Renewed COVID-19 Concerns Focus on Israel’s Main Airport

– There are a lot of questions in the air, along with hopes of some stability in both politics and health. It’s not easy to summarize, but here we go: Most of our news is about the upturn in revealed cases of COVID-19. We’re at several hundred per day, but with few hospitalizations and deaths. There’s some cases of infection among those who’ve received two inoculations, but most of those are not serious. Most infections seem to have begun with people arriving from overseas, infecting kids in schools, and then onward. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

‘Thank you, America’ from the Depths of My Jewish Heart

As a boy, I loved hearing the story about the early childhood of my father, Martin B. Harrison, who was born on the 4th of July, 1910.  To paraphrase the great Irish-American lyricist George M. Cohan, dad was a “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Until dad reached the age of 5, his parents — M. Joseph and Florence Harrison — had him persuaded that the nation held all those parades and shot off all those fireworks in celebration of his birthday.  When he got to kindergarten, however, he learned the truth.  The celebration was for the birth of the American nation, and not specifically for little Marty. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Why I Launched a Podcast About Antisemitism

In August 2016 in Berlin my younger daughter and I visited the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism, and Holocaust exhibits at the Jewish Museum Berlin. It seemed that Germany was doing rather well with coming to terms with the country’s horrendous crimes against Jews and others during WWII. [Phyllis Zimbler Miller]

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International, Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

The Vietnam Generation: A Personal Reflection

It’s the 4th of July and 60 years since, at the age of 17 while in high school, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve. My parents, refugees from Germany and Austria, reluctantly gave their consent. My family wore British and German uniforms in WWI, in WWII English, Czech and Theresienstadt garb. [Oliver B. Pollak, Ph.D]

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International, Lifestyles, Oliver Pollak, San Diego County, USA

Good News from Israel (July 4, 2021)

In the July 4, 2021 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include: 
–An Israeli TB diagnosis patch could save up to 1.4 million lives a year.
–Israeli experts are helping rescuers in the Miami building collapse.
–Israeli scientists have developed a material two atoms thick.
–Two Israeli startups make record-breaking public launches.
–Israeli teenagers win gold at European gymnastics competition.
–Israeli mother donates her kidney to save a Gaza boy.
[Michael Ordman]

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Business & Finance, International, Lifestyles, Michael Ordman, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

StandWithUs Applauds Defeat of Anti-Israel Resolution at NEA Representative Assembly

The Israel advocacy organization, StandWithUs, congratulates National Education Association (NEA) members who overwhelmingly defeated a motion attacking Israel at their 2021 Representative Assembly. New Business Item 29 (NBI 29) failed with 23% of the RA voting in favor, and 77% voting against. [StandWithUs Press Release]

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Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Planning for Locally-Based Israel Trips Resumes

As vaccination rates increase and the coronavirus pandemic seemingly is being brought under control, group trips to Israel from San Diego are again being organized.  One of the first to be publicized is a joint trip planned for May 15-29, 2022 and sponsored by the San Diego Outreach Synagogue and the Desert Outreach Synagogue, to be led respectively by Rabbi/ Cantor Cheri Weiss and Rabbi Jules King. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Biden celebrates new citizens as U.S. launches naturalization effort

Published by Reuters By Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden celebrated new U.S. citizens at an event at the White House on Friday, the same day his administration rolled out a government-wide strategy to encourage more immigrants to become citizens. “It’s dreams of immigrants like you that built America and continued to inject

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USA

StandWithUs to Aid House of Israel in Balboa Park

The leadership of the House of Israel in Balboa Park is less worried today about the possible burnout of their volunteers. which could have led to the organization being unable to keep the doors open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.  That in turn could have led to the House of Israel, a Balboa Park fixture since 1948, being forced to relinquish its cottage and being replaced by the house of another nation. The pro-Israel advocacy group StandWithUs has come to the rescue. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Death toll rises to 20 as two bodies recovered overnight at Surfside condo collapse

Published by Miami Herald SURFSIDE, Fla. — Rescue teams discovered two more victims of the Surfside condo collapse overnight, raising the death toll to 20 as first responders continued the search amid the threats of shifting rubble underfoot, falling debris overhead and a hurricane in the forecast. One of the two victims found Thursday night

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USA

German president sees signs of political awakening in Israel

Published by DPA Following the change of government in Israel, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier sees new movement in the country’s politics and society. “After years of political stagnation here in Israel – four elections in two years in which no stable government was formed – something like a political awakening can now be felt,” Steinmeier

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Middle East

Statue in front of Downtown Jersey City Catholic church is vandalized

Published by NJ.com A statue of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus outside a Downtown Jersey City Catholic church was vandalized and stolen Thursday night. Church officials said surveillance cameras recorded the vandalism and the Jersey City police have already been notified. ‘“The gentleman was seen grabbing a brick and then throwing it at the

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USA

After Boston Chabad rabbi stabbed, Jewish community ‘angry’ and ‘united’

By Faygie Holt (July 2, 2021 / JNS) Hundreds of people attended a unity rally in Boston on Friday morning to show their solidarity with the Jewish community one day after a Chabad rabbi was stabbed outside a Jewish day school. Rabbi Shlomo Noginski was sitting on the steps outside the Shaloh House, which was

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USA