Staff and Bylined Contributors

Prayer as a Catalyst: Responding to the Annunciation Tragedy

The tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, where 23-year-old Robin Westman allegedly killed two children and injured 17 others during a Mass, has sparked intense debate about the role of prayer in responding to such tragedies. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

ADL San Diego Pledges to Help Create ‘Inclusive and Safe Learning Environments’

The loss of two students and the injury of many others has deeply impacted another faith community and it reminds us why it’s so important to continue showing up against hate with compassion and clarity. We encourage you to check in on your Catholic neighbors, attend local gatherings if you’re able, and help ensure no community faces tragedy in isolation. Read more in ADL’s analysis here. [Fabienne Perlov]

ADL San Diego Pledges to Help Create ‘Inclusive and Safe Learning Environments’ Read More »

Antisemitism, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

A Foundation for Nature Lovers in San Diego

We learned that bats are very good for the environment as they devour insects. Some bats can eat up to half their size. Nectar slurping bats also pollinate. Finally, bats disperse seeds that facilitate plant growth. We learned that every bat species has a unique story and value, but sadly, many bat species are endangered. [Mimi Pollack]

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Mimi Pollack, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, The World We Share

Parsha Shoftim: Bash Less, Bless More

Shoftim opens with the words: Shoftim v’shotrim titein lecha, “Appoint judges and officers for yourself.” The word lecha, “for yourself,” points to something deeply personal. Beyond society’s courts, each of us must establish an inner system of judgment. Elul calls us to engage in cheshbon hanefesh, soul-accounting: weighing our choices, acknowledging our strengths, and facing our shortcomings with honesty. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Historic Marker Celebrates Colorado Governor who Protested WWII Internment of Japanese-Americans

In time, the Roosevelt administration compelled Carr to bend to its orders.  Carr reluctantly complied but never stopped protesting the injustice and gross violation of the Constitution. [Jerry Klinger]

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California, International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Elul is Here; Numerous Jewish Offerings Before the High Holidays

The month of Elul is upon us and marks the period of soul-searching leading up to the High Holidays. [Cailin Acosta]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Living as a Split Personality

The government is in thrall to uncaring politicians whose main concern seems to be to channel funds to their supporters and pursue a policy that involves imposing their ideas of territorial expansion on us all, no matter what the cost. In essence, this comes at the expense of the lives and livelihoods of the general populace, soldiers and civilians alike, both in Israel and in Gaza. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Final Summerfest 2025 Concert Featured Works by Montgomery, Mendelssohn and Brahms

Opening the concert was Starburst, a short, glistening work by Jessie Montgomery, the festival’s composer-in-residence. Next on the program was the Concerto for Violin and Piano, a rarely programmed composition by 14-year-old Felix Mendelssohn, and concluding the evening was Brahms’ glorious Serenade in D major for Orchestra in its original nonet version. [Eileen Wingard]

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

OpEd: ADL’s Greenblatt Risked His Organization’s Credibility with Incorrect Criticism of Mamdani

Mamdani attended Shabbat services in Park Slope in Brooklyn last February, visited the offices of the UJA Federation for a town hall co-hosted with the Jewish Community Relations Council last May, and participated in two candidate forums at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Manhattan the following month. [Bruce S. Ticker]

OpEd: ADL’s Greenblatt Risked His Organization’s Credibility with Incorrect Criticism of Mamdani Read More »

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

‘Shoshana’ is a Love Story Set in Pre-Independence Israel

Set in Tel Aviv between 1938 and the mid-1940s, the story follows the tragic romance between Shoshana Borochov (Irina Starshenbaum) — daughter of one of the founders of socialist Zionism — and British police officer Tom Wilkin (Douglas Booth). [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, International, Israel, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

The History of Rabbinical Laws

The fifth weekly biblical portion in Deuteronomy is Shoftim, “Judges.” The rabbis who were descendants of the ancient Pharisees saw this portion supporting the views of the Pharisees and not those of the Sadducees. The ancient Sadducees ceased to exist after the second temple was destroyed in 70 CE, and were later followed by Karaites. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

LFJCC Board Chair Highlights Past and Future Programs

Wow! We really started off our new San Diego Center for Jewish Culture season with a Blockbuster! Jeffrey Seller, Producer of the most iconic Broadway show, the legendary Hamilton, and Producer of other groundbreaking shows such as Rent, Avenue Q, and In the Heights, really swept our audience off their feet! Winner of 22 Tony Awards, Producer of two Pulitzer Prize winning shows and drawing audiences exceeding 43 million around the globe, Jeffrey shared his personal stories with laughter, candor and humility in a one-on-one conversation with the talented and insightful Barry Edelstein, artistic Director of the Old Globe. [Liz Nederlander Coden]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

National and International Jewish News Roundup

A message from the Jewish Democratic Council of America: A vital security program – one that Jewish nonprofits, synagogues, and community centers rely on to protect our institutions from antisemitic threats – has been warped by the Trump administration into a tool to further politicize Jewish safety. [Press Release]

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International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jewish Trivia Quiz: The Smithsonian

The ‍Smithsonian ‍Institution ‍is ‍the ‍world’s ‍largest ‍museum ‍complex, ‍comprising ‍21 ‍museums ‍and ‍the ‍National ‍Zoo, ‍mostly ‍located ‍in ‍Washington, ‍DC, ‍but ‍also ‍including ‍the ‍Hirshhorn ‍Museum ‍in ‍New ‍York ‍City ‍and ‍the ‍Air ‍and ‍Space ‍Museum ‍Udvar-Hazy ‍Center ‍in ‍Chantilly, ‍Virginia ‍among ‍others. ‍What ‍other ‍United ‍States ‍museum ‍is ‍currently ‍being ‍considered ‍for ‍inclusion ‍under ‍the ‍Smithsonian ‍umbrella? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

Jewish Trivia Quiz: The Smithsonian Read More »

Mark D. Zimmerman, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA