Lifestyles

Hounding the Headlines: The Interview

What scares me more is that some condos and independent living communities either ban dogs or require that they weigh no more than 25 pounds.  This is blatant sizeism. At a svelte 50 pounds I don’t want to take Ozempic to get down to the qualifying weight.  Of course, I could go on the canine anorexic diet of eating lots of grass and purging. [“Elona” Baron]

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Lawrence Baron, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, The World We Share, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Parsha Tzav: Gratefulness Can Inspire Others

Dr. David DeSteno and his colleagues reveal a profound truth – that gratitude is a powerful force, capable of igniting a radiant chain reaction of goodness and compassion. Perhaps this is what is behind the good Moshe delivers to Aharon…not so much “making” him “feel good,” but rather when one’s heart is filled with gratitude for the blessings received, it becomes a wellspring from which kindness and generosity flow forth. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Viktor Frankl

Shortly after the Holocaust, during which Frankl survived four concentration camps, he wrote Man’s Search for Meaning.  It became an international best seller after it was published in English.  The Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club on the basis of a 1991 survey said it was one of the ten most influential books in the United States.  [SDJW staff]

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Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Erich Fromm

He wrote, “It is the paradox of human existence that man must simultaneously seek for closeness and for independence, for oneness with others and at the same time for the preservation of his uniqueness and particularity … the answer to this paradox – and to the moral problems of man – is productiveness.” [SDJW staff]

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Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday

Injection of Purim Joy So Needed in Our Lives

As we head into Purim this weekend, I am reminded that being Jewish is a gift; one that has so much to offer and brings such meaning and purpose to my life. It can also bring so much joy. So, this year, although I’m stretched, stressed and wildly busy, it feels more important than ever to make room for joy. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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Antisemitism, Heidi Gantwerk, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

JNF-USA Helping to Rebuild San Diego’s Sister City in Israel, Sha’ar Hanegev

Approximately 30,000 evacuees from San Diego’s sister city of Sha’ar Hanegev and the neighboring municipality of Eshkol, both within a close distance of Israel’s border with Gaza, are returning to their homes, where they will find that volunteers from Jewish National Fund-USA have rebuilt, refurbished, and repainted some of the structures that were damaged or destroyed during the Oct. 7 Hamas-led massacre.  New facilities are also being planned. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Lifestyles, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sol Lizerbram, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

JNF-USA Volunteers Help to Rebuild Southern Israel

I see our more than 2,000 volunteers from the U.S. going to Israel, clamoring to get dirty – filthy even – to help build back the southern communities and lend a hand any way they can. People in Israel who were divided over policies before the war are now sitting around the same table, figuring out how to build back their country — together. [Russell F. Robinson, JNF-USA]

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Israel, Lifestyles, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Anecdotes from an Unthoughtful Life

He had become an expert on the use of a Louma crane, which can twist and turn its long arm and get shots from angles otherwise unavailable to movie producers. Steven Spielberg utilized the Louma in the movie 1941, but as production was coming to an end, Spielberg learned that Romanoff was nicknamed “Captain Gas” because he liked to party with nitrous oxide.  After a night of excess with similarly inclined crew and cast members, a wasted Romanoff nursed a hangover inside the Louma control booth. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Berkeley Professor Sleeps, Teaches in His Office to Demonstrate for Campus Safety

“My office will be open at all hours of the day and night, on weekdays, and weekends, to all students who do not feel safe or who have been subjected to antisemitic abuse, or who wish to chat. I will also leave a light on in my office window at all times so that all students walking by on Bancroft Ave. can see that at least one faculty members is sleeping as badly at night as they are.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Lifestyles, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Embracing Time and 59

Tomorrow, March 3rd, I turn 59. It is mostly significant because it is the eve of 60. Now that’s a wow number. Me? 60? But, I’m not there yet. I am grateful for every year around the sun, despite the larger numbers. It is a gift we are not all blessed to receive. And, each year feels increasingly precious as I am equally aware that this gift of aging could be taken from me at any moment. [Shayna Kaufmann]

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Lifestyles, Shayna Kaufmann, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

The Matzo Chronicles: Northern Lights, Familial Sights

I knew that even if we didn’t see the lights, I won’t be “too” disappointed. The truth is I had already seen them years ago — through my father’s eyes and words, written eight decades before  in magnificent wonder to my mother from blistering cold southeastern Newfoundland. [Karen Galatz]

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Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, The World We Share, Travel and Food, USA

Pregnancy-Seeking Women, Aged 30-40, May Respond Favorably to Sun Exposure

“Based on our prior studies, we can affirm that sun exposure increases metabolism, sexual appetite and behavior, and, at least in animal models, enlarges the ovaries and extends the estrus period,” explains Professor Levy. “This is a preliminary, pioneering human epidemiological study, and we need to be cautious about inferring a causal relationship between fertility in women and exposure to UV radiation. Humans are not the same as mice.” [Press Release]

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Israel, Lifestyles, Press Release, Science, Medicine, & Education