The Center and Its Anniversary

As president of the Orange County chapter of the American Jewish Committee, I would like to offer some observations on the concerns raised about the scheduling of the Performing Arts Center’s first anniversary party on the concluding night of the Jewish high-holy day of Yom Kippur. Recent news accounts did not, in my opinion, sufficiently describe the Center’s response--which I found to be prompt, sincere and adequate.

The basic facts are these:

The Center early on recognized a scheduling conflict and attempted to select a date which did not actually fall on a Jewish holiday.

The Center’s board of directors responded immediately to our request for a meeting to explain to them why the selected date was inappropriate because of religious customs extending beyond the technical conclusion of the holy day.

The Center thereupon established a policy whereby future anniversary celebrations will not be scheduled “on the evening of or the evening after a Jewish holiday.”

It is unfortunate that the scheduling of the first anniversary celebration will result in the absence of some of the Center’s patrons. It would be equally unfortunate, however, to allow this occurrence to detract from the communitywide spirit which has brought so many Orange County neighbors together to build the Performing Arts Center, or to lessen the continuing support which the Center requires to fulfill its worthy mission.

I want to commend Timothy Strader, vice chairman of the executive committee of the Center’s board of directors, for the personal warmth and fellowship which characterized our meeting. It is to his further credit and that of the board and staff of the Center that our dialogue was taken to heart.

MICHAEL L. LAPIN