Jewish History

The New Life of the ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion: The Rudolf Slansky Trial

By Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — The ideology of antisemitism is not dying, it is changing forms somewhat, but the imagination of the ideologues does not go far enough. It uses the experience accumulated by the technologists of the witch trials. Blaming the Jews of the Diaspora for the creation and policies of the state […]

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Alex Gordon, International, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion

B’Shalom:  Jimmy Carter, Rose Schindler, U.S. Senate Aspirants, Gregory Peck

An Israeli-American of close acquaintance, upon hearing that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter had entered hospice, commented that he “never liked that guy, he was an antisemite.” He noted that Carter helped propagate the lie that Israel is an apartheid state, even though Arabs have entered the highest levels of government and industry alongside their Jewish neighbors in Israel.  Nevertheless, as we look back over his career, I think that we should be more charitable toward Carter, not forgetting his invaluable contributions as a mediator at Camp David, bringing about the peace between Israel and Egypt. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion, USA

Holocaust Survivor Rose Schindler, 93, Laid to Rest

The very fact that we Jews can gather today is because of Rose Schindler and those like her.  Our standing here is a testament to just how durable she was, and how resilient Jewish civilization is.  Rose could record her story and tell it over and over again because she survived it.   And we can tell it today because we’re still here. [Rabbi Mathew Marko]

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California, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials, USA

Many Jews Receive Mentions in Brief History of 17 US Presidents

Ronald Gruner, who spent his working career as a CEO of three different tech companies (Alliant Computer; Shareholder.com; and Sky.Analytics), is a lay historian deeply interested in economic policy and outcomes.  His book, analyzing the presidencies of the 17 U.S. Presidents from Warren G. Harding to Donald J. Trump, focuses largely on issues like unemployment, interest rates, and inflation.  But along the way he also makes mention of significant geopolitical events that occurred during those presidencies. I will leave it to economists to determine the value of Gruner’s economic analyses.  They are beyond my depth.  What I did take notice of was how often our fellow Jews, and issues of direct relevance to the Jewish community, cropped up in the book.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, USA

Jacob Wasserman: The Story of Unrequited Love

By Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — In August 1912, in Neue Rundschau, Stephan Zweig analyzed the work of notable new writers who had appeared in German literature: “Apart from Thomas Mann, certainly the one with the greatest hope of creating a truly German novel, two writers, Heinrich Mann and Jacob Wasserman have already shown with

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Alex Gordon, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History

Documentary Reveals Gruesome Discoveries at Sobibor

The 103-minute documentary Deadly Deception at Sobibor, shows what happened to the camp after the famous escape.  The work, painstakingly put together by filmmaker Gary Hochtman, will be shown at the San Diego Jewish Film Festival at 10 a.m., Thursday, Feb 16, at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Sunday Soundoff: Holocaust Museum, Gun Violence, Homeless Housing

It was abundantly clear during Supervisor Nathan Fletcher’s presentation and the testimony of various members of the Jewish community at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 24, that a permanent Holocaust museum in San Diego is desired. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Cape St. George Island Lighthouse and the Jews

By Jerry Klinger Touristing — better known as cultural travel, especially historical travel to see the places of events, and meaning to the American experience, preferably without resentful teenagers — is great. A fun thing to do in Florida is to visit historical lighthouses. There are big ones, short one, white ones, red ones, and

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Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Opinion, USA

Jewish Biography: Henri Bergson

On a cold December day in occupied Paris in 1940, a large group lined up at the Nazi commandant’s office. Jews stood waiting to be registered, anxious for their lives. In the crowd was a thin, tall old man with a bulging, high forehead, a shallow chin and a small mustache. After waiting for hours in the cold, he caught a bad cold, caught pneumonia, and died on January 3, 1941. He died in the very town in which he had been born 80 years earlier. Registered by the Nazis, the old Jew was one of France’s most famous men, Professor Henri Bergson of the Collège de France, member of the French Academy of Sciences, winner of the 1927 Nobel Prize in Literature. In the Pantheon there is an inscription on one of the columns: “To Henri Bergson, a philosopher whose life and work have done honor to France and to human thought. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, International, Jewish History

County Supervisors Approve & Help Finance Holocaust Remembrance Exhibit

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Jan. 24, declared that day to be Holocaust Remembrance Day in San Diego County – three days before this coming Friday’s commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, coinciding with the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in 1945. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Anti-Jewish Threats to School Administrator Prompts His Resignation

After nine days as dean of students at a middle school, Michael Woodberg resigned. The offense? Being Jewish. His bosses are not antisemitic. Nor is there evidence of rampant antisemitism among the students. In early January, the Richmond Community Schools received frightening threats directed at Woodberg and other staff at the middle school. The school district serves a rural area 45 miles northeast of Detroit. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Jewish History, Opinion, USA

Holocaust Refuge at Fort Ontario, New York, Recalled

President Franklin D. Roosevelt was too concerned about negative public opinion to take the leadership on finding refuge in the United States for European Jewry during the early years of the Holocaust, scholar Lawrence Baron told a bruncheon audience at Tifereth Israel Synagogue on Sunday. [Donald H. Harrison]

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