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

Chula Vista opens Holocaust exhibit

An eerie moment during the opening of an exhibit on Holocaust survivors who settled in the South Bay occurred when organizer Sandy Scheller, giving a speech at the podium, took a phone call, which she pretended was from her late mother, Ruth Sax, whose first name serves as an acronym for the exhibit’s title: “Project Ruth: Remember Us The Holocaust.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

SDSU wins plaudits for blocking anti-Semitic speaker

StandWithUs, a national organization combating anti-Semitism on American college campuses, has congratulated San Diego State University for blocking a speaking invitation to Ava Muhammad, who is a spokeswoman for Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Daf Yomi: A page of Talmud each day

One of the most remarkable traditions that has developed over the last 97 years is the Daf Yomi (a daily study of a page of the Babylonian Talmud), that was first introduced by R. Meir Shapiro. This Polish rabbi wanted to see more laypeople of the Orthodox Jewish communities engage in the Talmud study cycle that takes seven years to complete provided one studies a full page every day. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Iran confrontation like Cuban Missile Crisis

History has a way of repeating itself. In 1962, I was a young boy of nine years old when the Soviet Union decided to place nuclear missiles in Cuba. It was a scary time at school; I could remember the old “duck and cover” as we rehearsed hiding under our desks and covering our heads just in case of a nuclear attack. The “Duck-and-Cover-Drill” was a plan originally initiated by President Harry S. Truman in the 1950s. Nobody really believed the duck-and-cover exercise would help, but it did offer a modicum of psychological comfort, which was better than no comfort. [Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel]

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International, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, USA

Jewish poets reflect on their parents

Lorraine Fisher, Jan Gist, and Joel Guadarrama will be the three local writers featured at the second evening of the current series of Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices.  The free program will take place in the Astor Judaica Library, Lawrence Family JCC at 7 p.m.,  Tuesday, January 21. The first of the series, last December 17, featured poets Lucy Lehman, Adam Greenfield and Anna Abraham Gasaway. Their poetry was spellbinding. Below are samples of their talent. [Eileen Wingard]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eileen Wingard, San Diego County

Insanity defense for anti-Semites is itself insane

From the outset, Grafton Thomas’s mother and attorney harped on his 20-year history of mental illness. They said he was diagnosed with schizophrenia long ago and ceased taking his anti-psychotic medication two months before he allegedly drove to a Chanukah party at a rabbi’s house in Monsey, N.Y., on Dec. 28, and wounded five or more Orthodox Jews with a machete. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, USA

‘Developing a Torah Personality’ may challenge you

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky is spiritual leader of Beth Jacob Congregation, the oldest Orthodox Jewish institution in San Diego County.  In this book of “insights, anecdotes and wisdom for life,” he views an everyday scene or occurrence, relates it to Torah, and then expands upon the theme in seven thought-provoking chapters, respectively labeled: “time,” “habits,” “attitude,” “chesed,” “money,” “community,” and “growth.”
 Whoever reads this book is likely to find information and opinions of direct relevance to his or her life, and perhaps find within its pages a challenge to previously held beliefs.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Rabbis question whether Jacob ‘died’

Rashi tells us on the pasuk, “And Jacob concluded commanding his sons, and he drew his legs [up] into the bed, and expired and was brought in to his people,” from Ta’anith 5b, “But no mention is made of death and this regard, our Rabbis of blessed memory said, Our father Jacob did not die.” What? Did NOT die? But he was buried! Was he still really alive? [Michael Mantell, PhD]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Strong opinions surface over Soleimani assassination

Prior to Iran’s retaliation on two Iraqi bases where American troops are stationed, congressional candidate Sara Jacobs denounced the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani by American forces.  She wrote: “This ill-conceived operation was the culmination of a reckless strategy toward Iran that started with the Trump Administration pulling out of the Iran deal. Of all the hyperbole and questions being thrown around, the only one that needs to be asked is this: is the United States safer for having done this? The answer is clearly no.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Poems to light the Jewish world

Poems are part and parcel of Judaism, arguably beginning with Miriam at the Red Sea, continuing with the Psalms and into present-day liturgy. Chaya Lester, Jerusalem-based psychotherapist, Jewish educator, and spiritual guide, calls on the metaphor of a lit candle and the multiple meanings of the word lit – the literature of poetry, intoxication of experiences, and “being lit up” in the sense of being alive and amazed – as her muse. The motivations for writing these poems are the twin themes of Jewish apathy and assimilation, whose panacea she perceives to be celebration, “the Jewish world needs to get lit…Jewishly lit.” [Fred Reiss, Ed.D]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD

‘Song of Names’: Beautiful music, haunting story

Song of Names is not simply a movie.  It is a work of love and mourning.  The music,  so essential to the drama,  travels through our ears and into our souls.  After the movie opens in San Diego on Jan. 10, I doubt that anyone who views it will fail to be moved by the emotion behind it, however understated it is. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast