By Yaakov Lappin WASHINGTON, D.C. _ A fierce debate is gripping Israel’s defense and intelligence community over fateful questions that have arisen from the recent period of Middle Eastern turmoil. The first, most basic question concerning defense officials is: Can stable states eventually emerge around Israel from the chaos and uncertainty that has replaced the
Arab Spring could turn into an Islamic winter Read More »
Middle EastBy Harold Karpin MELBOURNE — On Sunday, Oct. 9 the Victorian Association of Jewish Ex- Servicemen and Servicewomen, will meet at the Brighton Cemetary to remember one of Australia’s greatest military icons, General Sir John Monash GCMG KCB VD. The sevice will be in the form of Yartzeit on the 80th Anniversary of his death.
Australian Jews will mark Sir John Monash’s 80th yahrzeit Read More »
Travel and Food
By Danny Bloom CHIAYI, Taiwan — New Hitler lookalike dolls are for sale at 7-ELEVEN convenience stores in Taiwan today. Seems as if images of Adolph Hitler, the German Nazi dictator, have a special place in the marketing hearts of Asian advertising agencies and PR mavens. From Japan to India, from Taiwan to Vietnam, images
Hitler toys being sold in Taiwan convenience stores Read More »
Travel and Food
97 Orchard by Jane Ziegelman, Smithsonian Books, $25,99 By Marc Yaffe BETHESDA, Maryland — If you were raised in New York City, are well passed the mid-century mark, and are Jewish, you can’t help but harbor your own special memories involving the Lower East Side, in its day the largest Jewish enclave in this country.
Immigrant life (and recipes) revisited in ’97 Orchard’ Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — A friend forwarded to me a sermon that Rabbi Schlomo Lewis of Atlanta delivered a year ago on Rosh Hashana. A bit of Googling showed that the sermon has circulated widely. It is as strong a statement as I have seen comparing Radical Islam to Nazism, and comparing the widespread
Moderates are the radicals of Muslim world Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—At a recent ceremony marking the beginning of a year-long celebration of Congregation Beth Israel’s sesquicentennial, Rob Levi shared with me a copy of his book about his great-grandfather, Adolph Levi, one of the founders of the Reform congregation. Although he researched and published the book primarily for family use—and
The Levis’ personal Jewish history of San Diego Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History
By Cynthia Citron PASADENA, California –“I started out in college in pre-med, but I couldn’t hack the chemistry. Then I switched to pre-law, but I found it boring. Then I went to see a production of Georges Feydeau’s A Flea in Her Ear, and it hit me like a ton of bricks — ‘That’s what
What little girls playing ‘dress up’ can lead to Read More »
Cynthia CitronBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Nothing new or dramatic in the highly touted speeches by Abbas and Netanyahu, and nothing promising or threatening in the prodding to negotiations announced after the speeches by the Quartet of minders: US, UN, Russia, European Union. Abbas repeated himself time and again, and Netanyahu seemed tired and off the
Neither Bibi nor Abbas very surprising at U.N. Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Carol Davis ESCONDIDO, California — It mattered not that the actors in the Dale Wasserman (Book), Mitch Leigh (Music) and Joe Darion (Music) mega musical hit of the 1965 Broadway Production, Man Of La Mancha, based on the 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, by Wasserman were also the musicians in this current offering of
Welk’s ‘La Mancha’ still pleases after decades Read More »
Carol Davis, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — Every day since we entered the Hebrew month of Elul we have sounded the Shofar during morning minyan. The Shofar reminds us of the upcoming Holy Days, and that we should begin to spend more time directing our hearts and minds toward heaven. One of the central themes
Keeping ourselves from spiritual harm Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Natasha Josefowitz LA JOLLA, California — 1. Does your relationship have arthritis? Everything hurts, you do small things to try and help, but there is no cure. Every motion irritates, and there is no letup. 2. Does your relationship have migraines? Even though you are both there, one of you is really absent, lost
What ails your relationship? Read More »
Natasha Josefowitz
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Palestinian Unilateral Declaration of Independence is a cynical ploy that bypasses the necessary requirement for direct negotiations between the Palestinian leadership and the Government of Israel. Despite a last minute scramble by the White House intending to delay this action, it is all too likely that a vote
What are the stakes of a Palestinian UDI vote? Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana Bryen
By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — Reb Yisroel Salanter, one of the greatest Rabbis of his generation, was set to say mourners kaddish in shul. At that shul, in those times, the custom was for only one mourner to say kaddish at each service. Reb Yisroel was designated for that particular service. Saying kaddish
Memorable acts of kindness by a rebbe and a bar mitzvah boy Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Barack Obama demonstrated once again that he knows how to speak. In the process, he may have regained some of the Jewish money and votes that he lost by his earlier tilts toward Palestinians, and demanding an end to construction in Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem. Israeli commentators called it the warmest speech
Obama may have won back some Jews with his U.N. speech Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East