Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘Instead of an Epitaph’: A Yom HaShoah Reflection

The Nazis were defeated in World War II, but Nazism lives on and continues to make up smears about the Jews, including the popular claim that they did not fight in World War II. The blood libel “Jews didn’t fight” coexisted with the official false statement: “It was not Jews who were killed during the occupation, but Soviet citizens.” The places of mass extermination listed “Soviet citizens” as having been murdered. The Holocaust was hushed up in the USSR: Jews in these places were executed not because they were Soviet citizens, but because they were Jews. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, International, Israel, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

She Cried When He Said Her Parents Are in Hell

When Sarah’s parents died within a year of each other, she asked her messianic “rabbi” to say the mourner’s Kaddish prayer for them. Sarah cried when he told her, “There is no reason to say Kaddish since your non-believing parents are burning in hell.” Sarah was devastated by the callousness of this statement, and she started to entertain doubts about Christianity. [Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz]

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Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

San Diego Jewish Community Statement on Campus Turbulence

The presence of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests, including a significant walkout at SDSU and an unsettling encampment at UCSD, has created an atmosphere of intimidation and misinformation that deeply concerns us all. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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Antisemitism, Heidi Gantwerk, Israel, Opinion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

ADL Report on Campus Protests: May 3, 2024

Editor’s Note: The following roundup was prepared by the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) about campus protests and related events. TOP STORIES UMass. Yesterday, ADL and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law announced that they submitted a formal complaint against the University of Massachusetts Amherst with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR)

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Antisemitism, Israel, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: Imagined Voices and Motivations of Middle East Actors

Are we on the brink of plunging into a spiral of violence, potentially dragging the rest of the world into the horrors of World War III? Or will we strive to restore calm, seeking to cultivate a world marked by peace and prosperity for all its inhabitants?  What will be the answer? [Jose Galicot]

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International, Israel, Jewish Fiction, Jose Galicot, Middle East, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Our Shtetl San Diego County: Some Upcoming Worthwhile Events

Many of us have met survivors and have read or heard their stories. The Jewish Federation of San Diego is holding an event from 1 to 4 p.m.,  Sunday, May 5, at the Lawrence Family JCC. In these turbulent times, the theme this year is “Coming Together in Strength and Unity” which is very much needed in our community. [Cailin Acosta]

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Antisemitism, Cailin Acosta, California, Holocaust, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: UC San Diego’s Anti-Semitism Problem

We can garner meaningful insight into UCSD’s policies from its sister campus, UCLA. On April 30th, a Jewish woman was beaten unconscious at UCLA’s “pro-Palestine” encampment, while campus police stood by. In fact, in a now-viral recording, the UCLA Police Department admitted that its officers were instructed by the UCLA Administration to “stand down” while Jewish students were being assaulted and blocked from accessing parts of campus. [Kerry Schlossberg]

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Antisemitism, California, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

600 More Children Who Died in the Holocaust are Memorialized

Overseeing the event was principal Judi Stapleton and eighth-grade history and social science teacher Stacy Salz who traced her ancestors to the Holocaust and said the project was a “compelling lesson in history.” [Marsha Sutton]

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Holocaust, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Rep. Sara Jacobs Votes Against Antisemitism Awareness Act

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) voted in the minority against a bill on Wednesday, May 1, that is called the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023.  She said the measure “would stifle and restrict free speech in an effort to combat the rise of antisemitism”  The measure passed the House by a vote 320-91. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: Pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, and anti-terror

I pleaded with the presidents of colleges and universities all around the country to take a clear moral stance against rape and torture and the kidnapping of helpless civilians. I pleaded with colleges and universities to live up to their stated mission of humanism and enlightenment. I pleaded—and still plead—because the silence of college presidents all across the country is deafening. [Shai Davidai]

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