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Suicide in Miami; Boycott of Israeli products in Brooklyn

I have heard scattered reports of suicides by Israeli soldiers and grieving relatives, but until this JTA article was published on Wednesday I was not aware that 22 active-duty IDF soldiers died by suicide, which was the highest number since 2010. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Business & Finance, Israel, Obituaries & memorials, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Flotilla passengers accuse Ben-Gvir of treating them like terrorists

Much of the Western world’s media is in a tizzy over the inhospitable, “uncivilized” treatment that participants in a recent flotilla suffered at the hands of Israeli authorities. (See Times of Israel story) Some of those arrested claimed that they were treated like terrorists. [Steve Kramer]

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Antisemitism, International, Israel, News Media, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer

Today’s Jewish birthday: Shlomo Riskin

Shlomo Riskin (May 28, 1940) is an Orthodox rabbi, and the founding rabbi of Lincoln Square Synagogue on the Upper West Side of New York City, which he led for 20 years; founding chief rabbi of the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the Israeli-occupied West Bank; former dean of Manhattan Day School in New York City; and founder and Chancellor of the Ohr Torah Stone Institutions, a network of high schools, colleges, and graduate Programs in the United States and Israel. [Wikipedia]

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Israel, Science, Medicine, & Education, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

Jewish American Heritage Month nears conclusion

Jewish Heritage Month is ending in a few days. I was pleased to see a display on my way out of an event at La Mesa Arts Academy honoring famous Jewish Americans. [Cailin Acosta]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Celebrities, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

California Assembly approves legislation regulating protests near Houses of Worship

AB 2664 would establish a 100-foot zone around the entrances of houses of worship, within which protesters may not intentionally approach congregants within eight feet of their body without their consent. The legislation comes amid rising antisemitism and a growing pattern of protests outside religious institutions of all faiths. [Press Release]

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Antisemitism, California, Israel, Jewish Religion, Press Release, USA

Johnny Garcia defeats anti-Zionist Maureen Galindo for a Texas Congressional seat

Democratic Majority for Israel PAC on Tuesday celebrated Johnny Garcia’s victory in the Democratic primary runoff in Texas’s 35th Congressional District, where voters decisively rejected Maureen Galindo, whose long record of virulent antisemitic conspiracy theories made her unfit to serve in the Democratic caucus. (Press Release)

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Israel, Press Release, USA

Was Spinoza an atheist?

He is likely correct that Spinoza was convinced that God does not intervene in history, perform miracles, reward, punish, or listen to prayers – other Jewish thinkers said the same thing while never denying God’s existence. But he is clearly wrong to suppose that when Spinoza said we can see God in nature, he meant God does not exist. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Today’s Jewish birthday: Helena Bonham Carter

Helena Bonham Carter (May 26, 1966) is a British actress. She is known for her character roles as eccentric women in blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas. Bonham Carter rose to prominence by playing Lucy Honeychurch in A Room with a View (1985) and the title character in Lady Jane (1986). [Wikipedia]

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

Zina Schiff demonstrates her violin mastery in Alan Hovhaness CD

From the time Conductor Kostelanetz suggested Zina learn the Hovhaness Concerto and the release of this CD, she recorded 16 other CDs, all gaining critical praise. This Alan Hovhaness CD is also receiving a great deal of media acclaim. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food