By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — The usual complaints about the inadequacy of democratic governance are about the majority that disenfranchises a minority. InIsrael, it seems to be the other way around. Often it’s relatively small groups that hold the rest to ransom – democratically. Today’s examples: two minority groups, the settlers (probably around 5%
Is Israel giving up its right to be called democratic? Read More »
Middle East
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Kingston, Ontario was once a quiet peaceful community. That all changed when Mohammad Shafia, his wife, and son decided to murder the girls of their family. When he discovered his daughters sending pictures of themselves posing in bras and panties to their boyfriends, he said,
Misogyny may be found in doctrines of some Muslims, some Jews Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–The headlines are about a couple of issues roiling close to the Prime Minister. They do not concern the big stuff that will attract people around the world who look to Israel for the excitement of threat, promise, personal or collective salvation. Insofar as the Prime Minister is the Prime Minister, however,
PM’s administrator accused of harrassing woman on staff Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — In the play Brooklyn Boy, novelist Eric “Ricky” Weiss (Cris O’Bryon) should feel as if he’s on top of the world. His roman-a-clef, also bearing the title Brooklyn Boy, has made it to Number 11 on the New York Times best seller list. Katie Couric has interviewed him
‘Brooklyn Boy’: When ‘success’ is not enough Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By J. Zel Lurie DELRAY BEACH, Florida– My father, Jacob “Yankel” Lurie and my mother, Ida “Hayele” Lurie, made aliya from Brooklyn to Haifa in 1929 a few months before the crash on Wall Street. My father, the owner of several ready-to-wear women’s fashion stores, was 54. My mother at 50 had brought up six sons and
Agudat Israel and the yeshiva that was never built Read More »
Jewish History, Middle EastBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California–After reading Neil N. Winkler’s new book, Bringing the Prophets to Life: A Timely Look at a Timeless Story (Jerusalem: Gefen, 2011), I felt elated. Somebody in the Orthodox world has finally written a book on the Prophets! The study of the Tanakh remains one of the most
Was King David guilty of adultery? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
Tough Questions Jews Ask: A Young Adult’s Guide to Building a Jewish Life, 2nd Edition by Rabbi Edward Feinstein, Jewish Lights Publishing, 2012, 140 pages, ISBN 978-1-58023-454-2-51599, U.S. cover price: $15.99. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO–Some years ago I interviewed a spokesperson for the Home Instruction for the Parents of Pre-School Youngsters program (or
Book review: ‘Tough Questions Jews Ask’ Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO – Moshe accomplished his great mission. He liberated the Jews from the bondage of Mitzrayim (Egypt). One could feel that his accomplishment was offset by the fact that most of the Jews in Egypt never made it to the promised land. Most of them perished along the way. The
Planning for our descendants’ future Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Gary Rotto SAN DIEGO — You know how we hear about social media surveys in Twitter or Facebook? How the media measures “what’s trending now” about a person or a political event? Well, Daniel Hernandez was “trending now” amongst my Facebook Friends immediately after the regional AIPAC Dinner in San Diego. The name probably
Intern who saved Giffords’ life sought her out because she’s pro-Israel Read More »
San Diego County
By Cynthia Citron LOS ANGELES — Quick! Who is Luiz Inacio da Silva? Or do you know him as “Lula”? Would it help if you were told that Time Magazine had named him one of the Most Influential People in the World in 2010? That Forbes ranked him One of the World’s Most Powerful People?
The odyssey of little Lula Read More »
Cynthia Citron
By Carol Davis ESCONDIDO, CA—It’s a pretty timely event, the dual openings of the Broadway hit, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Lawrence Welk Theatre in Escondido recently opened the award-winning musical by Frank Loesser (music and lyrics), Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willy Gilbert (book) while the revival is presently being played
‘How to Succeed’ a timely success for the Welk Read More »
Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. –The kerfuffle over the postponement of the highly touted “Austere Challenge 12” joint US-Israel military exercise is over. Officials in both countries are now on the same page: it was a “joint decision” having nothing to do with finances, Iran or politics, just “technical issues.” Regardless of the lid they’ve
Israel, U.S. differ over strategy for stopping Iran’s nuclearization Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana BryenBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — The Neturei Karta cannot bear looking at the face of a woman—whether a real woman, or merely the image of a woman’s face, which they find “erotic.” The philosopher Emmanuel Lévinas observed that the face is the only part of the body that we see in
Facing the doctrines of the Neturei Karta Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO–When a child becomes Bar or Bat Mitzvah, one of the first mitzvot for which they assume responsibility is tefillin. One of the verses which the rabbis say refers to the mitzvah of tefillin is in parashat Bo: “And this shall serve as a sign on your hand and as
Why there are four tefillin compartments for the head but only one for the arm Read More »
Jewish Religion