Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jonah and the possibility of forgiveness

I first heard the story of Jonah in the library at Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School from our librarian, the late Nomi Levy. The kids’ version got the main beats but took out much of the punch. I knew Jonah didn’t want to deliver a message. I thought it was neat that he got swallowed by a big fish, like Pinocchio. But I never questioned why he’d refuse when God was directly telling him to go. Now I can appreciate the philosophical struggle: a prophet sent to help his enemies atone who can’t allow himself to forgive them. (Shor M. Masori)

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Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Shor M. Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

The fight against terrorism and antisemitism: Sept. 24, 2026

The Murray Galinson San Diego-Israel initiative (MGSDII) and the Joan B. Kroc School for Peace Studies will collaborate in bringing two Hebrew University faculty members — a Palestinian and a Jew — to the University of San Diego campus to jointly teach a course in conflict resolution. (SDJW staff report)

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Israel, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Macklemore’s free speech was never the issue. His Israel rhetoric was

If Macklemore wants to continue calling the situation in Gaza a genocide and turning music concerts into political rallies, he’s free to do so. But Kraft, who is a proud Jew, does not have to give him the platform. (Pearce Alexander)

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Israel, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Drugs made his client slam into gate of Brisbane synagogue, lawyer claims

Prosecutors initially filed aggravated charges of what they described as serious vilification or a hate crime, but they decided that religious animosity was not a motivating factor, according to a news report in Australia’s J-Wire over the weekend. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Antisemitism, Bruce Ticker, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

From Yom Kippur to Sukkot: From teshuvah to transformation

Perhaps that is the deeper journey: first we look inward, then we step outward. First we recognize what needs to change, then we begin living differently. The goal is not to become a perfect person. It is to become a more aware one—a person who can tolerate vulnerability, appreciate what is here, repair what can be repaired, and live with greater intention. (Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Global demand for Israel to finish the Gaza war led to its decision to employ battlefield Ai

The West demanded that Israel dismantle a deeply embedded terrorist army tightly woven into a dense, labyrinthine urban maze, but denied them the chronological timeline required to do it manually. [Amy Neustein, Ph,D.]

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Amy Neustein, International, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Interreligious salute to migrants scheduled in Balboa Park on Sunday, Sept. 27

This interreligious gathering is an opportunity to come together to honor the dignity and sacredness of migrants and refugees and stand in solidarity with those who have fled war, persecution, and hardship. (Cailin Acosta)

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Antisemitism, Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

The fight against terrorism and antisemitism: September 22, 2026

In a hearing on Yom Kippur day, a court provisionally dismissed felony charges against five students who vandalized the executive offices in Stanford University’s administration building, prompting the Jewish Community Relations Council – Bay Area and Jewish Silicon Valley to issue this statement on Tuesday, Sept. 22: (SDJW staff roundup)

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Antisemitism, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Press Release, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

The fight against terrorism and antisemitism: September 21, 2026

Shotgun wielding Sean Ward, 29, of Quinte West wounded a police officer stationed outside The Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville, Canada, on Kol Nidre night. Constable Jeff Smith and another officer returned fire, seriously wounding Ward, the Associated Press reported. [SDJW staff report]

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Antisemitism, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jewish biography: Boris Hessen, science historian 

Hessen had to formally acknowledge his mistakes and repent for the separation of theory from practice. He continued to be exposed for his fascination with bourgeois sciences, among which the theory of relativity was mentioned, and was accused of “mathematical idealism” and a “non-Marxist approach to the laws of thermodynamics.” (Alex Gordon)

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Alex Gordon, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors