Jewish History

Author Coburn to Discuss ‘Glimmer Factory’ at La Jolla Riford Library

RUTH: Remember Us The Holocaust’s Speaker Series presents author Jennifer Coburn at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, August 12, at the La Jolla Riford Library. USA Today Best-Selling Del Cerro author will discuss her latest historical book, The Girls of the Glimmer Factory. [Cailin Acosta}

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

From Warning to Reality: How America Became What Europe Feared

Today, virtually every synagogue in the United States is fortified by the same security infrastructure I once found unthinkable: armed guards, metal detectors, and bulletproof glass. The same precautions that once shocked me in Paris are now part and parcel of Jewish life across America. [Jonathan Greenblatt]

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Antisemitism, International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jewish Biography: Lev Shestov, Existentialist

In 1898, Shestov’s first book, Shakespeare and His Critic Brandes, was published, in which he outlined problems that later became central to the philosopher’s work: the limitations and inadequacy of scientific knowledge as a means of “orienting” a person in the world … [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Book about David Weiss Halivni Can Prompt People to Consider Self-Improvement

He made two significant contributions to Jewish thought, both controversial and not accepted by all scholars, one dealing with the Talmud and the other with the Torah. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

David Weiss Halivni Examined the Presence of God at Mount Sinai and the ‘Revelation of Absence’ at Auschwitz

In his theological reflection on the Holocaust, David Weiss Halivni grapples with the haunting question of why God did not intervene in the Shoah. He dismisses the idea that the event was a punishment for sin, arguing that the scale of destruction was disproportionate to any conceivable transgression. Instead, Halivni connects the Holocaust to the concept of beḥirah ḥofshit (free will) and a historical shift in divine presence. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: ‘Atrocities Do Not Undo Atrocities. Brutality Does Not Cancel out Brutality.’

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed. Millions are displaced. Entire families are gone. Children buried under rubble. Mothers starving. Aid blocked. Babies and children are dying from starvation. Hope crushed. [Sean Elo-Rivera, Times of San Diego]

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Antisemitism, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Opinion, San Diego County

OpEd: Barrage of False Media Reports Undermines Support for Israel

By Steve Kramer  KFAR SABA, Israel — Israel is being castigated almost universally for its war against the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza. The animosity towards Israel for this defensive war to destroy Hamas and release 50 captives has concurrently worsened the stature of Diaspora Jews. Foreign ministers from 28 countries including Australia, France, Japan and

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International, Israel, Jewish History, News Media, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer, USA

Israel-Gaza Fitting Topic for Mournful Reflection over Tisha B’Av

My heart aches for the families in Israel who continue to wait in anguish for their loved ones, still held in cruel captivity, and for a nation that continues to reel from grief too heavy to bear. … I see the devastation in Gaza, and it tears at my soul. [Rabbi Jason Nevarez]

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Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

SDJW Publisher Seeks Successor

On August 7, I will celebrate my 80th birthday. I need a walker to get around so I can’t cover as many stories as I previously could. So, I’d like to take a less active role in San Diego’s only daily Jewish publication, which is sustained by some advertising and a loyal cadre of volunteers who contribute articles gratis. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, News Media, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Congregations to Offer ‘Introduction to Judaism’ Classes

I always find something new when I attend an introduction to Judaism course that maybe I have forgotten about or am learning about for the first time. [Cailin Acosta]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food