What was James Caan once asked that led him to respond, “They would have gotten punched in the face.” [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish Trivia Quiz: James Caan, z”l Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Trivia, Humor & Satire
apid’s first words were his call for national unity. That hardly fits the image of a divided Israel, but it may work. The election is several months away, on November 1st, and that’s a long time in politics. Meanwhile, there’s been testimony about Netanyahu receiving and demanding gifts, especially cigars and champagne, worth hundreds of thousands of shekels. Despite that, there’s a poll published by Ma’ariv, showing Bibi with 61 seats in the Knesset for him and his allies. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]
Lapid new PM, Netanyahu First in Poll as Biden Visit Approaches Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA
What can we expect from the impending garbanzo gap between demand and supply? Filming of the sequel to You Can’t Mess with the Zohan will be cancelled. Chickpea cartels will replace drug cartels. [Satire by Laurie Baron]
Satire: Future Falafel Famine and Hummus Hardships Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
We learn in Choshen Mishpat 137, “Behold, the first ‘good’ in the Torah was based on sight. And from this Rabbi Eliezer learned that the general way to achieve goodness is ‘ayin tova.’” Indeed, in Bereshit, we see that the first verse in the Torah using the word “good” is in relation to sight: “And G-d saw the light and it was good…” [Michael R. Mantell, PhD]
Parashat Balak: Opening Our Eyes to Goodness Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
The government created the Building Construction Index to protect all parties’ interests. When someone purchases an apartment in a project under construction, the unpaid portion of the price becomes linked to the BCI. Parenthetically, buyers who are risk averse can often accelerate their payment schedule and prepay the lion’s share of the purchase price, thus limiting their inflation risk. [Gedaliah Borvick].
Inflation Index Adds to Cost of Buying Homes in Israel Read More »
Business & Finance, Gedaliah Borvick, Middle East
Members of the Jewish community who have served on the Port Commission since its creation in 1962 were Harvey Furgatch (appointed 1969), Milton “Mickey” Fredman (1970), Ben Cohen (1977) and Louis Wolfsheimer (1979), all of whom had passed away prior to my undertaking this book, and Robert Penner (1988), Lynn Schenk (1990), Stephen Cushman (1998) and Laurie Black (2007), all of whom I had the opportunity to interview. All these Jewish Port Commissioners represented the City of San Diego, except for Penner and Cohen, who were appointed by Chula Vista and Coronado respectively. [Donald H. Harrison]
Four Jews Who Served as Port Commissioners Tell of Their Tenures Read More »
Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA
I almost chickened out doing a bucket list adventure which was right within reach. No, it wasn’t skydiving or bungee jumping (those will never ever be on my list). It was hiking up a river in sometimes waist-high cold water, on uneven rocks and boulders, in a magnificent gorge in Zion National Park (aka, The Narrows). It was on my must do list for years, long before two knee surgeries and the onset of my knee arthritis. This was not a knee friendly hike. Enter Fear 1: Would my knees handle the terrain? [Shayna Kaufmann, Ph.D]
Conquering Fears at Zion National Park Read More »
Lifestyles, Shayna Kaufmann, Travel and Food, USA
Argentine mystery writer Sergio Olguín has conjured a hard-hitting Jewish investigative journalist Verónica Rosenthal as his protagonist in a mystery that begins with a traffic accident victim’s missing wife and child and eventuates into an investigation into illegal adoptions and sales of human body parts. [Donald H. Harrison]
Crime, Estranged Lovers Themes of Mystery Novel Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison
There was a time the San Diego International Airport was known by everyone as Lindbergh Field after the aviator Charles Lindbergh, who spent a lot of time in town overseeing the construction of his airplane, “The Spirit of St. Louis,” by Ryan Aircraft. After the job was completed, Lindbergh made several stops across country en route to New York, including in St. Louis. This was where donors lived who had financed his plane. Then, on May 21, 1927, Lindbergh, the 25-year-old pilot, completed the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, in the process becoming an international celebrity. If he had simply retired on his laurels at that point in his life, the name “Lindbergh Field” today might still be emblazoned across the airport entrance. [Donald H. Harrison]
Here is a Holocaust memoir that is so well told that you feel like you are sitting in the room with Harry Lenga, listening to him as he relates the meaningful episodes of his life. His narrative, as transcribed and edited by his son Scott, is at times folksy, other times philosophical, and always interesting. [Donald H. Harrison]
H’nai Matov: Brothers Working and Surviving Together Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History
Sabine Fröhlich grew up a Catholic in Breslau, Germany, but her ancestry was Jewish. Along with her parents and her older brother Andreas, she was declared to be a Jew according to the Nazis’ bizarre racial classifications. Like self-identified Jews in Germany, she was systematically excluded from normal life—even the Catholic school which she had attended. Her parents wisely decided to send her to England, but after they made it across the border to the Netherlands, the family reunited. [Donald H. Harrison]
A German Catholic Girl Learned of Life as a Persecuted Jew Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History
If he were so inclined, Greg Smith could have a lot to brag about. Over a period of 25 years, he won seven elections to serve as the San Diego County Assessor as well as the county’s recorder and clerk. He headed a staff of between 400 and 500 county workers in the combined operations of assessor-recorder-clerk. [Donald H. Harrison]
Greg Smith: A Quarter Century as Assessor, Recorder, Clerk Read More »
Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food
It is therefore incumbent upon us to make the most of the opportunities we have now to tap into those remarkable people—and draw as much insight, wisdom, and perspective from them as we can, clear in the knowledge that it will fall to us, soon enough, to be the bearers of those stories and insights for the generations that follow. [Doron Krakow]
Appreciating Jewish Leaders and Holocaust Survivors Read More »
California, Doron Krakow, Jewish History, Middle East, Travel and Food, USA
The San Diego real estate scene has yet again taken residents by surprise. In January 2020, the median sale price was $600,000. A year later in January 2021, that rose to $650,000. In January 2022, the price rose yet again to just under $800,000 and leveled out just under $900,000 in April 2022. Going into Summer 2022, prices have started to plateau and even drop. [Teresa Konopka]
Biblical Insights into San Diego’s Housing Market Read More »
Business & Finance, California, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Teresa_Konopka, USA