International

Light and Obliquity: Edward Hopper at the Whitney Museum

By Sam Ben-Meir NEW YORK — Clement Greenberg once observed that Edward Hopper was a “bad painter. But if he were a better painter, he would, most likely, not be so superior an artist.” “Edward Hopper’s New York,” a major retrospective currently on view at the Whitney Museum, confirms this judgment. There is occasionally a […]

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-Meir, USA

Digitization of the Papers of Chaim Grade, Inna Hecker Grade Now Publicly Available

NEW YORK (Press Release) – The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the National Library of Israel (NLI) are delighted to announce the completion of the digitization of the Papers of Chaim Grade and Inna Hecker Grade. Making this collection available online will enrich the lives of lovers of Jewish and Yiddish literature throughout the

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, USA

Many Jews Receive Mentions in Brief History of 17 US Presidents

Ronald Gruner, who spent his working career as a CEO of three different tech companies (Alliant Computer; Shareholder.com; and Sky.Analytics), is a lay historian deeply interested in economic policy and outcomes.  His book, analyzing the presidencies of the 17 U.S. Presidents from Warren G. Harding to Donald J. Trump, focuses largely on issues like unemployment, interest rates, and inflation.  But along the way he also makes mention of significant geopolitical events that occurred during those presidencies. I will leave it to economists to determine the value of Gruner’s economic analyses.  They are beyond my depth.  What I did take notice of was how often our fellow Jews, and issues of direct relevance to the Jewish community, cropped up in the book.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, USA

Israel Offers Humanitarian Aid to Turkey and Syria

Published by DPA Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered humanitarian assistance to Turkey and Syria, announcing the dispatch of search and rescue teams as well as medical teams “in accordance with a request from the Turkish government.” The precise nature of the assistance to Israel’s northern neighbour, with which it remains at war, was

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Middle East

Substantial Opposition and Continued Uncertainties in Israel

By Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D JERUSALEM — Israel’s government has an edge in the Knesset, but it’s only four seats. And there is substantial opposition to what its extreme members are proposing to do with the judiciary. One option is for a Knesset majority able to override the Supreme Court’s opposition to a Knesset law or

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Ira Sharkansky, Israel, Opinion, USA

Israel: A Democracy

By Steve Kramer KFAR SABA, Israel — There’s way too much hysteria from the left wing over proposed legislation in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. Where do world leaders like Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French President Emmanuel Macron get the chutzpah to lecture Israel’s elected representatives? It’s bad enough that the leaders of Israel’s

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Israel, Opinion, Steve Kramer, USA

‘A God of Our Invention’ Shines Light on Contemporary Political-Religious Agendas

Daniel Kohanski, A God of Our Invention, How Religion Shaped the Western World (Hannacroix, NY: Apocryphile Press, 2023) 285 pages, $26.00 By Oliver B. Pollak RICHMOND, California — Daniel Kohanski graduated from Colgate with a degree in philosophy and received an MS in computer science from Rutgers. He spent many years as a computer programmer

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Jewish Religion, Oliver Pollak, USA

Sunday Soundoff: Cancel Culture, Transit Equity, & Love vs. Hate

Craven now has been “cancelled” by the unforgiving academic community. The irony of this is that were it not for Bill Craven, Cal State San Marcos would not have existed in the first place.  He fought the uphill legislative battle to win approval for the construction of that campus. Opponents noted that San Diego County already had San Diego State University, whereas other parts of the state didn’t have even one state university campus, much less two, in addition to a campus of the University of California. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA

OpEd: Ouster of Ilhan Omar Did Not Help Jewish Community

House Republicans did not do a favor for Israel nor the American Jewish community when they kicked Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, off the House Foreign Affairs Committee.  Instead, they turned her into a political martyr, thereby magnifying her importance among progressives and potentially fueling antisemitism. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Opinion, USA

Republicans Oust Ilhan Omar From High-Profile US House Committee

Published by Reuters By Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. House of Representatives Republicans on Thursday ousted Democrat Ilhan Omar from a high-profile committee over remarks widely condemned as antisemitic, two years after Democrats removed two Republicans from committee assignments. The deeply divided House voted 218-211 along party lines to remove Omar from

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USA

San Diegans Inspired by Local Students Embracing Their Love of Israel

LA JOLLA, California — On January 24, 2023, San Diegans attended a “Zionism on Campus” event in La Jolla, hosted by Jewish National Fund-USA San Diego Vice President Liat Cohen-Reeis, where they heard from local students and a university professor who recently attended one of Jewish National Fund-USA’s various educational programs in Israel. “There is

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Israel, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

Ben-Gurion University to Honor Dr. Chelsea Clinton

NEW YORK, N.Y. (Press Release) —Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) will award renowned writer and public health advocate Dr. Chelsea Clinton an honorary doctorate at the University’s Board of Governors Meeting in May 2023, BGU President Prof. Daniel Chamovitz has announced. “Dr. Chelsea Clinton is a world-renowned activist, author and ardent supporter of gender

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Israel, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA