Lifestyles

On the approaching night of shared candles

A benevolent calendar coincidence, occurring every few years, will bring us on Dec. 24 to the shared lighting of solstice calendars by both Christians and Jews. The solar and lunar calendar cycles have intertwined, and so this Christmas Eve will coincide with the third night of Hanukkah, 5780. The circumstances should work to everyone’s advantage on Earth and must be pleasing to the heavens. [Rabbi Ben Kamin]

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, USA

Jews writing a Christmas story: Is that kosher?

After I submitted my review of Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big San Diego Christmas Show, now playing at the Old Globe, we noticed that the creators’ names sounded Jewish. I’ve met a few Jews who were openly hostile to the goyishe feist, calling it “Krastmik” to avoid saying that name. But American Jews making their mark, even iconic contributions, to Christmas canon is nothing new. Some favorite Christmas carols including Rudolph, Chestnuts Roasting, Let it Snow!, Santa Baby, Silver Bells and It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year were all composed by Jews. 
Still, Christmas is not really our holiday. So we wanted to talk to Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen about creating this show and what influence their Jewish upbringing had on it. [Eric George Tauber]

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Eric George Tauber, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Jewish Federation CEO tells of cancer battle

What I am about to share is something that I have been public about since 2017. Only because of a change in circumstances have I found the need to, once again, talk about my battle with cancer. Although Federation leadership and professional staff have been ‘in the loop,’ I felt it was time to share more widely. I have always felt that communities tend to rally in times of difficulty and crisis. I welcome your prayers, good wishes, and vibes that will, undoubtedly, help me and my family get through these trying times. [Michael Jeser]

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Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

Community coalition to aid Holocaust Survivors

True to its roots, when it was founded in 1936 to help European Jews who were being persecuted by the Nazi regime in Germany, the Jewish Federation of San Diego County on Tuesday, Dec. 3, launched a community-wide coalition to come to the aid and honor an estimated 500 Holocaust survivors who live in the county today. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA

San Diego Jewish World to vacation Dec. 19-Jan 8

Everyone needs a vacation, even people who run daily websites.  Accordingly, my wife and co-publisher, Nancy Harrison, and I plan to take a three-week breather from this exciting and enjoyable task of putting out San Diego Jewish World.  We will suspend publication after our report is filed on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019, and will resume publication on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County

Connecting to ancestors and descendants

Humans have always been storytellers, whether around a firepit in some jungle or around a fireplace in an urban apartment, the children and grandchildren listen to the stories. They learn the sagas of their parents, their grandparents, and their grandparents’ grandparents, who became Indian chiefs or generals or were jailed and escaped or who started a business or a university. [Natasha Josefowitz, PhD]

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Jewish History, Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz

JFS plans 4th ‘Safe Parking’ facility for homeless

Jewish Family Service is in the process of contracting for its fourth “Safe Parking” area for homeless persons who live in their motor vehicles.  Three such areas are located in the City of San Diego –  on Balboa Avenue, Aero Drive, and near the SDCCU stadium.  The fourth, if given final approval Dec. 18 by the Encinitas City Council, will be located at the Leichtag Commons on Saxony Road. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Religious numerology at a state historic landmark

In Western religions, the numbers 3, 7, and 40 have symbolic significance.  So too are they important to the understanding of the life and works of Baldassare Forestiere, who created the sprawling underground gardens and home that today are recognized as a California Historical Landmark as well as a venue listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Travel and Food, USA

The impact of righteous or vengeful anger

Hoping something bad happens to the perpetrator is responding with revenge. This kind of anger is destructive and can escalate into violent confrontations. But there is also righteous anger. Anger can send a message that something really matters. When strong beliefs are at the foundation of a strong reaction, a fruitful dialogue can ensue which acknowledges the legitimacy of the anger and hopefully leads to a resolution. A parent’s angry message means the child has crossed a line. The boss’s angry tone indicates that the job may be at risk. An angry spouse demands more attention. [Natasha Josefowitz, PhD]

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Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz

Seacrest gala to support financially needy residents

Gala Co-Chairs Mary Epsten and Alana Ziman, and Honorary Chairs Sheila and Jeffrey Lipinsky along with an expected 400 guests, will gather on Saturday, February 22, at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla for the Legacy of Light and Love Gala, honoring the legacy of our San Diego Jewish community. It will be a spectacular night featuring a cocktail reception, live auction, 3-course dinner, electrifying entertainment by The Dancing Fire, and dancing to Spencer and his Players! [Seacrest Village press release]

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Lifestyles, San Diego County

Female beauty: Torah, mythology, and ancient history

The passage I have chosen to explore is offensive to modern sensibilities:  Genesis, Ch. 12, vv. 11-13  “As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, ‘I know what a beautiful woman you are.  If the Egyptians see you, and think, She is his wife, they will kill me and let you live.  Please say that you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may remain alive thanks to you.'” Sarah was carried off by Pharoah’s officials, and placed in his harem.  According to the story, she was not violated, because of God’s intervention.

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Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles

Rejecting complacency, embracing our true selves

This week’s parasha teaches that to live a meaningful life, turning inward and reflecting on these questions are important, yet we may also have to ditch the links to our past and project a new course…guided by Torah as our road map to discovering our real purpose. We may have to leave our comfortable Haran to go to our Canaan, our Land of Israel. [Michael Mantell, PhD

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell

Tao House: Where O’Neill wrote well-known plays

The playwright Eugene O’Neill (1888-1953) grew bored and frustrated by what passed for theatre early in his life.  There were few stories told that connected with reality; instead, theater essentially was spectacle – lots of costumes, big sets, predictable plots and one-dimensional characters. He wanted to change all that, suggested Tory Starling, the educational technician at the Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site.   He experimented in various forms of theatre. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, The World We Share, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA