Jewish History

Prof. Deborah Hertz Researches Liberated Jewish Women

Deborah Hertz, a UC San Diego historian who holds the Herman Wouk Chair in Modern Jewish Studies, has focused in her career on Jewish women who broke free of the bonds of “daughter, wife, and mother” and made their marks in a variety of fields. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Long-Overdue Recognition for British-Jewish War Hero Jack Nissenthall

By Jerry Klinger The BBC called Jack Nissenthall “The VC (Victoria Cross) Hero Who Never Was.” Eighty years on from the 1942 British raid on Nazi coastal facilities and radar installations in Dieppe, Nissenthall’s extraordinary, courageous actions remain hidden by the British Secrecy Acts. What he did, what he learned, what he saw, remain British

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International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Opinion

Revisiting the the Rothschilds

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — While sorting through and getting rid of books in order to accommodate a new item of furniture I came across “The Rothschilds: A Family Portrait,” which I had given to my father for his birthday in 1965. It still bears my dedication, “To Daddy, with love,” reminding me

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

The Jewish Eye: Eviction Protection; Prostitution Clampdown; Trump’s Court Battles; Israel’s Independence Day

By a margin of 8-1, the San Diego City Council on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to an ordinance that would require landlords to provide two to three months rent money to blameless tenants whom they have evicted. Seniors would receive a greater allowance under the proposal. Council President Sean Elo-Rivera, who proposed the ordinance that will come up for a final vote May 16, commented: “San Diegans who are paying their rent and abiding by their lease should not live in fear of eviction.  Sadly, too often, San Diego renters are being evicted despite the rules.  These evictions cause massive financial and emotional distress to families and can lead to displacement and put people at risk of homelessness. This ordinance provides the protections that San Diego renters need and deserve.”  Councilwoman Dr. Jen Campbell was the lone vote against the measure, saying she was following the wishes of many constituents to whom she had spoken in her 2nd Council District. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, USA

The Jewish Eye: Renters Relief, Legislative Caucus, Antisemitism, Yom HaZikaron

San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera, in a newsletter to constituents, provided this background for introducing a proposed ordinance to protect renters that will be heard next week: “Imagine being at home with your family and opening the mail to find that you’ll need to move. You’ve always paid your rent on time and there are no accusations that you’ve broken a term of your lease. Nonetheless, you are being evicted and need to find a new place to live. Imagine the stress of breaking the news to your family coupled with the stress of trying to find a home you can afford when rental prices have skyrocketed to an average of over $3,000 per month for a modest two-bedroom apartment. Would you be able to afford to continue to live in San Diego?”   [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Waxing and Waning Relations Between the Jewish and Mexican-American Communities in Los Angeles

The construction of Dodger Stadium at Chavez Ravine was controversial – so much so that it tore at a traditional alliance between the Mexican-American community and the Jewish community who, between the two World Wars, lived side by side the Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights.. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Sports & Competitions, USA

Yom HaShoah Observances Held Throughout San Diego County

I toured Holocaust observances at various venues in San Diego County, starting on Tuesday with a visit to Seacrest Village Retirement Community in Encinitas.  Among the residents are Charlotte Marx, who is the oldest at 104; Debby Stauber, Marguerite Morris, and Lee Drasnin.  They watched a video that was presented at Sunday’s Yom HaShoah observance at the Lawrence Family JCC, and shared with me their ideas for Holocaust education, awareness, and a permanent Holocaust museum. [Sandra Scheller]

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California, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Sandra Scheller, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

A Short History of Holocaust Survivors in San Diego

The Holocaust did not simply end the day Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allies.  Survivors torn from their homes, their families, and their health, needed to be nursed back into physical and mental health and resettled in countries where they would be accepted and given a chance to reconstruct their lives. One San Diegan who was intimately involved in this process was Army Lt. Al Hutler, a Jew whose compassionate administration of a Displaced Persons camp helped thousands of people make those adjustments. After leaving the Army, Hutler moved to San Diego where he served as the executive director of the Jewish Federation from 1946 to 1958. He was among those San Diegans who put out the welcoming mat for the survivors of the Nazi scourge. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Touching the Past, for Today: Louisiana’s Rosenwald Schools

By Jerry Klinger Julius Rosenwald was a first-generation Jewish American. He was born in 1862 in Springfield, Illinois, just a few blocks from where Abraham Lincoln lived. Rosenwald grew up and achieved the American dream. He became very wealthy through hard work, skill, and luck. He was a modest man with a philanthropic bent shaped

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Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Opinion, USA