Scroll of Esther Honors Another Esther, Terror Victim Esther Horgen

By Toby Klein Greenwald It is always amazing to me how there are families who react to unbearable tragedy by creating something deeply meaningful and beautiful for the Jewish people and, indeed, for the world. This is what the family of Esther Horgen has done. Esther, 52, was brutally murdered by a terrorist on December […]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Toby Klein Greenwald

Purim is Practiced Today Differently Than the Biblical Requirement

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — The current practice is that Purim is celebrated as a one-day holiday. Cities that were walled at the time of Joshua’s conquest of Israel – most notably Jerusalem – celebrate Purim on Adar 15, as a commemoration of the end of hostilities in the walled city

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion

Federation Raising Awareness, Developing New Solutions to Fight Poverty in the San Diego Jewish Community

SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — Jewish Federation of San Diego County (Federation), which works to mobilize community resources, leaders, and organizations to address the community’s most critical needs, today highlighted urgent efforts to respond to poverty in the San Diego Jewish Community. “With 16-20 percent of Jewish households earning less than $30,000 annually, many Jewish

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San Diego County

Where Will We Draw the Line in Ukraine?

By Sam Ben-Meir NEW YORK — With last week’s bombing of a maternity ward, the increased targeting of Ukrainian civilians, and the strike against a military base just miles from the Polish border, the brutality and audacity of Russian forces will only grow as Vladimir Putin becomes increasingly desperate to crush Ukraine’s government, its independence,

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International, Opinion, Sam Ben-Meir, USA

Jerusalem International Fellows Inaugurates Cultural Residency Program in Eastern and Western Jerusalem

JERUSALEM (Press Release) — Four artists, from Brazil, India, Mexico, and the United States will participate in the Jerusalem International Fellows  program, a 10-week residency for leading performing artists, choreographers, visual artists, and urban planners from around the world, who wish to collaborate with independent artists, ensembles, and cultural institutions in eastern and western Jerusalem.

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International, Middle East, The Arts, USA

Israel Emerging

By Shoshana Bryen (JNS) We’ve become accustomed to ongoing and vicious denunciations of Israel in the United Nations, Amnesty International, the International Court of Justice and the European Union; Iran and its proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis; and more recently, “The Squad,” Black Lives Matter and BDS. We’ve become accustomed, too, to telling ourselves

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International, Middle East, Opinion, Shoshana Bryen, USA

Camp Leader at Auschwitz Details How She Helped Other Jewish Prisoners

If you hear of a Jew appointed to a position of authority at one of the Nazi concentration camps, what word comes immediately to mind? Is it “collaborator?” In “The Nazis Knew My Name,” the late Magda Hellinger tells of her experience being appointed first as a block leader and later as a camp leader by the Nazis during her three year incarceration in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp complex.  She relates that it was never her choice to be a block or camp leader, and that had she refused, she most likely would have been severely disciplined or sent to the gas chambers.  As a leader, she was expected to keep order in the block, and later in a full camp, or else.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History

Brother of Former Chabad of Poway Rabbi Sentenced for Tax Fraud Scheme

SAN DIEGO – Mendel Goldstein, brother of former Chabad of Poway Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, was sentenced in federal court on March 11 to eight months custody and a $5,500 fine for his participation in a years-long scheme with his brother to evade taxes. He was also ordered to pay restitution totaling $164,475.82. While imposing the

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San Diego County

Has Russia Become a Totalitarian Country?

By Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D JERUSALEM — Reports tell of severely censored media, and tough Russian police actions against protesters of what the country is doing in Ukraine. We also hear of opposition, but quiet, among senior officers. And timid rebellion in the military. Of not fighting in peak form. As well as absorbing considerable casualties

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International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, Opinion

Jewish Values, Strong Belief in Neighborhood Schools Shape Shana Hazan’s School Board Candidacy

By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — Fourth-generation San Diegan Shana Hazan, in her candidacy for the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Board of Education District B, says her quest for a school board seat is guided in part by Jewish values. “Tzedek (justice) and tikkun olam (repairing the world) really guided my great-grandparents,

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Jacob Kamaras, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

Addressing the Realities of the Climate Change and Global Warming Crises

By Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D. Louis XIV of France was the last king where exaggerated wasteful opulence was the norm. He aptly predicted “après moi le deluge” (after me the deluge)—indeed that flood was the French Revolution which ended the monarchy as it was known. Why am I writing this? Because this is what today

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Natasha Josefowitz, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education