Judaism

Florida principal fired for second time over Holocaust remarks

The Florida principal who made controversial remarks about the Holocaust has been fired for a second time.The Palm Beach County School Board voted unanimously to rescind an Oct. 7 vote to rehire William Latson, former principal at Spanish River High in Boca Raton.The earlier 4-3 vote was based on the ruling of an administrative law judge that Latson was improperly fired in 2019, but Chairman Frank Barbieri called for a new vote, saying School Board members may not have realized the judge’s decision was a recommendation. [South Florida Sun Sentinel]

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International, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Acceptance for Jews by choice

As a young professional transplant and traveler who has lived in various cities, I am constantly on the lookout for new connections and friends. Passionate about all flavors of my Judaism, I often seek out Jewish groups of various denominations. In that exploration, I have come across a sad realization, which is this—in more Orthodox settings, not everyone is treated the same. I’ve lost count of how many people have asked me when visiting a new synagogue the very awkward question of “are you Jewish?” or worse “is your mother Jewish?” While I am fortunate to have been raised in a Conservative home and pass the proverbial test, I do sympathize with those who do not. If someone has decided to hold fast to HaShem, what should it matter who their parents were? [Teresa Konopka]

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Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Teresa_Konopka, USA

Diverse lectures on tap at Tapestry

This year’s Tapestry, sponsored by the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture’s  JLearn, promises to be more diverse, exciting and interesting than ever before. Experts have been tapped from all over the world to contribute to this extraordinary Jewish Learning event.

The first session, the keynote address on Saturday evening, November 7,  at 7:30 p.m.,  will feature David Meltzer, named one of Forbes’ 10 best Motivational Speakers. Meltzer will discuss how to “Stabilize Your Mindset and Stay Grounded. Focus on Your Core Values Through a Jewish Lens. “ [Eileen Wingard]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eileen Wingard, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Minyan of Jewish candidates on S.D. County ballots

We do not know the names of every member of our Jewish community who is running for a public office in San Diego County. While we are aware of those running for major offices at the federal, state, county, and San Diego city, community college and school board levels, we are unfamiliar with those who might be running in outlying cities or for the other school boards and special districts throughout our region.
So, what follows is not a comprehensive list, nor is it an indication of San Diego Jewish World’s endorsements. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA

Jewish trivia quiz: Joe Biden, Jr.

Speaking in 2013, Joe Biden said of the Jewish people, “You make up 11 percent of the seats in the United States Congress. You make up one-third of all Nobel laureates. So many notions that are embraced by this nation that particularly emanate from over 5,000 years of Jewish history, tradition and culture: independence, individualism, fairness, decency, justice, charity.” He concluded by saying what? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

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Jewish History, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

For Bat Mitzvah, she traveled to Israel virtually

Sarah Golembsky and her family hoped to celebrate her Bat Mitzvah with a trip to Israel, but like many other B’nai Mitzvah, the pandemic made it impossible for her celebration to go as planned. She had to get creative. Sara and her family didn’t want to miss out on the Israel experience, so they did the next best thing: a live tour to Jerusalem and the Kotel through StandWithUs Discover. Virtual tours of Israel are one of the many educational opportunities offered to B’nai Mitzvah as part of a new StandWithUs B’nai Mitzvah Project initiative. [StandWithUs]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Middle East, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

From Ingathering Exiles to Escaping Clans

Israel, the land that was meant to host the ingathering of the exiles and reunite the Jewish people, is tearing at the seams. There has never been real unity in Israeli society, but we always knew how to rise above our partisan interests in the moment of truth. We cannot do this anymore; hatred and division have taken over. It seems as though we are going to split into myriad groups and clans, and many will seek asylum elsewhere, and I am not sure they will be welcome anywhere. [Michael Laitman, PhD]

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Jewish History, Lifestyles, Middle East

Abraham exemplified the power of an individual

There is hardly a day that passes when I don’t marvel at an individua’s power and ability to move mountains and change history. Our current presidential election underscores the importance of one vote and a single individual’s power to bring about change in society. The same could be said concerning Abraham. Abraham believed he could change and transform the world. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Guess who might come to your next simcha

Assume you have an upcoming bar/bat mitzvah, wedding, or another family simcha coming up, and you would like to invite some close relatives living in another country to attend. Right now it is a costly hassle for your relatives to apply for a temporary visa to visit the United States, with the possibility that they will be rejected causing you and them embarrassment, even humiliation. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

How scattered Jewish people kept a religion intact

For nearly two millennia, the Jewish people dispersed throughout the world—lacking a homeland, temple, Sanhedrin, and king—enduring many strange cultures, conducting their lives under control of foreign governments and alien cultures as slaves, outsiders, and self-rulers, did not abandon their God, their religion, or their dreams. Blondheim and Rosenberg are the editors of Communication in the Diaspora, a compendium of eleven essays, describing little-explored pieces of a puzzle explaining how Jews maintain a shared and cohesive identity. [Fred Reiss, Ed.D]

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Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish History, Jewish Religion

Germany’s newest Jewish museum closes after only 11 days

Frankfurt’s new Jewish Museum has been forced to close just 11 days after opening its doors due to government restrictions to stem a second wave of coronavirus infections across Germany and Europe.By Thursday evening, around 4,500 visitors had already taken the opportunity to visit the museum, a restored, expanded and redesigned version of a previous

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International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Travel and Food, USA

A Word of Torah: Go for You

We started reading the Torah for the new cycle on Simchat Torah. The first portion, Genesis had some sobering sections, including the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden among others. Last week we read Noah, that likewise had a difficult message for all of us, as we recounted the destruction of humanity and the animal kingdom, save for Noah and his family in the Ark. Finally, we come to our portion, Lech Licha, a portion that concerns itself with the Father and Mother of the Jewish people, Abraham and Sarah. The Rebbe comments that this makes this portion particularly joyful! [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

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Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi