Donald H. Harrison

After 60 years, the Jews in Australia’s coal capital have a rabbi

The Australian coal mining city of Newcastle now has a rabbi for the first time in 60 years, with Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Yossi Rodal taking up the post, the Australian Jewish News reported.Established in 1905, Newcastle’s Jewish community is one of the oldest in Australia, and while the city is now one of the country’s largest

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International, Jewish Religion

Sinai helicopter crash kills 7, including 5 Americans

A helicopter crash in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula involving a multi-national observer force killed seven people on Thursday — five Americans, a French national and a Czech citizen, the force said.”We are deeply saddened by the loss on November 12, 2020, of seven of our uniformed military colleagues from three countries who died in a helicopter crash during a routine mission. This included one Czech, one French, and five US MFO members,” the peacekeeping force said late Thursday. [Agence France Presse]

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Middle East, USA

Memoir: A Social Worker’s Life in Switzerland

There are two possible ways of behaving when coming into a new environment if one stands out for some reason—like being the only woman, the only foreigner, or someone with different skills. One can try to blend in and fit oneself into the prevailing culture, which may be difficult or not even possible. The other way is to accept the differences instead of hiding them, flaunt them by being even more of an outlier. [Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D]

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International, Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz, Travel and Food

Abraham, Sarah provided signposts for humanity

Everything accomplished by the Patriarchs and Matriarchs is a signpost for us going forward. They demonstrated the correct path and help us along it by having been trailblazers. Sarah didn’t truly die because her progeny are still alive. Sarah had a glorious career during which she and her life partner brought the awareness of the One G-d to a scattered and morally bankrupted populace. She helped changed the world. This can be seen because she successfully reared Yitzchak. Yitzchak would do Avraham and Sarah proud – he carried on with their legacy, successfully passing it on to Yaakov, father of the 12 Tribes of Israel. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

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Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi

Torah for Children: Be Brave

The story about Isaac is said to have taken place about 4000 years ago. In those times, women didn’t have an important role in what happened, especially to them. Husbands were chosen for them and their main job was to care for their children.The story about Rebecca is special because not only does her family ask her if she wants to go with the servant (a total stranger taking her to some unknown man in a far-away city)), but she then goes against what they wanted to do. Instead of staying with her family for ten more days, she agrees to step into the unknown future and go with the servant. [Marcia Berneger]

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Jewish Religion, Marcia Berneger

Former mayoral candidate subject of dispute in race for City Council President

San Diego City Councilwoman Dr. Jen Campbell has taken exception to testimony by former mayoral candidate Tasha Williamson during a portion of the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Nov 10, when members of the public were invited to comment. Campbell said that Williamson interjected into her testimony on another matter the issue of the race for the presidency of the next City Council in which Campbell and Councilwoman Monica Montgomery Steppe are competitors. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Satire: Shifty Ways to Stay in Power

[Tune: Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover]
The issue is simply that I don’t want to leave.     
I’m not a loser so I don’t know how to grieve.                                                                                                     
I’m sure I’ll find something up my sleeve.                                                                                                          
There must be shifty ways to stay in power. …                                                                            

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Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

How SJP orchestrates Jew-Hatred

SJP [Students for Justice for Palestine] has a long history since its founding in 1993 of bringing vitriolic anti-Israel speakers to their respective campuses (now numbering over 200 with chapters), and for sponsoring the pernicious annual Israeli Apartheid Weeks, building mock “apartheid walls,” extolling terrorism and the psychopaths who commit it, inviting outrageously biased and Jew-hating guest speakers, disrupting and shutting down pro-Israel events, sending fake eviction notices to Jewish students in their dorms, and jamming resolutions through student government to promote the toxic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign— all these tactics having as their core purpose the demonization of Israel, Zionism, Jewish self-determination, and Jews who support Israel.  [Richard L. Cravatts, Ph.D]

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Middle East, Richard L. Cravatts, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox Conundrum

Israel is described as a racist country by its detractors. A sizable sector of Israel’s population currently lives in small, crowded apartments in poor, segregated, urban neighborhoods, where their extended families, synagogues, and institutions are located. They constitute about 12% of Israel’s population and most are counted below the poverty line. About half of the men are unemployed. Most of the families are dependent on government aid to supplement their meager incomes. They are prone to riot when they feel threatened by laws promulgated to the general population, often causing police intervention. They are the ultra-Orthodox, known here as the Haredim. Mainstream media coverage of this sector generally depicts them in negative terms. [Steve Kramer]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Middle East, Steve Kramer