Laudable support for Eruv
Kudos to the City Council for unanimously approving the La Jolla Eruv project.
All eight council members recognized how immensely important the Eruv is to the Jewish community in La Jolla ” and how utterly innocuous it will be to the general public.
As federal courts have repeatedly held, the invisible fishing wire constituting an Eruv in scores of cities across the country is not a recognizable religious symbol; governmental support for an Eruv, far from implicating church-state concerns, furthers the laudable goal of promoting the free exercise of religion by enabling small children, the elderly, and the handicapped to worship and travel freely on their Sabbath.
As a practicing Jew, I am deeply appreciative that our elected leaders and the broader community are committed to such inclusively.
Michael M. Rosen, La Jolla

Many will benefit, no one will be harmed
We are overjoyed that the City Council unanimously approved our La Jolla Eruv project this past Monday (Sept. 18). The Eruv ” a symbolic demarcation used for millenia in Jewish law ” will enable hundreds of people in La Jolla to participate more fully in communal life on the Sabbath. Parents with young children, the disabled, and elderly people will now be able to attend synagogue, visit one another, and use the public streets and parks on Friday Night and Saturday.
As with the nearly 150 Eruvs around the country, and the two already approved in San Diego, many people will benefit while no one will be harmed. The Eruv will be privately financed, with no cost to the city or the taxpayers for construction or maintenance. We are gratified that the City of San Diego and our community of La Jolla have demonstrated their commitment to welcoming people of all faiths and backgrounds. It is fitting that the council saw fit to approve the project on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which this year we will observe and celebrate with added joy and satisfaction.
Rabbi Jeffrey Wohlgelernteri
Matthew Weitzman, President
Congregation Adat Yeshurun, La Jolla

Map fund-raiser celebrates success
“Incredible!” “Fantastic!” “Great!” Just a few of the kind words that have been used to describe “Preserve the Reserve,” a special event held recently at the Birch Aquarium to raise funds for “The Map.” And that goes double for the steering committee, local business owners and community members whose support and generosity resulted in a tremendously successful evening that generated approximately $60,000 for the project!
Highlights of the evening included warm welcomes by County Supervisor Pam Slater Price and Bruce Stewart, Birch Aquarium’s director of programs, followed by Honorary Chairman Dr. Walter Munk. The sunset was magnificent and Walter was just the person to explain the “Green Flash” phenomenon while expressing the reasons he feels “The Map” will have far-reaching and lasting significance for the preservation of our local marine environment.
Artists Rick Sparhawk and Lynn Reeves made a presentation explaining the design and production process for the bronze castings of the 40 to 50 life-size species, dive sites and landmarks that will be embedded in the 2,300-square-foot Lithocrete (crushed glass and aggregate) Map, depicting the depths of the La Jolla and Scripps Canyons. A striking silver bronze Compass Rose (a duplicate of one that will be located on “The Map”) was the center of an enthusiastic bidding war, ultimately bringing in $7,500!
Bob Ryan, radio talk-show host and financial advisor, served as emcee and auctioneer extraordinaire. Angel and Tulane Rivera, owners of A Time to Dance Studio opening soon in La Jolla, entertained the audience with an exhilarating exhibition of professional salsa dancing.
Huge kudos go to Tom Spano of Piatti Ristorante for donating the catering and pushing the event “over the top”! He was ably assisted by Katherine Cheng and Dearing English (The Bishop’s School). Terry Kraszewski’s (Ocean Girl) Whale Tail Tortilla Chips were a big hit. Surfrider Foundation provided a wave of celebration with acquisition of donations from Twin Fin Winery and Karl Strauss Beer. The evening was topped off with Starbucks coffee and colorful garibaldi and dolphin cookies from Carlsbad Danish Bakery.
A very special “thank you!” goes to Megan Bailiff, Karen Boger, Catharine Douglass and John Metzger for doing the impossible … making the event a reality! The volunteers who worked tirelessly prior to and during the event are far too numerous to name “¦ but their efforts did not go unnoticed “¦ Please accept our most sincere “thanks!” Our raffle ticket sales team brought in over $3,000. Thank you Serina Curtis, Kate Jenson, Paul Parnell (La Jolla Elementary School); Eric Pitrofsky, Isabelle Poulin, Kevin Riley, Adam Stephens and Tom Wheeler (Muirlands Middle School); Tazmin Curtis (The Bishop’s School).
Avenida de la Playa and La Jolla Village businesses, along with numerous other local merchants and artisans, donated a fantastic array of live auction and raffle items sending many attendees home with great prizes. THANK YOU!
And the winner of the RSVP drawing, a $50 Gift Certificate to George’s Ocean Terrace: Sean O’Neill!
The total raised to date is approximately $170,000, just $55,000 short of our goal. Friends of “The Map” hope to break ground in time to “ring in the New Year” with completion of the project “¦ construction is expected to take three to five weeks.
Help us make this exciting project a reality with your tax-deductible donation! Contributions of $250 to 50,000 will be recognized on a permanent plaque at the appropriate donor level. Please contact Mary Coakley: (619) 840-0250, [email protected]. Make checks payable to: La Jolla Parks & Recreation, Inc. Mail to: Friends of “The Map” c/o Mary Coakley, 2120 Vallecitos No. 203, La Jolla, CA 92037.
Mary Coakley and Friends of “The Map”
La Jolla