Jewish History

White Supremacist Tom Metzger dead at 82

Tom Metzger, one of the nation’s most notorious white supremacists and anti-Semites, has died, according to a post on his White Aryan Resistance website. He was 82. The post said: “Thomas Linton Metzger, born April 9th, 1938 in Warsaw, Indiana, passed away in Hemet, California, on November 4th, 2020.” [Ken Stone, Times of San Diego]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Ken Stone, San Diego County, USA

Bry concedes mayoral race; plans neighborhood political organization

San Diego City Councilwoman Barbara Bry, conceding she had lost the mayor’s race to Assemblyman Todd Gloria, told a news conference on Zoom Monday that she plans to organize a new political organization to give neighborhoods and residents a stronger voice at City Hall. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County

Jewish Trivia Quiz: Alex Trebek, RIP

Alex Trebek, host of Jeopardy since 1984, died this week after an 18-month battle against pancreatic cancer. The winner of seven Emmy Awards, Trebek was also known as an activist and philanthropist, supporting causes including World Vision Canada and the Alex Trebek Forum for Dialogue at the University of Ottawa. One of the fun aspects of the Jeopardy program is that on many occasions, the categories are given clever names, often with puns. Which of the following is a real Jeopardy category that contained an answer and question of Jewish content? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

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Jewish History, Mark D. Zimmerman, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Kamala Harris’s husband Doug Emhoff to be first ‘second gentleman’

Washington (AFP) – When Kamala Harris makes history as the first woman and first Black US vice president, her husband Doug Emhoff will break his own new ground: as the original “second husband.”Harris and Emhoff, who married in 2014 — she for the first time, he for the second — will also be the first

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Jewish History, USA

Speaking out against hate during global Kristallnacht remembrance Nov. 9

Marcia Tatz Wollner, the Western Regional Director of March of the Living, urges people to participate in the worldwide “Let There Be Light” project on the evening of Monday,  Nov 9, through the early morning hours of  Tuesday, Nov. 10.  The project commemorates the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht, when the Nazi government ordered the destruction of synagogues and Jewish businesses throughout Germany and Austria. [VIDEO story by Sandi Masori]

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International, Jewish History, Marcia Tatz Wollner, San Diego County, Sandi Masori

Florida principal fired for second time over Holocaust remarks

The Florida principal who made controversial remarks about the Holocaust has been fired for a second time.The Palm Beach County School Board voted unanimously to rescind an Oct. 7 vote to rehire William Latson, former principal at Spanish River High in Boca Raton.The earlier 4-3 vote was based on the ruling of an administrative law judge that Latson was improperly fired in 2019, but Chairman Frank Barbieri called for a new vote, saying School Board members may not have realized the judge’s decision was a recommendation. [South Florida Sun Sentinel]

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International, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Diverse lectures on tap at Tapestry

This year’s Tapestry, sponsored by the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture’s  JLearn, promises to be more diverse, exciting and interesting than ever before. Experts have been tapped from all over the world to contribute to this extraordinary Jewish Learning event.

The first session, the keynote address on Saturday evening, November 7,  at 7:30 p.m.,  will feature David Meltzer, named one of Forbes’ 10 best Motivational Speakers. Meltzer will discuss how to “Stabilize Your Mindset and Stay Grounded. Focus on Your Core Values Through a Jewish Lens. “ [Eileen Wingard]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eileen Wingard, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Jewish trivia quiz: Joe Biden, Jr.

Speaking in 2013, Joe Biden said of the Jewish people, “You make up 11 percent of the seats in the United States Congress. You make up one-third of all Nobel laureates. So many notions that are embraced by this nation that particularly emanate from over 5,000 years of Jewish history, tradition and culture: independence, individualism, fairness, decency, justice, charity.” He concluded by saying what? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

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Jewish History, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

From Ingathering Exiles to Escaping Clans

Israel, the land that was meant to host the ingathering of the exiles and reunite the Jewish people, is tearing at the seams. There has never been real unity in Israeli society, but we always knew how to rise above our partisan interests in the moment of truth. We cannot do this anymore; hatred and division have taken over. It seems as though we are going to split into myriad groups and clans, and many will seek asylum elsewhere, and I am not sure they will be welcome anywhere. [Michael Laitman, PhD]

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Jewish History, Lifestyles, Middle East

How scattered Jewish people kept a religion intact

For nearly two millennia, the Jewish people dispersed throughout the world—lacking a homeland, temple, Sanhedrin, and king—enduring many strange cultures, conducting their lives under control of foreign governments and alien cultures as slaves, outsiders, and self-rulers, did not abandon their God, their religion, or their dreams. Blondheim and Rosenberg are the editors of Communication in the Diaspora, a compendium of eleven essays, describing little-explored pieces of a puzzle explaining how Jews maintain a shared and cohesive identity. [Fred Reiss, Ed.D]

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Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish History, Jewish Religion

Germany’s newest Jewish museum closes after only 11 days

Frankfurt’s new Jewish Museum has been forced to close just 11 days after opening its doors due to government restrictions to stem a second wave of coronavirus infections across Germany and Europe.By Thursday evening, around 4,500 visitors had already taken the opportunity to visit the museum, a restored, expanded and redesigned version of a previous

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International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Travel and Food, USA