Staff and Bylined Contributors

Mass Execution at Babi Yar and Subsequent Flooding of Kurenevka Part of Ukraine’s Tragic History

After the war, Kiev was rebuilt, constructed, and grew. Brick factories were built. Kiev became a large construction site. Local brick factories dumped their waste, which was diluted with water, into Babi Yar. The ravine gradually filled with slurry, a mixture of sand, clay, and water. The population of Kiev grew. The residential area of Kurenevka was located near Babi Yar. Babi Yar was 65 meters above Kurenevka. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Satire: My Redacted Column

The suppression of free speech in the United States has been escalating.  Given the cancellation of the Stephen Colbert show, the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show, and Trump and Pam Bondi’s vow to “target the radical left” for promoting political violence, I have redacted my original column about the Charlie Kirk assassination and the Administration’s response to it to avoid being arrested by the DOJ or being sued by Donald Trump.   [Laurie XXXXX]

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News Media, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

OpEd: White Jews Must Recognize that Many Black People Also are Jewish

A real Black–Jewish alliance must be rooted in mutuality. That means addressing antisemitism in Black communities and also fighting racism in Jewish communities. It means centering Black Jewish voices as leaders. It means recognizing that our struggles are interconnected—that the same systems that uphold White supremacy target both of us, even if in different ways. [Rabbi Sandra Lawson]

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Antisemitism, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

JFS CEO Sees Both Fragility and Strength in Our Community

In our community, we see both fragility and strength, vulnerability and resilience, need and generosity. At Jewish Family Service, we hold these truths each day—walking alongside individuals and families as they navigate life’s hardships, while also planting seeds of hope, renewal, and possibility. [Dana Toppel]

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Lifestyles, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: Passage of $25 Minimum Wage Ordinance for Hospitality Workers is a Victory over Corporate Greed

It is a modest but necessary step forward in a city where the cost of housing, childcare, and groceries have soared while too many workers’ wages have remained stagnant. [Sean Elo-Rivera]

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Business & Finance, Lifestyles, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

My Mother’s Avinu Malkeinu

When she returned to Moscow in 1947, just after the war, she had no doubt where she wanted to study. She wanted to sing. And where had her beloved singer, Nadezhda Obukhova, graduated from? The Moscow Conservatory. That’s where my mother applied. [Yakov Nayerman]

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Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA, Yakov Nayerman

Couple Underwrites Scholarships for Financially Challenged Jewish San Diegans

“I think that people who don’t give in some way or another of their time or of their funds are missing a big part of life,” Rubenstein, a real estate investor and retired ophthalmologist reflected during an interview Monday at the JFS headquarters on Balboa Avenue. “They’re missing satisfaction and enjoying other people’s success.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Middle East, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Shor M. Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘Follies,’ with Marvelous Singing, First Offering at the Joan in Liberty Station

Leigh Scarritt and Kaia Bugler in 'Follies,' now playing at the Joan. (Karli Cadel Photography)

The middle age- senior women are looking at the ghosts of their younger selves and reminiscing about who they were and what they had hoped to be when they were in their heyday and comparing it to where they are now. {Sandi Masori]

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast