AAA-Writers and photographers

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

San Diego City Councilman Raul Campillo Outlines Homelessness Problem

City Councilman Raul Campillo told a forum sponsored by the Tifereth Israel Synagogue Men’s Club that dealing with the problem of homelessness in San Diego requires not only money, but an understanding that there are different sub-classes of homeless people,  whose needs are different. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, San Diego County

Satire: Renaming Holidays

Last week President Biden announced that today would be Indigenous Peoples Day to offset the deleterious impact Christopher Columbus’ voyages had on Native Americans.  Of course, they already memorialized Columbus Day as Genocide Genesis Day.  If this serves as a precedent for renaming other holidays to reflect what they stand for, then expect Biden make the following announcements in the future: [Laurie Baron, Ph.d]

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Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire

An Intellectual Approach to Looming Death

After New York City public relations practitioner Marcia Horowitz received the diagnosis that she was suffering from Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, she and her husband, author Richard S. Cohen, discussed how they would prepare for her death, which came 160 days later.  They decided that they would have both a medical plan and a life plan, both of which they would pursue with equanimity.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles

What Philo and Maimonides Said About Parashat Noach

The following selections are from the commentaries I have written on Philo and Maimonides. The selection from Philo comes from Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Jewish Commentary: Vol. 1: Genesis (Sarasota, FL: First Edition Design, 2016). The selections from Maimonides are from my new commentary, Maimonides’ Hidden Torah Commentary Vol. 1 Genesis (Sarasota, Florida: First Edition Design, 2016). Each work introduces an approach I call “philosophical peshat,” which contains the plain meaning of a biblical passage along with its philosophical nuances and meaning. Although both these scholars lived over a thousand years apart, they often arrived at a similar philosophical understanding of Scripture. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Chula Vista Rabbi A ‘Top World Expert’ on Maimonides and Philo

Rabbi Dr, Michael Leo Samuel of Chula Vista, California, is one of the top world experts on Maimonides and Philo. His books on both philosophers are filled with easy to read information that will open the eyes and minds of readers. Maimonides’ Hidden Torah Commentary to Deuteronomy is the final book of Rabbi Samuel’s series on Maimonides’ hidden Torah commentary. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Book Provides Eye-Opening Account of Espionage Operations Through the Ages

The Anatomy of a Spy: A History of Espionage and Betrayal by Michael Smith; Arcade; ‎ 2020; ‎ ISBN: 9780750-992572; 383 pages; $18.99. By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — It is very rare for a book to elicit loud exclamations of surprise, delight, or amazement from me while I’m reading it, but this did

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson

Focus on the King

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. (JNS) — The “Pandora Papers” is a trove of “private” financial information on 14 current heads of state, including those of the Czech Republic, Kenya, Ecuador, Azerbaijan, Russia and Jordan. According to The Washington Post, “The files detail more than 29,000 offshore accounts. … Among the account owners are more

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Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, USA

Wastewater Recycling Plant to Irrigate Mexican Vineyards, Mitigate Imperial Beach’s Sewage Problem

The plant that will produce approximately 6.8 acre feet (8,400 cubic meters) of recycled water a day from Tijuana sewage is about 35 percent constructed, and the 70-mile (113-kilometer) pipeline that will carry the water to the wine-growing region of Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California is scheduled to begin construction this coming January. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Middle East, The World We Share, Travel and Food, USA

Torah Reading for October 9, 2021

Do you sing zemirot at your Shabbos meals? Sadly, I see fewer and fewer people enjoying this wonderful tradition to enhance the Shabbat experience. One song in particular is linked to this week’s parasha, Noach. No, not Yah Ribbon and Mah Yedidot Menuhatekh, but Yom Shabbaton, “The dove found a place to rest on the Sabbath (Yonah Maz’ah Bo Manoah)” written by Yehudah Halevi, the great Spanish poet of the 12th century. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Mother-Daughter Conflict Plays Out in ‘The Garden’

Novelist and historian, Leo Tolstoy once said, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” This is born out in La Jolla Playhouse’s current production, The Garden. This two-woman show explores the complex relationship between a mother (Stephanie Berry) and her daughter (Charlayne Woodard). Woodard, a two-time Obie Award winner is also credited with writing the script. [Eva Trieger]

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Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast