Jewish Religion

Israel-Bahrain peacemaking draws applause

On a day that the world mourns the 2001 terror attack that felled the World Trade Center in New York City, damaged the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and took the lives of passengers aboard four hijacked airliners, there was some hopeful news as well. Peace in the Middle East is becoming contagious. Encouraged by the United States government, Bahrain and Israel have announced that they — like Israel and the United Arab Emirates previously — will sign a peace pact. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food

A Word of Torah: Secular vs. Spiritual Success

Those who are viewed as the top of the heap are not necessarily so in the World of Truth. A person may engage in manual, even menial labor in this world. He may be very poor. But because one is poor in material wealth does not mean that he is poor in spiritual wealth. In fact, this world is upside down. In this crass material world our values are confused. We hold as precious things that are not precious and we, G-d forbid, undervalue or neglect to value altogether those things that truly are precious. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

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Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi

Torah for children: Correcting bad behavior

This week’s Parshah is Nitzavim. That means “you stand” as in “you stand before God.” It begins as many of the Parashot in this part of the Torah, with warnings from God about what will happen if the people turn away and break their agreement with God. But, in this Parashah, there is almost the assumption that, once Moses dies, many people will, indeed, start breaking the laws. [Marcia Berneger]

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Jewish Religion, Marcia Berneger

Biblical and ancient ‘chemistry’ and spirituality

Nitzavim/ Va-Yelekh (Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30) — From this double parasha, I chose three passages for comparison, from the internet, with ancient Israel’s neighbors. These were difficult passages on which to inquire of the internet, since they are literary figures of speech more than concepts of action. [Irv Jacobs, M.D.]

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International, Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion, Middle East

A time of return to good spiritual health

he parashiyot of Nitzavim–Vayelech are often read on the Shabbat preceding Rosh Hashanah. For good reason. Especially this year with synagogues closed, shortened services, reduced attendance, Zoom classes, with a never far off apprehension about health for those who do attend religious gatherings, many have wandered from observance, from Hashem, from mitzvot.  [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Becoming a Yenta

As spring turned to summer, more Jewish activities began to emerge. It was almost as if the collective Hebrew community was dipping its toe in the water of social gatherings. Outdoors and with everyone at least six feet apart, I attended shul for the first time in months. In the midst of the swaying and chanting that so often accompanied davening, I felt some sense of normalcy return. While there was no kiddush after services, some people lingered around to chit chat. [Teresa Konopka]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Teresa_Konopka

Seacrest Village may be answer for isolated Jewish seniors

Jewish seniors isolated during the coronavirus pandemic may be better off both physically and mentally by moving to the Independent Living section of Seacrest Village Retirement Communities, its president and CEO Pam Ferris says. [Donald H. Harrison, “Our Shtetl San Diego County column]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, USA

Superstitious believed the shofar could scare Satan

It is absolutely certain that both the spiritual leaders of Jewry and the masses of uneducated Jews (or at least the majority of these) before, during and after the talmudic period believed that the shofar, the ram’s horn, was blown on the holiday of Rosh Hashanah in order to scare Satan and his demonic cohorts. The widely held belief was that the blowing of the shofar would stop Satan from approaching God at a crucial moment, keeping him from indicting Jews for past sins in a heavenly judicial proceeding in which God decides the future of each Jew. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

Fiction: Jewish perspectives on Niue, Part 2

Editor’s Note: In this fictional piece, Esther and Noa, representing the San Diego-based Rabinove Foundation, go on a cruise around the South Pacific Island of Niue. In the previous segment, their guide Matafetu told them about the northern part of the island, occupied by the Motu people. In this part, he guides them around the southern part, the land of the Tafiti people. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Fiction, Jewish Religion, Travel and Food

We need a memorial for Jews who saved Jews and others

Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem honors non-Jews who chose to save Jews, even at the risk of their own lives. Yad Vashem does not honor, document or recognize Jews who saved other Jews during the Holocaust, even at the risk of their own lives. Honoring Jews who saved Jews was and is not part of its mandate. Were not their life-risking efforts worthy of memorialization? There is no memorial to Jews who saved Jews and others, in Israel, or anywhere. [Jerry Klinger]

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Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Obituaries & memorials, USA

Rosh Hashana: The Parade of Tears

Reacquainting oneself with the power of tears is the secret to unlocking the storehouse of simcha. Every passage of Torah and Nevi’im (Prophets) read over the holiday depicts different categories of this uniquely human response to joy and pain. Perhaps the best exercise during Elul is to relearn how to cry by examining the inspiration for our biblical heroes’ most poignant milestones. Here are some of the players in the “Parade of Tears,” based on an intriguing lecture I once heard in Jerusalem. [Sam Glaser]

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Jewish Religion, Sam Glaser

Gala to honor Rabbi Chaim and Temi Hollander

Young Israel of San Diego has scheduled a virtual gala tribute to honor Rabbi Chaim and Rebbetzin Temi Hollander for their 21 years of devoted service to members and friends of the Orthodox synagogue. Young Israel of San Diego was founded 31 years ago. The virtual gala will take place on Sunday, September 13, at 7 pm. [SDJW]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education