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
A few Hamas leaders fully expect Israel’s downfall, yet Israel may not want to dislodge Hamas from its perch in Gaza. That is due to the equally firm expectation Hamas will be replaced by something worse. [Bruce S. Ticker]
OpEd: Hamas’s Confused Rule over Gaza Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East
By Eva Trieger SCRIPPS RANCH, California — We’ve all heard tales ranging from altruistic to beastly behavior since the start of the pandemic, but how to explain a young woman planting a kiss on a stranger’s neck in a London train station? Simon Stephens’ 2015 play, Heisenberg, is making its San Diego premiere at Scripps
Scripps Ranch Theatre’s ‘Heisenberg’ Shows the Risk-Taking Real Life Requires Read More »
Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Shoshana Bryen While staying out of the horrific Syrian Civil War (except humanitarian aid at the border), Israel has long had three red lines for what happens in its northern neighbor: No Iranian or Hezbollah bases near the Israeli border; revised to no Iran in Syria. No weapons delivered by Iran to Hezbollah that Israel considers
Russia and Israel: Cooperating Under the Radar in Syria? Read More »
International, Middle East, Shoshana Bryen
By Jerry Klinger Bigotry, hate, antisemitism, and ignorance are not owned by any one group, nor by any one culture or nationality. There is a universality to it. Antisemites repeat, with vicious relish, the false canard that Galut Jews are disloyal, cowards. They never volunteer as soldiers, fight for their country, and if called to
Captain Simmon Latutin Marker in UK: The Latest Pinprick for Antisemites Read More »
International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History
By Heidi Gantwerk SAN DIEGO — During turbulent times, Jewish Federation of San Diego County is laser focused on caring for Jews in need. More than 10,000 Jews in San Diego live at or near the poverty line, including includes seniors, Holocaust Survivors, single parents, and people with disabilities and mental illness. The Federation is
Taking Care of Holocaust Survivors: Our Collective Responsibility Read More »
Heidi Gantwerk, San Diego County
By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — What’s there to say about Donald (Don) Harrison, founder of the San Diego Jewish World and our soon-to-be editor emeritus, that hasn’t already been said? The media coverage surrounding my impending ownership of the publication has focused on the $1 purchase price, my unconventional mixture of careers in
Donald Harrison: Relentless Pursuer of Jewish Stories Read More »
Jacob Kamaras, San Diego County
This Young Adult novel is a mystical adventure in which four pre-teenage American girls representing the four cardinal directions are brought together to save the world from environmental disaster. The leader, Maia, representing the North, is a Lakota from South Dakota; the others are a Black-Jewish girl from New York (Sara, East); a Chicana from New Mexico, (Ava, South) and a Chinese girl who had been adopted by a Caucasian family in California (Yue, West). [Donald H. Harrison]
YA Fiction: A Magical Journey to Save the Environment Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, The World We Share
Anti-Semitism is not just a symptom of the radical left. Anti-Semitism can come from the ultra-right as well. The following story has not received much press in the Jewish community. When anti-Semitism rears its presence—regardless which part of the political spectrum it originated from—as a Jewish community, we must address the issue. Failing to do so is nothing less than moral cowardness. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Antisemitism Surfaces in Ohio Contest for U.S. Senate Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA
How do you manage the pressure of hail in your life? No, not the hail that might fall once every few years in our generally warm San Diego rainy seasons. The hail I’m referring to is that which comes as adversity and misfortune, the type that Pharaoh experienced in this week’s Torah reading. Pharaoh told Moshe after the plague of hail, “I’ve sinned this time and God is righteous and me and my people are wicked.” But as soon as the hail cleared, Pharaoh stepped back from his admission. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]
Torah Portion for January 1, 2022 Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
In Part One, we mentioned the question why, according to tradition, Judah’s family merited having the messiah come from them and obscurities in the Torah in Genesis 37 and 38. This is a continuation. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
What we don’t know about Judah – Part Two Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
July Galper, America-Israel Cultural Foundation member, introduced the 15-year-old Israeli cellist, Nahar Eliaz for her second appearance in San Diego. In spite of the rain and the upsurge of the Covid-19 Omicron variant, some 100 plus people ventured out to hear this brilliant talent. Lawrence Family JCC CEO, Betzy Lynch, fully masked, warmly welcomed the attendees. [Eileen Wingard]
Brava Cello Performance by a 15-year-old Prodigy Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego CountyThe unclear stories about Judah are significant because Jewish and Christian theology contend that the messiah will be a descendant of this fourth son of Jacob. What if anything did Judah do to merit this distinction? We will address this question and point out many obscurities in Genesis 37 and 38. We will address other obscurities in chapters 39 and others in the next essay. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
What we don’t know about Judah- Part One Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
Every Sunday of 2022, with the permission of San Diego Jewish World’s new publisher and editor Jacob Kamaras, I will be posting an installment of a new book that I am writing, tentatively titled Schlepping and Schmoozing Along the Interstate 5. [Donald H. Harison]
New Sunday Series Will Probe Jewish Stories Along the Interstate 5 Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jacob Kamaras, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA
I will freely admit that I am unequal to a large portion of this book. Having not read some of the works that author Ruth R. Wisse subjects to her literary criticism, I have no idea whatsoever if her opinions are on target or off the mark. [Donald H. Harrison]
‘Free as a Jew’ is an Intellectual and Political Memoir Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History