Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Israelis to overcome fear and scepticism of vaccinations as he became the first citizen to receive the coronavirus vaccine on Saturday, a day before the country officially rolls out its vaccination campaign. “A small injection for a man, and a huge step for the health of us all,” the […]
Netanyahu becomes first Israeli to get coronavirus vaccine Read More »
Middle East
Israeli actress Gal Gadot tried an assortment of new American foods for Monday’s episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon**, Fallon surprising her with eggnog, Ho-Hos and Taco Bell. In return, Fallon tried an assortment of Israeli snacks, including sufganiyot and gefilte fish, both seasonal as they are typically enjoyed on Jewish holidays like
Gal Gadot Tries Taco Bell & Ho-Hos For First Time With Jimmy Fallon Read More »
Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA
I am a Jewish Inclusion Fellow at RespectAbility, but I’ve always had a complicated relationship with my Jewish identity. I have always enjoyed eating potato latkes at Hanukkah, and appreciated the ritual of reevaluating oneself during the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but I know very little about Judaism, beyond these cultural touchstones. Some of this is because a childhood seizure disorder kept me from Hebrew school, but it’s also due to my uncertainty of my belief in God. It’s hard to reconcile God with the injustice in the world, such as abuse, cancer, despair, homelessness, hunger, hate crimes, violence. Yet, my Jewish heritage enabled me to travel to another country without my parents for the first time in my life…to Israel. It changed me in many ways. [Blair Webb, RespectAbility via San Diego Jewish World]
Reflections on an Accessible Trip to Israel Read More »
Lifestyles, Middle East, Travel and Food, USA
In observance of International Migrants Day, it is important to acknowledge the need for accessible legal aid for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers and the role of local youth in creating a welcoming environment. As migrants leave their home countries, sometimes without warning or preparation, many are unaware of their rights in host countries. Student-led legal clinics provide these vital services while engaging students and other community members and creating a basis for intercultural understanding and support. [Jacqueline Skalski-Fouts]
Legal Aid in Morocco Helps Migrants Integrate Read More »
International, Middle East
Morocco and Israel have had cooperative relations for years. Israelis of Moroccan descent have traveled back to see where their families lived, and the small Jewish communities of Rabat and Casablanca were generally respected and left alone. There was trade in the amount of $37 million in 2017, and it is growing. Before the pandemic, nearly 50,000 Israelis visited Morocco annually and more than 2,000 Moroccans visited Israel in 2019. Things were going nicely, albeit quietly—so why make it public now? [Shoshana Bryen]
Why Israel and Morocco Made Public Their Friendship Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, USA
As Israel rolls inexorably towards its third lockdown (or whatever you want to call it), one cannot help feeling more than slightly peeved (British euphemism for bloody angry) as to how and why we have got to this point.
I personally have rarely left my house for the past nine months, and if I do I always wear a mask over my mouth and nose while trying to stay as far away as possible from other people. My hands are sore from constant washing. It’s true that various relatives have occasionally entered the house, but in most cases we have managed to keep our distance from one another, and we never hug and kiss one another. I fear that I have become an anti-social monster, and may never be able to engage in natural social interaction again. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Israeli Frustration Abounds Amid Coronavirus Missteps Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East
As previously reported, I had been scheduled for brain surgery on Dec. 18, but on the recommendation of an anesthesiologist at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in San Diego, the surgery will be delayed for four to six weeks. The anesthesiologist was troubled by an X-Ray showing a spot on my lower lung that suggested the possibility of pneumonia. My neurosurgeon informed me today any problem in the lungs can cause serious difficulties during an estimated six-hour surgery in which it’s necessary to insert a breathing tube will be inserted. [Donald H. Harrison]
Editor’s surgery postponed; SDJW will continue publication Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday called US sanctions against Ankara over its purchase of a Russian missile defence system an “open attack” on the NATO member state’s sovereignty. The United States made good on months of threats to punish Turkey for buying the S-400 system under a 2017 law known as CAATSA, which
Turkey’s Erdogan calls US sanctions ‘attack on sovereignty’ Read More »
Middle East, USA
Israeli actress Gal Gadot was projected onto Dubai’s Burj Khalifa skyscraper on Tuesday to advertise her latest film in the Wonder Woman franchise. The Emirati promotion for soon-to-be released “Wonder Woman 1984” makes a marked contrast from the reception in the Middle East of Gadot’s previous appearance as the superhero. The first “Wonder Woman” film
Israeli actress Gal Gadot takes over Burj Khalifa as Wonder Woman Read More »
Middle East, Theatre, Film & BroadcastCity Council President Dr. Jennifer Campbell solidified her control over City Council business by appointing herself and the four councilmembers who supported her for president against Councilwoman Monica Montgomery Steppe to key committee positions. The five councilmembers who voted for her now are the exact same membership of the Rules Committee, which according to the City of San Diego’s website, has responsibility for the “charter, permanent rules of council, open government, elections and ballot measures, annexations, boards and commissions, council initiated matters, communications, customer service and public outreach.” Besides Campbell, who will chair the committee, other members include Raul Campillo, Stephen Whitburn, Marni von Wilpert, and Chris Cate. [Donald H. Harrison]
Jen Campbell solidifies her City Council control Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA
US President Donald Trump continues to lead transactionally in his final weeks in office. Perhaps nothing illustrated this point more than Trump’s announcement that Morocco would become the fourth Arab state in 2020 to formalise diplomatic relations with Israel as part of a deal in which the US would recognise Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
How Morocco-Israel normalisation could push Algeria closer to Russia Read More »
International, Middle East, USA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday picked the next director of the Mossad spy agency, identified only as “D”, to replace Yossi Cohen, a high-profile player in recent normalisation deals with Arab states. Netanyahu “decided to appoint Deputy Mossad Director ‘D’ as the next Mossad Director. ‘D’ is an accomplished Mossad veteran,” a statement
Israel picks new head of Mossad spy agency Read More »
Middle East
Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and advisor, will visit Israel and Morocco next week to discuss the normalisation of ties between the two countries, a US official told AFP on Tuesday. The American delegation, headed by Kushner, will take the first direct commercial flight from Tel Aviv to Rabat, the source said. Kushner
Jared Kushner to lead US delegation to Israel and Morocco Read More »
Middle East, USA
Some letters written in Hebrew dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) were found in the province of Shinjiang on the ancient Silk Road. This was the route that Jewish merchants from the Middle East traveled to China. According to records, a large group of Jewish people traveled on Persian merchant ships and arrived in China in the year 998 (Northern Song Dynasty 960-1127). They then traveled through the city of Quanzhou and then Yangzhou and finally settled in the capital of Henan called Kaifeng. In the city of Quanzhou (Fujian province), there are tombstones showing the Hebrew names supporting this record. In KaiFeng, they stayed in a district called Heshuen (Peace and Harmony) and the people at that time called the Jewish people “Blue Cap Hui Hui.” [Li-Rong Cheng, Ph.D]
Jewish History in China Stretches Back More Than A Millennium Read More »
International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, USA