By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — This year, we read Torah portions Nitzavim and Vayeilech, on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashana. It asks us where we stand as we enter the new year. The parasha teaches that G-d tells us, “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. You […]
Parshiyot Nitzavim-Vayeilech: Choosing Life Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
There are many enjoyable extrapolations, known as midrashes, on the Biblical story of Noah. Here comes another one, this time to familiarize children between the ages of 4 and 8 with mathematical concepts while delighting them with stories of animals at work and play on the famous Ark. [Donald H. Harrison]
Naamah, the Numbers Whiz on Noah’s Ark Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Fiction
By Jerry Klinger A cemetery stone on a street is a strange site, even in London. It is even stranger considering that there is no body buried beneath. The black and gold stone of honored memory is for a Jewish secret agent, a member of the British Special Operations Executive, SOE, Captain Lionel Lee. Lee
Captain Lionel Lee: Extraordinary Courage and Dedication Read More »
Holocaust, International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Opinion
By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — Hurricane Idalia left widespread damage in Florida and the southeastern coast of the United States in its wake. Once it formed, the news coverage fixated on it to the exclusion of other stories. Although this has happened in the past, this time it came as a welcome relief. Forecasters warned
Satire: Hurricane Headlines Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Mark D. Zimmerman Bagels are one of the quintessential Jewish foods. There are references to bagels in Kraków, Poland in the early 1600’s, though they may have first appeared in Germany prior to that. Polish immigrants brought bagels to the United States around the turn of the 20th century. The bagel became so popular
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Bagels Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
“The way of my rabbinate and my personal life is living a life of balance,” Kornberg continued. “What I have been able to do and what I try to do is bring [the religious and secular] worlds together with a sense of balance; you don’t have to live in one or the other. You can have a rich religious Jewish life and still live in the secular ‘real world’ so to speak…” [Donald H. Harrison]
Rabbi David Kornberg of Congregation Beth Am: ‘Balance Is My Mantra’ Read More »
Ben Dishman, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA
Parshat Ki Tavo 5783 By Rabbi Daniel Reich LA JOLLA, California — Among the many different Mitzvot and insights in Parshat Ki Tavo, right at the beginning of the Parsha we have the Mitzvah of “Viduy Maaser”, also known as the Maaser Confession. We are instructed to announce before God and to vocalize within the
Cultivating Self-Belief Read More »
Daniel Reich-Rabbi, Jewish Religion
By Steve Kramer KFAR SABA, Israel — It’s summer in Israel and that means hot, sunny, and no chance of rain. So you can be sure that you won’t be caught in a rain shower – but you’ll be hot. What’s “hot” in the Sharon area on the coastal plain where we live? About 33
Escaping Humidity in Jerusalem Read More »
Israel, Jewish History, Steve Kramer, Travel and Food
Their mission is to spread knowledge about Israel and the Hebrew language to school children in day schools; supplemental synagogue schools; the Kovod School, a public charter school where students learn in both English and Hebrew; and at a variety of other Jewish groups and institutions. [Donald H. Harrison]
Israeli Teen Ambassadors Strengthen Ties with U.S. Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA
By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — As Jewish leaders and show-biz celebs pondered the use of a prosthetic nose in a film portrayal of composer Leonard Bernstein, three Israelis were gunned down by terrorists along a West Bank highway and outside a gas station. Philadelphia Jews might well be surprised that preschool teacher Batsheva Nigri,
Ignore West Bank Killings at Israel’s Risk Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Israel, Opinion, USABy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — To be a Jew is to be a grateful person. As we enter Shabbat with Psalm 92, we read, “It is good to give thanks.” Rabbi Zelig Pliskin teaches, “Living with gratitude elevates your entire life. You become a more spiritual person. You become a more joyful person.
Parashat Ki Tavo: An Attitude of Gratitude Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Author Katherine Pangonis notes in her preface to “Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule” that “this is a book about women and power.” The wives and daughters of crusader kings and princes in the Holy Land sometimes found themselves in the position of default ruler
‘Queens of Jerusalem’ Book Seeks to Rectify Historians’ Neglect of Women Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East
By Mark D. Zimmerman Multi-millionaire biotech engineer and asset manager Vivek Ramaswamy is running for the Republican nomination for President. He is running as an “anti-woke” and anti-abortion candidate who intends to rule by executive fiat, with plans to abolish the Education Department and the FBI, eradicate teachers unions, and launch military action across the
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Vivek Ramaswamy Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
If your experience is like mine, you frequently have questions about your family history, but, alas, there’s no one left to answer them. [Joel H. Cohen]
Encourage Your Kids and Grandkids to Be Family Reporters Read More »
Joel H. Cohen, Lifestyles, Trivia, Humor & Satire