The Judaic meaning of gratitude must go beyond the mere recognition of God’s countless blessings we experience in our lives. What exactly does “thanksgiving” mean? Thanksgiving comes from two words, “thanks,” and “giving.” True Thanksgiving involves a willingness to share God’s blessings and create blessing in the lives of others around us. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Thanksgiving = Thanks + Giving Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA
JERUSALEM — After attempting college in the U.S. and seeing it wasn’t the right fit for him, Avi Weinreb is finally where he belongs — Israel. Below, the freshman studying business administration discusses what drew him to studying in Israel and how he manages to live a life where he’s both immersed in Torah and
A Southern Californian Comes ‘Home’ to Israel Read More »
Middle East, USA
Israel is a serious country. It’s hard to imagine, from a perspective of years ago. Now more than 9 million in population, with a currency increasing in value against others, and apparently able to extract two citizens accused of treason in Turkey due to what seems like the innocent photograph of the President’s residence, without an overt concession to Turkey. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]
What Accounts for Israel’s Weight in World Affairs? Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA
Jewish books from the PJ Library are mailed free every month to 680,000 Jewish children to be read to them at bedtime by their parents or guardians. Yes, you can thank Harold Grinspoon, the Massachusetts real estate entrepreneur who funds much of this philanthropy, along with Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, his daughter-in-law who serves as president of his Foundation. [Donald H. Harrison]
Dolly Parton Inspired the PJ Library Program for Jewish Children Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Judaism, Lifestyles, USA
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) spoke on the House floor Wednesday evening on Transgender Awareness Week. Her remarks stressed the persistent threats trans people face, the importance of fighting for trans equality, and the need to honor and uplift trans voices. Congresswoman Jacobs’ remarks came as part of a Special Order program organized by the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus. [Sara Jacobs Press Release]
Rep. Sara Jacobs Denounces Anti-Transgender Discrimination Read More »
San Diego County, USA
We cannot argue with Nancy Pelosi: “When a member uses his or her national platform to encourage violence, tragically, people listen.” Whenever her Democratic colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives bash Israel and by association American Jews, they are inciting violence throughout the United States, as it trembles under the crush of antisemitism. However, the Speaker of the House was addressing the sins of Rep. Paul Gosar. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Gosar Is Censured But Why Not Omar and Tlaib? Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East, USA
The National Park Service has agreed to a request from the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation (JASHP) to include mention of Adolph Sutro’s Jewish heritage on a marker at Sutro Heights Park in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, JASHP announced on Wednesday, Nov. 17. [SDJW]
Sutro Heights Park Marker to Honor Sutro’s Jewish Heritage Read More »
Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, USA
Torah Live’s graphics, animation and film level are highly professional and their team of men and women includes over thirty scriptwriters, animators, video editors, and sound and special effects artists. While the world was in lockdown, Torah Live kicked in big time. Since Covid over a million and a half videos have been viewed, and the website has been accessed by 168,000 active users. It has hundreds of thousands of viewers from around North America and the world, including in Moscow, Paris, London, Australia, and South Africa, and including 117 in San Diego, a number the Torah Live people hope will continue to grow. {Toby Klein Greenwald]
Gaming Site, ‘Torah Live,’ Enlivens Jewish Education Read More »
International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Toby Klein Greenwald, USA
Not only was Israel’s self-defense denounced as disproportionate, illegal, overly aggressive, and tantamount to war crimes, but the broader question about Israel’s legal right to even exist was raised, along with the tired, loaded language of the woke Left, language which includes such terms, when describing Israel, as “colonial,” “occupation,” “siege,” “ethnic cleansing,” “settlements,” “state violence,” “racism,” as well as the favorite slur leveled against the Jewish state that it is enforcing a new form of “apartheid” and that a country called “Palestine” will be “liberated” as a result of global advocacy for the Palestinian cause. [Richard L. Cravatts, Ph.D]
The Anti-Israel Con at UConn Read More »
Middle East, Richard L. Cravatts, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
Israel and the United States are at odds over the Israeli capital of Jerusalem. You may not remember that Congress passed – by more that a 10:1 margin – the ‘Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995’ [Steve Kramer]
OpEd: Jerusalem Must Remain Undivided Read More »
Middle East, Steve Kramer, USA
In a meeting in May with then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Joe Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken outlined the Biden administration priority “to continue to rebuild our relationship with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority.” Now, after announcing it wants to open a U.S. consulate in Jerusalem for the Palestinians, come reports that the administration is working on a plan for a Palestinian “unity government” of Hamas and Fatah to negotiate the “two-state solution” with Israel. [Shoshana Bryen]
Shoshana Bryen: U.S. Encourages Palestinian Intransigence Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, USA
StandWithUs called for a formal investigation by the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) leadership into a case where the Muslim Students Association (MSA) likely denied a Jewish student their constitutional rights during a Zoom public meeting, as outlined in a legal letter to the administration sent by StandWithUs and the Jewish student. For the student’s safety, their identity is being kept anonymous. An independent source provided StandWithUs with a captured video of the MSA’s egregious effort to marginalize and stigmatize this Jewish student through discriminatory action. [StandWithUs]
StandWithUs Seeks Formal Investigation of Antisemitism at UC Santa Cruz Read More »
Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
Migrant rights advocate Enrique Morones told a Tifereth Israel Synagogue audience that the United States should adopt an immigration policy that is more coherent and more humane. [Donald H. Harrison]
Enrique Morones: U.S. Must Be More Welcoming to Migrants Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, San Diego County, USA
This cutting-edge comedy has been delighting audiences in Toronto, Boston, Washington DC, and Chicago over the past three years, and now the Lyceum will host this group of world-famous comedic stars. The Washington Post described this show as a “funny, fiercely political comedy-sketch show.” This script is written and performed by an all-female troupe and pokes fun at the female experience, attendant stereotypes, and common experiences. [Eva Trieger]
‘She The People’ Comedy Heads West to San Diego Read More »
Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA