AAA-Writers and photographers

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

Celebrating the Jewish history of Travancore, India

Recently, with the generous help of the Travancore Royal Family of Travancore, India, and the State of Travancore, a new Jewish Indian Heritage Trail marker was dedicated in a grand ceremony at the Puthenmalika Palace. [Jerry Klinger]

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Antisemitism, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jerry Klinger, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Jewish reactions to attack on Michigan synagogue

An armed assailant rammed his truck on Thursday into Temple Israel, a large Reform congregation in the Detroit suburb of West Bloomfield.  He was subsequently killed in a firefight, according to officials. Here are some comments by recognizable Jewish individuals and organizations. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Parsha Vayakhel: Shabbat brings with it an extra soul

On Shabbat, we receive an expanded vitality: heightened joy, deeper peace, expanded capacity for gratitude, and a profound sense of wholeness. It is as if God breathes fresh life into us anew, allowing our souls to “catch up” and even surpass the pace of the week. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

Parsha Vayakhel: Shabbat brings with it an extra soul Read More »

Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Heidi Gantwerk to participate in national hookup about Mideast War

Jewish Federation of San Diego President & CEO Heidi Gantwerk has been invited by Jewish Federations of North America to be featured in a special national briefing tomorrow morning, March 12, on the conflict involving Israel, the United States, and Iran. [Press Release]

Heidi Gantwerk to participate in national hookup about Mideast War Read More »

Heidi Gantwerk, International, Israel, Middle East, Press Release, San Diego County, USA

Review: Helene Schjerfbeck retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

In Fête juive (1883)—also titled Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)—Schjerfbeck depicts a moment of Jewish ritual dwelling emptied of festivity. An older man sits beside a young girl on a thin, red-edged mattress placed directly on the floor of the sukkah, the temporary shelter mandated by the festival. [Sam Ben-Meir]

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International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-Meir, USA

The global resurgence of the ‘Jewish Question’

After World War II, it seemed that an answer to the Jewish question had been found: the creation of the State of Israel and the positive attitude of Western civilization towards the Jewish people in its diaspora. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

‘The Optimist’: Troubled teenager brings out Holocaust survivor’s hidden story

An independent film, The Optimist, opens on Wednesday, March 11, in over 700 theaters nationwide.  It tells the story of Theresienstadt-and- Auschwitz survivor Herbert Heller (Stephen Lang) recounting his Holocaust experiences after 60 years of keeping silent. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Federation mission to India ‘refreshing’ and broadening

For two weeks, we were transported into a place more “foreign” than anywhere else I have visited, yet every encounter was positive, welcoming, and gracious. Through our modern Western lens, we kept asking about antisemitism, historically or today. It simply isn’t there, and I cannot express how refreshing that was to hear. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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Antisemitism, Heidi Gantwerk, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA