Man Accused of Hate Crimes against Gays, Jews

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced criminal charges Monday against a man who attacked his neighbor on November 10 while yelling anti-gay slurs. Robert Frank Wilson, 40, is charged with one count of felony battery and a hate crime allegation. He was arraigned Monday in San Diego Superior Court in the South Bay and pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say Wilson blocked his neighbor’s driveway, got out of his vehicle and started yelling homophobic slurs at the victim. At one point, Wilson reached into the window of the victim’s vehicle and struck him in the face. [District Atttorney’s office]

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San Diego County

Conference of Presidents Denounces UN General Assembly Vote on Gaza War Investigation

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (COP) on Monday issued the following statement: “We are appalled by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) vote to approve an open-ended Commission of Inquiry solely focused on Israel’s response to the conflict initiated by the Hamas terrorist regime last May, also known as ‘Operation Guardian of the Walls.’ … (Conference of Presidents)

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International, Middle East, USA

Jewish Trivia Quiz: Joe Biden

Speaking in 2013, Joe Biden said of the Jewish people, “You make up 11 percent of the seats in the United States Congress. You make up one-third of all Nobel laureates. So many notions that are embraced by this nation that particularly emanate from over 5,000 years of Jewish history, tradition and culture: independence, individualism, fairness, decency, justice, charity.” He concluded by saying what? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Torah Portion for January 1, 2022

How do you manage the pressure of hail in your life? No, not the hail that might fall once every few years in our generally warm San Diego rainy seasons. The hail I’m referring to is that which comes as adversity and misfortune, the type that Pharaoh experienced in this week’s Torah reading. Pharaoh told Moshe after the plague of hail, “I’ve sinned this time and God is righteous and me and my people are wicked.” But as soon as the hail cleared, Pharaoh stepped back from his admission. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Travel: The Gates of Jerusalem

From time immemorial until the late nineteenth century, almost all of Jerusalem’s residents lived in the walled Old City. Divided into four uneven quadrants – the Jewish Quarter, the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter and the Armenian Quarter – the Old City looms large due to its rich and multi-layered history, but it is actually quite small, at slightly less than 4/10 of a square mile. To give you a sense of perspective, it is less than 1% the size of modern Jerusalem. [Gedaliah Borvick]

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Middle East, Travel and Food

Israel sets goal of doubling number of Jewish settlers on Golan Heights

Published by Reuters UK JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s government set a goal on Sunday of doubling the number of Jewish settlers in the Golan Heights within five years, a move that could tighten its hold on the territory it occupied in fighting with Syria in 1967. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett cited then-U.S. President Donald Trump’s

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Middle East

Israeli hospital to give fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot in trial

Published by Reuters JERUSALEM (Reuters) -A major Israeli hospital will begin administering a fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot to 150 staff on Monday in a trial aimed at gauging whether a second booster is necessary nationwide, the facility said on Sunday. Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv said its trial would shed light on the efficacy

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Middle East

Palestinians and Israelis Can’t Solve the Problem, So They Cope

We can’t solve the issue, or the problem, of Palestine. So, we cope. Years ago, I asked my daughter, who was studying to be a clinical psychologist, about her dissertation. It dealt with coping. What’s that? She explained, and I came to see coping as the essence of dealing politically with insoluble problems. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Brava Cello Performance by a 15-year-old Prodigy

July Galper, America-Israel Cultural Foundation member, introduced the 15-year-old Israeli cellist, Nahar Eliaz for her second appearance in San Diego.  In spite of the rain and the upsurge of the Covid-19 Omicron variant, some 100 plus people ventured out to hear this brilliant talent. Lawrence Family JCC CEO, Betzy Lynch, fully masked, warmly welcomed the attendees. [Eileen Wingard]

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

What we don’t know about Judah- Part One

The unclear stories about Judah are significant because Jewish and Christian theology contend that the messiah will be a descendant of this fourth son of Jacob. What if anything did Judah do to merit this distinction? We will address this question and point out many obscurities in Genesis 37 and 38. We will address other obscurities in chapters 39 and others in the next essay. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

Good News from Israel – December 26, 2021

NETANYA, ISRAEL — In the December 26, 2021 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
–An Israeli treatment for Parkinson’s has successfully finished trials.
–Israel is the only Middle Eastern country where Christians are thriving.
–Israeli nanomaterials are reshaping the manufacturing industry.
–The UAE hosted an event in its Embassy to showcase Israeli technology.
–An Israeli woman has won Israel’s first World Championship swimming gold medals.
–Three major archaeological discoveries in Israel. [Michael Ordman]

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Business & Finance, International, Jewish History, Michael Ordman, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions

New Sunday Series Will Probe Jewish Stories Along the Interstate 5

Every Sunday of 2022, with the permission of San Diego Jewish World’s new publisher and editor Jacob Kamaras, I will be posting an installment of a new book that I am writing, tentatively titled Schlepping and Schmoozing Along the Interstate 5. [Donald H. Harison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jacob Kamaras, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA