HOLOCAUST INTERVIEWS: Hebrew High students at Saratoga's Congregation Beth David are interviewing Holocaust survivors to preserve their memories for future generations "so that this chapter in our history is never forgotten and never allowed to take place again," as instructor Helaine Green puts it.
The teens were taught Holocaust history by Dottie Miller, director of the Council for Jewish Education, and were coached on interviewing techniques. They also heard the stories of two local survivors, Alicia Appleman-Jurman and Alex Bauer.
Students in the class were Liuba Adar, Ronny Beer, Tamara Bendahan, Lisa Blasberg, Adam Cole, Jacob Englander, Tommy Kedar, Leah Newman and Marni Swedroe. They hope their work will help enhance an understanding of Jewish history and promote tolerance in an age of worldwide ethnic strife.
Englander, a sophomore at Archbishop Mitty High School, interviewed Atari CEO Jack Tramiel. Interviewing someone who survived and could reflect on the horrors he experienced gave Englander a new respect for those who can tell their stories.
"It was amazing to see the amount of passion Jack was able to have about life and how successful he was able to become after the Holocaust," says Englander, who called the interview one of the greatest experiences of his life.
Swedroe, a junior at Lynbrook High, interviewed Helena Wagner Smith. Swedroe felt "a Holocaust survivor should not be defined only as one who was imprisoned in a concentration camp. A Holocaust survivor is one who survived what words cannot describe to just live."
The students created memorial art under teacher Jackie Levinson. These pictures, along with the student interviews, will be sent to state Assemblywoman Rebecca Cohn, who is compiling a book of survivor memories to help make April 27May 3 declared California Holocaust Memorial Week.
Green plans to take the students to Sacramento to meet with state representatives and see their work on display. Bettina Rosenberg is helping edit the interviews.
HOUSE/GARDEN TOUR: Four unique homes and gardens in the Montalvo and Pierce Road areas of Saratoga will be on view May 15 and 16, 10 a.m.4 p.m. The home viewing will benefit Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center's programs for children and seniors. Friends of the San Jose Symphony is the co-sponsor.
The homes showcase designs and ideas from The Rose Collection in Los Gatos and Bloomsters Florist in San Jose. Participants can purchase accessories, bouquets, topiaries and garden supplies at a boutique following the tour.
Shuttles to the homes depart from Sacred Heart Church in Saratoga. Tickets are available at the Butter Paddle for $30 in advance, and are $35 on the day of the event. The hotline number is 408.358.5901. Checks should be made payable to APJCC, 14855 Oka Road, Los Gatos, 95032 before May 4.
PAS DE DEUX: Saratoga native Dalia Rawson and Maximo Califano of Argentina performed a pas de deux from Coppelia last Sunday as part of the opening ceremonies for National Dance Week. The two dancers are members of Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley.
"Dancin' Downtown" was held at the Circle of Palms next to the Fairmont San Jose and at the San Jose Museum of Art. More than 200 free events are being held this week until May 4. For the listing, visit www.bacndw.org.
HOMELESS: The American Association of University Women Committee on Homeless Women and Children has donated more than $80,000 in cash and goods to the Georgia Travis Center in the 10 years since the center opened. Huge amounts of clothing and toiletries have also been given to the women moving into transitional housing.
The committee has also donated money to Catholic Charities, San Jose Family Shelter, Sunday Friends and St. Luke's in Los Gatos. The group has decided to no longer hold its annual English tea and is casting about for a new means of raising funds for its beneficiaries.
IN FAIRY RING: Artists John Kurtyka and Argyle Beardsley will hold an open studio at Glen Una and Highway 9 on the weekends of May 34 and May 1718 in the yard of an old carriage house. The house is surrounded by 14 very tall evergreens, "like a mythical fairy ring around the front," says Beardsley.
The opening will also coincide with the launch of their handmade picturebook called Evolution. This may be the shortest book on evolution ever—and the most compelling, the authors say. Kurtyka has taught painting, drawing and sculpture for the past 14 years in the South Bay.
Beardsley has worked in the digital design world and now prints archival pieces up to 10 feet long using a modern printing method. Group activity in collage will be held on the front porch for children and adults.
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By Mary Ann Cook