Jewish Trivia Quiz: Kosher Food

By Mark D. Zimmerman Kosherpalooza, ‍a ‍food ‍festival ‍featuring ‍kosher ‍dairy ‍and ‍meat ‍items, ‍cooking ‍demonstrations, ‍wine ‍tastings ‍and ‍more, ‍was ‍recently ‍held ‍for ‍the ‍first ‍time ‍at ‍the ‍Meadowlands ‍Expo ‍Center ‍in ‍New ‍Jersey. ‍Thousands ‍of ‍attendees ‍sampled ‍dried ‍pink ‍pineapple, ‍miniature ‍steak ‍tartares ‍served ‍in ‍crispy ‍tapioca ‍shells, ‍CBD ‍peanut ‍butter ‍cups, ‍and […]

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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Book Offers Compelling Integration of Torah and Contemporary Medicine

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — Ahh, a book on “The Torah Path to Health, Fitness and a Holy Life.” Music to my ears. It was the Rambam who wrote, “Maintaining a healthy body is among the ways of serving Hashem, since it is impossible for one who is not healthy to understand

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

San Diego’s Historic Disregard for the Sanctity of Cemeteries

I was shocked on Old Town Trolley’s “Ghosts and Gravestones Tour,” not by any ghosts or spirits, but while learning about the callous disregard that San Diego city administrations of the past had for graveyards and the mortal remains of people who had lived, worked, and, in some cases, had built our city. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Shor M. Masori, Travel and Food

2 National Leaders of the JCC Movement Got Their Starts in San Diego

It took over 100 years before the JCC Association of North America chose someone from the U.S. West Coast to serve as its chairman. That person was Gary E. Jacobs of San Diego, a former president of the Lawrence Family JCC, Jacobs Family Campus in La Jolla.  As his four-year term was concluding, the JCC Association turned again to a San Diegan, David Wax, a retired executive with the San Diego-based, multistate Waxie Sanitary Supply company. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Chicago Roots Shape San Diego Author’s Creative Challah and Babka

By Eva Trieger SAN DIEGO — The saying goes that if you ask two Jews for their opinion on most topics, you will get three answers. While that may be so, one overriding unifier is our love of homemade challah and decadent babkas. These Jewish baked goods have helped inform the American-Jewish identity of baker

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Travel and Food

Israeli Gardener Wins Gold at Special Olympics in Berlin

JERUSALEM (Press Release) — More than 7,000 athletes from 126 countries competed in the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin, Germany, but Israeli athlete Mir Segel made himself known by bringing home a gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle swimming competition. An avid swimmer and hardworking gardener with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Segel

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Israel, Sports & Competitions

22 Youths at Congregation Beth Israel Earn Presidential Volunteer Service Awards

In a letter to each youth, Biden wrote: “The American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us. I congratulate you on taking it upon yourself to contribute to the public good … Throughout our country’s history, the American story has been strengthened by those who combine an optimism about what can be with the resilience to turn that vision into reality. I know I’m not alone in recognizing that those who are willing to step up and volunteer in service of community and country are essential to the ongoing work of forming our more perfect union.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra Performs With Outstanding Soloists

By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — Outstanding soloists graced the last two concerts by the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra (TICO). Although unable to attend the April 16 and 18 programs in person, I listened to their recordings and marveled at the brilliant playing by pianist Ines Irawati of Serge Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

SIX, a Musical about Henry VIII’s Wives, Electrifies

Electric! That is the first word that comes to my mind when I think about the SIX, the Broadway in San Diego show currently playing at the Civic Theatre. It’s the shortest Broadway musical I have ever seen, being only one act and clocking in at about an hour and twenty minutes, but every single one of those minutes is jam-packed with energy and earworm-worthy tunes. [Sandi Masori]

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Ruth Mastron, House of Israel President, Volunteers for Janitorial Work in Israel

Ruth Mastron, the president of the House of Israel in Balboa Park, has had an active love affair with that nation since 2008, the year she first volunteered to work for three weeks on an Israeli Army base. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Blinken Says West Bank Unrest an Impediment for Israel’s Normalization Hopes

Published by Reuters By Simon Lewis and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Turmoil in the occupied West Bank, where violence between Jewish settlers and Palestinians is spiraling, is making Israel’s goal of normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia “a lot tougher, if not impossible,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday. The Biden administration

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Middle East

Secure Community Network’s Bill Ganley Describes Services to Jewish Community

In an interview, Ganley drew upon two nautical analogies to deliver the message that members of Jewish institutions should continually train themselves to counter threats. “When does the Navy stop painting a ship?” he asks rhetorically. “Never,” he answered. “We have to approach training the same way.  Repetition builds muscle memory.” The same might be said about reading the Torah.  As soon as we finish reading the concluding fifth book, Deuteronomy, we immediately begin again reading the first book, Genesis, so that the cycle of learning never ends. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA