By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO –There are two ways which our enemies seek to destroy us. The first is physical. The second spiritual. Purim is the annual celebration of our physical survival. Hanukkah is the annual celebration of our spiritual survival over the many who would have liked to destroy us through cultural assimilation. […]
Chanukah celebrates our spiritual survival Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO– Now that the candles have been lit, the blessings recited, the latkes eaten, the dreidels spun, and the gifts exchanged, it’s time to sit your touchas down in the couch and watch a movie about Hanukah. The problem is that there just aren’t many major films about the holiday and
The Wandering Review: Have a Happy Hollywood Hanukah Read More »
Lawrence BaronJoshua Eli Plaut, “A KOSHER CHRISTMAS: ’Tis the Season to Be Jewish” ISBN 0813553806; Publisher: Rutgers University Press, 2012. 207 pages. Rating: **** By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Many Jews I know have a profound feeling of ambivalence when it comes to Christmas season each year. There is a hidden anxiety
‘A Kosher Christmas’ tells of Jews and Dec. 25th Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Natasha Josefowitz, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — I often hear from friends who complain about their children who work with them in the family business. I also hear from their children, some of whom are young adults, others are middle-aged, complaining bitterly about over-supervision and a lack of autonomy and trust. One young woman
Parents and Children Working Together Read More »
Natasha Josefowitz, Travel and FoodBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C — The Obama administration is sending mixed signals again: their words point one way; their actions, another. The White House stated its opposition to the Palestinian Authority (PA) bid for non-member state status in the UN, but declined to mobilize its and Israel’s traditional allies. It also appears the administration
U.S. covertly supported Palestinian statehood Read More »
Middle EastBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — It took me less than 24 hours after returning to Israel to start worrying that there may be no political party I could vote for in next month’s general election. Though more than thirty (!) parties will be running candidates, there’s really not that much choice, because many are
Candidates everywhere and not one to support Read More »
Middle EastIsraeli-Palestinian tension escalates in Hebron (JNS.org) Fresh riots broke out in the flashpoint city of Hebron on Thursday as a Palestinian youth shot and killed by Israeli Border Police on Wednesday was buried, Israel Hayom reported. Dozens of Palestinians hurled rocks and firebombs at IDF troops, who responded with crowd dispersal munitions. The Palestinians report
JNS news briefs: December 13, 2012 Read More »
International
By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — My many years of teaching experience have taught me many lessons. One is that when students are encouraged to express their own ideas, they inevitably do so. Moreover, they do so with great creativity and originality. The class that I had been leading on the subject of
Torah sparks flying in many directions Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Evelyn Gordon How effectively Israel’s recent Gaza operation will deter Palestinian rocket fire remains to be seen. Israelis are skeptical: One poll found that a whopping 88 percent think the truce will not last long. Even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t sound too confident: Visiting an airbase shortly after the cease-fire took effect,
‘Pillar of Defense’ sent strong message to Iran Read More »
Middle EastSAN DIEGO (Press Release) – Elyse K. Sollender has created the Jeffrey D. Sollender Business and Philanthropic Youth Entrepreneurship Scholarship Program at the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego in memory of her late husband, Jeff Sollender, a renaissance man who always put his family first. Scholarships will recognize innovative, college-bound students who have created and
Sollenders establish fund for college-bound entrepreneurs Read More »
San Diego CountyBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — As a confirmed incrementalist, I’m not a great fan of the conventional occasions for summing up, asking where we are, and where we are going. As an Israeli plugged in to international networks, the obvious times for such stuff come as we approach January 1, or א’ בתשרי , i.e.,
2012 was a year of incremental change Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastReport: Israel monitoring Iran from Eritrea (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israel is operating an intelligence gathering base in the East African nation of Eritrea to monitor Iran’s activities in the Red Sea, the Stratfor Global Intelligence company revealed Tuesday. The company says it uses a unique, intelligence-based approach to gathering information via open-source monitoring and
JNS news briefs: December 12, 2012 Read More »
InternationalBy Robert Gluck/JNS.org In the world of ideas and imagination, Rod Serling lives on. Known for his work on the television show “The Twilight Zone,” Serling was born to a Jewish family in Syracuse, NY. Although it has been 37 years since his death, his work still has a notable impact. Serling was the inspiration
Ithaca revisits ‘Twilight Zone’ annually Read More »
Travel and FoodSAN DIEGO (Press Release) — Chanukah is the Festival of Lights, but it is also the holiday commemorating the Jewish people standing up to an oppressive bully – for themselves, each other and what they believe in. This is exactly the message that San Diego’s Jewish teens want the world to see this Chanukah, so
A new Chanukah song… from San Diego NCSY Read More »
Jewish Religion