Donald H. Harrison

Novella figuratively screams for systemic reforms in authorities’ care for abused juveniles

Our protagonist was a math nerd because unlike people, numbers don’t lie about who they are. A 3 is a 3, a 5 is a 5. And a 2? That’s where doubles come in. Lonely at the children’s farm, she felt like 1/2 a person — half at Valleyview, the other half back in her rightful home, living with her father, older sister Vicki, younger brother Hank, and grandma. That was 4 other people. It had been 5 before her mother died from breast cancer. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘Make for yourself a teacher’ and that could be your seder guest

By Betzy Lynch in La Jolla, California Every day at our JCC, I have the gift of witnessing incredible educators share knowledge, curiosity, interpretation, and genuine connection. Many of these educators have been formally trained and are intentionally tasked with creating optimal learning environments and delivering curriculum with skill and care. This includes our early

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Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Review: A guide to Jewish religious vocabulary

What sets Weinstein’s work apart from standard references (ArtScroll’s dictionaries, the Jastrow Talmud lexicon, or even free online tools like Sefaria’s glossaries) is its deliberate accessibility and Orthodox integrity. Every entry was vetted through Torah-centric sources only—no secular etymology or Reform reinterpretations. [Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Book Review: ‘New-Russia: Images from a Journey’

New-Russia: Images from a Journey offers remarkable snapshots of the Soviet Union during a brief but revealing historical moment. The book captures the Soviet experiment as it was still taking shape. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Attack on ambulances revives memories of British antisemitism

My first encounter with antisemitism came when I was hospitalized for suspected scarlet fever at the age of ten. The children’s ward contained some 20 beds for both boys and girls, and the treatment we received was coldly efficient. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Antisemitism, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Acts of brazen antisemitism proliferate in North America, Europe

Across the pond, hoodlums globalized the intifada when they set fire before 1:45 a.m. Monday to four ambulances operated by the nonprofit service Hatzola parked outside a synagogue in Golders Green, the largest Jewish community in London. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Antisemitism, Bruce Ticker, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, News Media, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Five bills to pass and one to defeat: Jewish California’s priorities

Jewish California is sponsoring an ambitious five bills in 2026. These bills protect our institutions, affirm who we are, and ensure that Jewish Californians and members of all minority faith communities can participate fully in public life. [Press Release]

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Antisemitism, California, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Press Release