Lifestyles

Frida Kahlo Loved Jews So Much She Invented Jewish Ancestry

The Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is the subject of several murals at Chicano Park. Modern genealogists say that she was the daughter of a mother of mixed indigenous and Spanish descent, Mathilde Calderon y Gonzalez, and a German Lutheran father, Guillermo Kahlo. However, Frida herself always insisted that her father, who was an important influence on both her life and her art, was actually Jewish. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Watch Your Step!

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — I was recently made aware of the importance of being careful to avoid falling by the incident in which a friend who is a little bit younger than myself fell in her home and broke her hip. This involved a trip to the emergency room of a local

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Lifestyles

Roles, Tasks, Resources — Understanding the Controlling Forces

By Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — “They don’t allow it,” you’re told. “They wouldn’t like it….” “They have decided…” “It’s up to them.” We hear such common pronouncements often, but who are they? They are “the powers that be,” the nameless, faceless others who control our lives. They are the systems, institutions,

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Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz, Opinion

Tradition

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — As Passover approaches the word “tradition” assumes increasing prominence in the lives of Jews — and Israelis. Each ethnic group, and each family, has its own traditions regarding the way the festival is celebrated (cue musical interlude “Tradition” from “Fiddler on the Roof”). This was brought home to

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Lifestyles, Middle East

I Wish I Had A Dog, I’m Glad I Don’t Have A Dog, But I Do Have Teddy Bear

By Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — A few days ago a friend came to visit me with her new puppy, a nine-month old mini-Australian shepherd. After the puppy finished exploring my apartment and drank some water, he jumped in my lap and licked my face; I was smitten. All my nurturing instincts

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Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz

There’s More Than One Kind of Mikvah for Conversion Ceremonies

However, there are other ways that the process of conversion can be completed, much closer to home, as Dr. Mark Scheller, an anesthesiologist, learned in 2015 when he waded from the shore of Chula Vista’s Bayside Park into the cold waters of San Diego Bay. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Disability Awareness: Going Further to Make This a Better World

Susan Lisker recently gave the following Drash (sermon) at Ohr Shalom Synagogue. This month is Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month (JDAIM). By Susan Lisker SAN DIEGO — The Parasha for this week is Tetzaveh. It means you will command (or order). The word is from the Hebrew root TZ(adik), V(av), H(ei). It’s also

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County

Shyness in Our Hyperculture Has Been Exacerbated by Isolation

By Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — We live in a hyperculture: the internet, email, cell phones, and texting are all speeding up our interactions. It’s not only faster, it’s also more complex, leaving behind people like my mother, who, when asked to push a number on her phone in order to continue

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Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz, Opinion