Rabbi Baruch Lederman By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — The Torah tells us that we cannot eat just any animal, bird, or fish. It has to be kosher. But don’t worry, even though the Torah prohibits us from many many foods, there is still plenty of kosher food to be found. Just have a […]
Can we believe 100 percent in an outcome? Read More »
Jewish Religion
Editor’s Note: The following eulogy was delivered at the funeral of Gert Thaler, 91, on Tuesday, April 17, at Ohr Shalom Synagogue in San Diego by her dear friend Norman Greene. By Norman Greene SAN DIEGO–As my friend Lorraine Schrag commented, “it is hard to imagine a world without Gert thaler.” Many here today have
Gert Thaler’s purposefulness and zaniness remembered Read More »
Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Our tradition is a tapestry of stories. Every generation weaves its own unique color and threads as we make a mosaic about our history and family memories. Whenever our family of survivors told us about their experiences in the concentration camps, I used to marvel at their
The story behind a winning smile Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK –He was an old man, and in many ways came from a very different world than I. And yet he taught me more than anyone else ever did. One of the things he taught me was that no one suffers as much as a parent who loses a
Aaron remained silent Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Judy Lash Balint JERUSALEM — A few days ago, within a week of Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, my mother’s youngest brother passed away. His passing made me reflect on the long tentacles of the Shoah that leaves its mark on lives until today. Isi was the youngest of five children, born in 1926
Kindertransport child felt uprooted the rest of his life Read More »
International, Jewish History, Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Among the non‑Orthodox rabbis who were placed in the concentration camps, Rabbi Leo Baeck provides one of the most outstanding examples of shepherding of that era. Baeck’s saintly conduct served as an inspiration to all who were with him in the camp. In the years prior
Rabbi Leo Baeck never left the Jewish people’s side Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –Nothing challenges the belief in a benevolent God like the ubiquity of evil in the world. For the Jewish people, the experience of the Holocaust revealed the inadequacy of traditional theology. The God of the Exodus seemed “to be out for lunch.” Asked in more simple and
Remembering a rabbi who would not forget his fellow Jews Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
By Donald H. Harrison EL CAJON, California — Whimsy was a theme of Grossmont College’s two-day festival celebrating its 50th anniversary. An old-fashioned sock hop in the college’s gymnasium on Friday, April 13, looked back to the college’s founding in 1962, and students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends gave the “old college try” on
Grossmont festival marks college’s golden anniversary Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History
By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO–Spirits droop these days—there are mass shootings, racial flare-ups, and governmental genocides in Syria and elsewhere. We live with a sense of vulnerability as the climate behaves capriciously. Less dangerous but still burdensome, we endure an endless political polarization here in America that drives the presidential campaign, which also
Discerning day from night Read More »
Jewish ReligionSAN DIEGO (Press Release)– Stanley Schwartz, president of the Jewish Historical Society since 1994, and long-time member of the Congress of History of San Diego and Imperial Counties, has received the coveted Award of Distinction from the Congress of History. At the ceremony held in March at the at the Congress of History’s 47th Annual History Conference,
Stan Schwartz honored by local Congress of History Read More »
Jewish History
VISTA, California (Press Release) — A capacity crowd attended Congregation B’nai Tikvah’s annual, “2nd Night Seder” Saturday evening, April 7. Congregation B’nai Tikvah was honored to host a very special guest, Corporal Samuel Roochnik from Bethesda, MD, who is currently stationed at Camp Pendleton Marine Base. The seder, officiated by B’nai Tikvahs’ Rabbi Ben Leinow was “lively, entertaining and spiritually moving,” according
A Passover welcome for a Marine away from home Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California —As we open our door to welcome Elijah, some of us probably snicker and say “Yeah, right…” The cynicism of our age makes us doubt whether the Messiah will ever really arrive. People often wonder who the Messiah is going to be. Many faith communities believe it
What do Jews believe about the coming of a Messiah? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
By Leah Singer SAN DIEGO — We young Jews have quite a dilemma these days. I’m not talking about the economic crisis or whether to buy an iPad now or wait until later. I’m talking about – quite simply – how we honor our Jewish heritage with the name. Ever since I became engaged ten
Names — what’s a Jewish woman to do? Read More »
Jewish Religion
HEBRON, Israel — While many Israelis fly off to various points around the globe for Passover, those of us who stay home and are fortunate enough to have some time off during the week-long holiday use the time to explore and get to know the country better. One group that’s helping make that happen
Israelis pour into Hebron for Passover Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East