International

‘Butterfly Project’ Fuses Holocaust Education and Israel Education, Raises Hope

By Daniela Ben Joseph SAN DIEGO — On the beautiful morning of April 10, The Butterfly Project in collaboration with the StandWithUs San Diego High School Department, held a Holocaust education program at the House of Israel. The International Village in Balboa Park where it is located, receives hundreds of visitors each weekend, making it the […]

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Holocaust, International, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

Jerusalem’s Temple Mount: The Epicenter of Violence

By Steve Kramer KFAR SABA, Israel — There’s been a lot of mayhem lately at the Temple Mount (the summit of Mount Moriah) in Jerusalem, which is a magnet for religious Jews, especially during Passover. Because this year Passover, Easter, and the Muslim holiday of Ramadan coincided, more violence than usual has resulted. The current

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Middle East, Opinion, Steve Kramer

Uptick of Antisemitic Incidents in San Diego, While US Antisemitism Reaches All-Time High in 2021

SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — ADL’s annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents issued today found that the Jewish community of San Diego County experienced 38 recorded incidents, including 14 incidents of vandalism of businesses, places of worship, and schools, 23 incidents of targeted online and in-person harassment, and 1 incident of assault. “These numbers are alarming

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California, USA

Solid Base of Support, But Points of Divergence in New Survey of Millennial Jews

(JNS) An American Jewish Committee survey of U.S. and Israeli Jewish millennials shows that Israel-Diaspora relations remain strong but also indicates points of divergence regarding what role Diaspora Jews should have in influencing Israeli policies, antisemitism in the United States and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The first-ever parallel survey of Jews, ages 25 to 40, was

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Middle East, USA

Israel’s Mess

By Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D JERUSALEM — Israel is currently in the midst of a mess. But, like others that Israelis have experienced, it is likely to be temporary. The context is made up of several major holidays, the month of Ramadan, plus Pesach, and several holidays around Easter. Those manage to heighten feelings that we

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, Opinion

Social Worker Serves as a Lay Rabbi for Elderly Residents of Paradise Village

Lazard, a social worker employed by the County of San Diego to determine financial and residential eligibility for cradle-to-21-year-old residents with major disabilities, says he is happiest when he gets to sing, particularly Jewish prayer songs. Through his tutoring of Ruth Sax, he got to know other Jewish residents of Paradise Village, and before long he was asked to officiate at the monthly Shabbat service. He met with Paradise Village’s Chaplain, Harry Bennett, before accepting the volunteer gig. Services are held in the non-denominational chapel, which has a stained-glass window bearing a picture of a dove. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Author’s Vivid Accounts Range From Nazi Death Camps to Boston’s Worst Neighborhoods

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — From Broken Glass: My Story of Finding Hope in Hitler’s Death Camps to Inspire a New Generation, by Steve Ross, is truly an inspiring story. Interspersed with the author’s vivid recollections of being incarcerated from the age of 8 in a succession of concentration camps are accounts of

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Holocaust, International, USA

After Persisting During Pandemic, Israeli Theater Can Now Share the Fruits of its Labor

By Toby Klein Greenwald (JNS) Raise Your Spirits Theatre released, on the morning of April 15, on the eve of Passover, the video (for women only) and audio recording (for everyone) of our latest biblical musical, “REBECCA! Mother of Two Dynasties.” It is a story of great faith, love, courage, and the hope of reconciliation

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Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Toby Klein Greenwald

Calling Russia’s War in Ukraine ‘Genocide:’ Does it Matter?

By Jonathan S. Tobin (JNS) When President Joe Biden used the word genocide to describe Russia’s actions in Ukraine, it raised some eyebrows. But it didn’t generate the same kind of pushback some of his other previous unscripted remarks about that conflict, such as his call for regime change in Moscow or his threats to

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Holocaust, International, Opinion

Israel to Send Protective Gear to Emergency Service Providers in Ukraine

(JNS) Israel will send helmets and vests to Ukraine’s rescue and emergency services, the Office of Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced on Wednesday. During a phone call between Gantz and Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, the Israeli defense minister said the protective gear will arrive following a request made to the Israeli Ministry of Defense

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International, Middle East

ADL Task Force Calls on Administration to Keep IRGC on Foreign Terror List

(JNS) As talks for the United States and Iran to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) appear to be stalled due to lingering differences, information that American negotiators may remove the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation from a branch of Iran’s armed forces complicit in international terrorism in an effort to appease Iran

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Middle East, USA

The Art of Transformation: Vasily Kandinsky at the Guggenheim

By Sam Ben-Meir NEW YORK — The Russian-born artist Vasily Kandinsky (1866-1944) was one of the early pioneers in the field of abstract painting – along with Kazimir Malevich, Piet Mondrian, and Hilma af Klint, among others. Through September 5, New York’s Guggenheim Museum is hosting “Around the Circle,” an immense retrospective of this extraordinarily

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