The liberation has not lost its urgency or its moral weight. As we reflect more than eight decades later, the connections between that history and the world we are living in today are impossible to ignore. (Press release).
Why remembering the Holocaust still matters today Read More »
Antisemitism, Holocaust, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Press Release, San Diego County
Our goal is simple: to help survivors remain safely and comfortably in their own homes for as long as possible. Services include home care assistance, transportation to medical appointments, access to nutritious food and help navigating complex healthcare systems. Just as important is addressing the emotional and social impacts of aging and trauma. [Dana Toppel]
Thousands of Holocaust Survivors Are Still with Us. Many Are Living in Poverty Read More »
California, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
October 27, 2021, Rabbi Yonasan Abrams of Chabad Temecula and Baruch Bloom, of the Chesed Shel Emes Society of California, buried the remains of a Ploni Ben Abraham, in the Chabad Mt. of Olives Cemetery in Los Angeles. Ploni Ben Abraham means unknown but to God. [Jerry Klinger]
John Doe ‘Shoah: The unknown Holocaust survivor Read More »
California, Holocaust, Jerry Klinger, Jewish Religion, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
In San Diego right now, we are in a “thick fog.” When letters of “pain and rage” are weaponized, and when the Jewish community’s response ignores the JOC (Jews of Color) in its own pews, we have entered the Ninth Plague. We have stopped seeing our “brothers” and “sisters.” [Barrett Holman Leak]
Parsha Bo: Blindness and Fire Read More »
Barrett Holman Leak, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors
With false statements such as California State Senator Scott Wiener’s that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, is it surprising that Alliance San Diego disinvited Rabbi Hanan Leberman to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.? [J. Barry Gurdin]
Opinion: Learning to Hate Yourself or Whence Cometh the Hate? Read More »
Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, International, Israel, News Media, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
[H]ow ridiculous it was for Trump to smile in the photo of Maria Corina Machado gifting him her Nobel Peace Prize, a gesture which merits her receiving the Brownnose Award for Sycophancy to motivate him to install her as President of Venezuela. There are, however, awards Trump deserves … [Laurie Baron]
Satire: Awards Trump Deserves Read More »
International, Lawrence Baron, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA
I recently read Hostage, written by Eli Sharabi, who survived 491 days as a hostage in Hamas tunnels. This was the first published account by a released Israeli hostage and it appeared while the war raged on. A ceasefire was signed months later and Israel now controls 53% of Gaza. [Steve Kramer]
Eli Sharabi’s ‘Hostage’ recounts his will for survival Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer
For most of my life, if you had asked me to describe myself, I would have said I was a glass-half-empty kind of gal. That story took shape early (of course it did). Like many of us, I had a fun adolescence on the outside and a restless inner world on the inside. I sensed there was more to life than partying, jogging, and getting good grades, but I didn’t know what I was searching for or how to find it. Frankly, I was confused and lonely. [Shayna Kaufmann]
The story my mind forgot to update Read More »
Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Shayna Kaufmann, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Our Global 100 Survey found that 46 percent of adults worldwide hold significant antisemitic beliefs—an estimated 2.2 billion people. That percentage is nearly double what we saw a decade ago. [Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL]
Opinion: Our why, our way forward Read More »
Antisemitism, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
It’s sadly predictable that on this day of all days, we’re once again debating anti-choice bills on the House floor brought by MAGA Republicans — bills designed to make pregnancy more dangerous, more expensive, and more terrifying for millions. [Sara Jacobs]
What sets Christian Zionism 101 apart is its vitality: short, punchy chapters, bold headings, scripture sidebars, and over 200 footnotes for depth. At 206 pages, it’s ideal for individuals, study groups, or newcomers. Early feedback, including Amazon’s 4.5-star average, praises its humble, bridge-building tone. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
10 Reasons for Christians to be Zionists Read More »
Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
The Rebbe replied: This plague was not darkness in the eyes alone. It was a deeper darkness—a numbness of the heart where no one cared for their neighbor. No one felt the pain of another. No one rose to help the hopeless or answer cries of despair. In that profound apathy, society descended into terrifying isolation. That is the terror of such darkness. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Parsha Bo: Awakening the heart amid modern darkness Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USAThe reason cited—”concerns over potential disruption related to Zionism”—was a direct strike at Rabbi Leberman’s lifelong identity. As a man who has studied, served, and raised a family in Israel, his very presence was deemed a liability. This was no minor logistical adjustment; it was a deliberate choice that erased the presence of Jewish clergy from an event meant to embody Dr. King’s “Beloved Community.” [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
The disrupted dream: A fractured fellowship in San Diego Read More »
Israel, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
Some support for the view that Shakespeare was not an antisemite and possibly even a Jew comes from the speech by the Jew Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, delivered in Act III, Scene 1, of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. The speech defends Jewish humanity in response to the mistreatment he suffered at the hands of some Christians. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
Was Shakespeare Jewish? Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast