By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – In an irony of modern history, the marauding, barbaric, and pillaging destroyers of culture who came to be known collectively as ISIS inadvertently may have shed light on the story behind a shrine to the biblical Jonah as well as upon an ancient king of Assyria. Such […]
Jonah tomb destruction leads to Esarhaddan Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
58 organizations seek sanction of professor who refuses recommendation for Israel-bound student After a University of Michigan (U-M) professor agreed to write a recommendation for a student and then reneged when he realized it was for study in Israel, 58 organizations demanded that U-M President Schissel sanction all U-M professors who engage in that or
Editor’s E-Mail Box: September 21, 2018 (7 items) Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
By Toby Klein Greenwald EFRAT, Israel — More than twelve years ago, a friend of mine, Myra Gutterman, came to me with a creative new idea. She had decided to record and transcribe the experiences of balaniot (mikva attendants) and of women who use the mikva (ritual bath), to be performed as a show
Playwright tells story behind ‘Mikva’ Musical Read More »
Jewish Religion, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Toby Klein Greenwald
By Judy Lash Balint JERUSALEM — Ben Gurion Airport closed at 1 p.m today and won’t reopen until three hours after the end of Yom Kippur tomorrow night. Public transportation all over Israel grinds to a halt by 2:30 p.m. In the streets later in the day, men hurry along with towels to the nearest mikveh
The sights of Yom Kippur in Israel Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East
SAN DIEGO (SDJW)– For many youngsters the bar/bat mitzvah age is 13. However, for Ruth Goldschmiedova Sax, that was not possible. She was 13 when she was forcibly taken to a concentration camp by the Nazis. She would survive that one and two others before the Holocaust was over. On Saturday, at age 90, Sax
Survivor, on her bat mitzvah, offers 13 tips for life Read More »
Jewish Religion, USA
Love, Gilda, a CNN documentary by Lisa D’Appolito; to open Friday, September 21, at the Landmark Theatre in San Diego’s Kensington neighborhood. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – While growing up, Gilda Radner was teased unmercifully about being overweight. Her mother even put her on diet pills when she 10 years old. Knowing
If you’re an SNL fan, you’ll love ‘Love Gilda’ Read More »
Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & BroadcastClick here to hear Cantor Merel’s chanting of Kol Nidre By Cantor Sheldon Merel SAN DIEGO — On the evening of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), the holiest day of the Jewish year, Jews around the world gather in their synagogues to hear the chanting of Kol Nidre (all vows) The ark is opened at the beginning
Kol Nidre is not a prayer Read More »
Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel, z"l, Jewish History, Jewish ReligionAnne Frank Center releases open letter to Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg “We understand it’s not easy keeping 2 billion members happy, much less shouldering the weight for all the nasty things they might say to one another. We genuinely appreciate all the good social media can accomplish: the personal connections, the charity drives, the human compassion,
Editor’s E-Mail Box: September 12, 2018 (4 items) Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USABy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — The recitation of the Unetaneh Tokef prayer is one of the central liturgical moments of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services. The prayer speaks to one of the major themes of the holidays–“Who shall live and who shall die. Who shall perish by water and who by fire. Who shall
Jewish trivia quiz: Unetaneh Tokef Read More »
Jewish Religion, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — The good news – according to a poll published in Ha’aretz on the Eve of Rosh Hashanah – is that 54% of all Israelis believe in God and another 21% believe that we’re governed by a Higher Power. The bad news is that, as a result, 37% don’t believe
How religious are Israeli Jews? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle EastBy Dan Wingard LOS ANGELES — I was saddened to read of the recent death of the great Neil Simon. I didn’t know him personally, but I felt like I did because I was lucky enough to perform in all three of the plays which form his autobiographical “BB” trilogy: Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues (in two
In memory of Neil Simon and his BB trilogy Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & BroadcastComing Home: Living in the Land of Israel in Jewish Tradition and Thought by Rabbi Dov Lipman, Gefen Publishing House, Jerusalem, © 2018, ISBN 978-9652299369, p. 141, $14.95. By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California – Dov Lipman, author of Coming Home, has selected a propitious time for publishing a book about the historical and emotional ties
Israel in global Jewish tradition and thought Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish ReligionBy Stanley Tiger SAN DIEGO — The following is a touching story about two great minds – one, a Jewish atheist respectfully confronting a religious Jew. Their reflections are in keeping with the solemnity of Rosh Hashana. The old friends and collaborators unexpectedly met while in Washington, D.C.. Nobel physicist, Richard Feynman (1918 – 1988)
Science v. Religion, a.k.a Feynman v. Wouk Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & Education
Paraguay reverses self; moves Embassy from Jerusalem back to Tel Aviv The American Jewish Committee expressed deep disappointment over Paraguay’s decision to close its recently opened embassy in Jerusalem and return it to Tel Aviv. “This diplomatic reversal is shocking,” said Dina Siegel Vann, AJC Director of Latino and Latin American Affairs. “Paraguay has
Editor’s E-Mail Box: September 5, 2018 (9 items) Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA