How Free Will Works: The Blueprint to Take Charge of Your Life, Health, and Happiness by Dovid Lieberman, Feldheim Publishers, New York; ISBN 978-1-4675-6353-6 ©2015, $19.99, p. 324, plus glossary By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — Judaism has a theological problem with regard to free will. People have a sense of self-agency and self-determination; […]
Free- will means deciding about morality Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish ReligionBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Mike Huckabee suggested that arming the members of Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston would have prevented the murder of nine of its members. In other words the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is pistol packing pastors and worshippers with weapons. * The police are
Humoring the headlines: June 22, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Anav Silverman JERUSALEM — Yochanan Gol looks at his uncle’s tombstone in dismay. A huge black burnt circle marks his grave, remnants of a torching that has blacked out the date of his birth and passing. “This is the new tombstone that I had just purchased to replace the original that they smashed into
Vandalism continuous at Jerusalem cemetery Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Minister of Culture Miri Regev and spokespeople of Israeli culture have been several days in the headlines, shouting at one another and past one another. Those claiming to speak for the better things are accusing the Minister of censorship. The Minister is saying that writers, artists, playwrights, and actors can say and
Criticism okay, messing with the economy isn’t Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Pope Francis just issued a papal encyclical on the climate change crisis in which he states, “The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.” This follows a recent letter on the same topic which was initiated by Rabbi Arthur Waskow
Jewish Trivia: Climate change Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireEgypt appoints first ambassador to Israel in three years (JNS.org) Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has appointed Egypt’s first ambassador to Israel in three years, marking a possible sign of continued warming relations between the two Mideast powers. The new ambassador, Hazem Khairat, previously served as Egypt’s envoy to the Arab League and Chile. Egypt
Jewish news briefs: June 22, 2015 Read More »
International, Middle East, USABy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Verdi’s Requiem is not often performed in Israel. It requires a massive choir, an accomplished and enormous orchestra with augmented brass section, and four top-flight vocal soloists. In addition, it should be performed in an auditorium that can cope with the wide range of volume, tone and timbre
Verdi in Herzliya a triumph Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastBy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — The self-help blogs and media are filled with useful information about positive psychology, becoming your best self, leading the good life, and the value and benefits of being optimistic, positive and hopeful. It’s next to impossible–from more than 3000 years of Judaism’s wisdom on happiness to Joel
Four Links to Positivity Read More »
Michael MantellBy Dan Bloom CHIAYI CITY, Taiwan –While Pope Francis’ recent ”cri de coeur” over man-made global warming and climate change sounds like the first chapter in a cli-fi novel, it’s never going to end up as in an American or Italian novel because it’s already been published by Our Sunday Visitor publishing company as a
The Pope deserves a mazal tov Read More »
The World We ShareBy Rabbi Ben Kamin CHARLESTON, South Carolina–Like a lot of people around the nation, I simply felt the need to be here on this Sunday, June 21, with the good people of “Mother Emanuel”—The African Methodist Episcopalian Church. Not everyone who was so moved could actually manage it, though one could feel the presence of
A service of solidarity after violent mass murder Read More »
USABy Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO–We do not generally think of ourselves as being historically connected to such activities as a band of rough ‘n ready swashbuckling pirates. But given the opportunity and a burning need for revenge, Jewish pirates swashed buckles with the best of ’em. As the Sephardim fled Spain after the Edict of
From the Jewish library: Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — There is healing power in the medicine of laughter and play. Living with stress, feeling uptight, being worried, not sleeping, and thinking limiting thoughts, kill the joy in your life—as well as your health and wellbeing. One of the best anti-stress medicines we have is free, has
14 Muscles You Don’t Exercise Enough Read More »
Michael Mantell, Science, Medicine, & EducationBy Dan Bloom CHIAYI CITY, Taiwan — With Pope Francis delivering his well-received global appeal for fighting climate change before it is too late, titled Laudato Si (Praise Be), the usually-conservative newspaper The Washington Times recently published a very positive story about the rise of ”cli-fi” wake-up call movies in Hollywood. It was a fair
Pope, Washington Times popularize climate issues Read More »
International, USA