Legislature removes requirement that school principals must approve religious absences

Authored by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose) and sponsored by Jewish California, AB 1763 removes the current requirement that a parent submit a written request and obtain principal approval before a student’s religious absence is excused – a hurdle not required for absences due to bereavement, illness, mental health, or civic and cultural ceremonies. (Press Release)

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California, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jewish Heritage Alliance builds global digital resource to enable research on Conversos and their descendants

JHA is developing a global digital community dedicated to the Converso experience, bringing together historical knowledge, genealogical discovery, education, technology, and community. (Michael Steinberger)

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Antisemitism, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, News Media, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Koren Publishers’ new siddur: An appraisal

A siddur does not merely tell Jews what words to say. Its primary purpose is to help congregants understand what they are saying and why: the meaning of what the siddur contains, their biblical and historical sources, and why ancestors suggested they read them. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology

San Diego’s Chinese museum tells stories of Shanghai refugees

Created in collaboration with the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, the Chinese American GI Project and the local community, the exhibition explores the journeys of Jewish refugees to Shanghai and their lives during and after World War II. (Cailin
Acosta)

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Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Today’s Jewish birthday: Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons (August 25, 1949), also known by his stage persona “the Demon”, is an Israeli and American musician and songwriter. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss, which he co-founded with Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss in 1973. Simmons, alongside Stanley, remained a constant member of the band until their dissolution in 2023. [Wikipedia]

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Israel, Jewish Celebrities, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Wikipedia

Long-time chaplain draws inspiration from the dying

Humor appears alongside heartbreak, as it does in real life. Inspiration is earned rather than asserted. Resilience is shown in the slow, often invisible work of continuing to show up—for patients, for families, for one’s own life—after the worst has already happened. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Obituaries & memorials, Staff and Bylined Contributors

California can put Jewish day school tuition within reach

A new federal program, enacted by Congress, offers taxpayers a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for donating to nonprofit Scholarship Granting Organizations. Those organizations then award scholarships to eligible K-12 students for tuition and a wide range of educational expenses: tutoring, transportation, technology, special education services, textbooks, uniforms, and after-school programs. [Neuriel Shore)

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Business & Finance, California, Jewish Religion, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jewish biography: Savielly Tartakower, rootless chess grandmaster

He spent his entire adult life on the move. He constantly stayed in hotels and boarding houses. He was doomed to wander. He was a nomad who made significant contributions to the history of foreign countries. He was a cosmopolitan in a world where nationalism was raging. But Jews do not always manage to be cosmopolitans. Antisemitism has a great penetrating ability. (Alex Gordon)

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Rabbi reviews another rabbi’s analysis of the biblical books of Samuel

The Book of Samuel, which follows Judges, describes the emergence of kingship. Samuel begins in this atmosphere but does something much more complicated than simply saying, “Israel needs a king.” The book introduces Samuel, a prophet and judge; then Saul, Israel’s first king; and then David, Israel’s great kingThe crucial question becomes: Can human political power be exercised responsibly under God’s authority? That is precisely the question that interests Rabbi Silber. (Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin)

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors