Staff and Bylined Contributors

Seven Stations on a Path to Jewish Wisdom

Rabbi Shira Milgrom has served as spiritual leader of Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains, New York, for 37 years and edited the widely used Reform prayerbook Mishkan T’filah. She is also the daughter of Jacob Milgrom, the towering 20th-century biblical scholar and author of the monumental Anchor Bible commentary on Leviticus—a man I was privileged to know personally and whose rigorous, humane scholarship continues to shape Jewish thought. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jewish Political Briefing: Saturday Evening, Dec. 6, 2025

More than 200 cultural and public figures have signed a petition urging Israel to release convicted terrorist Marwan Barghouti from prison.  Among Jews signing the petition are singer Paul Simon and journalist Peter Beinart. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Our Shtetl: A Jewish Rabbit?

Freckles, my beloved angora-mix rabbit, turned 7 on December 4 — the equivalent of 57 in “rabbit years.” My super-cool 13-year-old twins proudly tell everyone that Freckles is a Jewish rabbit. While certainly not kosher, she was blessed in 2019 by then-Rabbi Josh Dorsch of Tifereth Israel Synagogue. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Jewish Political Briefing: Friday, Dec. 5, 2025

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plane was the target of four drones as he landed at the Dublin, Ireland, airport around 11 pm., Monday, Dec.1  Who sent the military-class drones and why they were sent are open questions now under investigation by Ireland’s security forces. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Middle East, News Media, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Jewish Community Symphony Debuts with the Three B’s

The Jewish Community Symphony, formerly the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra (TICO), now rebranded in its new home at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, opened its 52nd season November 30, with a well-rehearsed performance of Beethoven’s Egmont Overture. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jewish Political Briefing, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025

Although not all information at a closed-door meeting was disclosed, U.S. Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley on Thursday told select senators and congressmen that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not issue explicit “kill them all” orders prior to the second-strike Sept. 2 on an alleged drug-running boat off the Venezuelan coast. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish History, News Media, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA