By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM –Had the Nazis not come to power in his native Germany, W. Gunther Plaut would have become a judge. But being barred from pursuing a legal career because he was a Jew, he dedicated himself to serving God and his people. That brought him to the Hebrew Union College in
Remembering Gunther Plaut Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM –The more the pundits write and talk aboutIran, the less do we seem to know what’s really going on. Perhaps this is because the experts are as ignorant as the public, just more articulate. Here’re a few of the many possible scenarios I’ve gleaned of late: 1. A strike onIran’s
Is Iran trying to goad Israel into an attack? Read More »
Middle EastSAN DIEGO — Numerous press releases cross our desk concerning upcoming events in the Jewish community. As we get them, we’ll pass them onto you so you can add them to your personal calendars. POETRY CONCERT– Poet Jerome Rothenberg teams up with Yale Strom’s sextet to present a free concert, “The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising,” commemorating
Feb 19 calendar postings Read More »
Travel and Food
By Cynthia Citron LOS ANGELES — A few days ago, the West Coast premiere of a play by David Ives demonstrated that that imposition of certain religious convictions on the differing beliefs of another person has been going on seemingly forever. Ives’ play is called New Jerusalem, The Interrogation of Baruch De Spinoza at Talmud Torah
Spinoza’s trial and excommunication subject of new play Read More »
Cynthia CitronBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — An internet friend sent me a video screed from an Atlanta television station that presents, in the most inflammable language, the old saw about too much foreign aid while Americans suffer. Even worse, some of that aid goes to refurbish mosques in unfriendly Cairo and elsewhere. The images tweaked
Giving foreign helps rather than hurts the U.S. economy Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, USABy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM –Not being one of them, I find it often quite uncomfortable to walk in ultra-Orthodox neighbourhoods inIsrael, e.g., Meah Shearim in Jerusalem, especially in the company of women. And when I read the notices and the graffiti on the walls, I become depressed by their often hysterical anti-Israel tone. It’s
Is El Al security particularly hostile to Arab passengers? Read More »
Middle East
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Stories about the Wise Men of Chelm convey profound wisdom about the human condition, told through the medium of irony, sarcasm and dark humor. Here is one of my favorite stories. In the town of Chelm, two Rabbis were once seen arguing late into the night about
Questioning God’s existence is a good start Read More »
Travel and Food
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO– The Harlem Globetrotters still do some pretty amazing dribbling, passing and dunking, but more and more, it seems, they elevate members of their audiences–particularly children–into their co-stars. Such was the case at Valley View Casino Center (formerly the San Diego Sports Arena) on Friday night, Feb. 17, when
Harlem Globetrotters make kids their co-stars Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –Not a typical weekend, but not all that unusual. This is a tense place, with frequent events that can provoke great drama. It began with a tragic accident. A heavy truck swerved on a rain slicked road north of Jerusalem, slammed into a bus carrying a group of four- to eight-year
Even traffic accidents grist for Palestinians’ anti-Israel hate mill Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Carol Davis CORONADO, California—If you ever wondered why Guys & Dolls is my all-time-favorite musical, take a trip to Coronado and catch Lamb’s Players Theatre production of it now. With the wonderful music of Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows based on a story of Damon Runyon characters, it has
‘Guys & Dolls’ still a favorite after all these years Read More »
Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy Cynthia Citron VENTURA, California –Playwright/director/actor Tom Dugan is in the process of writing his sixth one-man show, The Ghosts of Mary Lincoln. “I’m not playing Mary,” he says, “but I could.” In the meantime, Dugan is busy preparing his successful show Nazi Hunter — Simon Wiesenthal, which ran at Beverly Hills’ Theatre 40 last
One-man show reveals life of Simon Wiesenthal Read More »
Cynthia CitronSAN DIEGO (Press Release)–The Waters of Eden Board of Directors has passed a resolution stating that the Waters of Eden Mikvah and Educational Center would not build its facility at the base of Cowles Mountain, adjacent to Tifereth Israel. The Waters of Eden Board Resolution was based upon the financial feasibility of constructing the complex
Birth and Rebirth Through Genesis: A Timeless Theological Conversation, Vol. 1: Genesis 1-3 by Rabbi Michael L. Samuel, Aeon Publishing, ISBN 978-1-4563-0171-3 ©2011, p. 495, including excursuses, bibliography, and index; $20.70. By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — The biblical narrator of the first three chapters of Genesis, whoever he may be: Moses at God’s direction,
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–It is a struggle to decide who, if anyone, has a claim to U.S. foreign aid dollars. It is, after all, money earned by American taxpayers and sent to people who didn’t earn it, at least not in the traditional sense. Should it be used to encourage countries to
U.S money goes to its enemies in Palestinian Authority, Egypt Read More »
Shoshana Bryen, USA