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

Crowding indoors with family not really that bad

Social distancing provides a practical approach to a community faced with a growing pandemic. Many of us are afraid to go outside and interact with others—without wearing a face mask and protective gloves. Many of my congregants have complained to me about having to stay indoors for such a long period of time. Yet, it has to some degree created some problems with close couples and their families sharing the same space for unusual periods of time. It’s easy to get on your significant other’s nerves because we feel spatially “confined.” Everyone seems to be stepping on each other’s toes. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Call on Fauci (Melody: That’s Amore)

When you yearn for the facts                                                                                                                            
To know how to react,                                                                                                                               
Call on Fauci! [Satire column by Laurie Baron]

Call on Fauci (Melody: That’s Amore) Read More »

Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Arab bloc support endangers the Jewish state 

Benny Gantz’s current tactic (antithetical to what he campaigned on) is to cooperate with the anti-Zionist Arab parties to form a minority government; those Israeli Arab parties would remain outside of Blue and White’s coalition but would back it up. Is this a big deal, and if so, why? Because the anti-Zionist Arab parties will demand serious payback for backing the Blue and White coalition. [Steve Kramer]

Arab bloc support endangers the Jewish state  Read More »

Middle East, Steve Kramer

Universities urge Pass/No Pass grades this semester

With in-person classes transferred to Internet learning at UC Berkeley, my grandson, Shor Masori, is back home in San Diego, monitoring his classes via computer.  Recently, he and his fellow undergraduates received a notice from Bob Jacobsen, Letters & Science Dean of Undergraduate Studies.  It began, “The chair of the Academic Senate has written to explain that for this semester only, the default grades that instructors will give are Pass and No Pass.” [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

Universities urge Pass/No Pass grades this semester Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Shor M. Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

How to develop resilience during tough times

I recall hearing that a well-adjusted person is one who makes the same mistake twice without getting nervous. What’s the secret? The link is what you think, of course. And the right mindset brings the secret out into the public: it’s resilience. And if you are fortunate enough to live in San Diego, with it’s glorious weather, beaches, parks, hiking paths and beautiful vistas, you have the most marvelous place on earth to develop that resilience. Personal elasticity if you will. It’s flexibility of the psyche, a springy attitude, a pliable outlook. Whatever you call it, it comes down to a bouncy, supple mindset. This ability to recover quickly is certainly not easy to attain, yet many successful people do. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]

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Lifestyles, Michael Mantell

The Jewish candidates: Sarah Davis in the 78th A.D.

Sarah Davis faces San Diego City Councilman Chris Ward, who is another LGBTQ Democrat, so such issues as gay rights, marriage equality, and others that in former years were hot topics will not be matters for much debate in the 78th Assembly District contest prior to the Nov. 3 runoff election.  However, Davis, a member of the Jewish community, says she and Ward have plenty of differences about such issues as placing greater emphasis on women’s health and fighting climate change. [Our Shetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

The Jewish candidates: Sarah Davis in the 78th A.D. Read More »

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

Mind mastery can control fear during pandemic

Mental mastery, whether it’s for the current coronapocalypse, a business meeting, a physical workout, academic success or mindful meditation, requires that you fully engage your mind.  We’ve learned through years of research that our brains are capable of continued growth throughout life, especially when we are engaged in frequent intellectual stimulation. With the right nourishment, engagement, social connections and physical activity, the right dietary nourishment, we do quite well in maintaining brain health. These are anchored in lifestyle choices we make daily. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]

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Lifestyles, Michael Mantell

Briefing songs for President Trump

Whether Donald Trump holds his daily coronavirus press conferences to calm and inform the public or as a social distance substitute for his campaign rallies, the disinformation he disseminates through them is dangerous.  Since he doesn’t read, I am encouraging his closest advisors to have him listen to these cautionary songs before he utters a word.  [Satire column by Laurie Baron]                

Briefing songs for President Trump Read More »

Lawrence Baron, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Positivity is positively best antidote to anxiety

It’s well known that what you feed, you grow. When it comes to health, longevity, successful social connections and long-term loving relationships, personal and communal wellbeing, even physical fitness and finances, leading-edge transformational coaches know that optimistic, positive seeds are the no-longer-secret predictive ingredients to living life optimally. As I’ve taught in my helping people for years, “the link is what you think.” [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]

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Lifestyles, Michael Mantell

Assembly candidate advocated as a midwife

State Assembly candidate Sarah Davis, 39, is no stranger to the Legislature.  With baby Lucia in tow, she often made the rounds of legislative offices and committee rooms in the state Capitol arguing successfully for greater state recognition of midwives, so that they could be considered full-fledged health care professionals rather than semi-professionals requiring supervision by physicians.  The issue was important not only for the midwives but for the new mothers who preferred to be attended by them at home or in home-like clinics, rather than in hospitals.  Until the law was changed, without a physician present, Medi-Cal would not pay the cost for their treatment. [Our shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

Assembly candidate advocated as a midwife Read More »

Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

The Life and Time of Hasdai Crescas

One of the most tragic occurrences in Judaism’s long history is the frequent absorption of alien, often heathen and Christian notions. For example, many people do not realize that when they say “gosh almighty” they are speaking about the Christian Holy Ghost and when they say “bloody” they are talking about the blood of Jesus or when they say “knock on wood” they are referring to the crucifixion cross. This occurred not only among the uneducated masses; rabbis fell prey to this phenomenon as well, simply because they did not know Jewish history or understand the processes involved in the assimilation and rationalization of beliefs to correspond with what is being said around them or a person’s perception of proper Jewish thinking. The story of Rabbi Hasdai Crescas and his impassioned battle against Christianity is a good example of this phenomenon.[Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

The Life and Time of Hasdai Crescas Read More »

Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion