Pop Up Bagels: A New Pop Sensation Comes to San Diego

A girl was standing at the one table in the place and ripping a piece off of her bagel and dipping it into the shmear.  What a strange way to eat a bagel I thought.  But once we got inside, I understood, their instructions on how to eat the bagel are to “grip, rip, and dip.” [Sandi Masori]

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Opinion, San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Shor M. Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

An Emotional Tour of the El Paso Holocaust Museum

The museum began as a one-room display inside the El Paso Jewish Community Center, featuring a small collection of books, posters, and personal memorabilia. Today, the El Paso Holocaust Museum encompasses more than 4,000 square feet of permanent exhibition space. It is one of only 13 free-standing Holocaust museums in the United States and one of just two presented in a fully bilingual format. [Cailin Acosta]

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Antisemitism, Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Book Traces History and Humor of Jews and Christmas

Many Jewish fathers and mothers take their children to sit on Santa Claus’s lap—just like the author Rabbi Joshua Eli Plaut did, when he was only seven years old. I laughed at the picture because I remember my father, Leo Israel Samuel—a Holocaust survivor from Auschwitz—did the same for me when I was about the same age [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Volunteer of the Month Charlotte Freifeld’s Life: Navy and Judaism

After our interview, my impression was that her passions are/were her time in the Navy and her deep Jewish faith. She is a proud veteran who wears her Navy cap everywhere as well as a Star of David around her neck. [Mimi Pollack]

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Cailin Acosta, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Mimi Pollack, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jewish Political Briefing:  Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025

Marks said “The Rally for Light today on the final day of Hanukkah is our community’s response—showing that even in moments of darkness, San Diego chooses unity, courage, and light over hate. By coming together, we are committing to carry this light beyond the holiday and to stand unwaveringly against anti-Semitism and all hate. When we stand together, light wins.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

El Paso Lights Up Ceremonial Star in Celebration of Hanukkah

As we made it past the Franklin Mountains above the University of Texas at El Paso, there was an illuminated star on the mountainside. I don’t remember the star having been lit as blue prior to this occasion. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Jewish Political Briefing: Monday, Dec. 22, 2025

Ministers in Israel’s government approved a bill establishing a commission of inquiry into the events leading up to the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, according to The Times of Israel.  Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara said the legislation, scheduled for a Knesset vote on Wednesday, Dec. 24, “politicizes the commission …” [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, News Media, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: What If a Film is Made about the Voice of Matilda?

In an opinion piece headlined “The Movie I Was Afraid To See,” Gessen recalls his experience of watching the film The Voice of Hind Rajab, which chronicles the frantic efforts of rescue-center workers at their office in Ramallah to obtain clearance for an ambulance in Gaza to pick up Hind for an eight-minute drive. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

La Mesa Arts Academy Concert Features a Chanukah Medley

Comprised of the more advanced seventh- and eighth-grade musicians, the orchestra performed a medley titled “Chanukah Holiday,” weaving together the “Dreidel Song,” “Tum Balalaika”, and “O Chanukah.” [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jews who Embraced Communism Often Sought to Fit in a Non-Jewish World

I’m used to Soviet Jewish communists who were secret enemies of the Soviet regime. But in P. A., I met a true supporter of communism. A little earlier, I had already listened to speeches by some of my French communist colleagues at the institute where I worked. Their words reminded me of articles from the Soviet newspaper Pravda (truth). P. A. turned out to be a harsh critic of France. [Alex Gordon, Ph.D.]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, International, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors