By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO, California — A couple of weeks ago I appeared on a panel at El Cajon Valley High School to speak about the similarities and differences between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The other panelists were an evangelical minister and an Imam. The students asked lots of intelligent and probing questions, […]
Even those who witnessed miracles at Sinai still had free will Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Eileen Wingard LOS ANGELES — I remember Mona Golabek’s mother, Lisa, as a beautiful, elegant woman with a charming Austrian accent. She was known to be a fine pianist and the teacher of her two talented daughters, Mona and Renee. Only after reading Mona’s book, The Children of Willesden Lane, did I learn of
Mona Golabek triumphant in portrayal of her pianist mother Read More »
Eileen Wingard
By Bruce Kesler ENCINITAS, California — I’ve yet to see, among the criticisms of college ethnic and gender studies departments, a similar criticism of Judaic Studies departments. Is this because, as some charge, Jews have a privileged place in our universities? The pervasiveness of anti-Israel sentiment on campuses, usually with carte blanche or often support
Why Judaic Studies departments are shielded from criticism Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO–Although a precedent-setting prostate surgery occurred in New York City, the setting for much of the story is San Diego, where the doctor grew up and the mother of the patient resides. The doctor is Herbert Lepor who on October 31, 2011, performed a radical prostatectomy–the removal of
Playwright, 83, thanks mother and doctor for life-saving surgery Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Science, Medicine, & Education
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — I love reading stories about real heroes in the world. No, they may not have great physiques like Batman or Superman; nor are they bulletproof, nor do they possess super-human powers or strength. In fact they look like ordinary people. A Hassidic Rebbe once said, “Why
2 prosecutors geographically and morally a world apart Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USABy Michael Goldblatt and Daniel Mandel NEW YORK — When Barack Obama entered the White House, he promised to make Israeli/Palestinian peace-making his priority from “day one.” And, indeed, in his own way he did. He pressured Israel into freezing Jewish construction in the West Bank for 10 months in a bid to entice Palestinians
P.A.’s real agenda is elimination of Israel, not peace Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –The slaughter of innocents in Syria bothers Israelis no less than it bothers others. Perhaps it bothers Israelis more, insofar as it is happening next door. Syria’s capital is less than 200 miles from Israel’s capital, and less than 50 miles from the Israeli border. What happens there has spilled over
Israel is ambivalent about the best outcome in Syria Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Eileen Wingard SANTA MONICA, California –Since its inception in 1955, under the visionary leadership of Sylvia Kunin, the Young Musicians Foundation has nurtured a long list of outstanding concert artists and conductors. In the past several weeks, I personally attended performances by four YMF competition winners, Violinist Zina Schiff in recital in San Francisco,
Young musicians impressive in Santa Monica concert Read More »
Eileen Wingard
By Carol Davis LA JOLLA, California—The West Coast premiere of playwright J.T. Rogers’ Blood and Gifts is now in a solid but wordy production at the La Jolla Playhouse. Not that the words aren’t important, it’s just that the first act of this two-hour plus thriller (as it is marketed) takes too long to get
Misadventures in Afghanistan portrayed in ‘Blood and Gifts’ Read More »
Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
EL CAJON, California (Press Release) – La Mesa attorney Ron Oberndorfer has been elected to chair the Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges, the fundraising organization for the two East County colleges. Oberndorfer will begin his term July 1 to lead the foundation, which was incorporated just over a year ago, and continues the work
Oberndorfer chairs Grossmont-Cuyamaca Foundation Read More »
San Diego CalendarBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Illegal immigrants from Africa remain on Israel’s front burner. Minister of Interior Eli Yishai has made a high profile effort to arrest several hundred from South Sudan, and send them on free flights home, each with 1,000 Euros to get started in their old/new country. 123 have already left. Weekly
Israel arrests, repatriates some Africans Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — I was blessed with the good fortune of having been born as a Jew in the United States of America. I have often reflected upon the meaning of that good fortune. I was born just months after the outbreak of World War II and have often been haunted by
Are we all created equal? Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — For some time now, I have clandestinely carried a ball club in my memory—a club, a city and a patch of old ball yard. Time, faded careers and even the emergence of third-generation retro-ball fields named with corporate icons have failed to tarnish the image of Crosley Field
Winning Cincinnati Reds revive rabbi’s boyhood memories Read More »
Travel and Food
A Universe from Nothing: Why is there Something Rather than Nothing? by Lawrence M. Krauss; ISBN 978-1-4516-2445-8 ©2012, $24.99, p. 202 The Fallacy of Fine-Tuning: Why the Universe is Not Designed for Us by Victor J. Stenger; ISBN 978-1-61614-443-2 ©2012, $28.00, p. 341, including notes, bibliography, and index By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California
Scientists contemplate universe’s origin Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion