Try as we might, we cannot turn back the hands of time. But there are a few things we can do. We can face the world with our eyes open, and never allow ourselves to become accomplices by apathy again. [Rabbi Bernhard H. Rosenberg]
Prayers for Ukrainians and an Appeal to President Zelensky Read More »
Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion
Sidney’s life changed in the theater of New York. The specialist, Dr. Emil Loch, a renowned dermatologist, reported him to the authorities as a leper. The police swept up Sidney, almost overnight. With a small suitcase that contained his life, he was sent secretly, swiftly and with as little human contact as possible to vanish into the interior of America. He was shipped to the very isolated world of Carville, Louisiana on the banks of the Mississippi River. Carville was the continental United States’ concentration camp for victims of Leprosy. Standing naked before a board of medical examiners in Carville, Sidney Maurice Levyson was assigned a number that he was to be known forever more as, patient #746. [Jerry Klinger]
Searching for Stanley Stein Read More »
Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA
We learn in Choshen Mishpat 137, “Behold, the first ‘good’ in the Torah was based on sight. And from this Rabbi Eliezer learned that the general way to achieve goodness is ‘ayin tova.’” Indeed, in Bereshit, we see that the first verse in the Torah using the word “good” is in relation to sight: “And G-d saw the light and it was good…” [Michael R. Mantell, PhD]
Parashat Balak: Opening Our Eyes to Goodness Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
Members of the Jewish community who have served on the Port Commission since its creation in 1962 were Harvey Furgatch (appointed 1969), Milton “Mickey” Fredman (1970), Ben Cohen (1977) and Louis Wolfsheimer (1979), all of whom had passed away prior to my undertaking this book, and Robert Penner (1988), Lynn Schenk (1990), Stephen Cushman (1998) and Laurie Black (2007), all of whom I had the opportunity to interview. All these Jewish Port Commissioners represented the City of San Diego, except for Penner and Cohen, who were appointed by Chula Vista and Coronado respectively. [Donald H. Harrison]
Four Jews Who Served as Port Commissioners Tell of Their Tenures Read More »
Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA
By Rabbi Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — The destruction of the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, and neighboring towns is a well-known tale filled with obscurities that people often fail to notice. When they do, they stop thinking about the story and fail to learn from it. Here are some of the many obscurities. Was
What We Don’t Know About Sodom and Gomorrah Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish ReligionBy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. If you want to believe that our Torah is obsolete and without consequence in our modern society, and if you choose to believe that those who live a more Torah–observant life than you do are thoughtlessly following nonsensical and senseless foolish “religious rules,” then this week’s Torah portion may put
Parashat Chukat: One Imperfectly Human Step at a Time Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Eric George Tauber CINCINNATI, Ohio — My friend Maria has dyslexia, so reading and writing are more difficult for her than most. To make matters worse, Maria was raised in parochial school in the 1950s when dyslexia was not well-known and the nuns’ pedagogy was pretty much limited to rote memorization and corporal punishment.
Irreconcilable Mindsets Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Jewish Religion, Opinion, USA
There was a time the San Diego International Airport was known by everyone as Lindbergh Field after the aviator Charles Lindbergh, who spent a lot of time in town overseeing the construction of his airplane, “The Spirit of St. Louis,” by Ryan Aircraft. After the job was completed, Lindbergh made several stops across country en route to New York, including in St. Louis. This was where donors lived who had financed his plane. Then, on May 21, 1927, Lindbergh, the 25-year-old pilot, completed the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, in the process becoming an international celebrity. If he had simply retired on his laurels at that point in his life, the name “Lindbergh Field” today might still be emblazoned across the airport entrance. [Donald H. Harrison]
Here is a Holocaust memoir that is so well told that you feel like you are sitting in the room with Harry Lenga, listening to him as he relates the meaningful episodes of his life. His narrative, as transcribed and edited by his son Scott, is at times folksy, other times philosophical, and always interesting. [Donald H. Harrison]
H’nai Matov: Brothers Working and Surviving Together Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish HistoryBy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. The parasha this week begins with a deep psychological insight into leadership with the words, “Vayikach Korach,” “and Korach took.” He was a taker, not a giver. Contrast this to Moshe who responded to Korach’s rebellion against him by “falling on his face.” A taker? No. Moshe demonstrated the inner
Parashat Korach: Seeking Compromise Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
Sabine Fröhlich grew up a Catholic in Breslau, Germany, but her ancestry was Jewish. Along with her parents and her older brother Andreas, she was declared to be a Jew according to the Nazis’ bizarre racial classifications. Like self-identified Jews in Germany, she was systematically excluded from normal life—even the Catholic school which she had attended. Her parents wisely decided to send her to England, but after they made it across the border to the Netherlands, the family reunited. [Donald H. Harrison]
A German Catholic Girl Learned of Life as a Persecuted Jew Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish HistoryBy Rabbi Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Whatever one believes, it is widely agreed upon that God did not divide the Bible into sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. So what happened to make the reading and understanding of the Bible easier? Masorites The division between sentences and paragraphs as well as punctuation signs were initiated
What Many Do Not Know About Bible Chapters Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
If he were so inclined, Greg Smith could have a lot to brag about. Over a period of 25 years, he won seven elections to serve as the San Diego County Assessor as well as the county’s recorder and clerk. He headed a staff of between 400 and 500 county workers in the combined operations of assessor-recorder-clerk. [Donald H. Harrison]
Greg Smith: A Quarter Century as Assessor, Recorder, Clerk Read More »
Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food
It is therefore incumbent upon us to make the most of the opportunities we have now to tap into those remarkable people—and draw as much insight, wisdom, and perspective from them as we can, clear in the knowledge that it will fall to us, soon enough, to be the bearers of those stories and insights for the generations that follow. [Doron Krakow]
Appreciating Jewish Leaders and Holocaust Survivors Read More »
California, Doron Krakow, Jewish History, Middle East, Travel and Food, USA