Judaism

Ethnic cleansing? That’s what Arabs did to the Jews!

By Barry Shaw HERZLIYA, Israel — One of the false mantras of the so-called Palestinian leadership and their BDS supporters is that they are being ethnically cleansed by the brutal Zionist occupiers. This despite that the Arab population is increasing by leaps and bounds and thanks to Israel their health and medical care has improved […]

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Barry Shaw, Jewish History, Middle East

What third generation Holocaust survivors might learn

The Conversations We Never Had by Jeffrey H. Konis; Outskirts Press; © 2016; ISBN 9781478-767299; 197 pages; $13.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – On the back cover of this book is the listing “Fiction: Historical” and that, perhaps, constitutes the author’s greatest regret. If he could have gone back in time, the listing

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

Anne Frank’s diary inspired some victims of Guatemala’s civil war to tell their stories

Guatemala’s civil war ended 20 years ago, on Dec. 29, 1996. The conflict between rebel groups and state security forces lasted nearly four decades and took an estimated 200,000 lives — the great majority of them indigenous Mayans. It was especially hard on Mayan women, who lost loved ones, suffered sexual abuse and other atrocities,

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International, Jewish History

Comedian Ricky Harris, known for roles in ‘Dope’ and ‘Everybody Hates Chris,’ dies at 54

LOS ANGELES — Ricky Harris, a comedian known for both his racy stand-up act and his appearances in family-friendly fare such as the TV series “Everybody Hates Chris,” died Monday, his manager said. He was 54. The cause was not immediately known. But Harris’ manager, Cindy Ambers of Art/Work Entertainment, said Harris had suffered a

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Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Carrie Fisher, ‘Star Wars’ actress, screenwriter and author, dies at 60

LOS ANGELES — Actress and writer Carrie Fisher, who rose to global fame as the trail-blazing intergalactic heroine Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” franchise and later went on to establish herself as an author and screenwriter with an acerbic comic flair, has died. Fisher suffered a heart attack on Friday during a flight to

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Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Pioneering astronomer Vera Rubin dies at 88; she helped find evidence of dark matter

As a woman, astrophysicist Vera Rubin had to fight just to get access to a telescope. What she saw when she did further rattled conventions: galaxies that were rotating more quickly than predicted by the laws of physics. This movement, she concluded, could be explained if the universe was filled with a type of mass

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Obituaries & memorials, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Genetic mutations, Shoah affect coming generations

Aftermath by Allison Nazarian, Allie Girl Publishing, 2016, ISBN 978-0-9828922-2-0, pgs. $9.99 Kindle, $14.99 paperback. By Eva Trieger SOLANA BEACH, California — In general most of us shy away from ultimatums or at least prefer not to be tested by a “now or never” choice. This was how Allison Nazarian explained her decision to write

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eva Trieger, Jewish History

Taiwanese school principal resigns over Nazi-themed parade

After students photographed wearing swastikas, Cheng Hsiao-ming says he’ll leave post early, devote career to educating about important historical events By Stuart Winer High school students in Taiwan dressed as Nazi soldiers during a celebration on December 24, 2016. Pictures from the event were posted online by Facebook user Pixar Lu. (Facebook) The principal of

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International, Jewish History

Jewish trivia quiz: Jewish Christmas songs

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — It’s often said that Christmas music far surpasses the quality of Chanukkah music, thanks to the many Jewish composers who wrote such beautiful songs as White Christmas (Irving Berlin), The Christmas Song/Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire (Mel Tormé and Robert Wells), and I’ll Be Home For

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Jewish Religion, Mark D. Zimmerman, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu Wishes Christians a Merry Christmas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the time to wish his “Christian brothers and sisters” a merry Christmas in a video posted to Facebook on Thursday. He addressed Christians from the courtyard of Jerusalem’s International Christian Embassy and expressed a bond between Christianity and Judaism through a “shared heritage.” “It moves us deeply to have

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International, Jewish Religion, Middle East

Humoring the Headlines: December 24, 2016

By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO−This year Hanukkah and Christmas conveniently coincide, but Donald Trump worries about the next four years when he knows wishing Ivanka Merry Christmas may offend her husband Jared. Consequently, he has tasked Jared, who is so Jewish and smart he will negotiate peace between Israel and the Palestinians, to create a

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Jewish Religion, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Photos tell of Chanukah’s approach in San Diego

By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — With the first night of Chanukah approaching this Dec. 24th, memories of past San Diego Chanukahs are being revived. For example, in Old Town San Diego Historic State Park–where the City of San Diego began–the Robinson-Rose house displays in its window a hannukiah and a Star of David,

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Shor M. Masori