Books, Poetry & Short Stories

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Jonathan Sacks

From Sept 1991 through September 2013, he served as Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. In 1995, he won the Jerusalem Prize for his contribution to diaspora Jewish life. In 2005 he was dubbed a Knight Bachelor for his work in interfaith relations. In 2009, the House of Lords announced that Sacks was recommended for life peerage with a seat in the House of Lords. He took the title of Baron Sacks. He was also the recipient of an honorary doctorate of divinity conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, to mark his first ten years as Chief Rabbi. [SDJW staff]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday

The Holocaust Through Eyes of a 12-Year-Old Girl

One tragedy befell another. It seemed for Mala, her family, and all of Tarnogrod’s Jews, there was no escaping the Germans’ might. As the family starved, Mala and her brother went out to barter what little they had. They were thrilled to have scored some bread and vegetables. On their stealthy return, they were discovered and shot at by the soldiers. Mala played dead and escaped with her life, her brother Yechiel, was not playing. He’d been killed. About this time Mala’s stray cat became her constant companion. It seemed to accompany Mala everywhere she went, or meet her whenever she returned from scavenging for food. Mala saw the little cat as her angel and named the cat Malach. It seemed regardless of where Mala found herself, an orchard, a barn, the river, the little cat was by her side, keeping her company. [Eva Trieger]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eva Trieger, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Our Shtetl San Diego County: UCSD Hillel Girds for Tomorrow’s Anti-Israel Demonstration on Campus

“We’ve been coordinating closely with campus security and administration, Hillel International, our Jewish Federation, ADL, AJC, SWU and other partners to ensure there are strong plans in place, including additional security officers on campus and effective strategies for students.” [SDJW staff]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Children’s Literature: A Job for an Out-of-Work Monster

Do you remember Puff, the Magic Dragon, about whom Peter, Paul & Mary sang?  Eventually, “painted wings and giant things” gave “way to other toys.” And so it was too with the monster that used to live in Sophie’s closet; Sophie just outgrows him in this tale written for 4-to-8-year-olds by Sandy Asher and illustrated by Alexandra Colombo. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Children’s Story Tells of the Animals Who Helped Noah

This fictional story for children between the ages of three and seven imagines that such animals as beavers, woodpeckers, and alligators helped Noah to build the Ark.  Furthermore, two hedgehogs who were marvelous event planners had matters well in hand, although Noah did not recognize their talents. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Aesop’s Fables Through a Jewish Lens

Dr. Samuel, the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chula Vista, California, translates the fables in a very readable manner that captures our interest and curiosity. He highlights the messages in each Tale and includes the parallel teachings in Jewish wisdom, including quotes from a vast collection of Jewish and non-Jewish thinkers, ancient and modern. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

26-Year-Old Biography of George Steiner Worth Reading Again

Errata; an Examined Life: A Life in Ideas by George Steiner; Yale University Press, 1998 By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — The name of this author arouses reverence in the minds of anyone conscious of the role played by language in the world of culture, literature and ideas. Steiner’s seminal books, After Babel and

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

How Poets Are Found for the JCC’s Poetry Programming

The Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices Committee prides itself on discovering poetic talent within our community for the featured poets segments. During its sixteen seasons, it has featured the same poet again only once, Zev Bar-Lev, z”l. At one program, he read his Hebrew poems, at the other, his English works. [Eileen Wingard]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eileen Wingard, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

A Visit to Israel’s New National Library

Several art works adorn the library’s walls and spaces, both inside and outside the building, serving to underline the Jewish people’s connections with the Bible and other writings, as well as echoing aspects of the Land of Israel. The library also contains collections of books, manuscripts and other documents bequeathed or donated by Jewish and Israeli intellectuals, as well as unique collections such as Albert Einstein’s letters, Isaac Newton’s contemplation of the Bible, and the unique Gershom Shocken Collecetion of Kabbalah and Hasidism. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Rashi

In most modern editions of the Talmud, Rashi’s extensive commentaries on 30 of the 39 tractates may be found among  various other commentators’ notes that bracket individual Talmudic passages. Scholars believe his commentaries grew out of lectures and responsas to students at his yeshiva. [SDJW staff]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Annie Meyer

Meyer helped to found Barnard College for women in 1889 across the street from Columbia. Barnard became one of the Seven Sisters of women’s colleges in America. Meyer became an associate editor of Broadway Magazine and also edited Women’s Work in America. She also authored such works as Robert Annys: A Poor Priest (1901); The Dominant Sex (1911); The Dreamer: A Play in Three Acts (1912); Black Souls (1932) which dealt with lynchings in the South; Barnard Beginnings (1935) and It’s Been Fun: An Autobiography. (1951) –SDJW staff

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA

Our Shtetl San Diego County: Jewish Community Foundation’s Leadership Transition

Beth Sirull completes her tenure as CEO of the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego on March 15, when she will be succeeded by Jeremy Pearl, who currently is the foundation’s chief financial officer. [SDJW Staff]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Israel, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA