Jewish Religion

Hebrew Day School celebrates its 57th anniversary

Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School on Sunday, June 7, celebrated the 57th anniversary of its founding in a Zoom gathering that highlighted the life of the late Eilene Cummins, a longtime volunteer and former board president for the Orthodox school at 3730 Afton Avenue, San Diego. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

JNF aiding Negev communities including SD Jewish Federation’s sister region

In the summer issue of the online B’Yachad, published by the Jewish National Fund, attention is given to Israel’s desire to populate its northern “frontiers” — the Galilee to the north and the Negev Desert to the south. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA

‘Tribal Blueprints’ examines Jacob, his wives, sons, and descendants

Jews and non-Jews who want to know more about the Bible (the Tanakh) and such questions as why biblical figures acted as they did, could do no better that to read Professor Nechama Price’s Tribal Blueprints. This book is part of the excellent Maggid Tanakh Companion series. Maggid is part of Koren Press. The series uses an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates traditional rabbinic interpretations with secular scholarly literary techniques to explore biblical characters and themes. Professor Price is a senior lecturer in Bible and Judaic Studies at Stern College and Director of Yeshiva University’s Graduate Program in Advanced Talmud Studies. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

Racists beware: God will hold you to account

This week has been very tough. I saw THE video. I couldn’t believe my eyes; a man sworn to protect and serve kneeling nonchalantly upon another man’s neck. An officer of the law casually draining the life from another human being while the human being begged for breath. The perpetrator’s apparent boredom is at the same time chilling and boils the blood! [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

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Jewish Religion, USA, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi

La Jolla prepares to welcome BLM marchers

The Black Lives Matter announcement of a march in La Jolla at 1 p.m., Friday, June 12, reads, in part: “The protests cannot remain only in areas with likeminded people.  La Jolla is a predominantly white and rich area desperate for awareness.  They have the power to sway leaders and thus we must educate them.  These minds cannot remain sheltered.” [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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

Ancient laws regarding wrongdoing, adultery, and nazarites

Numbers 4:21-7: 89 I have chosen three passages from these readings, for comparison with ancient pagan practices, from material on the internet. I must inform the reader that it often is difficult to pull from internet the information desired. I repeatedly re-phrase and simplify my questions, often with little or no yield. My reports reflect the limited information I find. I also make no pretense to be as academic as a university scholar. [Irv Jacobs, M.D.]

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

Where now after the George Floyd killing?

Rabbi Devorah Marcus of Temple Emanu-El offered this reflection in the aftermath of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd: “My hope is that we will not let this moment fade into obscurity and apathy as we move on to other pieces of news, of suffering, of tweets.  My hope is that we will take this moment of brokenness and build in the cracks a garden seeded with our hope, our commitment to our neighbors and our community, and that we will reach out to everyone who is afraid right now for themselves, their children, and our world, and offer each other our comfort and our love.  [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA

San Diegan leads Shavuot service aboard USS Truman

 “The holiday commemorates the day upon which the Ten Commandments were given to the Jewish people beneath Mount Sinai over 3,000 years ago,” said Aviation Electronics Mate 2nd Class Michael Eskenazi, from San Diego, Truman’s Jewish lay leader. “It occurs precisely seven weeks and a day after the beginning of Passover.” The service, sponsored by Truman’s Command Religious Ministries Department was open to the entire crew, as the holiday provides an opportunity to build a community around religion and culture. [U.S. Navy press release by Tamara Vaughn]

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Jewish Religion, Travel and Food, USA

Continuing the Jewish fight against racism

My column yesterday dealt with reactions from various individuals and organizations within the Jewish community to the police killing in Minneapolis of George Floyd, and what role the Jewish community might play in helping to heal the divisions in our society.  I will continue to bring to readers such thoughts and suggestions. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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

George Floyd honored, dishonored by protests, riots

Here in San Diego County, peaceful demonstrators honored the memory of George Floyd, the African-American victim of a white Minneapolis policeman who continuously and fatally pushed his knee into Floyd’s neck, hampering the prone man’s ability to breathe. The demonstrators’ cries for racial justice were heart-felt, appropriate, and in need of urgent redress. Also, here in San Diego County, particularly in La Mesa, rioters of diverse racial backgrounds dishonored George Floyd, using his unwarranted death as an excuse for arson and looting. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA