California

Fraud, Betrayal and Spy Gear: Inside the Messy Battle for Chabad of Poway

A seven-hour mediation. A secret recording device. Accusations of extortion. These are the latest twists in the ongoing, ugly saga over control of the Southern California synagogue that survived a 2019 mass shooting only to face a federal fraud conviction of its founding rabbi. [Louis Keene, the Forward]

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California, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA

Speaker Tells of Life Among the Abayudaya Jews of Uganda

McKinney and Rabbi Marko renewed their friendship over the August 11-13 weekend, when McKinney served as Tifereth Israel Synagogue’s scholar-in-residence. She outlined what Jewish life is like in the Abayudaya villages, covering Jewish holiday and life cycle observances, and told of the efforts the foundation she heads is making to help impoverished families and children with disabilities. (Donald H. Harrison)

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California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Shoshana McKinney, Travel and Food, USA

Jewish Brothers Team Up to Alleviate San Diegans’ LAX Airport Travel Burden

By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — Here’s the good news: You’re headed to Israel! Better yet, rather than a cumbersome multi-stop flight, you’ve booked a direct trip to Tel Aviv on El Al Airlines from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Here’s the bad news: You live in San Diego, so it’s quite a schlep

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Business & Finance, California, Jacob Kamaras, San Diego County, Travel and Food

Former U.S. Attorney Grossman Reflects on His Career

Former U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman, who left office on August 4, recalls a High Holy Day service he attended that was held outside during the COVID pandemic. “I looked up to the roof and I could see armed guards,” he said during an interview on Thursday, Aug. 10. “It was just stunning to me how that could be happening at a time when you really want to be engaged in prayer and anything other than security.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA

Jewish Agency Chairman Visits Ojai’s Camp Ramah in California

OJAI, California (Press Release) — The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Chairman of the Executive Major General (Res.) Doron Almog last Wednesday visited Ojai-based Camp Ramah in California to meet with campers as well as with the organization’s Summer Camp Shlichim (Israeli emissaries), who are working to forge connections to Israel at the camp this season.

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California, Israel

OpEd: Louder Than Hate

The recent flyer incidents are not isolated and do not exist in a vacuum. Unfortunately, they are a microcosm of a nation that has been beleaguered by a rise in antisemitism and other forms of hate. ADL’s Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, which tracks anti-Jewish incidents of vandalism, harassment, and assault, saw a 36% increase in reported incidents in 2022 – the highest level ever recorded. Unfortunately, three of the past five years (2019, 2021, and 2022) were record-breaking years as well. [Fabienne Perlov]

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California, Opinion, San Diego County, USA

Campus Visit Positions Haifa and San Francisco as Partners in Downtown Revitalization

SAN FRANCISCO (Press Release) — Shared insights on urban development and downtown revitalization were among the notable takeaways from the San Francisco-Haifa Sister City Delegation’s recent visit to University of Haifa. In May, University of Haifa welcomed San Francisco Mayor London Breed and 30 other delegates to its campus, as part of their broader visit

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California, Israel, Science, Medicine, & Education

New Lesson Plans Help Advance White House’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism

(Press Release) To help advance the White House’s recently released U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa) has curated a collection of lesson plans and educational units on antisemitism and Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, all of which are available at no cost to state departments of education, school districts, and individual schools.

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California, Middle East, USA

Rabbi Samuel Rosenbaum Named Assistant Dean of American Jewish University’s Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

LOS ANGELES (Press Release) — On July 10, American Jewish University’s Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies announced the appointment of Rabbi Samuel Rosenbaum as Assistant Dean, underscoring Ziegler’s dedication to expanding its outreach and fostering stronger connections within the Jewish community. This appointment marks an exciting milestone for the Ziegler School, with Rosenbaum engaging broader

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California, Science, Medicine, & Education

Canadian Author Divides Antisemitism into Four Categories

In this book are eight topics essayed by Philip Slayton, an attorney and writer who serves as president of the literary society PEN Canada.  He first addresses the question of Jewish identity, then moves on to Jews in the World (where we live); Jews and Muslims; Jews and Christians; Jews and Zionism; Jews as Victims; Jews and the Media; Jews as Wanderers, and, beginning on page 143, he offers some conclusions. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Ceremony Renames Andrew Jackson Post Office for Susan A. Davis

High-ranking public officials, postal employees, and residents of the Rolando neighborhood of San Diego cheered as a plaque was unveiled officially renaming the post office branch at 6401 El Cajon Boulevard for former Congresswoman Susan Davis, D-San Diego. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Shor M. Masori, USA

Preston Turegano Skewers and Praises San Diego Reporters, Leaders

An employee of the San Diego Union-Tribune and its predecessor Evening Tribune for 36 years until his retirement in 2006, author Preston Turegano had been an editorial assistant, general assignment reporter, and arts critic.  He once was told by an editorial supervisor that people in the arts community were afraid of him.  A colleague reassured him, “People don’t hate you because you’re gay; people hate you because you are you.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County

Documentary Challenges America’s Wildfire Strategy

Jack Cohen, a retired U.S. Forest Service fire research scientist who lives in Missoula, Montana, passionately contends that for centuries the United States has dealt with wildfires all wrong. Instead of spending billions of dollars to put the fires out wherever they may occur, efforts should be prioritized to make homes and other structures as invulnerable as possible to flying embers, he insists. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA