USA

One Year into the War, Jewish Humanitarian Efforts Remain in Full Throttle in Ukraine

By Mike Wagenheim (JNS) As the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches its one-year anniversary on Friday, North American Jewish leaders at the forefront of humanitarian aid to Ukraine are appreciative of the ways Jews have pitched in. Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), told JNS world Jewry has […]

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International, USA

Biden Calls Them Terrorists, Why Won’t the Media?

By Stephen M. Flatow (JNS) The Biden administration says that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) are terrorists. The European Union, Japan, Canada, Australia and many other countries say the same. It’s not a Republican vs. Democrat issue. It’s not a conservative vs. liberal controversy. It’s something on which all reasonable people agree. So why

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International, Israel, Opinion, USA

B’Shalom: Special Elections Here and Elsewhere

County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher plans to run in 2024 for the seat of state Senate President pro tempore Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, the year she will be ineligible to run again because of term limits. Fletcher will be in the middle of his second term as a county supervisor at that time, so, depending on the outcome of the state Senate election, we may face a special election for his seat.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Opinion, San Diego County, USA

Jewish Family Service-Led Human Rights Coalition Rejects New Biden Migrant Rules as ‘Asylum Ban’

By Chris Jennewein Times of San Diego SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Rapid Response Network issued a condemnation Wednesday of the Biden Administration’s proposed new restrictions on refugees seeking asylum in the United States. The coalition of human rights organizations, led by Jewish Family Service of San Diego, operates local migrant shelters funded by

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Chris Jennewein, San Diego County, USA

Netanyahu Talks With US Senators, Including Padilla, About Iran and Abraham Accords

(JNS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met separately on Tuesday with U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), stressing to them the importance of the bilateral relationship and that America is the Jewish state’s “greatest friend.” Netanyahu told the lawmakers that despite any disagreements between Jerusalem and Washington, such meetings were an expression

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California, Israel, Middle East, USA

Holocaust Museums and Memorials Have Work Cut Out for Them Attracting Non-Jews

By Menachem Wecker (JNS) In a study published in the Journal of Travel Research last year, scholars from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that a visit to the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, which they dubbed “dark tourism,” made people feel empowered and inclined to identify societal concerns that need repair. The

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Holocaust, USA

Gene Simmons of Kiss Fame to Unveil Mural of Polish Catholic Holocaust Hero

By Mike Wagenheim (JNS) Artists 4 Israel is expanding its series of murals honoring Righteous Among the Nations. It’s doing so with a “kiss” this time. The collective, which enlists artists to combat antisemitism and anti-Israel bigotry through their work, will unveil its fourth mural on Feb. 26 paying homage to non-Jews who risked their

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California, Holocaust, International, Jewish Celebrities, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA

Los Angeles Synagogue Shootings: The Personal and the Perilous

By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — Decades ago, I most likely walked past the site of a Los Angeles synagogue near where Guy Taieb, 73, was wounded in a drive-by shooting last Thursday, an incident likely motivated by antisemitism. Long before Taieb moved to Los Angeles, I spent an afternoon visiting Santa Monica, and then

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Bruce Ticker, California, Opinion, USA

B’Shalom:  Jimmy Carter, Rose Schindler, U.S. Senate Aspirants, Gregory Peck

An Israeli-American of close acquaintance, upon hearing that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter had entered hospice, commented that he “never liked that guy, he was an antisemite.” He noted that Carter helped propagate the lie that Israel is an apartheid state, even though Arabs have entered the highest levels of government and industry alongside their Jewish neighbors in Israel.  Nevertheless, as we look back over his career, I think that we should be more charitable toward Carter, not forgetting his invaluable contributions as a mediator at Camp David, bringing about the peace between Israel and Egypt. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion, USA

Jewish Federation of San Diego Weighs in on Israeli Judicial Reform

On Tuesday, leaders of the Jewish Federation of San Diego issued the following statement regarding the much-discussed issue of Israeli judicial reform: Dear Friends, Our relationship with and love for the land and the people of Israel is and will always be integral to Federation’s DNA. From long before the birth of the state of

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Israel, San Diego County, USA

Jewish Family Service-Operated Asylum Reception Thriving in San Diego

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) – San Diego has proven that humane, viable and cost-effective processes to welcome people seeking asylum in the U.S. is possible. (JFSSD), has been providing such services along the border region since 2018, following the cancellation of “safe release” by the Trump administration. “Safe release” was the long-held travel protocol to

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San Diego County, USA

Reflections on Jimmy Carter

By Eric George Tauber CINCINNATI, Ohio — When I read the news that former President Jimmy Carter had gone into hospice, I began reflecting on his life and career. While I greatly admire his post-executive humanitarian work, Carter’s relationship with Israel and the American Jewish community is a bit more complicated. Hungry for Honesty In

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Eric George Tauber, International, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, USA

US Supreme Court Spurns Challenge to Arkansas Law Against Contractors Boycotting Israel

Published by Reuters By Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to revive a newspaper’s challenge on free speech grounds to an Arkansas law requiring state government contractors to pledge not to boycott Israel, a policy the publication’s lawyers called a threat to a constitutionally protected form of collective protest. The

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USA

Holocaust Survivor Rose Schindler, 93, Laid to Rest

The very fact that we Jews can gather today is because of Rose Schindler and those like her.  Our standing here is a testament to just how durable she was, and how resilient Jewish civilization is.  Rose could record her story and tell it over and over again because she survived it.   And we can tell it today because we’re still here. [Rabbi Mathew Marko]

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California, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials, USA