Staff and Bylined Contributors

San Diego Teen Returns From Chetz v’Keshet Trip to Israel

I spoke with Hila Baruch, 15, who relocated to San Diego with her family from Israel when she was six. The Carmel Valley teen recently returned from her Chetz v’Keshet (CVK) experience this summer and shared that it was a life-changing, transformative experience. (Barrett Holman Leak)

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Barrett Holman Leak, Holocaust, Israel, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Becky Guttin’s Trio of Separate Art Exhibits in San Diego and Mexico City

This has been a good year for internationally renowned artist, Becky Guttin. After the pandemic, and the passing of her beloved father, a talented artist in his own right, she has emerged from a period of mourning. She has come out with a bang artistically with three different projects. [Mimi Pollack]

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International, Mimi Pollack, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Blood Drives Offer Opportunities to Give of Yourself

Donations of O- blood are at critical levels. I also saw it on the news. Now is the time to boost up my iron intake and supplements and “answer the call”. To me, it is the easiest Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) service I can offer. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Religion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Mimi’s Ark: All Breeds and Needs at The Animal Pad

The last dog I met on my visit was a cute little white terrier mix named Alf. He was rescued 15 minutes before he was going to be put down at a shelter in the LA area. They thought nobody would adopt him because of a bad cough. TAP stepped in and brought him to San Diego where he was treated and is now healthy and waiting for his forever home. [Mimi Pollack]

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California, International, Mimi Pollack, Staff and Bylined Contributors, The World We Share

An Israeli-American Perspective: Navigating Youth Culture in Both Countries

My early 20s in Florentin, a neighborhood in south Tel Aviv near Jaffa, were truly magical. I was part of a local band, living in the bohemian heart of the city, feeling carefree and immersed in the moment. We were a generation connected by shared experiences, yet separated by the vast cultural currents flowing through our lives. Most of us were fresh out of the IDF, eager to enjoy the freedom we had fought for. [Shahar Masori]

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Israel, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Shahar Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Memorial Mixes with Celebration at Jerusalem-San Diego Zoos’ Fete

Like a Jewish wedding, at which celebration is mixed with sad remembrance of the destruction of the Temple (as symbolized by the breaking of a glass under the groom’s foot), so too was this year’s annual luncheon on Wednesday, August 7, celebrating cooperation between the Jerusalem Zoo and the San Diego Zoo tinged with sadness. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, The World We Share, USA

Parsha Devarim, Shabbat Chazon: Lessons of Trauma, Dignity

This week’s parsha relates that when first instructed to leave Mount Sinai and head towards Canaan, the Israelites were overcome with fear and mistrust, interpreting Hashem’s actions as hatred rather than love. This reaction demonstrates how trauma can distort perception and hinder progress. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Vegan Tefillin, Mezuzot, and Someday a Vegan Torah

With a friend, software engineer Austin Weisgrau, whom he met in his high school B’nai B’rith chapter, Lantry decided to research whether tefillin – the phylacteries which observant Jews utilize in morning prayer – could be made from plants instead of animal hides. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology

The Tragedies of Av; the Triumphs of U.S. Jewish Olympians

The month of Av has started which is known as the saddest month in the Hebrew calendar. This month encompasses the sin of the golden calf, the destruction of both Temples, the long subsequent exiles, the expulsion from Spain, the beginning of World War 1 and so many other terrible things in Jewish history.  [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Iran is to Blame for Mideast Turmoil and for Fostering Anti-Semitism

The mullah’s hatred of Israel is due to their perverted view of their religion that they feel mandates anti-Semitism. Therefore, they will not relent until they are gone, or Israel is gone, G-d forbid! We see, thanks to the Abraham Accords, that peace with the Muslim world is possible for Israel and fruitful for everyone. Clearly then, it is specifically the anti-Semitism of the mullahs fueled by their fanatical hatred that is the cause of the instability and suffering of the war and of the deaths in Israel, in Lebanon, and in Gaza. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

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Antisemitism, Israel, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Analyzing Rav Soloveitchik’s Views on the Holocaust

After the Shoah one would have expected Rabbi Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik, the Rav, to analyze and lecture on this unique tragedy and period of Jewish suffering. Although the Rav refers to the Shoah, he does not provide his students with a comprehensive explanation for this horrific period. [Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg]

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Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, Holocaust, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jewish Reactions to Tim Walz as Harris’ VP Pick

SAN DIEGO (SDJW staff) — Reactions from Jewish organizations and politicians almost immediately began to hit our email box after Vice President Kamala Harris announced she wanted Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket. Halie Sofer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, had this to say:

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Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA