By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — It was bad enough that Mariano Rivera, arguably the greatest relief pitcher in major league history, suffered a freak, batting practice-related, career-threatening knee injury on Thursday night. The fact that this happened to the consummate New York Yankee along the running track in Kansas City calls basic baseball […]
Rivera’s knee injury sidelines Mr. Grace Under Pressure Read More »
Travel and Food
By Cynthia Citron LOS ANGELES — “A review is something I read before I see a play. A critique is something I read after,” actress Deidrie Henry said. She was responding to a question about the distinction between reviews and criticism posed by LA Stage Alliance CEO Terence McFarland, who was serving as moderator of a
What’s the difference between a reviewer and a critic? Read More »
Cynthia CitronBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Years ago, at the beginning of my career as a political scientist, I learned about incrementalism. That describes the gradual changes that generally occur in government. I made my contribution to the subject by examining government spending. I found that governments that spent more or less, and were more or less
Change in Middle East, like the U.S., comes incrementally Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Yiftach Levy LA JOLLA, California –Since being appointed to the role of Israel’s deputy foreign minister in 2009, Danny Ayalon has achieved some measure of success in an area that has been problematic for Israel for years, if not decades: its PR image. Using — indeed, embracing — emerging technology and social media tools
Ayalon invites UCSD students to ‘friend him’ on Facebook Read More »
Travel and Food
On Wings of Eagles: The Secret Operation of the Ethiopian Exodus by Micha Feldmann, Gefen Publishing House, ISB N 978-965-229-569-9, 303 pages, price not listed. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Author Micah Feldmann as the representative of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) helped many thousands of Jews migrate from Ethiopia to Israel
Book provides insider’s view of rescue of Ethiopian Jews Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO (SDJW) –On the air District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, one of two members of the Jewish community running for mayor, plays up her credentials of running a big office. But there’s another, less public campaign, in which Dumanis has been expressing doubt and skepticism about rival candidate Nathan Fletcher’s support
By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — The violent, churning, musical, rebellious, and ultimately frightening 1960s came to a shocking and bloody coda 42 years ago today, May 4, 1970. In what remain cloaked and mysterious details, armed Ohio National Guardsmen suddenly opened fire, in the open air and under sunny skies, upon a
Thoughts on the anniversary of the Kent State massacre Read More »
USABy Evelyn Gordon WASHINGTON, D.C. –“Credible experts,” wrote New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof in March, “overwhelmingly” view an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities as “a catastrophically bad idea,” deeming the benefits uncertain and the consequences dire: An effective strike would require multiple “sorties over many days,” and an attack on that scale could
Israeli attack on Iran nuclear facilities would be lower profile than one by U.S. Read More »
Middle East
By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — Sefirah reminds us to elevate ourselves each day. Sometimes we stumble and fall down. At those times it is more important than ever to elevate ourselves, brush ourselves off and carry on. Rabbi Aryeh Leib HaCohen Heller was appointed Rav of Rosiantov at a very young age. In
From humble surroundings came great scholarship Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Donald H. Harrison EL CAJON, California — Had this been Broadway, they’d be extending all the actors’ contracts and passing around the bubbly to celebrate the hit on their hands. In that Lost in Yonkers had quite a successful opening at Grossmont College’s Stagehouse Theatre on Thursday night, May 3, they have reason
College production of ‘Lost in Yonkers’ has professional feel Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By David Brin ENCINITAS, California — Last week it was asteroid mining, as Peter Diamandis and his partners showed us their bold new venture, Planetary Resources, aiming eventually to start harvesting trillions of dollars worth of materials that would then no longer have to be ripped out of Mother Earth. This glimpse of a vigorously
Is our time in outer space at hand? Read More »
Science, Medicine, & Education
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel –Music has played a vital role in the development of humankind. It can rouse people to action, soothe the troubled breast, and elicit a wide range of emotions. Some people, myself included, are addicted to music (classical, in my case), and cannot bear to be conscious for a single
Forming a close friendship with Music Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson
By Carol Davis CHULA VISTA, California— Remember that fictitious place Rydell High? That’s where the Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey 1959 high school musical Grease happens. The musical debuted in Chicago in 1971, quickly moved to Broadway where it ran for 18 years and 3388 performances. Grease was made into a movie in 1978 starring
‘Grease,’ the musical, slides along well OnStage Read More »
Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Question: My mother is 90 years old, in frail health but of sound mind. Last year, one of her three grandchildren and the youngest of my two sons died in an accident at age 29. My son and my mom were close. As an adult, my son
Should an elderly woman be told of her grandson’s death? Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi