International

As Iranians riot, Iran stirs trouble elsewhere

There are protests and riots across Iran, brutally put down by Iranian security forces and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC); the government is charging families for the bullets used to kill their loved ones before releasing bodies to them. Inflation is rampant and economic growth is negative. Sanctions on Iranian oil shipments have led Iran to steal Iraqi oil, one cause of the anti-Iranian riots across Iraq. Yet, Iran continues to arm its proxies and allies with missiles that can strike Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Jordan and Israel. Ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, controlled by Iran’s Quds Force, are being spread across the region. [Shoshana Bryen and Stephen D. Bryen]

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International, Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, Stephen D. Bryen, USA

Traveling Israel exhibit opens in Florida

On one side of the seating area on Sunday, Dec. 8, was a documented German cattle car used to transport Jews from Warsaw to their death in Treblinka.  On the opposite side was a full-sized WWII era American Sherman tank, the kind of war machine needed and used to end the Holocaust. It was a dramatic setting for a crowd of hundreds to view the opening of Israel Then and Now, a traveling exhibit combining historical images, milestone moments, interactive media, and film. [Jerry Klinger]

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Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA

How New Zealanders celebrate their holidays

Down Under, Hanukah and Christmas are summer time party times at the beach or lake or up in the mountains or you can just stay home. A big calendar, picturing ‘Food and Culture in Israel’ was a gift from the Embassy of Israel this time last year.It shows that the Eve of Hanukah this month is Sunday Dec 22 and Christmas day is the following Wednesday. The small Jewish community of New Zealand — much smaller than that of San Diego — and the Embassy of Israel host Hanukah Parties for the public each year in Auckland and Wellington. I can’t make one this year but they are always fun. [John McCormick]

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International, John McCormick

Sara Jacobs on her family, issues, and spending

The local Jewish community has watched congressional candidate Sara Jacobs, 30, grow up within institutions named for her family.  For example, she attended the preschool and later participated in 18 J*Company shows on the Jacobs Family Campus of the Lawrence Family JCC.  Her parts ranged from the mother in Benjamin and Judah to the “scary grandmother” back from the underworld in Fiddler on the Roof.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Judaism, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Morality lessons in the daily news

When reading the San Diego Union-Tribune, there are times that I feel I am benefiting from more than the news.  The newspaper also reinforces some fundamental concepts of good behavior and dare I say it? – morality – in its coverage. Let me work from the back sections to the front to explain what I mean. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, The World We Share, USA

Resolution on Israel wins S.D. reps. support

Three Democratic members of Congress representing portions of San Diego County – Susan Davis, Scott Peters, and Mike Levin – were among 192 cosponsors of a House Resolution approved by a vote of 226-188 on Friday, Dec. 6, that reiterated support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. A fourth San Diego Democrat, Juan Vargas, joined his colleagues in the majority. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Pennsylvania vote could decide presidential election

These elections follow those in 2018 when Pennsylvanians re-elected Gov. Tom Wolf and Sen. Robert P. Casey, both Democrats, while Democratic governors were elected in the other states, Wisconsin and Michigan. … No doubt the Jewish vote contributed to Democratic gains in Philadelphia’s suburbs. The Jewish presence in Montgomery County has long been substantial and in recent years expanded northwards. Delaware County has had a smaller but steady Jewish population. In recent decades, the Jewish population has grown in Chester County and skyrocketed in Bucks County. [Bruce S. Ticker}

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Bruce Ticker, USA

Book charts lives, legacies of Holocaust survivors

Other items in this column include: *Numbers add up for Butterfly Project *Political bytes *Mazal tov! Mazal tov! By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — In furtherance of the goals of the newly created San Diego Holocaust Survivor Coalition, the Jewish Federation of San Diego County has published a prototype book, sketching the lives of

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, USA

Rabbi’s granddaughter seeks 3rd school board term

Elana Levens-Craig, granddaughter of the late Rabbi Monroe Levens of Tifereth Israel Synagogue, is seeking election to a third term on the Santee School District Board.  In 2016, she ran unopposed, and, so far, it looks as if she will again have no opposition.  The Santee School District has nine K-8 schools, serving approximately 7,000 students.[Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

Bloomberg’s welcome impacts on the presidential race

Michael Bloomberg wants Donald Trump defeated by someone—anyone. And towards that end he is prepared to self-fund his campaign and torpedo the President with TV, radio, and social media messaging. No need for mountains of paperwork, accountants and lawyers to keep track of the thousands of names, email accounts, job descriptions and zip codes of large and small donors—as other candidates must do. [Colleen O’Connor]

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USA

DeVos urged to enforce Title VI rules against BDS

Noting that directors and affiliated faculty at federally-funded Middle East Studies programs who support an academic boycott of Israel have attempted to implement that boycott in ways that directly violate the legislative intent of Title VI of the Higher Education Opportunity Act, 88 education, civil rights and religious organizations on Wednesday called on U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to prevent this abuse. [Press Release]

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Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Community coalition to aid Holocaust Survivors

True to its roots, when it was founded in 1936 to help European Jews who were being persecuted by the Nazi regime in Germany, the Jewish Federation of San Diego County on Tuesday, Dec. 3, launched a community-wide coalition to come to the aid and honor an estimated 500 Holocaust survivors who live in the county today. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA