San Diego County

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

Children’s lives enriched by screen time alternatives

Linda Moskovics is a retired former head librarian at the Benjamin branch of the San Diego City Library system. She has now written a children’s book, for ages 4-14, inveighing against “too much screen time [that] can quietly steal joy, focus, sleep, and connection.  It can increase anxiety, harm social skills, impact brain development and crowd out important life experiences.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, USA

Passover brings with it the necessity of fighting antisemitism

Passover reminds us that freedom is not only about leaving Egypt. It is about refusing to accept a world in which dehumanization becomes routine. It is about recognizing that what is tolerated today can become something far more dangerous tomorrow. [Rabbi Jason Nevarez]

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

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

‘Make for yourself a teacher’ and that could be your seder guest

By Betzy Lynch in La Jolla, California Every day at our JCC, I have the gift of witnessing incredible educators share knowledge, curiosity, interpretation, and genuine connection. Many of these educators have been formally trained and are intentionally tasked with creating optimal learning environments and delivering curriculum with skill and care. This includes our early

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Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Jewish funders salute scholarship of the Dinah Project

The Dinah Project’s book compiles survivor testimonies, forensic evidence, and legal analysis to establish a clear record of gender-based atrocities committed during the October 7 attacks. It also situates these crimes within the broader context of conflict-related sexual violence, drawing parallels to cases in Rwanda, Bosnia, Ukraine, and among Yazidi communities. [Jacob Kamaras]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, Jacob Kamaras, Jewish History, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, 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