U.S. Reps. Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene must be seeking vindication. Few Americans appreciate the “suffering” they endured during the past year or more. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Greene, Boebert Trivialize Holocaust in Fight Against Vaccinations, Masks Read More »
Bruce Ticker, International, Jewish History, USA
Published by The Bangkok Post US court dimisses defamation suit by Roy Moore against Sacha Baron Cohenpublished : 14 Jul 2021 at 07:45 WASHINGTON – A US court on Tuesday dismissed a $95 million defamation lawsuit filed by Roy Moore, a former Alabama chief justice, against British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for his depiction of
US court dimisses defamation suit by Roy Moore against Sacha Baron Cohen Read More »
USA
Published by Reuters TEL AVIV (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates opened its embassy in Israel on Wednesday, with Israel’s president attending the inaugural ceremony. The embassy is situated in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange building and its opening followed the inauguration of Israel’s embassy in the UAE last month. (Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing
UAE opens embassy in Tel Aviv Read More »
Middle East
After more than six months and no public action by Johns Hopkins University to address its teaching assistant’s overtly antisemitic posts, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (LDB) and StandWithUs demanded in a joint letter that the leadership of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, finally publicly affirm that any attempt by faculty or staff to harass, marginalize, or discriminate against Jewish students based on their Jewish identity will not be tolerated. [StandWithUs, Louis D. Brandeis Center]
Jewish Groups Seek Discipline of Johns Hopkins Teaching Assistant Read More »
Travel and Food
Published by Al-Araby American political activist and public intellectual Cornel West published his written resignation from Harvard University on Tuesday over a tenure dispute and what he said was the institution’s rejection of his political views on Palestine. In his resignation letter which he published on Twitter, dated 30 June, West criticised Harvard’s alleged hostility
Cornel West quits Harvard over tenure dispute, Palestine Read More »
Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
In Courtroom Trials in Jewish History, attorney and Jewish-community activist Esther Zaretsky offers an eclectic collection of stories about Jews who, in a broad sense, have had their day in court, courts representing justice at its worst, verdicts driven by antisemitism and anti-Israeli hatred. The title is somewhat of a misnomer, as there are no depositions or testimonies; no exhibits or closing arguments. Rather, Zaretsky provides the backstory leading up to the trial, the verdict, emphasizing how the “courts fail to affirm society’s most precious values of justice, equality, morality, and the preservation of human rights,” and its aftermath—we get to hear the rest of the story. [Fred Reiss, Ed.D]
Antisemitism and the Courts Probed in New Book Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA
Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) has named Emily Jennewein as chair of the nonprofit’s board of directors. Jennewein will depart from her role as first vice chair to replace Adam Welland as chair. [JFS News Release]
Emily Jennewein New Chair of JFS San Diego Read More »
San Diego County
Let’s begin at the beginning of this week’s parasha, which we read on the Shabbos before Tisha B’Av every year, and look at the first words of the Torah reading, “These are the words which Moshe spoke unto all of Israel across the Jordan…” Yes, Moshe spoke his words to ALL Jews, not just those alive then, but to all, including us today. When we read this parasha, Moshe is speaking directly to me and you. This makes Devarim a particularly human parasha, one in which Moshe establishes a quite personal relationship with each of us. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Torah Reading for July 17, 2021 Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
Seeing the region through the lens of the “Palestinian-Israeli peace process,” President Joe Biden and the U.S. State Department are backing the Palestinian Authority under oppressive octogenarian Mahmoud Abbas—in the 17th year of his four year term as president—as America’s partner. [Shoshana Bryen]
Biden Administration Ignores P.A.’s Abuses, Backs Abbas Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, USA
In her zany account of her travels out west from her home in Plantation, Florida, Shari Wallack never got to San Diego, so I didn’t get the chance to see how her impressions of my hometown might match up with my own experiences. If the two jibed, then I’d probably put utmost faith into her accounts of other places. As it was, I simply had to enjoy her impressions of diverse locales between New York and Utah. Also, I was astonished by her reliance on serendipity and good Jewish cooking to turn even prosaic locales into adventures. [Donald H. Harrison]
An American Jewish Memoir of Food and Travel Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Travel and Food, USA
Attorney Daniel P. Shapiro deeply loved his wife Susan and their three children. He and Susan had enjoyed special moments together; places, songs, meals that ignited memories; meaningful yet unspoken understandings typical of the happily married. And then disaster in the form of a brain hemorrhage happened. Susan slurred her speech, lost her mobility, and seemed unable to relate with the rest of her family. [Donald H. Harrison]
Dual Tragedies of a Patient with a Brain Hemorrhage and Her Caregiver Husband Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles
Published by DPA An historic synagogue in eastern Germany is set to reopen on Monday, after about 30 years of renovation works that cost around 12.6 million euros (15 million dollars). German Commissioner for Culture Monika Gruetters, along with members of the region’s Jewish community and local political leaders, is to preside over the reopening
Germany to reopen one of nation’s ‘most beautiful’ synagogues Read More »
Jewish Religion
Virgin Atlantic, Branson’s commercial airline company, began flying from London to Tel Aviv in 2019. What steps did Branson take to promote the success of the Virgin flights to and from Israel? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Richard Branson Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Middle East, Trivia, Humor & Satire
Most Jews who read the book do so like they daven (read) the prayers, in a rush, with no intent of trying to understand what they are reading. I once saw a bearded synagogue rabbi fire a very nice highly intelligent un-bearded man because he was not pious enough by the rabbi’s standard to read the book from the Writing to the congregation, and had a bearded man recite the book from the pulpit. While the un-bearded man read the book for the congregation at a fair pace, the bearded man rushed through it as he sped through his prayers. Both the reader and the rabbi failed to understand why Jews were advised by their ancestors to read the Tanakh, including the book of Lamentations. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
The Proper Way to Read Lamentations Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion