By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — As usual, the biblical portion Yitro is named after the first significant word in the portion, the name of Moses’ father-in-law Yitro. His name in English is Jethro with a J. German scholars began to transliterate some, but not all, names that start with the Hebrew
The Biblical Portion Yitro: Is ‘Ten Commandments’ a Misnomer? Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
Ronald Gruner, who spent his working career as a CEO of three different tech companies (Alliant Computer; Shareholder.com; and Sky.Analytics), is a lay historian deeply interested in economic policy and outcomes. His book, analyzing the presidencies of the 17 U.S. Presidents from Warren G. Harding to Donald J. Trump, focuses largely on issues like unemployment, interest rates, and inflation. But along the way he also makes mention of significant geopolitical events that occurred during those presidencies. I will leave it to economists to determine the value of Gruner’s economic analyses. They are beyond my depth. What I did take notice of was how often our fellow Jews, and issues of direct relevance to the Jewish community, cropped up in the book. [Donald H. Harrison]
Many Jews Receive Mentions in Brief History of 17 US Presidents Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, USA
Daniel Kohanski, A God of Our Invention, How Religion Shaped the Western World (Hannacroix, NY: Apocryphile Press, 2023) 285 pages, $26.00 By Oliver B. Pollak RICHMOND, California — Daniel Kohanski graduated from Colgate with a degree in philosophy and received an MS in computer science from Rutgers. He spent many years as a computer programmer
‘A God of Our Invention’ Shines Light on Contemporary Political-Religious Agendas Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Jewish Religion, Oliver Pollak, USA
The visit of First Lady Dr. Jill Biden to San Diego on Friday, Feb. 3 and Saturday, Feb. 4 highlighted three members of the American Jewish community: Sara Jacobs, Gabrielle Giffords, and Steven A. Cohen. [Donald H. Harrison]
3 Jews Had Roles in First Lady Jill Biden’s San Diego Visit Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, USA
Purim arrives this year the evening of Monday, March 6, and concludes on Tuesday, March 7. To get your children or grandchildren ready for the fun holiday, you could enjoy reading with them this parody on Little Red Riding Hood, wherein Lily whizzes on a skateboard toward grandma’s condo in Florida. Lily has hamantaschen loaded into her backpack.
Wolf(e) Foiled Again in Little Red Riding Hood Parody for Purim Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — In August 1912, in Neue Rundschau, Stephan Zweig analyzed the work of notable new writers who had appeared in German literature: “Apart from Thomas Mann, certainly the one with the greatest hope of creating a truly German novel, two writers, Heinrich Mann and Jacob Wasserman have already shown with
Jacob Wasserman: The Story of Unrequited Love Read More »
Alex Gordon, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History
By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — This week’s parasha, Beshalach, includes an impactful pasuk, “And He said, ‘If you hearken to the voice of the Lord, your God, and you do what is proper in His eyes, and you listen closely to His commandments and observe all His statutes, all the sicknesses that
Parashat Beshalach: Our Song for a Healthy Future Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
The 103-minute documentary Deadly Deception at Sobibor, shows what happened to the camp after the famous escape. The work, painstakingly put together by filmmaker Gary Hochtman, will be shown at the San Diego Jewish Film Festival at 10 a.m., Thursday, Feb 16, at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. [Donald H. Harrison]
Documentary Reveals Gruesome Discoveries at Sobibor Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
It was abundantly clear during Supervisor Nathan Fletcher’s presentation and the testimony of various members of the Jewish community at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 24, that a permanent Holocaust museum in San Diego is desired. [Donald H. Harrison]
Sunday Soundoff: Holocaust Museum, Gun Violence, Homeless Housing Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Jewish History, Opinion, San Diego County
By Jerry Klinger Touristing — better known as cultural travel, especially historical travel to see the places of events, and meaning to the American experience, preferably without resentful teenagers — is great. A fun thing to do in Florida is to visit historical lighthouses. There are big ones, short one, white ones, red ones, and
Cape St. George Island Lighthouse and the Jews Read More »
Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Opinion, USABy Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — The third parasha in Exodus, Bo, frequently mistranslated as “go,” despite meaning “come,” tell the last three of the 10 plagues, God gives the Israelites the first of the 613 commandments concerning the Jewish calendar, a law that seems to be crystal clear, but Jewish tradition
The Biblical Portion Bo: ‘Come’ or ‘Go,’ and Other Thoughts Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish ReligionOn a cold December day in occupied Paris in 1940, a large group lined up at the Nazi commandant’s office. Jews stood waiting to be registered, anxious for their lives. In the crowd was a thin, tall old man with a bulging, high forehead, a shallow chin and a small mustache. After waiting for hours in the cold, he caught a bad cold, caught pneumonia, and died on January 3, 1941. He died in the very town in which he had been born 80 years earlier. Registered by the Nazis, the old Jew was one of France’s most famous men, Professor Henri Bergson of the Collège de France, member of the French Academy of Sciences, winner of the 1927 Nobel Prize in Literature. In the Pantheon there is an inscription on one of the columns: “To Henri Bergson, a philosopher whose life and work have done honor to France and to human thought. [Alex Gordon]
Jewish Biography: Henri Bergson Read More »
Alex Gordon, International, Jewish History
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Jan. 24, declared that day to be Holocaust Remembrance Day in San Diego County – three days before this coming Friday’s commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, coinciding with the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in 1945. [Donald H. Harrison]
County Supervisors Approve & Help Finance Holocaust Remembrance Exhibit Read More »
California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, USA
After nine days as dean of students at a middle school, Michael Woodberg resigned. The offense? Being Jewish. His bosses are not antisemitic. Nor is there evidence of rampant antisemitism among the students. In early January, the Richmond Community Schools received frightening threats directed at Woodberg and other staff at the middle school. The school district serves a rural area 45 miles northeast of Detroit. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Anti-Jewish Threats to School Administrator Prompts His Resignation Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Jewish History, Opinion, USA