Sometimes you feel so stressed, you think you are going to SNAP! That, according to author Julie Potiker, is a good thing, assuming you are referring to SNAP as an acronym. [Donald H. Harrison]
Dealing with Stress? It’s a SNAP! Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles
Having been “retired” as editor and publisher of San Diego Jewish World for more than a year, I find myself wanting to write occasional opinion columns in addition to the book reviews and features which I’ve continued to submit to our publication’s new leader Jacob Kamaras. So, with the indulgence of you readers, I’m going to sound off periodically on issues of concern to me as a Jew. [Donald H. Harrison]
Sunday Soundoff: Transgendered Women, Christening Ceremonies, and Israel Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish Celebrities, Lifestyles, Opinion, San Diego County, USA
This book is billed as one for women, but in fact the issues it discusses apply equally to the genders. In her memoir, Laura Black tells of her struggles with weight and her recognition that because of it, her parents were embarrassed by her. To demonstrate her worth, she threw herself first into business and secondly into the law, eventually combining the two to create an agency to supply lawyers on a temporary basis to law firms that were crushed with work. Her career won her recognition and plaudits, but did not erase her negative self-image. [Donald H. Harrison]
Finding Meaning in the Last Part of Your Life Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles
By Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — I was walking down the street one day when I saw a large sign: “Body Shop.” I stopped and thought, “How interesting! Maybe I can get a new body instead of this 96-year-old one. My current body doesn’t see so well, hear so well, or walk
It’s Too Late to Die Young – Living with Old Age Infirmities Read More »
Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz
being the recipient of such “first-Jew”news imposes a heavy burden. especially if, like me, your ethnic insecurity caused you to overtip when paying a bill by credit card, because the amount would be visible next to an obviously Jewish last name. Heaven forbid if we should contribute to a “cheap-Jew” stereotype. When told I was the first of my people they’d ever met, my reaction resembled that of the fictional man ordered to ride in a handcart to the guillotine “If not for the honor,” he observed, “I’d rather walk.” [Joel H. Cohen]
Being the First Jew They’ve Known Ain’t for Sissies Read More »
Joel H. Cohen, LifestylesBy Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — There are many types of prejudice, but they can broadly be placed into two categories: personal and institutional. Personal prejudice is not based on reason, nor on actual experience. It is a feeling rooted in suspicion, fear, and intolerance. It is a negative attitude and adverse
Prejudice: How Discomfort and Fear of the Unfamiliar Lead to Discrimination Read More »
Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz, Opinion, USA
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Winter has been reluctant to arrive here in Israel, and as I write this in mid-December we can enjoy the balmy sunshine (and not having to heat our homes), though our fields and gardens yearn for rain. However, the silver lining to the lack of clouds is that
A Kind of Coexistence Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Lifestyles, Opinion
By Oliver B. Pollak, Ph.D. RICHMOND, California — COVID has changed how we mourn. Attending funerals in temples, synagogues, and decamping to the cemetery were often followed by a meal of consolation and sitting shiva. Out of town family labored to attend. Minyan and yahrzeit mark the calendar. COVID made zooming and streaming funerals commonplace
Daily Life, Obituaries and Last Rites in the Age of COVID Read More »
Lifestyles, Oliver PollakBy Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — Recently, I received an email that looked, at first glance, legitimate. It came from PayPal (with what appeared to be the company logo) and sought to confirm if I had “incurred a charge in the amount of $463. If this amount is not correct, please call
How My Brain Was Hijacked: Tips for Avoiding Scamming Read More »
Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz
By Doron Krakow A common question among JCC leaders is: “Are we a movement?” The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of a movement is: “a series of organized activities working toward an objective; also: an organized effort to promote or attain an end.” As a product of Young Judaea, the Zionist youth movement, I was inured from
A Week in the Life of a Movement Read More »
Doron Krakow, Lifestyles, Opinion, USABy Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D. About 25 years ago, Dr. Cliff Colwell replaced my right hip. The operation was successful; it has never bothered me since. However, at the time of the procedure, he advised me that my left hip had osteoarthritis and would also need a replacement soon. Twenty-five years later, I was standing
Shooting From the Hip: The Necessity For a Cortisone Injection Read More »
Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz, Science, Medicine, & Education
Special problems faced by the preschool-through-12th-grade school district in Sha’ar Hanegev (Gateway to the Negev) are security for the students in a region often targeted by missiles fired by terrorists in neighboring Gaza, and persuading the students that there are jobs and good futures for them in that rural, agricultural area. [Donald H. Harrison]
Sha’ar Hanegev School Superintendent Tells of Missile Zone Challenges Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — When life seems bleak, music, literature, and art provide us with consolation. Thus, it came about that we were able to attend two musical events in one week. What a feast! And what a difference. The first was an intimate evening provided by our friends and neighbours
Trestman was a medical doctor long before he became a rabbi. He still is a pulmonary specialist with the Palomar/ Pomerado Hospital Group. But now, he is also a Chabad rabbi who, with his wife Debra, hosts Bais Betzalel Chabad of North County Inland at their home in Rancho Bernardo near the Poway city line. At the hospital, his colleagues call him “Ken” whereas at the shul he is known by his Hebrew name “Yehuda.” [Donald H. Harrison]
Doctor Who Became a Rabbi Runs Chabad Shul in Rancho Bernardo Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA