By Dan Elbaum (JNS) Mark Twain once wrote, “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.” For decades, many mainstream Jewish communal
Embracing a Data-Driven Approach to Engaging Jewish Young Adults Read More »
International, Middle East, Opinion, USA
By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Dr. Emily Michelson, senior lecturer in history at the University of St. Andrews, describes the over two and a half centuries when the Roman Catholic Church in Rome, Italy, forced Rome’s Jews to attend weekly hostile sermons. The Church’s aim was to convert the Jews to
Centuries of Despicable Behavior Against Jews Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — We all make decisions in our lives. Someone like me (i.e., a very old person) has had to make decisions at many points in my life — what to study, whom to marry, where to work, where to live, whether to have another child, what to cook for
The Road Not Taken Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Holocaust, International, Middle East, Opinion
By Eva Trieger SAN DIEGO — Not everyone gets to have his birthday parade in Heritage Park in Old Town, San Diego, and enjoy performances in his honor. But then again, the Bard is not just anybody! William Shakespeare’s birthday and his accomplishments are the focus of the 17th Annual San Diego Shakespeare Festival.
San Diego Shakespeare Festival Encourages Students to Recreate Famed Scenes Read More »
Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Jerry Klinger The words together will offend someone, perhaps more than just one someone. The Holocaust was a horror that converted millions of Jews into mincemeat. Operation Mincemeat was an impossibly successful British military operation that saved at least a million Jews from being exterminated. April 24, in Hackney, London, a black polished historical
Operation Mincemeat and the Holocaust Read More »
Holocaust, International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History
(JNS) Jewish National Fund-USA mourns the passing of Dr. Morton “Mort” Mower, a legendary member of the organization’s King Solomon Society and World Chairman’s Council, who was also the inventor of the Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) for congestive heart failure. “Dr. Mower loved Israel with a passion beyond words,” said Jewish
By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — Looks like I may soon have the same challenge as an antisemitic co-worker years ago at a medical publishing company in New Jersey, all thanks to U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). I was passing through a hallway when my uncollegial colleague blurted out to a small crowd that she
Muslim ‘Lioness’ Growls at the Christians Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East, Opinion, USA
SAN DIEGO — It seems that by substituting the number 5 for the letter S, Israel’s intelligence agency was trying to evade our license plate maven Melanie Rubin on this one. Yet unbeknownst to the Mossad, Rubin is well-versed in undercover operations.
Jewish-Interest License Plate: MOSSAD1 Read More »
Melanie Rubin, Travel and Food, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — “They don’t allow it,” you’re told. “They wouldn’t like it….” “They have decided…” “It’s up to them.” We hear such common pronouncements often, but who are they? They are “the powers that be,” the nameless, faceless others who control our lives. They are the systems, institutions,
Roles, Tasks, Resources — Understanding the Controlling Forces Read More »
Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz, Opinion
By Daniela Ben Joseph SAN DIEGO — On the beautiful morning of April 10, The Butterfly Project in collaboration with the StandWithUs San Diego High School Department, held a Holocaust education program at the House of Israel. The International Village in Balboa Park where it is located, receives hundreds of visitors each weekend, making it the
‘Butterfly Project’ Fuses Holocaust Education and Israel Education, Raises Hope Read More »
Holocaust, International, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education
Rhea Joyce Shifrin Goot passed away Sept. 12, 2021, in Laguna Woods, California. She was 85. Born in Chicago on Oct. 26, 1936, Rhea attended South Shore High School and the University of Illinois at Navy Pier. She raised her children in Chicago, Phoenix, and San Diego. She completed her undergraduate degree at Arizona State University,
In Memoriam: Rhea Joyce Shifrin Goot, 85 Read More »
Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County
Haftorah reading for Aharei Mot is I Samuel 20:18-42. By Irv Jacobs, M.D. LA JOLLA, California — The readings for this Shabbat are taken from I Samuel, of the “Early Prophets,” [1] though one can find another reading, from Amos, when in another year Aharei Mot’s haftorah is combined with that of Kedoshim. [2] The
Haftorah for April 30, 2022 Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion
By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — About a month ago, we read in parasha Shemini about the deaths of Nadav and Avihu. This Shabbos, in Parasha Acharei Mos, once again, the Torah takes the time to mention their deaths. In this week’s parasha, Aaron and his family are forbidden to mourn their loss,
Parashat Acharei Mos: The Value of Tears Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Steve Kramer KFAR SABA, Israel — There’s been a lot of mayhem lately at the Temple Mount (the summit of Mount Moriah) in Jerusalem, which is a magnet for religious Jews, especially during Passover. Because this year Passover, Easter, and the Muslim holiday of Ramadan coincided, more violence than usual has resulted. The current
Jerusalem’s Temple Mount: The Epicenter of Violence Read More »
Middle East, Opinion, Steve Kramer