Judaism

Our Shtetl San Diego County, September 15, 2019

San Diego History Center in Balboa Park and author of The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle, told Rowe that instances of men playing females have long been considered family entertainment.  Furthermore, she said, “Some of the highest paid drag queens in the past have identified as heterosexual.  It has nothing to do with sexual behavior. It has everything to do with entertainment.”

All of which brings to memory that the 1959 Billy Wilder film, Some Like It Hot, one of the most celebrated movies ever to be filmed at the Hotel del Coronado,  starred Marilyn Monroe as a member of an all-girl band that Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon joined, in drag, in an effort to escape from some gangsters. 

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Was the biblical command to destroy nations cruel?

God commanded the Israelites through Moses to completely blot out the memory of the nation of Amalek. The command is repeated by the prophet Samuel in I Samuel 15. The only voice speaking against this apparent genocide is that of the first Jewish king Saul, who was strongly criticized by Samuel for not killing all of the Amalekite people and who lost his monarchy because of his apparently reasonable behavior.

Philo sidesteps the difficulty of the slaughter of an entire people by interpreting the entire report allegorically. Amalek is not a nation, but a symbol of the impassioned coward who strikes anyone he sees standing in his way. He hides until his enemy has passed him by, no longer looking at him. Then he rises and assaults what he perceives is his opponent’s weakest point. Philo was thus the first to introduce the idea that it is not the people that should be eradicated, but the nefarious self-destructive quality of Amalek that an individual must obliterate from his personality.

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

Graphic novel profiles World War II profiteer Joanovici

In the view of the Gestapo stationed in Paris, Joseph Joanovici was a “useful Jew,” because as a scrap metal dealer he could obtain and sell to the Nazis materials needed for the war effort.  At the same time, the French Resistance also thought he was useful because with the money he made as a Nazi collaborator, he was able to help the Resistance obtain weapons.  Additionally, he was able to use his contacts within the Nazi hierarchy to free from prison his employees and his Resistance associates.

Playing both sides, Joanovici had friends among the Nazis and friends among the Resistance.  He also had more than his share of enemies, who would be happy to kill him once he stopped being “useful.”

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History

Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 14, 2019

Items in this column include:
* Attorney Joe Leventhal becomes a candidate in 5th City Council District
* Georgette Gomez jumps into race to succeed Congresswoman Susan Davis
* Brushing up on your Jewish knowledge with a game of ‘Jew-perdy’
*A Backyard Challah Bake
* Camp Mountain Chai increases summer sessions from three to four
* Three ‘self-compassionate resolutions’ for the New Year
* And Finally, Some Fun With Numbers

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Travel and Food, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Our Shtetl San Diego: September 12, 2019

Subjects in this column:
* 2020 may be the year of local exhibits on the Holocaust
* Rabbis weigh in on the controversy over kosher slaughter of animals
* How mayoral candidates are spinning the latest poll

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, The World We Share, Travel and Food

Congregations to commemorate Pittsburgh massacre

#ShowUpForShabbat was initiated by AJC following the cold-blooded murder of 11 Jewish worshipers on October 27, 2018, during Saturday morning services. Exactly six months later, on April 27, the Chabad House in Poway, near San Diego, California, was attacked, leaving one Jew dead, also at a Shabbat service.

“The sanctity of Jewish houses of worship, the sense of American Jewish security, changed dramatically after these fatal terror attacks,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “But the outpouring of support from political and religious leaders, as well as participation in #ShowUpForShabbat, was energizing, demonstrating Americans’ determination to come together to fight hate, in this case hatred of Jews.”

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Jewish History, USA

Notes on Torah Reading for September 14, 2019

….you see among the captives a beautiful woman and you desire her and would take her to wife, you shall bring her into your house, and she shall trim her hair, pare her nails, and discard her captive’s garb. She shall spend a month’s time your house lamenting her father and mother; after that you may come to her and possess her, and she shall be your wife. Then, should you no longer want her, you must release her outright. You must not sell her for money; since you had your will of her, you must not enslave her.”

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Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion

The Talmud has defined the Judaism of today

In tracing the origins and development of the Talmud over the millennia in which it has existed in one form or another (first oral, then written, and eventually printed), Harry Freedman, a historian and expert in Aramaic and Judaic studies, introduces us to the different environments and cultures in which the Talmud emerged and eventually flourished, as well as giving us insights into the various rabbis, interpreters, and scholars who helped to formulate and establish it.

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish History, Jewish Religion

Our Shtetl San Diego: September 9, 2019

Subjects in this column:
*Dr. Peter Salk to Discuss the Works of His Father, Dr. Jonas Salk, Oct. 28
*Beth Israel Men’s Club hosts San Diego Jewish World publisher Donald H. Harrison Oct. 16
*Love Chocolate?  You’ll love LFJCC’s Oct 29 Exhibit and Jan. 14 Lecture by Rabbi Prinz

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA