By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — To be a Jew is to be a grateful person. As we enter Shabbat with Psalm 92, we read, “It is good to give thanks.” Rabbi Zelig Pliskin teaches, “Living with gratitude elevates your entire life. You become a more spiritual person. You become a more joyful person.
Parashat Ki Tavo: An Attitude of Gratitude Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Author Katherine Pangonis notes in her preface to “Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule” that “this is a book about women and power.” The wives and daughters of crusader kings and princes in the Holy Land sometimes found themselves in the position of default ruler
‘Queens of Jerusalem’ Book Seeks to Rectify Historians’ Neglect of Women Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East
Published by ANI News Tel Aviv [Israel], August 28 (ANI/TPS): In preparation for the upcoming Yom Kippur holiday – the Jewish Day of Atonement – Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development emphasized to the public the importance of observing the custom of redeeming atonements with money and not chickens. In the days between Rosh
Israelis asked to avoid using live chickens in annual atonement ritual Read More »
Jewish Religion
The plot is simple. The fictional Milia Gottstein-Lasker, the Israeli-based director of the Survivors Campaign who is known in Lithuania as a public enemy, receives an invitation from Darius Vidas, an idealistic Lithuanian professor, to keynote a conference titled “Our Neighbors, Our Friends” about the historic Lithuanian Jewish community that was all but totally wiped out in the Holocaust. [Donald H. Harrison]
Powerful Novel Indicts Lithuanian Role in the Holocaust Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History
A seven-hour mediation. A secret recording device. Accusations of extortion. These are the latest twists in the ongoing, ugly saga over control of the Southern California synagogue that survived a 2019 mass shooting only to face a federal fraud conviction of its founding rabbi. [Louis Keene, the Forward]
Fraud, Betrayal and Spy Gear: Inside the Messy Battle for Chabad of Poway Read More »
California, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA
(Press Release) Sefaria unveiled a groundbreaking digital collaboration, the “Global Community Torah,” that is a unique opportunity for anyone to have a small part in “writing” a Torah—all 304,805 letters. The ambitious project launched at a virtual 10th anniversary celebration for Sefaria, the non-profit organization that digitizes and freely shares Jewish texts in Hebrew and
Sefaria Launches First-Ever ‘Global Community Torah’ Digital Writing Project Read More »
Jewish Religion, USA
Parshat Ki Teitzei 5783 By Rabbi Daniel Reich LA JOLLA, California — Our tradition tells us that there are 613 Mitzvot contained in the Torah, spread out among its 54 Parshas. So one might have assumed that these 613 statues are evenly distributed throughout the Torah, coming to approximately 11 or 12 Mitzvot per Parsha.
By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — This week’s parasha, literally meaning, “When you go out…” opens with a description of facing war with enemies. Maimonides tells us that 72 mitzvot spring from this week’s Torah portion, from weights and measures and collecting debts in a righteous way, to proper ways to divorce, keeping promises,
Parashat Ki Teitzei: Refining Our Souls Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
“Sometimes, I will do a creative service,” she continued. “I will have a theme and I will have some of the basic prayers, but I also ask people to bring poems or stories or something unique that speaks to the theme that I provided. Those were really received well because people could feel that they were participating. I am much more interested in participation than I am in performance.” [Donald H. Harrison]
Rabbi-Cantor Cheri Weiss Combines Love of Judaism and Music Read More »
Ben Dishman, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA
By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — The parasha Shoftim (16:18-21:9) begins with Moses requiring the Israelites, “You must make judges and officers in every gate that Y-h-v-h gives you for your tribes. They must judge the people with righteous judgment. They must not show any [special] respect to anyone nor take gifts
Why Do We Need Judges? Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish ReligionParshat Shoftim 5783 By Rabbi Daniel Reich In his farewell address to the Jewish people, our greatest teacher, Moshe Rabbeinu, continues to share the critical and fundamental ideas that the Jews will need to remember once he is gone from the biblical narrative. In our Parsha, we learn more of these critical teachings. One of
Basic Training for Hashem’s Army Read More »
Daniel Reich-Rabbi, Jewish Religion
The rocket explosion killed Ella and wounded Tamir, who still has some shrapnel in his head. Today, Tamir is a married adult. He has been asked to talk about “how he survived and how is his life now,” commented Carine Chitayat, the Swiss-born executive director of the Foundation. [Donald H. Harrison]
Gala to Honor and Learn from Israeli Survivors of Terror Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, USA
By Jerry Klinger “The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.” — All’s Well That Ends Well, Act 4, Scene 3 A few weeks ago, the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation’s U.K. branch placed a historical marker at Leopold John Genn’s birthplace. The marker text: Jewish Prosecutor –
The British Belsen War Crimes Trials and Leo Genn Read More »
Holocaust, International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, OpinionBy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — This week’s parasha presents an intriguing perspective for those with an inclination towards environmentalism. It articulates, “When besieging a city for an extended period, preparing for war to conquer it, refrain from felling its trees with axes. These trees are for sustenance, and you must not cut them
Parashat Shoftim: Profound Concern for Our Surroundings Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell