January 28, 2005
To: Daniel Shinoff
From: Maura Larkins
by fax only to: 619 232 3264
Viktor Frankel said that one of the tragedies of the Holocaust was that "the
best of us did not survive."
The result of genocide is often survivors who are tough as nails, and focused
on survival. As William Butler Yeats argued, regarding the survivors of
another genocide in Europe (one-third to one-half of the targeted population
killed in 1649, and again one-half in the 1840's), survivors of unlimited horror
are not to be judged:
Too long a suffering can make a stone of the heart.
When will it suffice?
That is heaven's part.
Our part, to whisper name upon name,
as a mother names her child...
I find the Jewish concept of the "mensch" to be one of the most practical
spiritual concepts human beings have come up with. But when you're focused
on trying to survive, whether as an individual or a group, it can be hard to
focus on such things, can't it?
To: Daniel Shinoff
From: Maura Larkins
by fax only to: 619 232 3264
Viktor Frankel said that one of the tragedies of the Holocaust was that "the
best of us did not survive."
The result of genocide is often survivors who are tough as nails, and focused
on survival. As William Butler Yeats argued, regarding the survivors of
another genocide in Europe (one-third to one-half of the targeted population
killed in 1649, and again one-half in the 1840's), survivors of unlimited horror
are not to be judged:
Too long a suffering can make a stone of the heart.
When will it suffice?
That is heaven's part.
Our part, to whisper name upon name,
as a mother names her child...
I find the Jewish concept of the "mensch" to be one of the most practical
spiritual concepts human beings have come up with. But when you're focused
on trying to survive, whether as an individual or a group, it can be hard to
focus on such things, can't it?
January 30, 2005
To: Daniel Shinoff
From:Maura Larkins
by fax only to: 619 232 3264
After reading the attached article from the North County Times,
I’m wondering if there is anything you hold sacred...
enough that you wouldn’t lie about it.
To: Daniel Shinoff
From:Maura Larkins
by fax only to: 619 232 3264
After reading the attached article from the North County Times,
I’m wondering if there is anything you hold sacred...
enough that you wouldn’t lie about it.
Married? What? It wasn't his own family? Didn't Shinoff make it clear that his own
family was wiped out in the Holocaust except for one person?
Apparently NONE of his ancestors were Holocaust victims.
Shinoff is no more descended from a Holocaust survivor, nor was his family
murdered in the Holocaust, than I and my family. It is his wife's family that suffered
those horrors, as did some of my relatives by marriage.
If relatives by marriage give a person the right to condemn others for discussing
the Holocaust, then I, too, have that right. Shinoff should be ashamed of misusing
the suffering of his wife's relatives to gain an advantage in the courtroom.
family was wiped out in the Holocaust except for one person?
Apparently NONE of his ancestors were Holocaust victims.
Shinoff is no more descended from a Holocaust survivor, nor was his family
murdered in the Holocaust, than I and my family. It is his wife's family that suffered
those horrors, as did some of my relatives by marriage.
If relatives by marriage give a person the right to condemn others for discussing
the Holocaust, then I, too, have that right. Shinoff should be ashamed of misusing
the suffering of his wife's relatives to gain an advantage in the courtroom.
No, says San Diego school attorney Daniel Shinoff. The idea of "truth and reconciliation"
discussions in schools is anathama to the premier school lawyer in San Diego County.
Mr. Shinoff calls such talk "vile" (see below). The origins of the Holocaust should never be
discussed in relation to what is happening in our schools, according to Mr. Shinoff.
discussions in schools is anathama to the premier school lawyer in San Diego County.
Mr. Shinoff calls such talk "vile" (see below). The origins of the Holocaust should never be
discussed in relation to what is happening in our schools, according to Mr. Shinoff.
"Married to the daughter of Holocaust survivors ..."
To: Daniel Shinoff
From: Maura Larkins
January 27, 2005
In acknowledgment of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Gerhard
Schroeder recently pointed out that the loss of moral inhibitions has a
history; groups of people have desired it; it is not a
matter of a single evil person.
That is certainly true of the events at Castle Park Elementary during the past decade.
Schroeder wonders if the lessons of history have been
taught widely at all. They certainly have NOT been taught at Castle Park
Elementary. The school board is preventing any such learning from taking place.
As Ellis Cose said, in “Learning to Heal,” Newsweek, April 12, 2004, it is better
to confront the past outright than to risk being forever
haunted by its ghosts. There is a new resolve on the
part of many—individuals and nations alike—to fearlessly
face the truth.
This resolve is fueled by a sense that the future is hostage to the past.
This resolve has propelled troubled societies to ask, as they put together truth
commissions, whether, if they can come to terms with their history, they can happily
embrace a new day.
Reconciliation and healing require transformation—of
individuals and, where countries are concerned, of the
very norms of society.
“Never again” is not a plan, it’s a prayer. A prayer that
we will see the connections from one atrocity to another,
that we will see bigoted demagogues exactly for what
they are, that we will turn against those who scapegoat
others.
I agree with Ellis Cose that getting people to focus on wrongs unfolding in dark corners
is anything but easy to do.
Wrongs are still unfolding at Castle Park, and it is the children who are suffering, as
they have during years past. The demagogues, who include Gina Boyd, are working to
prevent the truth from being told, and to prevent the anger from subsiding.
Thanks to our justice system, the truth about what happened at Castle Park has been
revealed. But CTA and District lawyers have succeeded so far in preventing a trial of
the facts, and have won a protective order preventing depositions from being revealed.
Thankfully, those depositions are not necessary to demonstrate the truth. The truth will
be revealed. But how much more damage will be done to children before CVE, CTA
and the CVESD school board finally give up their hopeless battle to hide the truth?
From: Maura Larkins
January 27, 2005
In acknowledgment of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Gerhard
Schroeder recently pointed out that the loss of moral inhibitions has a
history; groups of people have desired it; it is not a
matter of a single evil person.
That is certainly true of the events at Castle Park Elementary during the past decade.
Schroeder wonders if the lessons of history have been
taught widely at all. They certainly have NOT been taught at Castle Park
Elementary. The school board is preventing any such learning from taking place.
As Ellis Cose said, in “Learning to Heal,” Newsweek, April 12, 2004, it is better
to confront the past outright than to risk being forever
haunted by its ghosts. There is a new resolve on the
part of many—individuals and nations alike—to fearlessly
face the truth.
This resolve is fueled by a sense that the future is hostage to the past.
This resolve has propelled troubled societies to ask, as they put together truth
commissions, whether, if they can come to terms with their history, they can happily
embrace a new day.
Reconciliation and healing require transformation—of
individuals and, where countries are concerned, of the
very norms of society.
“Never again” is not a plan, it’s a prayer. A prayer that
we will see the connections from one atrocity to another,
that we will see bigoted demagogues exactly for what
they are, that we will turn against those who scapegoat
others.
I agree with Ellis Cose that getting people to focus on wrongs unfolding in dark corners
is anything but easy to do.
Wrongs are still unfolding at Castle Park, and it is the children who are suffering, as
they have during years past. The demagogues, who include Gina Boyd, are working to
prevent the truth from being told, and to prevent the anger from subsiding.
Thanks to our justice system, the truth about what happened at Castle Park has been
revealed. But CTA and District lawyers have succeeded so far in preventing a trial of
the facts, and have won a protective order preventing depositions from being revealed.
Thankfully, those depositions are not necessary to demonstrate the truth. The truth will
be revealed. But how much more damage will be done to children before CVE, CTA
and the CVESD school board finally give up their hopeless battle to hide the truth?
My efforts didn't go well, did they? I next tried to enlist
the help of Mr. Shinoff's clergyman.
I believed that Mr. Shinoff was confused, and did not realize that he was on a
slippery slope to disrepute. I thought he was a sincerely religious man who would
want to consult his rabbi. At that time Mr. Shinoff figured prominently in photos
and discussions on the website of his congregation, so I knew who his rabbi was.
I made the same effort with a Christian friend of mine who
was so afraid of Mr. Shinoff and CVESD that she was
helping to cover up wrongdoing.
I believed that she was a sincerely religious person and would follow the guidance
of her minister.
I believed that clergymen of both religions would help their congregants follow
the laws of God and man. I don't know if my faith in the minister and the rabbi was
misplaced. As it happened, those clergymen never got a chance to give any
guidance.
the help of Mr. Shinoff's clergyman.
I believed that Mr. Shinoff was confused, and did not realize that he was on a
slippery slope to disrepute. I thought he was a sincerely religious man who would
want to consult his rabbi. At that time Mr. Shinoff figured prominently in photos
and discussions on the website of his congregation, so I knew who his rabbi was.
I made the same effort with a Christian friend of mine who
was so afraid of Mr. Shinoff and CVESD that she was
helping to cover up wrongdoing.
I believed that she was a sincerely religious person and would follow the guidance
of her minister.
I believed that clergymen of both religions would help their congregants follow
the laws of God and man. I don't know if my faith in the minister and the rabbi was
misplaced. As it happened, those clergymen never got a chance to give any
guidance.
Did Mr. Shinoff ignore this message from his own rabbi?
"It is too easy for us to focus all of our attention and energy on those people and items
around us we care for the most. This week we are reminded that there is more in the world
than our limited area of comfort and we have an obligation to that as well."
--September 1-2, 2006 9 Elul, 5766
by Rabbi David Kornberg
"It is too easy for us to focus all of our attention and energy on those people and items
around us we care for the most. This week we are reminded that there is more in the world
than our limited area of comfort and we have an obligation to that as well."
--September 1-2, 2006 9 Elul, 5766
by Rabbi David Kornberg
Stanley Milgram's famous
"obedience" experiment
showed that most people will
set aside their moral
inhibitions if someone
wearing a white laboratory
coat tells them to inflict
horrible pain on a stranger.
A recent replication of the
experiment:
The Milgram Experiments
Summary of Milgram
experiments
University of California
Milgram found that
education levels
had a big impact
on behavior
Milgram found that people
who have confidence in their
own thinking ability are less
likely to obey someone just
because he is in a position of
authority.
"obedience" experiment
showed that most people will
set aside their moral
inhibitions if someone
wearing a white laboratory
coat tells them to inflict
horrible pain on a stranger.
A recent replication of the
experiment:
The Milgram Experiments
Summary of Milgram
experiments
University of California
Milgram found that
education levels
had a big impact
on behavior
Milgram found that people
who have confidence in their
own thinking ability are less
likely to obey someone just
because he is in a position of
authority.
Shimon Samuels, of the
Simon Wiesenthal Centre in
Paris, said he understood
the German-born pope's
desire for Christian unity
but said Benedict could
have excluded Williamson,
whose return to the church
will "cost" the Vatican
politically.
In an interview taped last November
and aired last Wednesday on
Swedish television, Williamson said
he agreed with the "most serious"
revisionist historians of the second
world war who had concluded that
"between 200,000-300,000
perished in Nazi concentration
camps, but not one of them by
gassing in a gas chamber".
Williamson added he realised he
could go to jail for Holocaust denial
in Germany.
British Jewish groups condemned
the decision and said they feared it
could damage social cohesion.
"The Council of Christians and Jews
have said that in recent years there
has been a considerable increase
in antisemitism from some of the
eastern European churches," said
Mark Gardner, spokesman for the
Community Security Trust which
monitors attacks on Jewish people
in the UK. Gardner said he hoped
the Vatican would make it clear it
abhors Williamson's comments
about the gas chambers.
"Jews will be extremely alarmed by
the lifting of this excommunication
on somebody who holds such
extreme anti-Jewish views," Gardner
said. "I hope the Vatican will speak
out on this particular aspect of
Williamson's ideology."
Elan Steinberg, vice president of the
American Gathering of Holocaust
Survivors and their Descendants,
warned last week the Vatican's
actions would play into the hands of
those seeking to stir up trouble. "For
the Jewish people ... this
development ... encourages
hate-mongers everywhere,"
Steinberg said. Rome's chief rabbi
Riccardo Di Segni said that revoking
Williamson's excommunication
would open "a deep wound"...
UPDATE
Simon Wiesenthal Centre in
Paris, said he understood
the German-born pope's
desire for Christian unity
but said Benedict could
have excluded Williamson,
whose return to the church
will "cost" the Vatican
politically.
In an interview taped last November
and aired last Wednesday on
Swedish television, Williamson said
he agreed with the "most serious"
revisionist historians of the second
world war who had concluded that
"between 200,000-300,000
perished in Nazi concentration
camps, but not one of them by
gassing in a gas chamber".
Williamson added he realised he
could go to jail for Holocaust denial
in Germany.
British Jewish groups condemned
the decision and said they feared it
could damage social cohesion.
"The Council of Christians and Jews
have said that in recent years there
has been a considerable increase
in antisemitism from some of the
eastern European churches," said
Mark Gardner, spokesman for the
Community Security Trust which
monitors attacks on Jewish people
in the UK. Gardner said he hoped
the Vatican would make it clear it
abhors Williamson's comments
about the gas chambers.
"Jews will be extremely alarmed by
the lifting of this excommunication
on somebody who holds such
extreme anti-Jewish views," Gardner
said. "I hope the Vatican will speak
out on this particular aspect of
Williamson's ideology."
Elan Steinberg, vice president of the
American Gathering of Holocaust
Survivors and their Descendants,
warned last week the Vatican's
actions would play into the hands of
those seeking to stir up trouble. "For
the Jewish people ... this
development ... encourages
hate-mongers everywhere,"
Steinberg said. Rome's chief rabbi
Riccardo Di Segni said that revoking
Williamson's excommunication
would open "a deep wound"...
UPDATE
"He survived Hitler,
but he didn't
survive the utility
company."
Man at funeral of
93-year-old WWII veteran
who froze to death
compared the utility
company to Hitler.
Is this another all-time low?
Was this incredibly
offensive of CNN and the
funeral attendee?
On January 30, 2009 CNN played a
video clip of the funeral of Marvin E.
Schur.
93-year-old man had more than
$1,000 in unpaid bills
Associated Press
Jan. 26, 2009
A 93-year-old man froze to death
inside his home just days after the
municipal power company
restricted his use of electricity
because of unpaid bills, officials
said.
Marvin E. Schur died "a slow,
painful death," said Kanu Virani,
Oakland County's deputy chief
medical examiner, who performed
the autopsy.
Neighbors discovered Schur's body
on Jan. 17. They said the indoor
temperature was below 32 degrees
at the time, The Bay City Times
reported Monday.
"Hypothermia shuts the whole
system down, slowly," Virani said.
"It's not easy to die from
hypothermia without first realizing
your fingers and toes feel like
they're burning."
Schur owed Bay City Electric Light &
Power more than $1,000 in unpaid
electric bills, Bay City Manager
Robert Belleman told The
Associated Press on Monday.
A city utility worker had installed a
"limiter" device... The device limits
power reaching a home and blows
out like a fuse if consumption rises
past a set level. Power is not
restored until the device is reset...
...Power shut off if bills unpaid
Belleman said city workers keep
the limiter on houses for 10 days,
then shut off power entirely if the
homeowner hasn't paid utility bills
or arranged to do so.
He said Bay City Electric Light &
Power's policies will be reviewed,
but he didn't believe the city did
anything wrong...
but he didn't
survive the utility
company."
Man at funeral of
93-year-old WWII veteran
who froze to death
compared the utility
company to Hitler.
Is this another all-time low?
Was this incredibly
offensive of CNN and the
funeral attendee?
On January 30, 2009 CNN played a
video clip of the funeral of Marvin E.
Schur.
93-year-old man had more than
$1,000 in unpaid bills
Associated Press
Jan. 26, 2009
A 93-year-old man froze to death
inside his home just days after the
municipal power company
restricted his use of electricity
because of unpaid bills, officials
said.
Marvin E. Schur died "a slow,
painful death," said Kanu Virani,
Oakland County's deputy chief
medical examiner, who performed
the autopsy.
Neighbors discovered Schur's body
on Jan. 17. They said the indoor
temperature was below 32 degrees
at the time, The Bay City Times
reported Monday.
"Hypothermia shuts the whole
system down, slowly," Virani said.
"It's not easy to die from
hypothermia without first realizing
your fingers and toes feel like
they're burning."
Schur owed Bay City Electric Light &
Power more than $1,000 in unpaid
electric bills, Bay City Manager
Robert Belleman told The
Associated Press on Monday.
A city utility worker had installed a
"limiter" device... The device limits
power reaching a home and blows
out like a fuse if consumption rises
past a set level. Power is not
restored until the device is reset...
...Power shut off if bills unpaid
Belleman said city workers keep
the limiter on houses for 10 days,
then shut off power entirely if the
homeowner hasn't paid utility bills
or arranged to do so.
He said Bay City Electric Light &
Power's policies will be reviewed,
but he didn't believe the city did
anything wrong...
Maura Larkins, author of this website, wrote this letter in 2005
regarding the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz:
regarding the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz:
At the time I wrote my above letter to Mr. Shinoff, I thought he was a decent, honest
man who had simply failed to think about the ramifications of his actions at Chula
Vista Elementary School District.
man who had simply failed to think about the ramifications of his actions at Chula
Vista Elementary School District.
Poway attorney makes career defending schools
April 27, 2003
by SCOTT MARSHALL
ESCONDIDO ---- For 20 years, when school districts countywide have needed legal help,
their calls most often have reached the desk of one man ---- Daniel Shinoff.
Ranging from teachers alleging discrimination to wrongful-death lawsuits involving students,
the legal issues that have confronted districts have varied and grown more complex over the
years, but Shinoff, 47, of Poway and his law firm have remained a constant...Shinoff said ...
70 percent of his practice still involves representing the districts in litigation...
Born and raised in Canada, Shinoff decided on the law as a career when he was a child...
"I was a young kid and I had a strong Jewish identity," Shinoff said of his reasons for
going to Israel. "To me it was a historical attachment to the state of Israel. ... I've always had
a strong Jewish identity."
April 27, 2003
by SCOTT MARSHALL
ESCONDIDO ---- For 20 years, when school districts countywide have needed legal help,
their calls most often have reached the desk of one man ---- Daniel Shinoff.
Ranging from teachers alleging discrimination to wrongful-death lawsuits involving students,
the legal issues that have confronted districts have varied and grown more complex over the
years, but Shinoff, 47, of Poway and his law firm have remained a constant...Shinoff said ...
70 percent of his practice still involves representing the districts in litigation...
Born and raised in Canada, Shinoff decided on the law as a career when he was a child...
"I was a young kid and I had a strong Jewish identity," Shinoff said of his reasons for
going to Israel. "To me it was a historical attachment to the state of Israel. ... I've always had
a strong Jewish identity."
North County Times article about Daniel Shinoff
Studies of evil in its early
stages
stages
| Dr. David Feifel MD, PhD Dr. Feifel is an Associate Professor in the UCSD School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry. He received a doctorate in Neurobiology and a Medical Degree from the University of Toronto. He joined UCSD in 1992 and currently he is Director of the Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Program. At UCSD he teaches, cares for patients and conducts research. He lives in La Jolla with his wife and three kids Congregation BethAm Board President Rick Schwartz rschwartz@betham.com Immediate Past President Michael Goodman mgoodman@betham.com Vice Presidents Education Beverly Powazek C.L.J.L Nina Brodsky Membership Bob Rauch Ways & Means Jodie Kaplan Treasurer Alan Lopato Board of Directors Wayne Harris Brooks Herman Alan Kholos Michael Mattes Gary Perlmutter Betsy Polacheck Sima Ross Michelle Shinoff Richard Soll Greg Zweibel |
| Extremism--religious, political After WWII, Germans and Arabs |
Letter to Rabbi David Kornberg
"...Some people might find it hard to believe, but I harbor no malice toward Daniel Shinoff.
"I believe that human beings do the best that they can, and when they violate the law, it is
usually a matter of confused thinking and overconfidence.
"My guess is that honest lawyers simply don’t get hired by San Diego Office of Education-
Joint Powers Authority and member school districts. Schools don’t want lawyers who blindly
follow the law. School officials want lawyers who are willing to take, or create, opportunities
to wrestle undeserved legal victories from the justice system. Plaintiff probably figured that
somebody was going to get rich doing what school officials want, and it might as well be
them. This sort of greed and rationalization is a natural part of the make-up of human beings
around the world and through the ages.
These natural instincts seem to be the basis of how the world functions; why would I harbor
malice regarding an apparently immutable fact of life?
This does not mean, of course, that I don’t try to make the world a better place. My website is
a major part of my efforts to bring more respect for the law and for human beings to San
Diego schools... "
"I believe that human beings do the best that they can, and when they violate the law, it is
usually a matter of confused thinking and overconfidence.
"My guess is that honest lawyers simply don’t get hired by San Diego Office of Education-
Joint Powers Authority and member school districts. Schools don’t want lawyers who blindly
follow the law. School officials want lawyers who are willing to take, or create, opportunities
to wrestle undeserved legal victories from the justice system. Plaintiff probably figured that
somebody was going to get rich doing what school officials want, and it might as well be
them. This sort of greed and rationalization is a natural part of the make-up of human beings
around the world and through the ages.
These natural instincts seem to be the basis of how the world functions; why would I harbor
malice regarding an apparently immutable fact of life?
This does not mean, of course, that I don’t try to make the world a better place. My website is
a major part of my efforts to bring more respect for the law and for human beings to San
Diego schools... "
Declaration of Maura Larkins
(in response to the above statements)
(in response to the above statements)
Defamation case against novelist who correctly accused government of false
accusations against Jewish officer
Defamation case by Dan Shinoff against this website
accusations against Jewish officer
Defamation case by Dan Shinoff against this website
| That, however, is a misreading of the Jewish tradition, for as the Talmud makes clear, saving a person’s life (pikkuah nefesh) takes precedence ... Even when the abuse is short of being life-threatening, we have the duty to protect such people just as we have the duty to protect anybody in danger, for the Torah says, “Do not stand idly by the blood of your brother” (Leviticus 19: 16; see Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 73a). Civil law now makes rabbis and educators, among others, mandated reporters to the authorities with regard to child abuse, but no such reporting law exists for adult spouses. Thus rabbis need to respond to such cases of family violence in line with the Jewish tradition’s priorities, where saving a person from death or injury takes precedence over any concerns for the embarrassment involved, even if that means that the temple will lose a member. In these few examples, I have tried to demonstrate that the Jewish tradition can indeed be fruitfully used to help us with our modern dilemmas in Jewish professional life... |
| Is it wrong to discuss personal issues with a rabbi? |
| Rabbi Kornberg was approached by a woman (me--Maura Larkins) who reported that she was being victimized by a member of his congregation. I told Rabbi Kornberg that I was concerned that Mr. Shinoff was ruining his own reputation by refusing to change his behavior. The response I got was, in so many words: "Silence! You are embarrassing the man who destroyed your career!" Rabbi Kornberg refused to reveal to me his plans for testifying on Daniel Shinoff's behalf at trial. I learned that Shinoff had no plans to call him, and, in fact, three days before the trial, Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz contradicted Shinoff's declaration, saying there was no indication that my efforts to contact a rabbi were proof of anti-Semitism. "It could have been a priest," said Stutz attorney Jeffrey Wade (see transcript in pink area above). On the day of the trial the court reversed its finding of malice which had been based on Dan Shinoff's declaration. |
| The Jewish Community Online Mark January 7, 2009 "Some of the most dangerous people in the world today it seems are clerics. For some reason we still expect them to give us moral guidance, which gives a few of them way more influence than they deserve. Rabbi Lerner is a case in point..." |
| Moral issues in six religions by W. Owen Cole, Arye Forta 1991 "It has always been the task of rabbis and other religious thinkers to provide guidance ... The moral guidance they taught was written down, and their books..." |
| When Suspect Is Spiritual Guide By DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI September 18, 1998 ''To us, he was God's voice, right here,'' said one member of M'kor Shalom, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. ''How could he deceive us for all those years when he was disobeying God's law? How could he let down so many people who looked to him for guidance? How can we believe in anything he said all those years?'' ...''He was incredibly respected,'' said William Levering, a minister at the First Presbyterian Church in nearby Haddonfield. ''Both a mover and shaker.'' Behind that winning image, however, Rabbi Neulander, 57, also led a tangled secret life...Elaine Soncini, a radio host who had gone to him in 1992 seeking solace after her husband's death. As their affair progressed, Ms. Soncini began pressuring Rabbi Neulander to end his marriage... ...One of the most striking things about the case, investigators say, was the condition of Rabbi Neulander's clothing the day of the killing. The living room in which the rabbi found his wife slain was spattered with blood. But when an ambulance responded to the rabbi's emergency call, there wasn't a speck of blood on his hands, face or clothes. ''He didn't check for a pulse, didn't hold her, didn't kneel on the floor, didn't get anywhere near her,'' said the investigator. ''Is that how you would react if you had nothing to do with it?'' ...A handful of members quit M'kor Shalom after Rabbi Neulander was ousted in 1995 and never joined another synagogue... For individuals and family members, however, the court proceedings are certain to rekindle questions over the character of a man they used to rely on for moral guidance. |
| ACADEMICS at AMERICAN JEWISH UNIVERSITY Strategic Human Resource Management In Synagogues Performance Evaluation 2003 ...Despite the “unique predicament” of synagogue executive directors as both leaders, followers, and Jewish professionals, it is not difficult for boards of directors and personnel committees to place the executive director in a performance evaluation process that is familiar from other organizations, both nonprofit and for-profit. Evaluating the rabbi, however, brings up many more complicated issues and problems, and for this reason it is frequently just not done, or it is done in such a way as to cause harm to the congregation-rabbi relationship. Traditionally, the rabbi was the spiritual leader of the community. He provided moral guidance and taught Jewish values. As Jill Davidson Sklar (2001) points out, because some synagogues today are beginning to adopt a corporate model of structure and behavior, one of the important questions being asked by many synagogues is whether the rabbi is the spiritual leader, the chief executive officer, or both. |
| An Army Mutiny in Israeli Settlements? Time Magazine By Tim McGirk/Jerusalem Aug. 07, 2007 Israeli police officers carry a Jewish settler as he is forcibly removed from a house in the West Bank town of Hebron... ...When the Duchifat Battalion was ordered on Monday to support the police in clearing out the settlers, 38 soldiers refused to obey. Using cellphones, the soldiers immediately called their rabbis for moral guidance. They also called their parents, who tried to block the soldiers' bus from leaving its base in the Jordan Valley. "It was not for this that my son joined the army," one father, Moshe Rosenfeld, told Israeli Army Radio. Eventually, all but 12 soldiers agreed to follow orders. In the past, army officers have been lenient about sending in religious Zionist troops to clear out settlers, looking the other way when they failed to report for duty or called in sick. But this time, senior officers treated the defiance as a clear act of insubordination, a failure to recognize that in the Israeli Defense Force, an officer's orders supersede a rabbi's moral advice... |
Nazi-run camp where Demjanjuk allegedly worked
By RACHEL NOLAN
May 12, 2009
AP
BERLIN (AP) — The Sobibor extermination camp, where retired autoworker John Demjanjuk is
alleged to have served as a guard, was built by Nazi officers in occupied Poland in 1942 and razed
18 months later.
In the time it was operational, some 250,000 Jews, Gypsies and political prisoners were murdered in
its gas chambers.
The first trains carrying mostly Austrian, Czech and Polish Jews from the nearby Lublin Ghetto
began arriving in May 1942. SS officers forced the men, women and children to leave their
belongings aboard, undress and report to the what they were told were "washing rooms" — the gas
chambers.
After the doors closed, gas from a diesel engine was pumped into the room to suffocate those
inside, killing up to 1,300 people at once. Camp inmates removed gold teeth, valuables and cut off
hair from the bodies before burning the corpses.
Later, guards also killed those inmates forced to work at the camp, located near Nazi-occupied
Poland's eastern border with Ukraine.
Franz Stangl ran the camp for the first six months, overseeing some 30 SS officers as well as
Ukrainian guards. Before arriving at Sobibor, Stangl headed a euthanasia center in Austria where
Nazis sent physically and mentally disabled people to be killed. He was later put in charge of the
Treblinka death camp.
In October 1943, Sobibor prisoners staged an uprising, and hundreds successfully escaped the
camp.
[Maura Larkins' note: I applaud the brave prisoners who staged the uprising. Sometimes
government violates basic human rights, and resistance is morally justified. This has
been true in the United States at times, such as the time of slavery and segregation.]
Days later, SS head Heinrich Himmler ordered guards to tear down the camp and plant the area
over with pine trees...
By RACHEL NOLAN
May 12, 2009
AP
BERLIN (AP) — The Sobibor extermination camp, where retired autoworker John Demjanjuk is
alleged to have served as a guard, was built by Nazi officers in occupied Poland in 1942 and razed
18 months later.
In the time it was operational, some 250,000 Jews, Gypsies and political prisoners were murdered in
its gas chambers.
The first trains carrying mostly Austrian, Czech and Polish Jews from the nearby Lublin Ghetto
began arriving in May 1942. SS officers forced the men, women and children to leave their
belongings aboard, undress and report to the what they were told were "washing rooms" — the gas
chambers.
After the doors closed, gas from a diesel engine was pumped into the room to suffocate those
inside, killing up to 1,300 people at once. Camp inmates removed gold teeth, valuables and cut off
hair from the bodies before burning the corpses.
Later, guards also killed those inmates forced to work at the camp, located near Nazi-occupied
Poland's eastern border with Ukraine.
Franz Stangl ran the camp for the first six months, overseeing some 30 SS officers as well as
Ukrainian guards. Before arriving at Sobibor, Stangl headed a euthanasia center in Austria where
Nazis sent physically and mentally disabled people to be killed. He was later put in charge of the
Treblinka death camp.
In October 1943, Sobibor prisoners staged an uprising, and hundreds successfully escaped the
camp.
[Maura Larkins' note: I applaud the brave prisoners who staged the uprising. Sometimes
government violates basic human rights, and resistance is morally justified. This has
been true in the United States at times, such as the time of slavery and segregation.]
Days later, SS head Heinrich Himmler ordered guards to tear down the camp and plant the area
over with pine trees...
Shinoff and Abed Win [defending against] National Origin
Discrimination Suit
(from Stutz, Artiano, Shinoff & Holtz website) May 05, 2009
Partners Daniel R. Shinoff and Gil Abed obtained a defense verdict for their client, Escondido
Union High School District. The Plaintiff sued the District claiming, among other things,
national origin discrimination and harassment, and retaliation. She also claimed that she was
being retaliated against because of her national origin. Mr. Shinoff and Mr. Abed successfully
argued that plaintiff's complaints were not on the basis of race but rather disputes between
employees who did not get along. Upon hearing the arguments, the Court found in favor of
the School District in that there was no discrimination, harassment or retaliation. Furthermore,
the Court held that the Plaintiff did not suffer any adverse employment action.
Discrimination Suit
(from Stutz, Artiano, Shinoff & Holtz website) May 05, 2009
Partners Daniel R. Shinoff and Gil Abed obtained a defense verdict for their client, Escondido
Union High School District. The Plaintiff sued the District claiming, among other things,
national origin discrimination and harassment, and retaliation. She also claimed that she was
being retaliated against because of her national origin. Mr. Shinoff and Mr. Abed successfully
argued that plaintiff's complaints were not on the basis of race but rather disputes between
employees who did not get along. Upon hearing the arguments, the Court found in favor of
the School District in that there was no discrimination, harassment or retaliation. Furthermore,
the Court held that the Plaintiff did not suffer any adverse employment action.
Shinoff claims others are not victims:
The Milgram
Experiments
Genocide and the
origins of evil
Experiments
Genocide and the
origins of evil
Declaration of Daniel Shinoff
in support of motion for summary judgment Oct. 2008
in support of motion for summary judgment Oct. 2008
The irony is that the Anti-Defamation League seems to disagree with Mr. Shinoff. The ADL
conducted its "No Place for Hate" anti-bullying training at Castle Park Elementary,
the precise school whose mention by Maura Larkins was so objectionable to
Daniel Shinoff.
conducted its "No Place for Hate" anti-bullying training at Castle Park Elementary,
the precise school whose mention by Maura Larkins was so objectionable to
Daniel Shinoff.
We need to talk
about the
Holocaust
Pope Benedict XVI should
start talking about why he
lifted excommunication of
Holocaust Denier
The Vatican is reinstating a
British priest who denies
millions died at the hands of the
Nazis
Tension between the Vatican and
Jewish groups looked set to explode
yesterday after Pope Benedict XVI
rehabilitated a British bishop who
has claimed no Jews died in gas
chambers during the second world
war.
Benedict yesterday welcomed back
into the Roman Catholic Church
Richard Williamson and three other
men who were excommunicated in
1988 after being ordained without
Vatican permission. The three had
been appointed by breakaway
French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
The Vatican decree issued yesterday
spoke of overcoming the "scandal of
divisiveness" and seeking
reconciliation with Lefebvre's
conservative order, the Society of
Saint Pius X, which opposes the
modernisation of Catholic doctrine.
But Jewish groups have warned the
Pope that the decision could
damage Catholic-Jewish relations
after Williamson claimed in an
interview, broadcast last week, that
historical evidence "is hugely against
six million having been deliberately
gassed in gas chambers as a
deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler ... I
believe there were no gas
chambers".
about the
Holocaust
Pope Benedict XVI should
start talking about why he
lifted excommunication of
Holocaust Denier
The Vatican is reinstating a
British priest who denies
millions died at the hands of the
Nazis
Tension between the Vatican and
Jewish groups looked set to explode
yesterday after Pope Benedict XVI
rehabilitated a British bishop who
has claimed no Jews died in gas
chambers during the second world
war.
Benedict yesterday welcomed back
into the Roman Catholic Church
Richard Williamson and three other
men who were excommunicated in
1988 after being ordained without
Vatican permission. The three had
been appointed by breakaway
French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
The Vatican decree issued yesterday
spoke of overcoming the "scandal of
divisiveness" and seeking
reconciliation with Lefebvre's
conservative order, the Society of
Saint Pius X, which opposes the
modernisation of Catholic doctrine.
But Jewish groups have warned the
Pope that the decision could
damage Catholic-Jewish relations
after Williamson claimed in an
interview, broadcast last week, that
historical evidence "is hugely against
six million having been deliberately
gassed in gas chambers as a
deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler ... I
believe there were no gas
chambers".
Should we try to nip evil in the bud by addressing its early
stages in our schools?
stages in our schools?
The letter that turned out to be a hoax.
Here is attorney Daniel Shinoff's letter in response to the above:
I discover the hoax.
...In 1975 and 1976, Shinoff attended Tel Aviv University, where he met his wife, Michelle, a
Brooklyn native studying overseas. The two married in 1977 and returned to Canada; Shinoff
attended the University of Manitoba. They moved to San Diego in 1978 because Michelle
wanted to get away from the cold climate north of the border, Daniel Shinoff said.
Shinoff attended Western State University law school in San Diego ---- now known
as Thomas Jefferson School of Law ---- and in 1981 began working as in-house counsel
for Price Co. Shinoff joined the San Diego law firm of which he is a partner today in June
1982 and almost immediately began representing school districts through the joint powers
authority...
Married to the daughter of Holocaust survivors and having a "strong Jewish
identity" since childhood, Shinoff said he wanted his children to attend the private
Jewish school to help them develop a Jewish identity and connection to Israel...
Brooklyn native studying overseas. The two married in 1977 and returned to Canada; Shinoff
attended the University of Manitoba. They moved to San Diego in 1978 because Michelle
wanted to get away from the cold climate north of the border, Daniel Shinoff said.
Shinoff attended Western State University law school in San Diego ---- now known
as Thomas Jefferson School of Law ---- and in 1981 began working as in-house counsel
for Price Co. Shinoff joined the San Diego law firm of which he is a partner today in June
1982 and almost immediately began representing school districts through the joint powers
authority...
Married to the daughter of Holocaust survivors and having a "strong Jewish
identity" since childhood, Shinoff said he wanted his children to attend the private
Jewish school to help them develop a Jewish identity and connection to Israel...
| Marsha Sutton on Daniel Shinoff, the Holocaust San Diego education reporter Marsha Sutton probably didn't intend to step on Daniel Shinoff's toes with her story about a teacher at Gompers who asks kids to draw analogies to the Holocaust. Here's my post about it: A vile outrage at Gompers? Daniel Shinoff would say so. Marsha Sutton opinion (paraphrased): If Dan Shinoff says a superintendent committed violations, then we must assume that she did (even if he's being paid lots of money by the people who fired the superintendent) Marsha Sutton interview with Daniel Shinoff It's not a reporter's job to protect the reputations of school board members and their lawyers. Far from it. Such actions require throwing journalistic ethics out the window. |
Confronting prejudice through education
Cyberbullying conference this Friday offers help for schools and parents.
By Sandi Schwartz, SDNN
April 21, 2010
San Diego resident Richard (“Rick”) Barton has a desire to live in a world that treats all people
with dignity, upholding standards of equality for every individual and group regardless of religion,
race or creed. This vision, together with his passion for education and a desire to teach children
about hate, prejudice and intolerance, has led him to take the role of National Education
Chairperson for the Anti-Defamation League.
San Diego:
San Diego’s Rick Barton was recently named the Anti-Defamation League’s National Education
Chair.
Barton’s involvement with the ADL began as a volunteer in the San Diego office in the early
1990s, drawn to the organization’s mission on behalf of all minorities to stop prejudice, bias and
bigotry through education and information.
Since then, he has become more deeply involved in the ADL, and was named chair of the San
Diego Regional Advisory Board in 2000, a member of the National Executive Committee in 2002,
National Vice Chair of International Affairs in 2005 and National Chair of Leadership in 2007.
Barton, a partner with the San Diego law firm of Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch, was
named ADL’s National Education Chair in November 2009...
| Marsha Sutton, like her pal Dan Shinoff, is quick to fling accusations of anti-Semitism at those she disagrees with: Sutton: Another UCSD flare-up demands official response By Marsha Sutton, SDNN May 1, 2010 UCSD is embroiled in another cultural controversy. (Photo by Alex Hansen / Wikipedia Commons) Recent news that organized groups of students at the University of California, San Diego have criticized the nation of Israel and called upon the university to divest itself of economic ties to corporations and groups that do business with the Jewish state is proof positive that the culture of intolerance exposed several months ago, then against African-Americans, has far from abated. If UCSD is to repair its damaged reputation and be considered a campus that respects the humanity, dignity and rights of all people, UCSD Chancellor Marye Anne Fox will refuse to overlook bigotry of any kind and will speak out forcefully against this reckless display of anti-Semitism at her school. A proposed resolution condemning Israel for “war crimes” is a shameful, blatant expression of anti-Jewish rhetoric disguised as some kind of virtuous belief in human rights. It ignores the fact that Israel fights for survival, surrounded by neighboring governments, many controlled by radical Islamic groups, that will be satisfied with nothing less than the complete destruction of the democratic state. If this resolution were truly an attempt to draw attention to all nations accused of committing human rights violations, then surely other countries would be named. China, for one, with its horrendous record of human rights abuses and patent disregard for personal freedom, should top the list. But no, only Israel is targeted, indicating a transparent ulterior agenda. While free speech rights must be vigorously protected, words that inspire hate and intolerance must be countered by respected, intelligent people who out of a sense of duty are morally obligated to object. The vote on the resolution, as of this writing, has been postponed, according to UCSD’s student newspaper The Guardian, but for many students not out of any sense of regret over the language. There are simply some political hurdles to be overcome before this racism, couched in “diplomatic” terms, can resurface, perhaps as soon as next week. San Diego: There are far too many students who fully support this discriminatory language and are stymied not by sudden pangs of conscience – nor, so far, by top UCSD officials and community leaders whose silence on this issue is deafening – but only by resistance from a handful of other students and responsible educators willing to step up and argue on the side of reason. Are Jewish students at UCSD to feel as equally unwelcome and unsafe as African-American students have been made to feel? The public looks forward to – nay, demands – vigorous statements of denunciation from Fox and others who must be pro-active against this sort of intolerant climate that continues to percolate on campus. Else, all that was promised several months ago – remember Fox’s “Done. Done. Done” when asked to take strong action against anti- black sentiment during the “Compton cookout” fiasco? – will be a sham. |
I was recently told that Jews don't go to their rabbis to discuss
personal issues--only issues of Jewish law. Can this be true? I did
some research. Here's what I found:
Graduation Address
May 19, 2003
HUC-JIR/Los Angeles
"Probing the Jewish Tradition for Moral Guidance”
Rabbi Elliot Dorff, Ph.D.
Rector and Sol & Anne Dorff Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Chair
of Bioethics, University of Judaism
... I have therefore chosen to talk about a theme ... the moral questions
that arise in Jewish professional work and the relevance of the Jewish
tradition to resolving them...
How, then, shall we apply our ancient tradition to the modern world?
...In any case, what I want to demonstrate to you is that whatever method
you use to access the tradition, it can and should have some real moral
meaning for you in your professional careers. I will illustrate that with three
issues, one from each of the fields represented here today.
...Jewish educators, especially in day schools, commonly face the problem
that a significant percentage of parents want considerably less Jewish
content than the Jewish educators do... On the one hand, the Jewish
tradition does value what we call “secular” or “general” studies.
...Jews and Americans generally have all too often transformed work into
an idol, making all of life’s decisions solely in the service of the god of
work, and where that translates into parents putting tremendous pressure
on their children to learn the secular skills necessary to succeed at work at
the highest level... I know that that means that Jewish educators will need
to fight parents who are only interested in getting their child into Harvard,
but part of the role of a Jewish educator is to teach Jews the idolatry
involved in a relentless drive for status in the secular world and, on the
other hand, the sanity and health of the balance between work and Torah
that our tradition prescribes.
... Rabbis are sometimes approached by women – and even by
some men – who reveal that their spouse is physically
abusing them. All too often in the past, rabbis have told such
people to go home and make peace with their spouse in the
name of the Jewish value of shelom bayit, the peace of the
household. Rabbis were also worried about offending and
embarrassing the spouse, a just concern derived from
traditional Jewish sources that actually punish those who
embarrass others as a tort (boshet – Mishnah, Bava Kamma 8:
1, 6).
personal issues--only issues of Jewish law. Can this be true? I did
some research. Here's what I found:
Graduation Address
May 19, 2003
HUC-JIR/Los Angeles
"Probing the Jewish Tradition for Moral Guidance”
Rabbi Elliot Dorff, Ph.D.
Rector and Sol & Anne Dorff Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Chair
of Bioethics, University of Judaism
... I have therefore chosen to talk about a theme ... the moral questions
that arise in Jewish professional work and the relevance of the Jewish
tradition to resolving them...
How, then, shall we apply our ancient tradition to the modern world?
...In any case, what I want to demonstrate to you is that whatever method
you use to access the tradition, it can and should have some real moral
meaning for you in your professional careers. I will illustrate that with three
issues, one from each of the fields represented here today.
...Jewish educators, especially in day schools, commonly face the problem
that a significant percentage of parents want considerably less Jewish
content than the Jewish educators do... On the one hand, the Jewish
tradition does value what we call “secular” or “general” studies.
...Jews and Americans generally have all too often transformed work into
an idol, making all of life’s decisions solely in the service of the god of
work, and where that translates into parents putting tremendous pressure
on their children to learn the secular skills necessary to succeed at work at
the highest level... I know that that means that Jewish educators will need
to fight parents who are only interested in getting their child into Harvard,
but part of the role of a Jewish educator is to teach Jews the idolatry
involved in a relentless drive for status in the secular world and, on the
other hand, the sanity and health of the balance between work and Torah
that our tradition prescribes.
... Rabbis are sometimes approached by women – and even by
some men – who reveal that their spouse is physically
abusing them. All too often in the past, rabbis have told such
people to go home and make peace with their spouse in the
name of the Jewish value of shelom bayit, the peace of the
household. Rabbis were also worried about offending and
embarrassing the spouse, a just concern derived from
traditional Jewish sources that actually punish those who
embarrass others as a tort (boshet – Mishnah, Bava Kamma 8:
1, 6).
| Maura Larkins wrote about Daniel Shinoff on her website for the same reason she wrote about all these lawyers: the actions of these individuals deserve public scrutiny. Shinoff's usual tactic is to smear anyone who opposes him in any way. |
Shinoff's Exhibit F
Also in Shinoff's Exhibit G:
Letter from Maura Larkins to
Daniel Shinoff
Letter from Maura Larkins to
Daniel Shinoff
Daniel Shinoff's Exhibit D
in his Motion for Summary Judgment
in his Motion for Summary Judgment
Shinoff's Exhibit E
Shinoff did not include this letter as an exhibit in
his motion for summary judgment
his motion for summary judgment
Not even trying to be a mensch?
Daniel Shinoff declaration regarding Motion
for Summary Judgment in his defamation suit
against Maura Larkins is BELOW at the BOTTOM
OF PAGE in the red area.
for Summary Judgment in his defamation suit
against Maura Larkins is BELOW at the BOTTOM
OF PAGE in the red area.
Why we need to talk about the Holocaust
Anger, sadness over
fabricated Holocaust
story
By HILLEL ITALIE
Dec. 28, 2008
NEW YORK (AP) — It's the latest
story that touched, and betrayed,
the world.
"Herman Rosenblat and his wife
are the most gentle, loving,
beautiful people," literary agent
Andrea Hurst said Sunday,
anguishing over why she, and so
many others, were taken by
Rosenblat's story of love born on
opposite sides of a barbed-wire
fence at a concentration camp.
"I question why I never questioned
it. I believed it; it was an incredible,
hope-filled story."
On Saturday, Berkley Books
canceled Rosenblat's memoir,
"Angel at the Fence," after he
acknowledged that he and his
wife did not meet, as they had
said for years, at a sub-camp of
Buchenwald, where she allegedly
sneaked him apples and bread.
The book was supposed to come
out in February.
Rosenblat, 79, has been married
to the former Roma Radzicky for 50
years, since meeting her on a blind
date in New York. In a statement
issued Saturday through his agent,
he described himself as an
advocate of love and tolerance who
falsified his past to better spread
his message.
"I wanted to bring happiness to
people," said Rosenblat, who now
lives in the Miami area. "I brought
hope to a lot of people. My
motivation was to make good in
this world."
Rosenblat's believers included not
only his agent and his publisher,
but Oprah Winfrey, film producers,
journalists, family members,
school children and strangers
online who ignored, or didn't know
about, the warnings from
scholars and skeptics that his
story didn't make sense.
Other Holocaust memoirists have
devised greater fantasies. Misha
Defonseca, author of "Misha: A
Memoire of the Holocaust Years,"
pretended she was a Jewish girl
who lived with wolves during the
war, when she was actually a non-
Jew who lived, without wolves, in
Belgium.
Historical records prove
Rosenblat was indeed at
Buchenwald and other camps.
"How sad that he felt he had to
embellish a life of surviving the
Holocaust and of being married
for half a century," said Holocaust
scholar Michael Berenbaum.
The damage is broad. Publishing,
the most trusting of industries, has
again been burned by a memoir
that fact-checking might have
prevented. Berkley is an imprint of
Penguin Group (USA), which in
March pulled Margaret B. Jones'
"Love and Consequences" after
the author acknowledged she had
invented her story of gang life in
Los Angeles. Winfrey fell, as she
did with James Frey, for a narrative
of suffering and redemption better
suited for television than for history.
"If I ever take on another memoir,
they're going to have to prove
everything, every line," Hurst says.
"From now on, I may just stick to
basic fiction and nonfiction."
The damage is deep. Scholars
and fellow survivors fear that
Rosenblat's fabrications will only
encourage doubts about the
Holocaust.
"I am very worried because many
of us speak to thousands of
students each year," says Sidney
Finkel, a longtime friend of
Rosenblat's and a fellow survivor.
"We go before audiences. We tell
them a story and now some
people will question what I
experienced."
"This was not Holocaust
education but miseducation," Ken
Waltzer, director of Jewish Studies
at Michigan State University, said in
a statement.
"Holocaust experience is not
heartwarming, it is heart rending.
All this shows something about the
broad unwillingness in our culture
to confront the difficult knowledge
of the Holocaust," Waltzer said. "All
the more important then to have
real memoirs that tell of real
experience in the camps."
Among the fooled, at least the
partially fooled, was Berenbaum,
former director of the United States
Holocaust Research Institute at the
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
in Washington. Berenbaum had
been asked to read the manuscript
by film producer Harris Salomon,
who still plans an adaptation of the
book.
Berenbaum's tentative support —
"Crazier things have happened," he
told The Associated Press last fall
— was cited by the publisher as it
initially defended the book.
Berenbaum now says he saw
factual errors, including
Rosenblat's description of
Theresienstadt, the camp from
which he was eventually
liberated, but didn't think of
challenging the love story.
[Maura Larkins' note: Those who
are familiar with the real fence
say that no one could have
thrown apples over it.]
"There's a limit to what I can verify,
because I was not there," he says.
"I can verify the general historical
narrative, but in my research I rely
upon the survivors to present the
specifics of their existence with
integrity. When they don't, they
destroy so much and they ruin so
much, and that's terrible."
"I was burned," he added. "And I
have to read books more
skeptically because I was burned."
fabricated Holocaust
story
By HILLEL ITALIE
Dec. 28, 2008
NEW YORK (AP) — It's the latest
story that touched, and betrayed,
the world.
"Herman Rosenblat and his wife
are the most gentle, loving,
beautiful people," literary agent
Andrea Hurst said Sunday,
anguishing over why she, and so
many others, were taken by
Rosenblat's story of love born on
opposite sides of a barbed-wire
fence at a concentration camp.
"I question why I never questioned
it. I believed it; it was an incredible,
hope-filled story."
On Saturday, Berkley Books
canceled Rosenblat's memoir,
"Angel at the Fence," after he
acknowledged that he and his
wife did not meet, as they had
said for years, at a sub-camp of
Buchenwald, where she allegedly
sneaked him apples and bread.
The book was supposed to come
out in February.
Rosenblat, 79, has been married
to the former Roma Radzicky for 50
years, since meeting her on a blind
date in New York. In a statement
issued Saturday through his agent,
he described himself as an
advocate of love and tolerance who
falsified his past to better spread
his message.
"I wanted to bring happiness to
people," said Rosenblat, who now
lives in the Miami area. "I brought
hope to a lot of people. My
motivation was to make good in
this world."
Rosenblat's believers included not
only his agent and his publisher,
but Oprah Winfrey, film producers,
journalists, family members,
school children and strangers
online who ignored, or didn't know
about, the warnings from
scholars and skeptics that his
story didn't make sense.
Other Holocaust memoirists have
devised greater fantasies. Misha
Defonseca, author of "Misha: A
Memoire of the Holocaust Years,"
pretended she was a Jewish girl
who lived with wolves during the
war, when she was actually a non-
Jew who lived, without wolves, in
Belgium.
Historical records prove
Rosenblat was indeed at
Buchenwald and other camps.
"How sad that he felt he had to
embellish a life of surviving the
Holocaust and of being married
for half a century," said Holocaust
scholar Michael Berenbaum.
The damage is broad. Publishing,
the most trusting of industries, has
again been burned by a memoir
that fact-checking might have
prevented. Berkley is an imprint of
Penguin Group (USA), which in
March pulled Margaret B. Jones'
"Love and Consequences" after
the author acknowledged she had
invented her story of gang life in
Los Angeles. Winfrey fell, as she
did with James Frey, for a narrative
of suffering and redemption better
suited for television than for history.
"If I ever take on another memoir,
they're going to have to prove
everything, every line," Hurst says.
"From now on, I may just stick to
basic fiction and nonfiction."
The damage is deep. Scholars
and fellow survivors fear that
Rosenblat's fabrications will only
encourage doubts about the
Holocaust.
"I am very worried because many
of us speak to thousands of
students each year," says Sidney
Finkel, a longtime friend of
Rosenblat's and a fellow survivor.
"We go before audiences. We tell
them a story and now some
people will question what I
experienced."
"This was not Holocaust
education but miseducation," Ken
Waltzer, director of Jewish Studies
at Michigan State University, said in
a statement.
"Holocaust experience is not
heartwarming, it is heart rending.
All this shows something about the
broad unwillingness in our culture
to confront the difficult knowledge
of the Holocaust," Waltzer said. "All
the more important then to have
real memoirs that tell of real
experience in the camps."
Among the fooled, at least the
partially fooled, was Berenbaum,
former director of the United States
Holocaust Research Institute at the
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
in Washington. Berenbaum had
been asked to read the manuscript
by film producer Harris Salomon,
who still plans an adaptation of the
book.
Berenbaum's tentative support —
"Crazier things have happened," he
told The Associated Press last fall
— was cited by the publisher as it
initially defended the book.
Berenbaum now says he saw
factual errors, including
Rosenblat's description of
Theresienstadt, the camp from
which he was eventually
liberated, but didn't think of
challenging the love story.
[Maura Larkins' note: Those who
are familiar with the real fence
say that no one could have
thrown apples over it.]
"There's a limit to what I can verify,
because I was not there," he says.
"I can verify the general historical
narrative, but in my research I rely
upon the survivors to present the
specifics of their existence with
integrity. When they don't, they
destroy so much and they ruin so
much, and that's terrible."
"I was burned," he added. "And I
have to read books more
skeptically because I was burned."
< < <
I wrote this letter to Mr. Shinoff
when I was still under the
impression that he grew up
with a parent who barely
survived the Holocaust. The
letter illustrates my attempt to
understand and forgive
Shinoff's actions against me. I
had never believed that his
actions had anything to do
with his being Jewish, since I
knew or knew of legions of
people who were not Jewish
who had engaged in equally
dishonest and malicious
acts--and worse.
In the letter I accepted and
forgave Shinoff's
hard-as-nails attitude, his
single-minded focus on his
own advantage.
I have friends who are
empathetic and generous and
honest who have parents who
were holocaust survivors, but I
thought perhaps the
experience had been worse
for Dan Shinoff than for my
friends. Perhaps it explained
his hostility and callousness.
But I was wrong...
I came across an article in
the North County Times.
I learned that Shinoff did
not grow up with Holocaust
survivors. His personality
was formed before he
acquired, by marriage,
relatives who survived the
Holocaust.
< < <
I wrote this letter to Mr. Shinoff
when I was still under the
impression that he grew up
with a parent who barely
survived the Holocaust. The
letter illustrates my attempt to
understand and forgive
Shinoff's actions against me. I
had never believed that his
actions had anything to do
with his being Jewish, since I
knew or knew of legions of
people who were not Jewish
who had engaged in equally
dishonest and malicious
acts--and worse.
In the letter I accepted and
forgave Shinoff's
hard-as-nails attitude, his
single-minded focus on his
own advantage.
I have friends who are
empathetic and generous and
honest who have parents who
were holocaust survivors, but I
thought perhaps the
experience had been worse
for Dan Shinoff than for my
friends. Perhaps it explained
his hostility and callousness.
But I was wrong...
I came across an article in
the North County Times.
I learned that Shinoff did
not grow up with Holocaust
survivors. His personality
was formed before he
acquired, by marriage,
relatives who survived the
Holocaust.
< < <
Mr. Shinoff completely
fooled me. I truly
believed that he was
descended from a
survivor of Auschwitz
and from people who
were "exterminated" in
the Holocaust..
fooled me. I truly
believed that he was
descended from a
survivor of Auschwitz
and from people who
were "exterminated" in
the Holocaust..
< < <
I was shocked when I came
across this article.
"Married to the daughter
of Holocaust survivors?"
I had been convinced by
Mr. Shinoff that one of his
parents was a Holocaust
survivor, and that the rest
of that parent's family had
been completely wiped out.
From this article I learned
that Shinoff did not have
family members who were
Holocaust victims until he
got married.
I was shocked when I came
across this article.
"Married to the daughter
of Holocaust survivors?"
I had been convinced by
Mr. Shinoff that one of his
parents was a Holocaust
survivor, and that the rest
of that parent's family had
been completely wiped out.
From this article I learned
that Shinoff did not have
family members who were
Holocaust victims until he
got married.
< < <
The North County Times
erased this story after I
published this link. The link now
takes the reader to a page with a
2001 story about the Escondido
Historical Society. Bizarrely, the
new NCT story still has the 2003
photo of Dan Shinoff on the page.
The NCT might change it again, so
I've saved the preposterous page
HERE.
The North County Times
has also eliminated this
story from its archive
search. Presumably, the NCT
did this at Mr. Shinoff's request.
What exactly are Shinoff and the
NCT trying to hide? The fact that
Shinoff filed a false document with
his declaration in his defamation
case against Maura Larkins?
--March 25, 2010
The North County Times
erased this story after I
published this link. The link now
takes the reader to a page with a
2001 story about the Escondido
Historical Society. Bizarrely, the
new NCT story still has the 2003
photo of Dan Shinoff on the page.
The NCT might change it again, so
I've saved the preposterous page
HERE.
The North County Times
has also eliminated this
story from its archive
search. Presumably, the NCT
did this at Mr. Shinoff's request.
What exactly are Shinoff and the
NCT trying to hide? The fact that
Shinoff filed a false document with
his declaration in his defamation
case against Maura Larkins?
--March 25, 2010
Another
Holocaust Hoax
Holocaust Hoax
After discovering the
article, I wrote this letter.
Shinoff did not include
this letter as an Exhibit in
his Motion for Summary
Judgment (see Shinoff's
declaration below).
< < <
article, I wrote this letter.
Shinoff did not include
this letter as an Exhibit in
his Motion for Summary
Judgment (see Shinoff's
declaration below).
< < <
For Family of Slain Activist, No End in Sight for Case
By ETHAN BRONNER
November 7, 2010
HAIFA, Israel — Seven years after an American student, Rachel Corrie, was killed in Gaza by
an Israeli military bulldozer she tried to block, becoming a global symbol of the Palestinian
struggle, her parents and her older sister sit in an Israeli court in this northern city with two
hopes: to confront the men who ran over her and to prove that the army investigation into her
death was flawed.
A lawyer for the Corries pressed the bulldozer operators with props, arranging a plastic toy
bulldozer, an orange lump of putty and a Raggedy Ann doll.
On both counts, it has been a frustrating effort. To guard their identities, the bulldozer
operators are called only by their initials and testify behind a screen, disembodied voices
claiming vague memories. The Corrie lawyer presses them with props: “Mr. A,” he said to a
commander this past Thursday, arranging a plastic toy bulldozer, an orange lump of putty and
a Raggedy Ann doll, “Where was she when you saw her?”
Mr. A’s answer differed markedly from that of Mr. Y, the driver of the bulldozer who testified two
weeks earlier, although both denied seeing her before she was crushed under their vehicle.
The army said Ms. Corrie’s death was an accident. The Corries believe the drivers either saw
Rachel or were so careless toward the protesters as to be criminally negligent...
By ETHAN BRONNER
November 7, 2010
HAIFA, Israel — Seven years after an American student, Rachel Corrie, was killed in Gaza by
an Israeli military bulldozer she tried to block, becoming a global symbol of the Palestinian
struggle, her parents and her older sister sit in an Israeli court in this northern city with two
hopes: to confront the men who ran over her and to prove that the army investigation into her
death was flawed.
A lawyer for the Corries pressed the bulldozer operators with props, arranging a plastic toy
bulldozer, an orange lump of putty and a Raggedy Ann doll.
On both counts, it has been a frustrating effort. To guard their identities, the bulldozer
operators are called only by their initials and testify behind a screen, disembodied voices
claiming vague memories. The Corrie lawyer presses them with props: “Mr. A,” he said to a
commander this past Thursday, arranging a plastic toy bulldozer, an orange lump of putty and
a Raggedy Ann doll, “Where was she when you saw her?”
Mr. A’s answer differed markedly from that of Mr. Y, the driver of the bulldozer who testified two
weeks earlier, although both denied seeing her before she was crushed under their vehicle.
The army said Ms. Corrie’s death was an accident. The Corries believe the drivers either saw
Rachel or were so careless toward the protesters as to be criminally negligent...
To target Fox News over 'Nazi' label, rabbis make use of
Murdoch's other media
[Maura Larkins note: I agree with this group of rabbis that Glenn Beck was inappropriate in
his Holocaust comments.]
Glenn Beck devoted three shows to attacking George Soros in November.
By Paul Farhi
Washington Post Staff Writer
January 26, 2011
A coalition of rabbis wants Fox News chief Roger Ailes and conservative host Glenn Beck to
cut out all their talk about Nazis and the Holocaust, and it's making its views known in an
unusual place.
The rabbis have called on Fox News's owner, Rupert Murdoch, to sanction his two famous
employees via a full-page ad in Thursday's editions of the Wall Street Journal - one of many
other media properties controlled by Murdoch's News Corp.
The ad is signed by the heads of the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist movements
as well as Orthodox rabbis.
"We share a belief that the Holocaust, of course, can and should be discussed appropriately
in the media. But that is not what we have seen at Fox News," says the ad, signed by
hundreds of rabbis and placed by the Jewish Funds for Justice, a nonprofit advocacy group.
Earlier this month, the group organized a letter-writing campaign asking Murdoch to remove
Beck from the air.
The rabbis were prompted by Beck's three-part program in November about liberal billionaire
philanthropist George Soros, whom Beck described as a "Jewish boy helping send the Jews to
the death camps" during World War II.
Soros was a young teenager in Nazi-occupied Hungary during the war and hid with a Christian
family to escape the Holocaust. He once described accompanying his surrogate father while
he confiscated property from Jews deported by the Nazis.
The Jewish Funds group has received financial support from Soros's Open Society
Foundations.
Ailes, in a November interview with the Daily Beast Web site, called NPR executives "Nazis" for
their decision to fire Juan Williams, also a Fox commentator. He later apologized to the
Anti-Defamation League, but not to NPR, saying, "I was of course ad-libbing and should not
have chosen that word, but I was angry at the time because of NPR's willingness to censor
Juan Williams for not being liberal enough."
But Ailes, in the same interview, defended Beck's frequent use of Nazi references to describe
his political opponents by attributing outrage over such remarks to "left-wing rabbis who
basically don't think that anybody can ever use the word 'Holocaust' on the air."
In the Journal ad, which is also appearing in the Jewish Daily Forward newspaper, the rabbis
write that they are "deeply offended" by Ailes's dismissal of those who object to such
language.
"It is not appropriate to accuse a 14-year-old Jew hiding with a Christian family in
Nazi-occupied Hungary of sending his people to death camps," says the ad. "It is not
appropriate to call executives of another news agency 'Nazis.' And it is not appropriate to
make literally hundreds of on-air references to the Holocaust and Nazis when characterizing
people with whom you disagree.
ad_icon
"We respectfully request that Glenn Beck be sanctioned by Fox News for his completely
unacceptable attacks on a survivor of the Holocaust and that Roger Ailes apologize for his
dismissive remarks about rabbis' sensitivity to how the Holocaust is used on the air."
Thursday is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, an observance established by the
United Nations in 2005.
"This is not an issue for liberal or conservative rabbis, but an issue for all," said Mik Moore,
chief strategic officer of Jewish Funds for Justice. "After all the calls for civility following the
shootings in Arizona, we all think this is the wrong approach." Moore declined to specify the
cost of the ad, saying only that it cost "six figures."
Murdoch's other media
[Maura Larkins note: I agree with this group of rabbis that Glenn Beck was inappropriate in
his Holocaust comments.]
Glenn Beck devoted three shows to attacking George Soros in November.
By Paul Farhi
Washington Post Staff Writer
January 26, 2011
A coalition of rabbis wants Fox News chief Roger Ailes and conservative host Glenn Beck to
cut out all their talk about Nazis and the Holocaust, and it's making its views known in an
unusual place.
The rabbis have called on Fox News's owner, Rupert Murdoch, to sanction his two famous
employees via a full-page ad in Thursday's editions of the Wall Street Journal - one of many
other media properties controlled by Murdoch's News Corp.
The ad is signed by the heads of the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist movements
as well as Orthodox rabbis.
"We share a belief that the Holocaust, of course, can and should be discussed appropriately
in the media. But that is not what we have seen at Fox News," says the ad, signed by
hundreds of rabbis and placed by the Jewish Funds for Justice, a nonprofit advocacy group.
Earlier this month, the group organized a letter-writing campaign asking Murdoch to remove
Beck from the air.
The rabbis were prompted by Beck's three-part program in November about liberal billionaire
philanthropist George Soros, whom Beck described as a "Jewish boy helping send the Jews to
the death camps" during World War II.
Soros was a young teenager in Nazi-occupied Hungary during the war and hid with a Christian
family to escape the Holocaust. He once described accompanying his surrogate father while
he confiscated property from Jews deported by the Nazis.
The Jewish Funds group has received financial support from Soros's Open Society
Foundations.
Ailes, in a November interview with the Daily Beast Web site, called NPR executives "Nazis" for
their decision to fire Juan Williams, also a Fox commentator. He later apologized to the
Anti-Defamation League, but not to NPR, saying, "I was of course ad-libbing and should not
have chosen that word, but I was angry at the time because of NPR's willingness to censor
Juan Williams for not being liberal enough."
But Ailes, in the same interview, defended Beck's frequent use of Nazi references to describe
his political opponents by attributing outrage over such remarks to "left-wing rabbis who
basically don't think that anybody can ever use the word 'Holocaust' on the air."
In the Journal ad, which is also appearing in the Jewish Daily Forward newspaper, the rabbis
write that they are "deeply offended" by Ailes's dismissal of those who object to such
language.
"It is not appropriate to accuse a 14-year-old Jew hiding with a Christian family in
Nazi-occupied Hungary of sending his people to death camps," says the ad. "It is not
appropriate to call executives of another news agency 'Nazis.' And it is not appropriate to
make literally hundreds of on-air references to the Holocaust and Nazis when characterizing
people with whom you disagree.
ad_icon
"We respectfully request that Glenn Beck be sanctioned by Fox News for his completely
unacceptable attacks on a survivor of the Holocaust and that Roger Ailes apologize for his
dismissive remarks about rabbis' sensitivity to how the Holocaust is used on the air."
Thursday is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, an observance established by the
United Nations in 2005.
"This is not an issue for liberal or conservative rabbis, but an issue for all," said Mik Moore,
chief strategic officer of Jewish Funds for Justice. "After all the calls for civility following the
shootings in Arizona, we all think this is the wrong approach." Moore declined to specify the
cost of the ad, saying only that it cost "six figures."
Stutz admits that its claim of religious malice was
false.
April 3, 2009 COURT REPORTER'S TRANSCRIPT page 52 lines 16-28
MR. [JEFFREY] WADE [JR.]: Just for point of clarification. That is a dangerous road we’re
going down. There was no information that her attacks were religiously based.
MS. LARKINS: On the contrary.
MR. WADE: It was just that she contacted a rabbi. It could have been a priest.
THE COURT: But will there be evidence about the rabbi?
MR. WADE: I don’t plan on putting it on. I don’t need to go into the malice issue. I had that out
of an abundance of caution.
THE COURT: How are you going to get punitive damages if you don’t establish the nature of
the conduct?
Page 53 lines 1-3
MR. WADE: I wanted to briefly get into—I guess it wasn’t that we were saying it was
racially motivated or religiously motivated.
[Three days after this hearing the judge reversed her finding of malice. Both the
judge and the Plaintiff realized that their accusations of malice were going to make
them look silly in front of a jury. A significant problem remains: the summary
judgment was decided by relying on Dan Shinoff's declaration.]
false.
April 3, 2009 COURT REPORTER'S TRANSCRIPT page 52 lines 16-28
MR. [JEFFREY] WADE [JR.]: Just for point of clarification. That is a dangerous road we’re
going down. There was no information that her attacks were religiously based.
MS. LARKINS: On the contrary.
MR. WADE: It was just that she contacted a rabbi. It could have been a priest.
THE COURT: But will there be evidence about the rabbi?
MR. WADE: I don’t plan on putting it on. I don’t need to go into the malice issue. I had that out
of an abundance of caution.
THE COURT: How are you going to get punitive damages if you don’t establish the nature of
the conduct?
Page 53 lines 1-3
MR. WADE: I wanted to briefly get into—I guess it wasn’t that we were saying it was
racially motivated or religiously motivated.
[Three days after this hearing the judge reversed her finding of malice. Both the
judge and the Plaintiff realized that their accusations of malice were going to make
them look silly in front of a jury. A significant problem remains: the summary
judgment was decided by relying on Dan Shinoff's declaration.]
Is it acceptable to discuss the roots
of genocide and the banality of evil?
of genocide and the banality of evil?
San Diego attorney Daniel Shinoff
says no. Why would he say this?
says no. Why would he say this?
Did Mr. Shinoff do the Jewish people, particularly Holocaust victims, a disservice by trying to
use them for his personal advantage?
use them for his personal advantage?
Dan Shinoff plays the race/minority/anti-bigotry card--but only for himself, claiming that only
one member of his family survived Auschwitz. In fact, none of his ancestors were
"exterminated" during the Holocaust, nor did they experience the horrors of Auschwitz.
one member of his family survived Auschwitz. In fact, none of his ancestors were
"exterminated" during the Holocaust, nor did they experience the horrors of Auschwitz.
Judge Judith Hayes used Mr. Shinoff's declaration (below) to decide this case, even
though Shinoff had refused to be deposed or to turn over documents. On April 3, 2009
Shinoff's lawyer admitted (see transcript below) that Shinoff's allegation of malice was
not true. Three days later the judge reversed her finding of malice. Since part of Mr.
Shinoff's declaration proved to be false, the entire declaration should be thrown out
and the finding of summary judgment should be reversed.
though Shinoff had refused to be deposed or to turn over documents. On April 3, 2009
Shinoff's lawyer admitted (see transcript below) that Shinoff's allegation of malice was
not true. Three days later the judge reversed her finding of malice. Since part of Mr.
Shinoff's declaration proved to be false, the entire declaration should be thrown out
and the finding of summary judgment should be reversed.
The Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty
Law Center disagree with Shinoff
Law Center disagree with Shinoff
Dan Shinoff's declaration (see red area below)
Medal of Freedom winner Gerda Weissmann Klein shares story at Cal State San Marcos
SAN MARCOS: Holocaust victim urges hope
By DEBORAH SULLIVAN BRENNAN
North County Times - The Californian
March 9, 2011
...A Southern Poverty Law Center curriculum utilizes [Gerda Weissmann Klein's]
experiences during the Holocaust as the basis for teaching students about the importance of
respect, responsibility, and the acceptance of differences. Three years ago, she and her
granddaughter also founded Citizenship Counts, an organization that teaches students to
value their American citizenship...
SAN MARCOS: Holocaust victim urges hope
By DEBORAH SULLIVAN BRENNAN
North County Times - The Californian
March 9, 2011
...A Southern Poverty Law Center curriculum utilizes [Gerda Weissmann Klein's]
experiences during the Holocaust as the basis for teaching students about the importance of
respect, responsibility, and the acceptance of differences. Three years ago, she and her
granddaughter also founded Citizenship Counts, an organization that teaches students to
value their American citizenship...
The ADL
The SPLC
Shinoff loses Donovan case; court says school should have
protected gay students
protected gay students
Attorneys Daniel Shinoff and Jeffery Morris are unhappy with Donovan decision (blog post)
"I think that the main lesson to be
learned from the Holocaust is 'never
again to anybody' not 'never again to
the Jews.'"
--Ronnie Barkan
learned from the Holocaust is 'never
again to anybody' not 'never again to
the Jews.'"
--Ronnie Barkan
Update:
In 2011, Shinoff says that he comes from "a family of concentration camp survivors" rather than saying he married into a
family with one survivor. The purpose appears to be to try to achieve an advantage in legal cases. But now he seems to
agree with the statement that he so aggressively attacked: that evil can start out small. He claims that a local campaign
website could cause mass murder. Interestingly, Shinoff's efforts to silence criticism of himself and his allies came up short
in the California Court of Appeal. His law firm lost an attempt to prevent this writer from mentioning his name, either orally or
on the Internet, for the rest of her life!
A History of Death Threats, Scandal and Sewage-Tainted Water
by Rob Davis
Voice of San Diego
Oct.
...When the agency's attorney, Dan Shinoff, presented his case to the ethics board in March, he zeroed in on what he
called Shilling's malicious critique of Gonzalez and Bonilla. Shinoff, who's paid $250 an hour by the district, appeared to be
settling a campaign score. Talking to commissioners, he unfurled an inflated oratory filled with its own baseless
accusations.
Shinoff tried to connect Shilling to an anonymous website that attacked Gonzalez. And yet Shinoff offered no proof it was
Shilling's site. Shinoff said the criticism was symptomatic of the country's devolving political discourse.
"Somebody's going to be a victim if we continue this in this society," Shinoff told the board, noting the shooting rampage that
had left six dead and 13 wounded in Tucson, Ariz. a few weeks earlier.
He said an ethics board member shouldn't be allowed to make such attacks — not with so much at stake. A rebuke was
absolutely necessary, he said.
"I urge you with my heart and with my soul for you to do the right thing," he said. "I come from a family of concentration camp
survivors. And I can tell you from a very personal perspective, permitting this sort of dialogue only leads to tragedy."
The ethics board dismissed the complaint...
In 2011, Shinoff says that he comes from "a family of concentration camp survivors" rather than saying he married into a
family with one survivor. The purpose appears to be to try to achieve an advantage in legal cases. But now he seems to
agree with the statement that he so aggressively attacked: that evil can start out small. He claims that a local campaign
website could cause mass murder. Interestingly, Shinoff's efforts to silence criticism of himself and his allies came up short
in the California Court of Appeal. His law firm lost an attempt to prevent this writer from mentioning his name, either orally or
on the Internet, for the rest of her life!
A History of Death Threats, Scandal and Sewage-Tainted Water
by Rob Davis
Voice of San Diego
Oct.
...When the agency's attorney, Dan Shinoff, presented his case to the ethics board in March, he zeroed in on what he
called Shilling's malicious critique of Gonzalez and Bonilla. Shinoff, who's paid $250 an hour by the district, appeared to be
settling a campaign score. Talking to commissioners, he unfurled an inflated oratory filled with its own baseless
accusations.
Shinoff tried to connect Shilling to an anonymous website that attacked Gonzalez. And yet Shinoff offered no proof it was
Shilling's site. Shinoff said the criticism was symptomatic of the country's devolving political discourse.
"Somebody's going to be a victim if we continue this in this society," Shinoff told the board, noting the shooting rampage that
had left six dead and 13 wounded in Tucson, Ariz. a few weeks earlier.
He said an ethics board member shouldn't be allowed to make such attacks — not with so much at stake. A rebuke was
absolutely necessary, he said.
"I urge you with my heart and with my soul for you to do the right thing," he said. "I come from a family of concentration camp
survivors. And I can tell you from a very personal perspective, permitting this sort of dialogue only leads to tragedy."
The ethics board dismissed the complaint...
Update Nov. 15, 2011
Okay. Now I'm really starting to wonder where the truth lies in this story. It looks like even the claim that
Michelle Shinoff is the daughter of Holocaust survivors might not be true. Here's something she wrote
herself. She describes herself as the "relative" of Holocaust survivors.
Amazon Customer Review
July 29, 2007
By Michelle Shinoff
This review is from: The Outrage (Paperback)
I have been a student of the holocaust since graduating with a major in Judaic studies. I am
also a relative of survivors of the horrors of nazi Germany. Mischa's experience was an
incredibly unique perspective from an unusual human being. Most Holocaust experiences do
not parallel this unique perspective. The lessons and sense of family that Mr. Kopiec brings to
this story are uplifting. I hope that this book can find its way into the homes of not only the
Jewish community but also those of any human being that has no tolerance for discrimination,
or the atrocities of genocide. Further, I believe that there are important lessons embodied in
this story, that are a contribution to the Jewish people.
Okay. Now I'm really starting to wonder where the truth lies in this story. It looks like even the claim that
Michelle Shinoff is the daughter of Holocaust survivors might not be true. Here's something she wrote
herself. She describes herself as the "relative" of Holocaust survivors.
Amazon Customer Review
July 29, 2007
By Michelle Shinoff
This review is from: The Outrage (Paperback)
I have been a student of the holocaust since graduating with a major in Judaic studies. I am
also a relative of survivors of the horrors of nazi Germany. Mischa's experience was an
incredibly unique perspective from an unusual human being. Most Holocaust experiences do
not parallel this unique perspective. The lessons and sense of family that Mr. Kopiec brings to
this story are uplifting. I hope that this book can find its way into the homes of not only the
Jewish community but also those of any human being that has no tolerance for discrimination,
or the atrocities of genocide. Further, I believe that there are important lessons embodied in
this story, that are a contribution to the Jewish people.
San Diego
Education Report
Education Report
Shinoff's Exhibit G
Maura Larkins' response to Dan Shinoff
January 28, 2005
To: Daniel Shinoff
From: Maura Larkins by fax only to: 619 232 3264
The horrors of the Holocaust should never be forgotten. I remember I first
came across an article about the Holocaust when I was nine years old. I had
never been told about it. I had been taught that the Jews were God’s chosen
people, that they alone kept faith with Him for thousands of years. I went to my
mother and showed her the article, demanding an explanation for what had
happened. If this is what happened to God’s chosen people, I wondered, how
could I count on God to protect me?
Evil is incremental, Mr. Shinoff. It starts small, and grows.
Even if I am a gentile, Mr. Shinoff, I deserve respect as a human being, and you
have never given that to me. You have never believed that I deserved the
protection of the laws of the United States, the laws of California or the
protection of the Contract with CVESD. Your law firm has falsely alleged that I
was “irrational.” Your law firm has pressured teachers to commit perjury in
order to deprive me of my rights. You have instructed CVESD to obstruct
justice. Your behavior in this case, and in many others, has been vile. You
should be ashamed of yourself.
When a government entity arbitrarily takes away the rights of any individual, the
rights of every individual under the power of that entity are in danger. And
when the laws of the land are regularly abused to protect the guilty, the entire justice
system of the land is compromised. At Castle Park, it is Mexicans and bilingual teachers
who are marginalized, not Jews. But just about every group in the world has been a
victim of xenophobia at some time. The list of attempted genocides in human history is
disgracefully long.
Should we wait until a government starts rounding people up before we do
something? Recent history, in Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Somalia and Sudan shows
that we wait longer than that. I invite you to join me in opposing the dehumanization of
any human being simply because that person is perceived as being different.
I invite you to sit down and talk to me in order to come up with a way to end
hostilities between you and me. I would think a mediator should be present.
Perhaps we can salvage both our careers.
To: Daniel Shinoff
From: Maura Larkins by fax only to: 619 232 3264
The horrors of the Holocaust should never be forgotten. I remember I first
came across an article about the Holocaust when I was nine years old. I had
never been told about it. I had been taught that the Jews were God’s chosen
people, that they alone kept faith with Him for thousands of years. I went to my
mother and showed her the article, demanding an explanation for what had
happened. If this is what happened to God’s chosen people, I wondered, how
could I count on God to protect me?
Evil is incremental, Mr. Shinoff. It starts small, and grows.
Even if I am a gentile, Mr. Shinoff, I deserve respect as a human being, and you
have never given that to me. You have never believed that I deserved the
protection of the laws of the United States, the laws of California or the
protection of the Contract with CVESD. Your law firm has falsely alleged that I
was “irrational.” Your law firm has pressured teachers to commit perjury in
order to deprive me of my rights. You have instructed CVESD to obstruct
justice. Your behavior in this case, and in many others, has been vile. You
should be ashamed of yourself.
When a government entity arbitrarily takes away the rights of any individual, the
rights of every individual under the power of that entity are in danger. And
when the laws of the land are regularly abused to protect the guilty, the entire justice
system of the land is compromised. At Castle Park, it is Mexicans and bilingual teachers
who are marginalized, not Jews. But just about every group in the world has been a
victim of xenophobia at some time. The list of attempted genocides in human history is
disgracefully long.
Should we wait until a government starts rounding people up before we do
something? Recent history, in Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Somalia and Sudan shows
that we wait longer than that. I invite you to join me in opposing the dehumanization of
any human being simply because that person is perceived as being different.
I invite you to sit down and talk to me in order to come up with a way to end
hostilities between you and me. I would think a mediator should be present.
Perhaps we can salvage both our careers.
I never got any response to my letter to Rabbi David
Kornberg but my letter showed up almost four years
later as an exhibit in Daniel Shinoff's Motion for
Summary Judgment!
Kornberg but my letter showed up almost four years
later as an exhibit in Daniel Shinoff's Motion for
Summary Judgment!
Mr. Shinoff also included the following letters as exhibits in his
motion:
motion:
Ex-AIPAC flack
loses gig over
“anti-Semites”
flap
The Truman National
Security Project expels
Josh Block after he
attacked progressive
writers as anti-Semitic
BY JUSTIN ELLIOTT
Salon.com
Dec. 23, 2011
Politico’s Ben Smith
reports today that the
Truman National Security
Project has severed ties
with one of its fellows,
former AIPAC
spokesman Josh Block,
following a multi-week
flap in which Block
attacked several
progressives because of
their writings on Israel-
Palestine.
Smith reports:
The decision to expel
Block appears, first
hinted at by Greg
Sargent, aimed at
sending a message of
solidarity with the other
progressive groups,
which have been
infuriated by the attacks,
and at defending allies
from being criticized as
anti-Israel at a moment
of intense and often
partisan debate on the
issue.
“This has nothing to do
with your policy views,
and is a decision solely
made on the basis of the
need for this community
to privilege the ability to
debate difficult topics
freely, without fear of
mischaracterization or
character attacks,”
[Truman founder Rachel
Kleinfeld] said in the
email [to Block]...
loses gig over
“anti-Semites”
flap
The Truman National
Security Project expels
Josh Block after he
attacked progressive
writers as anti-Semitic
BY JUSTIN ELLIOTT
Salon.com
Dec. 23, 2011
Politico’s Ben Smith
reports today that the
Truman National Security
Project has severed ties
with one of its fellows,
former AIPAC
spokesman Josh Block,
following a multi-week
flap in which Block
attacked several
progressives because of
their writings on Israel-
Palestine.
Smith reports:
The decision to expel
Block appears, first
hinted at by Greg
Sargent, aimed at
sending a message of
solidarity with the other
progressive groups,
which have been
infuriated by the attacks,
and at defending allies
from being criticized as
anti-Israel at a moment
of intense and often
partisan debate on the
issue.
“This has nothing to do
with your policy views,
and is a decision solely
made on the basis of the
need for this community
to privilege the ability to
debate difficult topics
freely, without fear of
mischaracterization or
character attacks,”
[Truman founder Rachel
Kleinfeld] said in the
email [to Block]...
At right is a public
document placed in the
San Diego Superior
Court record by Daniel
Shinoff. It is included
here only because it is
an exhibit in Mr.
Shinoff's declaration in
support of summary
adjudication in Stutz v.
Larkins.
document placed in the
San Diego Superior
Court record by Daniel
Shinoff. It is included
here only because it is
an exhibit in Mr.
Shinoff's declaration in
support of summary
adjudication in Stutz v.
Larkins.