News Sources

Jewish Political Briefing: Monday, Dec. 22, 2025

Ministers in Israel’s government approved a bill establishing a commission of inquiry into the events leading up to the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, according to The Times of Israel.  Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara said the legislation, scheduled for a Knesset vote on Wednesday, Dec. 24, “politicizes the commission …” [Donald H. Harrison]

Jewish Political Briefing: Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 Read More »

California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, News Media, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: What If a Film is Made about the Voice of Matilda?

In an opinion piece headlined “The Movie I Was Afraid To See,” Gessen recalls his experience of watching the film The Voice of Hind Rajab, which chronicles the frantic efforts of rescue-center workers at their office in Ramallah to obtain clearance for an ambulance in Gaza to pick up Hind for an eight-minute drive. [Bruce S. Ticker]

OpEd: What If a Film is Made about the Voice of Matilda? Read More »

Bruce Ticker, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

La Mesa Arts Academy Concert Features a Chanukah Medley

Comprised of the more advanced seventh- and eighth-grade musicians, the orchestra performed a medley titled “Chanukah Holiday,” weaving together the “Dreidel Song,” “Tum Balalaika”, and “O Chanukah.” [Cailin Acosta]

La Mesa Arts Academy Concert Features a Chanukah Medley Read More »

Cailin Acosta, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jews who Embraced Communism Often Sought to Fit in a Non-Jewish World

I’m used to Soviet Jewish communists who were secret enemies of the Soviet regime. But in P. A., I met a true supporter of communism. A little earlier, I had already listened to speeches by some of my French communist colleagues at the institute where I worked. Their words reminded me of articles from the Soviet newspaper Pravda (truth). P. A. turned out to be a harsh critic of France. [Alex Gordon, Ph.D.]

Jews who Embraced Communism Often Sought to Fit in a Non-Jewish World Read More »

Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, International, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jewish Political Briefing:  Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025

Herzog commented: “The rise in Jew hatred across the world is a global emergency. The battle against antisemitism, must be everyone’s battle against antisemitism. This is an urgent call to action to prevent the next catastrophe.” [Donald H. Harrison]

Jewish Political Briefing:  Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 Read More »

Antisemitism, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, News Media, San Diego County, Shanda File, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Israeli Sightseeing: Off the Beaten Path

You won’t find many of these in travel books, and if you do, they’re usually wedged between the “best hummus in Jaffa” and a review of a hotel that doesn’t deserve its fourth star. What I’m offering here is a bit of a swap: famous attractions traded in for quieter, stranger, or more soulful corners of the country. Think of it as Israel off the record. [Ari Melnik]

Israeli Sightseeing: Off the Beaten Path Read More »

Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, Travel and Food

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Michael Tilson Thomas

Michael Tilson Thomas (December 21, 1944) is an American conductor, pianist, and composer. He is Artistic Director Laureate of the New World Symphony, an American orchestral academy in Miami Beach, Florida, Music Director Laureate of the San Francisco Symphony, and Conductor Laureate of the London Symphony Orchestra. [Wikipedia]

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Michael Tilson Thomas Read More »

Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

A Powerful 3 Days in Rancho Bernardo with Supportive Friends

In that moment, I heard an ancient Jewish truth echoing forward: wisdom is not speed. Wisdom is presence. Chochmah without binah is incomplete. Intelligence is not merely how fast the mind moves, but how deeply the soul is engaged. [Michael Adam Cohen]

A Powerful 3 Days in Rancho Bernardo with Supportive Friends Read More »

Business & Finance, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Adam Cohen, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: Lighting Candles While the World Burns

In Australia, a place many of us instinctively associate with openness and safety, violence shattered that illusion. Another attack. Another reminder that antisemitism is not a relic of history but a living, mutating force, one that resurfaces whenever fear is rewarded and lies go unchallenged. [Shahar Masori]

OpEd: Lighting Candles While the World Burns Read More »

International, Jewish Religion, Opinion, Shahar Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jewish Political Briefing: Saturday Evening, Dec. 20, 2025

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss with U.S. President Donald Trump the danger posed by Iran’s ballistic missile and renewed nuclear programs. At the two leaders’ upcoming meeting at the end of this month, Netanyahu will suggest joint action to eliminate the threat, according to a story in The Times of Israel. [Donald H. Harrison]

Jewish Political Briefing: Saturday Evening, Dec. 20, 2025 Read More »

Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, News Media, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA