International

Justice Alito Overlooks the Preamble to the Constitution

By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — Samuel A. Alito Jr. tells “We the People:” “No support in American law for a constitutional right to obtain an abortion.” Not quite, Mr. Justice. True, our pre-amendment Constitution specifies no civil rights save a brief clause barring a “religious test” to hold public office. However, the Constitution’s Preamble […]

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Bruce Ticker, Opinion, USA

The Palestinian Arabs’ False Impression of Zionism

By Steve Kramer KFAR SABA, Israel — The following is my summary of an excellent lecture by Haviv Rettig Gur, a well-known journalist for The Times of Israel. Gur’s lecture brings something new to the Arab-Israeli conundrum. It’s a wake-up call for Palestinian Arabs, explaining that their belief that Zionism is the ultimate reason for

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Middle East, Opinion, Steve Kramer

A Special Privilege to Teach Our Children

By Rabbi Simcha Weiser (JNS) The Jewish future relies on the relevance that children find in what we Jewish teachers teach. Soon to be entering the new school year, we need thoughtful clarity for our teaching to remain relevant. As our Jewish educators prepare to “diligently teach our children,” we remind ourselves how privileged we

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Opinion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Federal Probe Opened Into Alleged Antisemitism at University of Southern California

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced it has opened an investigation into a complaint alleging the University of Southern California (USC) allowed a hostile environment of antisemitism to proliferate on its campus, resulting in the resignation in August 2020 of its Jewish student government vice

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California, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

StandWithUs Files Amicus Brief Countering Anti-Israel Bias and Antisemitism in the Clifton, NJ Board of Education

CLIFTON, New Jersey (Press Release) — The StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department proudly announces its filing of an amicus brief on July 25, 2022, in support of Complainant-Appellant Elisabet h Schwartz, to help combat inflammatory anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric by members of the Clifton Board of Education in Clifton, New Jersey. StandWithUs’ brief responds to a

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Middle East, USA

San Diego Finds Itself at the Center of the Jewish Community Center Universe

By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — It’s relatively rare for the top lay leader of a Jewish organization with national or continental reach to be based on the West Coast, let alone in San Diego. That makes the leadership trajectory at the JCC Association of North America all the more unique. In late May,

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Jacob Kamaras, San Diego County, USA

My Week With the Maccabiah Team USA Delegation

By Liora Berkstein SAN DIEGO — My experience at the Maccabiah Games was unforgettable. I had the extraordinary opportunity to be a part of the iCenter’s Educational Cohort’s “Israel Connect Week,” which took place July 5-12, 2022, the week before the opening ceremonies of the Maccabiah games in Israel held July 12-26. The iCenter focuses

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Middle East, Opinion, Sports & Competitions, USA

Kolender Was City’s First Jewish Police Chief, County’s First Jewish Sheriff

A member of the Jewish community, known for his self-deprecating sense of humor, Kolender grew up at the Reform Congregation Beth Israel. However, when it was time for his bar mitzvah, he honored his grandfather’s wishes and had it at Beth Jacob Congregation, which is Orthodox. “The rabbi there was Baruch Stern, and it was the first bar mitzvah for him after the war,” Kolender told me back in 1996 when I profiled him for the now defunct San Diego Jewish Press-Heritage. Rabbi Stern’s children “had been killed in front of him by the Nazis, and he started crying and I started crying, and I’m not sure if we ever did get through the whole thing. It was something I never will forget.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

San Diego Event Featuring Israeli Actress Expands to National Audience Due to Unprecedented Demand

(JNS) The land of Israel is “the most misunderstood country on earth,” according to Israeli actress, producer, author, and activist, Noa Tishby, who was recently named the Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism & the Delegitimization of Israel by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As one of the nation’s most popular “positively Israel” keynote speakers,

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Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Never Too Late (Or Too Old) to Be in the Maccabiah Games

By Howard Blas (JNS) Some doctors and lawyers of a certain age spend their days working at the office. Others fly to Israel to participate in a Maccabiah martial-arts event—or stay at home counting the days until they recover from a hip transplant and can compete in the 2025 Maccabiah triathlon in three more years—at

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Middle East, Sports & Competitions, USA

Israel Watches Warily as Russia, Iran Build Stronger Ties

By David Isaac (JNS) Underscoring the warming ties between the two countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Iran on Tuesday. This was the third time since the start of the year that Putin has met with his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi. Israel is closely watching the strengthening Russian-Iranian alliance. “We really don’t know what

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International, Middle East

UK Spy Chief Doubts Iran Supreme Leader Will Back Nuclear Deal

Published by AFP Washington (AFP) – Britain’s spy chief voiced doubt Thursday that a landmark 2015 nuclear accord with Iran can be revived, saying Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remained opposed despite marathon diplomacy with the United States. “If we can get a deal it’s probably the best means still available to constrain the Iranian

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Middle East