Jewish History

Jerusalem Archaeologists Uncover Large Second Temple-Era Aqueduct

(JNS) Archaeologists in Jerusalem have discovered a 300-meter (985-foot) portion of a Second Temple-era aqueduct, the longest such continuous stretch ever found in Israel’s capital, the Israeli Antiquities Authority announced on Monday. The ancient waterway was discovered at a building site in the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Givat HaMatos. “The aqueducts of Jerusalem tell the […]

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Israel, Jewish History

 ‘Queens of Jerusalem’ Book Seeks to Rectify Historians’ Neglect of Women

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Author Katherine Pangonis notes in her preface to “Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule” that “this is a book about women and power.” The wives and daughters of crusader kings and princes in the Holy Land sometimes found themselves in the position of default ruler

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East

Powerful Novel Indicts Lithuanian Role in the Holocaust

The plot is simple. The fictional Milia Gottstein-Lasker, the Israeli-based director of the Survivors Campaign who is known in Lithuania as a public enemy, receives an invitation from Darius Vidas, an idealistic Lithuanian professor, to keynote a conference titled “Our Neighbors, Our Friends” about the historic Lithuanian Jewish community that was all but totally wiped out in the Holocaust. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History

Gala to Honor and Learn from Israeli Survivors of Terror

The rocket explosion killed Ella and wounded Tamir, who still has some shrapnel in his head. Today, Tamir is a married adult. He has been asked to talk about “how he survived and how is his life now,” commented Carine Chitayat, the Swiss-born executive director of the Foundation. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, USA

The British Belsen War Crimes Trials and Leo Genn

By Jerry Klinger “The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.” — All’s Well That Ends Well, Act 4, Scene 3 A few weeks ago, the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation’s U.K. branch placed a historical marker at Leopold John Genn’s birthplace. The marker text: Jewish Prosecutor –

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Holocaust, International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Opinion

Speaker Tells of Life Among the Abayudaya Jews of Uganda

McKinney and Rabbi Marko renewed their friendship over the August 11-13 weekend, when McKinney served as Tifereth Israel Synagogue’s scholar-in-residence. She outlined what Jewish life is like in the Abayudaya villages, covering Jewish holiday and life cycle observances, and told of the efforts the foundation she heads is making to help impoverished families and children with disabilities. (Donald H. Harrison)

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California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Shoshana McKinney, Travel and Food, USA

‘Yidishe Gauchos’ To Ride Again Sept. 9

If you haven’t seen something before, it is new to you, no matter how old it is. That’s the thinking behind Yiddishland scheduling a Sept. 9 showing and discussion by Mark Freeman of his 1989 half-hour-long documentary, The Yidishe Gauchos, at a private residence on Mt. Soledad. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

Former U.S. Attorney Grossman Reflects on His Career

Former U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman, who left office on August 4, recalls a High Holy Day service he attended that was held outside during the COVID pandemic. “I looked up to the roof and I could see armed guards,” he said during an interview on Thursday, Aug. 10. “It was just stunning to me how that could be happening at a time when you really want to be engaged in prayer and anything other than security.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA

A Talk about Jewish San Diego at Yiddishland

If you are a regular reader of San Diego Jewish World, you may have noticed our slogan that appears on its masthead.  “There is a Jewish story everywhere,” it says.  I don’t mean that as hyperbole; rather it is a reflection of the fact that Jewish influence on the world has been so pervasive that if you look long enough, you’ll find a Jewish story anywhere that you go. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County

Middle School Remembers Jewish Astronaut Judith Resnik and Challenger Crew Mates

The seven astronauts reflected American diversity. They included Air Force Lt. Col. Dick Scobee, the spacecraft’s commander; Navy Cmdr. Michael J. Smith; electrical engineer Gregory Jarvis; physicist Ronald McNair, the second African-American in space; and these three “firsts”: Air Force Lt. Col. Ellison Onizuga, the first Japanese-American in space; Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space; and Judy Resnik, the first Jewish woman in space. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Celebrities, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

ADL’s Perlov Has History of Fostering Inter-Communal Relations

When the position of ADL Regional Director opened with the departure of Tammy Gillies, Perlov said she felt motivated to apply for the job, to which she was appointed last October. “With antisemitism being at historic high levels, I felt like I could not stand on the side and not put my experience forward,” she said. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County

Jewish Scientist Who Inherited Jonas Salk’s Office Unlocks Secrets of Hormones

Evans works in a laboratory bequeathed to him by his colleague and mentor, the late discoverer of the polio vaccine, Jonas Salk. In one research project, Evans and his team studied the impact of exercise on a body’s genetic makeup. They found that exercise will activate a cascade of genes that prompt the body to produce a chemical form of energy known at ATP (adenosine triphosphate). [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA