Subjects in this column:
* 2020 may be the year of local exhibits on the Holocaust
* Rabbis weigh in on the controversy over kosher slaughter of animals
* How mayoral candidates are spinning the latest poll
Our Shtetl San Diego: September 12, 2019 Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, The World We Share, Travel and Food
#ShowUpForShabbat was initiated by AJC following the cold-blooded murder of 11 Jewish worshipers on October 27, 2018, during Saturday morning services. Exactly six months later, on April 27, the Chabad House in Poway, near San Diego, California, was attacked, leaving one Jew dead, also at a Shabbat service.
“The sanctity of Jewish houses of worship, the sense of American Jewish security, changed dramatically after these fatal terror attacks,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “But the outpouring of support from political and religious leaders, as well as participation in #ShowUpForShabbat, was energizing, demonstrating Americans’ determination to come together to fight hate, in this case hatred of Jews.”
Congregations to commemorate Pittsburgh massacre Read More »
Jewish History, USA
….you see among the captives a beautiful woman and you desire her and would take her to wife, you shall bring her into your house, and she shall trim her hair, pare her nails, and discard her captive’s garb. She shall spend a month’s time your house lamenting her father and mother; after that you may come to her and possess her, and she shall be your wife. Then, should you no longer want her, you must release her outright. You must not sell her for money; since you had your will of her, you must not enslave her.”
Notes on Torah Reading for September 14, 2019 Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion
Perhaps the parasha is more about another war with our real enemy, our internal mindset. Moving against our nature, especially lifting ourselves beyond our natural impulses and desires, is a struggle, a fight with our “yetzer hara” or “evil inclination.”
D’var Torah for September 14 Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael MantellSubjects in this column
*Handicapping the race for Susan Davis’s Congressional Seat
*Proposed Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Brings Heat, Not Light
* Too Many Jewish Offerings to Attend Everything
Our Shtetl San Diego: September 11, 2019 Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego Calendar, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — In 2008, in my first book on Maimonides called Maimonides: The Exceptional Mind, I described how ancient Jews had a totally different idea why they were blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. As Rosh Hashanah observances Sept. 29-Oct. 1 approach, I thought I’d recapitulate for San
Why Blow the Shofar – To Confuse Satan? Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
By Cynthia Citron LOS ANGELES — It may not be playing at your neighborhood theaters at the moment, but you can be sure the film RBG will hit the screens at least one more time. So while she battles the disastrous disease that continues to stalk her, it behooves us to explore and celebrate, once again,
In tracing the origins and development of the Talmud over the millennia in which it has existed in one form or another (first oral, then written, and eventually printed), Harry Freedman, a historian and expert in Aramaic and Judaic studies, introduces us to the different environments and cultures in which the Talmud emerged and eventually flourished, as well as giving us insights into the various rabbis, interpreters, and scholars who helped to formulate and establish it.
The Talmud has defined the Judaism of today Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish History, Jewish Religion
Among the newest countries to come out against kosher slaughtering, Belgium now insists that any kind of ritual slaughtering must first stun the animal before it is killed. The European Union held that the animal ought to be unconscious by the time it is slaughtered, to minimize its pain.
How humane is stunning an animal before slaughter? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, The World We Share
Subjects in this column:
*Dr. Peter Salk to Discuss the Works of His Father, Dr. Jonas Salk, Oct. 28
*Beth Israel Men’s Club hosts San Diego Jewish World publisher Donald H. Harrison Oct. 16
*Love Chocolate? You’ll love LFJCC’s Oct 29 Exhibit and Jan. 14 Lecture by Rabbi Prinz
Our Shtetl San Diego: September 9, 2019 Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA
…A more complicated issue is whether a cigarette smoker could switch to vaping as a step towards cessation of all smoking, and on this authorities are still quite divided. There is rabbinic precedent that allows substitution of a less serious halachic violation for a more serious violation, i.e., that vaping, while harmful and generally forbidden, would be acceptable when replacing cigarette smoking, which is more dangerous. Authorities in this debate point to what other example where rabbis might allow a less serious transgression of Jewish law in lieu of a more serious one?
Jewish trivia quiz: Vaping Read More »
Jewish Religion, Mark D. Zimmerman, Science, Medicine, & Education, Trivia, Humor & Satire
Why did a prominent Valley Center resident who was Jewish underwrite the cost of a stained-glass memorial window at a local Christian church? It is a question that has been asked repeatedly over several decades, but the answer was recently uncovered in a vintage file at the Valley Center History Museum.
The Jewish Gang that helped a Christian Church Read More »
Jewish History, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & BroadcastRosh Hashanah is not a biblical holiday, although it replaced a biblical one, and is notably different from the holiday it replaced. The biblical holiday, Yom Teruah, had a totally different purpose than Rosh Hashanah, which focuses on the onset of a new year, repentance, and commitment to live the next year properly. Yom Teruah concentrated on months and the number seven.
Rosh Hashanah: the New Year that Wasn’t a New Year Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion
The nice thing about this book is that you can either read it cover to cover or go through the extensive Table of Contents and choose the chapters that catch your eye. The book is in chronological order starting in 1987 and ending in 2019.
I did the latter and there were 18 stories that I was particularly drawn to read, such as his stories on immigrants –“Immigrant Stories Told at the New Americans Museum”- and his stories on Jewish Family Service and how they have served the community for over 100 years-“JFS, Looking Back a Century, Recalls Rose Neumann>” Moreover, I liked his stories on people who converted and intermarried couples- “Christina de Jesus is a Jewish Song Leader” and “Intermarried Couple Honors Each Other’s Beliefs.” His curious nature has served him well in life.
‘Schlepping, Schmoozing’ celebrates S.D. Jewish stories Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Mimi Pollack, San Diego County