In his act at the San Diego Fringe Festival, comedian Steve Budd asked, “Why can I not find a nice Jewish woman that my mother would love? Where is my bashert (soul mate)? I am 50 years old, and I am still looking for love, what am I missing?” [Cailin Acosta]
Why Romance is Nipped in the Budd Read More »
Cailin Acosta, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
Another prominent Jewish prisoner at Alcatraz was Meyer Harris “Mickey” Cohen, whose parents had immigrated to Los Angeles from Kiev. Before he was 10 years old, Cohen was sent to Reform School for petty theft and shoplifting. He continued his criminal activities, working with Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel among others. Among his criminal activities were bookmaking, tax evasion, and a number of violent crimes. He went to Alcatraz in 1961 for tax evasion, where he was the only prisoner there who was ever released on bail, with his bond signed by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren. What else is true of Mickey Cohen? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Alcatraz Read More »
California, Mark D. Zimmerman, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA
More than 300 people attended a gala Sunday night, May 18, honoring the legacies of Rabbi Simcha Weiser and his late wife Betty, respectively the former headmaster of San Diego Hebrew Day School and the developer of the school’s Judaic program especially for girls. [Donald H. Harrison]
Hebrew Day School Gala Fetes Weisers; Quizzes Aharoni Read More »
Antisemitism, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Obituaries & memorials, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, USA
Joey Ramone (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), was an American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist and founding member of the punk rock band Ramones, with Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone. His image, voice, and tenure with the Ramones made him a countercultural icon. [Wikipedia]
Today’s Jewish Birthday: Joey Ramone Read More »
Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia
The offspring of a Jewish family was ashamed of the wealth of his family and the Jewish way of life. At the 5th Moscow Gymnasium, where he studied with the future poet Boris Pasternak, Nobel Prize winner in literature, and the future famous writer Ilya Ehrenburg, 15-year-old Gregory told his fellow students that he was a Marxist. [Alex Gordon]
Jewish Biography: Gregory Sokolnikov, First Soviet Finance Minister Read More »
Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, Business & Finance, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors
The project’s goal is to plant 1.5 million Daffodils in memory of the 1.5 million Jewish children who perished in the Holocaust. Seeing the flowers anew every spring reminds us that innocent children continue to be victimized by adult hatred, ignorance, and prejudice globally. [Jerry Klinger]
Perennial Daffodils Memorialize 1.5 Million Children Victims in Holocaust Read More »
Holocaust, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
Lag B’Omer occurred on the 33rd day of counting the Omer, and many celebrated this occasion with bonfires and barbecue items like hot dogs, hamburgers, and s’mores. [Cailin Acosta]
Following Lag B’Omer, Shabbat, Shavuot Observances to Occupy S.D. Jewish Community Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Significantly, the country followed strictly orthodox Wahhabi Sunni Islam. Now, Saudi Arabia has mandated a much more modern style of Islam. It no longer has school textbooks full of blood-curdling examples maligning Jews and Israel and it has been close to joining the Abraham Accords, which looks to Israel for military protection and technological knowhow. [Steve Kramer]
Contrasting Saudi and Palestinian Leadership Read More »
International, Israel, Middle East, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer, USA
We live in a culture of instant gratification, where patience can feel like a relic of the past. Yet, the Omer period compels us to slow down, to be present, to acknowledge the passage of time with intention. [Barrett Holman Leak]
Contemporary Torah: Marking Time with Intention Read More »
Barrett Holman Leak, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors
David Deutsch (May 18, 1953) is a British physicist at the University of Oxford, often described as the “father of quantum computing”. He is a visiting professor in the Department of Atomic and Laser Physics at the Centre for Quantum Computation (CQC) in the Clarendon Laboratory of the University of Oxford. [Wikipedia]
Today’s Jewish Birthday: David Deutsch Read More »
Science, Medicine, & Education, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia
“…In Pakistan, a person can be killed not just for converting, but even for behaving outside religious norms—not by the government, but by mobs of extremists. Very few countries are like Pakistan in this regard. Still, we’re an open nation. If someone doesn’t want to follow our laws, they’re free to leave for any country—except Israel.”
A Serious Discussion about Israel Between an American Jew and a Pakistani Muslim Read More »
International, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA, Yakov Nayerman
Shiri Maimon (May 17, 1981) is an Israeli singer, television personality and actress, who rose to fame as the runner-up in the inaugural season of singing reality competition Kokhav Nolad. She represented her native Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, where she came fourth. [Wikipedia]
Today’s Jewish Birthday: Shiri Maimon Read More »
Israel, Jewish Celebrities, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia
The Astor Judaica Library had some 60 people attending the May 4 Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices program featuring three published poets, Stewart Florsheim, Simon Patlis and Adam Shames. [Eileen Wingard]
Jewish Poets-Jewish Voices Wraps Up Season with 3 Scheduled Readings Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Eileen Wingard, Holocaust, International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Daniel Vnukowski from Toronto, Canada, amazed the audience with what looked like magic as his hands hit the keys on the grand piano at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, and it just seemed so natural. Rabbi Leberman followed the melody with powerful narration focused on the Shoah (Holocaust) and giving voices to the names and stories of those who have survived and those who perished. [Cailin Acosta]
Canadian Pianist Vnukowski Plays Evocative Melodies on Lag B’Omer Read More »
Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors