Books, Poetry & Short Stories

Book Review: ‘An Unorthodox Match’

I once had a rabbi who inveighed against religious hypocrisy with this saying: “Big beard, small Jew.”

What Rabbi Aaron Gold, z’l, meant was that some people are tempted to display how scrupulously they stick to ritual, but are unbending and uncaring when it comes to the more important rules of Judaism, as found in the Ten Commandments, such as not to murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness, nor to covet your neighbor’s possessions.

Another important rule is to welcome the stranger, and therein lies the essence of the conflict that powers Naomi Ragen’s latest novel, An Unorthodox Match, is which a formerly secular Jew, who is trying to follow an observant life style, is rejected by the very same people who purportedly want her to follow their ways.

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 16, 2019

Items in today’s column:

*San Diego County teens, successful in past, may apply for Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards
*Bible, Holocaust, and Israel subjects of new books by local authors
*Barbara Bry gets backing of neighborhoods group in mayoral race
*Sukkot activity planning well underway in the county

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Graphic novel profiles World War II profiteer Joanovici

In the view of the Gestapo stationed in Paris, Joseph Joanovici was a “useful Jew,” because as a scrap metal dealer he could obtain and sell to the Nazis materials needed for the war effort.  At the same time, the French Resistance also thought he was useful because with the money he made as a Nazi collaborator, he was able to help the Resistance obtain weapons.  Additionally, he was able to use his contacts within the Nazi hierarchy to free from prison his employees and his Resistance associates.

Playing both sides, Joanovici had friends among the Nazis and friends among the Resistance.  He also had more than his share of enemies, who would be happy to kill him once he stopped being “useful.”

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

Hate to rain on Greta’s parade, but I coined ‘cli-fi’

By Dan Bloom CHIAYI CITY, Taiwan — There are some novels and movies now that tell human stories about what climate change is like (or might be like) in the distant future. The genre is not sci-fi, but rather cli-fi, and it’s on the rise, according to Czech journalist Jaroslav Totusek at the Lidovky newspaper

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, The World We Share, USA

Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 14, 2019

Items in this column include:
* Attorney Joe Leventhal becomes a candidate in 5th City Council District
* Georgette Gomez jumps into race to succeed Congresswoman Susan Davis
* Brushing up on your Jewish knowledge with a game of ‘Jew-perdy’
*A Backyard Challah Bake
* Camp Mountain Chai increases summer sessions from three to four
* Three ‘self-compassionate resolutions’ for the New Year
* And Finally, Some Fun With Numbers

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Travel and Food, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

The Talmud has defined the Judaism of today

In tracing the origins and development of the Talmud over the millennia in which it has existed in one form or another (first oral, then written, and eventually printed), Harry Freedman, a historian and expert in Aramaic and Judaic studies, introduces us to the different environments and cultures in which the Talmud emerged and eventually flourished, as well as giving us insights into the various rabbis, interpreters, and scholars who helped to formulate and establish it.

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish History, Jewish Religion

Rosh Hashanah: the New Year that Wasn’t a New Year

Rosh Hashanah is not a biblical holiday, although it replaced a biblical one, and is notably different from the holiday it replaced. The biblical holiday, Yom Teruah, had a totally different purpose than Rosh Hashanah, which focuses on the onset of a new year, repentance, and commitment to live the next year properly. Yom Teruah concentrated on months and the number seven.

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion

‘Schlepping, Schmoozing’ celebrates S.D. Jewish stories

The nice thing about this book is that you can either read it cover to cover or go through the extensive Table of Contents and choose the chapters that catch your eye. The book is in chronological order starting in 1987 and ending in 2019.

I did the latter and there were 18 stories that I was particularly drawn to read, such as his stories on immigrants –“Immigrant Stories Told at the New Americans Museum”- and his stories on Jewish Family Service and how they have served the community for over 100 years-“JFS, Looking Back a Century, Recalls Rose Neumann>” Moreover, I liked his stories on people who converted and intermarried couples- “Christina de Jesus is a Jewish Song Leader” and “Intermarried Couple Honors Each Other’s Beliefs.” His curious nature has served him well in life.

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Mimi Pollack, San Diego County