There are portions of Torah that move quickly. And then there are those that linger. Vayakhel and Pekudei linger. They return repeatedly to the details of constructing the Mishkan, to names, to measurements, to repetition. It’s fair to ask: Why spend so much time on this? [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]
Parshiot: Vayakhel-Pekudei: Gather and rise Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors
On Shabbat, we receive an expanded vitality: heightened joy, deeper peace, expanded capacity for gratitude, and a profound sense of wholeness. It is as if God breathes fresh life into us anew, allowing our souls to “catch up” and even surpass the pace of the week. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Parsha Vayakhel: Shabbat brings with it an extra soul Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Effective Thursday, February 26, the Kansas state government passed a law that invalidated the drivers licenses of transgender people in the state overnight and ordered them to surrender their IDs. This law is harmful and unconstitutional; the ACLU filed a lawsuit in Kansas state court, working to overturn it, or at least buy time for transgender residents. [Press Release}
Transgender people ordered to surrender their Kansas drivers’ licenses Read More »
Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism will be debated as a city policy by the San Diego City Council at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17. The event includes a security screening in the lobby. [Cailin Acosta]
S.D. City Council to debate IHRA definition of antisemitism Read More »
Antisemitism, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA
The SAVE Act would destroy our mail-in ballot system, enact registration requirements that would make it harder for millions of Americans to vote, and initiate massive purges of voter rolls. [Press Release]
Upcoming legislation in Congress and at San Diego City Council Read More »
Antisemitism, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, Press Release, San Diego County, USA
Monitoring English, Arabic and Farsi-language content, CyberWell identified several antisemitic narratives and trending content glorifying violence against Jews and celebrating attacks on Israeli civilians. [Press Release]
CyberWell alerts social media administrators to spike in antisemitic postings Read More »
Antisemitism, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Press Release, USA
Rather than disengaging, Jewish youth are actively seeking meaningful ways to affirm who they are, where they belong, and how they see their future as Jews, especially in today’s social and cultural climate. [Press Release]
Over 10,000 Jewish youth promise to stay involved with Judaism Read More »
Jewish Religion, Press Release, USA
Rubinek’s scheduled performance on March 25 at The Museum of Jewish Heritage in Lower Manhattan should prove memorable. He will read from All in the Telling; show clips from his documentary film, So Many Miracles, about his 1986 trip with his parents to Poland to reunite with the farmers who hid them for two and a half years during the Holocaust; and hold a discussion with Professor Annette Insdorf, who teaches film at Columbia. [Susie Rosenbluth)
Playing Shylock, playing Saul Rubinek: It’s all in the telling Read More »
Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, News Media, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
That there is a huge bias against Israel is beyond argument. It is backed by data but also obvious: a Western style democracy with full rule of law is painted as a “genocide” state by the great uneducated, and often unwashed, from the campus to street demos, to riots and in all types of media. [David Anderson]
Why are the media and mob so anti-Israel? Read More »
International, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
After World War II, it seemed that an answer to the Jewish question had been found: the creation of the State of Israel and the positive attitude of Western civilization towards the Jewish people in its diaspora. [Alex Gordon]
The global resurgence of the ‘Jewish Question’ Read More »
Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
An independent film, The Optimist, opens on Wednesday, March 11, in over 700 theaters nationwide. It tells the story of Theresienstadt-and- Auschwitz survivor Herbert Heller (Stephen Lang) recounting his Holocaust experiences after 60 years of keeping silent. [Donald H. Harrison]
‘The Optimist’: Troubled teenager brings out Holocaust survivor’s hidden story Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
Shakespeare and Rabbi Zusya lived more than a century apart and in very different worlds, yet together they illuminate a deeply Jewish idea: tafkid, the belief that each soul enters the world with a particular purpose. [Betzy Lynch]
Shakespeare, Hasidic sage Zusya, shared belief in unique purpose of each human being Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
For two weeks, we were transported into a place more “foreign” than anywhere else I have visited, yet every encounter was positive, welcoming, and gracious. Through our modern Western lens, we kept asking about antisemitism, historically or today. It simply isn’t there, and I cannot express how refreshing that was to hear. [Heidi Gantwerk]
Federation mission to India ‘refreshing’ and broadening Read More »
Antisemitism, Heidi Gantwerk, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA
Edmonds was the highest-ranking non-commissioned officer in a German POW camp. Over 1275 American POWs, captured during the Battle of the Bulge, were held there. [Jerry Klinger]