In lieu of a platform, the Republican National Committee built an altar. My deep state sources furnished me with the original draft. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]
Satire: The deification of Donald Trump Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA
It was my habit to stop at a corner along the trail, in the spreading shade of a tropical Moringa tree, and to recite the story of a fateful meeting between David and Saul (2 Samuel 26), here on the very location where it took place. It couldn’t be more authentic.
If the tour leader had a good voice, not a tiresome mumble, I would find the designated chapter in his travelers’ bible, thrust it in his hand and request him to read it to his flock. (Ithamar Perath)
Animals enact biblical moment at Ein Gedi gorge Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East, The World We Share, Travel and Food
All politics may require complexity in its leaders. How else to put together the various forces necessary to keep an alliance together? And for someone who has served a complex society for more than eleven years, the complexity is likely to spill over into what some would describe as unreliability. Bibi may have been made for it. Considerable time and higher education in the US; three marriages; an earlier period when he changed his name to Benjamin Ben Nitai . Little if any relationship with an older daughter by one of his earlier wives. Skilled in the two languages most important for an Israeli leader. And with a father, wife, and elder son very much on the outside of what would be expected of a national leader. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]
Netanyahu’s political successes and current trials Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
Come this year, and we were suddenly notified in a press release sent out by the campaign of Marni von Wilpert, a candidate for San Diego City Council in the 5th District, that Tony Krvaric, the soon-to-retire chairman of the San Diego County Republican Party, had appeared in a video as a young man that made light of Hitler, Nazism, and all that it represented. The thrust of the press release was that Joe Leventhal, the candidate opposing von Wilpert for the council seat, had received a $1,200 contribution from Krvaric and ought to immediately repudiate Krvaric and Nazism, and return Krvaric’s donation. The press release was based on a new story carried by KPBS-Television, which Leventhal said he hadn’t even seen, before his opponent let loose with the press release. [Donald H. Harrison]
When campaign issues go beyond the pale Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, USA
Our first night in France we slept at a farmhouse with many goats, sheep, geese and chickens. We had petit dejeuner(little meal) on a massive wood table in the owner’s family room. Orange juice cheeses, cold meats, yogurt, bread and rolls, home made jam and butter and hot or cold cereal with great coffee. Little breakfast? We drove west toward the coast through the Burgundy countryside which was draped with vineyards on every hill and valley. We came upon an obscure town on a hillside town far from the usual tourist route, and found the historic first public outdoor toilet in France, “The Pissotiere De Glockhemerle.” I gratefully added my portion to its history, and we drove on. [Ira Spector]
An impressionistic tour of France Read More »
International, Travel and Food, USAOur guide book indicated the location of Hitler’s underground Chancellery on our walk. The place where he died has no marker anywhere. There are nomarkers anywhere in the world memorializing Hitler’s existence. The location shown on our map was Potsdamer Platz, where an entire city within the city of Berlin was under construction. We counted twenty-five giant cranes in this ten square block area. I could only approximate where the Chancellery was, and so a symbolic spit was the best I could do to memorialize “Der Fuhrer.” [Ira Spector]
An impressionistic tour of Germany and Austria Read More »
International, Jewish History, Travel and Food
Even while back in Petaluma, our family experienced life on the wild side, or better worded: wild-fire side. We awoke to find ashes on the car and all windows in the house closed to protect from the low air quality. As we kept a watchful eye as the Lightning Complex Fires continued to spread, we tried to look at the events around us to see what we could learn to become better people. We looked at the difference between the physical and spiritual. [Rabbi Rafi Andrusier]
Wildfires illustrate difference between spiritual and physical Read More »
Lifestyles, The World We Share, Travel and Food, USAMail boxes disappearing
As election season is nearing.
If we’re gonna beat him
And soundly defeat him,
Then we all have to cast our votes early. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]
The Ballot (To the melody of The Letter) Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA
A decades-old video involving San Diego County Republican chairman Tony Krvaric and images of Adolf Hitler and Nazi symbols has been brought to light by KPBS reporters Amita Sharma and JW August. It prompted San Diego City Council candidate Marni von Wilpert to call upon her opponent Joe Leventhal — who is Jewish — to return a $1,200 contribution he received from Krvaric “and demand new leadership in the Republican party that doesn’t casually traffic in hate.” [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
Nazi symbolism found in GOP County Chair’s old video Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
This is a story well told, except that you won’t know any more about the identity of the Mafia boss after reading this book than you do now. Whoever he was, he took a liking to Helen Pinczewski, Solomon’s hardworking mother, after she and her husband David opened a candy store in an Italian section of Brooklyn. He made it his personal mission not to allow any of the tough guys in the neighborhood to harass the couple, for whom he developed a great sympathy after learning they were Holocaust survivors. From my point of view, there were three important takeaways from this biography. [Book review by Donald H. Harrison]
Three takeaways from Holocaust, Immigrant biography Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, USA
One hundred and five years ago this week, a horrible lynching occurred in this city. The Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, with support from the ADL and Rabbi Steven Lebow of Temple Kol Emeth, placed the first National Anti-lynching Memorial at the site. [Jerry Klinger]
Leo Frank’s lynching 105 years ago commemorated Read More »
Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials, USA
The peace agreement between Israel and the UAE lays the foundation for a future Israeli-Arab alliance, which has been quietly developing behind the scenes over the past several years. I believe that over a relatively short period of time, such an alliance will emerge, eventually including nine Arab States: the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and at a later date, Kuwait, Qatar, and the Palestinians, creating a crescent of land extending from the Gulf to the Mediterranean. Such a new alliance will more than likely also include Sudan, Morocco, and other Arab states, and will decisively change the geostrategic dynamic in the Middle East. [Alon Ben-Meir, Ph.D]
The coming Israeli-Arab alliance Read More »
Alon Ben-Meir, Middle East, USA
The pandemic quarantine began in mid-March. One week later, my mother died in her sleep. She was 97 and lived in New York. I live in California. Our New York daughter “Zoomed” mom’s graveside funeral and we sat shiva online. So much of this time has been trying and sad. We miss our grandkids—even though we see them on FaceTime or Zoom almost every day. And we will forever regret not being able to say a proper good-bye to mom in person. [Irv Kass]
Daily Zoom shul-hopping to recite Kaddish Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USAHere are streaming lectures and programs of specific interest to the Jewish community from Sunday, Aug. 23 through Friday, Aug. 28 [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]
Streaming Jewish Programs, Aug. 23-28 Read More »
International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA