Gov. Andrew Como said something that recently caught my attention. He recently remarked, “I did everything we could do. … This is about saving lives. If everything we do saves just one life, I’ll be happy.”[1] [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
At what cost do we save a life? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA
If you’d like into the Jewish studies archives of a variety of institutions of higher learning, Laurie Baron provides these web addresses.
Streaming Jewish studies Read More »
International, Judaism, Lawrence Baron, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
We have been living with the glaring presence of Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar in Congress for 15 months. Finally, we have some idea of the forces that could decide Tlaib’s political future. Likewise for a Republican congressman who is perceived as anti-Israel. The other week, Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones announced that she will challenge Tlaib in the Democratic primary next August to represent part of Detroit and some of the city’s suburbs, according to the website Jewish Insider. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Campaigns shape up against 3 anti-Israel Congress members Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East, USAI should have compiled this list during March for Women’s History Month, but better late than never. I’ve been doing research for the past 2 years on American Jewish women directors and wanted to share some of the films by the pioneers that you can stream at home. Although a considerable number of women directed films during the silent era, those numbers dwindled to two, Dorothy Arzner and Ida Lupino, between 1930 and 1960. The decline of the studio system and the political and social movements of the 60s opened up opportunities for more women directors in the next decade. Jewish women were disproportionately represented in their ranks. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]
The pioneering American Jewish women directors Read More »
Jewish History, Lawrence Baron, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USANew York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has a penchant for making controversial comments. As a politician who always tries to win the loyalty of his constituency, it is quite possible he may have dug a hole for himself that he cannot climb out of. The Mayor said: “If your congregation continues to meet, you could be done for good. If you go to your synagogue, if you go to your church and attempt to hold services, after having been told so often not to, our enforcement agents will have no choice, but to shut down those services, … I don’t say that with any joy. It’s the last thing I would like to do, because I understand how important people’s faiths are to them, and we need our faith in this time of crisis. But we do not need gatherings that will endanger people.”[1] [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
DeBlasio stumbles over First Amendment Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA
The watercolor has been in my family seemingly forever. It used to hang in my parents’ apartment in Tel Aviv, but it has been in my different homes in California for decades. In it a young girl of five or six years faces the painter with a slight pout and a high forehead crowned by a white ribbon. The sadness along her lip line is unmistakable. One can imagine small pools of tears about to gather in her big dark eyes. She is wearing a summer dress, but the painter chose to focus on her face and in quick brush strokes drew two blue straps over small shoulders that are colored a distinctive pink. [Varda Levy]
The tapestries that bind us Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA
The Islamic Republic of Iran is fighting the coronavirus (a.k.a. Wuhan virus) with its usual obfuscation, lies, denials, and accusations. Calling the virus a concerted effort by the U.S. and Israel to infect Iran, the government has demanded an end to Western sanctions – and money, lots of money — because, it says, American sanctions are preventing medical supplies from entering the country.
The first claim is nonsense and the second claim is nonsense. [Shoshana Bryen]
Sanctions in a time of pandemic Read More »
International, Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, USAOne of the fascinating aspects of the coronavirus and its impact upon our society is the impact it is having on the religious lives of people across the world. In Israel, the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi asked Jews to stop kissing mezuzahs because of the coronavirus, while a major European rabbinical group published its own directives how to contain the spread of the illness. For those who are unfamiliar with what a mezuzah is, a mezuzah is a small parchment that contains some of the most sacred Jewish prayers, most notably, the Shema. Some Jews are instructed not to touch the mezuzah, or a Torah scroll with their hands. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
The Mezuzah and the Coronavirus Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
Kate Schwartz, a Fallbrook Democrat who will face incumbent Assemblywoman Marie Waldron (R-Escondido) in the Nov. 3 runoff election, said the coronavirus pandemic illustrates the necessity to re-open community and rural hospitals. Furthermore, she said, it is evidence that California should switch from competing private health systems to a unified, single-payer health care system. She said California could set an example for the rest of the nation. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
The Jewish candidates: Kate Schwartz in the 75th A.D. Read More »
Business & Finance, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, The World We Share, USA
State Assembly candidate Kate Schwartz eared her graduate degree in psychiatric social work, and today as a mental health professional, she serves as one of five members on the Fallbrook Regional Health District Board. As our society experiences the coronavirus pandemic, she says that Americans appear to be moving from the first stage of grief — shock and denial — to the far more dangerous second stage, which is anger. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
Assembly candidate rues growing anger amid pandemic Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA
Via such Internet communication systems as Zoom and Facebook, San Diegans have been receiving scientific, psychological, and spiritual information during this coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego sponsored a 40-minute online briefing by Prof. Erica Ollmann Sapphire, Ph.D, of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in which some of the points that she covered were: [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
Scientific, psychological, spiritual advice during pandemic Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USAOn her first two days as a freshman, two teachers laughed when pronouncing a student’s last name, Guiffre, as Jew-Frey. One teacher remarked, “I wouldn’t want a last name like that,” and the same teacher would later recommend Mein Kampf as a great book. An anti-Semitic photo displayed in a group chat in 2018 prompted an investigation by the state attorney general, which last October found probable cause that Paige fell victim to discrimination by the school and the school district based on her religion. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Neo-Nazi youth taunt Jewish student in New Jersey Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Science, Medicine, & Education, USAMoses gave an exact accounting of the raw material brought to the Sanctuary: gold (29 talents, 730 shekels), silver (100 talents, 1,757 shekels), copper (70 talents, 2,400 shekels) etc. The first thing which strikes us is that this seems to be an accountant’s report on Moses’ business affairs. Moses, after all, is the leader of the Jewish People; if he isn’t above suspicion, who is? But why encumber Moses with a ledger?The answer ought to be obvious. The sacred text comes to teach us that no one is above suspicion. Even Moses is accountable. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Torah teaches officials to be good financial stewards Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA
Gary E. Jacobs, the San Diegan who serves as the national chairman of the JCC Association Board of Directors, declared Wednesday that “the Jewish community has historically overcome the greatest challenges only when we united and work together. This is one of those moments when we in the JCC Community, along with the Federations, summer camps and so many others will collaborate to address this unprecedented crisis.” [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
Major Jewish groups to meet CV19 challenge together Read More »
Business & Finance, Donald H. Harrison, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, The World We Share, Travel and Food, USA