By Donald H. Harrison SAN FRANCISCO – Anyone who flatters himself into believing that he has “been there and done that” will be quickly disabused of that conceit during a visit to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. The sprawling complex houses a planetarium, tropical rain forest and aquarium as well
Many experiences rolled into one at California Academy of Sciences Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — As an alumna of the London School of Economics, I received the following notification by email at the beginning of March: ‘It is with great regret that I am writing to inform you … that the LSE Council has accepted the offer of resignation of Sir Howard Davies as
A disgrace for the London School of Economics Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Science, Medicine, & Education
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. –Raising the debt limit would not ordinarily be fodder for JINSA Reports but the deal will necessarily impact upon American defense policy and our ability to plan for the defense of ourselves, our interests and our allies, so a quick review is in order. The Numbers.Total defense-related spending in
A look at the post-deal Defense budget Read More »
Shoshana Bryen, USA
Yom Kippur Readings: Inspiration, Information, Contemplation by Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins, Editor; ISBN 978-1-58023-438-2 ©2011, $19.99, p. 311 plus Sources By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — Why is Yom Kippur different from all other holidays? On all other holidays synagogues have a meager attendance, but on Yom Kippur they are filled to over
New book provides readings for Yom Kippur Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO–During The Three Weeks (Bein Hametzarim) culminating in Tisha B’Av, we mourn the destruction of the Temple, which was due to sinas chinam – unwarranted hatred. We also mourn the hatred itself and the disunity and isolation which it causes. When Jews are united, amazing things can happen as the
The power of Torah multiplied by community Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –Israel’s summer of discontent is maturing. Last week we reached the peak of romantic anticipation of upheaval from below. Young reporters on the popular news and commentary programs were ecstatic in reporting the daily expansion of tents, marches, and proclamations. Older commentators expressed their own sense of the injustices involved in high prices
Protests impressive but are they effective? Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — It should be hard to pick on Norwegians and their government this week, but it is impossible to overlook Svein Sevje, Norway’s ambassador to Israel. Trying to “outline the similarity and the difference in the two cases” (mass murder of Norwegians by a Norwegian and mass murder of
By Isaac Yetiv, PhD LA JOLLA, California — The Founding Fathers, fearful of “tyranny,” created, intentionally, a system of “divided government” to make impossible the concentration of power in the hands of one man or one group. But today, because of the great divisions in our society, the fierce partisanship and factionalism have led to
How to put an end to these budget crises Read More »
USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — A friend sent me a link to a New York Times Op-Ed piece entitled “Israel’s Identity Crisis.” The points were Who is a Jew? and Why is Netanyahu confounding the peace process by insisting that Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish State? It is not difficult to understand why the New York Times would
‘Who’s a Jew’ issue not really germane to Palestinian negotiations Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Carol Davis LA JOLLA, California— While the La Jolla Playhouses Sleeping Beauty, Rose (Aspen Vincent), of the fairy tale of the same name, flutters her eyelids in an attempt to awaken (in a sleeping disorder clinic) after a nine hundred year slumber yours truly had everything she could do to keep her eyes from fluttering
Sleeping Beauty Wakes to confusion and mayhem Read More »
Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Donald H. Harrison ALCATRAZ ISLAND, California – From the prisoners’ viewpoint, what was the worst thing about the federal prison here on “the rock” in the middle of San Francisco Bay? Was it the strict routines they had to follow? The loneliness? The chance that they may fall afoul of the rules and
Alcatraz: Its frustrations and escapes Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO–Parashat Mas’ei begins with a review of the journeys of the Israelites after the Exodus: “These were the marches of the Israelites who started out from Egypt . . . Their marches, by starting points, were as follows:” (Num. 33:1-4) In the first half of Numbers 33:2 the Torah
Importance of the future… and the past Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Donald H. Harrison OAKLAND, California – Ever since the 1990 enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, it has been increasingly commonplace to see buildings, vehicles, and streets built to be accessible to wheelchairs. But such was not the case in 1936 when Franklin D. Roosevelt was the President of the United
FDR’s presidential yacht awaits the public in Oakland Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –One of the elementary lessons in civics is that government does the job of sorting through various demands and deciding priorities, or Who Gets What. The key to the ongoing exercise is politics. In a democratic regime, votes bring to office the officials who make those decisions. If enough citizens find
The summer of Israelis’ economic discontent Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East