By Oliver B. Pollak RICHMOND, California — Some people are born on days coterminous with holidays like the 4th of July, Christmas and even New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Others are born on Mother’s Day or Thanksgiving that are Sundays and Thursday with no precise date. And then there is February 29. Some
A birthday between Kristalnacht and Armistice Day Read More »
International, Jewish History, USA
World Jewish Congress marks 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht The World Jewish Congress on Friday commemorated the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass), the 1938 Nazi-led pogroms in which more than 1,000 synagogues were burned, windows smashed, shops looted, and individual Jews rounded up to be sent to concentration camps. Four hundred people
Editor’s E-Mail Box: November 9, 2018 (6 items) Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
By Steve Kramer KFAR SAVA, Israel — Michal and I recently returned from a visit to Vienna. We had as good a time as Jews can have there. (More about that later.) Vienna is the capital of Austria, one of several Central and Eastern European countries which have established close governmental ties with Israel. In
Six days in Vienna Read More »
International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Steve Kramer
By Robert Scott Kellner COLLEGE STATION, Texas — “This imbecile has us especially close to his heart. He makes no secret of his hateful feelings. He does not greet my wife at all and ignores me unless it’s for official business,” wrote Friedrich Kellner, courthouse administrator in the small German town of Laubach, on January
Two Germans who stood up to anti- Semitism Read More »
International, Jewish History
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin briefed reporters by telephone about the new sanctions against Iran that go into effect on Monday, Nov. 5. Here is a transcript of their statements: SECRETARY POMPEO –Earlier this year, President Trump withdrew from the fatally flawed nuclear deal and implemented a new campaign
Editor’s E-Mail Box: November 2, 2018 (4 items) Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle East, USA
SAN DIEGO (SDJW) –If you missed Monday night’s community vigil at Congregation Beth Israel in San Diego, you’ll have another chance to attend an interfaith gathering memorializing the 11 Jews slain at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh and honoring the four law enforcement officials also shot by the white supremacist gunman. Temple Beth
Continued public focus on Pittsburgh massacre Read More »
Jewish History, San Diego County, USABy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — “Wie es sich christelt, so judelt es sich.” This phrase can perhaps best be paraphrased as, “the Christian effect on Jewish life,” which is also the title of an important work by Rabbi Dr. Michael Hilton of London. But the idea is much larger than the subject of the
Israeli officials seek more power at minorities’ expense Read More »
Jewish History, Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — The recent tragic events in Pittsburgh took my thoughts to Professor Robert Wistrich’s seminal study of anti-Semitism. Coining the phrase ‘the longest hatred’ to denote the phenomenon, and making it the title of his book, Wistrich describes the longstanding and widespread occurrence of anti-Semitism. In a subsequent tome, A
Words alone do not trigger anti- Semitic outrages Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish History, USA
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –The distance between San Diego, California, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is 2,450 miles, but the psychological distance between the two American cities was zero as representatives of many faiths filled Congregation Beth Israel’s sanctuary and synagogue to overflowing Monday evening, Oct. 29, in a vigil to express solidarity with the
Vigil for Pittsburgh 11 overflows in San Diego Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USABy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Anti-Semitism is one of the world’s most enduring social diseases that we as Jews have known throughout our history. With the murder of eleven Jews at the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue, the Jewish community awoke from its slumber only to realize that anti-Semitism is still alive
Jews threatened by extreme right AND extreme left Read More »
Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USAMattis, Lieberman confer on defense The U.S. Defense Department issued the following statement Friday: Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis spoke on the phone with Israeli Minister of Defense (MOD) Avigdor Lieberman on Oct. 24 to reaffirm the longstanding defense relationship between the United States and Israel. The leaders discussed a broad range of defense
Editor’s E-Mail Box: October 26, 2018 (3 items) Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle East, USARepublicans, Democrats accused of anti-Israel, anti-Semitic statements Republicans and Democrats have been accused of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiments in two congressional races. The Washngton Post reported that Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa visited Nazi Holocaust sites in Poland as the guest of From the Depths, a Holocaust Memorial group, then, on his own money, traveled to
Editor’s E-Mail Box: October 25, 2018 (3 items) Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
Editor’s Note: This is the 34th in a series of stories researched during Don and Nancy Harrison’s 50th Wedding Anniversary cruise from Sydney, Australia, to San Diego. Previous installments of the series, which runs every Thursday, may be found by tapping the number of the installment: 1, 2,3,4, 5, 6, 7,8, 9, 10, 11, 12,13, 14,15, 16, 17, 18,19,20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 By Donald H.
Of Hawaiian judges, royalty, Jews, and Torah Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Travel and Food, USAShabbat San Diego lists upcoming events The legendary San Diego Challah Bakes once again, to accommodate the expected 5,000 attendees. There will be 6 locations on Thursday night, Oct. 25, with RSVPs required via https://shabbatsandiego.org/ The locations are: Coastal 4126 Executive Dr. Doors open at 5 PM, Ample Parking (we’ve rented lots on both sides of
Editor’s E-Mail Box: October 24, 2018 Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego Calendar, USA