International

OpEd: U.S., Israel benefit under Trump, Netanyahu

A strong link exists between Israel and the US, personified by Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump. Therefore there is linkage between the two ongoing leadership contests. Although Israel had enjoyed non-partisan support in the US for decades, that diminished rapidly under the Obama administration. In fact, as a last parting shot, President Obama ordered his ambassador to the United Nations to refrain from vetoing a particularly nasty Security Council Resolution (2344), which basically declares that Jerusalem and Israel’s heritage is Muslim/Palestinian, not Jewish. [Steve Kramer]

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Middle East, Steve Kramer, USA

After the Israeli election

Though all the results aren’t in yet, it’s very unlikely that Netanyahu and his right-wing allies will muster 61 out of the 120 votes in the Knesset to form a majority government. But it’s also clear that his rival Benny Gantz, the leader of the Blue and White party, won’t be able to form a government either. Yet, politicians close to both assure us that there won’t be a fourth round, following the three elections within the last twelve months. [Rabbi Dow Marmur]

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Middle East

Eight of 12 Jewish candidates made runoffs

Sanders and Bloomberg were two of the 12 Jewish candidates whose names appeared on San Diego County ballots.  Of the other 10, semi-official returns indicated that three placed in first positions — Sara Jacobs in the 53rd Congressional District, Joe Leventhal in San Diego’s 5th City Council District, and incumbent Bernie Rhinerson in the District B race for the San Diego Community College District.  (Their second-place finishing opponents respectively were San Diego City Council President Georgette Gomez, City Attorney candidate Marni Von Wilpert, and Daniel Piedra.) [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Sandi Masori, USA

How Jewish candidates fared in March 3 primary

There were 12 Jewish candidates on San Diego County ballots on March 3.  Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden were in a coast-to-coast race for delegates that stretched from Maine to California, with Biden winning or ahead at press time in Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Minnesota, and Massachusetts.  Sanders won or was leading in California, Colorado, Utah, and Vermont.  Michael Bloomfield won in the American territory of American Samoa, and was battling Elizabeth Warren for third place in many of the states.  Texas and Maine saw seesaw battles between Biden and Sanders, both too close to call as we went to press. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, USA

Only more questions in wake of Israel’s election

The days before Monday’s balloting were as sleazy as any I recall, from watching Israeli elections since 1977. Bibi led the negative campaigning, bringing up issues against all the major figures in Blue and White that had been settled years ago, and charging Benny Gantz with faults up to incipient senility. Blue and White’s campaign pictured Turkey’s President Erdogan, speaking Bibi’s mantra against the charges of corruption, “There won’t be anything because there is nothing.” However, Blue and White’s campaign seemed mostly mild, repeating charges against Bibi, but not getting the air time that Bibi did. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D.}

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

12 Jews compete on San Diego County ballots

While San Diego Jewish World does not plan to make any formal endorsements until the November election, we would like our readers to be aware of the names of our fellow Jews who are on San Diego County ballots.  There are at least a dozen such candidates, whose Jewish affiliation has been made known to us.  Whether they are Democrats, Republicans, or independents, we would like to congratulate them for putting themselves out there. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, USA

SDJW correspondent publishes sixth novel

Our correspondent in Mevasseret Zion, Israel, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, has written a sixth novel, this one called A Ruffled Calm.  As with her previous five novels, Shefer-Vanson has illustrated the cover of her book with one of her own art pieces, seen to the right of this story. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

Two Arab viewpoints compete over life in Israel

A book called  Israelophobia and the West just published by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, includes an essay by Khaled Abu-Toameh, a respected Arab-Israeli journalist about the Arabs in Israel. The author draws readers’ attention to “two contradictory Palestinian discourses.” One is driven by radical Palestinian academics and activists, often teaching in universities abroad, who advocate radical measures against Israel. The other wants “a far more pragmatic, cooperative Israeli Arab and West Bank Palestinian dialogue with Israel.” [Rabbi Dow Marmur]

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Middle East

Susan Davis provides fact sheet on coronavirus

Congresswoman Susan Davis, D-San Diego, has issued a fact sheet about the coronavirus.  We republish it here: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first identified on February 11, 2020 in Wuhan, China. The first infections were linked to a live animal market, but the virus is now spreading from person-to-person. It often spreads between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes…. [ Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, USA

Historians, biographers probe Jewish Cleveland

Cleveland Jews and the Making of a Midwestern Community contains a pair of biographical essays, which I read with considerable interest, and more than a majority of essays of the historical type, dealing with such phenomena as the growth of Jewish Orthodoxy in Cleveland; the impact of Jewish philanthropy on that city; the growth of Jewish schools; The development of feminist ideals among Jewish women’s organizations;  Black-Jewish relations in Cleveland; suburbanization of Cleveland’s Jewish community; Reform Judaism in the Cleveland suburbs; and programs to assimilate into Jewish society refugees from the Soviet Union. [Book review by Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, USA

San Diegans’ dream trip leads to new website

In 2017, newlyweds Jonathan Moed and Zoe (Jurkowski) Moed went on a year-long dream trip around the world, and now Jonathan is pursuing a “passion project” to help high-tech start up entrepreneurs in developing nations realize dreams of their own. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

‘…I Am Proud To Be A Socialist’

It is sad, appalling, and outrageous that much of what Bernie Sanders is advocating is denigrated as “socialist,” as if it were a stigma detached from the day-to-day realities of life that affect every American man, woman, and child. I have and continue to be apolitical, but for me, anything to do with human rights matters because in the final analysis, no one has any right whatsoever to undermine another person’s right to be free, to believe, to feel secure, and to be treated humanely and equitably, as long as it does not infringe upon someone else’s rights. [Alon Ben-Meir, PhD}

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Alon Ben-Meir, USA