Israeli and Turkish researchers find 'world's oldest wooden anchor'

URLA, Turkey (Publicity Release)—The world's oldest wooden anchor was discovered during excavations in the Turkish port city of Urla, the ancient site of Liman Tepe / the Greek 1^st Millennium BCE colony of Klazomenai, by researchers from the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies of the University of Haifa. The anchor, from the end of the 7^th century BC, was found near a submerged construction, imbedded approximately.1.5 meters underground.

The cooperative project between the University of Haifa and Ankara University sparked local interest, not only in marine archaeology, but also in the team of Israeli archaeologists.  Israeli-Turkish relations have had their ups and downs over the past few years, but the cooperation between the Institute for Marine

During the recent excavation season, it became clear that a wooden log that was found wedged into the ground at the bottom of the ancient harbor in 2003 is actually a wooden anchor with a metal-covered crown. The anchor was found wedged into the ground one and a half meters below the surface and was dated from the end of the 7^th century BC, which makes it the oldest wooden anchor found to date.

"In addition to the damage it caused to the port, the natural disaster that hit the area also destroyed the area of the city that was built along the coast. As soon as we finish uncovering the  finds of the harbor we will know more about this period and perhaps we will know what actually caused the disaster," said Prof. Michal Artzy, who leads the University of Haifa team of researchers.

The excavations not only revealed interesting archaeological finds. For six years, while excavating the site, the researchers from the University of Haifa trained teams of divers and marine archaeologists from Ankara University, which is now opening a new institute for marine studies. During the years of excavations, the local community welcomed the Israelis with warm hospitality.  Fascinated with their guests, the community began to research its own Jewish roots, and two forgotten Jewish cemeteries were recently discovered in the city.

The team from Haifa will return for a seventh season of cooperative excavations this summer. The "Haifa House", which was built to house the Israeli staff, with the help of the City of Urla and the Turkish Minister of Culture, is awaiting their arrival.

The foregoing article was provided by the University of Haifa

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Want more Judaism in your household? Simply send a child to Jewish preschool

NEW YORK (Publicity Release) —Early childhood Jewish education isn’t
just making challah and seder plates with toddlers anymore. It’s an
integrated, child-centered Jewish and general curriculum that helps create
a stronger Jewish identity for the child, grows the number of children
continuing in Jewish education, and increases families’ involvement in
the Jewish community.

Nearly 70% of those interviewed in a survey of Jewish parents of preschoolers
in three U.S. cities said that they were doing something different in terms of
their Jewish observance or Jewish lifestyle as a result of their child
attending a Jewish preschool.  They also said that the preschool experience
had a positive impact on their Jewish family life. 

With early childhood Jewish education now taking its rightful place on the spectrum of Jewish education, all those who have a stake in successful early childhood Jewish programs —parents, teachers, directors, rabbis, and lay leaders —need to consider how to raise the level of excellence in these programs. 

“Our Families, Our Children, Our Future, 21^st Century Early Childhood Jewish Education” is the theme of this year’s Early Childhood Conference sponsored by the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE).  Held concurrently with the annual Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education,
this program will be take place August 5 – 9 at Washington University in St. Louis. 

Developmental psychologist, educator, child advocate, author, and
philanthropist Betty Bardige will offer the keynote address, “Wealth of Words — Building Language, Literacy, Culture, and Community in Early Childhood Jewish Education.”

In addition to sessions focusing on integrating Judaic and general curricula, differing early childhood Jewish education philosophies, and family education, several intensive tracks will be offered.  “Developing Your Jewish Early Childhood Education Program from the Inside Out” will assist early childhood directors in Jewish schools interested in strengthening and renewing the Jewish essence of their schools.

For classroom teachers in early childhood Jewish settings, two intensives
will be offered: “Emergent Curriculum in the Jewish Early Childhood Environment through Observation, Documentation, Evaluation and Implementation” and “Child-centered Judaically-integrated Programs.”

An early childhood Pre-Conference focusing on “Defining Excellence
in Early Childhood Jewish Education” will be held from August 2 – 5.

The CAJE 31 EXPO, one of the largest Jewish malls outside of Israel, will
feature Judaic textbook and trade book publishers, software and computer applications developers, educational institutions, Jewish organizations and programs, and ritual and fine art craftspeople and displays.

The Conference is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of St. Louis;
ARMDI, American Red Magen David for Israel; and the Jewish National Fund, with local assistance from the Central Agency for Jewish Education in St. Louis and the St. Louis Hillel at Washington University. The Early Childhood Conference @ CAJE 32 is partially underwritten by a generous grant from the
Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

Registration, as well as further information about the Conference, is now available online at www.caje.org. For questions, please contact CAJE at cajeny@caje.org or (212) 268-4210.

The foregoing was provided by the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education.

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Jews in the News          
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 Like you, we're pleased when members of our community are praiseworthy, and are disappointed when they are blameworthy. Whether it's good news or bad news, we'll try to keep track of what's being said in general media about our fellow Jews. Our news spotters are Dan Brin in Los Angeles, Donald H. Harrison in San Diego, and you. Wherever you are,  if you see a story of interest, please send a summary and link to us at sdheritage@cox.net.  To see a source story click on the link within the respective paragraph.
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*Edgar Bronfman Jr., chief executive and chairman of the Warner Music Group, has been mum on the controversy over whether record companies should decline to market songs with obscene lyrics or which preach violence. Marcus Franklin of the Associated Press has the story in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*A book review by  of Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Phillip Booth appeared in the May 13 edition of the St. Petersburg (Fla) Times. Bruce Lowitt who lives in that area passed the review along.

*Apropos of the logo at the top of this column, it was 59 years ago today that David Ben-Gurion declared the independence of the area of Palestine partitioned by the United Nations to serve as a Jewish state. In a memorable ceremony in Tel Aviv on May 14, 1948, he named the new state "Israel." Israelis celebrate Independence Day, Yom Ha'atzmaut,  on the 5th day of Iyar, according to the lunar Hebrew calendar.

*Stephen Feinberg, founder of Cerebrus Capital Management, proposed purchaser of Chrysler Corporation for $7.4 billion, is described as a reclusive individual who avoids publicity.  Kimi Yoshino and Martin Zimmerman have the story in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Attorney Barbara Lichman once told City of San Diego officials that Sunroad Enterprises temporarily would keep its controversial building near Montgomery Field at 160 feet, pending a company study of whether a 180-foot height would pose a risk to aviation.  The company subsequently decided to go ahead with the higher height. Lichman's letter was included in a chronology of the case reported by David Hasemyer in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Dr Norman Mann once persuaded a Christian colleague, Dr. George Bremner, to volunteer with him at a dental clinic in Kiryat Malachi, Israel, a city that was formerly a partnership region for San Diego's Jewish community.  When Bremner died last month, an obituary quoted Mann and others about Bremner's good works abroad and here in San Diego, where he had lived up to his vow never to turn away a patient for financial reasons. That April 24 obituary by Michael Kinsman provided Bremner an opportunity to do another good deed from beyond the grave, as it were. Kinsman followed the newspaper's style of referring to people who are not MD's as "Mr." rather than as "Dr.," prompting so many complaints that the newspaper's ombudswoman Carol Goodhue instituted an examination of that policy.  he result: dentists also will be identified in the San Diego Union-Tribune with the title "Dr." before their names. Goodhue's discussion of the case is in her column in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Israel's Defense Minister Amir Peretz announced that no massive retaliatory strike at Gaza is planned now, despite increasing Qassam missile attacks from that Palestinian territory.  His announcement came as Fatah and Hamas factions within Gaza were skirmishing with each other. The story by Ibrahim Barzak of the Associated Press is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune

*Robin Duboe Siegle, business manager of the National Conflict Resolution Center, added her tribute to Catholic School educator Brian Bennett in today's letters-to-the-editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune. She was commenting on a May 7 story by Helen Gao which focused on Bennett's upbeat attitude despite his affliction with Lou Gehrig's disease. 

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The Jewish Grapevine                                                    
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Art works of elementary school
students now hang in museum

EDUCATION BEAT—Lillian Liebman, a second grader at Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School, wove together the colors of the rainbow using yarn, ribbon and silk thread.  Today her 8 x 10 inch creation hangs in the San Diego Museum of Art.

Four of her classmates at the Orthodox Jewish school also can
             Lillian Liebman's rainbow weave

claim the same distinction. Ami Altert, a third grader, created a glazed ceramic bird which he painted in rainbow colors.  Emma Hydorn and Any Zandersip, also third graders, collaborated on a 12 x 18 inch work that their art teacher Avril Butbul describes as "almost a Jackson Pollock painting: they layered slashes of color and mounted them into black squares to make an abstract design."

Additionally, Dovid Wohlgelernter,  son of Rabbi Jeffrey Wohlgelernter of Congregation Adat Yeshurun, painted an 18 x 24 pastel and water color vase with multicolored tulips.  That painting will have an additional honor: it was selected for exhibition in one of the airport terminals at Lindbergh Field.

Golda Akhgarnia, a spokeswoman for the San Diego Museum of Art, said the students' works are among 150 paintings and art pieces selected for the museum's annual "Young Art" display.  She reported that works by students from schools throughout the county, including Chabad Hebrew Academy and the San Diego Jewish Academy, are included in the exhibit that runs through May 27.

"SDMA has been celebrating the achievements of San Diego students with exhibitions like 'Young Art' since its founding in 1926, making major contributions to the region's awareness of the importance of children's art education," said Akhgarnia. 

"'Young Art' is just one way that the Museum partners with local schools to promote and facilitate student art making.  SDMA has a longstanding commitment to strengthen and support art education in San Diego schools, not only through 'Young Art' but by also offering free tours for students, creating classes, workshops, open houses, and lesson plans for teachers, and by strengthening our ongoing partnership with local schools."

Art instructor Butbul is a native of South Africa, where she taught in the Johannesburg area both at the King David School and at the Torah Academy before immigrating to the United States in 1994.  In San Diego, she has taught not only at Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School, but also at Chabad Hebrew Academy and at the High School of Jewish Studies.  In her spare time, she enjoys creating ketubahs; doing silk painting, and interpreting subjects from nature on large canvases. 

READERS' RECOMMENDATIONS—Our readers are devoted web surfers, it would seem, and occasionally come upon articles that they believe are well worth sharing with other members of the Jewish community. For example, Prof. Lawrence Baron of San Diego State University was impressed with an article in Tikkun Magazine in which Israeli peace activists Uri Avnery and Ilan Pappe debated whether there should be a two-state solution (Avnery) to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or a single-state solution (Pappe).  Here is a link to the article in question. .. Jay Jacobson, in St. Louis Park, Minn., spotted a column by Rod Dreher in a recent issue of The Dallas Morning News on the struggle between Moderate Muslims and Islamists.  Here is that link.

Do you have a simcha that you would like to share with the Jewish community?  Send in notices of birth, bar/bat mitzvah, wedding, special anniversary, or other special events, honors or celebrations (with photos if you have them) to the San Diego Jewish World.  There is no charge for items used in our Jewish Grapevine section.  Our email address is sdheritage@cox.net
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