By Sheryl Rowling SAN DIEGO — Q: I’ve been in a contemplative mood since the High Holy Days. Now, as I begin a new Jewish year, what “financial failings” should I strive to overcome? A: With an advance apology for “literary license,” I offer the following inspirational meditation: For the financial failings that I have […]
Money Maven: Financial Failings Read More »
Sheryl Rowling, Travel and FoodSAN DIEGO— A school in Sha’ar Hanegev–sister region to the Jewish Federaton of San Diego–that had been dedicated with the help of San Diegans including the Viterbi and Ellman families–recently was honored on its first day of classes with a visit by Israel’s first President Shimon Peres. The following video combines some of the highlights
Video of President Peres’ visit to Sha’ar Hanegev high school Read More »
Travel and Food
By Natasha Josefowitz, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — We have become afraid to speak honestly and directly. We don’t want to upset, offend, or step on someone’s toes. We fear being seen as aggressive, pushy, opinionated, demanding, or critical so intensely that we often pussyfoot around and avoid what really needs to be said. And
Be direct in stating your opinions Read More »
Natasha Josefowitz, Travel and FoodBy Jeffrey F. Barken/JNS.org Speaking over lively klezmer music in a Krakow café, Canadian author and freelance journalist Menachem Kaiser wonders if Jewish readers are comfortable with the term “Jewish fiction.” Kaiser is a recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship in Lithuania, where he teaches creative writing. His story, Din, was recently published alongside several prominent
Jewish fiction finds a new home on the Internet Read More »
Travel and FoodSAN DIEGO — Here ae some thoughts in time for Rosh Hashanah from the “Dear Money Maven” column Q: My son is the apple of my eye. I want to set up a Section 529 college savings account for him, but heard that the custodian controls the investments. I’m not an expert, but I’d like
Some High Holy Day-themed financial advice Read More »
Travel and Food
By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — Some time ago, I read an analysis of the traffic flow on New York’s Fifth Avenue. Apparently, the average speed (horse-drawn, of course) in 1905 was ten miles per hour. In 1985, polluted by emissions, it was five miles per hour. This reality comes to mind several times
Is the computerized world really more advanced? Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Zach and Ali Shuman RANCHO SANTA FE, California — It is the “apparent” random intersection of events that many times leads to profound and permanent changes in the course of your life. Such was the case for us as we recently completed the first-ever donor mission to Israel sponsored by Taglit Birthright Israel. Several
The unintended, happy consequences of a Birthright trip Read More »
Travel and Food
By Ariel Schnitzer RAMLE, Israel — If it weren’t for the Hebrew exit sign that hung above the entrance, I would have never imagined I was in Israel, or rather, the Israel that I had always known. Boys played soccer, girls gossiped in tight groups. The setting was all too familiar–after all, I had
The meeting of cultures in an Arab Israeli town Read More »
Travel and Food
By David Amos SAN DIEGO — I do not usually go to the San Diego Symphony Summer Pops concerts, choosing instead programs with more substance and inspiration. However, the concert we attended on Saturday, September 1, was certainly of serious musical value, and lots of fun. This was the orchestra’s traditional close to the Summer
Schwarz, Garbutt, SD Symphony deliver top Pops Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Robert Gluck/JNS.org To the late Buddy Rich, playing drums in jazz bands was everything—so much so that when he was in his last days, he asked his only daughter to keep his legacy alive. After the legendary drummer passed on in 1987, his daughter Cathy worked tirelessly to preserve her dad’s memory, organizing memorial
Drummer Buddy Rich subject of upcoming documentary Read More »
Travel and Food
By Danny Bloom CHIAYI CITY, TAIWAN — While Taiwan is mostly a Buddhist country, with many Taoist shrines and temples dotting the landscape, about five percent of the population is Christian, with a similar percentage of Muslims as well. On the island nation of 23 million souls, there are about 100 Jews living and working
Taiwan’s ‘Last Supper’-inspired fresco features chopsticks Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — My stepson recently was hired for his first-ever job, a part-time tenure scooping and selling ice cream. He brings home some change in his pocket from the modest tips and he mentions the long hours and the pain in his shoulder from grappling with the brick-hard cold stuff. But
Children should experience the dignity of labor Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Natasha Josefowitz, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — Why do some people who have always worked at a secure and steady job suddenly pack up the family and move to a ranch in Montana? Why does the farmer’s son leave his patrimony and move to the city for a factory job? Why does someone start a
Change should be embraced, not feared Read More »
Natasha Josefowitz, Travel and FoodSAN FRANCISCO (Press Release)- BlueStar, a San Francisco-based Israel Advocacy organization, has scheduled College Stay three-day retreats for high school students. The weekend-long program was developed to help transform Jewish teens into powerful pro-Israel advocates, spokespeople and opinion leaders – before they encounter anti-Israel challenges at college. Teens will spend the weekend with current college students and get an inside
High school Israel advocates to train at SDSU Read More »
Travel and Food