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 Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO – Edgar Allan Poe once remarked, “A short story must have a single mood and every sentence must build towards it.” Short films adhere to the same rule. The acting, editing, plot, and soundtrack should all contribute to a vivid portrait of a character, the essence of a situation, or […]
The Wandering Review: Stars in Shorts Read More »
Lawrence Baron
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Obama administration was wrong when first it said that what happened in Cairo and Benghazi was a spontaneous gush of righteous Muslim indignation. After days of insisting that a snippet of YouTube trash was responsible — not U.S. policy and certainly not the U.S. government — and that
U.S. refuses to acknowledge Islamist war against it Read More »
Shoshana Bryen, USA
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California– Some of you may think that today’s lesson on forgiveness will be a little boring. If so, I ask that you please forgive me. Just like a picture says more than a thousand words, parables, too, also convey lessons that are timeless as they are obvious, requiring
Forgiving adultery Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiSt. Louis passenger to State Dept: Don’t ‘deny Holocaust survivors our legal rights’ (JNS.org) At a U.S. State Department program on Monday marking the 73rd anniversary of the SS St. Louis voyage, honoree Herbert Karliner—one of the voyage’s surviving passengers—handed department officials a letter urging their so-far absent support of legislation that would aid the
JNS news briefs: September 24, 2012 Read More »
International, Jacob KamarasBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — After you celebrate the New Year, make amends with those you’ve wronged, and pray to God to forgive your sins on Yom Kippur, you might want to catch some movies in which the High Holy Days are featured. Here are a few suggestions for your edification and entertainment: East
The Wandering Review: High Holy Films Read More »
Lawrence BaronBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Richard Nixon had many shortcomings, but compared to Barack Obama, he looks like a saint. I do not ever recall seeing Nixon attempting to subvert the 1st Amendment that guarantees freedom of speech, but recently with the release of the Innocence of Muslims film that came
U.S. must not give up 1st Amendment to please Islamists Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA
The Future of the Jews: How Global Forces are Impacting the Jewish People, Israel, and Its Relationship with the United States by Stuart E. Eizenstat, Rowman & Littlefield, New York; ISBN 978-1-44422-1627-3 ©2012, $37.50, p. 318, plus notes and index By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California–Stuart Eizenstat author of The Future of the Jews, from
Eizenstat peers into a Jewish crystal ball Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Middle EastBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Nittai the Arbelite said: Keep your distance from a bad neighbor; don’t socialize with scoundrels. Mishnah—Avoth 1:7 Our parents often taught us, “A person is judged by the company he keeps.” Jewish tradition reaffirms this message, for people then to gravitate to others who
Beware the company the President keeps Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USABy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — Associated Press told the story this way: “PARIS — A small package bomb exploded inside a kosher grocery store in a Paris suburb Wednesday, wounding at least one person[1]…The reason for the attack was unclear, but it rattled nerves amid global tensions surrounding a U.S.-produced film insulting to Islam.
Washington must stop providing excuses for Islamist terror Read More »
Shoshana Bryen, USABy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — At the beginning of the New Year, most film critics release their top ten list of films from the previous year. Since I’ve only been reviewing films for three months, I’m devoting my Rosh Hashanah column to my favorite American Jewish films. I realize that there are many other
The Wandering Review: Top Ten Jewish Films Ever Read More »
Lawrence BaronBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California —The streets of Europe and the Middle East are burning as we prepare ourselves for Rosh Hashanah. Life in Israel is making everyone nervous as the President is doing nothing meaningful to prevent Iran from developing the bomb. One gets the impression that Iran will finally “cave
Blame Obama’s amateurism for Mideast chaos Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle EastBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Attitude is everything. But in hard times, it’s a lot easier to sit and complain rather than do something about bettering our life circumstances and attitudes. I am reminded of an old story I came across almost 10 years ago, which I filed away for a
Rosh Hashanah is a time to celebrate life, opportunity Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — In an effort to protect the delicate sensibilities of Egyptian rioters who invaded the American Embassy and tore down the American flag, Secretary of State Clinton accepted at face value the claim that the rioters were just so outraged and horrified by an anti-Muslim movie that they couldn’t control
Insulting or not, freedom of speech is protected Read More »
Shoshana Bryen, USABy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Nancy, my wife and co-publisher, and I both are absolutely certain that the grandmother of our columnist Bruce Kesler made wonderful mandelbread, and that Bruce has been faithful to her recipe. So we imagine that if Nancy accepts Bruce’s challenge to a mandelbread cook-off, anybody who comes
Taking up the mandelbread challenge! Read More »
Donald H. Harrison