Philanthropy & Volunteerism

Black and Jewish communities must work together to combat hate

As leaders committed to protecting the safety and dignity of the Black and Jewish communities in San Diego, we have been in constant conversation about the troubling rise of antisemitism and racism over the past three years. [Fabienne Perlov & Al Abdallah]

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

Seven weeks of counting starts now

One, Two … forty-nine. Counting the Omer. Last night, we began the first day of counting the Omer. This leads up to the night before Shavuot, when the Jewish people received the Torah and celebrated freedom from Egypt. I have an app that I download every year, which reminds me to say the blessing, so I don’t miss a day. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Founders, supporters, recipients tell philosophy behind ‘free loans’

HFLSD is part of the International Association of Jewish Free Loans, a network of more than 50 Jewish free-loan agencies built around the same basic idea: helping people remain self-supporting and self-respecting through access to interest-free loans. [Shor M. Masori]

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Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Shor M. Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Inaugural podcast spotlights JNF-USA’s Russell Robinson

On the first-ever episode of the Mitzvah Expo Podcast, a new platform dedicated to highlighting the nonprofits and initiatives strengthening Jewish life, Jewish National Fund-USA Chief Executive Officer Russell F. Robinson discussed how his organization is creating a vibrant future for the land and people of Israel. [Rabbi Cantor Linda Bernstein]

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Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, News Media, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Press Release, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Bipolar affliction affects Jewish community

Bipolar disorder is considered a mood disorder that affects emotions, with an up and down challenge of managing situations. Many suffer from extreme highs of mania for periods of time and extreme lows of depression for periods of time. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

Hadassah lobbies Congress on antisemitism, Middle Eastern and women’s issues

“Hadassah has never sat on the sidelines and we are not going to do so at this pivotal moment,” said Hadassah National President Carol Ann Schwartz. “We are bringing the combined strength of nearly 300,000 members, donors and supporters directly to Congress to stand firm against antisemitism, to uphold the strategic US-Israel alliance and to safeguard the health and well-being of women everywhere.” [Press Release]

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Antisemitism, Israel, Middle East, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Press Release, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Federation mission to India ‘refreshing’ and broadening

For two weeks, we were transported into a place more “foreign” than anywhere else I have visited, yet every encounter was positive, welcoming, and gracious. Through our modern Western lens, we kept asking about antisemitism, historically or today. It simply isn’t there, and I cannot express how refreshing that was to hear. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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Antisemitism, Heidi Gantwerk, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Daylight Savings Time comes this Sunday morning

Daylight Saving Time is upon us. I don’t mind when we “fall back” in the Fall since we get more sleep. When we “spring forward” in the Spring, it cuts out an hour of sleep, which can be devastating to teenagers who enjoy sleeping in. [Cailin Acosta]

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Antisemitism, Cailin Acosta, Israel, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

Contemporary Torah: Crazy poems, gold, stories and time

I, like many, many people, have experienced a type of generosity that no bank account can quantify. I remember a moment when my little girl decided to “give back” to me. She didn’t have money, but she gave me her resources: She went into her room and emerged later with a crinkled drawing and a polished stone she had picked with a ribbon. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History, part 3 ‘Grand Alliance’

While the previous episodes laid the groundwork of shared trauma and early 20th-century labor solidarity, Episode 3 dives headlong into the 1960s—the decade where the “interwoven” threads of these two communities were pulled to their absolute tension and breaking point. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Antisemitism, Barrett Holman Leak, Holocaust, Jewish History, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA