Lifestyles

Some Heat Wave Advice from Council President Sean Elo-Rivera

City Council President  Sean Elo-Rivera (District-9) shares the locations of cool zones in the area and reminds citizens to take care of themselves, keep hydrated, stay out of the sun and check on your relatives and neighbors. Cool zones are a great place to escape the heat, get work done with accessing free WiFi and giving your house a rest from running the air conditioning. [Cailin Acosta]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Travel and Food, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Tequila & Tacos Festival Brings Back Israeli Childhood Memories of a Spanish-Language TV Show

The Tacos and Tequila Festival at the Handlery Hotel San Diego on Sunday,  Sept. 22, is an event that holds a special place in my heart. Not only is my husband, Albert, the general manager of the hotel, but this celebration also reflects a beautiful blend of cultures that resonates deeply with me—particularly the Mexican-Jewish community and my own connection to Hispanic culture. [Miriam Gershenson]

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Albert Kreimerman, Israel, Lifestyles, Miriam Gershenson, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

‘Embracing Hope’ Brings Back Viktor Frankl’s Life-Affirming Philosophy

Viktor Frankl, a cheerful and loving doctor, found joy in life’s simple pleasures despite experiencing unimaginable suffering in concentration camps. At 19, the author, Frankl’s grandson, Alexander Vesely-Frank, discovered the extent of his grandfather’s suffering through Man’s Search for Meaning.” [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘Klop, Klop! Wake Up; It’s Time for Morning Prayers’

In Eastern Europe before alarm clocks were generally available, a Jewish person known as a “klopper” was appointed to knock on doors early in the morning to help assure people would get to morning prayers on time. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘Careful, Beauties Ahead’ Probes Lives of Haredim

Tuvia is an expat Israeli born to a Yiddish-speaking rabbinical family in Bnei Brak, Israel’s largest majority ultra-Orthodox city. He has lived in Germany, the US, and elsewhere for many decades, working as a journalist and author. Holding multiple academic degrees and speaking several languages, Tuvia is also a playwright, essayist, and the founding artistic director of the Jewish Theater of New York. [Steve Kramer]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer, USA

‘Go Around Cemetery’ Sign Led to Program of Community Participation in Development Projects

I sincerely internalized lessons from his experience and that signpost, coming to understand the needs that communities determine and express and the responsibility of development agencies to respond accordingly. This primary tenet of sustainability is so simple, and yet it has taken decades for prior generations worldwide (and still may require generations going forward) to truly forsake the destructive control of central planning in lieu of people’s own decision-making as it impacts their lives. [Yossef Ben-Meir]

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International, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Yossef Ben-Meir

Cooking with Ingredients from Gaza Border Farms

About 75 per cent of Israel’s vegetables came from the Gaza border area, known as the Gaza envelope (Otef Aza in Hebrew), as do many fruit and dairy products. Since the October 7 attack, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, 89 per cent of Israeli farmers have been negatively impacted by this war. [Michal Kramer]

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Israel, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer, Travel and Food

Ethnically Jewish Author Explains His Atheism

Eventually, he imagined people sitting in a gigantic house with an infinite set of windows. Each person’s view of the world was influenced by the location of his or her window.  They could see what was in front of them, but not what was in front of the other residents.  Each person’s beliefs are determined by what happens outside their individual windows. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Families That Can’t Afford Diapers Turn to Jewish Family Service

Imagine running out of diapers for your child and not being able to afford to buy more. The cost of diapers has increased, along with food, rent, utilities, and more, making the squeeze on families even tighter. Today, nearly half of American families struggle to afford this essential item. [Press Release]

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Lifestyles, Press Release, San Diego County

Israeli President and Viral Video Creator to Share Webinar on Sunday, Aug. 25

“We basically have been dehumanized,” Eitan Chitayat said in a Zoom interview from Tel Aviv. “We have been boiled down to apartheid lovers, to colonialists, to genocide enablers, and this has to stop.  The only way it will stop is if one person at a time in the private sector, in our own individual lives, start saying ‘We’re Jewish,’ or ‘I’m Jewish!’  Let’s start there.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Why Our Fellow Jews May Be More Affectionate on Monday

Monday (August 19) is the minor Jewish holiday Tu B’Av. This holiday is on the 15th day of the month of Av and known as the Jewish Day of Love or slightly compared to Valentines Day in the United States. [Cailin Acosta]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

An Israeli-American Perspective: Growing Up in Two Worlds

Those early years in Israel, from preschool through my early teens, were shaped by a unique blend of independence, community, and a deep connection to our surroundings. The rhythm of our days was set by the school bell and the hum of local life—a far cry from the structured, often insulated, childhoods I would observe later while raising my own kids in the United States. [Shahar Masori]

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Israel, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Shahar Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA