Travel and Food

By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO–In the 1500s, the King of Tunisia became deathly ill. A Jewish doctor, Reb Yaakov Teib saved his life. Rebbe Yaakov Teib, an accomplished and righteous Torah scholar was well versed in scientific knowledge. The king became very impressed with Reb Yaakov and appointed him his personal physician. One day,

VATICAN CITY (WJC)–Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming visit to the Rome synagogue will take place in a “new atmosphere” in relations between Catholics and Jews, Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican official in charge of religious relations with Judaism, has said. “We have a new atmosphere with Judaism even if there are difficulties,” he was quoted as

NEW YORK (Press Release)– The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Thursday called on the government of Greece to “publicly and forcefully condemn” an anti-Semitic arson attack against a synagogue on the island of Crete. “It is disappointing that the Greek government has so far failed to condemn the shocking arson attack targeting a synagogue on the island of

PRAGUE (WJC)–The Supreme Court of the Czech Republic is hearing a case brought by the Czech government which wants to ban the extreme-right Workers’ Party (DS). Different governments have asserted that the party is a political wing of the neo-Nazi movement, but a previous attempt to have the party banned was dismissed by the court

SAN DIEGO (Press Release)– On Tuesday, January 12, a powerful earthquake battered the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck about 10 miles southwest of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday evening, devastating the island’s most populated city. Hundreds of thousands are feared dead from the immediate impact, with tens of thousands

By David Amos SAN DIEGO–At times, I think that people should be put in jail for being boring. Granted, it is not a practical idea, but the thought, nevertheless, is tempting. These potential jail birds lead seminars, make sales presentations, compose music, and attempt to interpret the works of others. They are so wrapped up

WASHINGTON, DC (pRESS rELEASE)– The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation announces the release of Searching for the Study of Israel: A Report on the Teaching of Israel on U.S. College Campuses 2008-09, prepared by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University. An update of a 2006 report, Searching for the Study

 LA JOLLA, California(Press Release)–The Institute of the Americas and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) will host a forum to examine immigration and related human rights issues, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Hojel Hall of the Americas Auditorium at UCSD’s Institute of the Americas. The event will include a showing of a PBS documentary,

CORONADO, California (Press Release)–The Agency for Jewish Education continues its Coronado lecture series this month with Professor Steven Cassedy of UCSD. Cassedy’s lecture will take place in the Winn Room of the Coronado Library (640 Orange Avenue, Coronado) on Jan. 20 at 10:30 am. His lecture is titled, “A Bintel Brief: Abe Cahan as the

  SACRAMENTO (Press Release)- The Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation on Monday passed AB 1178, a bill authored by Assemblymember Marty Block (78th Assembly District, San Diego) to support California’s college students by reducing by $120 million annually the sales tax on textbooks and school supplies found at college bookstores. AB 1178 would take

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WJC)–A man jailed in Cuba last month and denounced as an American spy was working on a US government project to help the small Cuban Jewish community access the internet, according to the United States Agency for International Development in Washington. Alan P. Gross, 60, had gone to Cuba to provide communications equipment

ROME (WJC)–Holocaust survivors have asked Rome’s Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni to tell Pope Benedict of their pain at his advancement of the case of Pope Pius XII toward beatification during the visit of Catholic pontiff to Rome’s main synagogue on Sunday. “The decision by Pope Benedict to advance the candidacy of Pius to sainthood