By Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — Except for theology, Israel is doing great work for its people and for humanitarian advancement. People routinely order pizza online but they often have to travel to Cyprus to get married–due to rabbinic restrictions. Women are expected to deliver babies but they frequently have to stand in the
Time to abolish Israel’s chief rabbinate Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle EastFour Jews among 24 MacArthur ‘genius’ grant winners (JNS.org) Four Jews have been selected among this year’s 24 MacArthur fellows. The grants of $625,000 per fellow are colloquially referred to as the “genius” grants. Author Ben Lerner, a writer and professor at the Department of English at the City University of New York, won the grant
Jewish news briefs: October 1, 2015 Read More »
USAIsrael’s Shin Bet exposes Islamic State-inspired terrorist cell (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Seven Israeli Arabs were indicted before the Nazareth Magistrates’ Court on Thursday on suspicion of setting up an Islamic State terrorist cell and planning to attack police and military bases. The suspects face multiple counts of security violations, including conspiracy to commit an
Middle East Roundup: October 1, 2015 Read More »
Middle East
-24th in a Series- Exit 9, Waring Road, San Diego ~ Young Israel of San Diego By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—“Rabbi” means “teacher” and Rabbi Chaim Hollander teaches Judaic Studies at Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood and at Young Israel of San Diego in the San Carlos neighborhood,
I-8 Jewish Travel: Young Israel of San Diego Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and FoodBy Joe Spier CALGARY, Alberta, Canada — In 1934, the United States sent a team of baseball all-stars to Japan to play a series of exhibition games. On the team were the likes of baseball hall of famers, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Also on the team was Morris “Moe” Berg, a mediocre utility ball-player
The spy who worked at home plate Read More »
International, Sports & Competitions, USABy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — “Who was worse, Hitler or Stalin?” It isn’t a parlor game, but rather the historical equivalent of “ISIS or Iran (or proxy Syria)?” You can play it either way, but “a plague on both their houses” didn’t cut it in 1941, and doesn’t in 2015. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939
Which is worse — Iran or ISIS? Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana Bryen
The Devil in Jerusalem by Naomi Ragen; St. Martin’s Press © 2015; ISBN 978-1-250-04313-9; 306 pages, $25.99 By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – This novel is well-written and suspenseful, yet exceedingly difficult to read. It is about child abuse with descriptions so graphic it will make almost any reader shudder or cringe. Author Naomi
Child abuse makes important novel hard to read Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison
The Holocaust legacy that packs a punch By Jacob Kamaras/JNS.org Shot three times by the Nazis in Poland, Bernard Fleischer was down for the count. But just as he was about to be finished off, the German soldier’s gun froze. Assuming he’d die anyway, the soldier left Bernard in a barn. Bernard survived and later
Never Again: Holocaust news of September 30, 2015 Read More »
Jacob Kamaras, Sports & CompetitionsBy J. Zel Lurie DELRAY BEACH, Florida — It may seem foolish to criticize Israeli democracy at a time when the Speaker of the American House of Representatives has to resign his post in order to prevent Republican hardliners from closing down the government. Our forefathers of over 200 years ago devised a Constitution in
The problems of U.S., Israeli politics Read More »
Middle East, USABy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Three years ago, when I was looking for someone with whom I could converse in German, an acquaintance put me in touch with Margaret Raphael. After a brief telephone conversation I made my way to her home in one of Jerusalem’s established neighbourhoods, and we began a friendship
A fond farewell to a genuine Raphael Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Obituaries & memorialsIsraeli officials: Syria will not be used as Iranian base to attack Israel (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clarified Tuesday after landing in New York City ahead of his address to the United Nations that he will not allow Syria to be used as a base for Iranian attacks against Israel.
Middle East Roundup: September 30, 2015 Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Two questions have long intrigued me as a student of politics. One has occupied us on several occasions; it concerns the explanation of Israel’s democracy. Another concerns the working of another democracy, and the failure of America’s largest religious group to do better than it has in presidential politics. Neither is
Anomalies of Israeli, American politics Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — What did the late Yogi Berra say when he was told that a Jew was elected mayor of Dublin? A. Dublin? Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.B. It’s like déjà Jew all over again.C. Only in America.D. Why shouldn’t he? Jimmy Walker’s Irish, and he was elected mayor of New
Jewish Trivia: In memory of Yogi Berra, z”l Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire