By Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb NEW YORK — I am a worrier. My friends and family tease me about it. I sometimes worry about personal matters, and sometimes about professional concerns. More often, I worry about things that are going on in the community or in the world. I worry about the economy, and I worry
Obsessions are a form of idolatry Read More »
Travel and Food
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Palestinians face an economic crisis more severe than the World Bank had anticipated; the Bank fears that the territories may become “ungovernable.” This is not actually new, but since the Bank in its panic is considering bypassing restrictions on money to Hamas, it is worth looking at the
Palestinians can blame themselves for shattered economy Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana Bryen
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, ISRAEL — Speaking to an often-cheering group of about 400 people in Jerusalem, Governor Mitt Romney gave a speech less notable for what he said that for the fact that the audience believed he was sincere in saying it. At a beautiful outdoor setting with the Old City in the background,
What did Romney say between the lines in Jerusalem? Read More »
Middle East
By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — I had been looking forward to last week. Todd Solondz’s Dark Horse and Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz were opening in San Diego, and I knew both featured Jewish characters. Finally, I would have the opportunity to review movies currently playing in theatres for my column. Unfortunately, depicting Jewish
The Wandering Review: ‘Dark Horse’ and ‘Take This Waltz’ Read More »
Lawrence Baron
By Rabbi Ben Kamin LAGUNA WOODS, California– They call themselves “a synagogue without walls,” which was especially ironic and heartening when I first was interviewed by the leadership several years ago. My pastoral agency is called Reconciliation: The Synagogue Without Walls and—once the meeting warmed into a promising new relationship—one of the officers teased me:
The rabbi learns much from his congregants Read More »
Jewish Religion
SAN DIEGO (Press Release)– Eight-grade San Diego Jewish Academy (SDJA) student Jonah Kohn has won in his age group at the Google Science Fair and became one of three overall winners July 23 in the Palo Alto competition as decided by an elite group of judges that included Nobel laureate Ada Yonath and Stephen Myers, the scientist heading
The world of science is hearing Jonah Kohn’s discovery Read More »
San Diego CountyBy Charlene Seidle & Brachie Sprung JERUSALEM–During the Hebrew month of Av, Jews around the world mark the nine somber days of mourning followed by Tisha B’Av (the 9th of Av), one of the most solemn days on the Jewish calendar. There are many reasons that we mourn during this period, but most famously it
Entrepreneurial institutions reinvigorating Jerusalem Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — A popular song that we have heard from time to time for at least 20 years says that the Messiah has not come. And he has not even telephoned. The Messiah didn’t come this week. He may have telephoned, but there was no great impact. Romney arrived on Sunday, and
Romney stumbles during Jerusalem visit Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
Unbroken Spirit: A Heroic Story of Faith, Courage, and Survival by Yosef Mendelevich, Gefen Publishing House; 2012; ISBN 978-965-229-563-7; 337 pages. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –Feeling desperate that Jews were not allowed to emigrate freely from the Soviet Union, Yosef Mendelevich and a few compatriots planned some 42 years ago to hijack a
How Judaism survived the gulag Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By Carol Davis VISTA, California — When Tevye, one of the most celebrated milkmen in the history of Broadway and star of the Joseph Stein (book), Jerry Bock (music) and Sheldon Harnick (lyrics) musical, Fiddler On The Roof, tries to explain to the audience why Jews do certain things (like keeping their heads covered all
Two golden mezuzot to ‘Fiddler’s’ star and director Read More »
Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — One of the responses received to my recent columns (Some ideas for my American friends) deserves a column of its own. “I am still trying to understand why it is that Americans and Israelis both seem to believe that the US is responsible for Israel’s future (isn’t Israel a sovereign
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Having watched the July 27 opening ceremony of the 30th Olympiad on television, and having read Danny Boyle spent $42 million to produce that spectacle, I had the altogether unwarranted and vain notion that I could produce a shorter version, but one more compelling. While there were moments of
An alternative opening ceremony for the Olympics Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Elections instill panic. What should we do in order to solve the problems? Wrong strategy. There are not any solutions for the stickiest of the problems. The point is to select a candidate with the greatest chance of making things a little bit better, or only a little bit worse.
Reasons for Israeli misgivings about Obama AND Romney Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, USA
By Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –This Shabbat is the 9th of Av, the saddest day of the Jewish year. Yet, Shabbat does not afford us the opportunity to grieve. For this reason, the fast is postponed to Saturday night. The time of the “Three Weeks,” leading up to Tisha’ b’ Av, are traditionally
Surfacing our inner heroes Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Travel and Food