By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Who’s winning? Nobody. Among the refrains we hear from Israelis, overseas friends, and those sitting on the fence is that Israel (the government and the people) do not do enough to explain themselves. Hah! The sounds of Israeli efforts to explain themselves are deafening to those who bother to listen.
No winners in Israel vs. P.A. propaganda war Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — Rachel A. Dolezal, the now discredited president of the Spokane, Washington, chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), has a few problems. Her issues, however, are not greater than those shared by all of us who have jumped on the bandwagon of our own
Dolezal case points up racial hypocrisy in U.S. Read More »
USABy Anav Silverman JERUSALEM — One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Mumbai, formerly Bombay, is home to the majority of India’s Jewish population. Among the 12 million people that make up the city, some 4,000 Jews live in the city. While many of India’s Jews have immigrated to Israel, the United
Birthright group from India tours Israel Read More »
International, Middle EastBy Joe Spier CALGARY, Alberta, Canada — On July 29, 1977, at Kfar Habad, a village near Tel Aviv, a bar mitzvah was in progress. After reading from the Torah, 13 year old, Shai Cohen spoke, “I promise you, father, that in my life I will never fail you. I will do my duty with
The saga of Eli Cohen, Israel’s greatest spy Read More »
Jewish History, Middle EastBy Gary Rotto SAN DIEGO — Some believe that there are two types of congregations: destination congregations and neighborhood congregations. A destination congregation is so compelling, so well known for its theology, programming, school or rabbinical leadership that people will travel from anywhere in the region to attend or become a member. A neighborhood congregation
Shul, Ken, and SDJA to share the campus Read More »
Jewish Religion, San Diego CountyNearly half of Palestinians killed in Gaza war were armed, Israeli report finds (JNS.org) A new Israeli Foreign Ministry report on last summer’s Operation Protective Edge found that nearly half (44 percent) of the 2,125 Palestinians killed were confirmed to have been armed members of Hamas or other terrorist organizations. The 277-page report, titled “The
Jewish news briefs: June 15, 2015 Read More »
International, Middle East, USABy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Jamal Michael Barrow, a rapper from Belize who performed using the name Shyne, served 8 years at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York for attempted murder, assault, and reckless endangerment. His time there overlapped that of escaped killers Richard Matt and David Sweat. Unlike them, however, Shyne
Jewish Trivia: The rapper Shyne Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Mimi Pollack LA MESA, California — This is not a political story, but rather a human interest one. It is my recollections of the weekend I spent with Jeb and Columba Bush, and why he impressed me. In October 1981, my ex-husband, Carlos, and I traveled from Mexico City to Miami. We were with
My weekend with Jeb and Columba Bush Read More »
Mimi Pollack, USABy Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO–The Caliph Abd al Rahman III, was the greatest of the Umayyad dynasty to rule the land known to Islam as Al Andalus, to Jews as Sepharad and to Christians as Espana/Spain. He was also having too good a time in his pleasure palace in Cordoba to bother about the day
From the Jewish Library: ‘The Jews of Khazaria’ Read More »
Jewish HistoryBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Now it’s almost official, having become the subject of a detailed article in The Economist. Barack Obama has produced a New Middle East, but it ain’t the one he intended. Democracy has not blossomed as called for in his Cairo speech of 2009. The new Egyptian government that the American President
Saudi- Israel relations warm as Iran threat looms Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Cognizant of the pushback Fox News has encountered for limiting participation in the first Republican presidential debate to the ten leading candidates in national polls, MTV plans to televise a musical chairs competition among the Republican candidates in lieu of a debate. In a related story The Learning Channel is
Humoring the headlines: June 13, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — The Supreme Court has struck down as unconstitutional a congressional effort that would allow Americans born in Jerusalem to list Israel as their birthplace on passports. This ruling also upholds the principle that the president alone has the power to recognize foreign nations. Mr. President, if you would
Jerusalem, Mr. President, is Israel’s capital Read More »
Middle East, USA