‘Zaidy’s Band’ starts as a family quest but concludes as a survey of Canadian Jewish servicemen’s WWII experiences

For journalist Aron Heller, the search for his grandfather’s World War II history began with a mystery within his own family. Mickey Heller, affectionately known as Zaidy, had served four years in the Royal Canadian Air Force, including two years as a navigator in Bomber Command in Europe. Yet despite his grandson’s curiosity, Mickey rarely spoke about his military service. (Cailin Acosta)

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

A beautiful homecoming and an unexpected encounter

I found I was sitting next to a woman who admitted she was part of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and related groups who blockaded access to dorms, dining halls and classrooms for Jewish students and anyone who failed to “correctly answer the question “Are you Zionist or anti-Zionist?” (Barrett Holman Leak)

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Antisemitism, Barrett Holman Leak, Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Israel should find a way to bring Arabs into a coalition

NIF and our partners have always believed in Jewish-Arab partnership as the only way possible. We’ve worked for years to support the organizations and activists who persisted in the essential work of building trust, training leaders, and engaging more citizens in democratic life. [Mickey Gitzin and Shira Ben Sasson]

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Israel, Jewish History, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Israel: A parliamentary democracy

Israel is a parliamentary democracy with three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. Its parliament, the Knesset, has 120 members elected through proportional representation. Voters choose parties rather than individual candidates, and seats are distributed according to each party’s share of the vote. (Cailin Acosta)

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, News Media, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Intersex campaign to persuade adults to ‘let us have the bodies we were born with’

I was born with a body that adults wanted to fix. In preschool, I knew something was happening “down there” that was different from other kids. My parents took me to medical specialists, and I endured years of testing and invasive genital exams to figure out what was wrong with me and to fix it. (Thea Hillman)

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Lifestyles, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Mainly Muslim immigrants responsible for unrest in France

On October 17, 2026, in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, unknown individuals broke into a synagogue and desecrated the Torah scrolls. The perpetrators scattered sacred books and furniture across the floor, causing a ruckus in the premises. It was at the Chabad House located on Simon Bolivar Avenue, near Buttes-Chaumont Park in the northern part of the French capital. (Alex Gordon, Ph.D)     

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, International, Middle East, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ ironically depends on timing of the mishaps

The Play That Goes Wrong follows the fictional Cornley University Drama Society as its members attempt to perform The Murder at Haversham Manor. What should be a suspenseful mystery instead becomes a struggle against missing props, malfunctioning scenery, missed cues and other disasters. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Betrayal of the Jews,’ accurate video summary of Britain’s broken promises

So-called legal documents regarding nation-building are not worth the paper they are printed on. What counts is the strength and determination of the people to bring about a state of their own. The Jews had those qualities and the grit to go forward with enough fortitude to win independence. [Steve Kramer]

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Israel, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer

‘Dead Man’s Cell Phone’ weird, wacky and enjoyable

By Sandi Masori in San Diego Dead Man’s Cell Phone is a weird show. There’s no other way to say it. It starts with an absurd premise and just gets progressively more absurd. At a random cafe a woman is disturbed by the incessant ringing of a cell phone at the next table. She asks

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast