The local temple, Bet Haverim, gathered the community for song, prayer and moving speeches in Central Park

By HANNAH SCHRADER — city@theaggie.org 

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, launched an attack on Israel resulting in the death of over a thousand people, largely Israeli citizens. This attack sparked the currently ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict which recently surpassed a year in length.

To mourn the loss of life and heal as a community, Bet Haverim, the local temple, organized a vigil that was held in Davis’ Central Park. The vigil consisted of prayer, song and music.

Members of the board of Hillel House Davis, an organization that aims to provide a community for Jewish students, gave speeches at the vigil.

Barry Klein, the president of Hillel House for the Davis and Sacramento region, reflected on hearing of the attacks for the first time on Oct. 7, 2023, which coincides with his birthday.

“I woke up on Oct. 7 at 3 a.m. for various reasons, but I always check my email to see if one of my children had sent me a happy birthday,” Klein said. “And I saw the attack by Hamas on Israel, probably before most people in the U.S. had seen it, so that’s burned in my memory as the most horrible birthday I’ve had.”

Klein then discussed his responsibility as a leader in the Jewish community to help students through this painful time.

“[I’m] currently the president of the board of Hillel [House] at Davis and Sacramento, and so that immediately opened the door to lots of things we needed to take care of to make sure that students on campus were safe and secure and able to pursue their studies in a stress-free environment,” Klein said. “And we do a lot of grieving for all the loss of life in Israel, and my prayer is that the evil people who perpetrated those attacks would disappear so this would never happen again.”

Klein then discussed the aspect of the vigil most moving to him, and the impact of the Davis community.

“So Israelis took it particularly hard because there are Israelis at UC Davis, the students, faculty and [others just] visiting,” Klein said. “I just took it particularly hard because everybody was touched personally by what happened and it took us out.”

Rabbi Jeremy Simons, the co-rabbi of the Bet Haverim congregation in Davis, discussed the intent behind organizing the vigil.

“In the Jewish faith, we mark the anniversaries of deaths,” Simons said. “It’s called a Yarhzeit and Oct. 7, in addition to being the the anniversary of the terrorist attack, is also the anniversary of the deaths of well over 1,000 people. And so it was a chance to say the traditional memorial prayers and also just to mark how we’re all feeling, because this has been a very difficult year in the Jewish community, a very upside-down year. And it was a chance for the community to come together and to mourn and grieve.”

Simons then talked about the significance of the attack to him and the Jewish community at large.

“I don’t think it was in my imagination that those things [attacks] could even be possible, or something that I worried about or thought about,” Simons said. “Just reading the reports on that day was, I have no words to describe it […] A lot of other people I ran into that day were just crying, crying, crying, so yeah, it was a deep shock to the Jewish community. It’s not that big all things considered, so there are a lot of connections, like we have people here who have connections to people who were taken hostage, to people who were killed and people who are serving in the military.”

Simons then reflected on the outcome of the vigil and how it served the Davis community.

“[The vigil] provided a space for people to be able to come together, to be with other people and not feel alone, and to just mark what was otherwise a really, really hard day,” Simons said. “I know a lot of folks just told me they took Oct. 7 off from work or didn’t go to class, just because it just hits that hard.”

Written by: Hannah Schrader — city@theaggie.org

Three authors discussed their approaches to writing historical fiction in recognition of California Writers Week

By RORY CONLON — city@theaggie.org

The Avid Reader Bookstore hosted a panel of three historical fiction authors to discuss their books in honor of California Writers Week on Oct. 22. 

The authors, which included Tim Schooley, Judith Starkson and Laura Jensen Walker, have written historical fiction novels set as far back as the Bronze Age and as recent as the 1940s. Schooley said that the main aspect tying their books together is the ways in which history connects to the present.

“George Santayana said it best: those who can not remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” Schooley said. “We wanted to talk about that and see how some of these themes resonate throughout history.” 

Starkson showcased “Priestess of Ishana (Tesha),” the first book in a series following the journey of a Hittite queen in the Bronze Age. Starkson said she wanted to learn more about Hittite, an empire in the 12th century that stretched across Turkey, Syria and Lebanon, and tell the story of a powerful female ruler that transcended the norms of her time. 

“How does an autocratic, patriarchal world have a queen who was famous in her day [for] bossing Ramses the Second around and negotiating a treaty that kept an incredibly disrupted world from breaking into pieces?” Starkson said. “I looked at that mature woman and said, ‘Who were you in the beginning, and how did you get there?’ My series is about her rise to this extraordinary throne.” 

Starkson also drew parallels between the queen, Tesha and Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee. 

“Presenting that model of unexpected female leadership to the world in an emotionally engaging, immersive form is my subversive way of persuading people that women can [do it],” Starkson said. “You know that hesitancy some men in America are currently having as they cast their ballots? I’m hoping I’ve soothed some qualms in my readers.” 

Schooley’s novel, “The Wool Translator,” also included women who defied tradition. He said that Aisha, a math prodigy in his book, was inspired by his research into the Nasrid Kingdom during the medieval age. 

“I found a lot of original sources from the Nasrids talking about these unusual women in their community who were recognized for their brilliance,” Schooley said. “They were allowed a measure of freedom to conduct studies and some of them were considered very important people in their community.” 

“The Wool Translator” follows the relationship between Aisha, a Muslim girl, and Newt, a Catholic boy. Schooley names Donald Trump’s “Muslim ban” in 2017 as having inspired his decision to explore religious divides in the novel. 

“I started thinking, ‘How would it be possible for me to have a young person in this Muslim kingdom meet a Catholic boy from England?’” Schooley said. “The theme of religious intolerance drove the idea of the story and the plot developed from that.” 

Walker’s debut historical fiction novel, “Death of a Flying Nightingale,” is set in England during World War II. The Nightingales were a lesser-known, all-female part of the Royal Air Force that cared for wounded soldiers and shuttled them to safety, according to Walker.

“They went to Normandy the week after D-Day to bring back wounded men from the blood-soaked beaches of Normandy,” Walker said. “They took care of these men on the flights home, and they weren’t allowed to have parachutes because if the plane went down, their job was to stay with the patients. So, every day, two times a day, they risked their lives.” 

Walker interviewed the last living Nightingale, who was 106 years old, and included some of her anecdotes in the story. She said the Nightingales showed her how women’s contributions can be overlooked in the past and the present. 

“Most of these women became wives and mothers, and that generation didn’t talk about the things they went through,” Walker said. “Many of their children didn’t even know what their mothers had done until 40 years later when they somehow found out about it or mentioned it.” 

The authors also discussed reasons why World War II fiction has experienced a resurgence in the 2010s. Starkson said that in a time when people have mixed feelings about conflict, it can be comforting to look back on a time when people were more united. 

“I think partly because so much is really problematic these days, we don’t have the mental space to step into fiction where it’s equally problematic,” Starkson said. “We want an escape. It’s reassuring to look back and say, ‘See, people faced a time of great evil, and they responded in a way that was victorious.’” 

Written By: Rory Conlon — city@theaggie.org

“Dis-orientation: A Good and Weird Bike Tour of Davis” was held on Oct. 17 

By OLIVIA HOKR — city@theaggie.org

Good and Weird Davis, a media platform devoted to sharing exciting events in Davis, recently hosted a bike tour throughout the city. On Oct. 17, people gathered for a bike ride starting at Third Space Art Collective and ending at Delta of Venus. Bikers got the chance to interact with various businesses and stores along the route.

Good and Weird Davis’ online presence provides a community calendar with local activities and events. They share information about farmers markets, art shows, poetry and band performances and even educational clinics. They also share links to a myriad of businesses and organizations in Davis where community members can find exciting events throughout the year. 

To bring people together, Good and Weird hosted their own bike tour called “Dis-orientation: A Good and Weird Bike Tour of Davis” earlier this month. Anyone was welcome to ride along as they showed off the variety of places and businesses Davis has to offer. 

Along the route, participants had the chance to learn about different projects and visit new, iconic and essential locations all in one ride. Throughout the tour, they made stops at Third Space Art Collective, Secret Spot, Central Park, Davis Food Co-op, Davis Bike Collective and Delta of Venus. 

“We’ll visit these spaces, hear from some people doing cool things and we’ll point out a bunch of other rad things along the way,” a Good and Weird Davis Instagram post reads.

Businesses such as Third Space Art Collective and Davis Bike Collective are prominent community organizations in Davis that were both featured on the bike tour. They each hold open hours one to two times per week where they interact with the community and offer different services to enrich artists and bicyclists, respectively. 

Davis Bike Collective was one of the final stops along the ride. As a non-profit bicycle organization, Davis Bike Collective has become a staple in the biking community of Davis. They host open hours weekly on Thursdays and Fridays to provide tools and a space for community members to work on their bikes. 

“We provide a public DIY shop where folks share tools, skills and knowledge about bike maintenance and repair,” the Davis Bike Collective’s website reads. “Our aim is to empower confident and committed cyclists through education and community building, and to encourage more cyclists by making bikes and bike maintenance fun, safe and accessible for everyone.”

All of the projects and places riders got to experience along the ride can also be found on the Good and Weird website for those who want to take a self-tour at any time. 

Good and Weird Davis promotes community building and ensures everyone in Davis has somewhere they feel they can fit in. It is an informative resource for those looking for new spots to check out and meet new people. If you’re looking for more information on upcoming events in the city of Davis, take a look at Good and Weird Davis’ website and community calendar. 

Written by: Olivia Hokr — city@theaggie.org 

Vice Mayor Bapu Vaitla proclaims day of recognition and observance during city council meeting

By MATTHEW MCELDOWNEY — city@theaggie.org

On Oct. 15, the Davis City Council convened to proclaim Indigenous Peoples’ Day as the first item of their meeting agenda. On behalf of all members of the Davis City Council, Vice Mayor Bapu Vaitla read aloud the city’s proclamation that recognized and observed the holiday before some of Davis’ Native American residents and members from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation: one of the three Patwin tribes indigenous to the land Davis resides.

Vaitla said it was important to recognize this holiday and what ostensibly is the history of the atrocities committed at the expense of these Indigenous communities in America.

“Indigenous people, the original inhabitants of this hemisphere, suffered injustice, exploitation and genocide through forced removal, war, broken treaties, rape and the implementation of laws and policies to support such exploits by the United States of America,” Vaitla said. “Indigenous Peoples’ Day replaces Columbus Day in order to dispel the historical falsehood that Columbus discovered America.”

Vaitla then gave recognition to the Patwin tribe nations that have been stewards to the land where the city of Davis currently resides.

“For thousands of years, the land that the city of Davis sits on has been the home of Patwin people,” Vaitla said. “Today, there are three federally recognized Patwin tribes: Cachil DeHe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community, Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation and Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.”

Vaitla concluded the proclamation by expressing the community’s gratitude for the lasting legacies left by these Patwin tribe nations.

“We are honored to be here today on their land to reaffirm our relationship to these tribal nations,” Vaitla said. “The city of Davis has benefited from the values and contributions of these Native Americans’ knowledge, labor, technology, science, philosophy, arts, culture and resources. Therefore we, the Davis City Council, on behalf of the residents of Davis, now recognize and observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” 

James Kinter, the tribal secretary of the Yocha Dehe Wintun nation, along with his family expressed gratitude for the city’s acknowledgment of Indigenous history and perseverance.

“On behalf of my tribe, thank you for doing this,” Kinter said. “All of this [history] happened to us and to acknowledge that benefits everybody in this country. That way we can understand some of the atrocities the tribes faced during that time.”

The importance of Native American visibility is a forefront issue of the nations of the Patwin tribe, but it is also the case for Native American communities all over the country. This diverse heritage of Native American families who call Davis their home was put on display.

Jesus Valle, a professor at American River College and a Davis resident, reaffirmed the proclamation made by the Davis City Council.

“This means a lot,” Valle said. “Words matter. These things have meaning, and it creates an atmosphere and an environment of awareness.” 

Valle expressed his gratitude for the nations that have lived here before him through a folk song in his own Native American language.

This desire for awareness and empowerment in Native American communities in Davis was felt through these words, and also by the activism of the Davis community.

The city council also invited Nizhoni Ellenwood, a NimiiPuu/Nez Perce tribe and Apache tribe artist as well as the president of the Davis-Joint Unified School District.

“Just this last week, we opened a Native Resource center for our K-12 families here in Davis, so this is our very first time that our communities have had a place for our families to go to,” Ellenwood said.

Eligible Davis K-12 families can receive grants and support for extracurricular activities. Further information regarding meetings is accessible on the Davis Joint Unified School District website. For Ellenwood, these programs and resources mark a positive change for empowering Native American communities that have persisted in spite of powers that have sought to erase their history.

“In regards to Indigenous Peoples’ Day and giving back to the community, one thing that I always ask for are donations to things such as our Native resource center which helps us build a better space, allows us to offer more to our children and helps support our next generations,” Ellenwood said. “There is so much more that we want to do.”

Written by: Matthew Mceldowney — city@theaggie.org