SAN DIEGO (SDJW) – We have been running excerpts from trip diaries of participants in a tour of southern Israel that was sponsored by the Jewish Federation of San Diego. Pam Ferris, President and CEO of Seacrest Village Retirement Community, shared with us the following about Lishay Miran, whose husband Omri Miran has been a hostage since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel:
“When asked how she felt about the government, she responded, “They are still not here, so it’s not enough…” Her husband is Omri. Her oldest child was 2 and youngest just 6 months old when Omri was taken hostage. Today her youngest child is 1 year old and she doesn’t know if she will even remember her dad. She wakes up every day and feels it’s a dream, knowing in reality it’s a nightmare. We must bring Omri and all hostages home, and remember… “They are still not here, so it’s not enough…”
Ferris added, “It’s been a trip like no other and I have been to Israel many times. My heart is heavy although I’m grateful I came. We have all been changed forevermore after hearing their stories yet also their dreams, which gives us all hope for a better tomorrow.”
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Former San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman was among 100 or so San Diego leaders who attended a screening of raw footage from the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas of Israeli civilians. She wrote about the experience in an OpEd for The San Diego Union-Tribune.
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StandWithUs, the pro-Israel organization with regional offices in San Diego, has added an 8-page Oct. 7 war supplement to its Passover Haggadah From Ancient Egypt to Modern Israel. Orders for the 124-page fourth edition, which emphasizes how Jews overcame their challenges and how the Jewish people reclaimed their freedom in Israel, must be received by April 15 in order for you to have it in time for your seder. Here is a link to order the edition, costing $14.95 plus shipping.
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JEWISH COMMUNITY
Charlotte Marx is going strong at 104, reports Rabbi Mathew Marko of Tifereth Israel Synagogue after visiting her at Seacrest Village Retirement Community. She likes to share stories and walk without her walker (even though everyone rebukes her to use it.) Said Marko: “She was hard to keep up with and insisted on leading me from her room to the other side of the facility to the parking lot so I should be able to find my car.” … On the other end of the spectrum Micah Klareich and his wife Carly Zarrow welcomed to their family on March 27 Isaiah Lev Klareich, weighing 7 pounds 11 inches. Isaiah is the grandson of Beth (Feigelson) Klareich, longtime program director of Tifereth Israel Synagogue.
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Jewish educators from across the country are registering for the July 26-31NewCAJE Conference that will be held in San Diego. The organization is encouraging new teachers to apply for a two-year LEEP Fellowship. The acronym stands for Leadership for Emerging Professionals. It is intended “for new professionals to create a strong peer community and enhance their own education. Eligible applicants are in the first five years of their career in Jewish education.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Former San Diego Padre (and Los Angeles Dodger) Steve Garvey brings his Republican U.S. Senate campaign to the Bali Hai Restaurant on May 1. Some local Republicans will pay at least $500 to attend a reception, $1,000 to also acquire a signed photo of Garvey, and $3,300 to have a signed personal photo and a signed baseball from the Senate candidate. Garvey is opposing U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff in the November contest to fill the seat long held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California)
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Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) penned an article for Elle about the attack on women’s rights to control their own bodies. Here is a link: … Jacobs also is pushing legislation to have USAID work directly with local nonprofits around the world rather than “very large contractors that are insulated from evaluation and ten toward bloated programs.”
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County Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Nora Vargas announced they’re backing Senate Bill 1178 by State Sen. Steve Padilla (D-San Diego). The measure would require large corporations with more than 2,500 employees to publicly disclose their wastewater discharges. It also would direct the Water Resources Control Board to create a California Water Quality and Public Health Impact Surcharge to quantify costs of mitigating that contamination … Lawson-Remer also is proposing that additional security personnel be hired and on-site management services be increased at county-supported “No Place Like Home” programs helping people who were formerly homeless.
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Meanwhile, Lawson-Remer’s opponent in the general election, former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, has scheduled a fundraiser from 5 to 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 10, at the Carlsbad Strawberry Fields, 1050 Cannon Road, Carlsbad. The suggested contribution is $250, with the maximum allowable contribution $1,000.
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The San Diego Bar Association has named the late former California Assemblyman Howard Wayne (1948-2023) as its 2024 Distinguished lawyer Memorial Inductee. “A bronze plaque capturing his likeness will be unveiled at the San Diego County Superior Court’s Hall of Justice, commemorating his remarkable contributions,” according to the announcement. A reception will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the University Club atop Symphony Towers at 750 B Street, Suite 3400, San Diego.
OBITUARY NOTICE
Judy Osterberger died on Thursday. March 28, Tifereth Israel Synagogue reported. She is survived by her husband Les Osterberger. The funeral service was private.
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Preceding compiled by SDJW staff.