By Judy Lash Balint JERUSALEM –The brit milah of Yishai and Malkah Fleisher’s second child, Eliezer Menachem, took place Sunday night in their apartment in Maale HaZeitim, overlooking the Temple Mount. The brief ceremony that initiated the baby into the covenant of Abraham closed circles for several of the people who crammed into the Fleisher’s home […]
Circles of family, history close in Jerusalem Read More »
Middle East
By Carol Davis GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Arizona–For decades I have wanted to visit the Grand Canyon. Finally, on my 74th birthday in May, my friend Debbie and I set out (from her Las Vegas home) to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for a three-day excursion. Never in my imagination had I pictured
By Steve Hofstetter NEW YORK — Compatibility is typically measured in likes and dislikes, general station in life, and temperament. But maybe its time people started measuring it in health, too. Whether you believe in common interests or opposites attracting, we’ve always measured a relationship by preferred hobbies. I once had a girl break up
Jumping into the Jewish gene pool Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Donald H. Harrison BARONA INDIAN RESERVATION, California – We came here serendipitously on Saturday night. Our friends the Burstains live in Escondido. We live in the eastern portion of San Diego. We wanted to meet somewhere in between for dinner. “Let’s try the buffet at one of the casinos,” said I. “Let me check
Big winnings at Barona: the enjoyment of being made welcome Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – They’re getting ready with the pyrotechnics for the closing programs Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings of this Labor Day Weekend of the San Diego Symphony’s Summer Pops—with Tchaikovsky’s boom-boom-booming 1812 Overture sure to create a stir at the nearby San Diego Convention Center and for all the boaters
Music and a Jewish subtext at the Pops Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — While the Torah requires capital punishment (i.e., the death penalty) for murder, it was not easily meted out. First, direct testimony by two witnesses was required: “A person shall be put to death only on the testimony of two or more witnesses; he must not be put to
Judaism wrestles with capital punishment Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Baruch Lederman Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — A little girl and her father were crossing a flimsy bridge. The father was kind of scared so he asked his little daughter:”Sweetheart, please hold my hand so that you don’t fall into the river.” The little girl said, “No, Dad. You hold my hand.”
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel – People in this country are accustomed to grumbling about everything – the government, the cost of living and above all the weather. They are not, or at least have not been in the past, accustomed to doing anything much about any of them. This is in contrast to
Man-on-the-street protests focus on everyday annoyances Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastLA JOLLA, California (Press Release)– In recognition of their explosive grassroots volunteer growth, the San Diego Israel Coalition, has joined the internationally leading Israel education organization, StandWithUs as its 14th chapter and to become the leading voice of Israel in San Diego. On Monday, Sept. 19, a celebration kick-off for the new chapter will feature
Gordis to lead kickoff celebration for StandWithUs in San Diego Read More »
San Diego Calendar
By Gary Rotto SAN DIEGO — Summer vacations. I remember road trips as a kid with my folks, driving south from New Jersey to Gettysburg, Williamsburg and Fredericksburg. And another time, we drove through New England up to Canada, eventually to Montreal and Quebec City. I’ve continued that tradition with my daughter. This year, we ventured
Finding a Shabbat service in the great ‘out there’ Read More »
Travel and Food
By Donald H. Harrison MODESTO, California—A plaza located where five streets intersect boasts a life-size sculpture of a teenage girl seated on the side of a 1957 Chevrolet and a high school-aged boy leaning against it as they talk. It’s an ode to the movie American Graffiti by one of Modesto’s most famous former
A monument to a bygone time Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonJourney to Heaven: Exploring Jewish Views of the Afterlife by Leila Leah Bronner, ISBN 978-965-524-047-4 ©2011, $25.95, p. 184 plus notes and index By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — Does Judaism teach the belief in Heaven or Hell? How about resurrection? Transmigration? An afterlife? The answers depend on whom you ask the questions, and
Which Jews believe in heaven? Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion
By Cynthia Citron Cynthia Citron PACIFIC PALISADES, California — In March 2009 a theater company in Malibu mounted a run of David Lindsay-Abaire’s play Rabbit Hole, which chronicles the effects of the death of a four-year-old on the rest of his family. While it was a fine production overall, this is what I wrote about
New ‘Rabbit Hole’ production eases pain of previous one Read More »
Cynthia Citron