JCF | Jewish Teen Foundation Program | Apply by May 29

CLICK HERE to learn more or contact darren@jcfsandiego.org.

CLICK HERE to apply. Application Deadline is May 29th.

Upcoming Jewish Community Events

As a service to the community, Federation lists events of general interest.  

Our listing of an event does not mean we endorse the event, nor the view of the speakers. 

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CJC Presents Distinguished Speaker Series | May 18

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets.

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Invitation from Adam & Josh of MidraSHOW | Homebrew Workshops | May 20

CLICK HERE to register for FREE event.

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San Diego Jewish Academy | Annual General Meeting | May 21

CLICK HERE to register for FREE event.

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Tifereth Israel | Shavuot Celebration | May 23

CLICK HERE for more information. RSVP to office@tiferthisrael.com by May 20th.

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Congregation Beth Israel | Community Tikkun Leil Shavuot | May 23



CLICK HERE to learn more about this FREE event.

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House of Israel | Ethnic Food Fair | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. | May 23 & 24

Hosted by the House of Pacific Relations, the Ethnic Food Fare features mouth-watering array of main dishes, appetizers, and beverages from each of our 32 International Cottages. From shwarma to bratwurst to egg rolls, you can taste delicacies from all over the world for a nominal price. And if that is not enough, we also feature arts, crafts, and entertainment from various participating countries. The House of Israel will feature Latkes, which are traditional potato pancakes, served with applesauce and/or sour cream, always a favorite! Parking and admission are free!

CLICK HERE for more information.

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House of Israel | Dead Sea Scroll Exhibit | Sundays 12-4 p.m. | Ends May 31

Two works of art created from matza will bring Spring and Passover to the House of Israel. The matza mosaic of a sheep inspired by famous Israeli artist Menashe Kadishman is meant to invoke symbol of the Paschal Lamb. The matza Dead Sea Scroll sculpture will sit atop the House’s permanent stone rendition of the Dead Sea Scrolls to offer a seasonal aspect to this historical symbol of the Land of Israel.

The pieces were created by students in 2nd-4th and 6th grade at Tifereth Israel Synagogue’s Abraham Ratner Torah School under the guidance of Rachel Naor. Students particularly enjoyed grinding matza up to make it look like sand, softening matza in order to mold it and assembling the colorful pieces of matza that they had painted into a mosaic image.

You can visit the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit at the House of Israel through May 31, 2015.

Header’s photo: Itamar Grinberg, Entrance to an art gallery in Safed

CLICK HERE for more information.

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House of Israel | Lawn Program House of Israel | May 31

The House of Israel Lawn Program will feature festive songs and dances of Israel. Lawn Programs are held on the House of Pacific Relations outdoor stage just outside the House of Israel. Entertainment is free. Proceeds for food and refreshments support the House of Israel.

Israeli Food Served 11:00 PM until 4:00 PM

Stage Show 2:00 until 3:30 PM

Admission and Parking are Free

Please note : The “Rock and Roll Marathon” will be taking place this day. Around 11:00 a.m., crowds will be LEAVING the park, so be prepared for a traffic ”challenge”!

CLICK HERE for more information.

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CJC | Adult Jewish Education | Summer Course | Begins June 2

CLICK HERE to register for course.

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JFS Presents | Saying "I Do" | Marriage Course  | June 16

CLICK HERE to register.

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JFS | Teen Programs | Girls Give Back & Hand Up Teen Leadership | Apply Now

CLICK HERE to apply for Girls Give Back. Register by August 1st.

CLICK HERE to apply for Hand Up Teen Leadership Program. Register by July 13th.

Through JDC’S Looking Glass | Aid Distribution in Nepal

ASam Amiel visits with the uncle of an earthquake victim in Manikhel, Nepal

Two weeks after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal, aid workers are still in full force, rebuilding lives, providing for victims, and evaluating the damage done. Worryingly, the earthquake struck just six weeks prior to monsoon season. While aid teams are working diligently to meet the needs of tens of thousands of displaced people, navigating through rough, mountainous terrain and mudslides, they are preparing for a monsoon season that is predicted to be particularly disastrous in the region.

Federation’s international partners at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) along with their local network of partners, including Tevel b’Tzedek and Teach For Nepal (TFN) have been on the ground, working round-the-clock to provide critical aid, food, and medicine while focusing on long-term relief efforts.

On May 5, senior member of JDC’s disaster response team, Sam Amiel, published his first-hand account, “On the Ground: Delivering Relief in Manikhel, Nepal,” which depicts the current situation in Nepal and sheds light on the tough realities that aid-workers are facing.

“Today's visit to a very tight-knit community that lost a daughter was heart-wrenching. We brought our condolences, visited with each family to understand how they are surviving, and delivered critically needed aid,” said Sam Amiel.

“The village school in Manikhel, 8,500 feet above sea level, served hundreds of children walking two hours each way from across the hilly region. The school is closed for a month, serving as a relief distribution point for 1,500 people across ten villages. When I visited, 15 families were living in the school, with many others forming makeshift structures from tarp, tin, stones, and wood salvaged from the piles of the rubble.

I saw wide-scale destruction in some of the hardest-hit districts in Nepal. It is extremely encouraging to know our partners at Teach for Nepal (TFN) and Tevel B'Tzedek take the same community-based approach as all of us at JDC when providing relief and assistance. We all fully believe in long-term sustainable impact for those most in need.”

Thus far, JDC’s disaster response team has visited six villages where more than 90 percent of homes are destroyed or uninhabitable. The need for shelter is great, especially given the monsoon season set to strike in five short weeks.

Today, JDC is activating their network of partners to identity solutions to best solve Nepal’s short and long-term needs.

One of JDC’s partner organizations in Nepal, Tevel B'Tzedek, has been developing strategies to help communities overcome the tragedy. The organization’s current and primary focus is on providing shelter, particularly transitional shelter that can withstand the impending monsoons.

“The torrential rains that are expected to strike Nepal in the coming weeks threaten the makeshift shelters and tents that were constructed in the wake of the earthquake. Overcoming great challenges, Tevel staff have succeeded in sourcing local construction materials and have already begun work erecting transitional and permanent housing in affected villages in which we work. Materials in short supply – especially tin, thick plastic sheeting and basic tools – are also being sourced from neighboring India and sent by plane from Israel. To give local children a sense of stability and a safe place to learn, we are also designing temporary learning spaces to replace the affected schools.”

All of this life-saving work is possible because or your generosity to Federation.

Nepal still needs our community’s support. Needs are mounting, supplies are dwindling and the monsoons are coming. You can help. Make your gift today at www.JewishinSanDiego.org/Nepal

100% of all contributions will go humanitarian aid in Nepal.

Click here to read Senior Member of JDC’s disaster response team, Sam Amiel’s, full story.

Click here to learn more about Tevel B'Tzedek and their live-saving efforts.

The Jewish Families of Ukraine

As conflict and separatist fighting continues along with severe currency depreciation, Ukraine’s economy is on the brink of collapse. Due to grim political and economic realities, thousands of Ukrainian Jews, most of whom were able to support themselves prior to the conflict and economic fallout, now find themselves vulnerable, destitute, and in need of basic necessities, like food, fuel and medicines. Of these thousands of Ukrainian’s in need the most vulnerable are young families and the elderly – which make up a majority of the country’s population.

The Jewish Federation of San Diego County and our global partners at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) are committed to caring for the Jews of Ukraine. As of May 5, the JDC reported that their aid recipient list – individuals and families receiving critical relief, financial support, and many other life-saving services – has grown. To date, JDC is serving 2,700 new clients. JDC reports that thousands more have left their homes in eastern Ukraine, relocating to places like Kiev, Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, and Odessa – becoming internally displaced in their own countries.

Below are the stories of two families, who are relying upon the assistance of JDC, and your generosity.

When fighting broke out in Donetsk between the government and separatist forces last year, Raisa Libenson believed she could stay with her family in their home by the airport. It wasn’t until her apartment sustained a direct hit from a mortar shell, tearing through the walls and furniture, and rendering the 78-year-old temporarily deaf, that she realized she had to leave.

“Shell fragments were all over my bed,” she recalled. “There was smoke in the apartment. I rushed into the room and it felt like something hot flew over me. I froze with fear. I could not realize how I would survive.”

Since then, Libenson and her husband of 56 years have been staying in Pavlograd, a city a few dozen miles from the frontline.

Roman Dubovskoy and his family relocated from Lugansk to Zaporozhye when violence erupted in their hometown last August. Now, all eight of them (Dubovskoy and his wife, their four children, and his wife’s parents) live together under the same roof. Roman, who is a psychologist, had to come out of retirement to provide for his extended family. Luckily, he found employment at the local JCC where he treats fellow displaced Jews from the east.

Roman Dubovskoy and daughter.

JDC helps Ukrainian Jews like the Dubovskoys and Libensons pay the rent and provides them with clothes, footwear, and a monthly stipend for food, medicine, and other essentials. During the winter months, displaced Ukrainians are being sent items like blankets, socks, and pajamas to help cope with a cold, unforgiving reality.

Libenson said she was deeply grateful for the meat, cheese, sour cream, and oil JDC gives her through the Hesed – JDC’s relief centers.

“Maybe, it is not for long, but it’s like a breathing period for us,” she said. “We would not survive during these eight months in Donetsk without Hesed.”

Such life-saving aid is due to your generosity. Thank you for all that you do.

The Jews of Ukraine still need your support. Click here, to make a gift today.

Click here, to read the full stories of these families and to learn how JDC is working to keep thousands of Jews on their feet during this time of crisis.

May 9th - A Day to Celebrate and Remember

Dear Colleagues,

Throughout the globe and across time, the Jewish community has been blessed with countless heroes who have made a difference. During World War II millions lost their lives, among them hundreds of thousands of Russian Jewish soldiers and officers who fought in the Red Army against Nazism. May their memory be a blessing.

In recognition of their sacrifice, we are sharing a letter from Ilia Salita, Chief Executive Officer of the Genesis Philanthropy Group. We join three million Russian-speaking Jews who will commemorate this important moment in our history this weekend.

Sincerely,

Jerry Silverman
President & Chief Executive Officer
The Jewish Federations of North America

May 9th, a Day to Celebrate and Remember

By Ilia Salita, Chief Executive Officer, Genesis Philanthropy Group

In every culture, there are days on the calendar that stand out. Our unique celebrations have always been cultural markers of a shared history, each year adding one more link to a chain that connects grandparents and grandchildren, as well as those who have never met. The Jewish calendar is punctuated by a plethora of such days, and there is no doubt about how critical they are to the identity we share.

I mention this to provide a sense of the scope and depth of feeling that comes with May 9th for those whose families hail from the Former Soviet Union. This year is especially important, as it commemorates a 70th anniversary. If mental math is your thing, perhaps you have already zoomed back to May 9th, 1945 and are wondering what exactly happened on this day, or, perhaps you have known all along. But just in case…

On this day, 70 years ago, Nazi Germany capitulated to the Soviet Union, finally closing the Eastern Front of World War II, or the Great Patriotic War, as it was known in that part of the world. Thus, Victory Day – a celebration of the triumph over Nazism, of the end of a long and bloody war and, of course, a memorial to those who lost their lives in the struggle.

Flickr photo courtesy of Eike Siemrodt

So, how is this a Jewish story? It is the story of the 500,000 Jewish soldiers and officers who fought in the Red Army, just as V-Day is the story of the 550,000 Jewish soldiers and officers of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is the story of airmen and partisans, of nurses and factory workers, of those who died and of those who survived. They fought for their lives, the lives of their families, the lives of so many others whom they had never met, and they were victorious.

Several decades later, their children, grandchildren and, in many cases, they themselves, due in no small part to the hard work of the Jewish Federations, as well as to the generosity of the North-American Jewish community, won another victory: the right to live where they choose.

It is a tradition for many of these families to raise their glasses in thanks on the date of their arrival in their new homes, celebrating their new lives. Likewise, every May 9th, they thank and honor their grandparents and great-grandparents for their contributions and sacrifices 70 years ago, without which everything else would have been impossible.

It is because this day is, very much, a Jewish story - one of triumph, medals, and lives saved, despite the many that were lost – that I wanted to share it with you, so that this Shabbat, May 9th, all of us might celebrate together.

The Triumphant Return of Options and Men's Event

JITLI Documentary | "Seeking Peace, Finding Hope" | May 13

Seeking Peace, Finding Hope

Wednesday, May 13

The Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center | David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre

(4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037)

At 6:00 PM

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets. 

Perhaps peace in the Middle East is a future possibility? Seeking Peace, Finding Hope is a moving and uplifting documentary that examines the impact of the Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs International Teen Leadership Institute (JITLI) – a visionary leadership program of Gary Jacobs, Jerri-Ann Jacobs and Yaccov Schneider, that brings together Jewish and Palestinian teens to form meaningful connections to narrow the gap between the two cultures. There will be a discussion with the producers of the film following the screening.

According to Giovanni Moujaes', Director of the film, "Seeking Peace, Finding Hope documents the intense, stimulating discussions held in Berlin, Germany, where topics such as Gaza, Israel, the Holocaust, Hamas, peacekeeping, and international diplomacy are all addressed along with how such affiliations become rooted in the human element over history. The analysis of such topics call into question the future of millennial relationships and their impact on healthy relations between the two cultures."

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets.