overnight in front of our San Diego Campus Adoptions Center. At just a week old, Taylor Swift was extremely vulnerable when we found her. Due to her age, she was unable to regulate her body temperature and she required feedings every few hours, so being left alone overnight put her at serious risk. We immediately warmed her up and gave her the first of many bottle feedings before she went into foster care with a member of our medical team. Taylor Swift’s Wildest Dreams came true when her adopter made her a little sister to a playful resident cat.”

Project Wildlife Team: “A baby barn owl came to us after falling from his nest. Tree trimmers noticed the baby and brought him to our Ramona Wildlife Center, where we examined him to determine his overall health and if he sustained any injuries. He was unharmed, but we were unfortunately unable to reunite him with his mom. After 25 days with our team, he was ready to be released and is now back in his native home!”

*
JEWISH MEDIA

Rowanne Reifman, a San Diego State freshman, had an article published in Hey Alma about how utilizing her late grandmother’s recipe for baking “bulkies” for Passover brought on tears of grief.  In the article, Rowanne writes about her grandfather, Ken Reifman, a retired pharmacist and active member of Tifereth Israel Synagogue.  Click here to read the article. Grab some tissues.

*

Amy Neustein, a freelance writer whose articles occasionally appear in San Diego Jewish World, tells in a first-person piece for Aish about the murder of her great-grandfather in New York City “because he was a Jew.”

*
JEWISH ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS

When San Diego County residents Sol Lizerbram and Lauren Lizerbram complete their tenure as president and “first lady” of Jewish National Fund-USA, they’ll have hundreds of people celebrating their accomplishments Nov. 14-17 at JNF-USA’s Global Conference for Israel in Dallas, Texas.

Some highlights of the four-day gathering include presentations by Rabbi David Wolpe on the future of American Jewry; Emily Austin on making your social media more impactful; Col. Richard Kemp on the ethics of the Israel Defense Forces; David Mallow on his world-largest collection of Herzl memorabilia; Elizabeth Rand, founder of Mothers Against College Antisemitism and Columbia University Prof. Shai Davidai on supporting Jewish student on campus, and comedy by Michael Rapaport at a Saturday night gala.

Pastor Jentezen Franklin of Gainesville, Georgia, will receive JNF-USA’s Shalom Peace Award in recognition of his work for Israel.

*
JEWISH HUMOR

A little Jewish humor is always good for the soul. Rabbi Rafi Andrusier of Chabad of East County passes along this story: “Two astronauts make the first manned flight to Mars. Upon landing, they find themselves face-to-face with a couple of green Martians.
“How do we make contact?” asks the first astronaut. “They look pretty primitive. Let’s impress them with some of our technology.” “OK.” says the first. He reaches into the pocket of his spacesuit and pulls out a shiny cigarette lighter. The Martians look interested. “I think it’s working – light it!” says the second. The first astronaut turns the wheel and a flame shoots out. Immediately the faces of the Martians turn from green to red. “Wow!” says the first, “they must be impressed.”Then one of the Martians reaches out his little green hand, points a finger at the men, frowns, and says sternly, “Shabbos!”

*

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

In a newsletter for constituents, San Diego City Councilwoman Dr. Jen Campbell reported, “On April 25th, the Public Safety Committee unanimously voted to pass a resolution in support of Assembly Bill 3024, the Stop Hate Littering Act. Thank you to Assemblymember Chris Ward for authoring this legislation, which ensures that all Californians have the right to be free from any violence and intimidation due to their religion, political affiliation, or sexual orientation.” Campbell, who is Jewish, serves on that committee with Marni von Wilpert, the chair; Raul Campillo, the vice chair, and Stephen Whitburn.  Campillo, who represents the 7th Council District including Temple Emanu-El, Tifereth Israel Synagogue, Young Israel of San Diego, Chabad of East County, and the Jewish Family Service’s College Avenue Senior Center, initiated a request to Ward to carry anti-hate littering legislation following numerous incidents of antisemitic leaflets being scattered near these Jewish facilities.

*

Terra Lawson-Remer, in a campaign to retain her 3rd County Supervisorial seat against a challenge by former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, says progress has been made on her watch in the battle against homelessness.  She said 1,650 residents of her district were spared homelessness through cost-effective rent assistance; nearly 1,000 slots in homeless shelters and safe parking areas were established, and 1,655 affordable homes were opened.

*

OBITUARY NOTICE

Ida Evendorff – Passed on May 3rd. The funeral will be held on May 6th at El Camino Memorial Park with Rabbi Gabi Arad as officiant.

*

Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of San Diego Jewish World. Acosta can be reached at cailin.acosta@sdjewishworld.com