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
By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — As a student at Southern California Yeshiva (SCY) High, La Jolla native Uriel Green would often hear from alumni who returned to the school to speak to current students about their experiences living in Israel and serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Green, 19, will soon count […]
La Jolla’s Uriel Green makes Aliyah Read More »
Jacob Kamaras, Middle East, San Diego County, USA
David Harrison spotted this license plate in the San Francisco Bay Area. The owner of the car obviously has a healthy self-deprecating sense of humor. (Photo: Shor M. Masori)
Jewish- interest license plate: Klutz Read More »
Shor M. Masori, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – With more than 100,000 students preparing to return to city schools on August 26, their safety is uppermost in the minds of those in charge of their education, San Diego City School Superintendent Cindy Marten told a small but animated gathering Sunday night at Tifereth Israel Synagogue. “We
Safety a priority as San Diego’s new school year nears Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education
Who is the Endangered Species? By Elona Baron (as told to Laurie Baron) SAN DIEGO−The Golden Deceiver has decided to weaken the Endangered Species Act to make it easier for companies to build, develop, drill, and mine habitats where rare animals reside. Since dogs aren’t threatened with extinction, why should I care? I might be
Hounding the headlines: August 16, 2019 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, The World We Share, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA
By Donald H. Harrison ENCINITAS, California – Up and down San Diego County, Jewish congregations and organizations are beginning to embrace the celebration of Tu b’Av, a relatively unknown holiday in the United States, but considered to be the equivalent of Valentines Day in Israel. This secular year, it arrived on the evening of August
San Diego County celebrates Israel’s day of love Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy Steve Kramer KFAR SAVA, Israel — Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, all “women of color” known as “the squad,” are the darlings of the mainstream media. Omar (a refugee from Somalia) and Ocasio-Cortez are constantly in the news making bigoted,
Glad that Omar and Tlaib aren’t coming Read More »
Middle East, Steve Kramer, USA
By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Was Isaac extremely angry that Abraham tried to kill him? Many people are convinced that Isaac was angry with his father because he lied to him when he said that the two were going on a trip to offer a sacrifice to God, implying that the
Abraham and Isaac after the Akedah Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Jewish organizations are divided three ways over the decision of the Israeli government to deny entry to two anti-Israel members of Congress — Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Those on the right lined up behind the Israeli government; those on the left condemned
Jewish groups split on barring Tlaib, Omar from Israel Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, USA
Journey to Open Orthodoxy by Avraham “Avi” Weiss, Ktav Publishing and Urim Publishing, New York © 2019, ISBN 978-1-60280-318-3, p. 592, plus appendix and index, $29.95. By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California – Reform Judaism in eighteenth century Germany and Hasidism in the Ukraine in the same century represent the first modern ruptures in traditional Judaism;
Weiss propounds ‘Open Orthodoxy’ in new book Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion
Make Holidays Affordable Again By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO−President Trump postponed imposing a new round of tariffs on popular Chinese consumer goods “for Christmas season, just in case some of the tariffs would have an impact on U.S. customers.” His new economic doctrine is trade wars are good except if they spoil your holidays. He
Humoring the headlines: August 15, 2019 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Amy Neustein, Ph.D FORT LEE, New Jersey — As a Jewish feminist and child advocate, I was horrified to learn of the cruel and abusive behavior committed by convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein. I am doubly pained by the fact that he was a Jew. It is not because our religion is
Jeffrey Epstein suicide denies victims their closure Read More »
Amy Neustein, Jewish Religion, USA
Va’etchanan By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — The first word of this week’s parasha, Va’etchanan, means “I pleaded.” Moshe pleaded with Hashem to see the Land of Israel. Hashem heard his pleas, and the answer? “No.” How many times do we plead, pray, even beg Hashem for an outcome and it doesn’t go
D’var Torah for Shabbat, August 17 Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
Two Who Survived: Keeping Hope Alive While Surviving the Holocaust; Rose & Max Schindler’s story, written by M. Lee Connolly; MRS Publishing © 2019; ISBN 9781738-19877; 179 pages including glossary; $21.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – There is a romantic notion in popular Judaism that everyone has a bashert – a special person
Rose and Max (z”l) Schindler relate their survivals Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, USA
The Fire Spot, 4646 Convoy Street, San Diego, California 92111 By Sandi Masori SAN DIEGO — As my time with my older son gets shorter and shorter as we prepare for him to start UC Berkeley in the fall, I’m trying to save up as many experiences as I can for him, his brother and
Noshing with Sandi: The Fire Spot Read More »
San Diego County, Shor M. Masori, Travel and Food