Judaism

The perils of success: Reform Judaism in Israel

By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — According to an opinion poll just published in Yediot Achronot, Israel’s largest newspaper, more Israelis define themselves as Reform (7%) and Conservative (4%) when put together than the ultra-Orthodox haredim (10%). The largest number of religious Jews are Nationalist-Orthodox (29%). 44% of all Israelis don’t identify with any religious

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Jewish Religion, Middle East

Chief Rabbi of Israel visits California

[youtube:2035417] Israel”s Chief Sephardic Rabbi visited Jewish communities in California during a recent trip to the west coast, a spokesperson for the rabbi reported Sunday. Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef met with members of local Jewish communities across Southern California, and lectured at the Yeshiva Gedolah of Los Angeles (YGLA). Rabbi Yosef was hosted by the

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Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

Important parts of life obituaries tend to omit

© By Oliver B. Pollak RICHMOND, California — Sports, recreation, athletics promote healthy living, competition and social networks. They can be lifelong habits, even obsessions. When a team member dies they are missed, mourned, and remembered by the remaining teammates. You will not get this from reading newspaper obituaries. Joseph Goldstein and Peter Craig are examples.

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Obituaries & memorials, Oliver Pollak, Sports & Competitions, USA

Jerusalem liberated from the Turks a century ago

By Barry Shaw On December 11, 1917, General Edmund Allenby’s forces officially liberated Jerusalem. Actually, a Jerusalem delegation, led by the mayor, surrendered the city to a pair of British army cooks on December 8. Thus began a comical farce of who received the surrender of the Holy City. The Turkish army and their German

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Barry Shaw, International, Jewish History, Middle East

What is David Cassidy’s Cause of Death?

Former teen idol David Cassidy has died at 67 from “complications from dementia,” Variety reported. People magazine said the cause was organ failure. “On behalf of the entire Cassidy family, it is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, our uncle, and our dear brother, David Cassidy,” his family said in

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

“Touched By An Angel” fans mourn the loss of one of the show’s brightest stars

The Salvation Army Sally Awards Rest in peace, Della Reese. The “Touched By An Angel” actress and music legend passed away on Sunday, Nov. 19, according to PEOPLE. She was 86 years old. “On behalf of her husband, Franklin Lett, and all her friends and family, I share with you the news that our beloved

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Holocaust survivor opens art museum in hometown Vilnius

Painter and Holocaust survivor Samuel Bak on Monday opened a museum of his allegorical work inspired by Jewish history in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, more than half a century after he held his first exhibition as a nine-year-old inside its wartime ghetto. As a boy he was sent to live in the ghetto after the

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International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

‘Anne Frank’ wins and breaks our hearts

By Eric George Tauber SAN DIEGO–“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” –Anne Frank In 1942, after being denied visas to the United States, the Frank family went into hiding in the Secret Annex, a tight, dingy storage attic above the pickling factory that Otto

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eric George Tauber, Jewish History, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Jewish progressive movements ‘blackmail’ Israel

By Moshe Dann JERUSALEM — Arm-twisting Israel by liberal and Progressive American Jews is threatening the delicate and vital bonds that link the two major Jewish communities. Oblivious to the consequences of creating dissension and unwilling to accept Israel’s separate and sovereign status, some Reform and Conservative Jewish leaders seem to be engaging in a

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Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

Israeli Jews hold rare prayers at West Bank holy site

Hundreds of Israeli Jews held a rare prayers session by a mosque in a Palestinian village on the occupied West Bank early Sunday, an AFP photographer said. The Israeli army accompanied busses carrying over 300 ultra-Orthodox men, mostly from the Breslov Hassidic sect, to Younis mosque in Halhul, north of Hebron, where according to Jewish

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Jewish Religion, Middle East

Skeletons Found At Qumran Could Answer The Dead Sea Scrolls Mystery

The caves near the Dead Sea have been a source of constant debate for a long time now. A 12th cave was discovered in September 2017, which was used to house the ancient documents. Now, there might be a scientific way to figure out who once occupied a settlement located near the caves where the

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East

Tales of internat’l intrigue in old Key West

The Jews of Key West: Smugglers, Cigar Makers, and Revolutionaries (1823-1969) by Arlo Haskell; Sand Paper Press; 2017; 170 pages plus notes, bibliography and index; $24.00. By Donald H. Harrison   SAN DIEGO – Arlo Haskell’s book on the Jews of Key West is unlike most other local histories in that it is fueled by

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, USA