A Scroll of Ancient Music that Leads to a Romance

This book is a fictionalized account of Jacqueline Semha Gmach’s life in Tunisia and Canada before settling in San Diego where her store of cultural knowledge for many years defined programming at the Lawrence Family JCC.  It is also a love story, travelogue, and collection of photos that are dear to Gmach. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, San Diego County

Justice Alito Overlooks the Preamble to the Constitution

By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — Samuel A. Alito Jr. tells “We the People:” “No support in American law for a constitutional right to obtain an abortion.” Not quite, Mr. Justice. True, our pre-amendment Constitution specifies no civil rights save a brief clause barring a “religious test” to hold public office. However, the Constitution’s Preamble

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Bruce Ticker, Opinion, USA

Unpacking the Transmission of Holocaust Trauma

“The Holocaust: Does Judaism Believe in Gilgul? Transmigration of Souls.” By Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg; Independently published; ISBN-13: ‎ 979-8448939662; 436 pages; $24.99. By Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — The author of The Holocaust: Does Judaism Believe in Gilgul? Transmigration of Souls begins with a wonderful quote from the famed psychologist

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

The Palestinian Arabs’ False Impression of Zionism

By Steve Kramer KFAR SABA, Israel — The following is my summary of an excellent lecture by Haviv Rettig Gur, a well-known journalist for The Times of Israel. Gur’s lecture brings something new to the Arab-Israeli conundrum. It’s a wake-up call for Palestinian Arabs, explaining that their belief that Zionism is the ultimate reason for

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Middle East, Opinion, Steve Kramer

Three Stories for Young Children from PJ Library

Jennifer Wolf Kam wrote and Sally Walker illustrated Until the Blueberries Grow about a young boy named Ben who successfully delays his grandfather for a year from selling his home and moving to a retirement community (hopefully like our Seacrest Village in Encinitas).  During the year of delay, Ben and his zayde have many adventures such as picking and eating blueberries together; eating jelly sandwiches in the sukkah; drinking hot chocolate by the light of the chanukiah; and secreting and finding afikomen outside in the lilac bushes.  But after the year delay, zayde tells Ben he just doesn’t want to keep climbing the stairs to his second-floor bedroom.  So, he moves to a retirement community, and when Ben visits him there, he brings a gift.  Blueberries! [Donald H. Harrison]

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

A Special Privilege to Teach Our Children

By Rabbi Simcha Weiser (JNS) The Jewish future relies on the relevance that children find in what we Jewish teachers teach. Soon to be entering the new school year, we need thoughtful clarity for our teaching to remain relevant. As our Jewish educators prepare to “diligently teach our children,” we remind ourselves how privileged we

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Opinion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Federal Probe Opened Into Alleged Antisemitism at University of Southern California

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced it has opened an investigation into a complaint alleging the University of Southern California (USC) allowed a hostile environment of antisemitism to proliferate on its campus, resulting in the resignation in August 2020 of its Jewish student government vice

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California, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Parashat Matot – Massei: Helping Our Synagogues Do Better

By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. When you walk into a synagogue, what do you feel? A deep-rooted home, a sense of connection and a feeling of being appreciated regardless of your age, religious ritual practices, sexual orientation, cultural background, family life? I seek to feel an authentic connection, a well-anchored link and emotional stir to

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

13-Year-Old San Diegan Donates $1,800 of Bar Mitzvah Gifts to Help His Homeless Neighbors

SAN DIEGO (Press Release) – The San Diego Rescue Mission received a donation of $1,800 from Leo Fink, a 13-year-old San Diego resident from Carmel Valley who recently had his bar mitzvah and wanted to give part of his gift money to help his neighbors experiencing homelessness. Leo has been volunteering at the San Diego

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County

StandWithUs Files Amicus Brief Countering Anti-Israel Bias and Antisemitism in the Clifton, NJ Board of Education

CLIFTON, New Jersey (Press Release) — The StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department proudly announces its filing of an amicus brief on July 25, 2022, in support of Complainant-Appellant Elisabet h Schwartz, to help combat inflammatory anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric by members of the Clifton Board of Education in Clifton, New Jersey. StandWithUs’ brief responds to a

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Middle East, USA