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

Thoughts on the Torah Portion Tetzaveh, Priests, and Superstition

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin   BOCA RATON, Florida — The weekly portion of Tetzaveh begins and ends in the middle of chapters, showing once again that the rabbinic division of the Torah differs from the division of chapters that originated by Christians. We read about the oil for the Tabernacle lamp maintained by Aaron

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

Parashat Tetzaveh, Shabbat Zachor: What Ornate Garments Teach Us About Humility

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — Sixty-one years ago, when I became a bar mitzvah, I read this parasha, Tetzaveh, at Temple B’nai Abraham in Newark, N.J., under the watchful eye and heart of Rabbi Joachim Prinz. I recall the rabbi telling me how relevant the parasha was to me, since I enjoyed

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Jewish Knowledge Book Provides Broad Introduction to Judaism

This work seems comprehensive, yet it is introductory.  It covers five important aspects of Judaism – its history, its teaching, its practices, its calendar, and its lifecycles – and yet no single volume could teach all there is to teach about any one of these aspects, much less all of them. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion

‘My Own Directions’ Speaks to the Triumph of Taking a Leap of Faith

“My Own Directions,” by Sheldon Epps; McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers, 2022. ISBN 978-1-1-4766-8858-9; 183 pages. By Eva Trieger   SAN DIEGO — Artistic director, actor, and author, Sheldon Epps, has become a leader in the theater world, renowned for his work on both coasts of America and across the pond in London. Most recently,

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eva Trieger, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Ukraine is Bound for Glory (aka I’m Not Rootin’ for Putin)

(Melody: This Train is Bound for Glory) On the First Anniversary of the Russian Invasion By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — Ukraine is bound for glory, Ukraine. Winning a war so gory, Ukraine. Ukraine will prove greater. Beat the invader and its dictator. Ukraine is bound for glory, Ukraine. Ukraine has a smaller army, Ukraine.

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Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire

County Humane Society Greatly Expands Under Its Jewish Leader

A visit in December 2021 to Weitzman’s office at San Diego Humane Society indicated that Weitzman, himself, may be the biggest dog lover in the family. “Rosie,” a young German Shepherd, and “Betty” an elderly Pit Bull mix, were ensconced on side-by-side sleeping mats located between his desk and a couch.  Rosie enthusiastically greets visitors, perhaps believing the real purpose of their visit is to see her.  She eventually settles down, taking her place alongside Bett’s mat.  Betty looks up and sighs, as if to say, “She’s a puppy, what can you do?” and placidly closes her eyes again. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, San Diego County, The World We Share

B’Shalom: Special Elections Here and Elsewhere

County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher plans to run in 2024 for the seat of state Senate President pro tempore Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, the year she will be ineligible to run again because of term limits. Fletcher will be in the middle of his second term as a county supervisor at that time, so, depending on the outcome of the state Senate election, we may face a special election for his seat.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Opinion, San Diego County, USA

The Raw, Harrowing Facts on the Holocaust in France

“La Rafle des Notables” (The Deportation of Prominent Jews), by Anne Sinclair, published by Bernard Grasset, Paris, 2017. By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Anne Sinclair, noted French writer and journalist, has written extensively about the Holocaust and how it affected her family. In this book she focuses on the arrest and deportation to

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Holocaust, International

Los Angeles Synagogue Shootings: The Personal and the Perilous

By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — Decades ago, I most likely walked past the site of a Los Angeles synagogue near where Guy Taieb, 73, was wounded in a drive-by shooting last Thursday, an incident likely motivated by antisemitism. Long before Taieb moved to Los Angeles, I spent an afternoon visiting Santa Monica, and then

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Bruce Ticker, California, Opinion, USA

The New Life of the ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion: The Rudolf Slansky Trial

By Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — The ideology of antisemitism is not dying, it is changing forms somewhat, but the imagination of the ideologues does not go far enough. It uses the experience accumulated by the technologists of the witch trials. Blaming the Jews of the Diaspora for the creation and policies of the state

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Alex Gordon, International, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion

Thoughts on the Torah Portion Terumah, Prayer, Sacrifices, the Synagogue, and More

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — The weekly portion of Terumah discusses some matters involving the portable Tabernacle the Israelites used for sacrifices while they were in the desert. We read the command that the Israelites must bring material to construct the Tabernacle and its contents, and build an ark that will

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

B’Shalom:  Jimmy Carter, Rose Schindler, U.S. Senate Aspirants, Gregory Peck

An Israeli-American of close acquaintance, upon hearing that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter had entered hospice, commented that he “never liked that guy, he was an antisemite.” He noted that Carter helped propagate the lie that Israel is an apartheid state, even though Arabs have entered the highest levels of government and industry alongside their Jewish neighbors in Israel.  Nevertheless, as we look back over his career, I think that we should be more charitable toward Carter, not forgetting his invaluable contributions as a mediator at Camp David, bringing about the peace between Israel and Egypt. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion, USA