After October 7, I sent him a message. Nothing dramatic. Just letting him know I was alive, that my family was alive, that I was thinking of him. He never answered. (Ari Melnik)
Warmest hug, coldest shoulder Read More »
International, Israel, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food
In 1865, Waldteufel was appointed pianist to Empress Eugénie and soon received the position of conductor and ball manager at the court of Napoleon III. He was also the conductor of the ball orchestra “Bals de l’Opéra” in Paris (1865). [Alex Gordon]
Jewish biography: Émile Waldteufel, waltz king of Paris Read More »
Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Otto Warburg (July 20, 1859 – January 10, 1938) was a German-Jewish botanist. He was also a notable industrial agriculture expert and president of the Zionist Organization from 1911 to 1921. [Wikipedia]
Today’s Jewish birthday: Otto Warburg Read More »
Science, Medicine, & Education, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia
The Jewish response to destruction has never been simply to mourn. It has always been to ask: What are we being called to rebuild? (Betzy Lynch)
Choosing repair over destruction Read More »
Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, Staff and Bylined Contributors
While it’s easy to try to look at the Massie vote through a binary lens of being “for” or “against” Israel – precisely how Republicans wanted us to see it – the truth is much more complicated, nuanced, and tells a different story. The real story includes Donald Trump’s reckless and at times incoherent policies toward Israel and Iran, and it’s important to understand these complexities before judging anyone solely because of their vote on the Massie amendment. (Halie Soifer)
Democrats vote on aid to Israel not what GOP paints it to be Read More »
Israel, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
A quick plot summary for those who haven’t seen the movie: In 1959 NYC Ad exec Roger Thornhill (Danny Collins) gets mistaken for another man named George Kaplan, and the foreign spies who were after Kaplan begin to chase Thornhill instead. (Sandi Masori)
North by Northwest: Not exactly a musical; something else altogether Read More »
Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
My father left Germany, but had to leave his mother behind, hoping that he would manage to bring her over to England, but that turned out to be impossible. For the rest of his life my father lived with the sense of guilt and remorse at not having succeeded in rescuing his mother, who perished in Theresienstadt from malnutrition and neglect. (Dorothea Shefer-Vanson)
Being an invited guest in the German city that my father fled Read More »
Antisemitism, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food
Benjamin Franklin Jonas (July 19, 1834 – December 21, 1911) was an American politician who was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Louisiana and an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. [Wikipedia]
Today’s Jewish birthday: Benjamin Jonas Read More »
Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia
Election,
That Joe Biden claims he won.
The Chinese tampered with the voting That’s how it was done. … (Laurie Baron)
Satire: A prime-time song Read More »
International, Lawrence Baron, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA
Roald Hoffmann (July 18, 1937) is a Polish-American theoretical chemist who shared the 1981 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Kenichi Fukui “for their theories, developed independently, concerning the course of chemical reactions”. [Wikipedia]
Today’s Jewish birthday: Roald Hoffman Read More »
Science, Medicine, & Education, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia
The Israeli-American Council (IAC) and partner organizations are convening a national tribute to the legacy of the great American patriot and lover of Zion, Senator Lindsey Graham. (Press Release)
Israeli-American Council sponsors on-line tribute for the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham Read More »
Israel, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials, Press Release, USA
After years of war, extended evacuation, separation, and profound grief, there is a new energy in Sha’ar HaNegev focused on rebuilding and reconnecting its 10,000 residents. I came away moved, inspired, and immensely proud that San Diego has been such a critical partner in this work. (Heidi Gantwerk)
Come witness the remarkable resilience in Sha’ar HaNegev Read More »
Heidi Gantwerk, Israel, Jewish History, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food
Watergate, Tiananmen Square, and Tehran shootings—mere mention of these names evokes national trauma and profound questions of leadership and moral conduct. In his final address to the Israelites on the threshold of the Promised Land, Moses similarly invokes specific places to allude to past national failings without shaming the people directly. (Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel)
Parsha Devarim: The art of veiled criticism Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors
It is with profound sadness that we mark the passing of Shoshana Bryen, Senior Director of the Jewish Policy Center and editor of inFOCUS Quarterly, who died on Thursday, July 16, 2026. [Press Release]
Shoshana Bryen, senior director of the Jewish Policy Center, mourned Read More »
Israel, Jewish History, News Media, Obituaries & memorials, Press Release, Shoshana Bryen, USA