Ya’akov Yosef (October 18, 1946 – April 12, 2013) was an Israeli rabbi and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Shas between 1984 and 1988. [Wikipedia]
Today’s Jewish Birthday: Ya’akov Yosef Read More »
Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia
We arrived in the late afternoon to set up and warm the home-cooked meal we had prepared. As we entered the lush, plant-filled garden, we were greeted by Hebrew music and Israeli flags draped along the greenery and up the tiered retaining wall. What a welcome! [Betzy Lynch]
A Shabbat Celebration with Members of La Vid Church and 3 Israeli Soldiers Read More »
Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors
A family vacations for several days at the beach at the start of Chanukah, but in their haste they forgot to pack a menorah. They have, however, packed the Chanukah candles. So they improvise each night of their vacation. The first night, they stick the shamash and another candle into the soft flesh of a banana. The second night they put candles into a bowl of granola. The third, into shiny foil. [Donald H. Harrison]
A Creative Way to Celebrate Chanukah with Children Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Mexico has had a Jewish population since the early Colonial Era. Many individuals could not openly worship as they would be persecuted for practicing Judaism. Mexico eventually adopted freedom of religion and began receiving Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis. [Cailin Acosta]
Hispanic Heritage Month Includes Many Jews Read More »
Cailin Acosta, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Obituaries & memorials, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food
We watched with interest as President Trump addressed the Knesset, and cringed at his self-aggrandizing remarks. Only Donald Trump could make this joyous and historic moment about himself; his hyperbolic claims of forging a regional peace that has evaded civilization for hundreds or thousands of years are patently false. The ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas is historic and important, though it is also tenuous and incomplete. [Halie Soifer]
OpEd: Praise for Trump’s Role Ending Gaza Fighting; Criticism for His Domestic Policies Read More »
International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
Ze’ev Jabotinsky (October 17, 1880 – August 3, 1940) was a Russian-born author, poet, orator, soldier, and founder of the Revisionist Zionist movement and the Jewish Self-Defense Organization in Odessa. [Wikipedia]
Today’s Jewish Birthday: Ze’ev Jabotinsky Read More »
Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia
The two centuries were marked by Judean hatred toward Rome due to its conquest and control of Judea in 63 BCE. There were three pivotal violent rebellions against Rome: the Great Revolt of 66 to 74 CE, which resulted, among other calamities, in the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE; the Diaspora Revolt of 116 CE; and the Bar Kokhba Revolt of 132 to 136 CE. There were also many more minor battles before and sandwiched within these three. In each struggle between Judeans and Rome, thousands of Judeans fought alongside the Romans against their brothers. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
A Jewish War that Lasted Two Centuries Read More »
Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Each year, as we return to the opening words of the Torah, we are invited to begin again, not merely to reread familiar stories, but to renew our vision, our understanding, and our inner world. Bereishit is not only about the creation of the universe; it’s about the creation of the self, of human consciousness, purpose, and moral responsibility. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D.}
Parsha Bereishit: Creation of the Universe, Reformation of Self Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Hollywood screenwriter Gary Gilbert heard a story from David Weisberg about the missing stamp collection. Weisberg said it was told to his father, psychiatrist Paul Weisberg, by a firefighter patient whose wife was the daughter of an SS officer. [Donald H. Harrison]
Documentarians Probe Mystery of Missing Stamp Collection During Holocaust Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Jewish History, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
And so a whole nation, and possibly a whole world, watched with bated breath and swelling hearts as returning hostages ran into the arms of their waiting mothers and fathers, embracing siblings, friends, and even in some exceptional cases their own young children. It was impossible not to be moved at the sight, and not to share in the joy and relief of all concerned. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Israel Mesmerized by Videos of Hostages Returning to Their Families Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Jewish History, News Media, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, USAThe atmosphere around Simchat Torah is a bit different this year. The hostages have been released after two years in Hamas captivity, and families and people around the world watched their emotional return. [Cailin Acosta]
Simchat Torah and Beyond Read More »
Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors
The centerpiece of the exhibition is Ndiaye’s Tabaski III (1970), explicitly depicts the aftermath of ritual sacrifice. The ram’s body, twisted and half-abstracted, glistens in layers of crimson and ochre, its form dissolving into painterly matter. The flesh here is not symbolic—it is the subject, the drama, the philosophy. [Sam Ben-Meir]
Flesh and Sacrifice: Iba Ndiaye at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Read More »
International, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-Meir, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USAAfter 738 Days, Hostages are Freed. 7+3+8 = 18, Life! Here in alphabetical order are the reactions from a variety of perspectives to Hamas freeing its hostages; the prospect of peace in the Middle East; and the role of U.S. President Donald J. Trump in achieving this blue-ribbon moment. [SDJW staff]
Reactions to a Historic Day in the Saga of the Middle East Read More »
California, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA