Israel

Opinion: Parking fees at Balboa Park work against the attractions

By Cailin Acosta in La Mesa, California Recently, San Diego’s historic Balboa Park has started charging for parking, which has caused an uproar among many residents who have enjoyed parking for free and spending time at the park’s museums, restaurants, theaters, and gardens. I have a membership at the Mingei International Museum where children under […]

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Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Jews in the news: Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026

Holocaust survivor and documentarian Bernard Offen, 96, who was imprisoned in the ghetto in Krakow, Poland, and later was an inmate at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp complex, spoke Tuesday at a ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of the liberation of those camps by Soviet forces. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, News Media, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jews in the news: Monday, Jan. 26, 2026

The remains of Ran Gvili have been recovered by the Israeli military and identified by Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine.  The 24-year-old member of Israel’s Police Special Forces was killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and his body was taken to Gaza. He was the last hostage, alive or dead, held by terrorists in Gaza. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Israel, News Media, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jews in the news: Saturday evening, Jan. 24, 2026

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that principals at the first direct meeting among U.S. negotiators and those of warring Russia and Ukraine discussed “possible parameters for ending the war” and went well enough to merit a second meeting next Sunday in host Abu Dhabi, part of the United Arab Emirates.  U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, were among the U.S. delegation. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Obituaries & memorials, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Opinion: Learning to Hate Yourself or Whence Cometh the Hate? 

With false statements such as California State Senator Scott Wiener’s that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, is it surprising that Alliance San Diego disinvited Rabbi Hanan Leberman to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.?  [J. Barry Gurdin]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, International, Israel, News Media, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Eli Sharabi’s ‘Hostage’ recounts his will for survival

I recently read Hostage, written by Eli Sharabi, who survived 491 days as a hostage in Hamas tunnels. This was the first published account by a released Israeli hostage and it appeared while the war raged on. A ceasefire was signed months later and Israel now controls 53% of Gaza. [Steve Kramer]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer

Feeling pride as I parade the Torah through my congregation

I am always so humbled and honored to be asked and trusted to carry such a sacred possession through the aisles as people kiss their siddurim (prayer books) or tallits (prayer shawls) and touch them to the Torah. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, California, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Jews in the news: Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026

Including the U.S., 20 countries attended the signing ceremony: Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

From grief to healing: The Southern California family behind a guide dog training park in Israel

At the entrance to the park, a plaque carries the message Laurie and John wanted the world to know: this was created in memory of their brother, not for publicity, but for purpose. The fact that Paul had no children, the family writes, was “a deep sadness in his life”—one that Laurie and John are determined to transform into something meaningful. [Jacob Kamaras]

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California, Israel, Jacob Kamaras, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Obituaries & memorials, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

10 Reasons for Christians to be Zionists

What sets Christian Zionism 101 apart is its vitality: short, punchy chapters, bold headings, scripture sidebars, and over 200 footnotes for depth. At 206 pages, it’s ideal for individuals, study groups, or newcomers. Early feedback, including Amazon’s 4.5-star average, praises its humble, bridge-building tone. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jews in the News: Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026

Lisa Berman Hernandez, president of Tifereth Israel Synagogue, shed some light on what led up to her congregation’s American-Israeli Rabbi Hanan Leberman being disinvited to deliver the benediction at an “All Peoples” breakfast on Monday honoring the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, News Media, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, USA