By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — The founding parents of this nation—the greatest experiment in democracy ever known in human history—were motivated by egalitarian values and aspirations first noted in the Hebrew Bible. When Moses looked Pharaoh in the eye and proclaimed, “Let my people go,” he foretold the visceral objections of Franklin, Jefferson, […]
Many tenets of U.S. government drawn from Hebrew Scriptures Read More »
USA
By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — When we speak to Hashem, the King of kings, the Judge of judges, we should certainly use a respectful means of addressing Him. Yet when we say a bracha (Hebrew Blessing), we begin with the words “Baruch Atah” – “Blessed are You.” We actually address Hashem (G-d) in
Communing with HaShem Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—Mayor Ron Huldai of Tel Aviv, after showing the Oscar-winning short-subject documentary Strangers No More at a private gathering June 30 to promote the work of the Tel Aviv Foundation, found himself discussing a subject that has preoccupied both Israel and the United States recently: what should be done to
Tel Aviv mayor tells of Israel’s illegal immigration Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, San Diego Calendar
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal TEL AVIV — Something seemed awry when I logged onto El Al’s website three months ago to select seats for our Israel bound plane: the 747 was completely booked. Our seats were already assigned and not one extra one was available. Little did we know when we booked our tickets last
Some surprises en route to and in Tel Aviv Read More »
Middle EastBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Increasingly, Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego) is showing his disdain for Israel and, along with it, the American Jewish communty which holds it dear. Having in the last several years refused to sign a resolution condemning the Goldstone Report, which former South African Judge Richard Goldstone himself later renounced,
Filner again distances himself from Israel Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By Avigail Hurvitz-Prinz JERUSALEM–About a month ago my Talmud class did an exercise where we shared our reasons for studying Gemora. Everyone had their own reasons, and my list came up to a total of 21 reasons as wide ranging as “intellectual challenge” and “to have a sense of the Rabbinic world” or “to find
Why I learn Talmud Read More »
Jewish Religion
SAN DIEGO (Press Release)– The American-flagged ship, The Audacity of Hope, is part of an international flotilla organized to violate Israel’s legal blockade of the Gaza Strip, allegedly to deliver humanitarian aid. StandWithUs condemns the flotilla as a hypocritical and dangerous publicity stunt, and joins international leaders who have urged the flotilla organizers to send goods
Gaza flotilla seeks to demonize Israel, not to help Gaza Read More »
Middle East
By Gary Rotto SAN DIEGO — Imagine not only Hanukah and Christmas occurring on the same day, but also the NFL Draft Day and even the release of the FIFA Men’s World Cup draw all coinciding. For political wonks, that is equivalent of what happened recently. Every 10 years, all levels of government must realign
Citizens redistricting commission sets the tune for musical chairs Read More »
San Diego CountyBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Liam Dillon, who is distinguishing himself as a political reporter for the Voice of San Diego, has reported that Democratic County Chairman Jess Durfee has threatened to oppose any Democrat running for office who has endorsed a Republican candidate against a Democrat in a non-partisan race. To
Will Israel be a factor in S.D. Mayor’s race? Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By Cynthia Citron LOS ANGELES–Playwright James M. Barrie is most famous for his familiar and much-loved fantasy Peter Pan. However, he also produced a large body of other literary works that include two quaintly delicate playlets: Rosalind and The Old Lady Shows Her Medals. These two are currently being staged in a delightful twosome titled
Theater presents two other ‘make believe’ tales by Peter Pan creator Read More »
Cynthia CitronFollowing updates and corrects previous version By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—It was no surprise that Sheriff Bill Gore endorsed his former boss, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. After serving as the FBI special agent in charge in San Diego and before joining the sheriff’s department as Number 2 to Sheriff Bill Kolender, Gore
Sometimes gore-y details are not surprising Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–If he is still alive, and if he is still in Gaza, Gilad Shalit has now passed five years as a captive. The lack of certainty reflects the absence of information about his existence for a year or more. His captives have never allowed a visit with an independent source, such as
The Shalit debate and demonstrations Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Danny Bloom CHIAYI, Taiwan — I call it Lippy for short, and I take 10 milligrams every night just before I hit the sack. Like a lot of aging baby-boomers, I had a heart attack a few years ago, and I’m on Lipitor now and I like it. I’ll tell you why: I have
Don’t stop giving me lip, dreamboat! Read More »
Science, Medicine, & Education