Spokesman Shares ZAKA’s Missions Following Disasters in Israel and Abroad

At the kibbutzim, it was indescribable what they saw, what the victims had gone through.  They went house to house retrieving victims, discovering who had been murdered. They went through every house, and every car, removing every drop of blood, ashes, and human fragments to help identify the dead. It took 2 ½ weeks just to retrieve all the bodies. [Marlene Risman]

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Israel, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

In Defense of a 25-Year-Old Novel by Elie Wiesel

Many reviewers found Elie Wiesel’s 1999 book The Judges difficult and abandoned it before reaching the end. They enjoyed the dozens of this Nobel Peace Prize winners’ books but dismissed this one, although it is in easy-to-read English, because they could not understand what was happening. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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

Mexican Jewish Leader of Tijuana and San Diego Tells His Humble Origins

Our arrival in Tijuana, a city of twenty thousand inhabitants, was a significant moment in my life. It was August, a hot month that brought a plague of fleas due to the unpaved streets. We embarked on a train journey from Mexico City, where we unfortunately lost all our hard-earned money in Chihuahua. Despite this setback, we were ready to face the challenges ahead. [José Galicot]

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International, Jose Galicot, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Memoir Tells of Russian Immigrant’s Social Climb in New York City

Memoirs are typically written by famous people or by those who survived extraordinary events.  Politicians, movie stars, artists, and diplomats are in the first category.  Soldiers and Holocaust Survivors are in the second.  But who is Anya Gillinson?  How many people outside of New York City have ever heard her name?  What impelled her to write her memoir? [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Jewish Trivia Quiz: Dunkin’ Donuts

Dunkin’ ‍does ‍have ‍locations ‍in ‍Israel, ‍but ‍the ‍company ‍has ‍not ‍issued ‍any ‍statements ‍in ‍regard ‍to ‍the ‍Israel-Palestine ‍conflict. ‍What ‍is ‍the ‍story ‍of ‍the ‍Jewish ‍man ‍who ‍started ‍Dunkin’ ‍Donuts?  [Mark D. Zimmerman]

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Business & Finance, Jewish History, Mark D. Zimmerman, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire

A Short History of Jewish Self-Hatred

The author of the term “new antisemitism” is the American historian and publicist Daniel Pipes. The core of this new antisemitism lies in the idea that Jews are not a historically oppressed people seeking self-preservation, but oppressors: imperialists, colonizers, white exploiters. Antisemitism does not disappear, but only changes forms. Auto-antisemitism, that is, Jew-hatred of Jews, is a much older phenomenon than the new antisemitism described, but it doesn’t disappear either, it just changes forms.   [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, International, Israel, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Pete Sampras

Courtesy of Wikipedia Pete Sampras (August 12, 1971) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. His professional career began in 1988 and ended at the 2002 US Open, which he won, defeating his longtime rival Andre Agassi in the final. Sampras won 14 major singles titles during his career, a record at the time of his retirement: a then-record seven

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Sports & Competitions, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

San Diego Teen Returns From Chetz v’Keshet Trip to Israel

I spoke with Hila Baruch, 15, who relocated to San Diego with her family from Israel when she was six. The Carmel Valley teen recently returned from her Chetz v’Keshet (CVK) experience this summer and shared that it was a life-changing, transformative experience. (Barrett Holman Leak)

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Barrett Holman Leak, Holocaust, Israel, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: David Brooks

Courtesy of Wikipedia David Brooks (August 11, 1961) is a Canadian-born American conservative political and cultural commentator who writes for The New York Times. He has worked as a film critic for The Washington Times, a reporter and later op-ed editor for The Wall Street Journal, a senior editor at The Weekly Standard from its inception, and a contributing editor at Newsweek, and The

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News Media, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

Becky Guttin’s Trio of Separate Art Exhibits in San Diego and Mexico City

This has been a good year for internationally renowned artist, Becky Guttin. After the pandemic, and the passing of her beloved father, a talented artist in his own right, she has emerged from a period of mourning. She has come out with a bang artistically with three different projects. [Mimi Pollack]

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International, Mimi Pollack, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Rosanna Arquette

Courtesy of Wikipedia Rosanna Arquette (August 10, 1959) is an American actress. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance in the TV film The Executioner’s Song (1982) and won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the film Desperately Seeking Susan (1985). Her other film roles include After Hours (also 1985), The Big Blue (1988), Pulp Fiction (1994), and Crash (1996). She also directed

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Jewish Celebrities, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

Blood Drives Offer Opportunities to Give of Yourself

Donations of O- blood are at critical levels. I also saw it on the news. Now is the time to boost up my iron intake and supplements and “answer the call”. To me, it is the easiest Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) service I can offer. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Religion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA