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 This March 24 marked 50 years since the release of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather (1972), a film which has garnered such praise since it first appeared in theaters that it hardly seems necessary to rehearse its countless and well-deserved accolades. It is undoubtedly one of those few cinematic works of art
‘The Godfather,’ 50 Years Later Read More »
Sam Ben-Meir, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — Natalie Shclover displayed courage and integrity when she confronted Israel-bashing at the University of Connecticut a month ago, yet she made an error in judgment that boomeranged on her and offset a more productive outcome. In an “open letter” posted by The Times of Israel, Shclover recalled spotting posters
Whistleblower on UConn Israel-Bashing Should Now Test State of Connecticut Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
By Steve Kramer KFAR SABA, Israel — In the period following WW2, the U.S. became the undisputed leader of the Western democracies. It was challenged in its position as world leader only by the USSR, whose rule extended to poor, Third World countries, and those European countries seized at the end of WW2. By 1991,
Whither the United States in the Middle East — and Israel? Read More »
International, Middle East, Opinion, Steve Kramer, USA
By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — In this week’s parasha, Tazria, we discover tzara’as, which we have come to know in modern terms as leprosy. While this disease is uncommon today, who hasn’t found a spot or two on their body, had a biopsy and been told, B’H, “all is clean?” This seems
Parashat Tazria-Hachodesh: Connecting Our Physical and Religious Lives Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
This is a novel that traces a Jewish family through several generations from a shtetl in Poland to the big city of Warsaw, and later onward to Scotland, Germany, and England over the course of pogroms and two world wars. It is marred in the telling by a series of errors that might have been eliminated through more careful research or fact checking [Donald H. Harrison]
Factual Errors Detract from Jewish Family Saga Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison
Night of Beginnings: A Passover Haggadah; Text and art by Maria Falk; Published March, 2022, University of Nebraska Press as a Jewish Publication Society book. By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — When a Haggadah is written by a founding mother of feminist Judaism, as poet and author Marcia Falk is described, the reader
‘Night of Beginnings:’ A Spiritually Moving and Thoughtful Haggadah Experience Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
Lowell Blankfort, a liberal Jewish Democrat, became co-publisher and editor of the staid, very conservative Star-News in 1961, and immediately began to shake up the old order. In his very first editorial, he announced that the community newspaper no longer would run columns by U.S. Rep. James Utt. Blankfort explained that Utt’s “so-called ‘column’ from Washington, or weekly political diatribe, is being dropped, pronto. Mr. Utt is the Republican Congressman from Santa Ana who, due to some deft GOP gerrymandering 10 years ago, also has been foisted on National City and Bonita.” [Donald H. Harrison]
Liberal Jewish Newspaper Publisher Made His Mark in a Conservative Town Read More »
Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA
By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — It’s time to share my Oscar predictions for the major categories. Although my accuracy is usually 80% to 90% depending on the year, prognosticating has become trickier as the Academy has expanded its membership and altered how it conducts its elections. Rather than provide my preferences, I base my
Oscar Predictions for 2022 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Gedaliah Borvick JERUSALEM — The annual World Happiness Report was released a few days ago. The list starts out pretty much as expected, with Finland, Denmark, and Iceland — countries that are relatively prosperous, not involved in wars, and shielded from constant global scrutiny — taking the top spots. But that Israel is ranked
The Source of Israel’s Happiness Read More »
Gedaliah Borvick, Lifestyles, Middle East, Opinion
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — We thought the age of war in Europe was over. We thought that people of intelligence and culture had learned to cooperate and at least to prevent the senseless destruction of property and lives. We thought that the lessons of the past had been learned, and that the
In This Day and Age Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Opinion
By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — “Treasures from the Music Collection of the Astor Judaica Library,” a three-part Zoom series, will be launched this Wednesday evening, March 30 at 7 p.m. It is a free series under the auspices of the Astor Judaica Library and the Arts and Ideas series of the San
March 30 Zoom Program to Feature Lawrence Family JCC Library’s Musical Samples Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego CountyBy Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — Today’s subject: Palestinians and…drum roll, please…SEX!!!!! With “honor killings” against women persisting in Arabic society, a sexual-abuse survivors group at the University of Vermont “issued a statement comparing Zionists to sexual abusers and blocked Zionist students (read: Jews?) from posting.” Surprised? The surprise should be that a survivors group
Sex and the Simplistic Pro-Arab Apologist Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East, Opinion, USABy Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — Of course, thousands of years before we began learning that “we are what we eat,” Judaism was already teaching the importance of the food we put inside of our bodies and its significance in living optimally. This week’s Torah education brings us a long list of nourishing
Parashat Shemini-Parah: Kosher Laws and Spiritual Discipline Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
Before I tell you how Siggi Wilzig became a “Wall Street legend,” let me tell you about the kind of jobs he had after immigrating to the United States as a survivor of Auschwitz. [Donald H. Harrison]
Holocaust Survivor’s Story: From Snow Shoveler to Multimillionaire Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Business & Finance, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, USA