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 Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — Each week we read of stories and learn messages in the Torah to offer us the strength and direction in how to serve Hashem, our Creator, in the best way possible, to live life most optimally. He is, in the words of “Yedid Nefesh” a piyyut first […]
Parashat Tzav: How Do You Keep Your Fire Burning? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Gedaliah Borvick JERUSALEM — I love the streets of Jerusalem whose inspiring names bring thousands of years of Jewish history to life. And yet, one of my favorite streets in central Jerusalem is named after Abraham Lincoln. Many years ago, while taking a taxi to a meeting on that block, I could not contain
Jerusalem ‘Linc-o-lin’ Street Read More »
Gedaliah Borvick, Jewish History, Middle East, USA
By Sam Ben-Meir NEW YORK — With last week’s bombing of a maternity ward, the increased targeting of Ukrainian civilians, and the strike against a military base just miles from the Polish border, the brutality and audacity of Russian forces will only grow as Vladimir Putin becomes increasingly desperate to crush Ukraine’s government, its independence,
Where Will We Draw the Line in Ukraine? Read More »
International, Opinion, Sam Ben-Meir, USA
By Shoshana Bryen (JNS) We’ve become accustomed to ongoing and vicious denunciations of Israel in the United Nations, Amnesty International, the International Court of Justice and the European Union; Iran and its proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis; and more recently, “The Squad,” Black Lives Matter and BDS. We’ve become accustomed, too, to telling ourselves
If you hear of a Jew appointed to a position of authority at one of the Nazi concentration camps, what word comes immediately to mind? Is it “collaborator?” In “The Nazis Knew My Name,” the late Magda Hellinger tells of her experience being appointed first as a block leader and later as a camp leader by the Nazis during her three year incarceration in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp complex. She relates that it was never her choice to be a block or camp leader, and that had she refused, she most likely would have been severely disciplined or sent to the gas chambers. As a leader, she was expected to keep order in the block, and later in a full camp, or else. [Donald H. Harrison]
Camp Leader at Auschwitz Details How She Helped Other Jewish Prisoners Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History
By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — Fourth-generation San Diegan Shana Hazan, in her candidacy for the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Board of Education District B, says her quest for a school board seat is guided in part by Jewish values. “Tzedek (justice) and tikkun olam (repairing the world) really guided my great-grandparents,
By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — Volodymyr Zelensky has impressed the world with his courage and leadership. Before being elected president of the Ukraine, he was a popular comedian. Since many American politicians are already jokes, perhaps Biden needs to reshuffle his cabinet and enlist popular comedians to make America great again. Here are some
Satire: The Comedian Cabinet Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
However, there are other ways that the process of conversion can be completed, much closer to home, as Dr. Mark Scheller, an anesthesiologist, learned in 2015 when he waded from the shore of Chula Vista’s Bayside Park into the cold waters of San Diego Bay. [Donald H. Harrison]
There’s More Than One Kind of Mikvah for Conversion Ceremonies Read More »
California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA
Author Susan J. Cohen is a compassionate attorney who handles many immigration cases on a pro bono basis for the Boston branch of the national Mintz Levin law firm. This book, written with the help of journalist Steven T. Taylor, tells of eleven cases in which she helped immigrants obtain asylum or permanent residency in the United States. [Donald H. Harrison]
Attorney Provides Insight into U.S.’s Broken Immigration System Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, USABy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — Purim. It’s our happiness, fun-filled, dramatic, costume-drinking-upside down-holiday. Many have the tradition to fast on the day before Purim (Fast of Esther). Some have the custom to give three coins to charity to recall the half-shekel donated annually to the Temple during Adar (Machatzit HaShekel), and this
Purim: The Inside Face and the Outside Face Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — Cesare Civetta, a native New Yorker, conductor of the Beethoven Festival Orchestra, has launched a series of programs on Zoom which are highly enlightening, artistic, and entertaining. The past two Sundays, Civetta presented a wonderful program on violinist Jascha Heifetz, whose name was often invoked as the standard
Zoom Program on Violinist Jascha Heifetz is Enlightening, Artistic, Entertaining Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts
By Jacob Kamaras (JNS) What new invention is named after a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, inspired by Israeli disability care and advancement organization, and designed by North American Jewish day-school students? It’s the “Shaquille O’ Wheel,” a reimagined basketball hoop that makes it easier for people using wheelchairs and others
North American Jewish Day School Students Score a Slam Dunk for Disability Awareness Read More »
Jacob Kamaras, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — I was born in London in 1942. My parents were refugees, stateless and penniless. The fact that I was born in that specific place and time gave me the right to remain in England, and hence also enabled my parents to remain there. It was wartime, London
By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) squawked on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives last May, “How many Palestinians have to die for their lives to matter?” Madam Congresswoman, would they still “have to die” if they ceased attacking Israelis? Who says that their lives do not matter? Tlaib,
New York Times Drinks Rashida Tlaib’s Kool-Aid Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East, Opinion, USA