'There's a Jewish story everywhere'
 


Thursday, October 15, 2009



Editor's Note: Events are listed in alphabetical order of the organization sponsoring them.

Anti-Defamation League -- Leo Frank case —The Anti-Defamation League is pleased to present a screening of The People vs. Leo Frank, a new film by award-winning director Ben Loeterman. The event will take place on October 15th at 7:00 p.m. in AMC La Jolla, located at 8765 Villa La Jolla Dr. 92037. Following the screening, Loeterman will lead a discussion/moderate a panel about important themes from the film, including what it means to be considered ‘the other’ today.The People vs. Leo Frank brings to vivid life one of the most fascinating criminal cases in American history: the 1913 murder of a child laborer in an Atlanta pencil factory, and the trial and lynching of Leo Frank, the Jewish factory supervisor from “up North” accused of her murder. Shot on location in Atlanta, the film illuminates the scandalous trial and its shocking aftermath with dramatic sequences created verbatim from transcripts, documents and letters. A strong cast is led by Will Janowitz (The Sopranos) and Seth Gilliam (The Wire). In addition, a remarkable trove of rare historic images and new interviews with authors, historians, politicians and descendents of the participants infuse nearly century-old events with a special resonance for today.Set against the backdrop of an American South struggling to shed its legacy of bigotry and xenophobia, the story is both a first-rate murder mystery and a thought-provoking look at racial, religious, regional and class prejudices in the early years of the 20th century. A presentation of SCETV, Ben Loeterman’s The People vs. Leo Frank premieres nationally on PBS on Monday, November 2, at 10PM (check local listings).Tickets for The People vs. Leo Frank event are $18.00. They can be obtained by calling (619) 293-3770. For more information, contact Monica Bauer, mbauer@adl.org, (619) 293-3770



College Avenue Senior Adult Center—Thursdays schedule— Classes and Activities offered by Jewish Family Service at Beth Jacob Synagogue, 4855 College Avenue: Painting with Marsha Austin Rogers (9 am – 12 pm); Mah Jongg (10 am); Laughter Yoga with Michael Coleman (10:30 am); Blood Pressure Check (2nd and 4th Thursdays at 10 am); Arthritis Group exercise class (10 am); Special Weekly Lectures (12:45 pm, Please call for topic information); Meditation with Jeff Zlotnik (11:15 am - 12 pm). For more information on any of the classes or activities, call (619) 583-3300.

J*Company—South Pacific— 7 p.m., the award-winning J*Company Youth Theatre, a program of the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center,Jacobs Family Campus, is pleased to announce its production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s immortal favorite, South Pacific , which premiered on Broadway 60 years ago. The production will run October 15-25 at the David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre. It all starts “Some Enchanted Evening” on an island paradise during World War II, where two parallel love stories are threatened by the dangers of prejudice and war. The natural beauty of the islands, the hijinks of the sailors, the danger of war, and the strength of true love are joined by a sensational Rodgers and Hammerstein score featuring such hits as “Bali Ha’i,” “Younger Than Springtime,” and “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair.” Based on James Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Tales of the South Pacific, the musical was nominated for ten Tony Awards and won all of them, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Libretto and all four awards for acting. J*Company will produce a gorgeous 60th Anniversary production for the entire family.“This is the first of our year-long tribute to the brilliance of Rodgers and Hammerstein and the Golden Age of American Musical Theatre,” said J*Company Artistic Director Joey Landwehr. “South Pacificholds a very special place in my heart as my very first union production at the age of 19. It starred Victoria Mallory and the late, great Howard Keel. I remember loving the music and performing for 15,000 people every night.”Heading the cast of South Pacific Are are:Ensign Nellie Forbush: Danielle Smotrich, 17, High Tech High International; Emile De Becque: Darien Sepulveda, 16, High Tech High International;Seabee Luther Billis: Robbie Friedman, 18, Rancho Penasquitos resident, high school graduate; Bloody Mary: Satya Chavez, 16,  Academy of our Lady of Peace;Lieutenant Joe Cable: Daniel Myers, 15, High Tech High International; Liat: Danielle Levin, 15, San Diego School of Creative & Performing Arts.  

Lawrence Family JCC—Art exhibit—The Gotthelf Art Gallery, part of the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS, is pleased to announce the new exhibition Like Water on Rock: Exhibit by the Jewish Women Artists’ Network, running September 10, 2009 – October 30, 2009. Art is for sale, with all proceeds benefiting the artists and the Gotthelf Art Gallery. The title of this exhibit relates the phenomenon of the soft continuous drip of water that eventually erodes a hard rock to personal, familial, communal or global challenge and change. The poetry and image of Like Water on Rock provoke a variety of responses and suggests a relationship between time, the human process, the persistence of change and the many layers of meaning that speak to each artist in her own way Dr. Barbara Gilbert, Senior Curator Emerita of The Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, selected the work for this exhibition. Dr Gilbert points out the great diversity in this exhibition as well as the wide range of personal expression: “Beginning in the nineteen-sixties when artists in greater numbers began to explore the potential of their Jewish heritage, most efforts were identity-based. Like Water on Rock provides an opportunity for artists to transcend this earlier approach, challenging them to think expansively and take ideas and values inherent to Jewish tradition, adapting them to concerns of the larger society.” The participating artists are: Linda Arreola, Ruth Askren, Madeleine Avirov, Helene Aylon, Carol Buchman, Emily Corbato, Anne Doris-Eisner, Harriet Finck, Karen Frostig, Teresa Gale, Sari Gilbert-Batchelor, Fay Grajower, Beth Haber, Katherine Janus Kahn, Rachel Kanter, Julie Klaper, Wendy Sue Lamm, Elaine Langerman, Aline Mare, Freyda Miller, Priscilla Otani, Margaret Parker, Roxanne Phillips, Cindy Rinne, Launa D. Romoff, Dawn Saks, Masha Schweitzer, Margaret Silverman, Simone Soltan and Marian Yap.Thirty artists from across the United States were selected to comprise this exhibit. "To have thirty talented Jewish women artists exploring the theme of change is exciting to see, "says Randy Savarese, Gotthelf Art Gallery Committee Chair. "We are excited to give these artists a platform to exhibit their diverse work and the San Diego community an opportunity share art from around the country." The Jewish Women Artist’s Network is a special interest group within the National Women’s Caucus for Art (WCA) and is the only organization of professional Jewish women artists in the United States. The Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS, is located at 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. Gallery hours are Sunday-Friday, 9 a.m.—5 p.m. For more information about the Gotthelf Art Gallery and other programs of the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture, visit the web site at www.sdcjc.org or call (858) 457-3030.


Lawrence Family JCC
- H20 Aerobics—8:30 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, $7 JCC member, $12 non-member per class, or $40 ten classes for JCC member, $55 for non member. More information at (858) 362-1337,  or via the website www.lfjcc.org

Lawrence Family JCC
—Pan Card Game – For JCC members only, no fee; 11:45 a.m to 3:15 p.m. For more information (858) 457-3030 or via the website www.lfjcc.org

Ner Tamid Synagogue
—Arab-Israeli conflict—Retired attorney Jim Freedman leads a discussion on such topics as the creation of hte modern state of Israel, Islamic terrorism, Friends of Israel-American Christians, Media War against Israel, refugees, myth of 'occupied territories,' current events, U.S. Israel relations and what can be done to help Israel--from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursdays through December 3, in the library at Ner Tamid Synagogue, 15318 Pomerado Road, Poway. For more information, call Freedman at (858) 395-4427.



Network of Spiritual Progressives—Rabbi Michael Lerner-The editor of Tikkun magazine, Rabbi Michael Lerner, will be the featured speaker at 7 p.m., Thursday, October 15, at a forum cosponsored by the Network of Spritual Progressives San Diego and the San Diego School of Christian Studies.Lerner's topic will be "The Present Spiritual Challenge for U.S. and Global Survival." He'll spak in Linder Hall of the First United Methodist Church of San Diego, (619) 221-2937. More information: (619) 221-2937. Registration on line at www.fumcsd.or/sdscs/nsp

Oceanside Museum of Art
Fabric of Survival: The Art of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz— Esther Nisenthal Krinitz was a teenager in rural Poland when the Nazis invaded her quiet village, changing her life forever. Separated from their family, young Esther and her sister survived the Holocaust pretending to be Polish Catholics, eventually coming to America after the war. Several programs are planned throughout the exhibition that celebrate Jewish culture and honor Holocaust memories. In New York, Esther continued the sewing and embroidery she learned as a child. She was an avid storyteller and throughout their lives, shared with her daughters the story of her harrowing days as a youth in Nazi occupied Poland. A gifted seamstress, Esther decided, at age 50, to tell her story in cloth, stitching thirty-six beautiful and poignant appliqué and embroidered panels which comprise the exhibition, Fabric of Survival: The Art of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz. It will be shown through October 25, except Mondays. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.to 4 p.m., Sundays 1 p.m.-4 p.m. For more information call the museum at (760) 435-3720, or visit its website at www.oma-online.org
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Old Globe TheatreSammy—The late Sammy Davis Jr. broke ground as an entertainer and as an interreligious figure. His conversion to Judaism was a sensation, with Davis later explaining that after the car accident in which he had lost an eye, he had reflected with singer Eddie Cantor about the similarities between the Jewish and American experiences. Years later, he appeared on a television special with Nancy Sinatra, and the kiss they gave each other in greeting was believed to have been the first inter-racial kiss ever seen on television. Nancy's father, Frank Sinatra, was, along with Davis, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop were members of a high-flying group of popular entertainers known as the "Rat Pack." Sammy Davis, Jr., the man, his songs, and dancing are the subject of a world premiere to be performed at the Old Globe, September 19 through Nov 8, with the title role to be filled by Obba Babatunde, whose own career was influenced by Davis. Leslie Bricusse wrote the book, and most of the music and lyrics. Curtain times and other information available on line at www.theoldglobe.org.

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San Diego Jewish Academy—Public Orientations—San Diego Jewish Academy (SDJA) will host a pair of evening events in October at which students and families will have the opportunity to learn about the school's philosophy, classes and faculty.SDJA's Maimonides Upper School Humanities program will be showcased during "Humanities Highlights" on October 7 at 7:00pm. Golda Meir Lower School will host "Language Arts and Hebrew in Focus" on October 15 at 6:30pm. The school is located at 11860 Carmel Creek Road in the Carmel Valley section of San Diego. For more information, contact Admissions Director Renee Sherman at (858) 704-3716 or rsherman@sdja.com.
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San Diego Repertory Theatre—Long Story Short—The San Diego Repertory Theatre will present October 3-November 1 Long Story Short, a musical based on a 50-year love affair between Hope, an Asian American woman, and Charles, a Jew who moved to Los Angeles from New York. Written by Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda, and starring Robert Brewster and Melody Butiu, the musical is described as a "timetraveling romance that begins with a blind date and goes all the way to old age in one exotic song-filled evening!" It will be presented at the Lyceum Space at 79 Horton Plaza. For tickets, call the box office at (619)-570-1100

San Diego Repetory Theatre
--Sam's Salon—At 7 p.m., prior to the 8 p.m. production of Long Story Short, listed above, Artistic Director Sam Woodhouse hosts a provocative conversation about marriage across cultural and religious boundaries. What special myths, traditions and even superstitions must couples like Hope and Charles in Long Story Short face and embrace as they try to make their marriage work? Sam’s guests are Dr. Lilly Cheng, an ethnographer and author who has conducted research in multiculturalism with a focus on Chinese, the Chinese diaspora and Chinese Americans. She is the managing director of the Confucius Institute and Director of Chinese Studies at SDSU; and
Rabbi Dr. Wayne Dosick, spiritual guide of The Elijah Minyan, director of the Soul Center for Spiritual Healing, former adjunct professor at USD and author of The Complete Guide to Jewish Belief, Tradition and Practice. Discover how two very different cultural traditions make the love story of Hope and Charles both unique and universal.

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Tifereth Israel Synagogue—Card Tournament—The Men's Club and the Sisterhood combine for a charitable "Bunco and Texas Hold-em Tournament" at 6:30 p.m. in the synagogue's Cohen Social Hall at 6660 Cowles Mountain Blvd. An $18 single tickert or $30 per couple includes pasta dinner and beverages. Texas Hold-Em participants have an additional $25 buy in. Paid reservations required by Oct. 8. RSVP on line at www.tiferethisrael.com/sisterhood/buncopoker . More information: Barbara715@aol.com, or Kavy2@cox.net


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