By Audrey Jacobs and Michael Lurie SAN DIEGO — As they light the candles for Hannukah, the Jewish festival of lights, Jews recall the central message of this happy festival – renewing their faith as a free people in their homeland, the land of Israel. Hannukah commemorates the events of over 2,100 years ago, when the
A prayer for peace on Hannukah Read More »
Middle EastWASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)—The Jewish Federations of North America applauded the unanimous passage of a Congressional resolution Wednesday, Dec. 1, to support programs that meet the distinct needs of aging Holocaust survivors. Spurred by information gathered by The Jewish Federations of North America and Jewish Family Service agencies, Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Frank
Congressional resolution urges care for Holocaust survivors Read More »
USA
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — In all the excitement over the Wikileaks story, I want to remind people that there’s another big story being ignored. You will be reading about it in the mass media in two or three months. The Obama Administration has messed up its attempts to get Israel-Palestinian negotiations going. The
Obama administration has bungled in Middle East for two years now Read More »
Middle East, USATEHRAN (WJC)–Officials in Iran are upset after discovering the outline of a Star of David atop the roof of the headquarters of Iran Air, the Islamic republic’s national airline, the Arab news channel ‘al-Arabiya’ reports. The six-pointed star was discovered by a Google Earth user recently, over three decades after the building was constructed by
Discovery of leftover rooftop Star of David on Iran Air building upsets officials Read More »
Travel and FoodRAMALLAH (WJC)–The Palestinian Authority (PA) has removed a controversial report claiming that the Western Wall in Jerusalem is not holy to Jews from its official website. The paper by a senior PA official had sparked world-wide criticism and was condemned as incorrect and provocative, including by the US government. The five-page ‘study’ was authored by
Palestinians withdraw report contending Kotel not Jewish Read More »
Middle EastJERUSALEM (WJC)–Tamir Pardo, a former deputy director of Israel’s foreign intelligence agency Mossad, has been tapped by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as successor to current Mossad Director Meir Dagan. Pardo has worked in the organization for much of his career. In a statement Netanyahu praised the new director’s “decades-worth of rich experience in the Mossad”.
Tamir Pardo new Mossad chief Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Wikileaks’ collection of American diplomatic cables has been on public display for several days. It is not easy obtaining direct access to the raw material, but enough has reached the media to get a feel for the content. If there is a great revelation that should surprise me, it has
Thus far, Wikileaks seen as more embarrassing than harmful Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, USA
SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — Sanford Lakoff, professor emeritus of political science at UCSD, will deliver lectures for the Agency for Jewish Education at locales in Coronado and Carlsbad in December. First, at the Coronado Library at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 15, Lakoff will deliver a “Mid-East Update.” According to an AJE spokesperson: “The U.S. effort to
Political scientist Lakoff to deliver lectures in Coronado and Carlsbad Read More »
San Diego Calendar, San Diego CountyNEW YORK (Press Release) — Leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on Tuesday, Nov. 30, welcomed the strong condemnation by the Obama Administration of a report issued by a senior Palestinian official claiming that the Western Wall is an Islamic Waqf and refuting Jewish claims to the Western Wall. The
Obama administration denounces Palestinian claims of no Jewish connection to Kotel Read More »
Middle East
By Carol Davis LA JOLLA, California –There are some things we like to sweep under the rug because they are too painful to grasp, understand, think about or are just out of whack with our sense of right and wrong. Take for example what’s going on in Darfur, or Liberia (read Danai Gurira’s play Eclipsed
‘Ruined’ at La Jolla Playhouse a must see Read More »
Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & BroadcastVISTA, California (Press Release)–Congregation B’nai Tikvah is holding its first annual “Iron Bubbes” Latke Challenge at its Hanukkah Celebration on Fri, Dec. 3 at 6:30pm. Contestants will be competing for the title of “Best Latke” and a Gift Certificate to “Sur La Table.” Judging this traditional Jewish fare will be by local restaurant celebrity, Big John Haedrich founder
Latke contest at B’nai Tikvah to be judged by restaurateurs Read More »
San Diego Calendar, San Diego CountyWASHINGTON, D.C (Press Release) — In response to the release on Tuesday, Nov. 30, of the Pentagon study on the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, Religious Action Center Director and Counsel Rabbi David Saperstein issued the following statement: “The release today of the Pentagon’s long awaited report from the Task Force charged with investigating
Reform Jews call for immediate end of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Read More »
USA
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — “Weak servers, weak logging, weak physical security, weak counter-intelligence, inattentive signal analysis… a perfect storm.” So said Private First Class Bradley Manning in a series of online chats with Adrian Lamo regarding his ability to download massive amounts of classified data and send it to Julian Assange at
Wikileaker Bradley Manning tells how he did it Read More »
USA
Finding Words by Merle Feld, URJ Press, New York; ISBN 978-0-8074-1162-9, ©2010, $14.95, 86 pages. By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — Finding Words by Merle Feld, an award-winning author and playwright, is a book of poetry that pulls at the heartstrings. Feld’s poetry expresses her most intimate feelings on the significance of family and
Poems in ‘Finding Words’ will find your heart Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD