USA

A ‘Rabbi for Trump’ tells why

I supports conservatism, fairness, love of country, and most of all the right of Jews to be free of anti-Semitic attacks and the public discrimination proclivity. Already when Donald Trump ran in the primaries, I had faith not only that Trump would be a good president for all Americans, but he would turn over the hostile tide President Obama established against the State of Israel. [Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg]

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Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, International, Jewish History, USA

Black veterans denied rights of G.I. Bill of Rights

I recently heard PBS television host, Christiane Amanpour remark (really a question) to her guest, “I thought Black veterans of World War II did not receive benefits of the G.I. Bill of Rights.” Her statement passed without further comment, but not for me. As a veteran of WW II, I am familiar with the G.I. Bill of Rights and knew she was not technically correct. However, at this very moment thousands of protestors, Black and White, are marching on our city streets demanding an end to police brutality against Black men and women. With Amanpour’s remark burning in my mind and hearing those voices in the streets, I had to check what really happened to Black veterans 75 years ago. [Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel]

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Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel, z"l, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein pleads guilty to tax fraud

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, former spiritual leader of Chabad of Poway, who was welcomed at the White House after he was wounded in an April 27, 2019 attack on his synagogue by a gunman, had meanwhile been under investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges of tax fraud, to which he pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court.  U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer said he planned to recommend probation for Goldstein because he has helped his office obtain the convictions of five other co-defendants and is cooperating in numerous cases that are still pending. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Beth Jacob issues rules for outdoor davening

– Beth Jacob Congregation responded quickly to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order on Monday, once again closing down indoor places of worship in response to the spiking coronavirus pandemic. The governor’s order also included fitness centers, offices for “non-critical sectors,” personal care services, malls and  hair salons and barbershops. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA

Satire: Trumping the virus, the court, and Tisha B’Av

To characterize President Trump’s creative ideas as mind-blowing or mind-numbing would be classic understatement. So many of his ideas are so very brilliant, they’re almost blinding. Take the recent example, when he said there would be very few cases of the coronavirus if the United States stopped its testing and contact-tracing. So, taken to its logical extreme, if you don’t test, there are no cases of the virus, no victims..and, ultimately no need for a vaccine or even protective gear. [Satire by Joel H. Cohen]

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Jewish Religion, Joel H. Cohen, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Jews must remain a special, chosen people

To me, the Holocaust is much more than a tragic event in Jewish and World history. To me, it was a wake-up call. In the pre-Holocaust era, European Jewry was rapidly looking to assimilate. Jews were holding some of the most prestigious positions in society, ranging from doctors to musicians to professors and even politicians, some Jews were so wrapped up in their social ranks that they did not even identify with their Judaism anymore. It’s said that the Jewish Germans were Germans first then Jews. They were more loyal to their country than their G-d. [Rabbi Dr. Bernhard H. Rosenberg]

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Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, USA

A Holocaust exhibit takes to webcasting

The Remember Us The Holocaust (RUTH) exhibit at the Chula Vista Heritage Museum, located in Chula Vista’s main library, was barely a fourth of the way into its anticipated year-long run, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced it closure.   Sandra Scheller, the exhibit’s curator and daughter of the late Ruth Sax, a Holocaust survivor, remained undaunted.  She slowly but thoroughly transformed the exhibit into a virtual experience. {Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Humor: NY retiree to California examines Florida brethren

A short while ago, I visited a third world country. Visas were no longer necessary, but that may change after the next election. The country’s name is South-Eastern Florida. I was there to reunite with long lost Jewish friends of fifty years ago from the New York City area. We had scattered to all corners of the United States seeking fortune, fame, and families. I found some of my comrades via the Internet. I also sought out several cousins who had relocated to this sun-drenched nation. [Ira Spector]

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Lifestyles, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Congresswoman Davis protests ICE’s plan for foreign students

President Donald J. Trump’s policies toward foreign students are “extreme,” “unnecessary,” and “cruel,” said Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) in leading 136 members of Congress to urge the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to rescind a decision to deport foreign students who during the coronavirus pandemic take courses on-line rather than in person. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Short story: Dirty Dishes

The summer of 1965, I was not quite 17, not quite 5-foot-7, and not quite a college freshman. I was also broke, and I was convinced that I held the school record for number of crushes on girls who couldn’t quite remember who I was when I called for a date. I couldn’t do anything about my age or height, but I decided to solve my other two problems with a summer job at a Catskill Mountains hotel, piling up tips and meeting girls – Jewish preferred, but not required. [Michael Ginsberg]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Michael Ginsberg, USA

The Moroccan villager who changed my life’s course

The Tifnoute community of 44 villages (about 12,000 people) … is so remote that it takes 24 hours to get there due to having to circle around the Atlas Mountains in order to arrive, with the last 70 kilometers of which being unpaved paths. When, as Peace Corps Volunteers, we were assigned to the Toubkal park, we could choose to live anywhere among its valleys of villages, so when I heard that no one had gone to the Tifnoute, I said, “OK, I’ll do it, I’ll go.” I traveled in segments, and it took me three days to get there that winter in 1993. [Yossef Ben-Meir]

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International, Middle East, USA, Yossef Ben-Meir

Jew-hatred, then and now

Jew-hatred (politely termed anti-Semitism) has returned to the US and the West, jolting some Jews but befuddling others who fail to recognize the phenomenon. We baby boomers grew up in era of acceptance of the Jewish community. But this ancient hatred has reverted to the mean as the shock of the Holocaust has receded and Israel has become a powerful nation. [Steve Kramer]

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International, Jewish History, Middle East, Steve Kramer, USA