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 and Sean Savage/JNS.org “There are, I think, almost 3,000 Americans in foreign jails. Almost all of them are in there for doing something.” That is the assessment given to JNS.org by U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-NY), a leading advocate for the freedom of 53-year-old Brooklyn flooring contractor Jacob Ostreicher—who, according to […]
U.S. Jews jailed, held hostage overseas Read More »
International, Jacob Kamaras, USA
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO– There’s a new resource in town for anyone interested in the Jewish experience in San Diego: A Time to Remember: The First 150 Years, a beautifully printed, hard-cover book detailing the experiences thus far of Congregation Beth Israel and its historic forerunner, Congregation Adath Jeshurun. The book was
Beth Israel book a valuable resource to historians Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel –A Facebook message that appeared on my computer screen caused me so much shock and dismay that I committed a mortal Facebook sin: I told the person who had put the message up what I thought of him by using insulting language. I regret that reaction. I regret my
In defense of ‘Haaretz’ and ethical behavior Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — The other night at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, I had the opportunity to moderate a debate between two presidential surrogates. Mat Kostrinsky, who lost a close race to be a San Diego city councilman from the 7th district, spoke in behalf of President Barack Obama. Arie Lipnick, regional
Moderating two presidential surrogates Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, USA
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. –A wave of anti-Jewish violence has taken place in France and Sweden over the past few weeks. The difference in government response is notable, and yet there is something similarly disquieting about their actions. The Swedish government alternately denies the problem, blames the Jews and blames Israel — it recently
Anti-Israelism a mask for anti-Semitism in Sweden, France Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana Bryen
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — When people ask carpenter David Swanson how big the ship now under construction on a parking lot at Spanish Landing will be, he responds, “Oh, about 30 cubits by 40 cubits.” It was probably a coincidence that his allusion relates to “Noach,” this upcoming weekend’s Torah portion.
Recreating Juan Cabrillo’s historic ship Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Noah was a remarkable man. Just how remarkable was he? How would he compare to Abraham or to Moses? Rabbinical tradition grapples with this question. Rashi cites the midrashic text that offers an answer to our question. Two rabbinic scholars differ on how they interpret the
That remarkable man, Noah Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Philanthropist, business leader and Democratic activist Murray Galinson on Wednesday evening, Oct. 17, decried the lack of civility among political candidates in contests for offices up and down the ballot. He told a meeting of the Beth Israel Men’s Club that it wasn’t always like that, citing his experiences as
Combating the nastiness of politics Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonArab Lawyers Union honors terrorist who killed 21 Israelis in Haifa (JNS.org) The Palestine Committee of the Arab Lawyers Union recently bestowed its “highest honor” on female suicide bomber Hanadi Jaradat, who killed 21 Israelis in a 2003 attack on Maxim’s restaurant in Haifa, Palestinian Media Watch reported on its website here. Jaradat, who worked as
JNS News Briefs: October 18, 2012 Read More »
International, Jacob KamarasBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — The unwillingness of the Obama administration to label the September occupation of American diplomatic facilities in Cairo and Benghazi, and the murder of an American diplomat “acts of war” make this an opportune moment to consider two lessons emanating from more than a decade of warfare in the Arab
The changing nature of war Read More »
Shoshana Bryen, USABy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –After the first debate between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, I wrote how pleased I was that it had been a civil exchange, in contrast to those nasty political commercials that fill the airwaves. But the debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul
Street brawlers for President? Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –In Pakistan, this past week, the Taliban shot a young fourteen year old woman named Malala Yousafzai in the head. She is fighting for her life. She was no average target; this was not a random act of gratuitous violence that we read about in the paper.
Standing against the Taliban’s war on women Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle EastBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO–Our Kentucky cousin, Harry Jacobson-Beyer, whom I like to call the “Ishmaelite” for reasons to be explained, is determined to learn Spanish, notwithstanding his Kentucky accent, which is something between a twang and a drawl. To that end, with his wife, Sherry, he has traveled to various locations in Spain,
With Kentucky cousins on a Spanish immersion quest Read More »
Carol Davis, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
The Chosen Few: How Education Shaped Jewish History, 70-1492 by Maristella Botticini and Zvi Eckstein, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ; ISBN 978-0-691-14487-0 ©2012, $39.50, p. 273, plus appendix, bibliography, and index By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — How many Jewish doctors and lawyers do you know? How many Jewish farmers? I would hazard
How an educational edict helped shape the Jewish people Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion