By Steve Kramer NETANYA, Israel — We recently attended a lecture sponsored by AACI Netanya. The lecturer was American-Israeli Hank Citron, who divides his time between Manhattan and Netanya. A former history professor in New Jersey, Hank is a colorful character who, among other things, grew up in a Zionist household, the son of European
Jabotinsky left an impressive legacy Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle East, Steve KramerBy Hillary Clinton/JNS.org I didn’t grow up celebrating Pesach. But over the years, I’ve attended seders where I was inspired by the remarkable story told in the haggadah—a tale of a people who, sustained by fortitude and faith, escaped slavery and reached their freedom. As Jewish people around the world prepare for this festival, I wanted
Hillary Clinton: Lessons I’ve learned from Passover Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA
Fairy Tales (nonfiction) by James Josef Allina; PublishAmerica (c) 2013; ISBN 9781462659692; 182 pages, $13. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO —Fairy Tales is a two-part memoir. The first part, in the voice of the author’s uncle, Josef Benesch, focuses on living conditions for Jews in Vienna after the Anschluss with Nazi Germany The second
‘Fairy Tales’ tells of family’s Anschluss ordeal, recovery Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish HistoryThe remains of Jews murdered during World War II and found in the Danube river in 2011 were buried in Budapest on Friday, laying to rest a long-running saga over their identity and cause of death. The bones, some pockmarked with bullet holes, are now thought to have belonged to Jews shot on the banks
Nazi-era Jewish remains laid to rest in Hungary Read More »
International, Jewish HistoryBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — Each year before Pesach, members of my congregation ask me to sell their chametz to a non-Jew for the duration of the holiday. The chametz is repurchased after Pesach, but during the festival it is not in its original owner’s possession. This sale allows us to fulfill the mitzvah of
Words for Pesach: ‘chametz’ & ‘moat chittim’ Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Joe Spier CALGARY, Alberta, Canada — Hasidism had its beginnings in Eastern Europe in the eighteenth century, a philosophy that moved away from the primacy of Torah study, but without veering from a commitment to Torah. It created a way of Jewish life that emphasized the ability of Jews to move closer to G-d
Portrait of Chabad’s last rebbe Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle East, USAMistakes Happen – Failure is Chosen By Rabbi Yaakov Marks SAN DIEGO — The Metzora was a person who was so involved in gossip and tale-bearing that even after several types of divine warnings he refused to give up or sometimes even recognize his immoral behavior. Some people even considered their inappropriate behavior to be virtuous.
Weekly Torah portion: Metzora Read More »
Jewish ReligionThe Brussels Jewish community’s Passover celebrations will go on as usual this year but with a few additional guests — namely security guards, police officers and heavily armed soldiers. Security measures at Jewish sites in the country will be heightened during the Passover holiday in light of lingering security concerns following last month’s terror attacks
Elijah to face armed guards outside Brussels seders Read More »
International, Jewish Religion
Latvia News Agency Content provided by Asianet-Pakistan WASHINGTON, D.C. (LETA) — Latvia will always remember the victims of the Holocaust, said Saeima speaker Inara Murniece (National Alliance) when visiting the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “The Holocaust is an incomprehensible tragedy of the Jewish nation and the Latvian history. The memory of the Holocaust victims
Latvia’s Murniece salutes memory of Shoah victims Read More »
International, Jewish HistoryAMSTERDAM (dpa) – The Protestant Church in the Netherlands on Monday distanced itself from the anti-Semitic writings of the German reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546), calling some of his statements “disgusting and objectionable.” In its declaration, the Church condemned for instance Luther’s 1543 pamphlet On the Jews and their Lies (Von den Juden und ihren Luegen),
Dutch Protestants denounce Luther’s anti- Semitism Read More »
International, Jewish ReligionSAN DIEGO (Press Release) – The Jewish Federation of San Diego County will host the annual Holocaust Memorial Commemoration event taking place at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center on Sunday, May 1st at 1:30 pm. San Diego’s commemoration is one the largest in the country with more than 500 community members attending. The commemoration
San Diego’s Yom HaShoah event set for May 1 Read More »
Jewish History, San Diego CountySage Advice: Pirkei Avot Translation and Commentary by Irving (Yitz) Greenberg; Maggid Books, New Milford, Connecticut; ISBN 978-1-59264-444-5 ©2016, $24.95, p. 336 plus index By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — Pirkei Avot, literally meaning “Chapters of the Fathers,” but often translated as “Ethics of the Fathers,” is part of the Talmud, the written form
‘Sage Advice’ unlocks some Pirkei Avot mysteries Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion
The Spy Who Fell To Earth: My Relationship with the Secret Agent Who Rocked the Middle East by Ahron Bregman; CreateSpace; © 2016; ISBN 13: 9781523339970; 120 pages including appendices. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –Having read the San Diego Jewish World article by Joe Spier about the master spy Ashraf Marwan, historian Ahron
The spy Ashraf Marwan and the Yom Kippur War Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson JERUSALEM — It was very gratifying to hear two of our grandsons (aged 22 and 18) express a desire to be taken on a tour of the exhibition entitled ‘By the Rivers of Babylon’ concerning the exile of the Jews of Judea by Nebuchadnezzer II in 586 B.C.E. and currently being held
Exhibit traces ancient warfare in the Middle East Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish History, Middle East