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

When campaign issues go beyond the pale

Come this year, and we were suddenly notified in a press release sent out by the campaign of Marni von Wilpert, a candidate for San Diego City Council in the 5th District, that Tony Krvaric, the soon-to-retire chairman of the San Diego County Republican Party, had appeared in a video as a young man that made light of Hitler, Nazism, and all that it represented.  The thrust of the press release was that Joe Leventhal, the candidate opposing von Wilpert for the council seat, had received a $1,200 contribution from Krvaric and ought to immediately repudiate Krvaric and Nazism, and return Krvaric’s donation. The press release was based on a new story carried by KPBS-Television, which Leventhal said he hadn’t even seen, before his opponent let loose with the press release. [Donald H. Harrison]

When campaign issues go beyond the pale Read More »

Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, USA

Memoir relates childhood trauma, eventual recovery

This memoir is approximately 320 pages of despair, and 30 pages of hope and forgiveness.  If you are depressed, or feel nobody can understand the troubles you have,  you might take solace in this book, knowing that someone else has suffered through deep psychological pain and has emerged on the other side.  Reading it made me wonder if listening, as I was doing in the form of reading, without making any comment, was what it must be like to be a psychologist or a psychiatrist.  I listened and listened as author Kott vented and eventually came to some decisions about herself.  Sometimes, I think, the greatest gift we can give someone is to be a quiet audience. [Book review by Donald H. Harrison]

Memoir relates childhood trauma, eventual recovery Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

The Ballot (To the melody of The Letter)

Mail boxes disappearing
As election season is nearing.                                                                                                                                  
If we’re gonna beat him                                                                                                                                              
And soundly defeat him,                                                                                                                               
Then we all have to cast our votes early.          [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]

The Ballot (To the melody of The Letter) Read More »

Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Nazi symbolism found in GOP County Chair’s old video

A decades-old video involving San Diego County Republican chairman Tony Krvaric and images of Adolf Hitler and Nazi symbols has been brought to light by KPBS reporters Amita Sharma and JW August. It prompted San Diego City Council candidate Marni von Wilpert to call upon her opponent Joe Leventhal — who is Jewish — to return a $1,200 contribution he received from Krvaric “and demand new leadership in the Republican party that doesn’t casually traffic in hate.” [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

Nazi symbolism found in GOP County Chair’s old video Read More »

Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Three takeaways from Holocaust, Immigrant biography

This is a story well told, except that you won’t know any more about the identity of the Mafia boss after reading this book than you do now.  Whoever he was, he took a liking to Helen Pinczewski, Solomon’s hardworking mother, after she and her husband David opened a candy store in an Italian section of Brooklyn.  He made it his personal mission not to allow any of the tough guys in the neighborhood to harass the couple, for whom he developed a great sympathy after learning they were Holocaust survivors. From my point of view, there were three important takeaways from this biography. [Book review by Donald H. Harrison]

Three takeaways from Holocaust, Immigrant biography Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, USA

A Word of Torah: Judges by our gates

This week’s portion is titled, Shoftim, which means Judges. The portion begins with the command to appoint judges in every city. In fact the portion commands that the Jewish people should appoint not only judges but officers as well. The purpose is to insure that law and order will prevail throughout the cities. A firm belief in the necessity of law in society is foundational within Judaism, for without law we are warned in the Talmud, “One man will consume his friend.” [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

A Word of Torah: Judges by our gates Read More »

Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi

Satire: The Canine Convention

I have been busy organizing this week’s Zoom convention for the DEMs (Dogs Elect Mensch).  From my earliest columns I have expressed my distrust for the Golden Deceiver, a man with the temperament of a Tasmanian devil and the intelligence of an invertebrate.  How could he empathize with the plight of people when he never has owned one of man’s best friends? Dogs always understood the real meaning of MAGA, Make America Growl Again. [Satire by Elona Baron as told to Laurie Baron, Ph.D]

Satire: The Canine Convention Read More »

Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Hannah’s War: Jewish A-bomb physicist arouses suspicion

A brilliant scientist, Hannah Weiss was accepted into the top ranks of the American program at Los Alamos, New Mexico, to build an atom bomb before the Nazi Germans could. Despite the fact that she had fled Germany, where she had worked as a top physicist, or perhaps because she had been able to do what other Jews in Germany could not, American counter-intelligence agents were suspicious of her. [Book review by Donald H. Harrison]

Hannah’s War: Jewish A-bomb physicist arouses suspicion Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

Torah, environmentalism, and political leadership

Shoftim tells us, “When you besiege a city for an extended period, to make war against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them; for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down; for is the tree of the field a man that you should besiege it?” The Ibn Ezra sees this as a statement, not a question, “Ki Haadam eitz hasadeh, the human being is a tree of the field.” He, like so many contemporary environmentalists, believes that we are intertwined with our environment. Destroy a tree, and we destroy ourselves. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

Torah, environmentalism, and political leadership Read More »

Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

ADL offers a high school curriculum challenging bias

The Anti-Defamation League is offering to high schools and middle schools a curriculum designed to challenge biases and to encourage students to think critically, according to George Selim, ADL’s New York-based senior vice president of programs.  “With our powerful, new civics curriculum we’re cultivating the next generation of leaders to actively participate in their communities and champion social justice.  We’re especially excited about partnering with Bites Media with their carefully curated articles which lift up and highlight the relevance of our civics lessons.” [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

ADL offers a high school curriculum challenging bias Read More »

Bruce F. Lowitt, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA