Judaism

Who wrote the great books of Jewish thought?

Books of the People: Revisiting Classic Works of Jewish Thought by Dr. Stuart W. Halpern, Editor, Maggid Books, Jerusalem, © 2017, ISBN 978-1-59264-470-4, hardcover, p. 350, including list of contributors, $29.95 By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California – The editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, in the early 1950s, basing their judgment on just three simple criteria:

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion

‘Banning kosher slaughter attacks our status as equal citizens’

The European Jewish Congress has strongly condemned the decision of the Walloon region in southern Belgium to back the formal proscription of the slaughter of non-stunned animals as of 2019, thereby effectively banning shechita, the Jewish form of humane slaughter for meat. EJC President Dr. Moshe Kantor described the decision as “scandalous” and said it

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International, Jewish Religion

The importance of the Balfour Declaration

By Steve Kramer ALFEI MENASHE, Israel — One hundred years ago a bomb shell was dropped on the international community by the British government. It was the Balfour Declaration, a public “letter” which would have greatly cheered Theodor Herzl, the great proponent and leader of the Zionist movement, had he not succumbed to a heart

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International, Jewish History, Middle East, Steve Kramer

Chutzpah or faith? Bride plans wedding without groom

The Wedding Plan written and directed by Rama Burshtein, distributed by Roadside Attractions; Hebrew with English subtitles.  To be presented May 26 at Hillcrest Cinemas. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — There is a scene in The Wedding Plan in which Michal (Noa Koler)  is being driven to the wedding hall. She has on her

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Jewish Religion, Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Marking Israel’s first Independence Day without dreamer-in-chief Shimon Peres

Son Chemi Peres says his father left a compass and tools to help the country follow his path of making technology, not war By Shoshanna Solomon To die at the ripe age of 93 is a blessing in Israel, a country used to mourning young soldiers fallen in war who had only just started to

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Middle East, Obituaries & memorials

Author Jean Stein, who wrote about NY and Hollywood elite, falls to her death

Jean Stein, the literary editor and author known for producing engrossing oral histories on topics as disparate as the tumultuous life of an Andy Warhol acolyte and the dastardly intrigues of early Hollywood, has died at 83. Her death Sunday was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Nation magazine in New York City, where Stein’s

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Obituaries & memorials, USA

Swiss star climber Ueli Steck dies on daring Everest expedition

Kathmandu (dpa) – Renowned Swiss climber Ueli Steck was found dead near Mount Everest on Sunday, tourism officials said. Dubbed the “Swiss Machine” for his daring speed-climbs in the Himalayas, the 40-year-old was attempting to summit Everest via a rarely used route. He was found on neighbouring mountain Nuptse. “He slipped from a slope near

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International, Obituaries & memorials

Macron visits Holocaust Memorial a week before presidential run-off

French centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron visited the Holocaust Memorial in Paris on Sunday, one week before he faces off against far right leader Marine Le Pen in the country’s presidential election. Amid worries about rising nationalism, and on the day France remembers thousands of Jews who were deported to Nazi death camps, Macron warned the

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International, Jewish Religion

Jewish member of India’s Nehru dynasty dies at 108

Fleeing anti-Semitism in Hungary, Shobha Nehru, nee Magdolna Friedmann, wound up marrying into the family of India’s first PM By Times of Israel staff Shobha Nehru. (Screen capture: YouTube) A Jewish-Hungarian woman who escaped European anti-Semitism and married into India’s most prominent political dynasty died last week at age 108. Shobha Nehru, born Magdolna Friedmann

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International, Jewish History, USA