Jewish History

South Carolina tackles campus anti- Semitism

  WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (LDB) on Friday applauded the South Carolina General Assembly for being the first state to pass legislation that will help tackle the rising anti-Semitism plaguing U.S. college campuses. The legislation, which was included as part of a larger state spending package, […]

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Jewish History, USA

Memory in the Living Room

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel –In recent years it has become customary in Israel, in addition to the official ceremonies marking Holocaust Day, for small groups of people, whether survivors, descendants of survivors, or simply those who feel a connection to the subject, to gather together in private homes and talk about their own

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish History, Middle East

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Valley Center days

Story by Donald H. Harrison; photos by Shor M. Masori VALLEY CENTER, California – Not being an incorporated city, Valley Center is not so well known as neighboring Escondido, located about nine miles to its southwest.  But, perhaps surprisingly, this rural town has lots of Jewish history—and U.S. presidential history as well. The Lilac Ranch,

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Shor M. Masori, USA

Jewish community to observe Yom HaShoah April 8

SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — The Jewish Federation of San Diego County will host the annual Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Commemoration event on Sunday, April 8 at 1:30pm,  at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center. Hundreds will gather to observe this occasion with a solemn commemoration including Holocaust survivors, families and school children. The program will feature

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Jewish History, San Diego County

Simone Veil’s memoir provides inspiration for all

Une Vie (One Life) by Simone Veil, (c) 2017, Stock, France.   By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — On the cover of Simone Veil’s autobiography, written in 2007, we read that she is a member of the Academie Francaise, though this is not mentioned in the book. It would seem that after a long and

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish History

Australian rabbi grew up in secular Los Angeles home

    Editor’s Note: This is the third 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.  By Donald H. Harrison SYDNEY,

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

Museum examines war bravery, Holocaust brutality

    Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of stories based on editor Donald Harrison’s 50th anniversary cruise with his wife Nancy from Sydney, Australia, back to San Diego, and the people they met and places they visited along the way. By Donald H. Harrison SYDNEY, Australia – Dedicated as the Maccabean

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Travel and Food

Jewish solons condemn Holocaust law in Poland

SACRAMENTO, California – The California Legislative Jewish Caucus on Wednesday, March 14,  introduced AJR-35 condemning a new law in Poland subjecting individuals who cite the participation of Poles in Nazi crimes to imprisonment for up to three years, despite the historical record of this collaboration. “The Law on the Institute of National Remembrance is an attempt

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International, Jewish History, USA

Community says farewell to Gussie Zaks, z”l

  By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—At a packed funeral service Tuesday, March 13,  at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, the community bade a final farewell to San Diego’s First Lady of Holocaust Survivors, Gussie Zaks. The longtime lecturer, organizer, and educator—who had told her story of survival countless times to students, club members, law enforcement, and

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County