USA

Chula Vista Eye Doctor Invents App for the Color Blind

Dr. Robert Penner, 91, has done a lot of things in his life. He was an ophthalmologist with a private practice in Chula Vista; a colonel in the Army Reserve; president of the San Diego County Medical Society and of the San Diego County Eye Bank; and chairman of the San Diego Port Commission, among other distinctions. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

U.S. Supreme Court conservatives lean toward more public dollars for religious schools

Published by Reuters By Andrew Chung (Reuters) – Conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices on Wednesday appeared ready to further expand public funding of religiously based entities, indicating sympathy toward a challenge by two Christian families to a Maine tuition assistance program that excludes private schools that promote religious beliefs. The court heard nearly two hours

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USA

ADL: Anti-Israel Groups on College Campuses Harassing Jewish Students

During the 2020-21 academic year, a vocal segment of the anti-Israel groups and activists on campus continued to engage in rhetoric that often demeaned or ostracized many pro-Israel Jewish students. At times, antisemitic tropes were invoked. This became a flashpoint during the conflict between Israel and Hamas in May 2021, according to ADL’s (Anti-Defamation League) annual assessment of anti-Israel actions on campus. {Anti-Defamation League]

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Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Richard Lerner, who led Scripps Research to greatness, dies at 83

Richard Lerner, the masterful biochemist who guided Scripps Research on its way to becoming an elite center for biomedical science and helped develop Humira, the highest-selling therapeutic drug in the world last year, died on Dec. 2. He was 83. The private, nonprofit institute told the San Diego Union-Tribune that Lerner died of cancer at his home in La Jolla. [San Diego Union-Tribne]

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Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Omar Should Point at Herself When She Denounces Hostile Rhetoric

Says U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, “Words can cause violence.” The Minneapolis Democrat was referring to the words of Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, who represents much of western and southern Colorado. Omar could have been referring to her own words – words like “the evil doings of Israel,” “the apartheid Israeli regime” and “all about the Benjamins” in reference to pro-Israel lobbying. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Middle East, USA

StandWithUs Gala Attracts 400+ Israel Supporters

The show was sold out and had a waiting list.  More than 400 Israel supporters of all ages, faiths and political persuasions joined StandWithUs as it celebrated its 20th year anniversary at its annual “Festival of Lights” gala, on Sunday,  December 5. Held at the spacious Wilshire Ebell Social Club and Theater, guests showed proof of vaccination or negative COVID tests, were able to eat outside or inside, and wore masks inside the theater.  The 2020 gala was held virtually to international audiences of tens of thousands.  The 2021 event was also live-streamed, reaching thousands more during and after the show.  [StandWithUs]

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Middle East, USA

‘There Are Jews Here’ Documents A Dwindling World

There are Jews here. This can be a simple statement of fact, but it is often phrased: There are Jews here?! Small towns are not where we usually expect to find Jewish communities. Such small town shtiebels are the subject of a documentary film, There Are Jews Here through America Reframed and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. [Eric George Tauber]

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Eric George Tauber, Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

OpEd: Middle East Studies Association’s Betrayal of Academic Freedom

Unsurprisingly for an organization whose membership has been perennially hostile to Israel, members of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) voted at their recent annual meeting to advance a resolution endorsing an academic boycott of Israeli academics to a full membership vote in 2022. [Richard L. Cravatts, Ph.D]

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Middle East, Richard L. Cravatts, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

California Here I Leave

After two weeks in California, with all its delights and attractions, it is a relief to be back in the humble abode that is our home in Israel. In California everything, or almost everything, is large. Most of the homes we visited are grand, the people generous and hospitable, and the wide streets and huge stores provide an array of goods and facilities that keep the mind on constant alert for the next attractive bargain or delightful display. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Middle East, USA

Urgent Surgery for Holocaust Survivor, Psychologist and Educator Levy Van Leeuwen

Levy Van Leeuwen was one of those people at Camp Moshava, who influenced our lives for the better. As a counselor, Levy walked back and forth in the dining hall, leading us in song. In the rustic synagogue, Levy led us in prayer. In our classes on Jewish and Zionist topics, Levy led us in acquiring knowledge. Now it is Levy who is fighting for his life. [Toby Klein Greenwald]

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Lifestyles, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Toby Klein Greenwald, USA

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a legal icon that Rutgers should honor | Opinion

Published by NJ.com By David Lopez This week, Rutgers University will dedicate “Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall,” in honor of the former Supreme Court Justice who taught at Rutgers Law School-Newark from 1963-1972. When Rutgers hired Ginsburg in 1963, she became the second woman on the 17-member faculty. The otherwise progressive Dean Willard Heckel infamously paid

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USA

U.S. and Iran pessimistic about reviving nuclear deal

Published by Reuters By Parisa Hafezi and Humeyra Pamuk VIENNA/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -The United States and Iran both sounded pessimistic on Thursday about the chances of reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, with Washington saying it had little cause for optimism and Tehran questioning the determination of U.S. and European negotiators. “I have to tell you,

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USA