By Chris Jennewein Times of San Diego Poseidon Water and the San Diego County Water Authority said Wednesday they are monitoring the oil spill off Huntington Beach and are prepared to protect the Carlsbad desalination plant. The two organizations said in a statement that oil from Saturday’s underwater pipeline leak has not affected operations at […]
By Michael Ginsberg LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Viola Taliaferro has earned an exalted place in Bloomington, Indiana, where she and her late husband, George, stand as civic royalty. Judge Taliaferro’s actions fit Sir Jonathan Sacks’ description of the ethics of responsibility. In To Heal a Fractured World, Rabbi Sacks writes: We are here to make a
Judge Viola Taliaferro: Hero Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael Ginsberg
By Jerry Klinger BOYNTON BEACH, Florida — Alaska is the land of the very long day and the land of the very long, longer, night. During the very long day temperatures can soar to 100 degrees. During the very long nights, temperatures can drop to 50 degrees below zero plus. Alaskan Jews wittily refer to
The Frozen Chosen: Jews and Alaska Read More »
Jerry Klinger, Jewish History
By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — There is a remarkable similarity between Noah and Adam that should prompt us to think and understand each of the two biblical figure in a deeper manner. The following are some of the similarities. Both were the fathers of all future generations. Their names indicated their
Noah, the Second Adam Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
Sixty years ago, on Rosh Hashanah, my father taught me a lesson about giving. Thirty years later, I learned another valuable lesson about giving. Both apply to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – the Days of Awe – when we examine what we have given and taken in our own lives. [Michael Ginsberg]
Lessons Learned about Tzedakah and Chesed Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael Ginsberg
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. (JNS) — The “Pandora Papers” is a trove of “private” financial information on 14 current heads of state, including those of the Czech Republic, Kenya, Ecuador, Azerbaijan, Russia and Jordan. According to The Washington Post, “The files detail more than 29,000 offshore accounts. … Among the account owners are more
The plant that will produce approximately 6.8 acre feet (8,400 cubic meters) of recycled water a day from Tijuana sewage is about 35 percent constructed, and the 70-mile (113-kilometer) pipeline that will carry the water to the wine-growing region of Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California is scheduled to begin construction this coming January. [Donald H. Harrison]
This entirely poetic ancient Hebrew passage is, largely, literally a repeat of Isaiah II speaking previously in the Haftorah of RE’EH a few weeks ago. The text back then was used as a haftorah of consolation. So here, in refrain, we hear the prophet c. 538-530 BCE with promises of God’s forgiveness. [Irv Jacobs, M.D]
Haftorah Reading for October 9, 2021 Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion
With a number of fellow members of Hod Ve Hadar, the Masorti (Conservative in the US) synagogue that we belong to in Kfar Saba, we recently visited Mt. Gerizim, Har Bracha, and Shilo, all in the Biblical heartland of Samaria. [Steve Kramer]
Travels in Samaria Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East, Steve Kramer, Travel and Food
Do you sing zemirot at your Shabbos meals? Sadly, I see fewer and fewer people enjoying this wonderful tradition to enhance the Shabbat experience. One song in particular is linked to this week’s parasha, Noach. No, not Yah Ribbon and Mah Yedidot Menuhatekh, but Yom Shabbaton, “The dove found a place to rest on the Sabbath (Yonah Maz’ah Bo Manoah)” written by Yehudah Halevi, the great Spanish poet of the 12th century. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Torah Reading for October 9, 2021 Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts
Novelist and historian, Leo Tolstoy once said, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” This is born out in La Jolla Playhouse’s current production, The Garden. This two-woman show explores the complex relationship between a mother (Stephanie Berry) and her daughter (Charlayne Woodard). Woodard, a two-time Obie Award winner is also credited with writing the script. [Eva Trieger]
Mother-Daughter Conflict Plays Out in ‘The Garden’ Read More »
Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
This is a novel about identities: those that are real and those that can be created. You need only think of yourself or your children to know about real identities. But what about created ones? There are those you might take on yourself — such as an actor does in assuming a new role — and there also are those that are imposed upon you. [Donald H. Harrison]
Novel Deals in Identities — Real, Imagined, and Imposed Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison
But these systems are not perfect, as they often present answers that come from flawed websites, or they misunderstand the core of the question. What answer did Siri give that was controversial in the Jewish community, leading to a correction by Apple? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish Trivia Question: Siri Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
Americans have reminded us that our closest friend still adheres to the notion of a Palestinian State, even though the President has indicated that it’ll take a lot of time to accomplish that goal. Where would it be? What would be its borders? What about Israelis living in East Jerusalem and in many parts of the West Bank? [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]
What Would Be the Borders in a ‘Two-State’ Solution? Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East