David Approaches 60
2004
April
David joins the Taproot Foundation as a program officer. His first assignment is assembling a team of volunteers to work on developing a website for the Curry Senior Center in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco.
1 Bob’s 58th birthday.
4 Montreal, Canada – A Jewish school in the St. Laurent neighborhood of Montreal was set on fire by an arsonist. No one was hurt in the attack, but the blaze heavily damaged the library of the United Talmud Torah School. Police found a note with anti-Semitic comments on the exterior wall of the library. Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin strongly condemned the attack declaring: "This is not my Canada. This is not our Canada.” In May, three were arrested, including two 18-year-old youths who were charged with arson and conspiracy. One of the teen-agers' mothers was charged as an accessory. The three are reportedly of Lebanese Christian origin.
Valenciennes, France – A synagogue in northern France was defaced with neo-Nazi slogans, including swastikas, and "One people, one empire, one leader, 59 years, sieg heil.” The 59 is believed to be a reference to the 59 years since the death of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
14 Toronto, Canada - A Jewish cemetery was vandalized during Passover. Ten tombstones were overturned at The Pape Avenue Cemetery, the oldest Jewish cemetery in Ontario.
29/30 Colmar, France - A Jewish cemetery in the Alsace region in eastern France was vandalized. At least 127 headstones were spray painted with swastikas and anti-Semitic statements. The cemetery dates back to the 18th century. The attack was condemned by numerous French officials, including President Jacques Chirac.
May
7 Villier-le-Bel, France – A small explosive device was discovered outside a synagogue north of Paris. According to media reports, the bomb was in a bag with the writing “Boom anti-Jews” and a swastika. On May 14, an 18-year-old man was found guilty of putting the fake bombs on the grounds of the synagogue and was sentenced to two months in prison.
Verdun, France - A memorial to Jewish soldiers who died in the Battle of Verdun was vandalized. Nazi slogans and symbols were scrawled on the memorial. The Battle of Verdun was fought between French and German armies near the northern French city in 1916.
18 David joins the Curry Senior Center Board of Directors.
Dr. Francis Curry, with colleagues in the world of social service, founded this organization 30 years ago as a storefront clinic serving the Tenderloin with one doctor and one nurse. Today we serve over 2,600 clients within an area that stretches from Potrero Hill to lower Nob Hill and from the Bay to Van Ness Avenue.
Our primary care clinic now shares space with a mealsite, case management and substance abuse services, and socialization and education programs. Though the years and the changes we have proudly retained Dr. Curry’s mission: “to provide services to seniors that promote independent living while maintaining their dignity and self-esteem.”
The Curry Senior Center has buildings at 333, 321, and 315 Turk St. and premises at other locations. It serves about 2,500 clients per year. It is an important resource for the Laotian and other immigrant communities in San Francisco.
30 Boulogne-Billancourt, France – A 17-year-old Jewish youth was attacked outside his home in a Paris suburb by a group of young men yelling anti-Semitic slogans. The youth is the son of a local rabbi. President Jacques Chirac condemned the attack.
© 2004 H. David Marshak, All Rights Reserved
