By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — I told you so. A short while after finishing my column on politics (Every day you may have to eat –), Israel’s leadership proved it was up to the task. In a dramatic announcement timed for the evening news, including an on-camera announcement by the prime minister, we heard the
Shalit exchange required both sides to compromise Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — On Succos we leave our comfortable house and go out to the Succah – a booth that does not have a solid roof. This demonstrates our belief that it is not brick and mortar that protects us; rather it is Hashem [G-d]. Rabbi Moshe Turk of The Jewish
A baby’s fortuitous crying Read More »
Jewish Religion
Conversations with My Ancestors by Andrew Sanders; Gefen Publishing House; 308 pages; no price listed. By Norman Manson SAN DIEGO–Genealogical research has become all the rage in recent years, aided by such institutions as the Mormon church, which possesses vast files of ancestral information. Family trees, going back several generations, have sprouted in abundance, including
‘Conversations with My Ancestors’ sometimes gets bogged down in family trivia Read More »
Travel and Food
By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO — If anyone tells you that family matters don’t matter, they’re wrong, just wrong! Go back as far as the Ancient Greeks and as recently as Quiara Algeria Hudes’ 26 Miles and you will find all kinds of family matters and family dynamics that matter. For better or for worse
Family conflict, and love, on view in ’26 Miles’ Read More »
Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy Judy Lash Balint JERUSALEM–Very distressing to see the singing and dancing going on at the Shalit tent outside Netanyahu’s office a few blocks away from here as the announcement that Israel had agreed to release more than a thousand terrorists, including hundreds who were serving life sentences for terror attacks such as the Sbarro
Will Shalit-for-1000 trade bring more terror? Read More »
Middle EastNEW YORK (Press Release) – The Jewish Federations of North America heralded the announcement on Tuesday of the potentially impending release of Israel Defense Forces Corporal Gilad Shalit after more than five years in Hamas captivity. According to Israeli and U.S. media reports, Shalit will be freed in a prisoner exchange that will bring his
Potential release of Gilad Shalit hailed Read More »
Middle East
By Judy Lash Balint By Judy Lash Balint JERUSALEM — Seventeen ways you know Sukkot is coming to Jerusalem. 1. The tourists have landed! Overwhelmingly religious, English and French speaking, they jam the city’s take-out places and restaurants. The well-dressed visitors may be seen in packs wandering up and down Emek Refaim Street and through
17 Ways You Know Sukkot is Coming to Jerusalem Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — October baseball, mixing in with the autumn leaves, early football, and the Jewish holidays, is in full swing. The game, like the soul, has eternal life—it only freezes in winter, while we gather around hot stoves of nostalgia and hope. The skeptics love to prophesy the decline or
Baseball will survive its erring players Read More »
USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–There are several ways of describing the essence of politics. All of them mean pretty much the same thing: Go along in order to get along Compromise Recognize your limits One who demands too much may end up with nothing There is no absolute justice Justifications for one or another demand are
By overdemanding, Palestinians removed their goals from serious consideration Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Dr. Ehud Eilam WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two intertwined problems confront Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces: the deteriorating economy and the looming elections. The military has always been the dominant actor in Egypt since the July 1952 overthrow of King Farouk and the termination of the constitutional monarchy. After then, every president
To preserve internal power, Egyptian military may seek confrontation with Israel Read More »
Middle EastBy Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — To quote from historian Diane McWhorter’s recent essay in The New York Times, “If you recognized the name of only one of the two greats who succumbed to cancer [last] Wednesday, that’s perhaps because the work of the Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth, who died at 89 in a
Jobs and Shuttlesworth each made their mark Read More »
USA
Fourth in a series LUBLIN, Poland — A group of about 20 survivors and 2Gs (Second Generation) took a trip out of Warsaw and into the countryside. It was 8 a.m., and Agneishka S. was our guide. We didn’t know what to expect and so we girded our loins for what we knew was going
An emotional tour of Majdanek Read More »
Travel and Food
SAN DIEGO–This license plate was spotted in San Diego County by Melanie Rubin. The extra ES at the end of the name? A matter for speculation.
Jewish interest license plate Read More »
Jewish Religion, Melanie RubinBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The New Year has begun and Yom Kippur is behind us. Two prominent issues wait for treatment: peace with the Palestinians and a response to domestic social protest. The Prime Minister says that he is working hard to achieve both goals. Optimists are asking themselves if they can expect decisive
As Yom Kippur ends, social protest and peace with Palestinians return to fore Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East