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NOW-SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 Temple Solel S'more Shabbat
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MON., SEPT. 29-THURS., OCT. 9
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THE JEWISH CITIZEN
Jewish stories at the foot of a hospital bed
By Donald H. Harrison
 SAN DIEGO—Sometimes that “Jewish story everywhere” presents itself at the foot of your hospital bed in the form of a doctor or a nurse.
Such, at least, has been my situation since Shabbat when I was advised to hie myself to the emergency room. Blood tests had indicated a bacterial infection was swimming around my body. So to Kaiser Permanente Hospital, which comfortingly enough is located on Zion Avenue, I went. Soon enough I had occasion to meet Dr. Paulo Berger, an emergency room doctor.
He had been raised both at the Centro Social Israelita in Tijuana—where he grew to love the cantorial melodies of Max Furmansky and son Joseph Furmansky—and a short way across the U.S. border at Temple Beth Sholom in Chula Vista. One of my friends, former Navy Chaplain Bernard “Bud” Frankel had been one of his rabbis there.
Now head of his own family, Berger is a member of Congregation Beth Am in the Carmel Valley section of San Diego, east of Del Mar, and a contributor to the United Jewish Federation through the annual Men’s Event.
I happily absorbed this information during some quiet early morning hours in the E.R.— as it turned out, during the proverbial calm before the storm. After I left the emergency room to be admitted into the regular hospital, things got very busy in there. I later heard it was all the doctors could do to keep up with the flow. Meanwhile, I asked my wife Nancy to bring the tools of my trade to the hospital, in particular my laptop computer so that I could continue to publish the daily San Diego Jewish World.
Kaiser Hospital is a little United Nations with medical personnel from all over the world. Nurses and doctors who cared for me had national backgrounds that included India, Burma, Lebanon, the Philippines and Mexico. There were also my fellow Jews, among them Kerri Kaufman, a registered nurse, and Dr. John Siegel, a supervising physician.
Kaufman, a native of Binghampton, N.Y., had majored in journalism at Penn State University, then found the news process not at all to her liking. What turned her off completely was the day she was required to seek an interview with a distraught family who had just lost a child. She felt that she had invaded the family’s privacy, adding to their pain. Having grown up in a family of caregivers, she decided to turn to nursing. Her father, Stuart, is an optometrist; her mother, Marjorie, is a speech pathologist. And her brother, Matthew, is studying to be a doctor.
Members of a Conservative synagogue, the Kaufman family keep a kosher home, and have also kept close to the local Chabad House. Among mainline Orthodox rabbis they got to know in Binghampton was Avram Bogopulsky, who now is the spiritual leader of Beth Jacob Congregation in San Diego.
After securing her license as a registered nurse, Kaufman worked for two years in the cardiothoraxic area of Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., and then became a “travel nurse,” in response to the national demand for trained nurses.
Travel nurses typically accept three-month contracts for their services at a pay rate .higher than that of resident nurses. Kaufman agreed to a contract with Kaiser, which includes a furnished apartment within short commuting distance of the hospital. She and Kaiser have renewed the contract three times since the original contract was fulfilled. However, when this three-month period is completed in September, Kaufman has pressing reasons to return to the East Coast. She and Jonathan Weinstein, whose degree is in hotel and restaurant management, plan to be married.
She said she plans to continue to work as a travel nurse for a while, but would like to have her first child within four years, by the time she turns 30. At that point, she’d like to be a stay-at-home mom as her own mother was.
Nancy and I’ve known Dr. Jonathan Siegel since the days when he was a school boy. His parents, Paula and the late Dr. Robert Siegel—a forensic dentist—were among the first friends we made after moving to San Diego in 1972.
Siegel recently returned with his wife, Dr. Barbara Lounsbury, a Kaiser developmental pediatrician, and children, Ben and Rebecca, from Congregation Beth Israel’s trip to Israel led by Cantor Arlene Bernstein. During the trip, members of the Junior Choir performed in different Israeli cities, and the entire group toured some of Israel’s best known tourist sites. Having traveled often in Israel, and knowing the country well, Siegel had been a little wary of traveling with a group—as opposed to just taking his family off on their own. But he said that one of the compensations for group travel was the chance to renew or make new friendships with other members of the group.
Among those with whom Drs. Siegel and Lounsbury went on excursions, and got to know better, were Myla Wingard and Dr. Lou Rosen, a fellow Kaiser doctor. Their daughter , Adira, also was a member of Beth Israel’s Youth Choir.
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Touching the Soul author touched by review
Editor, San Diego Jewish World
I feel most honored and humbled by your beautiful and gracious review (of Touching the Soul). I cannot begin to thank you. With kindest regards.
Max Fallek
Author
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ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
Editor's Note: To create a permanent and accessible archive, we are reprinting news articles that appeared in back issues of various San Diego Jewish newspapers. You may access an index of the headlines of those articles by clicking here. You may also use the Google search program on our home page or on the headline index page to search for keywords or names.
Temple Senior League
From Southwestern Jewish Presss, November 18, 1949, page 7
WE HATE TO SAY “WE TOLD YOU SO!!”
But, by golly, we’re only human and we can’t resist the temptation of telling you about the terrific time we all had at our last meeting.
Jack Lubo, who is back with us again, ran off a program that was more fun than an elevator full of monkeys. Our spirits were (up-up-going-up) and the Center echoed our good humor as we played the zaniest version of musical chairs ever dreamed of.
Take a friendly tip from us. Join the bandwagon and attend our meetings- the second and fourth Thursdays of every month. Next meeting date (because of Thanksgiving) will be Thursday, December 8, 8:30 p.m. The place - Temple Center, Third and Laurel Sts. Jack promises some elegant plans for the coming months - Better and better meetings and many other activities. All you guys and gals 15-75 are invited to join the frolics and meet your friends.
Temple Beth Israel P.T.A.
From Southwestern Jewish Presss, November 18, 1949, page 7
On Tuesday evening, November 22nd at 8 p.m., the Temple Beth Israel P.T.A. will hold its second regular meeting.
The principal speaker for the evening will be Dr. G. G. Wetherill, who is the Director of Health Education of the San Diego City Schools. Dr. Wetherill’s topic will be “The Sex Education of Your Child.” He is a very fine, effective speaker and his subject is a worthwhile one to hear. A discussion period will follow Dr. Wetherill’s talk.
A large attendance is expected at this meeting at the close of which refreshments will be served in the Thanksgiving Motif.
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Bankruptcy faces Israel, declares Christian minister
From Southwestern Jewish Presss, November 18, 1949, page 8
“Today’s crisis in Israel has the new nation on the verge of bankruptcy,” declared Reverend John S. Grauel, Christian minister, in one of the outstanding addresses heard in San Diego in 1949.
Speaking before several hundred people last week, Grauel pleaded as a Christian and a humanitarian, for cash payments of pledges, so that more dollars might be sent to the United Jewish Appeal to alleviate the suffering of Jewish immigrants to Israel.
Reverend Grauel stirred the audience with his stories of the “Exodus, 1947,” the war in Israel, and the events he had seen on his last visit to the new nation.
“You wanted Israel as a nation, and now you must do your part to see that it remains a nation” he concluded.
Grauel was joined by Madame Paulette Oppert, French war-resistance heroine, who graphically portrayed the crying needs of 85,000 Jewish immigrants now in camps in Israel.
Though Eli H. Levenson, Chairman for the evening, announced that there would be no solicitation of funds, he urged everyone to turn their pledges into cash.
Hadassah
From Southwestern Jewish Presss, November 18, 1949, page 8
The San Diego branch of Hadassah, Zionist Women of America heard plans by general chairman Mrs. Sylvia Haffner on their fourth annual Premiere, which will be an event of January 16, 1950. Mrs. Ben Harris was the gracious hostess in her charming new home for this meeting. The committee to work on this annual huge fund-raising affair and the talent for the show will be announced at a later day.
The delegates to the National Convention which is in progress at present in San Francisco received their assignment and their reports are awaited and will be given at the next Hadassah meeting.
Junior Pioneer Women
From Southwestern Jewish Presss, November 18, 1949, page 8
The next event of the Junior Pioneer Women will be the novelty dance which will be held on Saturday, December 3rd at the Mission Beach Women’s Club.
Mrs. Aubrey Shulkind, chairman for this affaire which will feature many square dance numbers, extends a cordial invitation to everyone to come and enjoy an evening of fun with their group.
Reservations are being taken by Mrs. Aubrey Shulkind and her co-chairman, Mrs. Maurice Shulkind.
Temple Beth Israel
From Southwestern Jewish Presss, November 18, 1949, page 8
Temple Beth Israel will observe a “Guest Shabbath” at the regular Friday evening Service this evening which will be dedicated to the unaffiliated guests.
Rabbi Morton J. Cohn, spiritual leader of the Temple, will conduct this special service. Several hundred invitations have been sent to unaffiliated families and a large attendance is anticipated.
Nathan F. Baranov, Membership Chairman, states, “The special purpose of this Service is to acquaint the unaffiliated Jew with the many services which the organized religious center that is the real life of the community can render to him.”
The Service will be featured by Cantor Julian K. Miller, whose rich, melodic voice now graces each Temple Service. He will offer a program, “Gems of Jewish Music.”
Temple Beth Israel officers and members join Rabbi Cohn in a cordial invitation to everyone unaffiliated to attend this Service. A reception in the Temple Center will follow.
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 Nancy Harrison
cruise & tour specialist
(619) 265-0808
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