Below are the names of writers who are currently active. For others, living and deceased, please type their name into the search box above the masthead on our home page, www.sdjewishworld.com
What may be the most anxiety-provoking question a Jew hears this week? “Have you finished cleaning for Pesach yet?” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]
Parsha Tzav: The flame that must not go out Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors
In this week’s parsha, Tsav, the Torah pivots from the “how-to” of the offerings to a repeated, severe prohibition: “You shall not eat any blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwelling places” (Leviticus 7:26). [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Parsha Tsav: The vampire in the palace Read More »
Antisemitism, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Across the pond, hoodlums globalized the intifada when they set fire before 1:45 a.m. Monday to four ambulances operated by the nonprofit service Hatzola parked outside a synagogue in Golders Green, the largest Jewish community in London. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Acts of brazen antisemitism proliferate in North America, Europe Read More »
Antisemitism, Bruce Ticker, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, News Media, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
The Gavriel Tirosh Affair was written by Yitzhak Shalev (1919-1992) in 1964. Shalev was a novelist and poet. It is based on Shalev’s personal experiences as an adolescent in the 1930s. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
Book Review: The Gavriel Tirosh affair Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr.
The ICE Handbook for the TSA Mission: When stationed at an airport, remember TSA stands for tackling suspicious aliens… [Laurie Baron]
Satire: ICE issues handbook for agents supplementing TSA at airports Read More »
International, Lawrence Baron, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA
When I get to the plagues, we go out to the backyard. I write out the plagues with bags of items for all of them. Plague 1: Water Turned to Blood; I put a glass of water and a glass of pomegranate juice. Plague 2: Frogs, I have a bag of plastic frogs that we throw into the air. Plague 3: Lice, I have bags of white rice we throw at each other. … [Cailin Acosta]
What does a vegan seder look like? Read More »
Cailin Acosta, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food
Here is a roundup of statements and appeals from recognizable Jewish organizations: {Donald H. Harrison]
March 23, 2026 commentary from recognized Jewish organizations Read More »
Antisemitism, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors
When meeting someone, he would demonstratively introduce himself: “Hello, I am Modigliani, a Jew.” His close circle included many people of Jewish descent. [Alex Gordon]
Jewish biography: Amedeo Modigliani, fine artist Read More »
Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors
At its core, Passover is not about what happened once. It is about what must be recognized again and again. The command at the heart of the holiday is not simply to remember, but to remember as if you yourself had been enslaved. This is not historical education. It is a transformation of perspective. It refuses the distance that allows us to say: that was then; this is now. Instead, it insists: the structure of that experience still concerns you. [Sam Ben-Meir]
Passover and the unfinished work of freedom Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, Sam Ben-Meir, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food
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]
Jewish funders salute scholarship of the Dinah Project Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, Jacob Kamaras, Jewish History, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USABipolar 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]
Bipolar affliction affects Jewish community Read More »
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 FoodJoseph Albo: Collected Writings, edited by Shira Weiss, is an important and welcome contribution to the study of medieval Jewish philosophy, making the thought of the Spaniard Joseph Albo (1380-1444) newly accessible to contemporary readers. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
An important, easy-to-read philosophical book Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Opinion, Staff and Bylined ContributorsMany English Bibles translate the words “help meet” or “helper suitable for him.” This translation demeans the wife’s position in the marriage; she is only a helper. The original Hebrew conveys a more profound sense of strength and equality than these translations suggest. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
The Torah concept of ‘ezer kenegdo’ reveals a proper marriage Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors
I had the flu. I mean, I really had the flu. It was so severe that the doctor debated sending me to the hospital. I was dehydrated and depleted and completely not cute! Handsome Hubby pleaded against it, saying he would take care of me and he did yeoman’s work, struggling to keep fluids down me, pulling blankets on me when I was cold, taking them off when I was hot. [Karen Galatz, the Matzo Chronicles]
In sickness and in health: What really separates us in an interfaith marriage Read More »
Karen Galatz, Lifestyles, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food