Donald H. Harrison

Recovering and allowing others to recover

We learn in this week’s reading to see the potential for extending our own community to include those ill in body, mind, or spirit, and are charged with fully welcoming them back after whatever diagnosis and treatment they receive for the “disease,” that does not, after all, alter their essential humanity. The Torah directs us to welcome and comfort the afflicted instead of solely expelling them. [Michael R. Mantell, PhD]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Atlanta school named after Confederate general will be renamed for Hank Aaron

ATLANTA — The late Hall of Fame baseball star Hank Aaron will soon have an Atlanta high school named after him. The Atlanta Board of Education on Monday voted unanimously to change the name of Forrest Hill Academy, an alternative high school in southwest Atlanta. When students return to the school in August, the new

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USA

Currying Favor With Iran, U.S. Leaks Israeli Secrets

On April 6, after an Iranian ship was attacked in the Red Sea, The New York Times reported that “the Israelis had notified the United States that its forces had struck the vessel at about 7:30 a.m. local time,” citing an American official “who spoke on condition of anonymity to share private intelligence communications.” “Private intelligence communications.” That’s Israel’s intelligence. [Shoshana Bryen]

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Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, USA

Israeli-owned ship attacked off UAE coast: media

An Israeli-operated ship was attacked Tuesday off the UAE opposite the Iranian coast, Israeli media said, in the latest apparent escalation between the Jewish state and the Islamic republic. Security sources, quoted by Israel’s Channel 12 television, said the vessel Hyperion Ray was “lightly damaged” near the Emirati port of Fujairah, with Iran suspected of

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Middle East

Asian-Americans demand action on hate crimes spurred by COVID crisis, N.J. congressman says

Following the killings of six Asian Americans in Georgia, Rep. Andy Kim flew to Atlanta to meet with a community already traumatized by the uptick in hate crimes during the coronavirus pandemic. “One question kept coming, which is, ‘What are you going to do about this?’” Kim, D-3rd Dist., said Tuesday. “That is the demand

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USA

San Diegans prominent in global Yom Hazikaron ceremony

On the eve of Yom HaZikaron, April 13, a day of remembrance for Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terror, Masa Israel Journey hosted its annual Yom HaZikaron Ceremony. In accordance with safety regulations set by the State of Israel and Israel’s Ministry of Health, the program was held virtually on Facebook Live through Masa’ Facebook page. [Masa Israel news release]

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International, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Bill Would Restore Holocaust Families’ Right to Sue Insurance Companies

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) reintroduced bipartisan legislation today to restore the rights of Holocaust-era insurance beneficiaries in recovering billions in unclaimed payments that were left behind amid the chaos and destruction of World War II. [News release from Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz]

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Business & Finance, International, Jewish History, USA

Will Smith slavery film ‘Emancipation’ ditches Georgia over voting law

Los Angeles (AFP) – Will Smith’s slavery drama “Emancipation” will no longer be filmed in Georgia after the southern US state approved a voting rights law that critics say is intended to depress turnout in Black and other underrepresented communities. Georgia has become a major US movie industry production hub in recent years, but the “Emancipation”

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USA

‘It was indeed terrible.’ Officials in St. Vincent get look at volcano destruction

A large eruption at the La Soufrière volcano in the eastern Caribbean early Monday is sending a rapidly moving avalanche of hot rocks and volcanic ash down the mountain, raising fears that some communities could be destroyed. Satellite imagery show the eruption produced dangerous pyroclastic flows traveling faster than a river down the mountain in

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International

Iran blames Israel for Natanz nuclear plant outage, vows revenge

By Parisa Hafezi DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran on Monday accused arch-foe Israel of sabotaging its key Natanz nuclear site and vowed revenge for an attack that appeared to be latest episode in a long-running covert war. Iran said the person who caused an electricity outage in one of the production halls at the underground uranium enrichment

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Middle East

‘Planet Corona’ Is Everyone’s Current Residence

An American living in retirement in Jerusalem, Chaya Passow has been described by her friends as a “pollyanna,” one who tries to see the best in everything and everybody.  So when the coronavirus pandemic confined many people to their homes – except to go out for necessities or approved errands – she unsurprisingly decided to “glean from this unprecedented experience any lessons for better understanding the human condition, for self-improvement, for a closer connection to Hashem and others.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Middle East