Staff and Bylined Contributors

JPAC reports another victory in the fight for AB 715

Recently, a federal court decisively rejected an effort to block AB 715 from taking effect. In a sweeping ruling, the judge found that the law is constitutional, consistent with the First Amendment, and neither vague nor overbroad. As a result, AB 715 went into effect statewide on January 1. [David Bocarsly]

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Antisemitism, California, Holocaust, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jan Brokken’s “The Just; How Six Unlikely Heroes Saved Thousands of Jews from the Holocaust” tells of stories of courage

Throughout this book, which is based on extensive research, interviews with survivors, and far-reaching travel to almost all the places mentioned, the writer inserts his own personal insights and experiences, giving the reader a unique and lively account of how events developed and what people experienced. [Dorothea Sefer-Vanson]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Parsha Yitro: When insight becomes habit

True transformation rarely arrives with ceremony. It interrupts, startles, and whispers, “There is another way to exist.” These moments are intruders in our thoughts; small sparks of clarity that jolt us awake. In therapy and psychological coaching, we recognize this as the difference between insight and change: awareness alone rarely heals; transformation begins when insight is translated into action. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Too Late for Ethics: Nuremberg, Fidelity, and the Consolation of Judgment

Nuremberg (directed by James Vanderbilt) does not grossly falsify history. It does something subtler and more contemporary: it persuades us that ethics has finally arrived—precisely because it arrives after everything that truly mattered has already happened. [Sam Ben-Meir]

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Holocaust, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

REVIEW: Black and Jewish: An Interwoven History, Part 1 – Let My People Go

Because I live in the intersection of being both Black and Jewish, I have learned about my identity over the years, both through experience, stories handed down to me, education, and reading. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Antisemitism, Barrett Holman Leak, California, Holocaust, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

That pesky Punxsutawney Phil predicts more winter, summer like conditions in SoCal

Punxsutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter. That is unfortunate for our friends and family on the East Coast since those of us in San Diego are looking at highs in the 70’s for the next two weeks. No rain forecast for the next 10 days. [Cailin Acosta]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, California, Holocaust, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘The Apiary:’ A Cautionary Buzz

Kate Douglas’s The Apiary doesn’t waste time easing you into its premise. It’s 20+ years in the future. Honeybees are nearly extinct. What remains of them exist in synthetic apiaries providing palliative care to a species we’ve failed to save. No bees means no honey, no almonds, no avocados. The food chain collapses one pollinator at a time. [Sherrie Rose]

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Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

American Jews in the face of Jewish catastrophes

As might be expected after Kristallnacht, for American Jews the fate of European Jews during the Holocaust was of little interest, a secondary issue. No Jewish solidarity was shown by them. Their reaction was “disproportionate,” ignoring the dangers facing the Jewish people in Europe. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jews in the news: Saturday evening, Jan. 31, 2026

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports two Major League Baseball developments with Jewish athletes: Third baseman Alex Bregman has signed a five-year, $175 million pact with the Chicago Cubs, and Alon Leichman, who grew up on Kibbutz Gezer in Israel, will become the head pitching coach for the Colorado Rockies. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish Celebrities, Lifestyles, News Media, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA