Annie’s Ghosts, by Steve Luxenberg, Hyperion Bks, 2009, New York, 401pgs. By David Strom SAN DIEGO — In April of 1995, Steve Luxenberg was shocked. His older sister Sashie telephoned and said, “You’re never going to believe this. Did you know that Mom had a sister?” For forty-three years of Steve’s life his mother, Beth, […]
Probing the family ‘attic’ for mental illness Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Natasha Josefowitz, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — If you have just been hired to replace someone who seemed to have had no faults and was well-liked and respected in the company, it may look like an impossible act to follow. But there are strategies for handling succession issues. You do have a challenge ahead of
Taking the place of a well-loved manager Read More »
Natasha Josefowitz, Travel and FoodI’ve been working with Cheryl and Beverly to thoroughly revise my web site. If you haven’t browsed davidbrin.com in a while, have a look! It’s now fleshed out and filled with even more fabulousness! As part of this, we’ve thrown together a FAQ of sorts — a compilation of questions that I’m asked most often
Tips on writing from author David Brin Read More »
Travel and FoodBy David P. Goldman The possibility of state failure in Egypt is now widely discussed in the foreign policy community. Largely ignored by major media for most of the past two years, Egypt’s economic crisis now commands the attention of foreign policy analysts. I have argued that the structural deficiencies of Egypt’s economy are so
How should the United States respond to state failure in Egypt? Read More »
Middle EastBy Roz Rothstein and Roberta Seid LOS ANGELES — Dror Moreh’s documentary, The Gatekeepers, could have been a profound film. Instead, Moreh uses his interviews with six former directors of Israel’s top security services to send a simplistic and deeply partisan political message: If Israel withdraws from the West Bank, terrorism will subside and peace
‘The Gatekeepers’ an intellectually dishonest film Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — The Chafetz Chaim was one of the greatest Jewish ethicists and moralists of all time. He took his name from the verse from the book of Psalms, chapter 34: “Who is the man who is eager for life; who desires years of good fortune? Guard your tongue from
The privilege of sustaining a holy community Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — In 1991, on Shabbos Terumah, the soul of our three-month-old son Shlomo Moshe Lederman was returned to its Creator. His shocking death was due to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndorme), meaning that he was a perfectly healthy happy baby who suddenly and inexplicably died. The funeral was held
A bus versus a funeral Read More »
Jewish ReligionIsraeli Justice official: ‘Prisoner X’ agreed to take on pseudonym (JNS.org) The the controversial Prisoner X, who has dominated the headlines in Israel and Australia in recent days, was “imprisoned under another name not just to protect state security, but also to protect the prisoner himself,” an Israeli Justice Ministry official told Israel Hayom Thursday.
JNS news briefs: February 15, 2013 Read More »
InternationalBy Yaakov Lappin On January 30, just before dawn, according to international media reports, the Israel Air Force struck a target (or targets) in Syria. While many details of this attack remain shrouded in mystery, since then a number of facts have come into focus. The strike followed months of warnings from Jerusalem that Israel
The message Israel sent to Iran via Syria Read More »
Middle East
Steve Kelley, editor, Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year, 2013 edition, Gretna, Louisiana: Pelican Publishing Co., 2013; 206 pages, ISBN 9781455517760, $14.95 * By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Formerly a cartoonist with the Union-Tribune in San Diego, where he and Shelia Lawrence, widow of Hotel del Coronado owner M. Larry Lawrence became a
Much of Jewish interest in editorial cartoon’s 2013 annual Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonZOA’s Klein says Jewish leaders called him to stop opposing Hagel (JNS.org) American Jewish leaders have pressed the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) to stop publicly opposing the nomination of Chuck Hagel for defense secretary because making that a “Jewish issue” is “bad for the Jews,” the Jerusalem Post reported. “I was called by
JNS news briefs: February 14, 2013 Read More »
InternationalBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –Currently we are reading a lot, but not everything about Ben Zygier, or Ben Alon, or Ben Allen. We are pretty sure that he was an Australian Jew who migrated to Israel, served in the IDF, was recruited to Mossad, and died in Ayalon prison in 2010. We hear that he
Suspected spy died mysteriously in an Israeli prison Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — I’ve come to realize why the political parties, especially those that hoped to be in the next government, didn’t have much to say about the peace process during the election campaign. They may have realized that every proposed solution is bound to be too difficult for the voters to
Visit to West Bank reinforces pessimism about peace’s chances Read More »
Middle EastBy Joel A. Moskowitz, MD LA JOLLA, California — The father of JFK and Bobby and Ted Kennedy was intimately involved in the world events leading up to World War II. And David Nasaw’s book The Patriarch: The remarkable life and turbulent times of Joseph Patrick Kennedy tells it all. Published by Penguin Press this
Biography examines Joe Kennedy’s attitudes toward Jews Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, USA