Donald H. Harrison

Scott Baio still considers Henry Winkler a pal, despite their Twitter squabble

Published by New York Daily News Chachi says the Fonz is still cool with him. Former “Happy Days” actors Scott Baio and Henry Winkler found themselves in a somewhat heated Twitter exchange Monday after Winkler took exception to a photo Baio posted, seeming to mock Democratic Texas lawmakers who tested positive for COVID after flying

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Chula Vistan Named Maccabi USA’s Head Coach for Girls’ Softball

CHULA VISTA, California  (Press Release) — Michael Gross has been named Head Coach of the Team USA Girls Under 18 Softball Team at the Maccabiah Games in Israel – which will take place during July 2022. The Maccabiah Games, also known as the Jewish Olympics, are the third largest international multi-sport event in the world!

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Middle East, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, USA

Israel PM warns Unilever boss over Ben & Jerry’s boycott

Published by Reuters By Dan Williams and Siddharth Cavale JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel warned consumer goods giant Unilever Plc on Tuesday of “severe consequences” from a decision by subsidiary Ben & Jerry’s to stop selling ice cream in Israeli-occupied territories, and urged U.S. states to invoke anti-boycott laws. Monday’s announcement followed pro-Palestinian pressure on the Vermont-based

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Middle East

Haftorah Reading for July 24, 2021

These entirely poetic passages are attributed to Isaiah II, [1] after 538 BCE when Emperor Cyrus released the Judean Babylonian exiles, to return to Judea. 
It is the first of seven haftorot after the 9th of Av, designated as prophecies of consolation, preceding a special haftorah on the Sabbath before Yom Kiippur. These haftorat have no connection to their corresponding Torah parashot readings. [Irv Jacobs, M.D.]

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Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion

Torah Reading for July 24, 2021

Well, here we are on this Shabbat Nachamu reminding us that in just seven weeks we’ll be celebrating Rosh Hashana. This “Sabbath of comforting,” from the haftarah in the Book of Isaiah, we read, Nachamu, nachamu ami “Comfort, comfort my people,” and we have the first of the seven haftorot, Sheva deNechamata, of consolation helping us prepare psychologically and spiritually for the holiday of Rosh Hashana. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Book Review: ‘Rationalism versus Mysticism’

Many Jews would like to find an easy way to learn what Judaism teaches about various subjects. Rabbi Dr. Natan Slifkin, an Orthodox rabbi, gives them this information in his fact-filled book Rationalism vs. Mysticism: Schisms in Traditional Jewish Thought, with quotes from many sources and many learned footnotes, all easy to read.[Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

Worrisome Growth of Antisemitism in U.S.

Recently, Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America and former CEO of Hillel International, reported that a new level of antisemitic intensity has been reached. Whether antisemitic sentiment itself has increased or merely has just become more acceptable, he isn’t sure. Regardless, the reality of overt Jew-hatred in the US and Canada is being felt more intensely – to say the least. [Steve Kramer]

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Middle East, Steve Kramer, USA

Ice Cream That Leaves a Bad Taste in Our Mouths.

Less than 24 hours after receiving the news that Ben & Jerry’s announced they would not allow their ice cream to be sold in Judea & Samaria, what they called “occupied Palestinian territory,” there has been a grassroots backlash against this company. Both the Israeli TV and social media channels are reporting that Israelis are boycotting B&J’s ice cream. [Barry Shaw]

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Barry Shaw, Business & Finance, Middle East, USA

Plea Deal Will Keep Chabad of Poway Shooter Behind Bars for Life

ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) San Diego Regional Office welcomed Tuesday’s announcement by San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan that they have reached a plea deal with the accused Poway Chabad synagogue shooter, which will see the suspect spend the rest of his life behind bars. [Anti-Defamation League news release]

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA

Short Story Focuses on IBM’s Business With the Nazis

Short story writer Clive Aaron Gill presents the discovery of the connection between IBM and the Holocaust in a pair of moral dilemmas, faced first by a grandfather and much later by his granddaughter Rebecca, whom we first meet as a school girl and later as a public relations executive for a charitable organization. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Edwin Black, USA

Sub-Saharan African Migration into Morocco

Entering Morocco, Sub-Saharan African migrants find themselves at a crossroads. There is the promise of an economic future waiting for them in Europe, but the path to it is perilous. They require either an assurance of asylum status or some familial relationship with a European in order to enter into Europe without any problems. Unfortunately, many will have neither, forcing them into dangerous and irregular means of entry into Europe, or at times leading them to stay in Morocco. [Max Berengaut]

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International

Journalists, activists ensnared in Israeli spyware scandal

Published by AFP Paris (AFP) – European politicians and media groups voiced outrage Monday over reports that an Israeli firm supplied phone malware used by governments to spy on activists, journalists, lawyers and politicians in several countries. The NSO Group and its Pegasus malware — capable of switching on a phone’s camera or microphone and

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Middle East

Ben & Jerry’s to end to ice cream sales in Palestinian territories

Published by New York Daily News Ben & Jerry’s announced Monday that it would stop selling ice cream in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, calling its business dealings in the region “inconsistent with our values.” The socially progressive ice cream giant did not elaborate on what exactly led to the decision, but the announcement ends the

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Middle East

Juvenile Fiction: Elephant Helps a Boy Find God

El, the elephant, offers to help the boy find God.  So off they go, the boy on El’s back, and they see a flower and a meadow; feel the effects of the wind and the sun; and the coolness of river water.  The boy asks when they will find God, and El explains that the boy already had met God in the beauty of the flower; the peacefulness of the meadow; the strong winds; the warmth of the sun; and the life-giving, thirst-quenching water of the river. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion