Are the doors of our synagogues honestly and completely wide open, inclusively and warmly, genuinely accepting all on equal footing, even modern day “Reubens and Gads”? After all, who is perfect? Are we missing parts of our community today, indeed are we turning away members of our community, explicitly or implicitly, from our synagogues? [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Are our synagogues sufficiently inclusive? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
What you say is very important. The Torah even includes a section about children. Sometimes a child might make a promise that is very hard to keep. The Torah says a parent (or adult) can decide if it’s okay if the child doesn’t do what they said they would do. According to this Torah portion, it’s also up to the parent (or adult) to decide if it’s a promise the child needs to keep. [Marcia Berneger]
Torah for children: Promises, promises Read More »
Jewish Religion, Marcia Berneger, Science, Medicine, & Education
Laurie Baron, Ph.D., compiles a list of streaming lectures, available to computer users, on Jewish religion, history, culture, and current events.
Streaming Jewish lectures: July 19-23 Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
Xenon Pictures presents a new documentary, About Face: Jewish Refugees in the Allied Forces. The promo reads: “When they were kids, they got the hell out of Germany. When they grew up, they returned… heavily armed and ready to kick Nazi tuchas.” [Eric George Tauber]
Jews fight back in ‘About Face’ Read More »
Eric George Tauber, International, Jewish Religion, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
I have chosen three passages from this double parsha, for comparison with ancient non-Israelite practices, from what I could find in internet sources, concerning votive offerings, sexual repression, and military campaigns. [Irv Jacobs, M.D.]
Ancient practices: votive offerings, cruelty, military campaigns Read More »
International, Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion, Middle East
The Jewish People create their own simcha (joy) and tzuris (pain). Our foes are often generated through karma of our own manufacture. The Talmud recounts the origin of archenemy Amalek, who wreaked so much suffering on our nation throughout the ages. Our patriarch Yitzchak’s eldest son was Esav, twin brother of Yaakov. Esav’s son was Eliphaz, and Eliphaz’s concubine, Timna, was a princess who wanted to convert to Judaism. She presented her case to a beit din (Jewish court) formed by the three patriarchs who all happened to be alive at the time. When they rejected her, she chose to remain with Eliphaz, stating, “Better to be a maidservant to this nation than a leader in another.” Their offspring is Amalek, an individual who was hell-bent on avenging the alleged disrespect shown to his mother and grandfather. This hatred of the Jewish People was handed down through the generations, eventually leading to the tribe of Amalek’s brazen attack on Israel when we left Egypt. Amalek surfaces again in the near genocide concocted by tribesman Haman in the Purim story. [Sam Glaser]
Memories of Tisha B’Avs past Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Sam Glaser
Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, former spiritual leader of Chabad of Poway, who was welcomed at the White House after he was wounded in an April 27, 2019 attack on his synagogue by a gunman, had meanwhile been under investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges of tax fraud, to which he pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court. U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer said he planned to recommend probation for Goldstein because he has helped his office obtain the convictions of five other co-defendants and is cooperating in numerous cases that are still pending. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein pleads guilty to tax fraud Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
– Beth Jacob Congregation responded quickly to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order on Monday, once again closing down indoor places of worship in response to the spiking coronavirus pandemic. The governor’s order also included fitness centers, offices for “non-critical sectors,” personal care services, malls and hair salons and barbershops. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
Beth Jacob issues rules for outdoor davening Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA
To characterize President Trump’s creative ideas as mind-blowing or mind-numbing would be classic understatement. So many of his ideas are so very brilliant, they’re almost blinding. Take the recent example, when he said there would be very few cases of the coronavirus if the United States stopped its testing and contact-tracing. So, taken to its logical extreme, if you don’t test, there are no cases of the virus, no victims..and, ultimately no need for a vaccine or even protective gear. [Satire by Joel H. Cohen]
Satire: Trumping the virus, the court, and Tisha B’Av Read More »
Jewish Religion, Joel H. Cohen, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA
To me, the Holocaust is much more than a tragic event in Jewish and World history. To me, it was a wake-up call. In the pre-Holocaust era, European Jewry was rapidly looking to assimilate. Jews were holding some of the most prestigious positions in society, ranging from doctors to musicians to professors and even politicians, some Jews were so wrapped up in their social ranks that they did not even identify with their Judaism anymore. It’s said that the Jewish Germans were Germans first then Jews. They were more loyal to their country than their G-d. [Rabbi Dr. Bernhard H. Rosenberg]
Jews must remain a special, chosen people Read More »
Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, USAPresident Donald J. Trump’s policies toward foreign students are “extreme,” “unnecessary,” and “cruel,” said Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) in leading 136 members of Congress to urge the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to rescind a decision to deport foreign students who during the coronavirus pandemic take courses on-line rather than in person. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
Congresswoman Davis protests ICE’s plan for foreign students Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
Rabbi Michael Hattin’s new 207-page book Judges has 19 chapters, two less than the biblical Book of Judges. Judges is part of a series of Maggid Books, a division of Koren Publishers Jerusalem, that uses an interdisciplinary approach incorporating traditional rabbinic interpretations with scholarly literary techniques to explore the characters, themes, and text of the Hebrew Bible. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
Judges in Book of Judges did not judge Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish ReligionI have chosen three passages from the parasha for comparison with ancient non-Israelite practices concerning divinely appointed priests and poliical leaders; and the inheritance rights of daughters. (Irv Jacobs, M.D.)
Ancient practices: Divinely appointed priests, leaders; inheritances of daughters Read More »
International, Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA
This week when thinking about these catastrophes I couldn’t help but think about the triumph of one particular segment of the Jewish people; Jewish women. The major failures that come to mind include the story of the Golden Calf, the Spies, the Rebellion of Korach and his cohorts, and consorting with the Midianites. The lack of participation by the Jewish women is in stark contrast to their Jewish brethren. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]
A Word of Torah: Strong women of Judaism Read More »
Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi