By Rabbi Yaakov Marks SAN DIEGO –The Mishkan (the portable Tabernacle) was built to be a place where G-d could dwell, presenting a more concentrated manifestation of Himself than He emanated to the rest of the world. It was the place where the people could go, with the proper preparation, to communicate with G-d with […]
Weekly Torah portion: Tetzaveh Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Joel H. Cohen NEW YORK — There may be more pressing reasons for concern out there, but right now we’re grappling with what to wear Purim night. If you think of the Megillah-reading as the Academy Awards, then you can logically regard the stairs or the pathway leading to the shul as the
‘Who’ are you wearing at the Purim party? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Joel H. Cohen, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There is a tantalizing parallel between what the Jews did in the first century, and what the Palestinians did in the 20th century. We know of two violent confrontations between groups of Jews in ancient times. One led to the story of Hanukah, when Mattathias Maccabee killed a Jew who
Arabs have not yet had their Altalena Read More »
Jewish History, Middle EastWere it not for the renegade work of club owner, Hollywood producer and self-described showman Fred Weintraub, the lives of Bruce Lee, Frankie Valli, Neil Diamond, Richard Pryor and Woody Allen, to say nothing of the mud-encrusted hippies Weintraub captured in the film “Woodstock,” might have taken other turns. Weintraub died Sunday, leaving a legacy
Fred Weintraub, who financed ‘Woodstock’ and helped discover Bruce Lee, dies at 88 Read More »
Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USATextual Tapestries: Explorations of the Five Megillot by Gabriel H Cohn (Translated from the Hebrew by David Strauss), Maggid Books, New Milford, CT, © 2016, ISBN 978-1-59264-398-1, p. 433, $29.95 By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California – The Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, is divided into three broad sections: Torah, the Five Books of Moses; Nevi’im, the prophets;
Five megillot are examined in ‘Textual Tapestries’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish ReligionAdolfo Kaminksy created fake documents that saved thousands of Jews in the Holocaust. Now his daughter tells his tale in a biography which opened a new page in their relationship By Anne Joseph Sarah Kaminsky can’t pinpoint the exact moment when she learned that her father Adolfo had been a forger during World War II.
The WWII counterfeiter who forged ahead in the face of horror Read More »
International, Jewish History, USARabbi Zecharia Barashi, who was reportedly the oldest person in Israel, passed away in Jerusalem aged 117. His wife and 3 of his 8 children died during his lifetime. He is survived by 29 grandchildren, 72 great-grandchildren and 24 great-great-grandchildren. Barashi was born to a rabbinic family in the town of Barashi, Kurdistan in 1900,
Kurdish Rabbi passes away at 117 Read More »
Middle East, Obituaries & memorialsRobert Osborne, who displayed an encyclopedic knowledge — and love — of films and film history as the primary host of Turner Classic Movies, has died in New York, the network said Monday. He was 84. Osborne was a former longtime columnist for the Hollywood Reporter and the author of the official history of the
Robert Osborne, movie connoisseur and host of Turner Classic Movies, dies at 84 Read More »
Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & BroadcastPHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (Press Release)—Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM), a national commemoration of the contributions that Americans Jews have made to the fabric of our nation’s history, culture, and society, announces the theme for the May 2017 celebration. This year, JAHM celebrates Americans Jews who have made a significant impact in the field of medical research.
Jewish American History Month to focus on medical pioneers Read More »
Jewish History, USAAttendance was inspired by cemetery desecration Azra Baig. Photo via South Brunswick Board of Education Rabbi Robert Wolkoff felt “supported and encouraged” by the presence of 50 Muslim guests at Shabbat services in February. The toppling of 170 gravestones at a Jewish cemetery in Missouri inspired a Muslim woman in Middlesex County to do something
Cong. B’nai Tikvah welcomes Muslims to Shabbat services Read More »
Jewish Religion, USALA JOLLA, California (Press Release)– Pam Zimbalist, a second-generation survivor, tells her experiences encouraging her mother, Hanna Gendler Rom Young to write the memoir of her life in Kovno, Lithuania, as a child; in the Nazi concentration camp KZ Stutthof where her own mother starved to death, and after liberation in the United States. Her
2nd Generation Survivor tells March 8 of helping her mother to write a Holocaust memoir Read More »
Jewish History, San Diego CalendarDaniel Dorsch Every Rosh Chodesh, our synagogue daily minyan holds a service in solidarity with the Women of the Wall who fight for religious equality in Israel. On Monday, women who would ordinarily be harassed leading services at the Kotel did so freely from our bimah. Instead of sneaking a Torah scroll into the Women’s
Why my heart won’t entirely be at AIPAC Read More »
Jewish ReligionMiriam Colón has passed away at the age of 80, her husband Fred Valle has confirmed. The cause of death was revealed to be complications from a pulmonary infection. Colón is a legendary Puerto Rican actress that was widely recognized as playing the mother of Tony Montana in the 1983 remake of “Scarface.” The directors
Miriam Colón Dead At 80: Legendary Puerto Rican Actress Dies After Pulmonary Infection Read More »
Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy Rabbi Yaakov Marks SAN DIEGO –“And they shall make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide and one and a half cubits high.” (Shemot 25:10) The Talmud Sanhedrin(29a) debates the source from where the concept ‘Whoever adds (to the Commandments) diminishes them’ is derived.
To add to the Torah is to lessen it Read More »
Jewish Religion