San Diego County

Charlene Seidle: Passion for North County San Diego and Israel

Editor’s Note: This is the 13th chapter in Volume 3 of Editor Emeritus Donald H. Harrison’s 2022 trilogy, “Schlepping and Schmoozing Along the Interstate 5.”  All three books as well as others written by Harrison may be purchased from Amazon.com. Schlepping and Schmoozing Along the Interstate 5, Volume 3, Exit 41B (Encinitas Boulevard): Leichtag Commons From northbound Interstate […]

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Ben Dishman, Business & Finance, Donald H. Harrison, Judaism, San Diego County, The World We Share, USA

Library in City Heights Reflects Ben Weingart’s Values

The late philanthropist Ben Weingart, a prominent businessman and a dedicated advocate for the betterment of Southern California, is remembered in San Diego through the Weingart Branch Library, a cultural and educational hub that serves City Heights, one of the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in San Diego. [Emily Scalmanini]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

SD Unified Board of Education Elects Shana Hazan President

By Elizabeth Ireland Times of San Diego SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Unified School District Board of Education elected new board officers, with Shana Hazan selected as president and Dr. Cody Petterson chosen as vice president. The board voted unanimously to select Hazan and Petterson as new officers during its public meeting this week. “As a trustee and the

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San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

The Pam Ferris Formula: Happy Employees Make for Happy Residents at Seacrest Village

She said that there is a “joy of serving and working with older adults. They have lived before us; they have all this rich history. They are wiser; they have all this experience that you haven’t had.  If you are smart, you will listen and learn from them.”[Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Fred Kropveld, Judaism, San Diego County

Festival of Light and Steel: 20-Foot SDSU Menorah Shines on 1st Night of Hanukkah

By Ken Stone Times of San Diego SAN DIEGO — Barry Soper was beaming. The author and homeless advocate who spearheaded efforts to replace a vandalized menorah at the San Diego State University Chabad House was seeing it lit Thursday on the first night of Hanukkah. He and several hundred others cheered amid tragic times for Jews

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Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

Nowhere Else I’d Rather Be: Santee-Trained Firefighter Volunteers in Israel During Wartime

By Dana Ben Kaplan SANTEE, California — This past September, I was contacted by the Emergency Volunteers Project (EVP) and asked if I would be available for another Israel firefighter training deployment, scheduled for October. I had been participating in these firefighter events in Israel for several years now (after retiring from the Santee Fire

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Israel, Opinion, San Diego County

Recorded Hanukkah Music to Provide Holiday Prelude Dec. 7

Enjoy a prelude to your first night of Hanukkah with Hanukkah Music, part of the series, Treasures from the Music Collection of the Astor Judaica Library. This free program will be held in the Astor Judaica Library of the Lawrence Family JCC on Thursday, December 7, 2:00-3:30 p.m. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

New Billboards in San Diego Bring Attention to Dangers of Hamas

NEW YORK (Press Release) — JewBelong, a national nonprofit organization that fights antisemitism and makes Judaism accessible, last week put up three new billboards in San Diego reading, “Let’s be clear. Hamas is your problem too.” The new slogan is in response to the antisemitism sparked by the Israel-Hamas war, which led to a 400%

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Israel, San Diego County

‘Proof’ Delivers Despite Moments of Confusion

Catherine (Liliana Talwatte) is mourning her mathematician father Robert (Francis Gercke) who has recently passed after she took care of him through several years of mental illness.  Her sister Claire (Wendy Maples) comes in from New York for the funeral and wants to bring Catherine back with her. [Sandi Masori]

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Community Supports SDSU Chabad House in Replacing Menorah Lost to Hate Crime

By Times of San Diego SAN DIEGO — A new menorah was installed Saturday outside the Chabad House, just east of San Diego State University. This bigger, brighter and vandal-resistant menorah – it weighs 1,500 pounds and is 20-feet tall – replaces one that was destroyed earlier this year in a suspected hate crime. Rabbi

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Jewish Religion, San Diego County

Rabbi Wayne Dosick: San Diego County’s Longest-Serving Rabbi and Still One of Its Most Innovative

Some people become increasingly conservative as they age; but the reverse has been true in Dosick’s life. He grew up in a Conservative congregation but decided to enter the Reform seminary of Hebrew Union College because he objected to the Jewish Theological Seminary of the Conservative movement on two grounds.  First, it still separated men and women during prayer services and Dosick opposed mehitzahs (physical barriers). Second the JTS leadership was then on record supporting the war in Vietnam in the mistaken belief that if the U.S. left Vietnam to the Communists, its support for Israel against its enemies also might be shaky. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Ben Dishman, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County

San Diegans Support Beautified Bomb Shelters in the Gaza Envelope

SDJW Staff Report DENVER — Elyasaf Meira, the Israeli artist who beautifies Jewish National Fund-USA’s bomb shelters in the area known as the Gaza Envelope, was present at the JNF-USA Global Conference for Israel in Denver to work on live paintings. Philanthropists in San Diego and nationwide partner with JNF-USA for its bomb shelter beautification

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Israel, San Diego County, USA

‘Very Proud of His Turf:’ Slain Sha’ar HaNegev Mayor Remembered at JNF-USA Conference

By Jacob Kamaras DENVER — Israeli social entrepreneur Gidi Grinstein remembered his experiences with former Sha’ar HaNegev Mayor Ofir Libstein, who was killed while defending Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the October 7 Hamas attacks, in remarks at the Jewish National Fund-USA Global Conference for Israel in Denver on Friday. This past January, Libstein invited Grinstein

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Israel, Jacob Kamaras, San Diego County, USA