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

The coronavirus pandemic in couplets

Here are some coronavirus couplets:
Nothing makes me more livid                                                                                             
Than post-opening spikes of Covid.

It’s not an oppressive task                                                                                                                                
To have to wear a mask.
(Laurie Baron, Ph.D0

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Dueling Holocaust imperatives: Never again vs. Never ever

As I focus on the debate among Jews about the relationship our community ought to have with the Black Lives Matter movement, I realize that discussion is driven by how traumatized our entire Jewish people have been by the Holocaust and its aftershocks. In my view, both the Jewish Right and the Jewish Left have patterned their behavior on what they have learned — and suffered — as a result of the Nazis’ slaughter of our Six Million ancestors, relatives, and friends. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education

French Jewish author details a son’s deep regret

Albert Cohen wrote (or at least published) this book when he was about sixty years old. I don’t know when his mother died, but – as its title implies – the book is about his late mother and her devotion to him, embellished by his evidently deep-rooted sense of guilt at not having been as kind to her as he felt should have been in her lifetime. (Dorothea Shefer-Vanson)

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Lifestyles

Telling Israel’s positive story with tomato plants

Whenever I’ve been to Israel, whether on a mission or an independent tour, I’ve been impressed by that country’s fresh vegetables, especially its tomatoes. Maybe it is because the country is so small that tomatoes can be shipped from farm to market to the salad plate in a relatively short time, compared to how long the same process takes in the United States. Israeli tomatoes taste juicier, fresher, and sweeter than American tomatoes. They are among the special taste treats of Israeli cuisine. [Our Shetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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

BLM and the poison of anti-Semitism

It is a just cause, poisoned by anti-Semitism. The drive to end racism merits all our participation, and we should all stand against the anti-Semitic acts and attitudes that have attached themselves to this unexpected movement. We can do both, especially with the brazen hypocrisy displayed in the pogrom in the predominantly Jewish Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, International, Jewish History, USA

Many reasons to celebrate this coming Shabbat

We learn in this week’s Torah readings that judging others favorably is essential. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov composed a short prayer for assistance in finding the good in others (Likkutei Tefillot 117): “God Above, help me give each person the benefit of the doubt, even those who disagree with me… And may this lead to true peace and unity among all of Israel!” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Wnukowski live streams Bach, Mozart, and Chopin

The Canadian-born pianist, Daniel Wnukowski, displayed his talents as an accomplished artist and an insightful teacher in a live-streamed program last Sunday afternoon, sponsored by the Amateur Pianists. He selected three works from three distinct musical periods, the Baroque, the Classical and the Romantic, which he analyzed and contrasted before treating us to beautiful renditions of each. His program consisted of Bach’s Prelude and Fugue #2 from the Well-Tempered Clavichord, the Theme and Variations from Mozart’s Piano Sonata in A major, and Chopin’s 3rd Ballade. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Rabbi Yael Ridberg speaks out for social justice

Rabbi Yael Ridberg, spiritual leader of Congregation Dor Hadash, has added her name to two campaigns now building within the Jewish community.  One, which has attracted leaders of more than 500 synagogues and Jewish organizations, voices solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.  The other, launched by the National Council of Jewish Women, pledges support for education about women’s rights to autonomy over their own bodies. [Our Shtetl San Diego County by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Bothered and bewildered no more

Is it “safe” to go to shopping malls, grocery stores, bars, gyms, movie theaters, churches and synagogues, attend gatherings at private homes, or travel in commercial airplanes? Yes? No? May we safely get haircuts? And oh my goodness, those masks. Should we wear them? Yes, we should? No, we don’t have to wear them? Who really knows? It seems the answer is, nobody. (Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Lifestyles, Michael Mantell

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra gala features well-known guest performers

The Academy-Award winning actress, Dame Helen Merrin, served as the host of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Global Gala, streamed on Sunday, to a world-wide audience. Her father, Vasily Mironoff, played viola with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, so she grew up loving symphonic music. She eloquently introduced the participating artists, some of whom spoke, while others presented cameo performances. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

On letters, columns, and civility

SAN DIEGO — We Jews have a love for debate.  Argument, in its purest sense, helps us to clarify issues, to determine right and wrong, and sometimes to set us upon specific courses of action.  It’s for that reason that I welcome, even relish, articles and letters to the editor with diverse, even opposing, points of view. Yet, sometimes, as the editor and co-publisher of this publication, I feel obligated not to run an article, or simply to delete a letter to the editor. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, USA

Theology vs. Philosophy; Aquinas vs. Maimonides

Saint Thomas Aquinas was authored by G. K. Chesterton, whose output includes both fiction and nonfiction books, including the famous Father Brown murder mysteries. Chesterton wrote this comparatively short history of the Italian Roman Catholic saint who was canonized in 1323. Aquinas’ teachings became the official teachings of Catholicism in 1917. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

On being Black and Jewish

Being of mixed racial background and also Jewish often feels like no matter what group you are with, you are perceived as the “other,” sometimes prompting doubts if there is any group with which you truly belong.  Such was the thrust of comments made by Jessica Lemoine and Jenni Asher during an Internet forum on Sunday sponsored by the San Diego Outreach Synagogue and moderated by Rabbi/ Cantor Cheri Weiss and her husband Dan Weiss. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education