‘Welcome Home’ Sends an SOS for Welcoming Refugees

Laurie Spiegler, the co-chair and co-founder of Welcome Home, a volunteer group that assists refugees to settle in San Diego, has put out an SOS.  Between now and February 15, as many as 1,500 Afghan refugees will be transferred from temporary lodging on U.S. military bases to the City of San Diego, where they will need everything including places to stay, furniture, bedding, personal hygiene items, paper towels, diapers, cleaning supplies, and just about everything else that cannot be purchased with food stamps. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Middle East, USA

A YouTube Channel featuring Jewish Women Performers

The ATARA organization and Spotlight on Women have joined forces to create the Jewish Women’s Chanukah Playlist 2021 Channel on YouTube, featuring music videos exclusively from Torah-observant (Orthodox) female artists from around the world. [Toby Klein Greenwald]

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International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Shana Hazan Rolling Up Democratic Endorsements for School Board

Shana Hazan, former public school teacher, parent of an SDUSD student, and candidate for the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Board of Education District B, announced on Thursday that she has received the endorsement of District 9 San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera. [Shana Hazan for School Board press release]

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San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

An Enjoyable ‘My Fair Lady’ at the Civic Through Dec. 5

If you haven’t seen the show, it’s based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and is the story of a professor (Henry Higgens, played by Laird Mackintosh) who takes in a young woman who sells flowers in the street, (Eliza Doolittle, played by Shereen Ahmed) and makes a bet with his friend (Col Pickering, played by Kevin Pariseau), that he can turn her from a gutter rat into a duchess by teaching her to speak proper English instead of Cockney.  [Sandi Masori]

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Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Despite Organizer’s COVID Absence, Chanukah Celebration Goes On

Even the most thought-out plans can be derailed by a last-minute change, especially when a leader falls ill. This wasn’t true for the Chabad of East County on Sunday, Nov. 28, though, as they pulled off their first night of Hanukkah event at the El Cajon Civic Center without a hitch, despite the absence of Rabbi Rafi Andrusier and his wife Chaya, who tested positive for COVID-19 the day before.  [Elijah McKee, East County Magazine]

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Jewish Religion, Joe Gandelman, San Diego County

ADL: Facebook Still Permitting Some Holocaust Denial Posts

In the year since Facebook banned Holocaust denial from its platform and finally classified it as hate speech instead of “misinformation,” a new ADL (Anti-Defamation League) analysis of the platform has found “cracks in enforcement” that have allowed Holocaust denial posts to still be accessible to many users. [Anti-Defamation League]

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International, Jewish History, USA

Moroccan Cemeteries Waiting to be Visited and Remembered

In early July, I set out with colleagues of the High Atlas Foundation—a U.S. and Moroccan non-for-profit organization—to meet with agricultural cooperatives in Morocco to understand their needs and goals and create action plans toward lasting development. Along the way, we visited Jewish and Christian cemeteries, and met their caretakers and neighboring community members to discover their heritage stories. [Yossef Ben-Meir]

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International, Jewish History, Travel and Food, Yossef Ben-Meir

This Anti-Israel UN ‘Special Committee’ Must Be Put Out of Its Misery

Published by New York Daily News Afghanistan is tense in the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal and the Taliban takeover. In Hong Kong, democracy is steadily being eroded. Haiti is reeling in the aftermath of political violence and natural disaster. In the Horn of Africa, war and drought threaten the lives and well-being of millions.

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International

Congregation Beth Israel’s ‘Hunger Project’ Reaches Historic $1 Million Mark

SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — For 35 years, volunteers of Congregation Beth Israel’s San Diego Hunger Project have served lunch to hundreds of people experiencing homelessness every Sunday morning at Father Joe’s Villages. Congregation Beth Israel provides food, funding, and volunteers for this program. The initiative, called the “Hunger Project,” has now distributed almost 1.5

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San Diego County

Jewish Federation Names Heidi Gantwerk President and CEO Following Interim Role

SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — Jewish Federation of San Diego County Board Chair Jack Maizel on Tuesday distributed the following letter: Dear Friends, Happy Hanukkah!! It is my distinct pleasure to share with you that Heidi Gantwerk has been named President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of San Diego County. Over the last six

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San Diego County

The Cain v. Abel Trial

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Rabbi Dr. Dan Ornstein has written the easy-to-read “Cain v. Abel: A Jewish Courtroom Drama,” an interesting, thoughtful, eye-opening, and thought-provoking book based on the two-dozen biblical sentences in Genesis 4 that report the fraternal murder of Abel by his brother Cain. Rabbi Ornstein includes the

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion