Below are the names of writers who are currently active. For others, living and deceased, please type their name into the search box above the masthead on our home page, www.sdjewishworld.com
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California —As we open our door to welcome Elijah, some of us probably snicker and say “Yeah, right…” The cynicism of our age makes us doubt whether the Messiah will ever really arrive. People often wonder who the Messiah is going to be. Many faith communities believe it […]
What do Jews believe about the coming of a Messiah? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO–Chesed Home, a group home for mentally ill Jewish adults, has been leased in Escondido, and fundraising is now underway to equip, staff and purchase what will become a licensed facility, according to Fern Siegel, president of Hope Village San Diego. Siegel, a former president of Jewish Family
Jewish Group Home for Mentally Ill Planned Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Recently, I attended a matinee performance of Thoroughly Modern Millie up in Ventura County. I enjoyed it, and why not, my teenage grand-niece, Ashlee Ford, had the title role, and I got to see her sing, dance, and even get kissed by a fellah on stage. Afterwards, my brother Bill,
What to do about racial stereotyping in theatre? Read More »
Carol Davis, Cynthia Citron, Donald H. Harrison, Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California —Children have an unusual ability when it comes to confronting our spiritual hypocrisy as parents and as adults; very often they get to the essence of the problem as they perceive things. Frequently, as parents, we often fail to hear the questions our young people ask of
Answering the ‘wicked child’ at the seder Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
SAN DIEGO — Our thanks to Melanie Rubin, who has spotted a license plate with double Jewish interest. MAZLTAV, of course, means good luck in both Yiddish and Hebrew. But there is also the specialty ‘Yosemite’ plate on which the happy expression is printed. Some pronounce it ‘Yo-Sem-It-Ee,’ but others, think of the
Double-interest license plate Read More »
Jewish Religion, Melanie Rubin
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson DEAD SEA, Israel –If one lives in Israel long enough one cannot escape being brushed by the wings of history. One week in my life recently took me – metaphorically — across continents and eras. On Tuesday I joined a group of friends for a guided tour of the home of Shai
Brushed by history on tour of Israel Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Travel and Food
The Jewish Gospels by Daniel Boyarin; ISBN 978-1-5955846-8-7©2010, $21.95, p. 200, including notes and index By Fred Reiss, Ed.D WINCHESTER, Callifornia –Thanks to the Jewish general and historian Josephus and the Greco-Jewish philosopher Philo, we know a great deal about the internecine spiritual arguments among the Jews from the mid-second century BCE through the end
‘The Jewish Gospels’ examines emergence of rabbinic Judaism and Christianity Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — When she was 13 years old, Cara Weiss had the opportunity to audition for a major movie role: that of Anne in The Diary of Anne Frank. She didn’t get the part, but she got something better. She identified so strongly with Anne, that she began writing
Otto Frank’s correspondent settles in San Diego Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
Israel’s Silent Defender: An Inside Look at Sixty Years of Israeli Intelligence, edited by Amos Gilbo and Ephraim Lapid, Gefen Publishing House, Jerusalem, 2012, 385 pages including appendices, ISBN 978-965-229-528-6. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO–This collection of essays by members of Israel’s intelligence establishment has been thoroughly vetted to make sure nothing therein provides
Book examines Israel’s intelligence-gathering Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Oscar Wilde once said: “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it… I can resist everything but temptation.” There’s a lot of truth to Wilde’s temptation. As human beings we often give in to many temptations without
ZAKA reportedly in financial disarray Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle EastBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Besides the name of flutist Susan Kornberg Simpson were enough symbols to make one wonder if someone was exclaiming something in comic book talk! But the key at the bottom of the program explained that one symbol meant that the Patrick Henry High School musician performs in the
Concert demonstrates importance of music in the schools Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
This Day in San Diego History by Linda H. Pequegnat, Sunbelt Publications, 2009, ISBN 978-0-932653-90-1, $19.95 By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — There are 478 years between 1513, when Vasco Nuñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, and 1991, the year of the death of
‘This Day’ a Sudoko-like puzzle for historian Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –The former regional director of the Anti-Defamation League gives Parade, the musical about the lynching of Leo Frank in Georgia, generally high marks for portraying how anti-Semitism can poison the justice system, although he said there were a number of historical inaccuracies that are perhaps to be expected in
Former ADL chief cites historical inaccuracies of ‘Parade’ Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonTales of the Righteous, by Simcha Raz and Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins, Foreword by Elie Wiesel, Gefen Publishers, 2012, Jerusalem, ISBN 978-965-229-540-8. $24.95. By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — I enjoyed reading a translation of Simcha Raz’s latest new book, Tales of the Righteous. This book reminded me much of Louis Newman’s
‘Tales of the Righteous’ is an inspiring book Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi