By Cailin Acosta in La Mesa, California
One, Two … forty-nine. Counting the Omer. Last night, we began the first day of counting the Omer. This leads up to the night before Shavuot, when the Jewish people received the Torah and celebrated freedom from Egypt.
I have an app that I download every year, which reminds me to say the blessing, so I don’t miss a day.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Congregation B’nai Tikvah announces a new Zoom link for its Shabbat services starting at 6 p.m., Friday, April 3, until Tuesday, June 30. Click here to join the Zoom services and passcode: 553373.
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Temple Emanu-El presents its “Congregational Seder Brunch” at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 4. The event includes a brunch menu catered by Elijah’s Restaurant with matzah, charoset, eggs, chopped liver, matzah ball soup, lox, whitefish salad, egg salad, tuna salad, vegetables, breakfast potatoes, matzah brei, egg casserole, and macaroons. Click here to register.
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Women of Congregation Beth Israel announce “Mimouna and Mimosas” at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 9. This event is open to members and guests who identify as female and 21+. The evening includes celebrating the end of Pesach with treats and sparkling drinks. Click here to rsvp.
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Temple Emanu-El announces its “Sweet, Savory and Risen (bread)” at 6 p.m., Friday, April 10. The event includes Shabbat services followed by celebrating the end of Passover by members bringing their signature chametz dish to a wine and cheese Oneg for members to try and judge. Categories include sweet, savory, and risen (bread). Click here to register.
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Jewish Federation of San Diego, Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego, and the Lawrence Family JCC announce their “Yom HaShoah: Community Holocaust Commemoration” at 1 p.m., Sunday, April 12. This event includes honoring Heroes Beyond Borders: Stories of Diplomatic Courage, while remembering the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and honoring those who survived. Click here to register and to receive the address.
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Tifereth Israel Synagogue presents its “Mimouna: A Vibrant Moroccan Jewish Celebration” at 6:15 p.m., Wednesday, April 15. Shinshin, Alon Sachs, and Rabbi Hanan Leberman will lead this evening by sharing the meaning of Mimouna, traditional foods, henna art, music, and a photo area. Click here to rsvp.
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Holocaust Living History Workshop presents “Write Us Long Letters: Trauma and Isolation in Jewish Refugee Letters from Nazi Germany to America, Featuring Barry Trachtenberg” at 5 p.m., Thursday, April 16, at the University of California, San Diego. This event will be led by Trachtenberg, who will examine a recently discovered collection of 50 letters written to Kurt David Baum, a Jewish teenager who fled Nazi Germany for America in 1937. Click here to register.
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Secure Community Network and Jewish Federation of San Diego present “Security Spring Training” at 6 p.m., Thursday, April 16, at Temple Emanu-El. This event is a free emergency response training designed to empower individuals and organizations with the skills to react quickly and effectively in crisis situations. Click here to register.
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Congregation B’nai Tikvah presents its “Yom Ha’Atzmaut Israel Independence Day Celebration” at 7 p.m., Friday, April 24, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Encinitas. More details to follow.
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Temple Emanu-El announces its annual gala to benefit the Price Family Preschool, “Simcha Soiree: An Evening Celebrating Rabbi Devorah Marcus” at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, May 16. The event includes a cocktail reception, Havdalah, dinner, program, and dancing. Click here to register.
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AROUND THE COUNTY
Temple Emanu-El Mitzvah of the Month reports collecting new or gently used stuffed animals and soccer balls for the nonprofit Club Dust. This organization is a hands-on project to build safe, simple homes, prioritizing those homes for families with handicapped children, single-parent families, and those with many children. They have averaged 40 homes per year, each built in a day by dedicated volunteers. Donations can be left in the white Social Action barrel in the lobby of the office.
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Jared Sclar and Associates LLC reports Jared is grateful for being nominated for “Political Professional of the Year” at the San Diego County Democratic Party’s annual Roosevelt Dinner. The dinner recognizes the people and organizations moving San Diego County forward.
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Beth Jacob Congregation reports a 7-week guided self-mastery Omer expedition led by Brandon Fisher. The series includes one live class per week, daily WhatsApp community “pings” for motivation, weekly projects to build 49-day habits, and group hikes and a Shavuos summit celebration. Click here to join the WhatsApp group.
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Congregation Beth Israel reports its campaign “Building for the Future” is open to accept donations or pledges. This campaign is to help restore the campus and create a new mikvah. Click here to donate.
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Congregation Beth Israel’s Caring Community reports that congregant Linda and Larry Okmin’s daughter, Alison Okmin, needs to find a living kidney donor match. Alison has been on the national kidney transplant list for several years. The wait time for a deceased donor can be 8-10 years and last 8-12 years. A transplant from a living donor could happen much sooner and last an average of 12-20 years. Click here to start the donor screening process.
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Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.