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
By Sam Ben-Meir NEW YORK — Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure, on view at the Starrett-Lehigh Building in Chelsea, features more than 200 artworks and artifacts from the artist’s estate – 177 of which have never been exhibited before. This highly unusual and intimate exhibition was assembled not by a curator or art historian, but by Basquiat’s […]
‘King Pleasure’ Lives Up to Its Name Read More »
Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-Meir, USA
By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — “Thank you.” Here’s a question for you. Who’s the first person to have brought these words, “Thank you” to us Yehudim? Right! That’d be the mother of Yehuda (from the word hoda’ah), none other than Leah. When’s the last time you expressed genuine, heartfelt gratitude and shown
Parashat Vayeitzei: How to Strengthen Our Character Beyond Gratitude Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Many Jews are convinced that the laws and customs that originated with the rabbis were taught at Sinai to the Israelites during the days of Moses and are called “Oral Law,” even though the Torah itself states that only the Decalogue that people call The Ten
The Truth About the Oral Law Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
This family biography traces the Sassoon family from its 19th century roots in Baghdad and its migration to Bombay, where it developed into an important merchant family specializing in such commodities as opium, textiles, and oil. The family also had banking operations in various cities, real estate holdings in China and other parts of Asia, and an international customer base centered on England. [Donald H. Harrison]
The Sassoons: The Rothschilds of the East Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Business & Finance, Donald H. Harrison, International, Middle East
Here is a novel by a Jewish author that is built upon a male and female character who each suffer from a form of sexual dysfunction. Rebecca had been unable to achieve orgasm in lovemaking, and Kyle was forced, against his will, into a long-term sexual relationship by Jane, a powerful publisher of a popular fashion magazine who controlled his and many other people’s livelihoods. [Donald H. Harrison]
Novel Built upon Delicate Sexual Issues Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison
By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — Jewish Texans, estimated to number 176,000, should probably worry about the deep in the heartlessness of the Texas abortion law — with the reporting of Amanda Eid’s near-death experience. The majority of Texas lawmakers approved legislation that severely sickened Eid and almost killed her in late August because she
Deep in the Heartlessness of Texas: Is Abortion Law an Antisemitic Plot? Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Opinion, USA
By Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — For 25 years I lived opposite the Opera House in Kiev and many times I was near the scene of this murder, near the first row of the parterre and the orchestra pit. As a lover of classical music, I was a frequent visitor to the Kiev Opera House,
Murder in the Kiev Theater Read More »
Alex Gordon, International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts
The question of turkey’s status as a permitted (kosher) bird is a topic that comes up every Thanksgiving holiday season. Nevertheless, many Orthodox Jews I personally know will never eat turkey since there is no tradition permitting it. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
How Thanksgiving Turkey Became Kosher—For Some Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
By Eva Trieger SAN DIEGO — Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School is no stranger to facing challenges head-on. Now, celebrating its 60th anniversary, this remains a fact. With climbing numbers of adolescents dealing with mental health issues, this courageous faculty, led by Rabbi Simcha Weiser, has engaged Stuart Katz, a Hebrew Day alumnus (class
Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School Promotes Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing Read More »
Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & EducationBy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — If you’re looking for a love story, this week in Toldot, we read a magnificent one, in fact the first. You see, we are told that husband and wife are to, “cleave to each other and become one flesh.” This is precisely what Isaac and Rebecca teach
Parashat Toldot: Love and Prayer Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — The question of when did Jews begin to observe the practices and prohibitions of biblical laws is one of the most important yet thorniest questions that has bothered scholars for centuries. While traditional Jews believe their ancestors accepted and practiced Torah laws since the time of
When Did Jews Begin to Observe Biblical Laws? Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
By Jacob Kamaras SAN DIEGO — Israeli representatives from the Sha’ar HaNegev region got a firsthand look at the American Jewish day school landscape last Wednesday as part of their six-day visit to San Diego. During a tour of the San Diego Jewish Academy (SDJA), Sha’ar HaNegev delegation member Tzachi Levy said he was struck
By Steve Kramer KFAR SABA, Israel — Although it has been 55 years since I graduated from college, I still fondly remember my student life being enhanced by my membership in a Jewish fraternity. Today, I might have a different attitude, now that Jew-hatred (some call it antisemitism, a somewhat innocuous term.) A recent article
Jew-Hatred Burgeons in the US Read More »
Opinion, Steve Kramer, USA
SAJAC President Pamela Nathan said the exhibit was created by the South African Jewish Museum which is located in the Museum Mile of Central Cape Town. She said she hopes that American-born visitors to the exhibit “will get a slice of South African Jewish life.” For members of San Diego’s sizeable South African Jewish community, “it is nostalgic because we grew up in it, but I am hoping that the children will be here because it is their heritage, their history. When I make calls, I say ‘bring the kids, bring the kids.’” [Donald H. Harrison]
‘Goldene Medina’ Exhibit Provides Anecdotal History of South African Jewry Read More »
California, Donald H. Harrison, International, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA