San Diego County

Parshas Mishpatim – Highlight the Positive & Ignore the Negative

For many years, I would introduce the singing of zemiros and emphasize the spiritual impact and the sanctity of the time as Shabbos ebbs steadily away. During the quarantine period of COVID, I made it a point to open my windows and sing Shalosh Seudos zemiros at the top of my lungs so everyone could hear me and understand that we still need to sing. [Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky]

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Opinion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Parashat Mishpatim – We Wander, Wing It, and Wonder Why We’re Late

Parashat Mishpatim shows how lofty spiritual experiences can become daily living. After the thunder and awe of Sinai in last week’s parasha, the Torah now turns to the details of life: laws of justice, business ethics, personal responsibility, compassion, and integrity. No fewer than fifty-three mitzvot appear here, teaching that holiness is built not only through inspiration, but through conduct. [Michael Mantell, PhD]

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Rabbi Jason Nevarez’s thoughts on Bad Bunny’s resonating message during the Super Bowl halftime perfomance

Benito is from Vega Baja – the very same town my father and family come from – so this was very personal for me. [Rabbi Jason Nevarez]

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Our Shtetl: Super Bowl is over, now onto the Winter Olympics

As we finish up all the Super Bowl treats, the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy, have started and will continue for two weeks.
There are 16 Jewish and Israeli athletes to keep an eye on in the next two weeks. [Cailin Acosta]

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Antisemitism, Cailin Acosta, California, Holocaust, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Parshat Mishpatim 2026

This week’s Torah portion focuses on an old but familiar theme: the social laws known as Mishpatim.  In this Parsha, we discover that the God of Exodus is the God of history and of political liberation more than he is the God of nature. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Opinion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Something neither of us could build alone

This brief story captures the heart of the Jewish value of arevut, shared responsibility. In life, we often imagine that we are accountable only for ourselves, that “our seat” is private. Judaism insists otherwise. What we do affects those around us. Our fates are intertwined. We rise or fall together. [Betzy Lynch]

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International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Our Shtetl: leaving a legacy

Tuesday, Feb. 3, the La Mesa City Council broke ground on the construction of the La Mesa downtown district sign in the village. I could not attend. But we purchased tiles many years ago, and Ceramic Café at Grossmont Center hosted a tile event for those who purchased tiles to be painted and would be fired for the district sign. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego Calendar, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Chaim Landau, Peace of Mind Director of Partnerships, visiting San Diego to express gratitude to the San Diego Community for its support of IDF soldiers recovering from trauma.

San Diego is proud to have hosted 6 POM units in individual homes, providing a rewarding week for host families to give back to our veterans and a healing week for the veterans receiving therapy as a unit in a supportive, safe environment. [PRESS RELEASE]

Chaim Landau, Peace of Mind Director of Partnerships, visiting San Diego to express gratitude to the San Diego Community for its support of IDF soldiers recovering from trauma. Read More »

Press Release, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Review of Gustav Mahler’s 7th Symphony concert perfomance to a full house

The San Diego Symphony, conducted by its Artistic Director, Raphael Payare, whose contract was just renewed until the 2029-30 season, delivered a stunning performance of Gustav Mahler’s 7th Symphony to a full house on Sunday, February 1, in the newly named Miller Family Theater of the Jacobs Music Center. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Parshas Yisro – Here Comes the Sunshine

Fast forward fifty years, and our Tu B’Shvat experience is quite different. Here in Eretz Yisrael, not only are the major holidays celebrated throughout the country and across all lines, but even the minor festivals have been transformed into major events. [Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky]

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California, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

REVIEW: Black and Jewish: An Interwoven History, Part 1 – Let My People Go

Because I live in the intersection of being both Black and Jewish, I have learned about my identity over the years, both through experience, stories handed down to me, education, and reading. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Antisemitism, Barrett Holman Leak, California, Holocaust, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

That pesky Punxsutawney Phil predicts more winter, summer like conditions in SoCal

Punxsutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter. That is unfortunate for our friends and family on the East Coast since those of us in San Diego are looking at highs in the 70’s for the next two weeks. No rain forecast for the next 10 days. [Cailin Acosta]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, California, Holocaust, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast