San Diego County

SDSU Chabad Again Subjected to Vandalism

For the second time this year, the Chabad House at San Diego State University has been subjected to hostility — this time in the form of a broken branch of its large outdoor menorah and the ripping of one of its banners.  Last month, youngsters burglarized the combination synagogue and residence hall while students upstairs were asleep. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

Cutting the ‘Umbilical Cord’: Letting Go Because You Have To

My “baby” daughter Maya graduated high school on a recent Friday. Woohoo! On Monday, she flew solo to Europe to visit her sister. Double Woohoo! In two months, she moves to Berkeley to start her next chapter as a University student. Woo…. Wait! What? Moving out? Completely launching? My husband and I becoming actual empty nesters?  I’m not sure if I’m ready for this. I mean I knew this day would come but it always seemed so far down the road. And yet, here it is. Around the corner.[Shayna Gothard Kaufmann]

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Lifestyles, San Diego County, Shayna Kaufmann

LFJCC Summer Reading Program Features Jewish Authors and Topics

I introduced Judy Bloom, Elizabeth Enright and Norton Juster to my summer hangouts, and they in turn,  took me to places I’d never visited. The experience of gobbling up all of the library’s offerings seemed limitless and thrilling. And now, thanks to the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, summer reading is back! [Eva Trieger]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eva Trieger, San Diego County

Demonstrations of the Ugly and the Beautiful in Sports

In sports, which can serve as a microcosm of our society, we saw over the past few days the ugly and the beautiful.

The ugly came following a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) regional championship basketball game between Coronado High School of the City of Coronado and Orange Glen High School of the City of Escondido.  At the end of the hard-fought game, which Coronado narrowly won, some of its players “celebrated” by tossing packages of tortillas at the Orange Glen team, whose players are predominantly Mexican-American.  Coronado High School, in contrast, is predominantly White. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, USA

Matthew and Iris Strauss Endow UC San Diego Chair for Head and Neck Surgery

Iris and Matthew Strauss, longtime supporters of cancer research and patient care at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, have given $2 million to establish the Iris and Matthew Strauss Chancellor’s Endowed Chair in Head and Neck Surgery to support excellence in research, education and clinical care. [UC San Diego Health Sciences photo]

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San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

Jewish News Around San Diego, June 18, 2021

The Balboa Park-based San Diego History Center has embarked  on a $100,000 fundraising campaign “to edit, conserve and preserve” more than 90 hours of interviews that were conducted in preparation for its 2017-2018 exhibition Celebrate San Diego: The History of San Diego’s Jewish Community and a companion documentary film. To the Ends of the Earth: A Portrait of San Diego.  The fundraising campaign is being led by Jeff and Karen Silberman. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Federation CEO to Decline Further Cancer Treatment, ‘At Peace’ With Decision

By Jacob Kamaras Jewish Federation of San Diego County President and CEO Michael Jeser, who in May had stepped back from his position because of a recurrence of the cancer that had him sidelined much of last year, on Thursday announced that he has decided to decline further cancer treatment. Jeser wrote on Facebook that

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Jacob Kamaras, San Diego County

San Diego’s High Tech High Now Has a Peres Campus in Israel

Sunday, June 13, was a very remarkable day.  The inauguration of a new government in Israel.  The hope for a refreshing change.  However, no less important for me and my family was the inauguration of the “Peres Campus” in Holon–an additional High Tech High School in the charter school system based in San Diego, California since 1996. [Yoni Peres]

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Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA, Yoni Peres

Will We Lose the House of Israel to Another Nation?

A bit of friendly advice for my fellow Jews, and especially those from Israel residing in San Diego.  The House of Israel, which has been open continuously in Balboa Park since 1948–the same year Israel was created–is now in danger of losing its charter.  The dedicated volunteers who do their best to keep the House open every Saturday and Sunday, as required by the City of San Diego, are wearying.  Some are getting too old to maintain that type of schedule; others are experiencing burnout. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

8-Month Prison Term for Defendant in Chabad of Poway Fraud Case

Stuart Weinstock, an Escondido businessman and former owner of Salsa Market in Vista, was sentenced in federal court Monday to eight months in custody for evading over $180,000 in taxes as part of an eight-year tax-evasion scheme with former Chabad of Poway Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein. [U.S. Attorney’s Office, San Diego]

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Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA

On a Dog’s Post-COVID Life

have been receiving many Barks (the dog equivalent to Tweets) from curious dogs (cats don’t have a monopoly on curiosity!) who wonder why I haven’t written a column since December.  Like my human companions, I have been confined at home except for my daily walks. Now that we can return to a semblance of normality, here’s how my life will be different. [Elona Baron as told to Laurie Baron]

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Lawrence Baron, Lifestyles, San Diego County, The World We Share, Trivia, Humor & Satire