By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem presents a Kafkaesque vision of the divorce process for Jewish women in Israel. Viviane, soulfully played by the film’s co-director Ronit Elkabetz, seeks to get out of an unhappy marriage, but her husband Elisha, played by the Armenian actor Simon Abkarian, won’t consent […]
The Wandering Review: ‘Gett’; Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lawrence BaronSAN DIEGO (Press Release) — The Women’s Philanthropy Division of the Jewish Federation of San Diego County is orchestrating a community wide art drive, dubbed Art from the Heart, in recognition of this year’s International Good Deeds Day, which will come to full fruition on March 15, 2015. Through collaboration with several community partners, Federation will
On the Ides of March: Art from the Heart Read More »
Jewish Religion, San Diego CalendarBy Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — The Medrash tells us about the wicked king, Yerovom ben Nevat, who began his career as a righteous king but turned evil. Hashem had ordained him to split from the Kingdom of Judah, and form a separate kingdom called Kingdom of Israel of which he would be the
Yerovom’s hubris led to his eternal downfall Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Donald H. Harrison LA JOLLA, California – How do you teach about the Holocaust to young people, whom, on the one hand we’d like to protect from learning how brutal the world can be, and whom, on the other hand, we know have to be prepared to live in a world where once again
Holocaust education for computer savvy kids Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, USAThe Genius: Eliyahu of Vilna and the Making of Modern Judaism by Eliyahu Stern, Yale University Press, New Haven; ISBN 978-0-300-20592-3 ©2013, $27, p. 171, plus notes, bibliography, and index By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — The eighteenth century rabbi Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman Kremer held the moniker “the Genius of Vilna,” or simply the “Vilna Gaon,” for
Yale scholar produces biography of Vilna Gaon Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish History
NEW YORK (Press Release) – The Birthright Israel Foundation (BRIF), the organization that provides and builds the base of financial support for Taglit-Birthright Israel in North America, has tapped 14-year non-profit executive, Sarah Raful Whinston, as its first director of talent development. In her new role, Whinston will focus on recruitment and career development for
Whinston to develop Birthright talent Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA
LONDON (WJC) — The People’s Republic of China and the World Jewish Congress (WJC) will, for the first time, be hosting an event in Shanghai later this year to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Shanghai Ghetto and the end of World War II in China in September 1945. The event was
70th anniversary of Shanghai liberation rite planned Read More »
International, Jewish History
SAN DIEGO (Press Release) – The Jewish Federation of San Diego has provided a grant to the MidraShow (www.midrashow.com), a joint project of The Orthodox Union’s NextGen Department in San Diego, OUNext, to be held at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 10, at the Lyceum Theatre in San Diego. Prior to the performance hors d’oeuvres and a beer
Midrashim to be brought to stage March 10 Read More »
Jewish Religion, San Diego Calendar
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (Press Release)– In 2015, Temple Sinai marks 145 years of serving the New Orleans community. The largest Jewish congregation in Louisiana invites the entire community to help celebrate its long history, as well as the congregation’s future, vibrancy and diversity. “Though we’re the first Reform congregation in Louisiana, we pride ourselves, both
New Orleans temple celebrates 145th anniversary Read More »
Jewish History, USABy Steve Kramer ALFE MENASHE, Israel — We recently enjoyed the new exhibit at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem, across from the Israel Museum. Entitled “By the Rivers of Babylon,” the exhibit displays: “original artifacts dating to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian Exile [586 BCE], including clay tablets [over 100 cuneiform tablets that
Tales of ancient Jewish exiles Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East, Steve Kramer
Jews in the Wild West, written and illustrated by Kay Miller; Paint Horse Press © 2012, ISBN 978-0-615-55388-7; 29 pages, $9.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—Although this book for juvenile readers was published in 2012, I know from lecturing about Jews in the West that the story it tells so very well is hardly
Book for children tells tales of Jewish merchants Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, USA
CARLSBAD, California (Press Release) — The Jewish Collaborative of San Diego (JCoSD) has launched its multi-faceted Jewish education for children in K-5th grades. In addition to family Hebrew class held once a week, the JCo Kids’ Club is proving to be a new and innovative way to get families committed to Jewish community. “The JCo
JCoSD launches K-5 education program Read More »
Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education
NEW YORK (Press Release)– America’s Reform rabbis are making a major effort to change worship to match the needs and desires of today’s Reform Jews. In alignment with trends highlighted by the recent Pew study on American Jews, Reform rabbis are creating a new High Holiday service that makes all prayers LGBT friendly, adds references to God as
Reform Machzor more LGBT friendly, gender neutral Read More »
Jewish Religion, USABy Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — Before modern washing machines and driers were invented, washing laundry was a time-consuming activity; all the clothes had to be scrubbed by hand and then hung on the clothes line outside to dry. One day, a woman put out a temporary clothes line in the front of a
Holding one’s temper has its rewards Read More »
Jewish Religion