Parsha Re’eh: Seeing clearly: the choice before us

An accountant doesn’t guess. He or she opens the books and looks at the numbers as they are, not as he wishes they were. Elul asks us to do the same with our lives. Where have I grown this year? Where have I stood still? What habits are bringing me closer to Hashem, and which ones are quietly pulling me away? (Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.)

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Book explains holiday of Sukkot to tykes

Author Deming and illustrator Teplow take us through the process of decorating a sukkah, with especial attention to such kid-friendly activities as hanging fruit and vegetables from the support beams of the ceiling; making paper chains; indulging passions for many colors; and participating in the ancient ritual of shaking the etrog and lulav to the east, south, west, north, above and below. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Today’s Jewish birthday: Jonathan Silverman

Jonathan Silverman (August 6, 1966) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the comedy films Brighton Beach Memoirs, Weekend at Bernie’s, and its sequel Weekend at Bernie’s II as well as his starring role in the TV series The Single Guy. Silverman was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Jewish family. [Wikipedia]

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

An open letter to San Diego Pride

As a person of color, I can say without hesitation: if the Black or Brown community had experienced what the Jewish community experienced at this year’s Pride, statements and action would have been immediate. Silence, in the face of antisemitism, is not neutrality. It is complicity. [Nicole Murray Ramirez]

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Antisemitism, Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Online antisemites blame Jews for Europe’s wildfires

The details change but the underlying message does not: Jews are maliciously portrayed as secretly orchestrating disasters or profiting from human suffering. This pattern demonstrates how antisemitism continuously adapts to the news cycle while recycling centuries-old myths.” (Press Release)

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Antisemitism, International, Israel, Jewish History, News Media, Press Release

Today’s Jewish birthday: Richard Belzer

Richard Belzer (August 4, 1944 – February 19, 2023) was an American actor, comedian, and author. He was best known for his role as BPD Detective, NYPD Detective/sergeant and investigator John Munch, whom he portrayed for 23 years in the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and in several guest appearances on other series. [Wikipedia]

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

A tale of three cons

By the morning after Comic-Con, the giant studio wraps and offsites had been dismantled. The Gaslamp sign over Fifth Avenue, which had spent the weekend disguised as an Eastern European gateway for Avengers: Doomsday, was once again the familiar entrance to the Gaslamp Quarter’s main street. More than 135,000 fans had come and gone, taking their costumes, props and collective, humidity-enhanced body odor home. (Shor M. Masori)

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Business & Finance, Opinion, San Diego County, Shor M. Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Jewish biography: Edmund Husserl, founder of Phenomenology

In 1886, two years after his father’s death, Husserl, along with his fiancée, also a Jew, Malvine Charlotte Steinschneider, converted to Protestantism. The wedding on August 6, 1887, took place in the Evangelical Church of Vienna. The purpose of converting to Lutheranism was to avoid discrimination in his academic career. (Alex Gordon)

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors