End Veteran Hunger Act Advances in Congress

The legislation would combat food insecurity among veterans by providing grants to improve veteran access to proven federal food and nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including by increasing proactive outreach and education to veterans and reducing the stigma associated with utilizing these programs. [Congresswoman Jacobs’ news release]

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San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Firing and a Resignation Request at Local Chabads

Chabad of San Diego’s regional director Rabbi Yonah Fradkin has announced that he has fired Rabbi Yehuda Hadjadj as the rabbi at Chabad of UC San Diego and has asked for the resignation of Rabbi Mendel Goldstein of Chabad of Poway.  Neither Rabbi Hadjadj nor Rabbi Goldstein could be reached for immediate comment. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA

Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Hopeful Derides Jewish Day School

During a rally last Wednesday, Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano reminded his followers that Democrat Josh Shapiro, the state attorney general, “grew up in a privileged neighborhood, attended one of the most privileged schools in the nation as a young man – not college, I’m talking about as a kid.” [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Submerged Jewish Themes in ‘The Face of the Waters’

At 87, Robert Silverberg has won every science fiction award there is on offer, not to mention a tremendously large fan base.  You might think he has done it all, but now comes a new paperback version of his 1991 book, The Face of the Waters, in which the Jewish writer offers us an odyssey on a faraway water planet with creatures as fantastical as any that Homer ever conceptualized. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

Parashat Nitzavim: Choosing Life

The Torah reading this Shabbat asks us where we stand as we set the tone for the rest of our lives. “I have set before you, life and death, the blessing, and the curse. You shall choose life, so that you and your offspring will live.” The themes of t’shuvah, renewal, choosing life, and a recommitment to the covenant by everyone in our community resonate throughout Nitzavim. [Michael Mantell, PhD]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Math English, Hebrew Get Short Shrift in Haredi Schools

Over the years the Education Ministry has winked at partial compliance with its requirement. The schools of some Ashkenazi Haredi movements teach math, English, and Hebrew, less than described in the formal requirements, and others teach almost entirely religious matters, dedicating perhaps two hours per week to secular subjects. And all in Yiddish. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

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Ira Sharkansky, Israel, Science, Medicine, & Education

Jewish Trivia Quiz: Yeshiva University

The United States Supreme Court recently ruled that the school must obey the decision of the New York State Supreme Court, which stated that because the school is incorporated as an educational institution, not a religious one, it cannot deny the club’s request. In response, Yeshiva University announced that for the time being, they are suspending all student club activities. A lawyer representing the student organization called the university’s action “a throwback to 50 years ago when the city of Jackson, Miss., closed all public swimming pools rather than comply with court orders to desegregate.” There are almost 100 student organizations affected by the University’s decision, including which of the following? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire

UCSD Announces Holocaust Living History Workshop Schedule

How did the exploitation of men, women, and children in countless camps across Europe and North Africa fit into National Socialist ideology? What was the role of fascism in this ideology? And how did the victorious allies punish the Nazis for imprisoning and enslaving hundreds of thousands of people? All too often these questions are sidelined by the understandable focus on mass murder. Despite major advances in Holocaust historiography over the last several decades, however, scholars still grapple with these issues. [UCSD Holocaust Living History Workshop news release]

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California, Holocaust, International, Jewish Religion, San Diego County

Plaque Memorializes Jewish Poet and Spy

S.O.E. was tasked to train agents to operate behind enemy lines, support resistance groups, becoming deadly spies for the British. The agents transmitted vital information back to London using codes. An agent’s life was about six weeks before the Abwehr, the Nazi counter-espionage unit discovered them. The Nazis cracked their codes and liquidated the spies. [Jerry Klinger]

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International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History

Remembering Holocaust Survivors who Died in Israel’s War for Independence

Tthere are unfortunately hundreds of men and women who died in military operations before and during the creation of the State of Israel, whose history is incomplete. Most of these soldiers were European refugees, often the last remaining members of their families, who escaped the long arm of Nazi terror only to be killed fighting for the Jewish nation. Unfortunately, upon their death, no relatives existed to provide basic information, such as parents’ names, date and place of birth, and marital status. [Gedaliah Borvick]

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Gedaliah Borvick

‘Something in Preserve,’ a Musical about Seniors’ Lives, Wins Plaudits

Most of the production was comedic, poking fun at the challenges of seniority, with no holds barred, from prescription drugs to diapers. There were romances, one unrequited, facing the problems of a demented spouse; and one with a happy ending. [Eileen Wingard]

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

Every Song a Protest: Interview with Ryan Cassata

I discovered the music of Ryan Cassata via YouTube. Ryan is a singer-songwriter and activist. Ryan sings about his life as a transgender man, issues with substance abuse, suicide and hate crimes. He began socially transitioning (living as a young man) at the age of fourteen and his activism for the trans community got him on Larry King Live at fifteen. Now 28, Ryan is also a grad student at the Pacific School of Religion working on a Master’s in Divinity and Social Transformation. I spoke with Ryan recently via Zoom. [Eric George Tauber]

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Eric George Tauber, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts