Byliners

Cutting the ‘Umbilical Cord’: Letting Go Because You Have To

My “baby” daughter Maya graduated high school on a recent Friday. Woohoo! On Monday, she flew solo to Europe to visit her sister. Double Woohoo! In two months, she moves to Berkeley to start her next chapter as a University student. Woo…. Wait! What? Moving out? Completely launching? My husband and I becoming actual empty nesters?  I’m not sure if I’m ready for this. I mean I knew this day would come but it always seemed so far down the road. And yet, here it is. Around the corner.[Shayna Gothard Kaufmann]

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Lifestyles, San Diego County, Shayna Kaufmann

The U.S.’s ”Chutzpadik’ Iran Policy

It is the height of chutzpah to assume that others want what you want or want to help you get what you want when it isn’t what they want. Americans do it often, and the result is always the same: good news for those who take our inducements while having no intention of cooperating and bad news for the United States and for those who trust in it. In the case of Iran, first the Obama administration and now the Biden administration have taken the position that diplomacy and money will produce a constructive player in the region—i.e., what we want. [Shoshana Bryen]

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Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, USA

L’Etat C’est Moi

The tendency to equate the state with one’s person — expressed in the phrase “L’etat c’est moi” (I am the state) — was a feature of the monarchies of Europe in the period during and after the Middle Ages. With the passage of time, as the introduction of republics, democracies, and various forms of constitutional monarchy became a thing of the past, the phrase is now identified largely with the 17th century French king, Louis XIV (and to a limited extent France’s post-WWII president Charles de Gaulle). The phrase epitomizes the arrogance and self-importance of the person uttering it. I have not heard those words spoken by Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, but his behavior in the latter part of his 12-year “reign” as Israel’s prime minister, as well as in the manner of his leaving that position, indicates that he may well think and believe it. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East

LFJCC Summer Reading Program Features Jewish Authors and Topics

I introduced Judy Bloom, Elizabeth Enright and Norton Juster to my summer hangouts, and they in turn,  took me to places I’d never visited. The experience of gobbling up all of the library’s offerings seemed limitless and thrilling. And now, thanks to the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, summer reading is back! [Eva Trieger]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eva Trieger, San Diego County

Anti-Israel Forces Block Ship in Oakland, Food Festival in Philadelphia

Advocates for the Palestinians exerted their terrorism talents in or near two prominent American cities 3,000 miles apart in recent weeks. First they prevented a privately-owned Israeli ship from unloading its cargo in Oakland, California, across the bay from San Francisco. On Sunday, they succeeded in canceling a food festival in the Kensington section of Philadelphia because the organizers dared to allow an Israeli food truck to participate. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Business & Finance, Middle East, Travel and Food, USA

Book Review: The Wisdom of Getting Unstuck

Written by Rabbi Shimshon Meir Frankel, a clinical psychologist living in Zichron Yaakov, Israel, who also practices as a marriage and family therapist, with more than 25 years of experience, his book stands out with its Torah-driven, short-term, solution-oriented focus anchored in ancient wisdom. It puts the reader in the driver’s seat with very concentrated tools to live free of foreign, unhelpful thoughts, “antagonists,” and unhealthy behaviors – it is soul focused and value grounded. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell

Demonstrations of the Ugly and the Beautiful in Sports

In sports, which can serve as a microcosm of our society, we saw over the past few days the ugly and the beautiful.

The ugly came following a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) regional championship basketball game between Coronado High School of the City of Coronado and Orange Glen High School of the City of Escondido.  At the end of the hard-fought game, which Coronado narrowly won, some of its players “celebrated” by tossing packages of tortillas at the Orange Glen team, whose players are predominantly Mexican-American.  Coronado High School, in contrast, is predominantly White. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, USA

Talking Donkey Teaches Us To See the Good in One Another

Talking donkeys can teach us a great deal about who really offers blessings and curses, that is, only Hashem. And more than this, talking donkeys can teach us to inclusively, with ahavat yisroel, open our eyes and see the good in everyone else in the world. It says in the parasha three times, “And G-d opened the eyes of Bilam and he saw…” Some people, like Bilaam, may need continuous lessons to see the presence of Hashem. We benefit from similar reminders to see every other person with understanding, with the benefit of the doubt, with love, through ayin tova. Our eyes are lenses through which we see the world. Too often shmutz clouds what we see in terms of negative thinking. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Political Biography Includes Anecdotes About Biden and Jews

While this book was published prior to the election by which Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States, there is much in it that remains of interest — particularly for people like myself who are interested in the relationships between American presidents and the Jewish community. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, USA

Miraculous Tales of Ancient Judaism Dissected

Most people do not know that the Talmud and other rabbinic volumes such as Midrash include non-legal writings about theology, ethics, psychology, health, and many other topics, as well as fascinating and delightful stories. Along with being appealing, riveting, and charming tales, these accounts also contain subtle often overlooked lessons. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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

Jewish Trivia Quiz: Naftali Bennett

Throughout his personal and political life, Bennett has faced many challenges, and has spoken of one particular problem that he solved creatively, noting that “I had to improvise. So we MacGyvered it.” The term “MacGyvered” refers to the MacGyver television show whose eponymous lead character routinely jerry-rigged solutions to problems he was confronted with. What was Bennett referring to when he said “we MacGyvered it”? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

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Mark D. Zimmerman, Middle East, Trivia, Humor & Satire