Bulletin

Special Edition - April 2020

In an effort to reach out and stay in touch with our members, here is a Special Edition of the San Dieguito BNC Bulletin. We hope you enjoy it.

‘Our regularly scheduled publication’ will appear in May, and it is hoped that our regularly scheduled programming will resume soon.

Meantime, share the humor going around Stay home, stay safe. Remember, ‘This, too, shall pass’

President’s Message

Dear Friends,

I wish I had a magic wand to wave and bring all of our lives back to normal.

Turning on the news each day brings a new set of worries and concerns about ourselves and those we love.

If we can comfort ourselves by realizing we can weather anything knowing it’s not forever....we can come out of this stronger than ever.

I encourage you to sign onto the site https://www.brandeis.edu/now/2020/april/acts-of-kindness.html to see the faces of students and faculty as they support each other in true Brandeis fashion.

Although it’s not business as usual (as the world certainly isn’t!) we can remain comforted in seeing some people go above and beyond to keep our San Dieguito Chapter involved with its members and subsequently thriving.

Stan Schatt is leading his Study Group using Zoom....Diana Finkelstein and Gayle Wise are encouraging the watercolor class to keep on painting....and literature fills those empty moments.

As easy as it is to despair, we have so much to look forward to. We remain in communication via E-mail, Zoom, FaceTime and the good old telephone, letting everyone know we are well and doing everything we can to remain so.

Here’s to wearing a mask (there are some good videos online showing how to make one from a scarf and two hair ties!) keeping our distance....and making the best during these times.

Looking forward to seeing each and every one of you in the near future!

Linda Epstein

Officers 2019 - 2020 President – Linda Epstein [email protected] Vice President – Elaine Eisenberg [email protected] Treasurer – Arthur Birnbaum [email protected] Membership – Myrna Gale [email protected] Becky Thein [email protected] Recording Secretary – Duxie Smukler [email protected] Corresponding Secretary – Bea Sklarewitz [email protected] Special Events Chair – Phyllis Perkal [email protected] The Bulletin is published every other month by the San Dieguito Chapter of the Brandeis National Committee Editor: Jane Polgar [email protected] 760-633-2259 See our chapter website at http://blogs.brandeis.edu/bncsandieguito

Slow down, take a deep breath, gaze out the windows

Enjoy special programming on TV, listen to radio (remember radio?), to music. Use the phone, reach out, share a joke or cartoon. And be thankful for the internet and modern technology.

Here is a well-compiled list of places to ‘go’ online, and entertainment, and it’s not the only such list. Locally, there’s more, like the recorded SD Repertory Theatre’s ‘House of Joy’ till April 12 and SD Opera’s Nicholas Reveles’ podcasts on opera on Facebook. (In the distant past, Dr. Nic came to North County to lead our Opera Study Group.) To see more offerings, just look up your favorite organization online.

Virtual Museum Tours Many museums have closed their doors but they are open for business online. Here's a list of museums that have put their collections online for you to enjoy, and check out local museums. 1. British Museum in London 2. Guggenheim Museum, New York 3. National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. 4. Musée d'Orsay, Paris 5. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul 6. Pergamon Museum, Berlin 7. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam 8. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam 9. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles 10. Uffizi Gallery, Italy 11. Museu de Arte, São Paulo 12. The Louvre, Paris 13. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Online Concerts and Shows The music and cultural scenes are doing their best to keep going. You can stream concerts and Broadway shows from the comfort of your living room... or perhaps you'd prefer to relax in a bubble bath with an iPad. 14. 15 Broadway Plays and Musicals You Can Watch On Stage From Home 15. Stream the Met Opera nightly for free 16. Check out STAGEIT for access to "Shut in and Sing" events and online concerts 17. NPR is keeping a live list of Virtual Concerts which is updated daily.

Learn Something New Learning something new doesn't need to cost money. You can keep your brain active and learn a new language in just five minutes a day. Perhaps you would prefer to learn how to draw or code? 18. Learn a new language in as little as five minutes every day. DuoLingo will even let you set up a "classroom" so you can have accounts for kids to study. Drops is another app that makes learning a new language fun. 19. Yale University is offering a free course online - The Science of Well-Being - that teaches you how to be happier. 20. Take a University Art Class - Artsy.net has a list of 10 classes you can take for free online. 21. Coursera offers free online courses from many of the world's top universities in a wide variety of subjects 22. Become an Artist with Art ala Carte on YouTube.

Take a Virtual Field Trip Our Field Trippers might be housebound but just like the virtual museum tours, here are some ideas for creating an at-home field trip. If you've ever wanted to visit a national park or explore the surface of mars from the comfort of your home, there's never been a better time. 24. San Diego Zoo 25. Yellowstone National Park 26. Explore the Surface of Mars 27. Live Animal Cams at the San Diego Zoo, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta, Houston Zoo, Georgia Aquarium, Smithsonian National Zoo, Reid Park Zoo, Ouwehand Zoo 28. Live farm cams from Farm Food 360 29. The Great Wall of China 30. Boston Children's Museum 31. Pompei 32. Colonial Williamsburg 33. Ellis Island

The Quarantine Coding Club - Judith Eisenberg (Elaine’s daughter and the mother of a recent Brandeis alumna) writes that her company will be teaching online coding classes for kids, grades K-10, starting this week. See https://metacoders.org/online. There will be a fee; for information, contact her at [email protected]>

Readers - check out ‘Books and Authors’ at bbc.co.uk/and many other literary websites.

Life at Seacrest

Seacrest Village Retirement Community, where almost all our study groups are welcomed, recognized the easily spreading virus and in early March canceled our sessions. Soon afterwards families of residents and even the loved ones of those in the skilled nursing and long term care units, were asked not to visit. Ida Shreiber, a resident for many years, describes how life goes on.

Residents have been asked to remain in their apartments, and all meals are delivered. They are encouraged to walk in the patio at a safe distance, but almost all activities are on hold. The fitness center is open, but card games and groups of more than five are forbidden. Seacrest has set up a private TV station, and residents can hear talks and lectures and their rabbi, but sadly, there will be no community Seder. It will be televised instead. There is much encouragement, Ida says, from Rabbi Leah, and the administration sends notes thanking them for their cooperation. The best times are when food is delivered, and with the doors are open, neighbors can talk face to face down the hallways from their doorways. Unfortunately, all work has stopped on the construction, which had been near conclusion. As Ida said, ‘Who would have ever imagined this?’

We wish all the residents patience and good luck, good health!

MISSION STATEMENT Brandeis National Committee is dedicated to providing philanthropic support to , a distinguished liberal arts and research university founded by the American Jewish community. Its membership is connected to the university through fundraising and through activities that reflect the values on which the university was founded: academic excellence, social justice, nonsectarianism and service to the community.

THE BRANDEIS CONNECTION

The Brandeis Alumni Association wants you to know that your Brandeis family is thinking of you and wishing you well. We also want to offer some digital diversions during this stressful time. For more ideas, and a series of podcasts, check out https://alumni.brandeis.edu/

 WATCH: Streaming TV Series

Scandal Big Little Lies Actor Tony Goldwyn ’82 Actress Robin Weigert ’91 Streaming: Netflix Streaming: HBO

Deadwood Star Trek: The Next Actress Robin Weigert ’91 Generation Streaming: HBO Actress Gates McFadden ’70 Mozart in the Jungle Streaming: Amazon Prime, Producer Caroline Baron ’83 Hulu, Netflix Streaming: Amazon Prime

Pokémon Will & Grace

Voice actress Kathleen Actress Debra Messing ’90 McInerney ’93 aka Veronica Streaming: Amazon Prime, Taylor Hulu, NBC Streaming: Netflix

To visit the Rose Art Museum, see their digital collection by clicking here http://rosecollection.brandeis.edu/

Cooped Up and Coping with COVID-19

It’s a strange new world we’re living in, but Study Group leader Stan Schatt, author and technology expert, won’t be thwarted. He has set up a Zoom conferencing session for his The Great Decisions group. He also set up the program for Elaine Eisenberg’s Contemporary Literature group.

Here are excerpts from his instructive and humorous letter:

Hi Everyone, I would like to TRY a video conference meeting of our Great Decisions group. Below you will find the meeting ID and password. If you have not used Zoom before, I also have included links to a couple of tutorials. I KNOW there will be bugs and technical difficulties this first time, but give it a chance. If you have a Mac or PC (with webcam) or a smart phone or a tablet, you can take part….. . YOU SHOULD SELECT MUTE AND MUTE YOURSELF WHEN ENTERING A MEETING AND ONLY UNMUTE WHEN YOU ARE THE ONE TALKING. THIS WAY WE DON’T GO CRAZY WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE TALKING AT ONCE AND/OR DOGS AND SPOUSES BARKING IN THE BACKGROUND. WE PROBABLY NO LONGER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BABIES CRYING IN THE BACKGROUND. This is an experiment. I really don’t know how well this will work since I know some people feel technically challenged. There are tons of tutorials on the Zoom.us website. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible. After all, I don’t think any of us are going on vacation.... Stan

Happy Holidays!

Wishing You an Untraditional Happy Passover or Happy Easter

Humorous Hagaddahs abound, and churches are holding drive-in Services. There are many ways of coping in this coronavirus ‘plague’ year, and remember, this, too, shall pass.

Meet a Member

Iris Allyn Klipp

Chapter member Iris Allyn Klipp was recently honored as a VIP Member for 2020 by P.O.W.E.R., the Professional Organization of Women of Excellence, for her outstanding contributions and achievements in the field of publishing. Some of the following is adapted from their profile.

Background, Career Iris Allyn Klipp has 50 years’ experience in the publishing arena. In 2019, she published a children’s book titled The Adventures of Hooey and Friends. It is about Hooey, a turtle, as he attempts to avoid trouble by hiding in his shell, his best friend, Truey, who is loyal; Mac, as he welcomes mischief; and Myrtle the Turtle, who accepts and includes Mac in their circle of friends. Published by Page Publishing, the mini-stories are accompanied by original illustrations by Bonnie Owen which bring Hooey and his friends to life for young readers. The Adventures of Hooey and Friends was listed in The San Diego Union-Tribune on Oct. 10, 2019 and on Warwick's Top Sellers List as #2. When someone asked Iris how she became a children’s book author, she replied, “I was not read to as a child, so at the tender age of three, I started making up stories. By five, I was writing them down and a children’s book author book was born. In fact, three of my friends from childhood and I inspired the theme for this very book.” Iris began her career as a New York City fashion model. She later went on to become the owner and editor-in-chief of a newspaper, a theatre-critic and a published poet. Iris is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. In her spare time she enjoys tennis, going to the movies and family activities with her husband, children and grandchildren. The Adventures of Hooey & Friends is available at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play or Barnes and Noble. BNC Iris came to Brandeis in 1985, joining the Gotham Chapter in NY. Soon after she moved to California in 1989, the president of the San Diego chapter invited her to a tennis game, and she soon transferred into that chapter. She served as fund raising chair and then as president of the San Diego chapter for a successful 2 year term, eventually joining our chapter as it absorbed San Diego’s. She loves Brandeis and all that it stands for! Elaine Eisenberg

TRIBUTES

Sustaining the Mind

To Bev and Joe Fremont in memory of their son, Allen Fremont, from Elaine Eisenberg, Sue Berger, Jane & Peter Polgar, Suzie & Neil Kaplan, Peggy & Dave Marks, Phoebe Tessler, Lenore Shapp, Ida Shreiber, Linda & Peter Levine, Ilene & Charles Mittman, Gayle & George Wise, Barbara Schwartz, Duxie Smukler, Bea Sklarewitz, Eileen & Ed Coblens, Cynthia & Arthur Birnbaum, Cheryl & Herschel Kaufman, Joel & Nancy Kayne, Linda & Marvin Epstein, Phyllis & Milt Perkal. Light of Reason

To Mark Edelstein, San Diego Jewish Journal, Speedy Recovery, from the Brandeis Board, San Dieguito Chapter

Celebrate

Happy Birthday March 2 – Elza Rzepa – Happy Belated Birthday April 5- Cindi Weiss – Happy Belated Birthday May 3 – Carol Shakter May 13 – Peter Levine and Florence Sachs May 20 – Sarah Birnbaum May 31 – Sue Berger (This year, if you can’t celebrate in the usual manner - no dinner out, no family or friends about - then this birthday doesn’t count, and you’re not another year older!)

Happy Anniversary May 1 - Marti Colwell and Jim Brush May 2 – Carol & Mark Shapiro May 4 – Nancy Russian and Luis Rodriquez May 21 – Iris Kanter and Mitch Friedman May 26 – Phyllis & Gary Weed, Barbara & Sheldon Howard, Sharon & Michael Kroopkin May 27 – Carol & James McCall

TO SEND A TRIBUTE, CONTACT CHERYL KAUFMAN [email protected] 619-578-2308

Stay safe and we’ll have a Busy Brandeis future!

Meantime, check out our chapter website for photos and news.

http://blogs.brandeis.edu/bncsandieguito/

Joan Kushinoff has put a new slide show on the chapter’s website. There are also plenty of photos in past Bulletins available online Have fun and pass some time seeing ourselves as we were.