Judaism

San Diego’s Jewish Pioneer Built Area’s First Tannery in Rose Canyon

Rose Creek runs through Rose Canyon, which is known to seismographers as the site of the Rose Canyon Fault.  The canyon, the creek, and the fault are not named for the rose flower.  These locations are named for Louis Rose, who in 1850 became San Diego’s first Jewish settler. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

‘His Only Son,’ Movie about Abraham and Isaac, Opens March 31

On March 31, in theatres around the country, His Only Son, a Christian movie by David Helling depicting the binding of Isaac, will open.  Except for some Christian references at the beginning and end of the epic, the film fits in well with Jewish exegesis. It’s a fascinating cinematographic midrash on Genesis 22:1-19.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

B’Shalom: Jewish MLB Players; Sabras, Jewish Political & Celebrity News

As the Major League Baseball season is about to get underway, I’m disappointed to report that our San Diego Padres do not have any Jewish player on the roster. However, there are eight Jewish players on National League teams that the Padres will play during the regular season. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, USA

A New Outstanding Commentary on the Biblical Book Leviticus

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Koren Press’ “The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel – Leviticus” follows its predecessors on the Biblical books Exodus and Samuel as a third outstanding biblical commentary. It contains a wealth of scholarly information written in an easy-to-read and interesting — even fascinating — fashion

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

The Crocus Project and the Meaning of the Holocaust

By Jerry Klinger In March 2022, Martin Sugarman, the Chairman of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation’s U.K. branch, shared with me a contact he had received. Susan Soyinka, from Penzance, Cornwall, had contacted him about possibly funding a Remembering Stone for Albert and Rosa Reuss. The Reusses were Austrian Jewish refugees who escaped

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Holocaust, International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Opinion

Obituaries: Women’s Museum Honorees Natasha Josefowitz, Rosalie Schwartz

SAN DIEGO (SDJW) — Two honorees of the Women’s Museum of California died on March 15. One was author and columnist Natasha Josefowitz who was 96.  Lucid until the end, she had been writing columns for La Jolla Village News and San Diego Jewish World through the end of February.  An archive of her articles that appeared on

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Natasha Josefowitz, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak Discusses Mideast Assassinations and Diplomacy in Candid Documentary

Israeli Filmmaker Ran Tal has put together a fascinating documentary in which former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak contemplates whether Middle Eastern history would have changed if plans to assassinate Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had been approved during the 1970s by his superiors. At that time, Barak was an up and coming officer in the IDF, not important enough to make policy, but sufficiently well placed to carry it out. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

First-in-a-Generation Study Shows Positive Influence of Rabbis on Young American Jews

(Press Release) Young American Jews want more experiences with rabbis because those interactions help them feel more spiritually connected and more connected to a Jewish community, says a new report released today from Atra: Center for Rabbinic Innovation. The first-in-a-generation research, conducted by the Benenson Strategy Group, paints a rich picture of what factors lead

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Jewish Religion, USA

Rational Thoughts on Vayakhel, Pekudei, Shabbat, Synagogues, and More

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Two biblical Torah portions are read this week. The portion of Vayakhel, Exodus 35:1-38:20, contains the Sabbath law, which the rabbis translated as “You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the Sabbath day,” which the Sadducees translated as “You shall have no fire throughout

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

Parashat Vayakhel-Pekudei, Hachodesh: Combining Our Hearts and Talents as One

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — There are many lenses we can bring to our deep study of each week’s Torah reading. The lens I prefer is one that helps search for and find ways to lead a healthier, more meaningful, and purposeful life. This week’s double reading from Vayakhel- Pekudei is brimming with

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell