By Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — On June 21, 1964, David Goodman was a teenager living in his family’s Manhattan apartment. He noticed his mother pacing nervously: another of her sons, Andy, just 20 years old, was missing somewhere in Mississippi. David was anxious and frightened as well. It was the “Freedom Summer”—during which […]
Civil rights martyr’s brother seeks new coalitions Read More »
Jewish History, USA
SACRAMENTO (SDJW)–State Sen. Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) delivered the daily invocation in the Senate chambers on Thursday, March 5, marking the holiday of Purim. Hertzberg summarized the story of Purim from the Book of Esther and had hamantaschen distributed to each of his 39 Senate colleagues. He also praised Sen. Marty Block (D-San Diego), chair of the
Purim invocation given in state Senate Read More »
Jewish History, USABy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — Raphael Lemkin is probably the most influential figure of the Twentieth Century not widely recognized by posterity. Born in 1900 in a Polish village located in the Russian Empire, he had witnessed pogroms when he was growing up. Originally studying linguistics, he eventually became a lawyer. In the 1920s
The Wandering Review: ‘Watchers of the Sky’ Read More »
Jewish History, Lawrence Baron
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—When Joseph Kanfer, the father of Purell hand sanitizers, focuses this week on Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speeches to AIPAC and to Congress, he will do so “because I think it is necessary for our very survival but my love is Jewish education.” Kanfer, whose GOJO manufacturing company is
Industry leader says Jews should speak up about Iran Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, USAIsland of Hope, Island of Tears: The Story of Those Who Entered the New World Through Ellis Island by David Brownstone, Irene M. Franck, Douglass Brownstone, (MetroBooks, 2004). By Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO–The word “immigrant” brings to mind a picture of a woman with a lined face, head covered by a babushka (scarf), holding a wide
From the Jewish Library: Island of hope, tears Read More »
Jewish History, USA
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
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
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
By Anav Silverman JERUSALEM (Tazpit)–The only museum in the world, dedicated to the history of the Ancient Near East from a biblical perspective, has a new exhibition examining the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people as never seen before. The Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem has amassed a collection of over 100 cuneiform tablets, original
If we forget thee, O Babylon Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education
NEW YORK (Press Release)– From 1879 to 1968, George Washington’s birthday, February 22, was a Federal holiday — called, logically, “Washington’s Birthday.” Then, as part of a move to create more three-day weekends, Congress pegged it to the third Monday of the month and it became generally known, in much of the nation, as “President’s Day,”
Group wants GW’s birthday as a holiday again Read More »
Jewish History, USA
By Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO — After ejecting from his burning Mirage fighter jet and while drifting down in his parachute from a height of 10,000 feet over Egypt, Israel’s first fighter pilot ace, Giora Romm, had much to think about. He could see a growing crowd of angry Egyptians looking up at him and
Former POW tells of his return to ace Israeli pilot Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East