Jewish History

Proud of the U.S. and local response to migrant children

I’m so proud of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Cabinet Secretaries Alejandro Mayorkas and Xavier Becerra, San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, our city’s Mayor Todd Gloria, the folks at Jewish Family Service, and San Diego Jewish World’s own contributor Mimi Pollack. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Mimi Pollack, San Diego County, USA

Virtual March of the Living Set for April 8

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the March of the Living will be hosting multiple virtual events and programs to commemorate Yom HaShoah- Holocaust Remembrance Day. View the promo video https://youtu.be/akdIQv9M9dk  to learn more about this year’s theme and how we will be place memorial plaques on the train tracks leading into Auschwitz-Birkenau. [March of the Living news release]

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International, Jewish History, Marcia Tatz Wollner, San Diego County, USA

Biblical days started at daybreak not sunset

Rabbi Samuel ben Meir, known as Rashbam (c. 1085–c. 1158), a grandson of Rashi, was the author of a superbly rational commentary on the Bible and Talmud. Rashbam wrote in his commentary on Genesis 1:5 that the biblical day began at daybreak. The Torah states in Genesis 1 that God performed certain acts of creation on the first day; then there was evening and then morning when the first day ended, and God began new activities in the morning of the second day. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion

Good News from Israel (March 21, 2021)

The March 21, 2021 edition of Israel’s good news includes the following highlihts:

• With half the population fully vaccinated, Israel’s Covid-19 infection rates have plummeted.
• The UK benefits from two more Israeli medical innovations.
• Many Israeli activities for Good Deeds Day – the country where it began 14 years ago.
• Israeli-designed Instagram Lite is rolled out to 170 countries.
• Israelis enjoy newly opened parks, restaurants, entertainment and sporting events.
• Kosovo opens its Jerusalem embassy.
• 1900-year-old Jewish relics discovered in Dead Sea cave. [Michael Ordman]

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Business & Finance, International, Jewish History, Michael Ordman, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Israel’s Envoy Seen as ‘Modern Moses’ in Ethiopia

Ambassador Raphael Morav did not plan to move to Israel; his parents brought him there when he was still in primary school. He did not plan to become a diplomat, he simply saw a listing for jobs, took a test, and got in. He never planned on becoming the Ambassador of Israel to Ethiopia, but that is the position that opened up at the time and he applied. Lastly, Ambassador Morav never planned on completely changing Ethiopian Jewish life nor perceptions of Jews in Addis Ababa. But that is what he did, with calm and persistence and his usual  kind demeanor. [Sam Litvin]

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International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Sam Litvin

A Bicentennial to Mark Modern Zionism

Not many Jews today recall a 19th century Jewish leader who wrote a booklet that inspired young Jews to move to the Land of Israel. The man at first believed passionately in assimilation as an answer for Jews and later, due to what he saw as rising anti-Semitism advocated a new idea, what eventually became known as Zionism. He himself met with notables all over Europe to advance his plans. The booklet made an impact and led to his chairing a movement that convened a groundbreaking convention of Jews who came from all over Europe to speak about practical ways to spark a mass Return to Zion. [Moshe Phillips]

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International, Jewish History, Middle East

In San Diego, it was lox, bagel and ‘pi’ day

Initially, the event on Sunday, March 14, was advertised by the Tifereth Israel Synagogue Men’s Club as a lox and bagel brunch, during which members could gather by Zoom and discuss how the coronavirus pandemic affected them, and what they look most forward to when it is over.  Members were invited to drive to the synagogue’s parking lot, where a boxed lox n’ bagel meal would be waiting for them. As my wife Nancy had some errands to run in the neighborhood of the synagogue, she volunteered to pick up the boxed brunch.  Inside of the box were two individual fruit pies — one apple, another cherry — in addition to the advertised lox, bagels and cream cheese.   How come?  “It’s pi day,” explained Bram Rubinstein, a Men’s Club member. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA

Antisemitic graffiti riles SDSU

Earlier this week, an unidentified resident advisor at South Campus Plaza North, a large dormitory serving hundreds of students at San Diego State University, found scrawled on the exterior of the building three swastikas and coded messages often associated with white supremacist philosophy.  She immediately got some poster board to cover the offensive messaging, and drew hearts upon the poster board along with the message “Spread Love.”  After campus police were called to the scene and photographs taken of the offending material as part of an ongoing investigation, the antisemitic message was eliminated. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

SWU presses for Jewish history in Ethnic Studies Curriculum

The stories of Sephardic and Mizrachi Jews who came to the U.S. from the Middle East should be included in the Asian-American section of California’s proposed Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum that goes before the State Board of Education on Thursday, March 18, panelists sponsored by the pro-Israel organization, StandWithUs, said Wednesday. (Donald H. Harrison)

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA