By Cailin Acosta in La Mesa, California
The FIFA World Cup kicked off Thursday, June 11, and the USA suited up Friday night to face off against Paraguay in its opening contest, with one lone Jewish player, goalkeeper Matt Turner. He must have asked Hashem if it was okay to break Shabbat for the needs of his team, I joke.
Turner is a New Jersey native and discovered his Jewish heritage by finding his paternal great-grandmother’s emigration papers that had allowed her to flee Lithuania during the Holocaust.
This is the first time in history that the entire tournament is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and is the first to feature 48 teams.
Unfortunately, Israel did not qualify for the World Cup and hasn’t since 1970, due in part to geopolitics that pushed its soccer federation to compete in the talented European body, not in Asia.
Let’s GOOOAAALLL USA!
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Beth Jacob Congregation announces its “Community Picnic” at noon, Sunday, June 14, at Princess Del Cerro Park. The event includes volleyball, basketball, rollerblading, hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, brownies, watermelon, and more. Click here to register.
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Lawrence Family JCC announces its “17th Women of Valor” celebration at 2 p.m., Sunday, June 14, at Coastal Roots Farm. This event will include six extraordinary San Diego Jewish women. This year’s honorees are Ruth Broudy, Rhonda Fink, Kira Finkenberg, Sharyn Goodson, Karen Parry, and Debby Stauber. Click here to register.
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Torah High School presents “Aladdin Jr” at 7 p.m., Sunday, June 14, at Lawrence Family JCC. This women’s only event will feature Disney production. Click here to purchase tickets.
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Yiddishland announces its “Beginner Judeo-Spanish (Beginner Ladino) with Esther Rute” at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, June 16, 23, and 30 on Zoom. This beginning course is designed for students who are building a foundational vocabulary, learning official Ladino orthography, practicing everyday communication, and exploring Sephardi culture through songs, stories of Djoha, geography, and holidays. Click here to register.
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SD Kollel presents its “Ladies Weekly Kollel Café: Women’s Class and Discussion” at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 16. This event includes women’s topics and desserts. For more information, call 619-287-9890.
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Ohr Shalom Synagogue presents “Conversational Hebrew with Elisheva Edelson” at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 16, 23, 30, July 7, 14, 21, 28, and August 4 on Zoom. These sessions, led by Edelson, will provide the ability to read texts, understand them, and reflect on them. Sessions will also focus on the ability to speak, sing, read poetry, and understand modern Hebrew. Click here to register.
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Young Israel of San Diego announces its “Shabbat: Community Dinner” at 7 p.m., Friday, June 19. This event includes Shabbat services and a relaxed environment with dinner and company. Click here to register.
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Lawrence Family JCC announces its “Little Mensches: Making the World Better – One Mitzvah at a Time” at 1 p.m., Sunday, June 28. This event is for children ages 4 through 8 and their parents to pack backpacks with school supplies for donation to Jewish Family Service. Click here to sign up.
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Lawrence Family JCC announces its “Canasta Club: Drop-in Game” at 10 a.m., Wednesday, July 1. This event is open to all members, and all levels of experience are welcome. Click here to sign up.
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San Diego Center of Jewish Culture presents its “Winds of War in a Changing Middle East: Can It Become Even More Chaotic? With Professor Jacob Goldberg” at 7 p.m., Monday, July 13 through Wednesday, July 15, at the Lawrence Family JCC. Goldberg will explore Arab-Israeli and American-Israeli relations, global diplomacy, and regional challenges. Click here to register.
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San Diego Center of Jewish Culture announces “Brunch Debrief with Professor Jacob Goldberg” at 10 a.m., Friday, July 17, at the Lawrence Family JCC. Goldberg will offer timely insights into Israel’s political landscape and international dynamics. Click here for tickets.
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CHABAD CENTERS’ HAPPENINGS
La Costa announces its “Hebrew Reading Class” at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 15. Click here to register.
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University City’s Men’s Club presents its “Soulfire Event” at 8 p.m., Monday, June 15. This men’s event will focus on Rosh Chodesh Tammuz/Summer Nights, Longer days, stronger light, and explore what it means to know something and not live it. Click here to rsvp.
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Downtown’s Jewish Women’s Circle announces its “Rosh Chodesh Society: Resourcefulness” at 7 p.m., Wednesday, June 24. This women’s class will be the final lesson of the course and will focus on Esther using every resource for G-d’s purpose. Click here to rsvp.
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Encinitas Women’s Rosh Chodesh Circle announces its “Month of Tammuz: From Mourning to Meaning” at 7 p.m., Sunday, July 15. This women’s group will learn about the month of Tammuz, a time for embracing our emotions and rebuilding with love. This is the commemoration of the breaching of the Temple walls and the traditional three weeks of mourning. It also recognizes the power of community and the importance of supporting one another through difficult times. Click here to rsvp.
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AROUND THE COUNTY
SCY High School reports celebrating the last day of school with a bounce house and water slide to “slide” into summer. Students enjoyed a sponsored lunch to celebrate their growth and accomplishments during the past school year. At the end of the year assembly, many individual student accomplishments were acknowledged, but more broadly the focus was on the impressive growth of all students and reminding them that growth is not confined to the school year.
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Chabad of East County reports its 5787 (2026/27) Jewish Community Calendar is accepting advertisements. They are looking for local Jewish business advertisements, yahrzeits, birthdays, and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. Click here to reserve your space.
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Coastal Gan Preschool reports that the children focused on strengthening impulse control and listening skills. The children loved playing the Spoons Game, which was also adapted using their fingers. Music and movement gave them more opportunities to practice self-regulation.
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San Diego Hebrew Day School reports its eighth graders returned from their graduation trip to New York City and Washington DC. One of the trip’s highlights was a visit to American Dream Mall, where students enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour before spending the afternoon at Nickelodeon Universe where they shared memories and how they have grown throughout their years together at San Diego Hebrew Day School.
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San Diego Hebrew Day School reports its first graders welcomed their fathers and special guests for its annual Donuts and Dudes event. Students were excited to share this meaningful experience with the important men in their lives while enjoying donuts, conversation, and fun activities.
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Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.