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
The episode’s most profound utility lay not in what it celebrated, but in the mirrors it held up to our own communal failures. [Barrett Holman Leak]
Review and reaction: Black and Jewish America, Part 4 Read More »
Antisemitism, Barrett Holman Leak, Jewish History, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
Extending negotiations is not the way. When the Iranians face hard decisions, they demur and turn to continued negotiation. This is a time-wasting procedure which allows Iran to boost its offensive and defensive capabilities. [Steve Kramer]
Opinion: U.S. should stop dithering with Iran Read More »
Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer
This edition presents Sacks’ own modern English translation of the Torah, a compiled commentary drawn primarily from his Covenant & Conversation series, along with books, lectures, and other writings—with the sections for Shemot through Bo newly adapted for this project. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
A new standard Jewish Bible or a noble compromise? Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
She boards the plane like anyone else, and suddenly she’s in the middle of a nightmare. Now, as a retired cultural anthropologist and professor emerita from the University of Arizona, she brings this incredible mix of lived experience and scholarly eye to the story. She doesn’t just recount what happened—she digs into how it messed with her head and heart for decades. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
‘Hostage’ is a first-hand account of a hijacking Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA
Following the “Four Interludes” from Peter Grimes was Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major featuring the British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor. [Eileen Wingard]
Britten, Ravel, Tchaikovsky works featured at SDSO concert Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors
A Jewish state assemblyman from the southwestern edge of Long Island was denied a rare opportunity to question New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani about Jewish fears while a first-term Jewish congressman voiced a preference for dogs over Muslims. Plus, President Trump’s man in Belgium intervened in the country’s health policies as they apply to mohels. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Opinion: Three pro-Jewish politicians embarrass themselves Read More »
Antisemitism, Bruce Ticker, International, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, News Media, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
Tetzaveh is the parsha of details. Dozens of pesukim describing the garments of the Kohanim. Threads. Stones. Measurements. Colors. Nothing casual. Nothing approximate. Every stitch exact. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]
Parsha Tetzaveh: The hidden light and the hidden leader Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors
The priestly garments and the Purim masks both speak to the same truth: external appearance can conceal, reveal, or transform inner reality. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
The connection between priestly garb and Purim costumes Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Read through the biblical Book of Job, Leviathan becomes a rigorously anti-consolatory work, approaching nihilism only to expose the conditions that make nihilism plausible. [Sam Ben-Meir]
The movie ‘Leviathan’ counters the biblical Book of Job Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish Religion, Sam Ben-Meir, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
In Southern California, six Jewish women are proving that the best of America isn’t found in a headline, but at a dinner table. [Barrett Holman Leak]
Building bridges, one matzah ball at a time Read More »
Barrett Holman Leak, Jewish Religion, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA
Sponsored by the Chinese Women’s Association and written and produced by Kent Brisby and Gingerlily Lowe of Asian Story Theater, this year’s production is The Great Horse of Mongolia. Every year husband-wife team Brisby and Lowe write a new show for the Chinese New Year based on the animal for that year … [Sandi Masori]
P-Cure’s compact proton therapy system, which delivers a beam of radiation that precisely targets tumors, thereby preventing damage to nearby organs and healthy tissue, grew out of a two-year collaboration with oncologists, physicists, and physicians at Hadassah. [Cailin Acosta]
Hadassah reports lung cancer treatment progress Read More »
Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food
The party planning committee of Judy Rosenthal, Seth Krosner, Phil Johnson, and Lisa Berman-Hernandez shared heartfelt words about their love for the community and the importance of celebrating together as a congregational family. [Cailin Acosta]
Tifereth Israel Synagogue celebrates its 120th anniversary in style Read More »
Cailin Acosta, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and FoodIt featured music by five different composers, British Ralph Vaughn Williams, Russian Peter Illitch Tchaikovsky, German Carl Maria von Weber, American John Williams, and Armenian Aram Khatchaturian. Two of the works, Vaughn Williams’ Overture to The Wasps and Williams’ “Viktor’s Tale,” from the film The Terminal were unfamiliar. (Eileen Wingard)
International array of composers highlights Jewish Community Symphony’s Feb. 15 program Read More »
Eileen Wingard, International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA