By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — Bashar al-Assad has gained an unexpected ally in the debate over the American response to his use of Sarin gas. While expressing its sympathies for those killed or wounded in the attack, the NRA defended Assad’s Second Amendment right to own and employ weapons of mass destruction. In a
Humoring the Headlines: September 9, 2013 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Obama and supporters of an American strike on Syria have characterized negative American public opinion as “war-weariness.” They are trying to overcome it with exhortations about America’s special responsibility, or America’s credibility, or the president’s credibility, or the terribleness of the fighting there. The public isn’t buying it,
Americans not war-weary, but are ‘war-wary’ Read More »
Shoshana Bryen, USARon Paul condemned over speaking engagement (JNS.org) Ron Paul, a former Texas congressman and Republican presidential candidate, has been condemned for plans to speak at a conference hosted by the Fatima Center, an anti-Semitic fringe Catholic group. “For Ron Paul to associate himself with such a disreputable, hateful religious movement is simply beyond comprehension,” American
JNS news briefs: September 9, 2013 Read More »
International
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Relationships between Roman Catholics and Jews have improved in the past and, with a few possible blips, may continue to improve under Pope Francis, whereas the relationships between Catholicism and militant Islam has been fast deteriorating. So observes Michael Cool in a “journalistic biography” of the Argentine-born
The many challenges facing Pope Francis Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonState Department acquiesces to ‘blame Israel’ ploy PARIS (Press Release) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry hosted a meeting in Paris on Sunday with a Ministerial Delegation assigned by the Arab League’s Peace Initiative Committee. The delegation included Ministers of Foreign Affairs and permanent representatives of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi
Jewish Citizen: Kerry on Palestinians, AJC on Syria Read More »
Jewish History
By Eva Trieger SAN DIEGO — Perry Chen. You may remember hearing this name associated with Comic Con, two time Oscar winner Bill Plympton and Disney director, Rich Moore. But Perry Chen is an animator in his own right. He sketched himself onto the animation scene in 2011, with a collaborative animated short film entitled
Boy artist demonstrates his animation technique Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There are signs of desperation in the Obama-Kerry campaign to obtain support for an attack on Syria from the Congress, the public, and European governments.. Or is it a Kerry-Obama campaign? The Secretary of State has been furthest out in his claims of a moral imperative, and is now conjuring
Maybe it makes more sense to attack Iran Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
M. Hirsh Goldberg, It All Started With a Deli: The Attmans of Lombard Street; Baltimore: Apprentice House, 2003, ISBN 978-1-934074-28-2, 194 pages, $26.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO– Here is a book that will make Jewish Marylanders (the term almost seems a contradiction) kvell over the potential of a good corned beef sandwich. Back
The houses corned beef built Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By Isaac Yetiv , Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — The Jewish immigrants to the United States at the turn of the previous century, fleeing the pogroms and persecutions in Eastern Europe, chanted their hope to reach “the goldeneh medineh,” the golden country. And so did the masses of new immigrants from other parts of the
AWFul government: Abuse, Waste Fraud Read More »
USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The complexities of the US-Russian-Syrian issues are shaping up to be a spectacular lesson for students of public policy. On the one hand there are these considerations. . . On the other hand are these. . . In the light of these conditions, what should be the policy of the
Russia could be key to ending Syria’s chemical use Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California –They all look well in the photo. Under sunny skies and tight security in St. Petersburg, Russia, the leaders of several key nations gathered and discussed issues—mostly in the economic realm. On the glaringly clear and shockingly factual gassing and chemical genocide of Syrian adults and children by their
Syrian debate: Where’s the moral outrage? Read More »
International
Paula L. Freedman, My Basmati Bat Mitzvah, New York: Amulet Books, ISBN 978-1-4197-0806-0, 256 pages, $16.95. Ages: 10-14. * Avirama Golan, Little Naomi, Little Chick, illustrated by Raaya Karas, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, ISBN 978-0-8028-5427-8, 34 pages, $17. Ages: Preschooler By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Grandfather that I am,
The globalization of Jewish children’s literature Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — President Obama has asked for congressional authorization to conduct a limited military strike against Syria. He realizes that time is of the essence because the strike must be launched before the House Republicans shut down the government rather than increase the debt limit. Other members of the House
Humoring the headlines: September 6, 2013 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — A friend of mine in Israel told me the following story: Shortly after the Yom Kippur War in 1973 a young man went to enroll in a basic Judaism class in Israel. My friend asked him why he wanted to study the Torah. The young man, whose name was
Let’s not sacrifice our Isaacs Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA