Published by The San Diego Union-Tribune SAN DIEGO — The man charged in the hate crime attack at a Poway synagogue that killed one woman and injured three others will not face the death penalty in federal court, prosecutors said Monday. In a terse one-sentence court filing, prosecutors with the Department of Justice said they […]
Feds: No death penalty for San Diego-area synagogue shooter Read More »
San Diego County
When I read a new book I want to turn my hours of page turning into a review. I have done this hundreds of times. Even compulsion has its limits. I list unpublished reviews in my 18,000 word resume under “Unsubmitted.” They were not rejected by an editor, they were never sent to one. Until yesterday it contained three books published between 2007-2014, and now has increased by 33 percent to four titles, totaling 1323 pages. I’m a non-fiction reviewer wary of speculation, creative non-fiction, and historical fiction. [Oliver B. Pollak, Ph.D]
Books That I Declined to Review Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Oliver Pollak
Rabbi Abraham Chill (1912-2004) gives readers of The Mitzvot, The Commandments and their Rationale a very readable listing of the commonly accepted list of biblical commands, presented in the order in which they appear in the Five Books of Moses. He identifies the location of the command in the Bible, and gives the explanations offered by various highly respected ancient rabbis, including Maimonides, Nachmanides, Abarbanel, ibn Ezra, Radak, Ralbag, Rashi, Sforno, Saadiah, and 15 others. He describes each of the 23 rabbis that he quotes. As my uncle, Rabbi Dr. Sidney B. Hoenig, Dean, Bernard Revel Graduate School, Yeshiva University, wrote in his Foreword to the book, “His work presents in digest form each and every perspective of every one of the 613 divine commandments and, in clear style and comprehension, makes the reader part of the whole gamut of thinking in Oral Law perception.” [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
Explanations of the 613 Biblical Commandments Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
As our license plate maven Melanie Rubin correctly points out, “Yallah” is an Arabic expression meaning “Let’s Go!” It is widely used in Israel by both Arabs and Jews. This original spelling of the word, may suggest that the owner of the car is in a real hurry to get going! Kudos to Melanie for spotting this license plate.
Jewish-Interest License Plate: YAALAAA Read More »
Melanie Rubin, Travel and Food, Trivia, Humor & Satire
Famed Mossad agent Yael Man, whose contributions to the intelligence agency made her a national Israeli hero, passed away on Sunday at the age of 85. Man served as an undercover agent in Lebanon, gathering intelligence on the Palestinian Liberation Organization under the guise of a British screenwriter. [JNS.org]
Mossad Agent Yael Man, 85 Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday evening, in the first official high-level talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders since 2010. [JNS.org]
Gantz Meets with Abbas in Ramallah Read More »
Travel and Food
When Eytan Stibbe heads off to the International Space Station at the end of the year, becoming only the second Israeli ever to go into space, he’ll take with him a 1,900-year-old coin recently unearthed in the Judean Desert. [JNS.org]
Israeli Astronaut to Carry Ancient Coin to International Space Station Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education
Published by New York Daily News A belated happy birthday to Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who turned 83 earlier this month. Breyer just granted an interview to another newspaper, and it’s clear he’s got a wisdom commensurate with his years, and not only on matters of constitutional law. After the untimely deaths of Antonin
Editorial: Justice Breyer admits he’s thinking about retirement. Good Read More »
USA
Published by BANG Showbiz English Scarlett Johansson is reuniting with Chris Evans to star in ‘Ghosted’. The 36-year-old actress and Chris, 40, have previously starred together in various Marvel movies, and they’re now set to join forces once again to shoot a Dexter Fletcher-directed romantic adventure. Scarlett and Chris – who previously played Black Widow
Scarlett Johansson to star in Ghosted alongside Chris Evans Read More »
Jewish Celebrities
Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America (HWZOA), announces that Naomi Adler, a distinguished leader in the nonprofit and Jewish communal sectors, has been named the organization’s new CEO. She will lead the country’s largest Jewish women’s organization, with nearly 300,000 members, donors and supporters and a professional staff of 200. [Hadassah News Release]
Naomi Adler New CEO of Hadassah Read More »
Middle East, USA
Published by InsideHook By Bonnie Stiernberg It’s been six long years since Jon Stewart stepped down as host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, and since then, fans have been clamoring for his return to TV. It turns out they don’t have much longer to wait: Apple TV+ just released a new teaser trailer for
Here’s Everything We Know So Far About Jon Stewart’s New Apple TV+ Show Read More »
Jewish Celebrities
NEW YORK (Press Release) — Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF), America’s unified alumni voice on issues of antisemitism, demonization of Israel, and bigotry, released the findings of a survey of Jewish college students and recent alums on campus antisemitism, conducted between March 25 and June 14, 2021. The survey results, compiled into a comprehensive report,
Jewish Advocacy Group Charts ‘Shocking’ Campus Antisemitism Read More »
Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts died at the age of 80. Unlike his flamboyant bandmates, Watts was known to be relatively reserved, providing a solid percussion groove informed by his jazz background and instincts. He toured with the Stones until just two years ago, providing a beat that defined such songs as (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, Paint It Black, and Honky Tonk Women. What was a Jewish connection in Charlie Watts’s life? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Charlie Watts, R.I.P. Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
As ever, the future is uncertain. However, as far as we can see, there seems no chance for a two state solution on our borders. But we can’t see too far into the future. The President of Palestine, West Bank, Mahmoud Abbas, is 85 years old. What comes next, with a civil war or not, is anyone’s guess. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D.]
Israel and the ‘two Palestines’ Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East