SAN DIEGO (Press Release) – John T. Earnest, a Rancho Penasquitos man who entered the Chabad of Poway on April 27, 2019, opened fire and killed one woman, injured three others, and attempted to kill 50 others, was sentenced in federal court today to life plus 30 years in prison for his crimes. Earnest previously […]
Chabad of Poway Shooter Sentenced to Life Plus 30 years in Prison Read More »
Travel and Food
By Yaakov Lappin (JNS) While Israel has refrained from publicly setting clear red lines to act as precise markers for a threshold that, if surpassed by Iran’s nuclear program, would trigger an Israeli attack, it is clear that Jerusalem has been sending warning signals about Iran’s approach towards the danger zone. These warnings appear, in
If Israel Strikes Iran, Hezbollah’s Nasrallah Will Obey Iranian Orders Read More »
Middle East
Published by DPA Israel has cut the recommended period between receiving a second Covid-19 vaccine shot and a booster dose from five months to three. The country also relaxed its quarantine period for those who test positive but are vaccinated. A statement from the Health Ministry’s director-general, Nachman Ash, said the booster recommendation was changed
Israel Cuts Wait Time for 3rd Vaccine Jab, Relaxes Quarantine Rules Read More »
Middle East
By Heidi Gantwerk SAN DIEGO — During turbulent times, Jewish Federation of San Diego County is laser focused on caring for Jews in need. More than 10,000 Jews in San Diego live at or near the poverty line, including includes seniors, Holocaust Survivors, single parents, and people with disabilities and mental illness. The Federation is
Taking Care of Holocaust Survivors: Our Collective Responsibility Read More »
Heidi Gantwerk, San Diego County
By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — What’s there to say about Donald (Don) Harrison, founder of the San Diego Jewish World and our soon-to-be editor emeritus, that hasn’t already been said? The media coverage surrounding my impending ownership of the publication has focused on the $1 purchase price, my unconventional mixture of careers in
Donald Harrison: Relentless Pursuer of Jewish Stories Read More »
Jacob Kamaras, San Diego County
This Young Adult novel is a mystical adventure in which four pre-teenage American girls representing the four cardinal directions are brought together to save the world from environmental disaster. The leader, Maia, representing the North, is a Lakota from South Dakota; the others are a Black-Jewish girl from New York (Sara, East); a Chicana from New Mexico, (Ava, South) and a Chinese girl who had been adopted by a Caucasian family in California (Yue, West). [Donald H. Harrison]
YA Fiction: A Magical Journey to Save the Environment Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, The World We Share
Anti-Semitism is not just a symptom of the radical left. Anti-Semitism can come from the ultra-right as well. The following story has not received much press in the Jewish community. When anti-Semitism rears its presence—regardless which part of the political spectrum it originated from—as a Jewish community, we must address the issue. Failing to do so is nothing less than moral cowardness. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Antisemitism Surfaces in Ohio Contest for U.S. Senate Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA
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]
Man Accused of Hate Crimes against Gays, Jews Read More »
San Diego County
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)
Conference of Presidents Denounces UN General Assembly Vote on Gaza War Investigation Read More »
International, Middle East, USA
Randy S. Grossman began serving as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of California on Sunday, Dec. 26, for an interim period of 120 days or until a Presidential appointee is confirmed, whichever occurs first. [U.S. Attorney’s office]
Randy Grossman Named U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Read More »
San Diego County, USA
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]
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Joe Biden Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
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]
Torah Portion for January 1, 2022 Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
In Part One, we mentioned the question why, according to tradition, Judah’s family merited having the messiah come from them and obscurities in the Torah in Genesis 37 and 38. This is a continuation. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
What we don’t know about Judah – Part Two Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
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]
Travel: The Gates of Jerusalem Read More »
Middle East, Travel and Food