Science, Medicine, & Education

Jewish Legislative Caucus amends Ethnic Studies bill

The State Legislature on Monday gave final approval to a bill requiring that ethnic studies be made a requirement for graduation from California high school.  Members of the Legislative Jewish Caucus sent out a news release seeking to allay fears expressed in the Jewish community that the content of those courses might include anti-Israel or anti-Semitic material. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Israel muddled by coronavirus, school openings, High Holidays

School, High Holidays, travel to Uman. They are all problematic, and causing squabbles for us, as well as the government of Ukraine with its Jewish President. Most immediate is the opening of school, set for today. Until now we’ve been wondering about a teachers strike, the prospect of paying an extra several thousand teachers and aides to allow smaller classes, and how the various grades will be treated with respect to masks, teaching in class or from home, as well as the thousands of students still without computers or internet connections that would allow some kind of distant learning. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

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Ira Sharkansky, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education

Higher education: How low can we go?

Higher education has never been so low. From the zenith of being the sole possession of reclusive monks who dedicated their lives to delving in secret ancient texts in isolated monasteries, science has become a tool in the hands of the rich and powerful to dominate, exploit, manipulate, and intimidate rivals and the general public. Humanities and social sciences, which once debated ideologies and discussed the merits and demerits of human nature and humankind, are now used as indoctrination tools to plant dogmas in young and malleable minds. [Michael Laitman, Ph.D]

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Science, Medicine, & Education

Arson, vandalism, RJC video ramp up tensions in Jewish community

Jewish community tensions are being ramped up with news of an arson fire at the Chabad House at the University of Delaware, vandalism at a Reform synagogue in Kenosha, and a video from the Republican Jewish Coalition purporting that Democrats are turning their back on Jews and Israel and are coddling anti-Semites. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Karen Parry new Hillel of San Diego executive director

Karen Parry, a Jewish community professional who grew up and held her earliest positions in San Diego County, will return to her native city from Seattle to become the executive director of Hillel of San Diego. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

COVID-19: Medical breakthroughs, research cooperation

This book describes “a battle that pits viral biology against human intellect and capability.”

An exciting approach to generating treatments for Covid19 is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Taking the known structure of the virus, scientists are able to inquire as to susceptible target sites on the virus for creating drug treatments and vaccines. The goal: theoretical structure and synthesis of biomedical compounds to achieve therapeutic results. [Irv Jacobs, MD, MPH]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Irv Jacobs, MD, Science, Medicine, & Education

Nazi symbolism found in GOP County Chair’s old video

A decades-old video involving San Diego County Republican chairman Tony Krvaric and images of Adolf Hitler and Nazi symbols has been brought to light by KPBS reporters Amita Sharma and JW August. It prompted San Diego City Council candidate Marni von Wilpert to call upon her opponent Joe Leventhal — who is Jewish — to return a $1,200 contribution he received from Krvaric “and demand new leadership in the Republican party that doesn’t casually traffic in hate.” [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

ADL offers a high school curriculum challenging bias

The Anti-Defamation League is offering to high schools and middle schools a curriculum designed to challenge biases and to encourage students to think critically, according to George Selim, ADL’s New York-based senior vice president of programs.  “With our powerful, new civics curriculum we’re cultivating the next generation of leaders to actively participate in their communities and champion social justice.  We’re especially excited about partnering with Bites Media with their carefully curated articles which lift up and highlight the relevance of our civics lessons.” [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Bruce F. Lowitt, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Keep our kids safe

Debates and arguments to open or not open schools in September are in full swing, both for secular schools, colleges, and of course, our Jewish day schools. It is obvious that during the present terrible situation opening schools (and, for the same reasons, colleges) is dangerous. It seems that proponents of school openings know the dangers and are still suggesting it, mostly for political reasons. The following are some considerations about the dangers of opening schools this fall, and some alternatives to doing so. [Arkady Mamaysky]

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Arkady Mamaysky, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Call me Father Ginsberg

I know “Father” and “Ginsberg” don’t seem to fit together, but the nuns at All Saints Elementary School in Buffalo, NY, assigned me that title, and you don’t say no to nuns, even if you’re Jewish. Besides, their warm smiles and insistence that I take time off for Jewish holidays made it impossible to argue with them. I taught sixth grade at All Saints for the 1969-70 school year. Since then, I’ve spent 30 of the past 51 years as a teacher, but that year is still my favorite. Go figure. [Michael Ginsberg]

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Michael Ginsberg, Science, Medicine, & Education

Newsom urged to veto Weber’s ethnic studies bill

A coalition of 90 groups, many of them Jewish, has called on California Gov. Gavin Newsom to veto a bill by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) that would mandate students take an ethnic studies course in order to graduate from the California State University (CSU) system.  Specifically, the bill would require a course be taken in any of the following four areas: African-American Studies, Asian-American Studies,  Latinx Studies, and Native American Studies. (SDJW staff report)

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Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA