Lifestyles

How Isolation Can Lead to Irrational and Frequent Aggressive Behaviors

By Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — In the wake of the pandemic, it seems apparent that the strain on society has contributed to an increase in antisocial, antagonistic and even aggressive behavior. We see this in the increasing anger we express toward one another in verbal or even physical outbursts. Sometimes these […]

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Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz, Science, Medicine, & Education

Residents, Employees and Donors Celebrate Seacrest Reunion Gala

Breathtaking,” “Memorable,” “One-of-a-Kind,” “We didn’t want to leave,” “One Big Family,” “Gorgeous” are the words that guests used to describe the Seacrest Foundation Women’s Auxiliary 44th Annual Gala on Sunday, June 12, 2022. Truly a Reunion Gala, this extraordinarily special event was the first gathering of the Seacrest community of supporters in over two years. Co-Chairs Cindy Bloch, Mary Epsten, Jean Gaylis, Jane Ottenstein, and Shari Schenk, along with over 230 guests, came together at a private residence and vineyard in Rancho Santa Fe to celebrate the strength and commitment of the Seacrest community of supporters whose generosity and kindness made it possible to get through the worst of the pandemic.

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Business & Finance, Lifestyles, San Diego County

Surprising Findings About Some of Our Super Powers

By Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — A recent issue of Psychology Today (April 2022) featured an article entitled: “Your Hidden Super Powers: Ten Ways You Are Stronger Than You Think.” As I read the piece, I was intrigued by how counter-intuitive these super powers seemed. The following eight stood out as particularly

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Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz

Tel Aviv: Israel’s Playground

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — To start with, Tel Aviv features the Mediterranean Sea, with its long sandy beaches, kept relatively clean by the municipality, with designated areas for people to play games (ah, the dreaded “matkot” with their constant noisy batting to and fro of a ball against wooden bats), another area

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Lifestyles, Middle East, Travel and Food

Were You Born Too Early? Technology Natives Versus Technology Immigrants

By Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — I am sure that many of you are reading this via your smartphone or computer. Like me, perhaps you are still adjusting to a world where the news is not just something a paperboy leaves on your doorstep, but a whole ecosystem of digital devices, notifications,

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Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz

LA Jewish Young Professionals Go ‘Back to Camp’ to Ignite Ideas, Inspire Curiosity, Build Connections

LOS ANGELES (Press Release) — Young Jewish leaders from across Los Angeles joined together May 12 for an experiential, day-long, camp-style gathering hosted by Trybal Gatherings designed to ignite professionals with new ideas, inspire curiosity, and build connections. Supported by the generosity of the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles and in partnership with the

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California, Lifestyles

Civility and Respect — Two Words That are No Longer in Use Today

By Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — There is so much acrimony and animosity in the world today. We are living under circumstances in which even typically rational people are pushed over the edge and act out. While it’s easy to see the cultural forces that are eroding civility, this generation is facing

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Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz, Opinion

Connections

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — A few years ago an enterprising resident of the suburb where I live, just outside Jerusalem, initiated and organized an association providing social and cultural activities for the growing number of retired persons living here. Since then the association has reached over one thousand members and conducts a

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, 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