By Gedaliah Borvick JERUSALEM — Over 10 years ago, I wanted to make an offer to buy a house in New Jersey and the agent told me to submit my offer in the form of a signed contract. She explained – and my lawyer subsequently confirmed – that upon the seller’s acceptance of the offer, my […]
Before Signing on the Dotted Line… Read More »
Business & Finance, Gedaliah Borvick, Israel, Opinion
By David Isaac (JNS) South Korea ratified its free trade agreement with Israel on Tuesday. It’s the first FTA that Israel has signed with an Asian country. The agreement goes into force on Dec. 1. Israel exports about $1.5 billion annually to South Korea and imports $2 billion in goods. “South Korea is the 11th-largest
Israel-South Korea Free Trade Agreement Passes Final Hurdle Read More »
International, Israel, Middle East
By Kayla Swartzberg LA JOLLA, California — Take a second to look at the Second Commandment. It reads, “Thou shalt not make idols.” And I’m sure you’ve heard it before. Maybe once, maybe a thousand times. Our great rabbis, scholars, and sages tell us that the Torah is as relevant now as it was during
It’s Just Gold: Having Perspective on Idolatry and Materialism Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion
By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — Amid a return to relative normalcy following two-and-a-half years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congregation Adat Yeshurun of La Jolla is growing its community through what Rabbi Daniel Reich calls the “three Fs” — family, friends, and faith. “People are not feeling connected on a spiritual level and to
Congregation Adat Yeshurun Grows Through Spiritual Connection, ‘Cohesive Diversity’ Read More »
Jacob Kamaras, Jewish Religion, San Diego County
By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — A Detroit congresswoman, an Australian student editor, and a sex-abuse survivor from Vermont escape from a sanatorium and regale us with stories confirming their standing as antisemites. The trio has entangled Judaism and Israel, proving once again that from their perspective anti-Zionism is indeed antisemitism. A congresswoman we know
Anti-Zionism, Antisemitism Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Israel, Opinion, USA
By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. Remember leaving services last Yom Kippur, the grandeur of Neilah upon us, filled with promises to live better lives? Yet so soon afterwards many old habits reemerged – maybe even before that first morsel of food was swallowed, after the long fast. Like January’s New Year’s resolutions to “eat less
Parashat Vayeilech: Personal Transformation Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Elona Baron (as barked to Laurie Baron) SAN DIEGO — Walking my owner around the neighborhood, I notice the tombstones, pumpkins, ghosts, black cats, spiders, monsters, and skeletons that sprout up on front lawns at the end of September. I dread what this portends: Halloween, my least favorite holiday! That evening small strangers repeatedly
Hounding the Headlines: Houndoween Read More »
Trivia, Humor & Satire
From the time she was a child, author Sarah Birnbach always went to her father Marvin for comfort. Her strained relationship with her mother permitted no such interaction. When her father died, in some ways she felt like an orphan, even though her mother was still living. There was no recognition on her mother’s part that Sarah was grieving too. What would she know about loss, her mother would say, she wasn’t married for 54 years. [Donald H. Harrison]
Overcoming Obstacles to Honor a Father Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion
Converting to Christianity was not the savior it had been for Jews, not wishing the choice of death, it had been for a millennium. The Nazis were not interested in Jewish souls. The Nazis did not believe Jews even had souls, no more than they believed dogs had souls. [Jerry Klinger]
Remembering an Austrian Artist who Fled the Holocaust Read More »
Holocaust, International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History
We returned home to heavy campaigning to elect a new government on November 1, the fifth such election in three years. From my viewpoint, it looks like it may be another stalemate, with Bibi Netanyahu, leader of the conservative Likud (the most popular party) failing to form a majority coalition. The current “caretaker” prime minister, Yair Lapid, who heads the leftist Yesh Atid (the second most popular party) has been increasing his clout by performing his interim duties fairly well. {Steve Kramer]
Elizabeth R Led Her State; Who Will Lead Israel’s Government? Read More »
International, Israel, Steve Kramer
Given our sophistication, what relevance does the birthday of man and creation have to do with scientific reality? Who are we fooling? What message might this holiday have for us as we enter the next millennia? How can you seriously believe that Adam and Eve were the first people ever to live on the earth? Or that “God made the world in just six 24-hr. days”? [Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel]
Science AND Religion Needed for True Understanding of the World Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
By Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D JERUSALEM — At the start of a new Jewish year, there are good signs and other signs in our corner of the world. Attacks continue, more or less daily, mostly by individual Palestinians or small groups. Recently an 84 year old Israeli was clubbed to death on the street near her
Positive Signs in Israel for 5783 Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Israel, Opinion
By Mark D. Zimmerman Jews around the world are listening to the blowing of the shofar during the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, and again on Yom Kippur. The shofar is typically a hollowed out ram’s horn, though other animals’ horns are also used, including goats, ibexes and kudus. While there is not a specific reference to
Jewish Trivia Quiz: The Shofar Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
“So much of our liturgy this time of year is talking about, and confessing to God, about things I’ve done wrong,” says Rabbi Daniel Reich, leader of Congregation Adat Yeshurun of La Jolla. “And that’s important to do, and it’s important to recognize our mistakes so we can rectify them and move on to
Rabbi Daniel Reich on the High Holidays: From Confession to Declaration Read More »
Jewish Religion, San Diego County