Lord Get Me High! by Rabbi Elchanan Shoff, Kodesh Press, New York; ISBN 978-069-250-143-6 ©2015, $24.95, p. 109 By Fred Reiss, Ed.D WINCHESTER, California –Psalm 27, the subject of Rabbi Elchanan Shoff’s newest book Lord Get Me High!, is every bit as commanding in its imagery and meaning as its more well-known cousin, the Twenty-Third Psalm. […]
Getting high with Psalm 27 Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion
STRASBOURG, France (JNS.org) In a victory for Jews observing the tradition of brit milah, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has overturned a 2013 resolution calling the ritual circumcision of men a “violation of the physical integrity of children according to human rights standards.” In the wake of significant lobbying on the
Council of Europe overturns brit milah ban Read More »
International, Jewish Religion
-25th in a series- Exit 9, Waring Road, San Diego ~ Tifereth Israel Synagogue By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Tifereth Israel Synagogue’s third home at 6660 Cowles Mountain Boulevard is a spiritual home filled with Judaic art and music. Formed initially as an Orthodox congregation in 1905, the congregation’s first synagogue at 18th
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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Travel and FoodJewish Identity: The Challenge of Peoplehood Today by Ruth Shamir Popkin, Gefen Publishing House, Jerusalem; ISBN 978-965-229-671-9 ©2015, $24.95, p. 272, plus Notes, Sources, and Index (also available in Kindle) By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — From the time of the Bar Kokhba Revolt in the second century to 1948 and the establishing of the State
Book probes the concept of Jewish identity Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish History, Jewish Religion
SAN DIEGO (Press Release)– Millions of Jews in over 500 cities in 65 countries around the world will join as one in celebrating a traditional, cohesive and momentous Shabbat, a day of rest and rejuvenation October 22- 24, 2015. Locally, Shabbat San Diego (www.shabbatsandiego.org) is coordinating and planning, in conjunction with local congregations, community organizations,
Over 20,000 San Diegans expected in global Shabbat rite Read More »
Jewish Religion, San Diego CalendarBy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — What makes a child so angry or despondent that he or she would pick up a gun and shoot classmates and teachers? And what warning signs can parents look for? These are the questions we’ll answer in this column. The problem of anger is based on fragile
WYNCOTE, Pennsylvania (JNS.org) The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) on Wednesday, Sept. 30, announced a new plan to admit students with non-Jewish spouses. “As you are likely already aware, this policy change is the result of many years of discussion within the Reconstructionist movement,” wrote Rabbi Deborah Waxman, president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and the Jewish
RRC to ordain rabbis who marry outside the faith Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — Except for theology, Israel is doing great work for its people and for humanitarian advancement. People routinely order pizza online but they often have to travel to Cyprus to get married–due to rabbinic restrictions. Women are expected to deliver babies but they frequently have to stand in the
Time to abolish Israel’s chief rabbinate Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East
-24th in a Series- Exit 9, Waring Road, San Diego ~ Young Israel of San Diego By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—“Rabbi” means “teacher” and Rabbi Chaim Hollander teaches Judaic Studies at Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood and at Young Israel of San Diego in the San Carlos neighborhood,
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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and FoodBy David Amos SAN DIEGO –As we do every year, my wife and I sat at the synagogue in our preferred seat for the High Holidays services. As expected, we enjoyed the thought provoking words from our Rabbi, heard the pure and beautifully performed chants from our cantorial soloist, and greeted fellow congregants, many of
Inspiration and distraction at High Holy Day services Read More »
Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual ArtsBy Michael R. Mantell, PhD SAN DIEGO — Beginning on the evening of Sunday, September 27, 2015 until a week later, many people will leave the security, warmth, beauty and permanence of their large, expensive, well appointed, nicely manicured homes. They will retreat into a simple, sometimes wobbly, unpretentious temporary shelter, covered by nothing more than
Why huts are going up in La Jolla, Del Mar Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, San Diego CountyCHICAGO (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) — A local television station in Chicago, WGN-TV, used a stock image of the yellow Star of David—the patch the Nazis forced the Jews to wear on their clothing during the Holocaust—as the graphic accompanying a story about the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur this week. The symbol was
Chicago TV station apologizes for Holocaust graphic Read More »
Jewish Religion, USABy Jacob Kamaras/JNS.org HOUSTON, Texas — In a scheduling conflict of Abrahamic proportions, a Houston-based think tank is hosting George Mitchell—former U.S. senator from Maine and the Obama administration’s former envoy for Middle East peace—on both Jewish and Muslim holy days. “The Negotiator: Senator George Mitchell’s Adventures in Law and Politics” will be held from
Houston, we have a religious problem Read More »
Jacob Kamaras, Jewish Religion, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — According to Jewish tradition, the period between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is the opportunity for soul searching and a new beginning, i.e., Atonement. The Almighty is said to decide each person’s fate for the coming year on Rosh Hashana, and to sign the final decision on Yom Kippur. The
Diversity, unity both said to be strengths of Judaism Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Jewish Religion, Middle East