Jews and Words by Amos Oz and Fania Oz-Salzberger, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, ISBN 978-0-300-15647-8 ©2012, $25.99, p. 204, plus source listing and index By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — The Hebrew Bible announces that God created the heaven and the earth. How did God form them? Through the spoken word, which [...]
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO –This month’s Midrash Shabbat teacher at Tifereth Israel Synagogue will be Sarah Shulman. A student at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles and a triathlete, Sarah is also my AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) Intern. Many people who read the publicity for this weekend were [...]
By Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO — On May 5th, 2013, in the Spreckels Theatre, City Ballet of San Diego finished its 20th anniversary season with a rousing program of “The Seasons” (Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons”) and Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” Complimented by a live orchestra and 100 voice choir, the program encompassed both ends of [...]
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — There is a story that I have told many times based on a verse in parashat B’har: “But the land must not be sold beyond reclaim, for the land is Mine; you are but strangers resident with me.” This verse teaches us that humans do not own the [...]
By Sheryl Rowling SAN DIEGO — Question: I want to plan ahead for retirement and want to know how much I need. I’ve heard numbers anywhere from $3 million to $5 million. Answer: I am famous for giving 2 answers and this time is no exception. Before giving any answer, please know that it is [...]
By David Ogul SAN DIEGO — I recently spent several days in rural Maryland with a group of men and women from around the country who are doing what they can to save Judaism. The facts are startling. While barely more than 1 of every 10 Jews who got hitched before 1970 was in an [...]
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — The Torah says in parashat Emor: “You shall have one standard for the stranger and citizen alike: for I the Lord am your God.” As I hope you know, I think hachnasat orchim, welcoming visitors, is one of the most important mitzvot that members of a congregation can [...]
By Roz Rothstein and Roberta Seid Anti-Israel activists spin tales about alleged Israeli human rights abuses to instill hostility against the Jewish state. They have had an impact, but not one desired by most fair-minded people. The false allegations have served as a decoy, distracting the UN, NGOs, churches, students and the wider public from the [...]
Trialogue and Terror: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam after 9/11 by Alan L. Berger, ed., Cascade Books, Eugene, OR; ISBN 978-1-60899-546-2 ©2012, $30.00, p. 255, plus index By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — Domestic stories primarily covered the front page of the New York Times on September 10, 2001. Succeeding days and months would be [...]
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — There are many times when I feel that I am living in Israel when I drive from the synagogue to my home. It is not because of the scenery or landscape, but rather because of the all-way stop signs at the intersection of Tommy and Wing Span Drives. [...]