Library eConnection Winter 2009/10

The library is very pleased to announce that it has received a generous grant from the Leichtag Family Foundation to promote Jewish Culture in North County. These events will express the library through a photographic exhibit, with an appearance by David Rubinger and the annual Jacob Goldberg Lecture Series about Israel. Look for information about these future events in our next eConnection.

From the Chair

We will be starting the New Year without our leader, Jackie Gmach, who is retiring December 31st. Jackie has done an amazing job for the JCC and the SDCJC through her work as Program Director, Library Director, Music Director and of course, the San Diego Jewish Book Fair, which she made into the best Jewish Book Fair in the country.

She somehow keeps coming up with new, varied, innovative and interesting programs. Volunteering in the library won’t be quite the same for me. I have learned a lot from Jackie and I will miss her. She did promise to come to the library occasionally to read and borrow books. This is my favorite picture of Jackie in the library.

Roberta

Heidi Farkash shares an interesting experience:

What Secrets Lurk in Books?

As chair of the JCC’s annual Used Book Sale, I view hundreds (maybe even thousands) of books every year. As I was sorting books recently, a book called “Slave to Master: Aarons Journey” fell into my hands. It was a new large paperback, obviously a personal memoir, not professionally published. The cover was in dark browns and reds, kind of abstract, like flames, with barbed wire. Obviously a Holocaust book.

A quick flip through showed it was about a man, Aaron Herskowitz, who was a Czech citizen and soldier prior to WWII, was placed in the Hungarian forced-labor battalion, and then became a prisoner of the Russians. This is exactly the route of my father-in law Fred’s experiences in WWII. This book has maps. Fred always told me survivors of this chain of events are rare, and that if he only had good maps he could recover the memories easier.

So I grabbed the book, read it in one night and am sharing it with Fred. The book’s author is Howard Herskowitz, son of Aaron. Herskovitz is the maiden name of Fred’s mother, but it is somewhat common so I didn’t give it a lot of importance genealogically. Aaron’s town of Bilke is also close to Fred’s towns of Munkacs and Beregszasz, but while that makes the story more important to my family personally, it doesn’t make for relatives necessarily. Bilke had never come up in the thirty or so years I’ve been collecting stories and making the family tree of Fred’s family. I asked Fred if he ever heard of Bilke, since mapwise it seemed close to Aaron’s towns. He said, “Sure, I had lots of aunts and uncles there! I spent weeks there visiting as a child. My grandparents came from there when they settled in Beregszasz.” So while he couldn’t make a connection to the Herskowitz who wrote the book, nor did he recognize any of the photographs in the book, it’s very possible that Aaron and Fred are distant relatives. Now I’m hoping that Aaron’s son Howard will take a DNA test and maybe we can find a match (unless someone wants to try to delve into the archives).

So if any of you want to help sort the used books, you might find out something genealogically precious as well!

(Editor’s note: Although the Used Book Sale is in June, collecting and sorting goes on year-round.)

SAN DIEGO JEWISH GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

Sunday, January 10th , 1:00 p.m., Senior Activity Room. Non-SDJGS members $3.00

HOW TO FIND PEOPLE AND PUBLIC RECORDS

Speaker: Private eye Linda Fredin

Linda is a licensed private investigator and will share tips for finding people and public records using resources available to the public on the Internet.

Sunday, February 14th, 1:00 p.m., Senior Activity Room. Non-SDJGS members $3.00

UNCLE MOSES. Film and discussion with Dr. Lawrence Baron

This 1932 film depicts old-world values as they clash with new-world dreams. Dr. Baron (holder of Abraham Nasatir Chair in Modern Jewish History at SDSU) will lead a discussion following the showing.

Monday, March 8th, 7:30 p.m., Astor Judaica Library. Free Admission

Steve Luxenberg: ANNIE’S GHOSTS: A JOURNEY INTO A FAMILY SECRET

Please scroll down to the Distinguished Author Series for more information.

Congratulations to the San Diego Jewish Genealogical Society on the publication of its reference book:

JEWISH BURIALS IN SAN DIEGO, 1871-1995

The book is the result of a team effort, with members of the society gathering names and data at San Diego area Jewish cemeteries and mausoleums. Over 6,500 names are included in this 348-page reference book, sorted by both name and cemetery location. To purchase a copy, see Susan in the library.

Upcoming Samuel and Rebecca Astor Judaica Library Programs:

Library Expressing itself with POETRY

January 20, February 24, March 9, 7:30 P.M.

Poetic Pathways at the Library: Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices, Three evenings featuring local Jewish poets followed by “open mic” readings. Bring your poetry, read it, sing it and listen.

Free Admission: Reservations required as space is limited

Join us for the first event of our Annual Distinguished Author Series.

March 8, 7:30 P.M.

Steve Luxenberg: Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret

Washington Post reporter Steve Luxenberg, shares his quest to learn why his mother turned her sibling from younger sister to lifelong secret. Part memoir, part biography and part investigative reporting, this book humanizes a subject that touches more of us than we might realize.

Book Signing Follows - Free Admission: Reservations required as space is limited

Co-Sponsored by The San Diego Jewish Genealogical Society

Library Expressing itself with MUSIC

January 11, 7:30 P.M.

Orchestras in Israel: Historic Overview and the Wagner Issue

Presenter: Maestro Yoav Talmi, former Conductor, San Diego Symphony (1989-96); Music Director, Quebec City Symphony Orchestra; Permanent Guest Conductor, Israel Chamber Orchestra; Professor of Conducting, Buchmann-Mehta school of Music, Tel Aviv University; 2007 recipient of the Rank Peleg prize, Israel Ministry of Culture..

Examples of Yoav Talmi’s music will be performed by a quartet of San Diego Symphony Orchestra musicians. A brief video of Talmi’s life with musical score by son Gil Talmi will be shown.

Co-sponsored by the American Israel Cultural Foundation.

Free Admission: Reservations required as space is limited

February 8, 7:30 P.M.

Discovering Nabucco, an Opera by Giuseppe Verdi

Verdi’s Nabucco: A Composer’s First Success with Dr. Nicolas Reveles, Geisel Director of Education and Outreach, San Diego Opera and Professor William Propp, UCSD

Community Partner with the San Diego Opera

Free Admission: Reservations required as space is limited

CELEBRATING THE MENDELSSOHNS:

March 16, 7:30 P.M

Comparing the Music of Fanny and Her Brother

Eileen Wingard, retired San Diego Symphony Orchestra Violinist and Music Columnist, sdjewishworld.com, will speak about the Mendelssohn's musical influences. Examples from trios by Fanny and Felix will be performed by the Miryam Trio, Eileen Wingard, violin; Marcia Bookstein, cello; Irina Bendetsky, piano.

Free Admission: Reservations required as space is limited

March 23, 7:30 P.M

The Claustrophobic Intimacy between Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn

Speaker Deborah Hertz is the Herman Wouk Chair in Modern Jewish Studies at the University of California at San Diego. She is the author of Jewish High Society in Old Regime Berlin [Yale, 1988], and How Jews Became Germans: The History of Conversion and Assimilation in Berlin [Yale, 2007]. Musical examples by Marcia Bookstein, cello, and Irina Bendetsky, piano.

Free Admission: Reservations required as space is limited

For further information about upcoming events: www.lfjcc.org or see our “Expressing Itself” Library brochure.

For underwriting opportunities contact Susan Hagler susanh@lfjcc.com, 858 362-1134

The next meeting of the Library Committee is set for January 14, 2010 at 12:00 noon here in the library. If you are interested in joining the Library Committee, please contact Susan Hagler, susanh@lfjcc.com, 858 362-1134.

ABOUT THE LIBRARY

Thank you to all of our Astor Judaica Library supporters and volunteers.
The Astor Judaica Library is a community resource. If you have a program that you would like to introduce to the community by using the Library venue, please contact Jackie Gmach.

LIBRARY CONTACTS:
Astor Judaica Library Chair: Roberta Berman
Jackie Gmach, JCC Program Director: 858-362-1150 jackieg@lfjcc.com
Susan Hagler, JCC Program Associate: 858 362-1134 susanh@lfjcc.com

San Diego Center for Jewish Culture
Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS
4126 Executive Drive• La Jolla, CA 92037 • 858.457.3030
www.lfjcc.org • webmaster@lfjcc.com