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Donald H. Harrison[/caption]
Donald H. Harrison is the publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.
Harrison began his journalism career in 1962 on the UCLA Daily Bruin. Following graduation he joined the staff of the Associated Press, and later became politics writer for The San Diego Union. Afterwards he pursued a career in tourism, helping to establish San Diego’s Cruise Ship Program as well as Old Town Trolley Tours of San Diego. He also wrote for such Jewish publications as the San Diego Jewish Press Heritage and San Diego Jewish Times before starting San Diego Jewish World in 2007.
Don’s latest work is the three-volume Schlepping and Schmoozing Along the Interstate 5.
He is the author of six previous books. Those with links may be obtained on Amazon.
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The Anti-Defamation League currently partners with approximately 100 local schools in its “No Place for Hate” program, and next semester that number will go up to 150 schools, says Tammy Gillies, the ADL’s regional director in San Diego. [Our shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
‘No Place for Hate’ expanding to 150 local schools Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
Israel boycott advocates in San Diego County have been attempting, so far without success, to persuade local law enforcement executives to refuse to travel with the Anti-Defamation League for familiarization with Israeli police techniques. Tammy Gillies, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said such a push was successful a few years ago in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, “where the City Council was asked to stop organized trips to Israel by law enforcement. They passed that and it was a shock to us. … There are organizations in San Diego working very hard and lobbying our law enforcement agencies not to send people to Israel.” [Sour shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
Local law enforcement and Israel Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Eva Trieger, International, Middle East, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA
Published posthumously with the help of her author daughter Helen Epstein, Franci’s War by Franci Rabinek Epstein is a well-written step-by-step recounting of Franci’s experiences during the Holocaust. A dress designer of good reputation in Prague, Franci was transported with her parents to Terezin, the Nazis’ “model ghetto” nearby. She was able to secretly rendezvous with her first husband, Pepik “Joe” Solar, who had been arrested and sent away earlier than she was. Soon, however, her parents were taken on another transport to their deaths, and with Joe leaving the ghetto daily to work as slave labor on a railroad spur, Franci often was left to her own devices [Donald H. Harrison]
A Czech woman’s journey through the Holocaust Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History
Prosecutors announced on Thursday they would seek the death penalty against John T. Earnest, 20, the alleged shooter who killed congregant Lori Gilbert-Kaye at Chabad of Poway last Passover while wounding three others, including Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein. Meanwhile, Tammy Gillies, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, was telling San Diego Jewish World that the effects of that April 27 shooting rampage are still being felt throughout San Diego County. “I think some of our institutions are taking more seriously the idea of security,” Gillies commented during an interview. “Some always have, and some not so much, but now are more on board.” Members of other religious communities are now “realizing that when we go to synagogue – when we take our kids to synagogue – we have to walk through armed guards to go, and I think that has been shocking to some other communities. I think it has raised awareness about anti-Semitism.” [Our shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
ADL’s Gillies tells of Poway shooting’s lasting impacts Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USAA Conservative congregation in San Diego, Tifereth Israel Synagogue, is urging members to practice caution as the coronavirus epidemic spreads across the United States. It recommended that congregants and visitors wave to each other or bump fists rather than shake hands, and also to refrain from the custom of touching mezuzahs on doorpost and then kissing their hands [Donald H. Harrison]
Jews urged to avoid kissing doorpost mezuzahs Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County
Sanders and Bloomberg were two of the 12 Jewish candidates whose names appeared on San Diego County ballots. Of the other 10, semi-official returns indicated that three placed in first positions — Sara Jacobs in the 53rd Congressional District, Joe Leventhal in San Diego’s 5th City Council District, and incumbent Bernie Rhinerson in the District B race for the San Diego Community College District. (Their second-place finishing opponents respectively were San Diego City Council President Georgette Gomez, City Attorney candidate Marni Von Wilpert, and Daniel Piedra.) [Donald H. Harrison]
Eight of 12 Jewish candidates made runoffs Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Sandi Masori, USAThere were 12 Jewish candidates on San Diego County ballots on March 3. Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden were in a coast-to-coast race for delegates that stretched from Maine to California, with Biden winning or ahead at press time in Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Minnesota, and Massachusetts. Sanders won or was leading in California, Colorado, Utah, and Vermont. Michael Bloomfield won in the American territory of American Samoa, and was battling Elizabeth Warren for third place in many of the states. Texas and Maine saw seesaw battles between Biden and Sanders, both too close to call as we went to press. [Donald H. Harrison]
How Jewish candidates fared in March 3 primary Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, USA
While San Diego Jewish World does not plan to make any formal endorsements until the November election, we would like our readers to be aware of the names of our fellow Jews who are on San Diego County ballots. There are at least a dozen such candidates, whose Jewish affiliation has been made known to us. Whether they are Democrats, Republicans, or independents, we would like to congratulate them for putting themselves out there. [Donald H. Harrison]
12 Jews compete on San Diego County ballots Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, USA
Our correspondent in Mevasseret Zion, Israel, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, has written a sixth novel, this one called A Ruffled Calm. As with her previous five novels, Shefer-Vanson has illustrated the cover of her book with one of her own art pieces, seen to the right of this story. [Donald H. Harrison]
SDJW correspondent publishes sixth novel Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA
Congresswoman Susan Davis, D-San Diego, has issued a fact sheet about the coronavirus. We republish it here: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first identified on February 11, 2020 in Wuhan, China. The first infections were linked to a live animal market, but the virus is now spreading from person-to-person. It often spreads between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes…. [ Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
Susan Davis provides fact sheet on coronavirus Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, USA
Cleveland Jews and the Making of a Midwestern Community contains a pair of biographical essays, which I read with considerable interest, and more than a majority of essays of the historical type, dealing with such phenomena as the growth of Jewish Orthodoxy in Cleveland; the impact of Jewish philanthropy on that city; the growth of Jewish schools; The development of feminist ideals among Jewish women’s organizations; Black-Jewish relations in Cleveland; suburbanization of Cleveland’s Jewish community; Reform Judaism in the Cleveland suburbs; and programs to assimilate into Jewish society refugees from the Soviet Union. [Book review by Donald H. Harrison]
Historians, biographers probe Jewish Cleveland Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, USA
In 2017, newlyweds Jonathan Moed and Zoe (Jurkowski) Moed went on a year-long dream trip around the world, and now Jonathan is pursuing a “passion project” to help high-tech start up entrepreneurs in developing nations realize dreams of their own. [Donald H. Harrison]
San Diegans’ dream trip leads to new website Read More »
Business & Finance, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USATwo Reform rabbis from San Diego – Devorah Marcus of Temple Emanu-El and Jeremy Gimbel of Congregation Beth Israel – are among 347 rabbis who have signed a letter rejecting the “outrageous comments” made by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders about the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). In announcing he would not attend the AIPAC Policy Conference in March, Sanders, who like the rabbis is Jewish, said “I remain concerned about the platform AIPAC provides for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights. For that reason, I will not attend their conference.” In a press release, AIPAC subsequently described that comment as “truly shameful.” [Donald H. Harrison]
347 rabbis denounce Sanders’ comment about AIPAC Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, USA
Bassam Eid is a Palestinian author and commentator, who may be seen frequently on Israeli television. While he is critical of various Israeli policies, he also speaks out frequently against corruption in both the Palestinian Authority and Gaza Strip. On Tuesday evening, at the Fairbanks Country Club, in this affluent community wedged between northern San Diego and Rancho Santa Fe, Eid condemned the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement as being harmful to ordinary Palestinians. [Donald H. Harrison]
Palestinian commentator: BDS hurts us Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, San Diego County, USA