The “news,” which reporters “report,” should be as objective as possible. This is often not the case today. I object to newspapers’ front pages which have been turned into op-ed pages. Because The New York Times is the American “newspaper of record” and is widely read by liberals, its front page bias needs to be considered because it’s often duplicated. [Steve Kramer]
Is it opinion or is it the news? Read More »
Middle East, Steve Kramer, USA
The idea of development itself, its definition, and even the method we use for defining it, would be a good place to begin toward discovering its potential in our lives. We cannot rely on any single, or even ten, definitions. We need to look at the full range of literature that arose following the end of World War II, decolonization, and reconstruction from when international development spawned in our era. How has development been defined across the decades? (Yossef Ben-Meir)
Building a development definition in Morocco Read More »
International, Middle East, Yossef Ben-Meir
“You are invited to watch the ceremony to mark the graduation of the soldiers who have completed the Officers’ Training Course.” That was the text of the official invitation emailed to me and other family members by one of our granddaughters, whose sister was one of the soldiers concerned. We were informed that we would be able to watch the ceremony live, as filmed by the IDF’s official photographer, on the official IDF site on the internet. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Watching granddaughter’s IDF ceremony in Covid19 time Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
Just like the Jews in Germany before World War II tried to convince the Nazis that they were good Germans but to no avail, Jews today are trying to convince the world that we are good people. They say that Jews donate to charity more than any other nation or faith, that they contribute to high-tech innovations that advance the world far above their proportion in the world, that Jews have given the world many great physicians, thinkers, artists, and entrepreneurs, and that they are ardent human rights activists. But the world largely responds with contempt. It may be ironic, but it seems very natural for anti-racism protesters to yell “Dirty Jews” at counter-protesters, as The Jerusalem Post reported on June 15. In other words, many people don’t even relate to anti-Semitism as a type of racism. [Michael Laitman, Ph.D]
Lack of Jewish unity spurs anti-Semitism Read More »
International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East
As the president of the Academy of the Hebrew Language since 1993, Prof. Moshe Bar-Asher has many friends and former students around the world. For example, he recently recalled in his courtly English, he once had the pleasure of teaching Mira Balberg, who is now a professor in UC San Diego’s Jewish Studies Department. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
Museum of the Hebrew Language planned in Jerusalem Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA
Confusion prevails in the government. And has been joined by multiple protests and strikes. Several are protests by the ultra-Orthodox, against closures in their neighborhoods or towns. Others are protests against economic issues, demanding more money for those in the street. [Ir Sharkansky, Ph.D]
Protests about many issues now common in Israel Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
Information provided by U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer in the tax fraud case against Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein and five co-defendants alleges that another religious institution, not yet identified, has also been involved in tax fraud. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
Another Jewish institution may be involved in tax fraud Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
For many years I have preached an obvious solution to the Israel desire for peace and an end to many decades of war with the Arab nations. It’s really quite simple… A secret delegation of high level representatives from the Israeli government, some engineers, agronomists and a few of the best chefs travel to the Australian Outback in a timely manner just before Passover. [Ira Spector]
Humor: How to achieve Middle East peace Read More »
International, Middle East, Travel and Food, Trivia, Humor & Satire
[N]ot being able to convince enough Israelis to support him, {Netanyahu] has decided to bribe us all by each citizen being given money, whether we need it or not, at the cost for the state of billions of shekels. His leadership has failed. Will bribes work? I am told that they did in Poland before elections there. [Rabbi Dow Marmur]
Bibi orders direct Covid19 payments to Israelis Read More »
Middle East
I have chosen three passages from this double parsha, for comparison with ancient non-Israelite practices, from what I could find in internet sources, concerning votive offerings, sexual repression, and military campaigns. [Irv Jacobs, M.D.]
Ancient practices: votive offerings, cruelty, military campaigns Read More »
International, Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion, Middle EastComplaints are mounting, especially from sectors of the unemployed, laid off, independents, operators of halls for weddings and other occasions, bar owners, restaurateurs, and those providing cultural events. They’ve been left out of acceptable–or any–programs for aid, and have been been closed in the government’s effort to deal with the current high wave of Coronavirus infections. One sign of the coalition’s fault comes from the multiple plans and promises, none implemented, or implemented only in part, to deal with the economics or the infections. [Ira Sharkansky]
Israel’s government indecisive on coronavirus remedies Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
The boy greeted every passenger who got on the bus with either, “Please make sure your mask stays on properly. I don’t want my Saba and Safta (grandfather and grandmother) to get sick,” or “Thank you for wearing a mask. Because of you, my Saba and Safta hopefully won’t get sick.” [Barry Shaw]
Boy campaigns in Israel to save lives Read More »
Barry Shaw, Lifestyles, Middle EastThe Remember Us The Holocaust (RUTH) exhibit at the Chula Vista Heritage Museum, located in Chula Vista’s main library, was barely a fourth of the way into its anticipated year-long run, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced it closure. Sandra Scheller, the exhibit’s curator and daughter of the late Ruth Sax, a Holocaust survivor, remained undaunted. She slowly but thoroughly transformed the exhibit into a virtual experience. {Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
A Holocaust exhibit takes to webcasting Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
With Covid-19 causing many people to cancel their travel plans, especially visits to countries that have imposed a quarantine, some people tune in to YouTube or the Travel Channel to get their “travel fix,” albeit virtually. We decided we could do better while remaining home in California. We went to the San Diego Zoo. [Shor M. Masori and Kenede Pratt-McCloud]
S.D. Zoo enables world travel for those staying home Read More »
Middle East, San Diego County, Sandi Masori, The World We Share, Travel and Food