Middle East

The annexation plague

The burning issue is, of course, the annexation of part of the West Bank. due to take place next month. Many countries, including those friendly to Israel, have urged Netanyahu not to go ahead with it. And, of course, we left-leaning liberal Jews have signed petitions urging him to desist also hoping that, in the end, Trump will curb Netanyahu’s enthusiasm and stop him, or at least “postpone” the deed. Trump has, of course, more serious problems at home. [Rabbi Dow Marmur]

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International, Middle East, USA

In UK, US, and Israel, politicians flout the law

There has always been a certain divide between rulers and ruled. That is the way of the world, whether in ancient Mesopotamia, the ancient Land of Israel, ancient Greece and Rome, the various nations of Europe and all over the world. The relatively recent attempt (in historical terms) to introduce an element of fairness into the system has had its successes and its failures, whether in the shape of democracy or some form of socialism, but there is no getting away from the fact that countries have to be governed, and some people seem to feel the urge to govern them. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Middle East, USA

Modern woman tells of life under the ayatollahs

Author Jacqueline Saper, part of a Jewish family, the daughter of an Iranian university professor and a British mother, an assistant airport manager, describes growing up in a wealthy and idyllic setting, a large house with opulent furnishings in the Tehran neighborhood of Yousefabad, dining in the best restaurants, attending private schools, travelling back and forth between England and Iran, and surrounded by maids and household laborers. [Fred Reiss, Ed.D]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish History, Middle East

U.S. wary of China’s economic interest in Israel

Israel’s greatest ally is unquestionably the US. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel has augmented its reliance on America and the West with an outreach to the East, primarily China, which has become its second-largest trading partner. The US sees Chinese inroads into Israel as a threat to itself. [Steve Kramer]

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Business & Finance, International, Middle East, Steve Kramer, USA

California battle resumes over ethnic studies

StandWithUs, the international organization that battles anti-Semitism on college, high school, and middle school campuses, is engaged in a drive to prevent wording of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) anti-Israel movement from being restored to a proposed,  ethnic studies model curriculum (ESMC)  for schools throughout California. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Sam Litvin, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Susan Davis urges steps to curb sexual assaults in military

Reps. Susan Davis (D-San Diego) and Mike Turner (R-Ohio) are co-sponsoring legislation to shine more light on the extent of sexual assault in the military.  Among other provisions, the proposed legislation would require Judge Advocates General of each Armed Service to assess how well current laws and regulations dealing with the subject are working and make recommendations for further improvement. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA

Sustainable development requires community consensus

How can we achieve sustainable development, not just globally, but specifically in Morocco? We must first consider what the central features of this development are. We must incorporate many factors in creative and innovative design: education, gender, ethics, economics, politics, culture, history, geography, finance, and technical aspects in order for sustainable projects to have enduring success. We also need to employ a participatory approach. We have learned over time through trial and error and observation of how development assistance has been institutionalized in the past 70 years that participation and sustainability are inextricably linked. [Yossef Ben-Meir]

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Middle East, Yossef Ben-Meir

Beth Jacob to begin highly regulated prayer sessions

Beth Jacob Congregation will hold outdoor weekday prayer services by reservation only beginning on Sunday morning, its rabbis and lay leaders announced.  No decision has yet been reached on resuming Shabbat services, which normally attract far larger crowds than weekday services. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Now boarding: JNF’s virtual tours of Israel

With the latest predictions suggesting Israel’s tourism industry could lose up to $1.16 billion due to the COVID-19 crisis, Jewish National Fund-USA (JNF-USA) is helping Israeli tour guides through an innovative new “virtual travel” initiative. A group of San Diegans embarked on this novel experience and returned with wide eyes and open hearts. Led by JNF-USA First Lady and San Diego Board Member Lauren Lizerbram, the group “traveled” from north to south and saw unique and captivating Israeli sites. [Press Release from Jewish National Fund]

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Middle East, San Diego County

Webcasts reinforce tikkun olam

I zoomed in on two local webcasts today and although they dealt with different topics, they both made me feel good about belonging to a strong, caring Jewish community.  I was particularly impressed that the presenters had compassion not only for their own immediate circles of family and friends, but also for society at large, and particularly for people who struggle to make ends meet.  {Our Shtetl San Diego County by Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Book review: Life of a Sar-El volunteer

Mark Werner is a retired corporate attorney from North Carolina, who at least once a year for the past 18 years has traveled to Israel at his own expense to sweat and grunt for three weeks as a manual laborer at various installations maintained by the Israel Defense Force.  The jobs varied from assignment to assignment, but they all involved hard work, typically in the hot sun of Israel and inside even hotter warehouses. [Book review by Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, USA