What else can possibly be found in a parasha? Jacob meets his brother, Esau. Jacob wrestles with an angel. We read about the rape of Jacob’s daughter, Dina. Her brothers massacre the men of Shechem. Rivka passes away. Jacob is given a new name, “Yisroel.” Rachel dies after giving birth to Benjamin. Isaac dies. And on it goes. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]
Jacob Showed Us the Value of Acting Now Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, San Diego County
Franklin D. Roosevelt is widely remembered as a strong leader who boldly led America out of the Great Depression and to the brink of victory in World War II. Yet when it comes to the Holocaust, some defenders of FDR’s record want us to believe he was not responsible for keeping Jewish refugees out of America—as if that was all the handiwork of the State Department, which supposedly ran U.S. immigration policy and foreign policy independently of the president’s wishes. Sorry, but you can’t have it both ways. [Rafael Medoff and Stephen H. Norwood]
Whitewashing FDR’s Abandonment of the Jews Read More »
International, Jewish History, USA
We see in this Parshah that Jacob worked for fourteen years to get to marry Rachel. He didn’t give up, but kept working toward the goal he wanted. [Marcia Berneger]
Torah for Children: Don’t give up! Read More »
Jewish Religion, Marcia Berneger
The November 29, 2020 edition of Good News from Israel includes such stories as the following.
• An Israeli-developed eye scanner can detect early signs of Alzheimer’s.
• Israel is the top country in the world for women entrepreneurs.
• Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2020 include 5 Israeli innovations.
• An Israeli supermarket chain is to grow fruit and vegetables at its stores.
• The 3-day Israel-Dubai business conference was a huge success.
• An Israeli judoka won Gold in the European championships.
• A 9-year-old boy found a 1st Temple period gold bead in Jerusalem. [Michael Ordman]
Good News from Israel (November 29, 2020) Read More »
Business & Finance, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Ordman, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, The World We Share, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
Most people are not born with an attitude of gratitude. I want to share with you some Thanksgiving meditations I have thought about this week. To begin, here are two brief anecdotes that illustrate this point. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Meditations on Thanksgiving weekend Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
Valley of Tears, the dramatic series currently being shown on Israeli TV about events in the Golan Heights at the outbreak of the Yom Kippur war, has had me and many others spellbound each week. Although several of my friends and acquaintances have told me that they are unable to watch it as it brings back too many painful memories, I find myself compelled to watch. I quite understand their attitude, and am almost surprised at my own ability to persist through every graphic scene. I admit that I find it difficult to sleep afterwards, but some obsessive preoccupation with the events of that traumatic time brings me back to the screen every week. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
TV Series on Yom Kippur War drives home peace necessity Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish History, Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
NEW YORK — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said a U.S. Supreme Court decision handed down Wednesday night blocking state officials from enforcing a cap on religious gatherings in coronavirus hot spots in Brooklyn and Queens is “irrelevant from any practical impact” because those areas are no longer designated virus hot spots.He said the decision,
The portion (Va-Yetzei) starts by telling us where Yaakov left, something we already knew. Why didn’t it just say, “And Yaakov went to Charan?” Rashi, the great classical commentator, explains a specific lesson from the seemingly extra phrase. When Yaakov, great Tzaddik (righteous man) that he was, departed Be’er Sheva it made an impact. Likewise, when he arrived in Charan it made an impact. That is what happens when a saintly person leaves a place and arrives somewhere else; it makes an impact. The influence of the holy is profound and enduring. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]
A Word of Torah: A Giant’s Presence Read More »
Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi
My wife and I are in the medical field. My wife works on the front lines at a large medical center and watches the suffering that COVID inflicts. Not just to the patients and their families but to the front line workers risking their lives to help others. In the evening we watch the news showing these dedicated doctors, nurses and support staff, exhausted both physically and mentally, literally begging us to stay home this Thanksgiving. The Surgeon General, the President-elect and many of our states’ governors also warn us not to make matters worse. They are ignored by a huge percentage of the population. [Ben Dishman, PharmD]
Medical professionals lament holiday travel Read More »
Ben Dishman, Judaism, Lifestyles, USA
The world has never been more advanced than it is now. Humans have found cures for many of the major illnesses that threaten us; we can travel across the globe in a matter of hours; and we can communicate with each other almost instantaneously. Virtually every problem humans have historically had, besides suffering caused by other people, has been mitigated to some degree. Why is it then that so many of us are still unhappy? Daniel Cordaro says that the problem doesn’t lie with the state of the world, but with the state of our internal being. [Shor M. Masori]
Contentment, Mindfulness and Judaism Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Science, Medicine, & Education, Shor M. Masori
The rise of Alejandro Mayorkas may be just the feel-good story Miami needs post-election.After his Jewish parents fled Fidel Castro’s Communist takeover of Cuba in 1960, Mayorkas lived in Miami as a child. They eventually left the capital of Cuban exiles for a life in Los Angeles, but the 61-year-old hasn’t forgotten his immigrant beginnings.It
Among Jews nominated for important posts in the Biden Administration is Secretary of the Treasury-designate Janet Yellen, a former chair of the Federal Reserve. Although she and her husband, Nobel Prize-winning economist George Akerlof, have not to date talked much publicly about their religious beliefs, it is known that as residents of Berkeley, California, decades ago, they attended services at that city’s Congregation Beth El, and that their son Robert Akerlof, who is now himself a professor of economics at the University of Warwick, was enrolled by them in the Beth El preschool. [Donald H. Harrison]
Janet Yellen to be 3rd consecutive Jewish Treasury Secretary Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
The Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, www.JASHP.org, has funded and completed another marker it its series honoring and recognizing the Partnership for Good of Jewish philanthropist Julius Rosenwald and Black educator Booker T. Washington. Rosenwald was key to the construction of over 5,400 schools, in the 13 States of “South” for Black school children. Millions of Black Americans were significantly benefited by Rosenwald’s generosity. [Jerry Klinger]
Rosenwald’s and Washington’s Partnership for Good Read More »
Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
Following are programs of scholarly and popular Jewish interest that can be accessed via the Internet from Nov. 29 through Dec. 4, 2020. All times are Pacific Standard Time. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]
Streaming Jewish Programs (Nov. 29-Dec. 4, 2020) Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Lifestyles, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA