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Pacific Community of Cultural Jews
Chai-LightsMarch 2019
Pacific Community of Cultural Jews
Orange County, CA [email protected] www.pccjews.org
St. Patrick’s Day Purim CelebrationMarch 17, 2019
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.Bryon and Suzy Baron’s Home
1141 E. TularosaOrange
714-639-4906
Please join us for a Dr. Seuss’ Purim Reader’s Theater Production, (reading of some of Dr. Seuss’ his very
socially/politically pertinent readings)Hamantaschen and other treats.
Also the traditional “Wearing of the Green”
Please RSVP to Suzy no later than March 13, 2019at [email protected] or 714-639-4906
Free for Members, $5.00 for non-members
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DINE OUT March 23, 2019 6:30 p.m.
(New date)
Hoa Sen Vegetarian Restaurant
12180 Brookhurst
Garden Grove
714-537-0077
Pleased RSVP no later than March 20, 2019 to
[email protected] or 714-739-1366
The Prez Box
Brrr- February was cold! It was a good month to snuggle up with a
good book-- and then to report to others in the Pacific
Community about what you read. Thanks to the Barons for hosting
the book sharing event on Feb. 23rd .
The next book I plan to tackle will be “An Atheist Stranger in a Strange
Religious Land” by Herb Silverman. Thanks to Jerry Zwick for recommending
it.
Lee Jacobi, President
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PHILOSOPHER’S CAFÉ(Our Friendly Discussion Group)
March 24, 2019 - 2:00 p.m.
Lee and Frank Field’s Home
537 Dunnagen Place
Laguna Beach
949-973-3034 or
[email protected] or [email protected]
Please RSVP to either Frank or Lee no later
than March 20, 2019
Happy Birthday !
Leslie Zwick - 3/3
Marissa Jacobi - 3/5
David Shichor - 3/17
Aviv Avishay - 3/21
Lee Field - 3/26
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Jews To Knowby Lee Jacobi
Alexander “Sasha” PetsjerskiAlexander “Sasha” Petsjerski (Pechersky) was born in 1909 into a Jewish family in theUkrainian town of Kremenchuk, then in the Russian Empire. In 1915 the familymoved to Rostov-on-Don in Russia. After graduating from university with a diplomain music and literature, he found work as an accountant/ manager of a small musicschool.
When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, Pechersky was conscriptedinto the Red Army with the rank of junior Lieutenant. In Oct. 1941, his unit was captured in the Battle ofMoscow. A German medical check later discovered, by his circumcision, that he was a Jew. In Aug. 1942, hewas sent to an SS-operated work camp in Minsk, laboring under a sadistic Nazi commandant. In Sept. 1943,about 2,000 of the slave laborers were shipped to Sobibor death camp in Poland; all except 80 (Pechersky wasone) were sent straight to the gas chambers.
Sobibor then had about 550 inmates- Jews from several countries. Recent arrivals brought news that Belzec andTreblinka death camps had been closed and most of their inmates murdered. This gave urgency to any plans forinmate uprising or escape from Sobibor. The inmates chose Pechersky as their leader since he was an armyofficer with military experience. His plan was for the inmates to kill SS officers and guards one by one, escapethe camp en masse, and join up with partisans. The plan was put into effect on th 1943. Most of the escapeeswere shot escaping, blown up by landmines, or soon recaptured. Only 53 Sobibor escapees (Pechersky was one)survived the war. But the uprising did result in the death camp being dismantled. A total of about 250,000people, almost all Jews, had been murdered at Sobibor.
Pechersky found his way to a Jewish partisan unit, and later a Belarussian partisan unit. When the Red Armydrove out the German army, they did not trust escaped prisoners. Pechersky was placed with other escapees inspecial “penal batallions” that were sent straight to the front to fight the German army. Pechersky received amedal for bravery and was promoted to the rank of Captain.
Despite leading the only successful prisoner revolt at a World War II death camp, Pechersky never received thepublic recognition he deserved in his home country of Russia. The Soviet government refused him permissionto travel to Nuremberg to testify at trials of Nazis. When Soviet dictator Stalin launched his campaign against“Rootless Cosmopolitans” (i.e. “Insufficiently-loyal-to-Stalin Jews”) in 1948, Pechersky was one of thosearrested. He was unable to be hired at a regular job until after Stalin’s death.
Pechersky died in Russia in 1990 at the age of 80. The revolt at Sobibor was dramatized in a 1987 British TVfilm “Escape from Sobibor”. Pechersky was posthumously honored by the governments of Poland in 2013 andof Russia in 2016. A street is named for him in Safed, Israel and in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
Written by Lee Jacobi. Credits: Wikipedia
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BOOK REVIEW/BOOK EXCHANGE
We enjoyed another successful sharing of favorite books. Sixteen members got together at theBaron’s house for a lovely afternoon. We talked about books we each brought, and then wenthome with some from the many books we exchanged. Here is a list of the shared books.
Name of Book and Author Shared by
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Bryon Baron
An Atheist Stranger in a Strange Religious Land by Herb Silverstein Jerry Zwick
The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer Leslie Zwick
Plainsong by Kent Haruf Zena Jacobi
Still Alive by Ruth Kruger Lee Jacobi
Total Breast Health by Robin Keuneke Debbie Jacobowitz
Becoming by Michele Obama Suzy Baron
The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah Cheryl Cohen
Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos Debbie Holland Penley
On My Feet Again by Jennifer French Aviv and Hana Avishay
The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk Sylvia Rothman
Democracy In Chains by Nancy MacLean Ruth Shapin
Jewish Folktales Barbara Bogorad
Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing AsWe Age by Mary Pipher
Nancy Okamoto
BOOK REVIEW BY JERRY ZWICK
THE TATTOIST OF AUSCHWITZ By Heather Morris
This novel is based on a screenplay written by the author. It tells the true story of Lalewho is a prisoner in the concentration camp of Auschwitz. Here he meets and falls inlove with Gita, a fellow prisoner. Lale becomes the chief Tattoist and is in charge of
tattooing numbers on the arms of new prisoners. Because of this position he is given some specialprivileges, but he is still a prisoner.
Through his eyes we see the horrors of the camp, as well as loyalty and generosity of the prisoners.While the book is uncomfortable to read at times, it tells of the spirit and determination to survive at allcosts.
Although we may have read many stories of the holocaust, I would recommend this book because itbrings us a unique view of life during this terrible period.
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Pacific Community is a member of both the Society of Humanistic Judaism and Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations
Both organizations have events coming up in the spring. Please considerattending at least one of them. You won’t regret it.
Also a trip to Israel with the International Institute of Secular Humanistic Judaism(see attached flyer for information)
Mark Your Calendars
Mar. 10, 2019 - Daylight Savings BeginsMar. 17, 2019 - Purim w/Rabbi PatrickMar. 23, 2019 - Dine OutMar. 24, 2019 - Philosopher’s CafeApr. 27, 2019 - Passover Seder
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2018 - 2020 PACIFIC COMMUNITY BOARD MEMBERS Chai-Lights is published monthly by the Pacific Community of Cultural Jews,
Orange County, CA
Affiliated withThe Society for Humanistic Judaism
and The Congress of Secular Jewish
Organizations
Editor: Karen Knecht
Phone: 714-739-1366
Email: [email protected]
President Lee Jacobi [email protected]
Vice President Leslie Zwick [email protected]
Secretary Sylvia Rothman [email protected]
Treasurer Bryon Baron [email protected]
Membership Nancy Okamoto 949-386-0400
Program Coordinators Suzy Baron [email protected]
Karen Knecht [email protected]
Publicity Nancy Okamoto 949-386-0400
COMMUNITY AND BOARD POSITIONS
SHJ Representative Lee Jacobi [email protected]
Board Members at Large Jerry Zwick [email protected]
Bernice Stein [email protected]
Di Bunin [email protected]
Newsletter Editor Karen Knecht [email protected]
Sunshine Cheryl Cohen [email protected]
Web Master Marissa Jacobi [email protected]
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