April 2026

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WITH CHABAD LAG BAOMER LAG BAOMER BAOME

MAY 5 MAY 5

FIND OUT MORE FROM YOUR LOCAL CHABAD! WE HAVE LOCATIONS ALL OVER SD: Scripps Ranch (Chabad S. Diego HQ), Bonita, Carlsbad, Carmel Valley, Chula Vista, Coronado, Downtown, East County, Encinitas, Escondido, La Costa, La Jolla, North Park, Oceanside/Vista, Pacific Beach, Penasquitos, Rancho Bernardo Rancho S. Fe, SDSU, Tierra Santa, UCSD, University City

To learn more about Lag Baomer visit Chabad.org

PUBLISHERS

Mark Edelstein and Dr. Mark Moss

EDITOR

Susan Edelstein

ASSISTANT EDITOR Makayla Hoppe

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Donna D’Angelo

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Eileen Sondak

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Emily Bartell, Linda Bennett, Andrea Simantov, Trevor James McNeil, Marnie Macauley, Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort, Galia Miller Sprung, Micah Siva, Lisa McGuigan

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR

Pepe Fainberg

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES

Alan Moss | Palm Springs

EDITORIAL editor@sdjewishjournal.com

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CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS ronniew@sdjewishjournal.com

ART DEPARTMENT art@sdjewishjournal.com

LISTINGS & CALENDAR assistant@sdjewishjournal.com

SDJJ is published monthly by San Diego Jewish Journal, LLC. Subscription rate is $24 for one year (12 issues). Send subscription requests to SDJJ, 122 15th Street, PO Box 421, Del Mar Ca 92014. The San Diego Jewish Journal is a free and open forum for the expression of opinions. The opinions expressed herein are solely the opinion of the author and in no way reflect the opinions of the publishers, staff or advertisers. The San Diego Jewish Journal is not responsible for the accuracy of any and all information within advertisements. The San Diego Jewish Journal reserves the right to edit all submitted materials, including press releases, letters to the editor, articles and calendar listings for brevity and clarity. The Journal is not legally responsible for the accuracy of calendar or directory listings, nor is it responsible for possible postponements, cancellations or changes in venue. Manuscripts, letters, documents and photographs sent to the Journal become the physical property of the publication, which is not responsible for the return or loss of such material. All contents ©2026 by San Diego Jewish Journal. The San Diego Jewish Journal is a member of the American Jewish Press Association and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

San Diego Jewish Journal (858) 442 9922

There are many ways to support Israel and its people, but none is more transformative than a gift to Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency services system. Your gift to MDA isn’t just changing lives — it’s literally saving them — providing critical care and hospital transport for everyone from victims of heart attacks to rocket attacks.

Donate today at MagenDavidAdom.org or call 866.632.2763.

The closeness of family and friends gathered together in thankful celebration. A special feeling. A special warmth. A time for sharing, when age-old traditions proudly grace the seder table. Wondrously alive and vital.

Sandy Roseman, Richard Prager and Families, and the Law Offices of Charles S. Roseman and Associates

Providing quality legal representation throughout California for over 54 years

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SUSAN EDELSTEIN

Celebrating Passover

Passover occurs in the spring, the season of rebirth, and it is the story of the birth of the nation of Israel more than 3,500 years ago. This is the narrative that connects Jewish people all over the world and connects one generation to the next. It is a chronicle worth celebrating and passing on. As told in the Book of Exodus, this story has it all — a tyrannical king, an unlikely hero, plagues, miracles, a swift flight for freedom, a vanquished army, and deliverance. It is the master-story of the Jewish people that has shaped the core values of standing against oppression, defending the vulnerable, social justice and resilience. SDJJ celebrates our history and wishes you a joyous Passover.

Our cover story is about the San Diego Museum of Art’s exhibition of its rarelyviewed collection of the art of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and its inspiration on this year’s Art Alive event. We are also featuring the story of (the first) 100 years of a beloved San Diego synagogue.

A little more about Passover — the Passover Seder is the structured, festive, ritual meal held to retell the story of the Exodus. Preparation for a Seder involves many foods and many steps, with the process of cleaning the house perhaps of the highest order as evidenced in the contributions of our regular writers, Rabbi Eilfort, Andrea Simantov and Galia Sprung, and in this sweet poem. A

Cleaning for Passover by

Bruce Black

The moment Passover cleaning begins Dust swirls like the grains of sand that Swirled beneath our feet as we fled Egypt.

The vacuum cleaner roars like the Roar of the waves at the Reed Sea When the waters parted to let us cross.

And we rush to get ready for another Passover just as we rushed centuries ago Toward safety before Pharaoh’s men could Slay us.

In the distance we can hear Miriam still Singing her song of freedom and we remember The way she and the women danced with Timbrels echoing on the shore.

Our Town

BY LINDA BENNETT & EMILY BARTELL

The Jewish Federation of San Diego’s annual community celebration, FED360, was held on February 7, at the Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center. Honoring the community connection and profound impact made by the Jewish Federation in San Diego, Israel and worldwide, this unforgettable evening was packed with over 800 people in attendance. Special Guests, Ziv and Gali Berman, spoke about their experiences as hostages and of their reunion. Some of those enjoying the evening were Teri and Howard Naftalin, Sonia Israel, Juli Bear, Jennifer and Yiftach Levy, Marie Raftery and Bob Rubenstein, Rachel and Jeff Schindler, and Howard Somers

Feb. 7

at the Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center. Honoring the community connection and profound impact made by the Jewish Federation in San Diego, Israel and worldwide, this unforgettable evening was packed with over 800 people in attendance. Special guests Ziv and Gali Berman spoke about their their reunion. Some of those enjoying the evening were Teri and Howard of

this year’s luncheon were Marin Foster, Bonnie Foster

brought our community of women together in celebration while enjoying beautiful views and exceptional cuisine. Some of those celebrating

Seacrest Foundation’s 2026 Women’s Auxiliary Golden Hearts Luncheon was held on March 1 at the Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas. Created as a celebration of wisdom, wellness and connection, speakers Deb Serban and Dr. Margo Aura Emami shared their expert guidance on how to feel your best and age with confidence. We also enjoyed listening to a panel of Seacrest Village residents who shared their personal secrets to happiness, health and longevity, including daily rituals and life lessons gained over the years. The emcees of this year’s luncheon, Marin Foster, Bonnie Foster Pollak and Sami Pollak, three generations of inspiring women, were magnificent at bringing our community of women together in celebration while enjoying beautiful views and exceptional cuisine. Some of those celebrating along with us were Lisa Jensen Measer, Lee Goldberg, Sharon Koren, Shelley Orlansky, Rusti Bartell, Alberta Feurzeig, Miriam Robbins, Barb Ziering, Linda Otchis, Talia Israel Feldman, Nelly Dean, Judy Morganstern, Melissa Garfield Bartell, Sandy Scheller, Norma Dreifus, Rabbi/Cantor Arlene Bernstein, Shirley Pidgeon, Lynn Greenstein, and Alyse Kirchen

Mazel Tov to Tifereth Israel Synagogue, a bedrock of the San Diego Jewish community, as they mark their 120th anniversary.

Mazel Tov to Adam and Dee Bloom on the birth of their daughter, Camilla Rose Bloom, born on February 2. Camilla’s grandparents, Karla and Larry Bloom, are absolutely delighted.

Feb. 2. Camilla’s grandparents, Karla and Larry Bloom, are absolutely delighted.

to Myrna on of their sixth grandchild, Quinn Ava Cohen, born on Feb. 15.

Mazel Tov to Mike and Myrna Cohen on the birth of their sixth grandchild, Quinn Ava Cohen, born on February 15. Happy parents are Greg and Rachel Cohen. Older sibling Jake (2 yrs.) is overjoyed.

Save the Date:

Sunday, April 19 at 3 p.m.: Jewish Community

Symphony Performance of “The Bear & The River,” featuring Schubert’s spirited Overture to Rosamunde and Haydn’s lively Symphony No. 82 “The Bear”, as well as guest artist, Martin Chalifour, performing Bach’s Violin Concerto in A Minor and Saint-Saëns’ Havanaise.

Camp Jaycee Campfire Gala

honoring friendships, Shabbats, and ruach (spirit)

Sunday, May 31: – Camp Jaycee Campfire Gala celebrating more than eight decades of Camp Jaycee, honoring friendships, Shabbats, and ruach (spirit) that have shaped generations of campers and staff.

Yom Huledets Sameach to...

Lee Ben-Yehuda celebrating her 95th birthday. Ernie Addleson celebrating his 91st birthday.

Paul Schulman celebrating his 83rd birthday.

Harvey Amster celebrating his 80th birthday.

CELEBRATING

Wedding Anniversaries

with infinite love & happiness, Mazel Tov to…

Helene and David Schlafman, 62 years.

Phyllis and Daniel Epstein, 62 years.

Hosted in partnership by sunday

Yom HaZikaron: Israel’s Day of Remembrance

Hosted in partnership by

Celebrate Israel: Yom HaAtzmaut Music Festival

Hosted in partnership by Yom HaShoah: Community Holocaust Commemoration

News & Notes

COMPILED BY SUSAN EDELSTEIN

The Hottest Teen Hangout on the Upper East Side is — a Kosher Grocery Store?

At Ouri’s Market, smoothies and Instagram buzz have made snacking into a scene.

by Misha Vaynerchuk, New York Jewish Week’s Teen Journalism Fellowship

When the Ramaz High School’s student government was looking for ways to foster school spirit this fall, it reached out to the one place that could unite the Upper East Side school’s students: Ouri’s Market.

A kosher grocery market might not be the most obvious place for teens to seek partnership — but then again, Ouri’s isn’t a typical store. It’s become a hotspot for local teens from Ramaz and other nearby

schools, drawn by its smoothies and social media buzz.

Because of the draw Ouri’s has with the Ramaz community, the students approached them about creating a custom drink. The store’s management got them in touch with their social media manager, and after sessions of testing, the result was the Ramaz Remix, an $8 blue raspberry mango lemonade in the school’s blue and gold colors.

Deni Avdija Becomes First Israeli to be Selected as an NBA All-Star

by Jacob Gurvis, JTA News

Portland Trail Blazers star Deni Avdija’s meteoric rise has officially reached a new stratosphere, as the 25-year-old forward has become the NBA’s first-ever Israeli All-Star.

Avdija was named an All-Star reserve for the Western Conference, an expected but deserved nod after the northern Israel native finished seventh in All-Star voting with over 2.2 million votes, ahead of NBA legends LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Avdija’s breakout performance this season has earned him repeated praise from James and others across the league.

For close observers of Israeli basketball, Avdija’s All-Star selection is the culmination of a promising career that began as a teenage star with Maccabi Tel Aviv and made him the first Israeli chosen in the top 10 in an NBA draft.

Chalamet, Opera, and My Mornings in Synagogue

by Andrew Silow Carroll, JTA News

On a recent Saturday I went to Shabbat services in the morning and the New York City Ballet in the evening. By which I mean, maybe Timothée Chalamet has a point.

The Oscar-nominated star is raising a ruckus with his suggestion that ballet and opera are dying art forms. “I don’t

want to be working in ballet or opera or things where it’s like, ‘Hey! Keep this thing alive,’” Chalamet said. “Even though it’s like no one cares about this anymore.”

“No one cares” is a gross overstatement. But ballet and opera remain niche entertainments.

Compare annual ticket sales for all American opera and ballet — 1.4 to 3 million each — to the 19 million viewers who tune into the Academy Awards on a single night.

The Metropolitan Opera admits what it really needs: “one of these triple-digit billionaires to give us a billion dollars.” Chalamet seemed to be saying he wants film to thrive as mass entertainment, not because a benefactor is propping up the industry.

But while every movement wants to thrive and grow, Judaism remains a counterculture. There is great satisfaction in rituals handed down and cultivated, and in passions pursued deeply rather than widely. Communities of shared values, however small or esoteric, are antidotes to a broad, impersonal society. The mass audience isn’t the point. The point is devotion, community and the quiet joy of being part of something small but enduring.

Judd Apatow Documents His Idol Mel Brooks in New

HBO Film

by Stephen Silver, JTA News

Growing up on Long Island, Judd Apatow had no doubt who ruled comedy. “Nobody was funnier than Mel Brooks,” he once wrote. “Mel Brooks was the king.”

Decades later, the prolific filmmaker has channeled that reverence into “Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man!,” a two-part HBO

documentary chronicling the comedy legend’s career.

“So many of us, like Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller and Amy Schumer, went into the business because they saw him and thought, ‘Oh, it’s possible,’” Apatow told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

American traditions and

playfully intertwine.

delightful

sizzling chemistry, and joyous celebrations create a warm-hearted theatrical treat. Fresh, funny, and deeply heartfelt, BEAU JEST delivers the perfect blend of humor and heart that will leave you smiling long after the final bow.

LIVING ON THE FRONT PAGE

by Andrea Simantov | andreasimantov@gmail.com

Of Sirens and Supper

Fear is getting to me. Running into shelters is getting to me. Not seeing my children and grandchildren for weeks on end is getting to me. Piles of dishes in the sink mirror the piles of laundry on the living room sofa, adding to the malaise. Quickly grabbed shawarma wraps and loosely scrambled eggs with an occasional tangerine before bed make up much of the current diet. Crisp green salads, rich with arugula and other crunchy veggies? Everything wilts in the fridge due to fatigue. Emotional and physical weariness is revealed on the scales’ rising numbers, along with frequent power naps, which are grabbed in desperation. Nothing in our day-to-day lives feels familiar. Routine is gone. I know that Passover is coming, and my dishes are still in the storage room, the usually joyous spiritual and physical preparations so far from my grasp.

Somewhere in my psyche, I remember the still unopened Passover haggadah and eerily intuit the plague of darkness, a yearning for redemption.

During the last Iranian conflict, the big question was whether or not to sleep in a bra, lest the middle-of-the-night forays to the bomb shelter would leave us looking less than kempt. This chapter, however, reveals not only a dearth of brassiers but a truly lackadaisical attitude toward sleepwear. Torn sweatpants, decades-old t-shirts covered by snorkel jackets on colder mornings, and glued-together flip-flops lend a careless tone to our frequent day-andnight get-togethers.

This past Shabbat, I went to shul with my husband at 6:45 a.m., hoping to get in some much-needed prayer, a quick

l’chaim at kiddush and home to sleep. On impulse, we invited another couple home with us to share in our personal kiddush, which is more of a brunch. (All invitations today include an understanding of what bomb protection is available, i.e., a reinforced safe-room in the apartment/house or a miklat, a building bomb shelter. Our friends are in their late 70s/early 80s respectively, but very spry, which made the invitation doable. Our bomb shelter is 48 steps down into the building’s basement.) It felt so wonderful, so normative, so familiar, breaking bread with others. The conversation flowed as our friends shared tales of an almost 60-year marriage, wedded histories that brought them to Israel just months before the

I try to limit my social media interaction. Not just because of overt villains like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, but, far worse, Jewish classmates from high school who, still yearning for acceptance, make beelines to distance themselves from both their co-religionists and the only Jewish state on the planet. Ignorant/arrogant and loud pundit-wannabes lure their minions over Facebook feeds, which (yawn) decry Donald Trump’s recklessness and Bibi’s manipulation skills. Our realities are so contrary: theory, privilege and feel-good projection as opposed to facts, historical reality and physical survival. It is enough to make me weep. continues on page 22 >>

WRITTEN IN FIRE

by Trevor James McNeil  tremcneil1980@gmail.com

A Rational Renegade

Social scripts are powerful things. Adopted and maintained by the need for certainty and security, they can also create hazardous narratives and situations when left unquestioned. Fortunately, there is a long history of people who could think differently, more freely, showing there could be another way. Jewish tradition is no different. Following the example of Reform leaders like Grace Aguilar, Rabbi Harold Kushner led his own kind of change to the structures and assumptions of the day.

Kushner was born in Brooklyn, New York, in the spring of 1935, back when the Brooklyn Dodgers were still a thing. Raised by his Conservative Jewish parents, Sarah and Julius, literature was part of his life from early on. Julius ran a Fifth Avenue book shop called Playmore Publishing that sold books, mostly Bible stories, and toys, blending two of the major factors, books and religion, that would stay consistent for the rest of Kushner’s life.

Surprising few who knew him, Kushner graduated from the public school system into the Ivy League, enrolling at Columbia University. He switched his major from psychology to literature after meeting the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Mark Van Doren. As active socially as he was intellectually, Kushner was involved in several groups and clubs, including the campus humor magazine, Jester of Columbia, and the campus radio station, WKCR, eventually being promoted to a staff position as

A key focus...first captured in his 1981 best-selling book “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.”

director of sports broadcasting and serving as president of the student Zionist organization.

Breaking away from the almost stifling religiosity of his parents, Kushner had not planned to be a rabbi, being far more secular than some. It was not until his third year at Columbia that he did a slight heel turn after happening on an evening program at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Changing his major for a third time, an act of indecision that would belie his later certainty and conviction, he earned a bachelor’s degree in religious education in 1955. True to his literary soul as well as his religious spirit, he went on to complete a doctorate in Hebrew literature in 1972 after being ordained as a rabbi in 1960.

Showing his open mind early, even after founding the Reconstructionist

Rabbinical College with the support of Rabbi Ira Eisenstein, he helped found and formalize the more modern and progressive Reconstructionist strain of Conservative Judaism. His first book, “When Children Ask About G-d: A Guide for Parents Who Don’t Have All the Answers,” was published through the institution in 1971. Even then, Kushner was moving away from the notion of G-d as all-powerful, instead working to build a sense of healthy skepticism in terms of hardline dogma or doctrine and promoting questioning not as an act of rebellion but as a way of developing a meaningful religious faith in line with personal ideas and values.

One of the key elements of Reconstructionist Judaism was an emphasis on strict tradition and ritual, seeing them as “folkways” rooted in history, but open to question in the modern context, moving away from strict theology and allowing for a humanistic approach that was more closely aligned with modern, secular society. Previously unquestioned traditions and rites, such as infant circumcision, started to be questioned and evaluated, as happened in the Reform movement, with the overall instance declining compared to more orthodox or traditionalist sects.

A key focus for Kushner was the question of evil and how it can manifest in both the spiritual and secular context, first captured in his 1981 best-selling book “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.” Not taking omnipotence

continues on page 22 >>

Israeli Lifestyle continued

Yom Kippur War, their illustrious family legacies which included stalwart rabbis and Zionists from before the turn of the 20th century.

They shared two stories that reinvigorated my spirit on Shabbat morning. One was of a granddaughter who had taken a well-earned break with two friends to go hiking in the north, just before the advent of these new hostilities. The girl had, unfortunately, fallen and evidently broken her wrist. She had to get to Ziv Hospital in Tzfat, which was close, but too far to walk with an injured hand. The girls waited at a nearby bus station for the short ride to the medical center, but the bus was overpacked and, consequently, skipped their stop. One of the girls called her mom, who, in turn, called the main bus company. A few minutes later, another equally crammed bus came by, people’s faces pressed to the windows. The driver stopped, exited the door and shouted, “Where’s the girl with the hand?” Space was made for her behind his seat, and he detoured directly to the front door of Ziv. This is Israel. My Israel.

We revealed that one day last week, we actually found refuge in four different shelters throughout the day as our work demanded some travel. And in turn, they shared a tale about a married grandson who lived in a building with, like ours,

an underground shelter. The grandson’s wife is in miluim (Army reserves), and he is home with a nine-month-old and a toddler. When the grandson’s mother demanded that he come to her house in another city, where there is a safe room in a modern apartment and no need to go down four flights of stairs each time the sirens wail, he simply answered, “There is an elderly man and a disabled woman in our building, and I bring them to the shelter. If I leave, they can’t get down. I’ve committed to making certain they are safe.”

“But,” his mother protested, “How do you do this with an infant and a baby?” He explained that he has moved the children’s beds and a cot for himself to the shelters, and the three of them sleep there each night. This way, the babies are not frightened by the jarring noises and need to run. The neighbors merely enter this sleeping space; everyone is safe and relatively content.

I didn’t know if I could do a podcast last week on the morning of my scheduled taping. With so much work for my actual business incomplete, an inability to focus for long periods of time, and a completely disorganized home, I wrote to the producer that I might not be able to prepare for a show. Nevertheless, I managed to hook up the microphone in

the early a.m. and share some musings and Torah thoughts for the week ahead. Just before Shabbat, my California friend and listener, Todd, dropped me a note which read, “Am thinking about you and praying for the safety of you and your family. Thank you for continuing your program during these times.” I wept at the kindness, the holy sentiment, and an attempt at understanding, even when it is all too hard to understand. Few have reached out.

Whether it is the splitting of the Sea of Reeds or a bus driver making a two-kilometer detour, the magnitude of blessings that have been bestowed upon the nation of Israel is sometimes too blurred by reality for us to isolate and celebrate. This is the nature of our existence. Perhaps tonight, however, between sirens and supper, my husband and I will haul the Passover dishes and pots up the 48 stairs and, with gratitude, remember that we are among the remnants of the mere 20% who were redeemed from evaporating into history, gone forever from the jaws of Egypt.

Am Yisroel Chai? You betcha. Proudly, defiantly and awash with humility, the people of Israel live. A

Andrea Simantov can be reached at andrea@israelnewstalkradio.com.

Literature continued

as a given, Kushner challenged the notion of suffering and intervention, or lack thereof, in tragic situations, emphasizing natural effects from those connected to the divine. The main aim is to help people maintain a belief in G-d’s benevolence even during the worst of mortal times.

Next, he took on ambition and fulfillment, releasing the similarly literally titled book “When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough” five years later in 1986, diving deep into perennial

themes of life’s meaning and the individual pursuit of happiness in the religious context of Ecclesiastes with a stark and incisive depth and clarity. This was followed in fairly short order by the joyous “To Life: A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking” in 1989.

Getting even more stark, Kushner came out swinging, unleashing “Who Needs G-d?” in 1989 and “How Good Do We Have to Be?” in 1996, eloquently arguing for G-d’s continued relevance in modern life, and the notion of sin and

“earning” one’s way into heaven, followed and compounded by “Living A Life That Matters” (2001) and then “Overcoming Life’s Disappointments” (2006).

Retiring from writing in 2018, Kushner died in hospice care of Alzheimer’s disease in the spring of 2023 at the age of 88. A

Trevor James McNeil can be reached at tremcneil1980@gmail.com.

French Festivities at the San Diego Museum of Art

by Makayla Hoppe

Toward the end of the 19th century, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec thrived in the bohemian Parisian lifestyle, detailing his experiences in his postimpressionist works. His most famous pieces promoting the Moulin Rouge would become synonymous with the era. Today, almost 140 years later, those works are still admired the world over.

The San Diego Museum of Art holds a special and rarely-seen collection of Toulouse-Lautrec pieces, which will serve as the inspiration for this year’s Art Alive. The annual fundraising event celebrates SDMA’s commitment to art and culture in San Diego with food, drink, grandiose floral designs and more. While the Toulouse-Lautrec collection will be available for viewing from April 4 to Sept. 20, 2026, the Art Alive festivities will take place April 23 through 26.

“That late 19th-century Paris world was such a rich moment where art, nightlife, fashion, and performance all came together,” said Sarah Grossman, Associate Director of Special Events and Corporate Relations. “That felt like a really natural and exciting direction for the Art Alive event. The rotunda design and all of the Art Alive events will carry this theme, so the entire experience feels cohesive and immersive from start to finish.”

Floral Exhibition | APRIL 24-26

One of the biggest draws at Art Alive is the floral interpretations of famous works, with the museum’s large rotunda serving as the centerpiece of the collection.

Artists use brightly colored blooms to interpretively recreate paintings and prints in their own unique way. This year’s stunning rotunda design will be provided by Kelsea Olivia, who specializes in “storytelling through flowers, fashion, and creative direction.”

“Kelsea’s work really lives at that intersection of floral design, fashion, and sculpture,” Sarah said. “For the rotunda, she’s created a piece called La Vie en Mouvement, which is all about movement, rhythm, and capturing those fleeting, in-between moments that Toulouse-Lautrec was so known for. The installation will bring together flowers and fabric in a way that feels almost like it’s mid-dance.”

Bloom Bash | APRIL 24

Eagerly anticipated every year, Bloom Bash is the Art Alive party you won’t want to miss. Food, drink, a Ferris wheel and more fill up the SDMA courtyard in Balboa Park until midnight. The 21+ event helps kick off the weekend, and this year, it will be decked out in Moulin Rougeinspired décor. Over 35 restaurants and tasting stations will be on hand to feed and entertain, alongside festive cocktails.

“This year, we’re layering in more performances as well,” Sarah said, “with a series of playful, slightly provocative moments inspired by the cabaret world Lautrec captured so well. It’s meant to feel lively, a little indulgent, and full of discovery as you move through the evening.”

Premiere Dinner | APRIL 23

The black-tie premiere dinner is at the heart of the fundraising event, allowing guests to dress in their best and help support the museum. In addition to an elegant French-inspired menu, dinner guests will get an exclusive first look at the Art Alive Floral Exhibition.

“The dinner is really about creating a full experience, and the menu is a big part of that,” Sarah said. “It’s inspired by classic French cuisine, but not in a heavy or overly traditional way. It’s more of a fresh, modern interpretation. So, you’ll see beautiful seasonal ingredients, thoughtful presentation, and wine pairings that tie everything together. It’s meant to feel elegant and a little transportive; it’s a nod to Paris but still very current.”

Garden of Activities | APRIL 24

from left: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec: “Eldorado: Aristide Bruant,” 1892, lithograph, poster on paper; “Moulin Rouge — La Goulue,” 1891, lithograph, poster on paper. Gifts of the Baldwin M. Baldwin Foundation, 1987. Above: Artists interpret paintings and prints with vibrant blooms.

Photos courtesy San Diego Museum of Art.

Little artists can enjoy the Garden of Activities taking place on Saturday and Sunday. The family-friendly event is free with admission to the Floral Exhibition and is held in the museum’s sculpture garden.

“This year, it leans into the playful, social side of Toulouse-Lautrec’s work, with a feeling that’s a bit like a Parisian garden party,” Sarah said. “There will be art making and interactive moments throughout, all inspired by that sense of movement, personality, and gathering that he captured so well. It’s designed to feel light, inviting, and participatory, so guests aren’t just observing, they’re actually part of the experience.”

100 Years

The San Diego Museum of Art is celebrating its centennial in 2026, and this year’s Art Alive is designed to make an impact. From the rare collections to the parties and formal dinners, the event is sure to entertain museum guests, all for a good cause.

“What I always love about Art Alive is how many different creative worlds come together through the event,” Sarah added. “You have floral designers, artists, chefs, and performers all sharing their craft at once, and it creates this really special energy...It’s a chance to celebrate the history of the museum and Art Alive, but also to keep pushing forward and think about new, more immersive ways for people to connect with art.” A

The Centennial of a Synagogue

by Susan Edelstein

For anything to survive a century takes care, devotion and love.

Nowhere is that more evident than in the gleaming jewel box of a synagogue located at 3rd Avenue and Laurel Street that was established, designed, built, outgrown, sold, bought, restored and honored over the last 100 years. It began in 1925-1926 when noted architect William H. Wheeler designed the Byzantine-Moorish style complex that covered a full city block and included a sanctuary, a school and a social hall. To accommodate its growing membership, Congregation Beth Israel moved from their original location at 2nd and Beech to 3rd and Laurel in 1926. Beth Israel occupied the site for 75 years before relocating again in 2001.

Ohr Shalom Synagogue became a kind of co-owner of the complex in 2002 following a complicated process involving lots of people and organizations. At that time, Ohr Shalom was exactly one year old, having been formed by the merger of two Conservative congregations, Beth Tefilah and Adat Ami, and was housed in a rented office suite on Morena Boulevard. Lynn Mendelsohn, Immediate Past President and Chairperson of the Centennial Rededication Celebration, says “We are beyond proud—and quite amazed—that we have been able to acquire the 3rd and Laurel building, to restore it closely to its original beauty, and to maintain it as a strong Jewish presence in Bankers Hill, central

San Diego. The fact that Ohr Shalom owns the building at all is a miracle to us.”

Beth Israel put the entire 1.4-acre property up for bid with the proviso that the sanctuary building could not be torn down. Ohr Shalom members decided to help ensure the building’s preservation and in early 2000, they asked the Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) to petition the State of California’s Office of Historical Preservation to declare the building eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Their petition was successful and the state declared the building eligible for the National Register in October 2000 which helped support opposition to the destruction or significant alteration of the complex.

At the outset, there were several bidders including Ohr Shalom, but the highest bidder was J. Peter Block Companies who planned for a high-rise, multi-story apartment complex with the sanctuary building to be used as a theater or event space, but the school, social hall and administrative buildings would be razed. The City of San Diego’s Planning Commission rejected Block’s plan, mostly due to height restrictions caused by the proximity to the airport. After much negotiation and complicated real estate and legal maneuvers, Ohr Shalom took full ownership of the property in 2005. In 2009-2010, Ohr Shalom invested $4.2 million and four years in a complete restoration of the sanctuary and social hall and major improvements to the school building, culminating in its rededication in June 2011. Lynn states, “We are humbled by the fact that Ohr Shalom has managed to accomplish so much with the building, restoring it to its rightful glory...and honored to have in our custody such an outstanding marker of the Jewish presence in San Diego.”

With respect for the historical importance of the original design of William Wheeler, Ohr Shalom was motivated to preserve as much as possible of the original structure, especially the sanctuary with its wonderful domed ceiling five stories high with the beautiful blue Star of David skylight, and the huge, brilliant stainedglass window on the south side. Lynn declares, “The sanctuary is a perfect

place to think and pray.” And in fact, “The window is so striking that Beth Israel installed a copy in the chapel on its new campus.” Unfortunately, the artist’s name has been lost to history.

In addition to being recognized by SOHO as architecturally and historically significant, Ohr Shalom received SOHO’s award for Restoration of a Sacred Place in 2011. “Our achievement at 3rd and Laurel is a victory for SOHO and the City of San Diego as well,” says Lynn. “With determination, an old historic building can pull through and have a new life. Ohr Shalom is a thriving Jewish community, so our 100-year-old building still has children running through its halls, adults mounting the bima for aliyot, and people of all ages attending events, events, events in its social hall!”

This glorious synagogue will be rededicated on May 3, 2026. Mazel tov, Ohr Shalom, and here’s to the next 100 years. A

Top, from left: 3rd & Laurel in 1927, 3rd & Laurel today, inside the five-story sanctuary.

At right: Star of David skylight in the domed ceiling.

SPECIAL TO THE SAN DIEGO JEWISH JOURNAL

Birth of a Jewish and Democratic Nation

In 2023, a sea of blue-and-white flags filled Israel’s streets as hundreds of thousands rallied weekly for “democracy.” At the emotional center of that storm was former Chief Justice — and a Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) alumnus and dean — Aharon Barak. “Suddenly I found myself the enemy of the people,” he reflects in a rare interview. “People demonstrated outside my home against me and in favor of me...I’m still considered by some, by many, as the enemy of the people.” A jurist long hailed as a guardian of democratic norms, recast as a lightning rod in a polarized age.

The story of how Israel arrived at this moment runs straight through Mount Scopus. From a vaulted classroom in a 19th-century monastery to the modern courtrooms and clinics that define its public mission today, HU’s Faculty of Law has shaped the nation’s legal DNA.

It all began in 1949, when the new law faculty opened in the Ratisbonne Monastery. “From the inception, the Hebrew University was a cultural and intellectual project of the Zionist movement,” says legal historian Prof. Rotem Giladi The fledgling Faculty, he notes, aimed not only to train civil servants for a newborn state but also to “signify and symbolize Jewish sovereignty, especially in Jerusalem.”

Among the early students was a young Yitzhak Englard — future dean and Supreme Court justice — who recalls the atmosphere of purpose and the caliber of teachers: “It was

a new faculty, but the teachers were outstanding. They all brought with them a lot of legal culture, which influenced the students who later got positions in the government.”

Aharon Barak, a child survivor of the Holocaust who grew up in Jerusalem, felt the mission deeply from the start. He devoted himself to study in the Ratisbonne library, determined to make the most of a rare chance at uninterrupted learning. As dean in the 1960s and 70s, Barak helped modernize legal education after a formative post-doctoral year at Harvard. He and his colleague, Yitzhak Zamir, introduced elements of the Socratic method and, over time, a student-run law review.

That blend of European foundations and American innovation created a new legal elite for a new society — one increasingly called to public service. “We knew the importance of law for the democracy in Israel,” Barak says. “Every one of us was ready and willing to serve the state in order to help the state in protecting its democracy and human rights.” In 1975, at just 39, he accepted the role of Attorney General, and then, three years later, a seat on the Supreme Court.

On the bench, Barak articulated a simple, demanding compass for judging: “to bridge the gap between law and life” and “to protect the Israeli Constitution and the rights of the Israeli citizen.” Under his leadership, the Court recognized Israel’s Basic Laws on human dignity and liberty

as constitutional in nature — ushering in what became known as the “Constitutional Revolution.” Human dignity would become the beating heart of Barak’s legal philosophy.

Not everyone agreed with the Court’s expanding role, and debates over judicial power simmered for decades. Meanwhile, within the Faculty, the mission expanded from the courtroom to the community. In 2003, HU launched its Clinical Legal Education Center, a hands-on complement to doctrinal study that has since become the largest pro bono engine in Jerusalem. “A clinical education’s main goals are to teach law students about social responsibility and also to give back to the community,” says Dr. Shiran Reichenberg, who directs the program. The clinics meet clients where they are: youth at risk, single mothers navigating public housing, people seeking benefits without the paperwork a stable life presumes. “We have nine clinics and over a thousand cases each year,” she notes.

Then came 2023. A sweeping judicial overhaul was proposed: stronger political control over judicial appointments, limits on the “reasonableness” doctrine, and more. To critics, these were not cosmetic changes but a challenge to checks and balances in a system already light on institutional brakes.

Justice Englard, now in his 90s, frames the moment bluntly. “Today, we are suffering from populism. We are losing the checks and balances. The politicization of the judiciary and of the public authorities, independent authorities, is a very dangerous phenomenon, and we have to fight against it.” His worry is historical as much as legal, born of a generation that knew how quickly liberal states can corrode.

Political scientist Prof. Noam Gidron offers a wider lens. He distinguishes between ideological polarization (policy distance) and affective polarization (mutual dislike). The latter, he says, “has negative implications not only for politics, but also for social relations.”

For all the conflict, HU remains a constant in Barak’s life. “My alma mater is the Hebrew University,” he says, proud that a granddaughter now studies law there and has joined the Law Review he helped bring into being.

One century after its first class in a monastery corridor, the Faculty still educates the jurists, legislators, advocates, and public servants who will decide the country’s future, both inside the courtroom and far beyond it. Its graduates have authored landmark rulings and staffed pro bono clinics; they have mediated disputes, drafted statutes, and defended rights. In an era when constitutions are debated in the streets, and the vocabulary of democracy is shouted through bullhorns, HU’s dual commitment — to legal excellence and social responsibility — reads less like tradition than lifeline.

To learn more about the Hebrew University’s Faculty of Law, visit www.AFHU.org. And for more fascinating stories from HU, tune in to The View from Mt. Scopus—the podcast that brings to life the people and ideas behind Israel’s leading university.

Sunday May 3, 2026

Rededication Ceremony in Synagogue Sanctuary 4:30pm 2512 Third Avenue San Diego 92103 619.231.1456 office@ohrshalom.org

Complimentary Cocktail Reception: Following Rededication Ceremony

Gala Dinner: Begins 6:15pm*

$250 per person • RSVP By April 17th**

SPONSOR A TICKET: $250 per ticket Sponsor a ticket for a Member of our Beloved Community

SPONSOR A TABLE: $2,500 table of 8 (reserved)

*Ticket needed for dinner only. Kosher Dietary laws observed.

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HAPPY PASSOVER - CHAG SAMEACH

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Juggling War, Moving & Pesach

by Galia Miller Sprung

Iwalked into our local supermarket after returning to Israel on a rescue flight from Bangkok. I was shocked back to reality. It was not the reality of war that shocked me. It was the display table stacked with 4-pound boxes of matzot. What’s that doing here now? I asked myself. Pesach? Already? That can’t be. I don’t have time for Pesach this year! That reaction had nothing to do with the ongoing war we came back to. Being stranded in Bangkok put us a week behind schedule for the move to our new home and brought Pesach forward by a week. I hadn’t internalized this while sitting in our Bangkok hotel room.

We followed each attack on our phones and worried about friends and family. And despite annoying flutters of guilt, I was panicking about our upcoming move. Pesach was nowhere to be found in my fears and thoughts. What had happened to me? Who forgets Pesach and all its joys — and cleaning products on sale?

Pesach on the Moshav

My first Pesach seder in Israel was on a kibbutz — a celebration of spring more than a recounting of the Exodus from Egypt. Volunteers joined members at the long tables so closely spaced together in

the communal dining room that teens squeezed in between the rows and passed the food in “bucket brigade” precision. Cleaning? No recollection.

The following year, I was on my moshav. Not one of the 20 or so young people on the moshav was a shabbat observer, but all were raised with a traditional Haggadah, as opposed to the kibbutzniks. As we were living under kibbutz conditions in the beginning years of the moshav, we planned a communal Seder with all the flavors. Each member was assigned a section of the Haggadah to read, and we discussed the meal. There were several competing

This year I forgot about Pesach! Not because of the war, not because we’re moving, but because of the timing. The movers are coming 12 days before Pesach. Whose idea was that?

customs as we had members whose families came from Morocco, Tunis, France, Iraq, Yemen. And me, from America.

Volunteers raised hands to make gefilte fish, chopped liver, matzo balls and non-Ashkenazi dishes I had never heard of. I was in awe. They knew how to prepare these traditional dishes from scratch. At home in California, Seder food came from the deli section or out of a jar.

Our communal kitchen was kashered by the rabbinical corps of the army for reasons I still don’t understand. But they swooped in with flame torches, enthusiasm and determination. They burned the industrial-sized gas burners and scrubbed everything in sight. We didn’t have paper plates in those days — in fact, we didn’t even have paper towels — so I assume they supplied Pesach dishes.

But that was the kitchen, not our living quarters. Cleaning our “homes” was a ritual I had never experienced. I didn’t know how thoroughly people cleaned for Pesach. I watched my neighbors in our tiny community. They scrubbed the shower, the drains, the walls. My fiancé and I shared a two-room prefabricated structure with a single guy. We had an oven and a small refrigerator in the entry area, a toilet “room” and a shower and sink.

“Take everything out of the fridge. Defrost the freezer. Throw away anything that is chametz,” my friends coached me. “Wash everything with soap, chlorine and water. Then cover all the shelves with shelving paper.”

Wanting to fit in, I did exactly as instructed. So much so that I took a toothbrush, got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed the shower drain! What could possibly have been chametz in the shower drain? The shower stall walls? I deconstructed the stove, removing and washing every detachable piece. When all was reassembled, I covered the hub with a dishcloth to ensure it remained “Kosher for Pesach.”

I have continued these rituals to this day — with major easing on the extremes. I don’t know when I realized that the shower didn’t need to be scrubbed — with or without a toothbrush – or that soap and detergents do not need to be certified “Kosher for Passover,” but changing dishes and kashering the kitchen is the norm.

And yet, this year I forgot about Pesach! Not because of the war, not because we’re moving, but because of the timing. Overload. The movers are coming 12 days before Pesach. Logistics. Whose idea was that? My cleaners were happy to see an empty apartment. They didn’t use toothbrushes, but they gave the place a true Pesach clean. As I write this,

I have a week before we move. So, let’s calculate. Do we move without chametz? I can’t shop now and load up the fridge and freezer and cabinets with my Kosher for Passover foods just to pack them up. Do I tell the packers to make a special chametz box that will go straight in our storage room? Good idea.

Pesach in Ra’anana

Years after that first moshav Seder, I lived with my daughters in what was then the tiny, sleepy town of Ra’anana. Every year when Pesach approached, my older daughter and I focused on the shopping and cooking, while my younger daughter dealt more with the cleaning and sitting in line at the car wash.

There was one supermarket then in Ra’anana, and Sarit and I loved our lastminute midnight run a few days before chag when the market was open 24 hours straight. We’d make use of the sales and get free sets of small drinking glasses, usually used for “mud coffee” — Turkish coffee. I was still adhering to Ashkenazi traditions then and even soaked glass dishes before using them for Pesach, so any new affordable glass item was grabbed up.

As I transitioned into including Sephardic customs into our lives, feeling

we are all one People, we bought more glass dishes which we use all year round. The Pesach boxes in the attic with the pretty porcelain sets of 24 dishes — always on sale before Pesach — were left where they were, along with the coffee glasses. I only pulled out boxes with non-glass necessities. While downsizing for the move, I found dusty boxes with 24 small wine glasses, 24 Turkish coffee glasses and two sets of supermarket dishes with pink flower decorations. The dishes went to a second-hand shop, but the glasses I gave to my daughters.

Pesach This Year

As much as I love Pesach, there’s always a dread that accompanies it. The stress of crowds and shopping and kashering and cooking. But I will miss my routine this year. I warned my family that I won’t be preparing the usual gefilte fish and the chopped liver — yes, I became quite proficient — or corned beef and brisket,

my usual contributions. But something tells me that this is an idle threat. Since that first Passover on the moshav, there have never been store-bought favorites at our family Seders. I’ll probably leave the unpacking, race to Ra’anana to my trusted fishmonger, buy the ground fish without skin or bones and hope to find fresh chicken livers somewhere. I’ll cook at Sarit’s house on the moshav, where I learned about cleaning and making food from scratch.

Like the Israelites, we are leaving the home we know. G-d commanded Moshe to lead his people to the promised land. Our grandchildren “commanded” us to give up a multi-level home with steps and stairs for the promised land of an apartment with an elevator. And like the Israelites, we will leave our home with Matzot in hand. The Israelites followed Moshe. It wasn’t easy. These past few weeks and years haven’t been easy either, and we don’t know what this

Pesach will bring — but we are grateful that we made it back safely to our family. And somehow, in the middle of war and packing boxes, I made it back to Pesach. One thing is certain: we will gather as we always have. We’ll sit at the Seder table in a country that refuses to stop living even when missiles and rockets are fired at us from all directions. And my family will read the Haggadah just miles from where our ancestors crossed into the Promised Land — a reminder that even in the hardest years, Am Yisrael continues. A

Galia Miller Sprung moved to Israel from Palm Springs, California in 1970 to become a pioneer farmer and was a founding member of a moshav in the Jordan Rift Valley. Today, she is a retired high school teacher, a writer and editor. She lives with her husband in Tzufim.

Passover — A Time of Redemption, Personal and Communal

by Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort

Passover, known in Hebrew as Pesach, is here. No doubt, people have been busily preparing for the preeminent holiday on the Jewish calendar for some time already. It is not the type of festival where we can just show up and say, “Here I am!” This particular holiday takes intense preparation, including a significant amount of sweat equity, in order to be properly observed.

We rid ourselves, internally and externally, of every vestige of chametz (leavened products like bread or pasta), including internal leavening, which is related to anger, arrogance and conceit. When every last crumb has been expunged from within and without, we are ready to celebrate the Festival of Our Freedom properly. It is then, and only then, that the spiritually nourishing qualities of the matzah can be properly

When every last crumb has been expunged from within and without, we are ready to celebrate.

digested into our bodies, and thus positively affect our souls. This is why matzah is known as the bread of faith, as it feeds our faith in the Almighty.

There is a phenomenal outcome to this process — we experience true liberation. The wicked and cruel internal pharaoh, with whom we all contend, is eradicated and no longer serves as an impediment to our service of G-d, nor

our service of each other and the world around us. The bonds of slavery are broken, and we are truly free to be happy. Yes, happy.

A slave cannot be happy (slavery really is not all it’s hyped up to be). Only someone who has asserted control over his or her evil impulses is free of that which truly oppresses us and holds us back. The Torah, in its wisdom, has given us the direct path to fulfillment. That is not to say that we don’t have external enemies who oppress us. We all face financial pressures, health concerns, family and communal challenges, not to mention other nefarious forces that seek to do us harm.

The correct approach is for us to take control of those things that we can control—our inner enemies—while doing everything in our power to minimize the

threat posed by our external enemies. The foremost ally we have in this eternal battle is our Creator. We feed our faith in His power and providence. Ironically, we graciously accept even those things that hurt us, while simultaneously fighting them. Overcoming these seemingly contradictory forces is precisely what makes Jewish people live their lives as Jews.

At this moment, as Israel is fighting an existential war against the Nazis of our time, we have the ability (and obligation) to reflect on some of the most foundational concepts in our faith. We will come out of the other side victorious, and we will have grown greater as individuals as well as communally.

This then is our path forward. We use the key granted us by our loving Father in Heaven to free ourselves of our own constraints, achieving personal redemption. We share this gift with our brothers and sisters of our people by opening our hearts and our Seders to them. We strive to fill the seats around the table, and if they are filled, we add some more. We offer abundant blessings to each other. Our individual efforts in this regard will lead to our personal and then communal redemption, as momentum will be built until it becomes an irresistible force.

Wishing you and your family a Kosher and joyous Passover! A

Hope Greenwood – Whittier, CA

Regina Lasarow – Encinitas

Sandra Persky – Encinitas

Lawrence Eagle – Oceanside

Alexander Shikhman – Escondido

Frida Wapner – West Hills, CA

Arlene Orlansky – San Diego

Naftali Braun – Murrieta, CA

Morris Gold – La Jolla

Giselle Stevens – Encinitas

Lynne Gilbert – San Marcos

Harvey Sachs – Chula Vista

George Kaplan – San Diego

Melvin Cohen – San Diego

Richard Haskel – La Jolla

Arthur Neumann – San Diego

Ann Fichman – Encinitas

Gerald Perlmutter – Surprise, CA

David Dickter – Spring Valley

Gary Leeds – San Diego

Stephen Gordon – San Diego

Miriam Behers Luna – Chula Vista

Irene Stillings – Rancho Santa Fe

Bruce Glasser – San Diego

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Don’t Pass-over My Voice

by Max Jagolinzer

“Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?’ ”

— Exodus 3:11

Earlier this year, as I stood outside the office of Senator Adam Schiff (CA), I thought to myself, “Who am I to be lobbying a United States Senator?” The fear and trepidation I felt were probably not so different from what Moses felt when he confronted Pharaoh to advocate for the freedom of the Jewish people. In no way am I comparing Senator Schiff to Pharaoh or myself to Moses; rather, this reflects on the Passover story of courage, advocacy, and the power of a voice.

I did not travel to Washington, D.C., because a burning bush told me to. I visited Washington with a cohort of 14 teenagers from San Diego to participate in the Leaders for Tomorrow National Summit hosted by the American Jewish Committee. Though I had spent days preparing talking points, statistics and thank-yous, I was both nervous and excited, not just because I was about

to meet a leader who shapes foreign and domestic policy, but because of the nature of what I was there to say.

The purpose of our meeting with Senator Schiff was to address rising antisemitism on college campuses and across the country, U.S.-Israel relations, and legislation affecting Jewish Americans and Israel. I requested increased funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), the federal program that helps protect Jewish institutions from security threats. My school, San Diego Jewish Academy, received one of those grants last year. That funding helped provide the security measures that protect us every day on campus and keep us safe. Without continued investment in the NSGP, Jewish day schools like mine remain vulnerable. In that moment, I realized this wasn’t just a policy conversation — what I said impacted

the safety of my classmates, my teachers, my community, and thousands of Jewish students across the country.

Moses wondered why anyone would listen to him. As a teenager, I asked the same question. Why should Senator Schiff listen to me? But the Passover story reminds us that the right messenger is rarely the obvious one. It was not a general or a king who walked into Pharaoh’s court, it was someone who doubted himself, yet found the courage to go anyway.

Through this experience, I learned that my voice — even as a teenager — matters. When someone chooses to speak up, ideas can be realized, words can shape policy, and advocacy can reach those in power. If you have conviction in your words, you can help change the world. Moses once asked, “Who am I?” and then he went forward anyway. So can you. A

Max Jagolinzer is a 17-year-old junior at San Diego Jewish Academy and serves as the Student Government President. Actively involved in his school community, he plans to gain admission to a top university and pursue a career as an attorney.

Passover is here, and if you are looking for a simple but delicious dessert, look no further than these flourless chocolate chip cookies with a nutty twist.

After decades of dry and lifeless matzo-meal based desserts, I’m rethinking and reimagining what it means to make a Passover-friendly dessert. Inspired by my favorite almond-based cookies at my local Italian bakery, I paired vibrant pistachios with mild almond flour in a delicious Passover dessert that just so happens to be gluten-free and dairy free.

Food

BY MICAH SIVA

Flourless Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Micah Siva

MAKES 12-16

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup toasted pistachios, unsalted

• 1 cup almond flour

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3 large egg whites

• 1 teaspoon potato starch

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 2/3 cup dark chocolate chips

• Sea salt, to serve

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the pistachios, almond flour, sugar and salt and process until the pistachios are very finely ground and resemble flour.

3. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites to soft peaks, about 2 to 3 minutes. Fold in the potato starch and vanilla extract.

4. Gently fold the egg whites into the almond mixture.

5. Add the chocolate chips and fold to just combine.

6. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop 2 tablespoons of batter onto the prepared baking trays, about 1-1/2 inches apart.

7. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes until just set. Sprinkle with sea salt and let cool on the baking tray.

Local Arts

BY EILEEN SONDAK

CYGNET THEATRE

cygnettheatre.org

“The Lehman Trilogy” at Cygnet Theatre will play in the Dottie Studio Theater through April 26. This epic Tony Award-winning play traces the triumphs and low points of the Lehman Brothers — spanning more than 150 years. This ambitious work follows the brothers from their immigrant roots to the height of their Wall Street power in a theatrical tour de force that is thought-provoking and visually striking.

SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART

sdmart.org

LAMB’S PLAYERS THEATRE

lambsplayers.org

Lamb’s Coronado home will lead audiences on a “hysterical adventure” through May 24 with “The Play That Goes Wrong.” The farcical comedy uses slapstick and physical comedy to tell the story of an amateur theater company’s ill-fated attempt to stage a 1920s murder.

The San Diego Museum of Art is featuring “Local Visions: Reimagining the Façade,” a celebration of the creativity of artists around the county. The exhibition will be ensconced through July

Also on view at the museum is “SDMA 100 Years,” a collection of photographs and other media examining the museum’s evolution from its grand opening to a re-imagined future.

THE OLD GLOBE THEATRE

theoldglobe.org

The Old Globe is ready to raise the curtain on a production of “Fences,” August Wilson’s Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning play. This powerful examination of fatherhood, identity and legacy is set in 1957 and paints a vivid portrait of family life. A brilliant theatrical achievement, “Fences” will be on the Globe’s Main Stage April 4 through May 3

The Globe’s White Theater is taking on “Alien Girls,” an emotion-packed comedy about the tension between real life and art. The show will be in residence at the Globe April 18 through May 10.

LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY

theconrad.org

The La Jolla Music Society has an eclectic slate this month starting April 7 when Emmet Cohen presents Miles and Coltrane at 100, followed on the 9th by Terence Blanchard & Ravi Coltrane, Miles Davis and John Coltrane at 100. On April 11, Coltrane 100: Both Directions at Once is on tap, and on April 12, Danish String Quartet and Danish National Girls’ Choir are performing.

Cellist Gautier Capucon and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet are in town on April 15 and on the 18th look for Benny Benack III and The Magic of Manhattan. Virtuoso pianist Aristo Sham will show off his keyboard gymnastics on April 19. The Aaron

Diehl Trio is set for April 24, and on the 25th The Kids Series will present Art of Elan: Dancing on Tiptoes. Also on the 25th is pianist Alexandre Kantorow. Rounding out the busy month on April 30 is David McLain Blue Zones: Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity.

BROADWAY

SAN DIEGO

broadwaysd.com

Broadway San Diego will bring “The Notebook” to the Civic Theatre April 14-19. Co-directed by UCSD graduate and acclaimed director Michael Greif, this new musical — based on the popular film — is a celebration of love and the power of memory.

NORTH COAST REPERTORY THEATRE

northcoastrep.org

North Coast Repertory Theatre is presenting “Beau Jest,” a romantic comedy with a Jewish American story that blends farce with probing insights. The show opens on April 22 and will spread its love and laughter through May 17.

LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE

lajollaplayhouse.org

The La Jolla Playhouse, in conjunction with UCSD, will hold its Without Walls (WOW) Festival on campus April 23-26. This annual event is an interactive experience that features theater, dance, music and other arts offerings — all packed into a four-day event. Free admission for most events.

SAN DIEGO JUNIOR THEATRE

juniortheatre.com

“Shrek” boasts a beautiful score and larger-than-life characters to propel the fairy tale plot. This stage adaptation of the beloved film will light up the Casa del Prado in Balboa Park on April 24 and continue through May 10.

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Concours d’Elegance’s 20th Year

Twenty years ago, a small group of devoted automotive enthusiasts envisioned a world-class concours set against the unrivaled beauty of La Jolla’s coastline. Through passion, perseverance and community spirit, that vision became the La Jolla Concours d’Elegance, one of San Diego’s most anticipated spring social events. The 20th Anniversary weekend opens Friday, April 24, 2026, when the

Ellen Browning Scripps Park will transform into a dramatic collector’s sanctuary of rare automobiles displayed like priceless jewels. The 20th Annual La Jolla Concours proceeds will go towards the La Jolla Historical Society, which preserves the rich history of the village of La Jolla. A McFarlane Promotions, Inc. Event Coordinator: 619-233-5008 or LaJolla@McFarlanePromotions.com.

Wishing you and those you love a joyous Passover.