The Arts

Rabbi Phillips authors tome on Jewish philosophy and theology

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin JERUSALEM — Judaism Reclaimed: Philosophy and Theology in the Torah by Shmuel Phillips, a rabbi and lawyer with a law degree from the University of London, is a book filled with interesting information inspired by his understanding of the views of Maimonides and Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. The book has […]

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

Gerald Robbins masterful at new Coronado music festival

By Eileen Wingard CORONADO, California — This past weekend, a new music festival was initiated at the Coronado Library, and concert pianist, Gerald Robbins, brother of  longtime Coronado resident, Bonnie Fox, helped launch the concerts by participating in two of them. At 1 p.m. Saturday, September 21, Robbins performed a solo recital on the Coronado

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 24, 2019

Items in today’s column include:
*Tel Aviv Foundation applauds San Diegans’ philanthropy
*Father Joe Carroll endorses Joe Leventhal for City Council
*Rabbi Dorsch and Cantor Leberman star in Tifereth Israel High Holy Days video
*Israeli Idol Haggit Yaso to perform at StandWithUs gala
*Meet the Family Eilfort

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 23, 2019

Items in today’s column: *Climate warming emergency drives Micah Perlin’s Assembly candidacy *Personal wealth vs. political endorsements in 53rd C.D. race *Some of the honorable traits animals share with humans *A play about immigration has premiered at the Old Globe Theatre *Mazel tov! Mazel tov! *Passages By Donald H. Harrison Climate warming emergency drives Micah

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, The World We Share, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Kashrut involves not only a hechsher but also ethical behavior

Excerpt: Through seven sections, Kashrut and Jewish Food Ethics examines a broad swath of the kosher landscape. Who inspects the inspectors certifying kosher products and are the stamps on kosher meat truly a mark of adherence to traditional values? What are the moral underpinnings of eating kosher meat and what should they be? There is more to kosher meat than slaying by a trained shochet, there must be concern for animal welfare. Family-owned farms, bought out, are now part of mechanized slaughterhouses, whose chief aim is profit. Does a neglected animal, or one needlessly made to suffer, deserve the label kosher even if properly killed? (Please click headline to read full story)

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Travel and Food

‘Methuselah’ offers some humorous corrections to the Bible

Excerpt: When God dictated the Bible to Moses, it was perfect – every word and every letter was flawless. But a so-called scholar Laumentenkup recopied the Bible and made many mistakes. He couldn’t see the dirt under his fingernails and drank too much fermented grape juice. Methuselah wants to correct as many errors as he can. The following are some of his corrections.

There was no snake in Eden. God created a toothless tortoise as a companion for man so he wouldn’t be lonely. When this didn’t work, God put Adam asleep and created a woman from his third tonsil and ever since then women have spoken a great deal. (Please click headline to read full story)

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

 Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 21, 2019

Items in today’s column include:
*No Jewish unity when it comes to local politics
*Political dots and dashes
*The continuing tragic aftermath of the shooting at Chabad of Poway
*Congresswoman Davis on student loan forgiveness, forced arbitration
*Conductor David Amos schedules a concert season honoring Beethoven’s 250th birthday
*Mazel Tov! Mazel Tov!

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Donald H. Harrison, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA

Book Review: ‘A Field Guide to the Jewish People’

Co-author Dave Barry is a well-known syndicated humor columnist; Alan Zweibel has written comedy for television programs including Saturday Night Live and Curb Your Enthusiasm;  and Adam Mansbach is the author of Go the F*ck to Sleep and You Have to F*****g Eat – the titles of which indicate a certain enthusiasm for F-bombs, which, in my opinion, appear all too frequently in the current collaboration.

Co-authors Barry, Mansbach and Zweibel have their comedy credits – and that may be enough to make this book popular, despite its very questionable taste.  Mixing Torah and F-Bombs, to my way of thinking, is more derision than humor, and the fact that two of the co-authors are themselves Jewish (Barry is a Presbyterian) doesn’t excuse that.

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

Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 18, 2019

Items in this column include:
*Local businessmen fly to Bahamas to help victims of Hurricane Dorian
*Councilmembers Bry and Campbell often find common ground
*San Diegans will host IDF veterans as they sort out combat memories
*Bible Players to enliven services this weekend at Tifereth Israel Synagogue

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast