Out of the mouths of….. seven-year-olds comes the impetus for Craig Pomranz’s new children’s book, Made by Raffi. This is Pomranz’s first foray into publishing, but the singer/actor/dancer is no stranger to the limelight. [Eva Trieger]
Acceptance of Differences Is Theme of Children’s Book Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eva Trieger
In the context of the 21 st century, Arafat’s rejection of a reasonable peace plan is the root cause of the May deaths of 12 Israelis and more than 230 Gazans, tit-for-tat bombardments, destruction of apartment buildings in Gaza, attempted evictions of Palestinians in east Jerusalem and police raids on the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Arafat’s Refusal to Accept an Independent State Led to Subsequent Warfare Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East
This poetic prose extract from Zechariah, a minor prophet (one of 12 in the Tanakh) was composed circa 520-510 BCE in Judea. His total writings consist of only 14 chapters. He lived in Judea, following the release of the Judean exiles by the Persian Emperor Cyrus, who had conquered the Babylon Empire (539 BCE). The then ruling emperor of Persia was Darius I (522-486 BCE). [Irv Jacobs, M.D.]
Haftorah Reading for May 29, 2021 Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion
Our staff is in regular contact with our partner region, Sha’ar HaNegev, whose residents are once again demonstrating their resilience. Your contribution to our annual campaign provides direct support for our friends in the region. We have identified three critical needs for residents of Sha’ar HaNegev where Federation support is urgently needed, and your contribution today will help to meet these needs in the weeks and months to come. [Heidi Gantwerk]
Federation’s Interim CEO Appeals for Help for Sha’ar Hanegev Read More »
Middle East, San Diego County
By Max Levin LOS ANGELES — As I started cleaning my gun, shouts of “Hakpatzah! Hakpatzah!” came from one of the boys from Team 20 as he ran through the camp. This was what our commanders would yell during training when there was an emergency, but we’d been through over a year of training and
Serving in the IDF: An American-Israeli Soldier’s Perspective Read More »
Middle East, USA
By Mimi Pollack and Marcela Roel LA MESA, California — Since March 2007, the U.S. Secretary of State has honored various women from around the world with the Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award (IWCA). This annual award honors women who have shown great courage, strength, and leadership to bring positive change to
Guatemalan Judge Erika Lorena Aifan – A Brave Voice Read More »
International, Mimi Pollack
Parasha Behaalotecha By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — This week’s Torah reading, Behaalotecha, appears to be the basis of one of my mother’s oft-repeated sayings, “Keep complaining and I’ll really give you something to complain about.” Seems the Israelites grew tired of their monotonous diet of manna, pining for the fish and other
Appreciating the Non-Material Treasures Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
By Laurie Baron, Ph.D SAN DIEGO — Where there’s woke, there’s ire. What do James Bond and police officers with qualified immunity have in common? A license to kill. If someone likens something to the Holocaust to condemn it, then their reasons for condemning it are probably unconvincing. If Republican senators invoke the filibuster to
Satire: A Pax on Both Your Houses Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Alon Ben-Meir, Ph.D NEW YORK — Now that a third Israeli-Hamas war has ended as inconclusively as the two previous wars, will both sides prepare for the next one, or let sanity sink in and chart a dramatically new course that will end the vicious cycle from which neither side can ever escape? Righting
A Third Israeli-Hamas War—What’s Next Read More »
Alon Ben-Meir, Middle East, USA
Published by Reuters By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Maha El Dahan AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad voted on Wednesday in an election certain to extend his rule over a country ruined by war, casting his ballot in the former rebel stronghold of Douma where a suspected chemical weapons attack in 2018 prompted Western air
Syria’s Assad votes in former rebel town, site of chemical attack Read More »
Middle East
Published by Al-Araby Israeli centrist party Yesh Atid has reached a coalition deal with the far-right Yisrael Beytenu, pushing the proposed ‘government of change’ one step closer to power. The Jerusalem Post reported that the agreement was made on Monday night. The Israeli paper said the deal would see Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman as
Israel’s ‘government of change’ edges closer with coalition deal Read More »
Middle East
By Jacob Kamaras SAN DIEGO — How do you connect with Judaism? According to a comprehensive survey of Jewish Americans that the Pew Research Center released earlier in May, “Majorities of U.S. Jews engage in cultural activities like cooking Jewish food (72%), sharing holidays with non-Jewish friends (62%) and visiting historical Jewish sites (57%). Many
Jewish news is Jewish community Read More »
Jacob Kamaras, USA
NEW YORK (Press Release) — The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), the national network hub of 125 Jewish Community Relations Councils and 16 national Jewish agencies, on Monday expressed its deep concern with the alarming rise in antisemitic incidents in the United States. The JCPA urged civic, political, and faith leaders to denounce these
Published by Reuters DUBAi (Reuters) – Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Tuesday he was optimistic over Tehran reaching an agreement soon at talks with world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal, although Iran’s top negotiator cautioned that serious issues remained. Iran and global powers have held several rounds ofnegotiations since April in
Iran official upbeat over nuclear talks, top delegate cautious Read More »
USA