The JCC has become the local home of the BBYO movement and is actively seeking to reinvigorate in San Diego County the 100-year-old organization that began life as the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, but which is now an independent entity, using only its initials for identification purposes. [Donald H. Harrison]
Reinvigorating BBYO in San Diego County Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, San Diego County
In a comedy routine, Tommy Smothers used to complain to his brother Dickie, “Mom always liked you best” and parental favoritism, even if it’s just imagined, can play a hurtful role. [Joel H. Cohen]
‘Am I My Brother’s Kipa?’ and Other Sibling Relationships Read More »
Joel H. Cohen, Lifestyles, USA
Retirement date was June 30th and almost immediately, the South African native traveled to a retreat center at Kfar Blum, Israel, for a family reunion that brought together relatives from various parts of the English-speaking world. Having just returned to San Diego, her most immediate task is training her Hillel successor, Danielle Botvin, but beyond that she is looking forward to “learning how to chill – I’m not good at that.” [Donald H. Harrison]
Glenda Sacks Retires after Serving San Diego’s Jewish Community for 36 Years Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
We might want to reflect this Tisha B’Av, which begins on Wednesday evening, July 26, on how we can help our fellow Jews who have fallen on hard times – an obvious reversal of the unkindness and factionalism that twice led to the downfall of ancient Jerusalem. [Donald H. Harrison]
Tisha B’Av: Time Not Only for Lamentations, But Also for Kindness Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County
Now in its eighth year of existence, San Diego Generations of the Shoah is comprised of approximately 100 descendants of survivors of the Holocaust. Its two main missions, according to Sam Landau, who chairs the steering committee, are “remembering our parents and those relatives who were murdered in the Holocaust” and “providing funds to organizations that support Holocaust education.” [Donald H. Harrison]
Descendants of Holocaust Survivors Organized to Preserve Memories Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
By Teresa Konopka SAN DIEGO — It is a great simcha to find love, get married, and have children. However, not everyone is so lucky. Every day, countless people all over the world break up. Some suffer divorce and separation, others a broken engagement, and many split before even getting that far. Why is this,
This year, 2023, was declared in Lodz, Poland, to be the year of Chava Rosenfarb, one of its most famous Yiddish writers. In Lethbridge, Canada, meanwhile Goldie Morgentaler, daughter and translator of Rosenfarb from Yiddish to English, completed for publication 10 of her late mother’s stories. [Donald H. Harrison]
Rosenfarb’s Short Stories Depict the Inner Worlds of Holocaust Survivors Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish Fiction, Lifestyles
He sold his car and his motorcycle and purchased a van in which he could live, instead of a more expensive apartment, while pursuing an associate of arts degree en route to earning certification as a Registered Nurse. [Donald H. Harrison]
Chabad Congregation Helped Former Van Dweller Obtain a Nursing Degree Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson I left my homeland of England about 60 years ago and came to live in Israel for a variety of reasons, one of them being the weather. The England that I left behind was a fairly stable country with regard to the composition of its population, which was largely white. There were,
Political Correctness or Madness? Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Israel, Lifestyles, Opinion
Lopez is a leader in the LGBTQ community thanks to the intervention of a stranger 23 years ago whose kindness prevented them from committing suicide in despair over being the subject of so much hate. [Donald H. Harrison]
Fernando Z. Lopez: From Utter Despair to Soaring Pride Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Lifestyles, San Diego County
On the second floor of the Grandstand East building at the San Diego County Fair, where the entries in the photography contest are displayed, visitors will see in a prominent position “Partners,” a photo made by Leah Horstman that received the most votes from fair goers last year as their favorite photo of all. [Donald H. Harrison]
Judges and Visitors Acclaim Leah Horstman’s Photography at San Diego County Fair Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Travel and Food, USA
By Mimi Pollack SAN DIEGO — In the book “Miriam’s Tambourine: Jewish Folktales from Around the World” (1988), edited by Prof. Howard Schwartz, Miriam’s drum had magical abilities. Taken from a 19th-century Eastern European folktale, Schwartz writes that the music from Miriam’s drum drove off serpents and kept Miriam herself in eternal life. Today’s drumming
Drumming in Jewish Circles Read More »
Lifestyles, Mimi Pollack, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego CountyBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Attending a concert recently in Jerusalem, I suddenly found myself surrounded by ghosts. In the row in front of me sat an elderly woman whose face I recognized but whose name I had forgotten. When I had last seen her, about twenty years ago, she and I were
Ghosts From the Past Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Lifestyles, Opinion
His parents’ diverse cultural backgrounds “in one way were symbiotic and, in others, very separate, Nevarez reflected. “At different times in my life, I was uncomfortable about them; I didn’t know how to wed the two.” Later in life, however, “I have not only embraced it; it has actually extended my capacity to do what I do in the world, which is my rabbinate, and to be able to be in a relationship with different cultures and ethnicities because of my background.” [Donald H. Harrison]
Reform Rabbi Draws on His Jewish and Latino Heritage Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County