San Diego Jewish World
May 18, 2022
(L to R) Liora Berkstein and Yael Steinberg squeeze out their challenges. Credit: StandWithUs.
SAN DIEGO — On Sunday afternoon May 15, community members from all around San Diego came together to celebrate Israel and Jewish Heritage month at Balboa Park. The event, “Israel: Diversity and Heritage” was held by the Jewish Federation of San Diego County as part of its “Celebrate Israel San Diego” and held in the International village, where the House of Israel is located.
StandWithUs (SWU) Southern California High School Coordinator Liora Berkstein and StandWithUs Kenneth Leventhal High School Interns Esther Turquie, Bonita Vista HS and Noa Rosenbaum, Urban Discovery HS managed the StandWithUs “Squeeze The Challenge” Lemonade Stand. Noa and Esther offered passerbys a cool glass of lemonade. Then, they encouraged the passersby to write out their challenges and “squeeze” them out, turning lemons into lemonade just like Israel has done for thousands of years when faced with overwhelming odds.
(L to R) Esther Turquie, Yael Steinberg, and Liora Berkstein at the StandWithUs “Squeeze The Challenge” Lemonade Stand.
Credit: StandWithUs.
The booth also had StandWithUs literature including booklets about Israel and antisemitism and the Interns and StandWithUs staff had many opportunities to discuss the important issues with visitors. Says Liora, “It was inspiring to shine such a positive light onto the community and to celebrate Jewish Heritage month in San Diego.” Noa agreed, “I had a truly amazing time; it was such a fun experience to be a part of educating my community on Israel. I loved how friendly everyone was and how eager some people were to learn about Israel and the challenges it faces.”
StandWithUs San Diego Director Yael Steinberg said, “We are grateful to the Federation for hosting the festival at Balboa Park which attracts a massive amount of people with diverse backgrounds. The Jewish and pro-Israel community was able to connect with each other and also make Israeli culture and education so accessible to so many. The Lemonade Stand is part of SWU’s experiential programs, which strive to reach out to different people and fulfill SWU’s belief that ‘Education Is The Road to Peace.’ And, after all, who doesn’t want a glass of lemonade on a hot day?”
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