California

San Diego’s Jewish Pioneer Built Area’s First Tannery in Rose Canyon

Rose Creek runs through Rose Canyon, which is known to seismographers as the site of the Rose Canyon Fault.  The canyon, the creek, and the fault are not named for the rose flower.  These locations are named for Louis Rose, who in 1850 became San Diego’s first Jewish settler. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Ahead of San Diego Visit, Israeli College President Shares Vision for Engineering Education’s Transformation

By Jacob Kamaras Times of San Diego LA JOLLA, California — From widespread layoffs to Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse, the technology sector is not exactly a portrait of stability in this moment. But from a long-term perspective, for entry-level tech professionals and particularly those graduating from engineering programs, the future job market may not be

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Business & Finance, California, Israel, Jacob Kamaras, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Major Jewish Orgs Urge San Clemente Rhinos to Pull Out of Rugby Tournament That Banned Israel

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — In a letter organized by The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, major Jewish and religious organizations on Friday urged the U.S. team, the San Clemente Rhinos, to pull out of tomorrow’s Mzansi Challenge competition in South Africa.  The organizations note that there is an appearance the

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California, International, Israel, Sports & Competitions, USA

San Diego Continues to Experience Antisemitic Incidents; California, US Reach All-Time High

SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — The Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents issued today found that in 2022, the Jewish community of San Diego experienced 36 recorded incidents (slightly down from 38 incidents in 2021), including 26 incidents of harassment (up from 23 in 2021) and 10 incidents of vandalism of businesses (down

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California, San Diego County, USA

On Armenia-Azerbaijan Tensions, Don’t Take the Headlines at Face Value

By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — San Diego was thrust into the foreign policy spotlight last week when President Joe Biden as well as the prime ministers of the U.K. and Australia convened here to announce a submarine security pact. But another, often-overlooked region of the world is also on the White House’s radar

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California, International, Jacob Kamaras, Opinion, USA

Hebrew Day School Student Wins Invitation to State Science Fair

Imagine that you built a bridge out of Jengo blocks, and you wanted to see who could more accurately and more quickly replicate your bridge.  Would it be students between the ages of 7 and 13 who watched a 20-second video of you building the bridge, step by step?  Or would it be students of the same age range who simply viewed the bridge for 20 seconds and then, after it was removed from view, started building a copy from memory? [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

B’Shalom: Jewish MLB Players; Sabras, Jewish Political & Celebrity News

As the Major League Baseball season is about to get underway, I’m disappointed to report that our San Diego Padres do not have any Jewish player on the roster. However, there are eight Jewish players on National League teams that the Padres will play during the regular season. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, USA

Southern California’s Laura Stein Honored at Israel Bonds International Leadership Conference

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — A longstanding Southern California-based advocate for Israel and the Development Corporation for Israel/Israel Bonds was among Israel Bonds’ 2023 International Leadership Conference Honorees at the organization’s recent convening in Washington, D.C. Laura S. Stein of Beverly Hills was among 11 honorees who were recognized at a special dinner hosted by

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California, Israel, USA

Obituaries: Women’s Museum Honorees Natasha Josefowitz, Rosalie Schwartz

SAN DIEGO (SDJW) — Two honorees of the Women’s Museum of California died on March 15. One was author and columnist Natasha Josefowitz who was 96.  Lucid until the end, she had been writing columns for La Jolla Village News and San Diego Jewish World through the end of February.  An archive of her articles that appeared on

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Natasha Josefowitz, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Former Jewish Assemblyman Howard Wayne Tells How His Anti-Pollution Bill Became Law

Over coffee, Wayne explained to me that water from the higher elevations runs off regularly into the Bay.  Sometimes it’s rainwater; other times it is water from people watering their lawns, or hosing off their driveways, or washing their cars.  This water heads downhill, picking up whatever debris and pet excrement may lay in its path.  Eventually, the polluted water may find its way into a storm drain and then flow down to Mission Bay or to any of the beaches along the Pacific Coast. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, The World We Share

B’Shalom: Body Image, Military History, Baseball Classic, Jewish Political News

Kristine Schomaker’s eating disorder had made her feel “othered” since her girlhood. She tried to imagine herself as a slender blonde but when she looked into the mirror, she saw herself as she was, a very large woman. Rather than hide from her physical presence, she decided to embrace it. She invited 59 fellow artists to depict her in the nude. Sculptures, photographs, paintings, and drawings in various media resulted in an exhibition now being shown through April 13 at the Mesa College Art Gallery. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, USA

The Story Behind a San Diego Couple’s Historic Gift to Israel

Documentary filmmaker Matthew Mishory has done a deep dive into the background of a San Diego couple who lived quietly, scrimped to such a point that they even reused their paper towels, and through their daughter made the largest philanthropic donation to Israel in the history of the Jewish state: $500 million. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

B’Shalom: ‘Jacob’s Staff’; TV’s ‘Equalizer,” and Israel in the WBC

The tall ocotillo plant (Fouquieria splendens) that abounds in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park has many common names, among them, according to the Britannica website, “coachwhip” and “vine cactus.”  “Ocotillo” translates from Spanish to “little torch” because of the red flowers that grow at the end of its branches. Perhaps its most mysterious nickname is one that may or may not tell a Jewish story, “Jacob’s staff.”[Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

Jewish Studies Professor Says Ethics Demand More Humane Treatment of Animals

“I think the single most important thing Jews can do if they want to reduce animal suffering, to practice the value of tzaar baalei Chayim, compassion for animals, is to reduce or altogether stop eating animal products,” says Gross, who is vegan.  “Even if one still continues to eat meat when out and about, it makes sense for food to be more deliberate in Jewish communal settings, which I think should be places where we aspire to have our food represent the best of our values.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, The World We Share, USA