Only a few moments after her audience had sat in stunned silence hearing about how the mother of Fanny Krasner Lebovits sacrificed her life so her youngest child should not have to go alone to her death, a cell phone tinkled from somewhere in the front of the audience. [Donald H. Harrison]
Crying and laughing with a Holocaust survivor Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County
Just the other day, I received an email from Jean Klugman in Boston that read: ”Hello Dan. My cousin Heather Siegel just sent me a copy of the article you wrote nine years ago, in 2011, in the San Diego Jewish World about a Jewish Boston man who served as Martin Luther King’s German-language tutor at Boston University when MLK was studying for his PhD exam in the 1950s.” In my article for this online newspaper in 2011, I was not able to give the name of the man I was writing about, since I did not know his name and saw no way I would ever find out. But Jean solved the mystery. [Dan Bloom]
Jewish emigre from Nazi Germany was MLK’s tutor Read More »
Jewish History, USA
Though he lives in Boynton Beach, Florida, Jerry Klinger writes stories for this publication from all over the United States and the globe.
Klinger is president of the Jewish American Society of Historic Preservation, an organization which he largely funds. It has erected more than 100 historic markers honoring Jewish-American contributions in this country, Europe, and Israel. [Donald H. Harrison]
Behind the byline: Jerry Klinger Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA
By Kira Thomas ALPINE, California — I was raised Christian. I grew up in a very charismatic church, the Church of God. Our beliefs were very passionate about our love for God and Jesus. Although I didn’t view Jesus as God I had a very strong love for him because I thought he was our
Her journey to Jewish conversion Read More »
Jewish History, San Diego County, USA
By Mark Thomas ALPINE, California — When you’re raised in a Christian home you naturally have a conflict with Judaism, because the claims of Christianity are based on Jewish ideas mixed with Roman ideas about religion. The conflict is obvious, according to the Church, you have to believe Jesus is literally the Son of God
His journey to Jewish conversion Read More »
Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public and private life, including employment, education, transportation and access to all places available to the general public, became law in 1990. On occasion, I find myself giving a ride sharing trip with someone who has a handicap permit. Typically, I am told by the handicapped individual that he will bring the permit so we can make parking a bit easier and closer to the venue we are attending together.
There is no question as to the different reasons why a person is entitled to this placard and the necessity it provides and the validity that it justifies. Nevertheless, for a moment I think to myself, “Hey, that’s great, but wait a minute, Baruch Hashem I don’t have a disability; I should not take advantage of this.” [Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky]
We should strive to fix our imperfections Read More »
Jewish Religion, San Diego County
This parasha covers Moses’ meetings with Pharaoh, which encounters result in the first seven plagues. I have chosen to pursue two Torah passages, with regard to their originality within ancient literature. [Irv Jacobs, MD]
Theophanies and plagues Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion
Fast-forward to this past September when Nicholas Bogan, 17, sent his store manager a message that he was “celebrating the Jewish holiday tomorrow night.” In Eatontown, N.J., 75 years after the Holocaust, Francesco Scotto Di Rinaldi responded: “F-k the Jewish. Put them on fire/like Hitler was trying to do/He had a point,” according to The New York Post. Predictably, Bogan never returned to his part-time job as a pizza delivery driver, and two months later he filed a lawsuit against the owners of the restaurant, Maurizio’s Pizzeria & Italian Ristorante, a short drive from Asbury Park. [Bruce S. Ticker]
There are tools for fighting the anti-Semites Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Jewish History, USA
For the first time in over two decades a painting by Marc Chagall will be going up for auction in Israel. Tiroche Auction House will be hosting the Israeli & International Art auction on January 25th – featuring paintings by a number of Israeli masters, including Reuben Rubin, and Yosl Bergner. The highlight of the evening however is Chagall’s Jacob’s Ladder (1970-1974), a theme to which the artist would return at least a dozen times in paintings and drawings. [Sam Ben-Meir, PhD]
Jacob’s Ladder by Chagall up for auction Read More »
International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-Meir
Many of the world’s VIPs are in Jerusalem today: heads of state or their deputies, heads of government, foreign ministers and other important dignitaries from more than 40 countries. They’ve come to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. [Rabbi Dow Marmur]
Holocaust conference a boon to Netanyahu Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle East
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) – Ahead of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on Jan. 27, a new Pew Research Center survey finds that most U.S. adults know what the Holocaust was and approximately when it happened, but fewer than half can correctly answer multiple-choice questions about the number of Jews who were
Holocaust knowledge wanes among adults, teens Read More »
International, Jewish History, USA
She has a BA from Penn and an MBA from Harvard University. She’s been a journalist. She has started up two successful tech businesses. She has led such organizations as the Jewish Women’s Foundation and Run Women Run. She has been married twice, has two adult daughters, and, at 70, is a proud grandmother. For the last three years, she has been a San Diego City Councilwoman. [Donald H. Harrison]
Life and times of Barbara Bry Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions
– This week’s parasha, Va’eira, asks us a key question. How do you deal with “kotzer ruach”? It says in the parasha, “Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel, but they did not hearken to Moses because of [their] shortness of breath and because of [their] hard labor” מִקֹּ֣צֶר ר֔וּחַ (Exodus 6:9). [Michael Mantell, PhD]
Emunah and bitachon: faith and trust Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
During evening and morning Shabbat services preceding Martin Luther King Day, Rabbi Josh Dorsch and David Ogul, respectively the rabbi and president of Tifereth Israel Synagogue, read from the pulpit a reflection that congregant Dan Tomsky had extrapolated from the writings of The Rev. Kathleen C. Rolenz, a Unitarian Universalist minister. [Donald H. Harrison]
Shabbat reflections on Rev. Martin Luther King Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Obituaries & memorials, Sam Litvin, USA