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 Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel One of the interesting facets of the Purim story is the tradition of giving a Purim Torah talk during the holiday. “Purim Torah” is a humorous and often satirical way of using biblical and Talmudic narratives in a manner that is creative and imaginative—but always funny, if not carnivalesque. Purim […]
Obama, Netanyahu and the Purim story Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, USABy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Based on its investigation of the Ferguson Police Department, the Department of Justice concluded that Ferguson’s police exhibited a pattern of racism against African Americans in arrests, fining, car and pedestrian stops, ticketing, and the use of force and dogs. In an addendum the DOJ revealed that the highest ranking
Humoring the headlines; March 6, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – One of the nice things about a Purimshpiel is that it doesn’t have to follow the precise script. In fact, the whole megillah can be changed, just so long as the high points of the story from the Book of Esther are included. At Tifereth Israel Synagogue on
Purim shpiel a la Broadway Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego CountyBy Gary Rotto SAN DIEGO–I’ve been on a self imposed sabbatical. I needed to take a break from writing for a couple of years. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it, Rather, I just didn’t have the time to either write regularly or to create columns worthy of our readership. Most of us hit a
Term as shul president over, columnist returns Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, San Diego CountyBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ The Horowitz Freedom Center has identified several more universities where anti-Semitism is so rampant that pogroms have occurred there. When the story was checked out, it was discovered that student theatre ensembles on each of these campuses had been performing Fiddler on the Roof. * ISIS issued a threat against
Humoring the headlines: March 3, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — Raphael Lemkin is probably the most influential figure of the Twentieth Century not widely recognized by posterity. Born in 1900 in a Polish village located in the Russian Empire, he had witnessed pogroms when he was growing up. Originally studying linguistics, he eventually became a lawyer. In the 1920s
The Wandering Review: ‘Watchers of the Sky’ Read More »
Jewish History, Lawrence Baron
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – A fight is brewing at Mt. San Jacinto College in Riverside County over a proposed speech on May 13 by Miko Peled, the anti-Israel activist whose late father, Matti Peled, was an Israeli general who became part of the peace camp. As first reported by The Israel Group,
Proposed Peled speech stirs Mt. San Jacinto College Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USAJacob Kamaras/JNS.org WASHINGTON, DC—A day before his much-debated speech about Iran to a joint session of Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, March 2, attempted to assure the 16,000 people attending the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference—an annual showcase for the U.S-Israel relationship—that current tension will not derail the countries’ friendship.
Netanyahu: Speech won’t derail U.S.- Israel friendship Read More »
Jacob Kamaras, Middle East, USA
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—When Joseph Kanfer, the father of Purell hand sanitizers, focuses this week on Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speeches to AIPAC and to Congress, he will do so “because I think it is necessary for our very survival but my love is Jewish education.” Kanfer, whose GOJO manufacturing company is
Industry leader says Jews should speak up about Iran Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, USABy Eileen Wingard SAN DIEGO –Yoav Talmi, one of Israel’s foremost composers and conductors, will be speaking during services at Ohr Shalom Synagogue, 3rd and Laurel, in San Diego, next Friday evening, March 6, 7:30 p.m. His talk will be: “From the Diary of an International Israeli Conductor.” Talmi, former conductor of the San Diego
The return to San Diego of Yoav Talmi Read More »
Eileen Wingard, San Diego CalendarBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem presents a Kafkaesque vision of the divorce process for Jewish women in Israel. Viviane, soulfully played by the film’s co-director Ronit Elkabetz, seeks to get out of an unhappy marriage, but her husband Elisha, played by the Armenian actor Simon Abkarian, won’t consent
The Wandering Review: ‘Gett’; Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lawrence BaronBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Wandering through the stalls of the Jerusalem International Book Fair held a few weeks ago my eye fell upon a display entitled ‘Lavi Publications,’ where copies of just one or two volumes in Hebrew were on display. The modestly dressed elderly lady in attendance at the stall was eager
A treasure of Iranian history at a Jerusalem book stall Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East
By Eva Trieger ENCINITAS, California -“When summer camp ends, you miss the friends you’ve made for about a week. When Hands of Peace ends you miss those friends forever, “said Itamar, describing his experience of the dynamic dialogue-based program that has one agenda: to develop open-minded young leaders who want to be a catalyst for
Hands of Peace bring Middle East teens together Read More »
Eva TriegerBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Angered that the Senate passed a “clean” bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, House Republicans proposed a three week funding extension of DHS expecting that ISIS, Al Qaeda, and other Islamic terrorist groups will be defeated by interim but then voted against the measure. Apparently, John Boehner prefers
Humoring the headlines: February 28, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire