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Sierra Club to honor Jan Dietrick of Ventura

The Ventura Sierra Club will honor the work of Jan Dietrick of Ventura with its 2016 Environmental Hero Award to be given during the Women’s Empowerment Day Conference on March 5th in Oxnard, from 9am-3pm.

Jan, who has a Master’s Degree in Public Health is President of Rincon-Vitova Insectaries of Ventura ( a company that raises beneficial insects for the agricultural industry). Jan is also a founding member of the Ventura County Climate Hub, Ventura County coordinator for Citizens Climate Lobby. Jan is being honored for her work on climate change, protecting coastal ecosystems from dirty energy power plants.

The Sierra Club presentation will begin around 10:30am. This is a free community event and open to all.

Oxnard Cultural Heritage Center
141 West 5th Street
Oxnard

Ventura Gem & Mineral Society awards two 2016 scholarships

Ventura Gem & Mineral Society (VGMS) is pleased to award Sean Curran the 2016 VGMS Annual Scholarship and Theodore “Ted” Brown the VGMS Marie Haake Memorial Scholarship. Each award consists of a $500 grant, a Scholarship Certificate, and one-year honorary VGMS membership. They are presented on the basis of academic excellence and intent to continue studies within the earth sciences at the college level. The awards will be made during the annual VGMS pre-show dinner at 6:00 PM, Friday, March 4, at the Ventura County Fairgrounds leading into the 54th Annual Ventura Gem Show taking place March 5-6.

The VGMS Board of Directors voted unanimously to award their 2016 scholarships to Ted and Sean and look forward to meeting them, their families, and their professors for the formal presentation on March 4.

The Ventura Gem & Mineral Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization composed of amateur “rockhounds” who enjoy fieldtrips to collect rocks, minerals, gemstones, and fossils as well as engaging in the lapidary arts (stone cutting, carving, polishing) and jewelry making. Society membership is open to everyone in the community, individuals and families alike, with facilities available for lapidary work, including rock saws, grinding and polishing units, and more.

Descendants of historic Ventura families to serve as grand marshals

Members of some of Ventura’s historic families will serve as Grand Marshals when the annual Ventura County St. Patrick’s Day Parade marches down Main Street for the 28th time in downtown Ventura on Saturday, March 12.

The theme of this year’s parade, which begins in front of Mission San Buenaventura at 10 a.m., is “Celebrating 150 Years of Ventura’s History.” The city was incorporated on April 2, 1866.

Leah Kopp has been selected to serve as this year’s Irish Belle for the Parade. Kopp is a senior at Foothill Technology High School in Ventura. She is a scholar-athlete who played basketball for Buena High School until this year when Foothill for the first time offered boys’ and girls’ team sports . Kopp’s duties as the parade’s 5th Irish Belle are to attend promotional activities supporting the parade and to ride in the convertible that leads the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee entry.

The whole county will be turning out in green on Main Street. Last year’s parade drew over 90 entries, including floats sponsored by civic groups, nonprofits and local businesses and restaurants; marching bands; car clubs; horses; clowns and the Biggest Green Pig in the World. There also will be high school pep bands, youth groups and fun-loving adult groups entered in the parade.

The Ventura County St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which ends at Laurel Street, is presented by the Ventura Elks Lodge #1430.

The event’s committee is accepting entries for the parade. For entry forms or more information about the parade, visit www.venturastpatricksdayparade.com, call Jim Monahan at 643-4275 or email Nan Drake at [email protected]

SPAN: A thrift store with a heart for animals

Val Bereman, SPAN Manager is always happy to help you select something to buy.
By Gail Field

Inside the clean and tidy thrift store on North Olive Street, the all-volunteer staff happily sells clothing, household goods, tools and more, for a cause they believe in: saving lives of cats and dogs in Ventura County.

The Spay Neuter Animal Network (SPAN), which the store supports, is a non-profit organization offering Ventura County low cost spay and neuter services by subsidizing the cost for low-income and no-income pet owners. There are plans to expand into other areas, such as providing medication for deworming like Drontal Allwormer and subsidizing vet visits for these demographics, but for now, the focus is on spay and neuter.

Store manager Valerie Bereman’s broad smile lights up when she talks about what the proceeds from the store allows them to do for animals. “My heart goes out to pet owners as well as to the cats and dogs who have no real home, and to those whose owners are low income people struggling to feed and house their pets.”

A big problem is pet homelessness. Valerie explains that one reason is that there are not enough homes for all the kittens born. In warmer climates like what we have in Ventura County, the breeding season for cats is lengthened, allowing for more kittens to be born in a single year. By humanely trapping stray feral cats and taking them to a spay clinic, cat overpopulation can be lessened, resulting in fewer cats in the shelters, and reducing the need for euthanasia. Dogs have more predictable mating seasons, which leads to a more predictable dog population. Valerie sums it up like this: “Spay an animal and save a life.”

Residents are encouraged to call SPAN to report the presence of wild or stray cats. Ideally, cats are humanely trapped, taken to a registered veterinary clinic, spayed or neutered, then returned to the animal’s home or location where they were originally found. SPAN can loan humane traps, and volunteers are available to help.

SPAN acknowledges that the task of managing the pet population takes a community effort. They work in concert with low-cost clinics in Ventura County and a few local veterinarians helping with the feral cat population. Last year alone, the SPAN thrift shop, through their funding and volunteerism, facilitated 763 spay/neuter operations. SPAN began operating in 1992 on a limited basis, growing over time to their current full capacity. Since then, they have facilitated over 33,500 such operations.

On Thursday, March 3, SPAN is sponsoring an on-site spay/neuter clinic in conjunction with Valley-Vet Non-Profit Simi Valley Spay and Neuter Clinic. The clinic will be held in the parking lot of the SPAN Thrift and Gift shop in Ventura beginning with appointments scheduled at 9 AM. Look for the large Winnebago, which holds a state-of-the-art operating room, staffed with professionals who care about the health and longevity of animals. The cost on this special occasion is $10 for qualified low-income residents. Appointments are required. To enroll, call 584-3823.

SPAN Thrift and Gift happily accepts donations in the form of clothing furniture, appliances, and other household items as well as tax-deductible cash donations. Drivers are available to pick up large donations.

SPAN is the only all-volunteer organization in Ventura County raising money to spay/neuter cats and dogs for low-and no-income pet owners. For information or appointments, call 641-1170 or stop by the SPAN Thrift and Gift shop at 110 N. Olive St. Ventura. Closed Sunday and Monday. Se habla español.

Insert photo of Valerie Bereman, SPAN Manager.

Celebrating our healthy schools

By Nancy Maxson, Coordinator, Health and Prevention Programs, Ventura Unified School District

What does “health” look like in our school district? If you are a child or parent of a child in Ventura Unified School District (VUSD), you are in good hands indeed. With a strong Wellness Policy and support from our governing board members and superintendent, Dr. Michael Babb, Ventura Unified School District has a long history of supporting the whole child. VUSD is not only focused on academic achievement, but also on making sure every child is safe and healthy everyday on every campus.

Starting with a healthy breakfast is critical for student achievement. In VUSD, every school cafeteria, under the direction of Kara Muniz, Director of Food and Nutrition Services, provides a farm fresh salad bar with local seasonal fruits and vegetables in addition to hot meal entrees.

In the elementary classrooms, all students in grades K – 5 receive a comprehensive, developmentally appropriate Health Education curriculum called The Great Body Shop. Covering a scope and sequence that addresses the state and national health content standards, the Great Body Shop is common core aligned; cross curricular; and teaches a knowledge, health value, life skill and critical thinking objective. It is fun, educational, informative and interesting for students, teachers and parents. At all facilities in the school district, the use of tobacco or electronic-cigarettes are prohibited by students, staff and visitors.

Health Services in VUSD includes nine school nurses, supported by a part-time health technician at each school site. Our school nurses are the only credentialed, licensed, qualified health professionals in the district. They are a valuable support working closely with schools to keep students healthy and reduce absences.

VUSD’s Wellness Policy facilitates a coordinated school health system that supports and reinforces health literacy through health education, physical education and activity, health services, nutrition services, psychological and counseling services, health promotion for staff, a safe and healthy school environment, and parent/guardian and community involvement.

VUSD is also a proud partner of Summerfest along with the Ventura Education Partnership and the City of Ventura. Summerfest is a free healthy living community event that brings families together for a fun filled day of healthy activities and food provided by hundreds of local organizations.

It is through comprehensive, coordinated school health programs such as those in Ventura Unified that we continue to support the academic achievement of our students as they move through the schools and ultimately graduate and move on to college and career. For more information about the health programs and services in VUSD, contact 641-5000, ext. 1135.

Vol. 9, No. 11 – March 2 – March 15, 2016 – Events

Events by Ana Baker

Ventura Poinsettia Dance Club meets every Monday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. at the Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill. Ballroom, swing, Latin, mixers and line dancing. Members $10, non-members $12, first time dancers are free. Call Rick at 415-8842 for more information.

March 6: Audubon 8:00 a.m. Work Day Hedrick Ranch Nature Preserve. Leader: Sandy Hedrick 340-0478. Arrive at 8:00 for self-guided birding which usually yields some interesting birds. Work from 9am – noon. Long pants and boots or closed shoes are required.

March 6: Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions will be holding their monthly meeting at Bell Arts Factory, 432 N. Ventura Ave from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Miguel Rodriguez, Community Organizer for the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, will speak on different issues that he has worked on in West Ventura.

March 6: Free stage show, Old Time Country Bluegrass Gospel Music Association.

Show will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Rd. More Info call

517-1131. First Sunday of Every Month.

March 8: Mary and Nick Freeman will provide an overview of the owl species that can be found in southern California, and will discuss the behavior of each species, illustrated with photos Mary has taken over many years. Program will be held at the Poinsettia Pavilion beginning at 7:30 p.m.

March 8: The Ventura County Writers Club invites interested writers to hear mystery writer Mar Preston at 7 p.m. at the Pleasant Valley Senior Center at 1605 E. Burnley Street in Camarillo. The event is free of charge. In this final session of Power Tools for Writers, Ms. Preston will look at finishing from two aspects: how to bring our stories to a satisfying narrative close, and how to polish our work. “You can start your writing life at any age,” says Mar Preston. Hers began after the death of her husband, Howard, in 2005, just four days after they moved into their retirement dream home in the Southern California Mountains. Contact Sheli Ellsworth at 499-3490 for more information.

March 10: Town Hall on Green Transportation Sales Tax. Ventura County Climate Hub and partner organizations with featured speaker Darren Kettle, Executive Director, Ventura County Transportation Commission on Thursday from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura, Fellowship Hall, 5654 Ralston. Hear Darren Kettle pitch the half-cent sales tax for transportation projects and answer questions.

March 10: Vista Real Charter High School will have an open house and official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, with the Ventura Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, from 4p.m to 6 p.m. Including a free Scratch Food Truck, as well as displays of student generated work and art pieces. Games, prizes, raffles, and giveaways along with school site tours. 300 E. Santa Clara-Downtown Ventura. 804-5929

March 10: The Ventura County Camera Club will hold a critique meeting on Wednesday, at 7 p.m. at the Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Rd. A professional photographer from the area will critique member’s prints and digital images. Each month a special topic is chosen which features some interesting aspect of photography. This month’s topic is “Macro”. Anyone with an interest in photography is welcome and admission is free. Only members may submit images for critique. See the club’s web site for more information or call 908-5663. WWW.VenturaCountyCameraClub.com

March 11: The General George S. Patton, Jr. Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution February luncheon meeting will feature the program “The Winter Patriots”, presented by Mr. Ward White at 11:30 a.m. on Friday. Located in the Garden Room, Marie Callender’s Restaurant. The cost for lunch is $20 per person. For information Bill Bays 650-3036 or Robert Taylor 216-7992 or http://pattonpatriots.org.

March 12: Gold Coast Concert Chorus, joined by the Ventura College Chorus, presents “Poetry in Song”, featuring rising soloists Bradley Pupa on guitar and Jessica Helms on piano in works inspired by the poetry of Walt Whitman. Works include “A Jubilant Song” by Norman Dello Joio, and “A Procession Winding Around Me for one performance only, Saturday at 2 p.m. Located at the St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1500 North C Street, Oxnard, Tickets: Adults $15, Sr., Student $12, Child under 5 $5

Contact: Sandy 616-7269 or [email protected]

March 12: Audubon 8:30 a.m. Soule Park. Leader: Neil Ziegler 208-3149. Situated under the Topa Topa mountain range, this large park offers grasslands that bring out winter feeding flocks: sparrows, bluebirds, warblers and large shade trees which provide cover for woodpeckers and raptors. Shady bushes hide thrushes and thrashers.

March 12: “The joys of computer image editing” will be discussed by Robert Crum for the Ventura Beginners PC Users Group on the Sat . The workshop will be on Word features. The group meets 9:15-12:00 at Cypress Place Independent Living, 1220 Cypress Point Lane. All beginners and intermediates are welcome. Call 648-1368 for further information.

March 13: Sunday, at Ventura First United Methodist Church, 1338 East Santa Clara , the Channel Islands Chamber Orchestra will present a program of opera favorites, featuring a fabulous line-up of singers from Ventura County and beyond. $20 Donation appreciated, youth are free. Information is available at 643-8621 or check website, CHICOVC.org.

March 15: Audubon 8:30 a.m. Arroyo Verde Park. Leader: Adele Fergusson 415-4304. Enjoy a nice hike while birding the oak woodland, grassy areas, and chaparral in this long, broad canyon

March 19: The Lions Eyes across California will be a one day event held on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Montalvo Square Shopping Center on Victoria Avenue. Lions are asking the community to give the gift of sight by recycling your eyeglasses. Also accepting hearing aids, cell phones and food donations for FOOD Share.

March 14: Adult Education Stamp Collecting Seminar and Stamp Collection Review & Evaluation, sponsored by the Ventura County Philatelic Society. At Bonaventure Community Building, 10949 Telegraph from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. $10 for morning presentations on how to collect, what to collect and understanding a stamp catalog. Free for the evaluation of collections, which begins at 1 p.m. Reservations may be made by sending a $10 to the Ventura County Philatelic Society to John Weigle, P.O. Box 6536, Ventura 93006

March 19: Easter Egg Hunt from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Community Presbyterian Church, 1555 Poli St. Jolly jumps, crafts, face painting. Food and fun for everyone.cpcventura.org 648-2737

March 19: Meet the authors at Bank of Books, 748 East Main St. Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Britt Allcroft Mumfie and the Snowbird (author of Thomas the Tank Engine)

1 p.m. to 3p .m. Ruby Lang Faces in the Windows

3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Brent Ayscough, The Visitor

Britt Allcroft is the award-winning creator and writer of a trio of world famous children’s entertainment properties including Thomas & Friends. More info call 643-3154

March 19, Saturday, 3:00. Children of all ages are invited with their parents for a family Birding Event led by John Borneman (Master Birder). Meet at the Ventura Botanical Garden trail head behind City Hall to walk as a group to the bird site and learn about the birds of the Ventura Botanic Gardens. Bring a mat to sit on. This is a free event.

March 19: “Rising Consciousness Triumphs over Big Ag and Big Food”, a Public Talk.

Dr. John Fagan, Professor of Molecular biology at Maharishi University of Management, leading authority and lecturer on biosafety and sustainability in the food and agriculture. Currently, a major shift in the food and agriculture industry is underway, as the public demands more transparency, purity and simplicity in food and its production. Dr. Fagan explains trends that value food produced in harmony with nature that he sees intersecting with a rise in collective human consciousness. Talk begins at 7:30 p.m. at the E.P. Foster Library, Topping Room.

Cypress Place to host Dementia 101 Seminar

In collaboration with New Hope Senior Services, please join Cypress Place Senior Living for a Dementia 101 Seminar – “What To Expect From A Dementia Diagnosis: Now What?” Guest speaker for the seminar will be Norma Featherston, R.N., M.S., Gerontology. Featherston is a geriatric care consultant with New Hope Senior Services.

A variety of important topics regarding Dementia will be covered including: who can get it, how they get it, and what to expect. Join for this important presentation by a specialist and learn vital information for loved ones and those you care for.

The free seminar takes place from 10a.m. to 11:30a.m. on Saturday March 12, and is open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Cypress Place Senior Living is a premiere senior community in Ventura County. The beautiful senior living campus features an Active Senior Living community and adjacent Assisted Living and Alzheimer’s/Dementia Care community connected by a lushly landscaped courtyard.

Cypress Place Senior Living is located at 1200 Cypress Point Lane in Ventura. Seating is limited so please call to reserve a seat. For more information or to RSVP, please call 650-8000.

To learn more about Cypress Place Senior Living of Ventura, visit their web site at www.cypressplaceseniorliving.com.

Director of the Neuro Division of Two Trees Physical Therapy to speak on Parkinson’s Disease

The Ventura Parkinson’s Support Group is delighted to host Marc Broberg, PT, Director of the Neuro Division of Two Trees Physical Therapy and Wellness in Ventura at their meeting on Wednesday, March 9, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at The Lexington Assisted Living at 5440 Ralston St, Ventura.

Marc is a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Neurological Physical Therapy and he will discuss and illustrate the most current evidence-based guidelines for therapy and exercise for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. An opportunity to participate in a clinical research study at a major university will also be discussed (Research is on “How Lifestyle and Quality of Life affect Parkinson’s Disease”).

Please check in at the front desk for directions and sign-in. Extra parking is graciously available across the street from the Lexington in the Baptist Church parking lot. Call 766-6070 for further information. Reservations are not required.

Vol. 9, No. 11 – March 2 – March 15, 2016 – Opinion/Editorial

• We have an article in this issue about the passing of Jim Mangis. Even though I didn’t see him often, I considered him a friend. That was just his personality, all who met him felt this way because he cared and was so genuine. I last saw him a few weeks ago at a get together of volunteers at City Corps. We talked about many things including making compost and using red wigglers worms because was an organic farmer. Sadly enough, he was going to write an article in this issue about organic farming. He will be missed by all who knew him. And only 62, life is a strange creature sometimes.

• The Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura (HACSB) has completed the construction of their 39-unit $11.6 million apartment project (see articled in this issue). Spending this kind of money on 39 very small studio units just doesn’t make sense to me.

Why not take $9.6 million and purchase (25) $400,000 homes and put aside $2 million for maintenance.

25 homes would provide about 75 bedrooms with yard areas and the pride of living in a home – not small studio units. And this would be a much better investment.

• A program to cap home construction, criticized by members of the business and housing communities, and strongly rejected by the Ventura Planning Commission, was recently rejected by the City Council.

If approved, the Residential Allocation Program (RAP) would have allowed no more than 1,050 new units in a three-year period, with a ceiling of 450 units in a single year (with some exemptions).

I think that this was a smart decision by the Council. Ventura now has several ordinances and procedures that can be followed to control growth and just adding another layer would further discourage developers ( the dreaded D word) from building in Ventura.

The Council plans to revisit how the planning process works overall. Including design guidelines (which we desperately need), zoning and the general plan definitions, which sets out what type of development goes where and how.

The council also will have joint meetings with the Planning Commission and the Design Review Committee to discuss strengthening building standards.

I hope that they will also make it easier for developers to really understand the process. Developers need to have a way of obtaining preliminary approval from the Council so that they don’t spend thousands of dollars and many years obtaining other department approvals just to be ultimately shot down by the Council.

• Well, Einstein has been proven to be correct one more time. New findings have proved him to be correct about gravity having waves – I don’t even understand gravity and can one surf in these waves? This was done by observing light emanating from the merger of two black holes “about” 1.3 billion light-years away. I’m glad that they said “about” because they could be off by about 10 zillion, trillion years give or take a few. How can one even fathom this kind of distance?

• I find it interesting that the most violent terrorist organization on earth gets so little interest. Boko Haram’s atrocities make ISIS look like Boy Scouts (if anything could). The northeastern Nigerian Islamist group has been much more deadly than other Islamic State terrorist groups and even more violent in killing school children. Could it be that their atrocities involve poor Nigerian’s and their lives just don’t matter as much as those of Westerners?

• In our last issue, I spoke about the large amount of important decisions to be made in the November elections. The list just keeps growing. There might be 2 different SOAR initiatives and up to 20 State initiatives (6 have qualified so far). So probably best to vote by mail or spend an hour in the voting booth.

• Very happy to see that the entrance to Ventura Harbor has reopened to all boating traffic. The closure (including moving the tall ships to Channel Islands) cost merchants and fishing vessels a large amount of money. SBA loans might be available for merchants who lost money.

• The City has executed a Lease Agreement between Brooks Institute and the City of Ventura to use some of the office space behind City Hall (see article). Getting Brooks to become part of our downtown is wonderful for merchants.

Two council members voted no. Tracy, because he feels that Brooks should pay market value for the space and Monahan because of parking concerns. I certainly agree with Monahan and hope that Brook faculty and students are made to park in the upper parking lot.

Existing tenants of the space that Brooks will be occupying, will be able to move to another floor (if it provides them with enough useable space). FOTM (Focus on the Masters) will need to move a huge amount of material and files so the space available may not be adequate for them. If any of our readers have room for this non-profit supporter of the arts at a really low rent, please reach out (they need about 2,000 square feet). Does not need to be a retail location.

• Sorry that the Ventura BMX track located at the Ventura Community Park was closed down. Was a great idea and nice addition to Ventura, but after they lost their sanctioning body approval, the track was closed.

The Ventura Parks & Recreation Commission has voted to demolish the track which has become an eyesore and a gathering place for the homeless. I wonder who will be paying for this?

The Ventura County Jewish Film Festival celebrates its 13th year!

Thirteen-years ago, an optimistic group of Temple Beth Torah members recognized the need in Ventura County for a Jewish Film Festival. They hoped that if they created a special festival, presenting movies not normally shown in commercial venues, people would attend. The beginning was modest, but through these past thirteen years, as word has spread, moviegoers who appreciate art house films and feature documentaries look forward to the annual March festival. This year’s major festival sponsors are Sandra and Jordan Laby.

Opening night, Saturday, March 5, 7 PM, at Ventura’s Regency Theater, will feature the English film, Dough, a heartwarming tale of an aging baker played by Jonathan Pryce (Game of Thrones) who forms an unlikely friendship with his young Muslim apprentice.

On Sunday, March 6, at 7 PM at Temple Beth Torah, The Festival will offer the West Coast premiere of Raise the Roof. This remarkable documentary chronicles an ambitious ten-year artistic project to reconstruct a 17th century synagogue, destroyed in WWII. Special guest speakers The honorable Counsel General of Poland in Los Angeles, Mariusz Brymora, and local artisan, Al Geller, will discuss the restoration and commemoration of 1000 years of Jewish history in Poland.

The Farewell Party, filmed in Israel, combines comedy and drama in the unlikely setting of an old age home. When a terminally ill friend prevails upon Yehezkel, a mechanical genius, to build a Kevorkian-like suicide machine, the trouble begins. The film provides a thoughtful yet entertaining starting point for discussion of the ethical and humane questions of euthanasia. Following the film, which will be shown at the Regency on Tuesday, March 8, at 7 PM, a lively discussion of the issues raised by the film is anticipated with guest speaker Dr. James Hornstein.

Also screening at the Regency, on Thursday, March 10, is the Dutch-language film (with English subtitles), The Price of Sugar. In the mid-eighteenth century, in the Dutch colony of Suriname, there existed a thriving population of Jewish sugar-plantation owners, descended from Portuguese refugees of the Spanish Inquisition. One of the plantation’s African slaves recounts the story of her life. She and her mistress, born the same day, share a father. Her half-sister, the beautiful daughter of privilege, descends into cruel narcissism when jilted by the man she expects to marry. Filmmaker, Dutch-African Jean Van de Velde’s historic drama, based on a novel by Surinamese writer, Cynthia McLeod, explores the island’s tragic experience of African slavery, with an unsparing look at the savagery, violence and sexual abuse that accompanied it.

From France comes director Alexandre Arcady’s drama, 24 Days, that retells the story of the kidnapping of a young French-Jewish man by a Muslim gang who hold him for ransom. The beautifully made and skillfully acted film illuminates the serious nature of the current wave of European Anti-Semitism. The film will be screened on Saturday afternoon, March 12, at the Regency Theater, at 4 PM.

For more information on The Ventura County Jewish Film Festival, please visit the festival website VCJFF.org.

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