By Mimi Pollack LA MESA, California — Afghan and American cultures are different in many ways, for example, in lifestyle and style of communication. It is always a learning experience when two cultures meet, but learning is good as it can broaden your life. The above has been true for Mary Danaher [formerly Sikes] and […]
Americans Helping Afghan Refugees Read More »
International, Lifestyles, Mimi Pollack, San Diego County
By Yaakov Lappin (JNS) Early on Wednesday, the Syrian Arab Army reported that the Israel Defense Forces fired a number of surface-to-surface missiles from the Golan Heights at military positions in Syria’s Quneitra region. There were no reports of injuries, but damage reports surfaced following the attack, which reportedly occurred at around 12:30 a.m. The
Video Provides Rare Glimpse Into Hezbollah’s Entrenchment in Southern Syria Read More »
Middle East
Published by Reuters By Francois Murphy VIENNA (Reuters) – Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are in the home straight, delegates say, though some important issues remain unresolved and it is still unclear whether an agreement will be clinched. Since then-President Donald Trump pulled the United States out
How Close is Iran to Being Able to Build a Nuclear Bomb? Read More »
Middle East
By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — That land from the river — the Hudson River, that is — to the highway, the northern end of Broadway, is evidently occupied in part by Zionists. Pro-Arab activists insist that they are not antisemitic, yet the Democratic Socialists of America applied the word “Zionist” to Riverdale, a
The ‘Occupation’ of Riverdale Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Opinion, USA
By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Rabbi Dr. Sharon Zewde Shalom, the author of the very thoughtful book Dialogues of Love and Fear, is without doubt what the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks wrote about him, “a shining light of not only Ethiopian Jewry but of the Jewish people as a whole.”
Israel’s First Ethiopian Rabbi Speaks to Us Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Middle East
By Danielle Levsky SAN DIEGO — By creating an inclusive environment for audiences and the creative team, Moxie Theatre brought Diana Burbano’s Sapience to life as a story that shared the many complexities and different experiences of how neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals communicate with themselves and with each other. In Sapience, Elsa (Mariel León) is
Clear Communication: A Review of ‘Sapience’ at Moxie Theatre Read More »
San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Eric George Tauber CINCINNATI, Ohio — There are several relatively new films streaming on Netflix dealing with events leading up to, during and after the Holocaust. All are quite poignant and worthwhile, which is why I am taking the time to write about two of them here. Forgive Us Our Trespasses is a short
World War II on Netflix Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Holocaust, International, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — What should be expected from boards of education across the country, now that books like Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Art Spiegelman’s Maus have been banned? Here’s a list of stories on the verge of being proscribed and the rationales for doing so. The Grinch Who Stole Christmas: Donald Trump
Satire: The Slippery Slope of Banning Books Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Mimi Pollack LA MESA, California — Can one be an observant Muslim and a feminist at the same time? In the case of Afghan journalist Sayed Sadat, the answer is yes. During an interview at the Coronado home of his sponsor, Sayed explained how he and his family believe in women’s rights, and more
An Afghan Journalist’s Journey to Coronado Read More »
International, Mimi Pollack, San Diego County
By Richard L. Cravatts, Ph.D BOCA RATON, Florida — On January 24, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case, Fair Admissions v. Harvard University, which not only has some profound implications for the future of affirmative action in college admissions, but also raises again a troublesome and ignoble part of Harvard’s history with Jewish
Déjà Vu All Over Again at Harvard Read More »
Opinion, Richard L. Cravatts, USA
Haftorah Reading for Vayakhel is 2 Kings 12:1-17 By Irv Jacobs, M.D. LA JOLLA, California — An inspection for the assigned Haftorah for this Torah portion shows that in some years, rabbis chose a different text. In the year 2022, it is the text above. This short passage is all prose, and to this reader
Haftorah for February 26, 2022 Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion
The book starts with how our senses perceive matzah. What are its ingredients? What does it look like? What color is it? What is its texture? How does it sound when it is being boiled in matzoh ball soup? How does it smell when its being baked into an apple matzah kugel? What kind of yummy foods can you spread on it? [Donald H. Harrison]
Children’s Literature: ‘Matzah Means So Many Things’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History
By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — This special week, on Shabbat Shekalim, we read parashat Vayakhel. This is the first of several Shabbatot leading to Passover, including Shabbat Zachor (April 12, 9 Adar II), Shabbat Parah (April 26, 23 Adar II), Shabbat HaChodesh (April 2, 1 Nissan) and Shabbat HaGadol (April 9, 8
Parashat Vayakhel/Shabbat Shekalim: The Power of Community Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — As we celebrate Presidents’ Day we are reminded of how our country’s presidents, starting with George Washington, have had things to say about the Jews. In 1790, Washington wrote a letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island saying, “May the Children of the Stock of
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Presidents’ Day Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire