USA

B’Shalom: Marianne Williamson, Elissa Slotkin and Sara Jacobs

Two Jewish women are making big political waves.  Marianne Williamson has announced she will oppose incumbent President Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic presidential primaries.  U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan) has formally declared her candidacy to succeed Michigan’s retiring Democratic senator Debbie Stabanow in an effort by Democrats to remain in control of the U.S. Senate. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Opinion, USA

Speaking in San Diego, Former US Envoy Remains an ‘Optimist’ on Grim Subject of Antisemitism

By Jacob Kamaras SAN DIEGO — Rising antisemitism is a natural concern in the Jewish community for a variety of reasons, many of which Elan S. Carr outlined on Monday at Jewish National Fund-USA’s Legacy Luncheon. Yet Carr, who has worked on countering Jew-hatred worldwide from the upper echelon of government, somehow remains an optimist

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California, International, Israel, Jacob Kamaras, San Diego County, USA

ADL Condemns Neo-Nazi Protests of Broadway Play About Antisemitic Lynching

(JNS) With a book by Alfred Uhry, and lyrics and music by Jason Robert Brown, the 1998 musical “Parade” tells the tragic story of Jewish factory manager Leo Frank, who was tried, convicted and sentenced to death for the rumored rape and the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan in Atlanta in 1913. Two years later,

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Holocaust, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

One Year into the War, Jewish Humanitarian Efforts Remain in Full Throttle in Ukraine

By Mike Wagenheim (JNS) As the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches its one-year anniversary on Friday, North American Jewish leaders at the forefront of humanitarian aid to Ukraine are appreciative of the ways Jews have pitched in. Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), told JNS world Jewry has

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International, USA

Biden Calls Them Terrorists, Why Won’t the Media?

By Stephen M. Flatow (JNS) The Biden administration says that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) are terrorists. The European Union, Japan, Canada, Australia and many other countries say the same. It’s not a Republican vs. Democrat issue. It’s not a conservative vs. liberal controversy. It’s something on which all reasonable people agree. So why

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International, Israel, Opinion, USA

B’Shalom: Special Elections Here and Elsewhere

County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher plans to run in 2024 for the seat of state Senate President pro tempore Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, the year she will be ineligible to run again because of term limits. Fletcher will be in the middle of his second term as a county supervisor at that time, so, depending on the outcome of the state Senate election, we may face a special election for his seat.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Opinion, San Diego County, USA

Jewish Family Service-Led Human Rights Coalition Rejects New Biden Migrant Rules as ‘Asylum Ban’

By Chris Jennewein Times of San Diego SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Rapid Response Network issued a condemnation Wednesday of the Biden Administration’s proposed new restrictions on refugees seeking asylum in the United States. The coalition of human rights organizations, led by Jewish Family Service of San Diego, operates local migrant shelters funded by

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Chris Jennewein, San Diego County, USA

Netanyahu Talks With US Senators, Including Padilla, About Iran and Abraham Accords

(JNS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met separately on Tuesday with U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), stressing to them the importance of the bilateral relationship and that America is the Jewish state’s “greatest friend.” Netanyahu told the lawmakers that despite any disagreements between Jerusalem and Washington, such meetings were an expression

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California, Israel, Middle East, USA

Holocaust Museums and Memorials Have Work Cut Out for Them Attracting Non-Jews

By Menachem Wecker (JNS) In a study published in the Journal of Travel Research last year, scholars from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that a visit to the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, which they dubbed “dark tourism,” made people feel empowered and inclined to identify societal concerns that need repair. The

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Holocaust, USA

Gene Simmons of Kiss Fame to Unveil Mural of Polish Catholic Holocaust Hero

By Mike Wagenheim (JNS) Artists 4 Israel is expanding its series of murals honoring Righteous Among the Nations. It’s doing so with a “kiss” this time. The collective, which enlists artists to combat antisemitism and anti-Israel bigotry through their work, will unveil its fourth mural on Feb. 26 paying homage to non-Jews who risked their

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California, Holocaust, International, Jewish Celebrities, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA

Los Angeles Synagogue Shootings: The Personal and the Perilous

By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — Decades ago, I most likely walked past the site of a Los Angeles synagogue near where Guy Taieb, 73, was wounded in a drive-by shooting last Thursday, an incident likely motivated by antisemitism. Long before Taieb moved to Los Angeles, I spent an afternoon visiting Santa Monica, and then

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Bruce Ticker, California, Opinion, USA

B’Shalom:  Jimmy Carter, Rose Schindler, U.S. Senate Aspirants, Gregory Peck

An Israeli-American of close acquaintance, upon hearing that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter had entered hospice, commented that he “never liked that guy, he was an antisemite.” He noted that Carter helped propagate the lie that Israel is an apartheid state, even though Arabs have entered the highest levels of government and industry alongside their Jewish neighbors in Israel.  Nevertheless, as we look back over his career, I think that we should be more charitable toward Carter, not forgetting his invaluable contributions as a mediator at Camp David, bringing about the peace between Israel and Egypt. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion, USA

Jewish Federation of San Diego Weighs in on Israeli Judicial Reform

On Tuesday, leaders of the Jewish Federation of San Diego issued the following statement regarding the much-discussed issue of Israeli judicial reform: Dear Friends, Our relationship with and love for the land and the people of Israel is and will always be integral to Federation’s DNA. From long before the birth of the state of

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Israel, San Diego County, USA