Judaism

It’s Not Always About What You Say, But How You Say It: Preparing for Tisha B’Av

Parshat Devarim / Shabbat Chazon 5783 By Rabbi Daniel Reich LA JOLLA, California — In the remaining time leading up to Moshe Rabbeinu’s death, he embarks on a five-week-long monologue addressing the Jewish people. This forms the content of the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy). He prepares the nation for its final ascent to the land […]

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Daniel Reich-Rabbi, Jewish Religion

Book on Albert Einstein’s Ongoing Legacy is Enjoyable to Read

In this breezy, easy-to-read, enjoyable book, Cohen surveys the world that has incorporated Einstein’s thought and image into every-day life, with Einstein’s celebrity continuing to grow, rather than fade, since his death in 1955 at age 76. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Did God Dictate the Biblical Book Deuteronomy to Moses?

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Dr. Micah Goodman says, “No,” in his new book, “The Last Words of Moses.” Deuteronomy is “a human document authored by Moses whose inclusion in the Bible lends it divine authority. Goodman is a Research Fellow of the Kogod Research Center at Shalom Hartman Institute in

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

Tisha B’Av: Time Not Only for Lamentations, But Also for Kindness

We might want to reflect this Tisha B’Av, which begins on Wednesday evening, July 26, on how we can help our fellow Jews who have fallen on hard times – an obvious reversal of the unkindness and factionalism that twice led to the downfall of ancient Jerusalem. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

The Three Weeks: A Time of Reflection, Reconnection, and Rebuilding

Parshiot Matos-Maasei 5783 By Rabbi Daniel Reich The Jewish people currently find themselves in a period of mandated reflection. The three weeks between the 17th of Tamuz and the 9th of Av are dedicated to mourning the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash and our longing for the rebuilding of the holy temple in Jerusalem. Unfortunately,

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Daniel Reich-Rabbi, Jewish Religion

Canadian Author Divides Antisemitism into Four Categories

In this book are eight topics essayed by Philip Slayton, an attorney and writer who serves as president of the literary society PEN Canada.  He first addresses the question of Jewish identity, then moves on to Jews in the World (where we live); Jews and Muslims; Jews and Christians; Jews and Zionism; Jews as Victims; Jews and the Media; Jews as Wanderers, and, beginning on page 143, he offers some conclusions. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History

Descendants of Holocaust Survivors Organized to Preserve Memories

Now in its eighth year of existence, San Diego Generations of the Shoah is comprised of approximately 100 descendants of survivors of the Holocaust. Its two main missions, according to Sam Landau, who chairs the steering committee, are “remembering our parents and those relatives who were murdered in the Holocaust” and “providing funds to organizations that support Holocaust education.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

San Diego’s Lone Reconstructionist Congregation Makes Its Home at the Lawrence Family JCC

Ridberg had plenty of opportunities to compare the different denominations of Judaism before she committed to Reconstructing Judaism. As a child in Rockville, Maryland, she attended the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, which offers classes from kindergarten through 12th grade. Her family belonged to a Conservative synagogue. After graduating with a major in women’s studies and communication arts from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, she worked with the Reform movement in Washington D.C. In the nation’s capital, she also attended the non-denominational Farbrengen Havurah, “one of the oldest havurot that came out of the 1960s-1970s era.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Travel and Food

Petition Demands Andrew Jackson Name Be Removed from the New Susan A. Davis Post Office Branch in Rolando Neighborhood of San Diego

Community activist Erik B. Anderson announced on Saturday that he has begun a petition campaign to remove the signage honoring Andrew Jackson from what has now been officially designated by law as the Susan A. Davis Post Office. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Shor M. Masori, USA

Ceremony Renames Andrew Jackson Post Office for Susan A. Davis

High-ranking public officials, postal employees, and residents of the Rolando neighborhood of San Diego cheered as a plaque was unveiled officially renaming the post office branch at 6401 El Cajon Boulevard for former Congresswoman Susan Davis, D-San Diego. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Shor M. Masori, USA

Parashat Pinchas: Every Generation Receives the Leader it Deserves

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — There’s a Jewish maxim, “Every generation receives the leader it deserves.” Parasha Pinchas seems to provide a foundation for this adage. The parasha distinguishes between the leadership of Moses, who in today’s language would be described as a wise, dauntless, self-aware, “we” not “me,” conscious leader, and Joshua,

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell