Judaism

Comparing Biblical Stories With Other Tales Enhances Their Meaning

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — One of the ways rabbis and secular scholars acquire a deeper understanding of the Bible is by comparing the events in the story with events in other biblical tales. They also compare two Bible sections that use the same word. David Curwin does both in his […]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

Book Offers Compelling Integration of Torah and Contemporary Medicine

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — Ahh, a book on “The Torah Path to Health, Fitness and a Holy Life.” Music to my ears. It was the Rambam who wrote, “Maintaining a healthy body is among the ways of serving Hashem, since it is impossible for one who is not healthy to understand

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

2 National Leaders of the JCC Movement Got Their Starts in San Diego

It took over 100 years before the JCC Association of North America chose someone from the U.S. West Coast to serve as its chairman. That person was Gary E. Jacobs of San Diego, a former president of the Lawrence Family JCC, Jacobs Family Campus in La Jolla.  As his four-year term was concluding, the JCC Association turned again to a San Diegan, David Wax, a retired executive with the San Diego-based, multistate Waxie Sanitary Supply company. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

22 Youths at Congregation Beth Israel Earn Presidential Volunteer Service Awards

In a letter to each youth, Biden wrote: “The American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us. I congratulate you on taking it upon yourself to contribute to the public good … Throughout our country’s history, the American story has been strengthened by those who combine an optimism about what can be with the resilience to turn that vision into reality. I know I’m not alone in recognizing that those who are willing to step up and volunteer in service of community and country are essential to the ongoing work of forming our more perfect union.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Ruth Mastron, House of Israel President, Volunteers for Janitorial Work in Israel

Ruth Mastron, the president of the House of Israel in Balboa Park, has had an active love affair with that nation since 2008, the year she first volunteered to work for three weeks on an Israeli Army base. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Guilt-Edged Good Deeds

Koufax, a Jewish kid from Brooklyn, an outstanding major-league pitcher, was slated to play a leading role. Specifically, he was scheduled to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Minnesota Twins in the first game of the best-of-seven series for the World Championship.  But due to an accident (?) of fate or faith (religious observance), that was also the day on which Yom Kippur fell that year.  [Joel H. Cohen]

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Jewish History, Joel H. Cohen, Sports & Competitions, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Preston Turegano Skewers and Praises San Diego Reporters, Leaders

An employee of the San Diego Union-Tribune and its predecessor Evening Tribune for 36 years until his retirement in 2006, author Preston Turegano had been an editorial assistant, general assignment reporter, and arts critic.  He once was told by an editorial supervisor that people in the arts community were afraid of him.  A colleague reassured him, “People don’t hate you because you’re gay; people hate you because you are you.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County

Parashat Korach: Lessons on Leadership

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — Talk about misunderstanding what leadership is all about. No, I’m not talking about the current election and divisiveness we see everywhere. I’m talking about Korach’s lust for power and material wealth, and what we know authority and leadership truly call for, the richness of spiritual sensitivity. Korach’s style

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Hallmark Channel Highlights Jewish Customs in ‘The Wedding Contract’

The Hallmark Channel premiered on Saturday night, June 17, The Wedding Contract, a movie about a Jewish wedding that might have given viewers some wrong ideas about ketubahs. Adam (Jake Epstein) and Rebecca (Becca Tobin) joke about putting this or that into their ketubah, but they, like most Jewish couples, sign a traditional, off-the-shelf document. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

A New User Interface and User Experience to Celebrate 100,000 OneTable Shabbats

OneTable is thrilled to announce the launch of its brand-new User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX), marking a significant milestone in the organization’s journey to provide its Shabbat dinner hosts and guests with the best digital experience possible. In celebration of reaching a remarkable 100,000 Shabbat dinners hosted on the platform, OneTable collaborated with users

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Jewish Religion, USA