USA

U.S. Attorney, ADL on guard against election interference

Two news releases hit my desk nearly simultaneously.  One was from the office of U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer.  The other was from the Anti-Defamation League.  Both were concerned about the possibility of attempts being made on Nov. 3 to interfere with the orderly processes of the election. [Donald H. Harrison, ‘Our Shtetl San Diego County’]

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Donald H. Harrison, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Satire: Up on the Stage: It’s Superspreader!

Ever since it was revealed that Donald Trump planned to wear a superman costume underneath his clothes after being released from Walter Reed Hospital, DC Comic’s Legion of Superheroes voted on whether to admit him to its ranks. Batman recused himself because he knew the bat that was the original source of the Coronavirus. Wonder Woman did likewise on the grounds that she had campaigned for Hillary Clinton in 2016 when she asserted that she could mercilessly pummel Trump to a pulp on Paradise Island and none of the Amazons would care. The other members of the Legion had reservations too, but voted for him on the basis of his most obvious superpower: his ability to irresponsibly infect his minions with a deadly disease. They dubbed him “Superspreader.” They even wrote the prologue to the upcoming blockbuster Superspreader. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]      

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Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

SDJW recommends ‘Yes’ votes on Prop. 25, Measure B

On our state and San Diego city ballots, we have opportunities to make our criminal justice system more fair and responsive.  State Prop. 25 would eliminate the money bail system for defendants prior to their trials, replacing it with a system based on risk assessment.  Measure B on the City of San Diego ballot would create an independent Commission on Police Practices. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, USA

Are sports, entertainment waning in wake of Covid19?

American entertainment and sports have shaped US society and influenced and appealed to the interest of a global audience for decades. This, however, seems to be changing. Media analysis shows that ratings of the once most popular programs are hitting historic lows as a result of the coronavirus crisis. I would not pay it particular attention were it not for pop culture’s predominance in people’s lives. Undoubtedly, it indicates a turning point, a shift, a new quest for more meaningful fulfillment that can only be achieved through human connection. [Michael Laitman, Ph.D]

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Lifestyles, Sports & Competitions, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Juvenile arrested for attack on rabbi

Police reported on Friday that they had arrested a 14-year-old boy in connection with an attack on Saturday, Oct. 10. in which Rabbi Yonatan Halevy of Kehillat Shaar Hashamayim was clobbered on top of his head by an assailant who then rode off on his bicycle.  The 31-year-old rabbi, whose Sephardic congregation is engaged in outreach as part of a Shiviti movement, was knocked down but not seriously hurt.  At the time, Halevy was walking on Governor Drive in University City with his father, a stroke victim in his late 60s.  The father was not assaulted. [Donald H. Harrison, Our Shtetl San Diego County]

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Donald H. Harrison, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, USA

Feinstein demonstrated civility at Barrett’s hearing

Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-California) praise of her Republican colleague, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), followed by a spontaneous show of appreciation, shocked her liberal colleagues by hugging Graham. This would have been a positive note to end the raucous debates we have seen and imbibed since the beginning of the hearings. Yet, we are living in a time when conformity to the Democratic status quo is considered more important than anything else. Surprisingly to most of us, Feinstein stirred a hornets’ nest and many of her fellow Democrats excoriated her for showing a token of civility.  [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA

Yes on Proposition 21: Rachmanis for Renters

Proposition 21 poses a philosophical question.  In these hard times, do we vote to assure that renters will be able to remain in their homes, or do we, in the name of unrestricted capitalism, permit landlords to raise rents so high that their tenants are forced to find cheaper apartments, or in some cases, to become homeless? [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, USA

Migrant workers hard hit worldwide by COVID19

As an economic recession looms, migrants vulnerable to poverty, facing conflict, displacement, or unsafe working and living conditions require greater economic support as unemployment rises, access to PPEs, and legal assistance.Migrant workers have been at the forefront of the world economy during the COVID-19 pandemic, as essential workers. Yet, at the same time this comes with risk. [Jacqueline Skalski-Fouts]

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International, Middle East, USA

A new blow to Iran’s forgotten Jews

Next week, an online event organized by the human rights group “3 Generations” will feature New York Times op-ed columnist Roger Cohen, who sparked an international furor in 2009 when he visited Iran and announced that the oppressed Jews there were not really so oppressed, after all.  Cohen’s assertion that Iranian Jews were “living, working and worshiping in relative tranquility” was met with scorn across the political spectrum. Jeffrey Goldberg, in The Atlantic, called him “credulous.”  The Anti-Defamation League charged Cohen with viewing Iran through “dangerous rose-colored lenses.” J.J. Goldberg, in The Forward, characterized Cohen as “simply naive, and dangerously so.” [Rafael Medoff, Ph.D]

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International, Jewish History, Middle East, USA

Virtual meetings spur Jewish theatre community

By Toby Klein Greenwald EFRAT, Israel — In April, the board members of the Alliance for Jewish Theater bit the bullet and decided to morph their annual autumn conference into a three-day Zoom event. Like everyone, they hoped for the best, but were being proactive and not assuming there would be a miracle. Theater makers

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International, Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Toby Klein Greenwald, USA