We stand at the threshold of a new year
with open hands and unsteady hearts. … [Betzy Lynch]
Poetry: On the Threshold of a New Year Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Provisioned with a variety of tamales, bañuelos (crispy-thin dough sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, a typical Mexican holiday dessert, muy delicioso!), and my father-in-law’s “famous rum cake,” my family and I are heading back to “somewhat sunny” San Diego from El Paso. (Cailin Acosta)
Our Shtetl: Thoughts on a Drive Back to San Diego Read More »
Cailin Acosta, California, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA
There is a Hasidic teaching that every soul enters the world carrying its own melody, and the task of life is not to invent it, but to remember it. When Averginos speaks of music arriving beyond his conscious knowledge, of harmonies flowing through him that exceeded his formal training, he is describing this remembrance. The self does not lead. It relaxes. And something greater moves through. [Michael Adam Cohen]
Paul Avgerinos and the Gentle Art of Remembering: Listening for the Still, Small Sound Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Adam Cohen, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors
The museum began as a one-room display inside the El Paso Jewish Community Center, featuring a small collection of books, posters, and personal memorabilia. Today, the El Paso Holocaust Museum encompasses more than 4,000 square feet of permanent exhibition space. It is one of only 13 free-standing Holocaust museums in the United States and one of just two presented in a fully bilingual format. [Cailin Acosta]
An Emotional Tour of the El Paso Holocaust Museum Read More »
Antisemitism, Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA
Many Jewish fathers and mothers take their children to sit on Santa Claus’s lap—just like the author Rabbi Joshua Eli Plaut did, when he was only seven years old. I laughed at the picture because I remember my father, Leo Israel Samuel—a Holocaust survivor from Auschwitz—did the same for me when I was about the same age [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Book Traces History and Humor of Jews and Christmas Read More »
Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
After our interview, my impression was that her passions are/were her time in the Navy and her deep Jewish faith. She is a proud veteran who wears her Navy cap everywhere as well as a Star of David around her neck. [Mimi Pollack]
Volunteer of the Month Charlotte Freifeld’s Life: Navy and Judaism Read More »
Cailin Acosta, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Mimi Pollack, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined ContributorsAs we made it past the Franklin Mountains above the University of Texas at El Paso, there was an illuminated star on the mountainside. I don’t remember the star having been lit as blue prior to this occasion. [Cailin Acosta]
El Paso Lights Up Ceremonial Star in Celebration of Hanukkah Read More »
Cailin Acosta, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA
Two hundred San Diego families working to make ends meet now have presents to give their children thanks to a toy drive organized by Jewish Family Service of San Diego in collaboration with interfaith partners and community members. [Press Release]
JFS Distributes Toys for Needy Families Read More »
Lifestyles, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Press Release, San Diego County
Comprised of the more advanced seventh- and eighth-grade musicians, the orchestra performed a medley titled “Chanukah Holiday,” weaving together the “Dreidel Song,” “Tum Balalaika”, and “O Chanukah.” [Cailin Acosta]
La Mesa Arts Academy Concert Features a Chanukah Medley Read More »
Cailin Acosta, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors
I love that the Chanukah candles will be at their fullest luminosity on the darkest day of the year. It feels auspicious…like a cosmic reminder that illumination is born from darkness. [Shayna Kaufmann, Ph.D]
The Longest Night Meets the Brightest Chanukiah Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Shayna Kaufmann, Staff and Bylined Contributors
You won’t find many of these in travel books, and if you do, they’re usually wedged between the “best hummus in Jaffa” and a review of a hotel that doesn’t deserve its fourth star. What I’m offering here is a bit of a swap: famous attractions traded in for quieter, stranger, or more soulful corners of the country. Think of it as Israel off the record. [Ari Melnik]
Israeli Sightseeing: Off the Beaten Path Read More »
Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, Travel and Food
In that moment, I heard an ancient Jewish truth echoing forward: wisdom is not speed. Wisdom is presence. Chochmah without binah is incomplete. Intelligence is not merely how fast the mind moves, but how deeply the soul is engaged. [Michael Adam Cohen]
A Powerful 3 Days in Rancho Bernardo with Supportive Friends Read More »
Business & Finance, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Adam Cohen, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Greg Schneider, Executive Vice President of the Claims Conference, told viewers the program had been recorded before the tragic events in Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, and added: “With horror and heartbreak, we mourn with the Jewish community of Australia.” The speaker then pivoted to the evening’s central message of perseverance: “When faced with tragedy, the Jewish people always choose life,” a lesson the speaker said the world learns “especially from Holocaust survivors.” [Shor M. Masori]
Claims Conference Webcast Focus: Resilience of Holocaust Survivors Read More »
Holocaust, International, Jewish Celebrities, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Shor M. Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
I was pleasantly surprised to discover a booth sponsored by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in front of Swami’s Café. Staffed by AJC board members and youth leaders, the booth offered hands-on education about Chanukah, including lessons on how to play dreidel. Regional Director Sara Brown shared that La Mesa Vice Mayor Lauren Cazares personally invited AJC to participate and even stopped by the booth to celebrate with them. [Cailin Acosta]
Chanukah Receives Exposure in La Mesa Village’s Annual Celebration Read More »
Cailin Acosta, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors