International

Fraud, Betrayal and Spy Gear: Inside the Messy Battle for Chabad of Poway

A seven-hour mediation. A secret recording device. Accusations of extortion. These are the latest twists in the ongoing, ugly saga over control of the Southern California synagogue that survived a 2019 mass shooting only to face a federal fraud conviction of its founding rabbi. [Louis Keene, the Forward]

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California, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA

Former headmistress of Jewish ultra-Orthodox school found guilty of rape and sexual assault

Published by Euronews (English) It’s the end of a long legal battle for two sisters determined to bring their abuser to justice. On Thursday, Malka Leifer, a former headmistress of an ultra-orthodox Jewish school in Australia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually abusing her students. After nine days of jury deliberations, she

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International, Shanda File

Israel far-right minister spars with supermodel Bella Hadid over Palestinian rights

Published by Reuters UK JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday defended comments by his far-right national security minister that had sparked a row with U.S. supermodel Bella Hadid and drawn condemnation as racist from the Palestinians and Washington. In an television interview on Wednesday, Itamar Ben-Gvir said that the right to life

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Israel

Man arrested after gravestone vandalism at Chatham Memorial Synagogue

Published by Kent Online Police have arrested a man after a wrecking spree in a Jewish cemetery which caused £19,000 of damage. A trail of destruction was left in the burial ground of Chatham Memorial Synagogue with headstones of loved ones smashed and knocked down last week. The incident, which is thought to have happened

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International

Sefaria Launches First-Ever ‘Global Community Torah’ Digital Writing Project

(Press Release) Sefaria unveiled a groundbreaking digital collaboration, the “Global Community Torah,” that is a unique opportunity for anyone to have a small part in “writing” a Torah—all 304,805 letters. The ambitious project launched at a virtual 10th anniversary celebration for Sefaria, the non-profit organization that digitizes and freely shares Jewish texts in Hebrew and

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Jewish Religion, USA

$3,500 Reward Offered for Information about Suspect in Attack on Rabbi Aharon Shapiro

San Diego Crime Stoppers on Wednesday, Aug. 23, offered a reward of up to $1,000 for help in identifying and locating the suspect who threatened and assaulted Orthodox Rabbi Aharon Shapiro on July 24 inside a 7-Eleven store at 5142 College Avenue. Added to a previous offer of $2,500 from the StandWithUs organization, that brings to $3,500 the amount offered for the suspect’s identification and arrest. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Israel, San Diego County, USA

The Potential Fall of Congresswoman Summer Lee, the Squad Member From Pittsburgh

By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — After seven months on the job, U.S. Rep. Summer Lee set herself up for the winter of Summer, to borrow from “The summer of George” title of a Seinfeld segment. Earlier this month, she traded barbs with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which criticized her decision to boycott

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Bruce Ticker, Israel, Opinion, USA

Federation Bids Farewell to Departing ShinShinim, Pillar of San Diego-Israel Bond

SDJW Staff Report SAN DIEGO — Jewish Federation of San Diego President and CEO Heidi Gantwerk last Friday penned an emotional farewell message to the group of nine ShinShinim (young Israeli emissaries) who served with local Jewish organizations this past year, sharing their knowledge, experiences, and passion for Israel with people of all ages. The

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Israel, San Diego County

Jewish Men’s Choir Brings Joy in Several Languages

What once was a choir featuring the voices of male expatriates from South Africa has become a choir of many international voices performing not only Jewish liturgical music but also secular songs in Yiddish, Ladino, Hebrew, and English.  Choir members hail from countries around the world, among them the U.S., South Africa, France, Guatemala, Mexico, and Israel. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA

Rabbi-Cantor Cheri Weiss Combines Love of Judaism and Music

“Sometimes, I will do a creative service,” she continued. “I will have a theme and I will have some of the basic prayers, but I also ask people to bring poems or stories or something unique that speaks to the theme that I provided. Those were really received well because people could feel that they were participating. I am much more interested in participation than I am in performance.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Ben Dishman, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA

Gala to Honor and Learn from Israeli Survivors of Terror

The rocket explosion killed Ella and wounded Tamir, who still has some shrapnel in his head. Today, Tamir is a married adult. He has been asked to talk about “how he survived and how is his life now,” commented Carine Chitayat, the Swiss-born executive director of the Foundation. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, USA