By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO–A bright and lovely girl, whom I blessed at her bat mitzvah ceremony not so long ago, was wondering about the story of this landmark ritual in Jewish—and American—life. Beyond the parties (which are too often impossibly and embarrassingly lavish) and the hoopla, there remains a dead-serious chronicle that began
How did bar mitzvah ceremony get started? Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–The international media is filled with material on Libya and Japan, with no clear news on either. The Japan disaster is still short of apocalyptic, but not beyond catastrophe. The worrying news about Libya is that the British Prime Minister and his Chief of the Defense Staff have different war aims, while
Tensions ratchet up on Israel’s border with Gaza Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–Moshe Katsav served for almost seven years as the president of the State of Israel. He resigned a short time before his term was up due to bad behaviour: the rape and related charges for which he was convicted some time ago and sentenced on Tuesday, March 22.. The sentence is
Katzav prison sentence affirms Israel’s respect for women Read More »
Middle East
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — A chance encounter led me to the offices of IMPACT, the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education, where I was able to learn about their work and see for myself the fruits of their labour from its acting director, psychologist Shelley Elkayam. Situated in
How Middle Eastern countries teach children about the ‘other’ Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Science, Medicine, & Education
Andrea Oster, left, and Elaine Galinson SAN DIEGO (Press Release)–“We Are. We Can. We Do.” That was the theme on March 15 as nearly 100 women gathered to celebrate Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of San Diego County at the Scripps Seaside Forum in La Jolla Shores. This year’s event was co-chaired by Jessica
100 women celebrate Jewish philanthropy Read More »
San Diego Calendar
By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO–Several months ago I wrote about a documentary that was being shown as part of the Jewish Film Festival called The Wrong Side of the Bus. It was about a noted professor of psychiatry who was born, grew up and went to school in South Africa during the days of Apartheid.
Diamond lust, Apartheid’s after-effects shape ‘Groundswell’ Read More »
Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & BroadcastCompiled by San Diego Jewish World staff Lasker Lodge News Southwestern Jewish Press, December 23, 1955, Page 5 By Lou Levitt The new officers for the forthcoming year were elected at the last regular meeting. They are Dr. Milton Millman, president; Edmund Herman, 1st vice president; Samuel Bennett, 2nd vice president; Harold P. Lasher, 3rd
Adventures in San Diego Jewish History, December 23, 1955, Part 3 Read More »
Adventures in SD History, San Diego CountyBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — A correspondent wrote to ask if of late there have been any rockets coming from Gaza to Sderot and other places in Israel’s south. He was astounded that only on one day last week some fifty fell and there have been attacks every day since. Why this flare-up? As I’m
Missiles are falling again in Sderot Read More »
Middle East
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — So constant are the lies told in mass media coverage of Israel-Palestinian issues that it is hardly worthwhile to critique individual articles any more. Following the horrendous murder of the Fogel family, a number of Internet—but not print—writers have pointed out that various mass media institutions have either not
Western media’s bias shows in coverage of Fogel family murders Read More »
International, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Remember John Kennedy’s sending advisors to protect the South Vietnamese and the rest of Southeast Asia from Communism, Lyndon Johnson’s escalation after the attack on American ships in the Gulf of Tonkin, George W. Bush’s explanation for attacking Iraq and his later declaration of victory, as well as pronouncements and claims about
Disquieting questions about U.S. objectives in Libya Read More »
Ira SharkanskyBy David Ogul SAN DIEGO — All of us probably know someone who suffers or who has died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Sadly, my mother has been living with this terrible affliction for the past several years. Two years ago, my sister and I made the heartbreaking decision to move her from her Los
This bat mitzvah traveled to grandma Read More »
David Ogul, Travel and Food(Column 28, March 21, 2011) Compiled by Donald H. Harrison * UPCOMING EVENTS (In Chronological Order) * Current trends in the Middle East will be the subject of a panel discussion at 7 p.m., Monday, March 21, at Congregation Beth Israel. Panelists are Hisham Foad, SDSU Assistant professor of economics on “The Economic Roots of
A bissel this, a bissel that…San Diego Jewish news and chatter Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By David Amos SAN DIEGO–The 75 member Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra will present two programs of great variety and musical interest, on Sunday, March 27 at 3 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El, and Tuesday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. at the orchestra’s home, Tifereth Israel Synagogue. Featured as soloist will be the distinguished, retired concertmaster of the
Israeli soloist Pianka to play Barber’s Violin Concerto twice with TICO Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — There are the beloved Five Scrolls in the Hebrew Scripture, including Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, Lamentations and two named for heroic women: Ruth and Esther. Ruth was the consummate loyalist, paradigmatic convert to Judaism—a maternal ancestor to the Davidic line. Christians link her spiritually to Jesus. Esther,
The woman who served as God’s agent for change Read More »
Travel and Food