USA

Federation fundraises for many good causes

By Heidi Gantwerk in San Diego As this campaign year comes to a close, I am reminded of what our community can accomplish when we show up for one another, especially in moments that test us most. The ongoing war in Israel, the long road to recovery, and rising antisemitism here at home have challenged […]

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Antisemitism, Heidi Gantwerk, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

To retreat into safe Jewish spaces or participate fully in American pluralism?

A few days ago, I attended a book talk for On Being Jewish Now, a collection of essays reflecting on Jewish life after October 7. About 50 people had gathered inside a posh clothing store in Beverly Hills, and before long the conversation gave way to a familiar ritual of trauma bonding and story telling. Personal accounts of fear, identity, and all the difficult ways our lives have changed over the last 20 months. [Karen Klein]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

‘Tortured Soles’ is a celebrity gossip book with a double-entendre title

shtetl

This was a fascinating memoir, and I enjoyed reading about someone working behind the scenes in entertainment journalism, chasing celebrity gossip and experiencing the adrenaline rush that came with it. Weinstein notes that she is now retired and enjoying every minute of it. [Cailin Acosta]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Goebbels rides again

Using a succession of lies, falsehoods, distortions of the truth and blatant misrepresentations of reality, the Palestinian propaganda machine now represents Israel, the tiny Jewish country which has been under attack from the moment of its establishment, as an evil rogue state causing distress and unrest throughout the Middle East. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Antisemitism, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Juneteenth has deep meaning, especially for someone born Black and Jewish

To be a person of African heritage and a Jewess is to hold a deep, ancestral understanding of what it means to be pulled from the depths, to celebrate a hard-won liberty, and to remain fiercely determined to stay free. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Bad deal for the U.S. provides everything Iran could have wished for

While reopening the world’s energy chokepoint will help stabilize oil prices, it’s a temporary commitment on the part of Iran, which reaps extensive financial benefits from the deal up front. The United States, meanwhile, is left hoping for a better and more extensive agreement within a two-month negotiating period, which is unlikely to be achieved now that Trump has relinquished nearly all military and economic leverage over Iran. lHalie Soifer]

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Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Hot Jew summer 5786

As Jews, how do we actually practice our faith over the summer?

We sweat, we complain about how much we sweat, we hold off on installing an air conditioner in shul because in 1958, the great-grandfather of the kid who works at Best Buy said something about how his mother’s schnitzel was better than the great-great-grandmother of the current board president’s schnitzel.  (Joshua Kail)

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Two defense bills sponsored by Jewish California advance in state Senate

Two priority bills led by Jewish California — the nation’s largest statewide coalition of Jewish organizations — cleared key Senate committees Tuesday, marking major steps toward protecting Californians of all faiths from harassment at their places of worship and preventing hate from being distributed under the seal of the State of California. [Press Release]

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Antisemitism, California, Jewish Religion, Press Release, USA