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 Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — A few years ago an enterprising resident of the suburb where I live, just outside Jerusalem, initiated and organized an association providing social and cultural activities for the growing number of retired persons living here. Since then the association has reached over one thousand members and conducts a
By Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Sir Winston Churchill said, “A nation that forgets its past has no future.” A remarkable story from the Talmud has profound implications for today’s times. It reads: Rava said: A person is obligated to become intoxicated with wine on Purim until one does not know
Talmudic Wisdom for a Troubled Middle East Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, Opinion, USA
By Jacob Kamaras L’Chaim Magazine LA JOLLA, California — Emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic with renewed energy, Congregation Adat Yeshurun of La Jolla this month will host “Breath of Fresh Aire,” the synagogue’s first in-person gala event since 2019. Long known for its welcoming atmosphere of caring and spiritual growth, one of San Diego’s premier
La Jolla’s Adat Yeshurun Keen on Communal Growth Ahead of ‘Breath of Fresh Aire’ Gala Read More »
Jacob Kamaras, Jewish Religion, San Diego County
By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — Perhaps the Taliban decided it would be timely to out-do our Supreme Court. It decreed on Saturday that the women of Afghanistan must cover their entire bodies, at least with a garment known as a hijab. A burqa would be better, but it is not required. The Taliban government’s
The Path Back to Cultural Suppression Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Opinion, USA
By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — Brilliant Israeli poet and song lyricist, Avraham Shlonsky (1900-1973), and German-born Jewish Nobel Prize-winning poet, Nelly Sachs (1891-1970), will have their poetry read this coming Monday evening, May 16, 7 p.m. on Zoom. This program is sponsored by the Lawrence Family JCC Astor Judaica Library, the Senior
‘Poets of the Past’ Set for May 16 Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eileen Wingard, San Diego County
By Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — Russia is often in the news, since it is not only at home, but also in many places around the globe. However, antisemitism in the Russian Federation has long been unheard of. To understand where it has disappeared to and what the prospects of its appearance are, we need
Unforgettable Antisemitism Read More »
Alex Gordon, International, Opinion
By Jerry Klinger I had heard bits and pieces growing up about the infamously fabled killer, Jack the Ripper. Ghoulish murders and murder mysteries were never of particular interest to me especially when they involved horrific mutilations of the victims. The subject matter was just plain unpleasant to contemplate. Yet, always in the back of
Jews and Jack the Ripper Read More »
International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History
By Steve Kramer KFAR SABA, Israel — Israel recently commemorated its 74th year of independence, preceded by the memorial day for military and terrorist casualties. To celebrate Israel’s birthday, which follows Passover by two weeks, we visited a number of places around our small country. All of these jaunts were a half-day or more, with
Traveling Around Israel in the Run-Up to Israel’s Independence Day Read More »
Middle East, Opinion, Steve Kramer, Travel and Food
By Eva Trieger SOLANA BEACH — Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits is the delightful comic relief that we’ve all been waiting for. Thank you, North Coast Rep for providing this playful romp that might have otherwise been titled Broadway Bloopers or Broadway Barbs. The extremely talented cast includes director and performer William Selby, Cathy Barnett, Trisha
By Gedaliah Borvick JERUSALEM — Many people from overseas have bought luxurious Jerusalem residences in David’s Village, King David’s Court, King David’s Crown, and King David’s Residences, to name but a few David projects. Well, I must let you in on a little secret: King David never lived at any of these locations, although these
Ir David: King David’s Real Home Read More »
Gedaliah Borvick, Middle East, Travel and Food
The Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is the subject of several murals at Chicano Park. Modern genealogists say that she was the daughter of a mother of mixed indigenous and Spanish descent, Mathilde Calderon y Gonzalez, and a German Lutheran father, Guillermo Kahlo. However, Frida herself always insisted that her father, who was an important influence on both her life and her art, was actually Jewish. [Donald H. Harrison]
Frida Kahlo Loved Jews So Much She Invented Jewish Ancestry Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USABy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — I was recently made aware of the importance of being careful to avoid falling by the incident in which a friend who is a little bit younger than myself fell in her home and broke her hip. This involved a trip to the emergency room of a local
By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — Since they could rehearse and perform masked, the string sections of TICO were once again featured in this concert, performed on April 24 and on April 26 in the Cohen Social Hall of Tifereth Israel Synagogue. It reminded me of the beginning days of the JCC Community
TICO Strings Perform with Energetic Gusto Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County
By Jacob Kamaras Times of San Diego LA JOLLA, California — By finding at least one Jewish story at every exit from the Mexican border to Old Town San Diego, veteran journalist Donald H. Harrison’s book Schlepping and Schmoozing Along the Interstate 5 transforms the West Coast’s main north-south highway into a treasure trove of
New Book Stops ‘Exit by Exit’ Along I-5 to Recount Jewish Experience in San Diego Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jacob Kamaras, Jewish History, San Diego County