SAN DIEGO− President Trump wrote a letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Oct. 9 in which he said, “”Let’s work out a good deal! You don’t want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don’t want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy — and I will.” In the […]
How Erdogan might have replied to Trump Read More »
International, Lawrence Baron, Middle East
Dr. Sol Lizerbram, the Rancho Santa Fe resident who serves as national president of the Jewish National Fund, offers some statistics to back up the claim that sending a teenager to JNF’s Alexander Muss High School program in Israel can contribute in the long run to Jewish continuity.
JNF: Israel schooling leads to Jewish continuity Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Judaism, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA
Kurdish forces, facing a well-armed and aggressive Turkey, appear to have turned to the Syrian government — meaning its sponsors in Iran and Russia — for rescue. It makes sense in historical terms, although it is likely to be bloody in current ones. Historical, in this case, means before the U.S. military presence in the northern part of the country.
Russia, Iran oppose Turkey in Syria Read More »
International, Middle East, Shoshana Bryen
Evelyn Marcus and Rosa Zeegers are a Jewish lesbian couple who uprooted themselves from Holland and moved to the United States because they saw ugly anti-Semitic history repeating itself in Europe. Anti-Semitic graffiti, beatings, rallies, bombings, and demonstrations all seemed to presage the same kind of Holocaust that their parents had lived through. Now, they are seeing some of the same troubling signs in the United States — last Passover’s shooting at San Diego County’s own Chabad of Poway being just one example.
‘Never Again is Now’ references Poway shooting Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego Calendar, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA
It’s a lovely, well run place. The Dutch may be more German than the Germans. Or at least close cousins. Order is clear. Trains and trams are clean and on time. Perhaps within a minute or two. Buildings we’ve seen are spruced well, with gold and fresh paint on statues and other fancy fixtures. Lots of tourists, even in the early part of September. American English was the language of conversation in our hotel breakfast room.
Holland seems like a well-run country Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Travel and FoodPolitical theorist Hannah Arendt was born this date (October 14) in 1906.
Remembering Hannah Arendt Read More »
InternationalItems in today’s column include:
*‘Jeronimo’ documentary compares Korean, Jewish Diasporas
*Political bytes
*Coming our way
Our Shtetl San Diego County: October 14, 2019 Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
When Jordi was just ten years old, his grandfather said, “This is how we butcher a chicken,” as he demonstrated the kosher slaughtering method. Jordi’s grandfather thereby revealed that the family was Jewish, a startling surprise for a young boy in the 1990s living in Spain, whose family was ostensibly Roman Catholic like everybody else. This revelation, that they were Crypto-Jews (secret Jews), had a profound effect on Jordi, who eventually became the first rabbi in 500 years to be ordained in Spain.
New Mexico’s Crypto-Jews subject of informative tour Read More »
International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Steve Kramer, Travel and Food, USAOne way to understand Trump administration foreign policy is to understand that it is more comfortable with the currency of currency than the currency of American soldiers abroad. That isn’t always the best approach, since many of America’s adversaries are wedded to military interventions — including grossly illegal ones. And how the United States reassures its allies that it is not abandoning the playing field to soldiers on the other side is of inestimable importance.
Money, not soldiers, is Trump’s weapon of choice Read More »
International, Shoshana Bryen, Sports & Competitions, USA
Two days before the Day of Atonement, The New York Times reported that Jeremy Corbyn had advanced a signficant step toward becoming Britain’s prime minister. Yom Kippur itself was consumed by fatal shootings outside a synagogue in Germany; a military earthquake in Syria that could easily extend to Israel; and two scary incidents in Elon, North Carolina, and White Plains, New York. This confluence of events cast a bleak shadow for 5780, the new Jewish year. It makes one wonder what else can happen.
Jewish Year 5780 starts with bad news Read More »
Bruce Ticker, International, Middle East, USA
According to the European Union Commission’s website, during the last decade the EUC has given over 2 billion Euros to Arab Palestinians in the “West Bank” and the Gaza Strip. This does not include extra payments for health, welfare, and education, and legal services to assist claims against Israel. Additionally, the EUC is funding illegal Arab building in Area C, which is under Israeli control via the authority of the IDF and its civilian branch, COGAT. This includes assistance to PA residents who infiltrate into Area C and build illegal homes in Arab villages.
Europe’s proxy war against Israel Read More »
International, Middle East
Items in today’s column include:
*UC San Diego books former Israeli FM Tzipi Livni for Nov. 11 lecture
*Three Jewish philanthropists to receive UC San Diego Chancellor’s Medal
*San Diego Humane Society hosts training for animal law enforcement officers
*Political bytes
*Fundraising
*Coming our way
*Remembering Sy Brenner
Our Shtetl San Diego County: October 12, 2019 Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & EducationJournalist Chris Wallace was born this day (Oct. 12) in 1947.
Happy Birthday Chris Wallace Read More »
USA