By Cailin Acosta in La Mesa, California
JEWISH/ISRAELI WINTER OLYMPICS UPDATE
It has been thrilling these past two weeks watching television coverage of the Olympics with contenders giving it their all. Yasher koach!
Brothers Quinn and Jack Hughes, and Jeremy Swayman played Slovakia in the men’s ice hockey semifinals on Friday, Feb. 20, and advanced. On Sunday, Feb. 22, Team USA beat Team Canada, 2-1, to win a gold medal for the United States!
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Australian snowboarder Scotty James also won a silver medal this week, his third career Olympic medal, making him Australia’s most decorated Winter Olympian. James converted to Judaism a few years ago, before he married his wife, Chloe Stroll, the sister of Formula One driver Lance Stroll.
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Canada’s Kayle Osborne won a silver medal as the women’s hockey team fell to the U.S. squad in a thrilling overtime game Thursday. Osborne did not appear in the gold medal game.
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Israel’s Mariia Seniuk placed 24th out of 24 in the women’s figure skating competition on Thursday after falling on the ice.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Other pending events, previously reported in this column, may be found in our Jewish community calendar.
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San Diego Hebrew Day School announces its “Purim Dress up Days” on Monday, Feb. 23, through Tuesday, March 3. On Monday, Feb. 23, students will dress in colors according to grades, kindergarten red, 1st orange, 2nd yellow, 3rd green, 4th blue, 5th purple, 6th white, 7th grey, and 8th black. On Wednesday, Feb. 25, students will celebrate cultures by dressing in attire inspired by different countries and traditions. On Friday, Feb. 27, students will wear their favorite team jersey or athletic wear and have a day of fun and friendly competition. On Tuesday, March 3, students will dress in their most creative costumes and will have a noon dismissal.
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Beth Jacob Congregation announces its “British Purim Invasion” at 4 p.m., Tuesday, March 3. The event will include horse-drawn queen’s carriage rides, professional portraits, scavenger hunt, bounce castle, Megillah reading, fish and chips shoppe, pub food including shepherd’s pie, bangers, and mash, tearoom, gin cocktails, and scones. Click here to register.
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Jewish Federation of San Diego, Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, and the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center present “Heroes Beyond Borders: Stories of Diplomatic Courage” at 1 p.m., Sunday, April 12. The afternoon will bring history to life through two deeply personal family stories, one from a rescuer’s legacy, and one from a family rescued. Attendees will hear from the great-grandson of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese Consul General who defied his government and issued over 30,000 visas to refugees fleeing Nazi-occupied France, and from a descendant of Survivors saved by Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese Consul General in Lithuania who issued life-saving transit visas. Click here to register and to receive the address.
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CHABAD CENTERS’ HAPPENINGS
East County’s Torah Studies Season Two announces its “Playing by Nature’s Rules can get you Killed: Why Fitting in is the Riskiest Strategy” at 7:15 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 22. This lesson will explore how real personal growth frequently demands that we step into a version of ourselves that might feel intimidatingly big. Click here to register.
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University City presents “Purim Unmasked: A Pre-Purim Class” at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 26. This class is open to men and women and will dive into the hidden layers of the Megillah through the lens of Kaballah, unmasking the deeper meaning behind the story and personalities that define Purim. Click here to register.
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East County announces its “Purim Taco Tuesday” at 5 p.m., Tuesday, March 3. The event includes a Mariachi band, a hot pepper eating contest, pinata, a Megillah reading, followed by a Taco Fiesta. Click here to register.
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AROUND THE COUNTY
SCY High School reports students posed at San Diego Hebrew Day School’s “kotel” on Rosh Chodesh Adar, and as part of the tradition, students were dressed in costumes to bring the ruach to the Hebrew Day students. It is a yearly tradition of great energy and fun that the students and teachers look forward to each year.
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San Diego Hebrew Day reports its Mishloach Manot project is a cozy kitchen-inspired surprise that participants will actually enjoy. Organizers say drivers are needed to help with the mitzvah of delivering Mishloach Manot and to put this in the reservation link. Click here to order as the deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 25.
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Chabad of Encinitas reports Rebbetzin Chaya Eilfort is currently in Israel volunteering with a Birthright Mayanot program. She will share a summary of the things she has been working on in Israel in the next week’s newsletter.
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Coastal Gan Preschool reports its children immersed themselves in dramatic play and identity exploration. This directly supports the California Preschool Foundations Social Emotional Development domain, particularly self-awareness and social interaction. Through costume play and group singing, children strengthened confidence, peer engagement, and cooperative participation, reflected in the DRDP measures for identity of self in relation to others and relationships and social interactions with peers.
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Yale Strom reports his contribution to klezmer music has been published in the Cambridge University Press book, Companion to Folk Music. Click here to order.
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OBITUARY NOTICE
Kenny Mitchell has died. He was the husband of Julie Mitchell, father of Kaylee and Zander, Tifereth Israel Synagogue reports.
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Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.