A historical marker donated by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, with support from the City of Holly Springs, Ms., and the Marshall County Historical Society Museum was sited in Holly Springs. It recalled the worst antisemitic Government act in American history, the infamous, now largely forgotten General Order #11. [Jerry Klinger]
Marker recalls Grant’s Infamous Order No. 11 Read More »
Jewish History, USA
At the time when the Jews were in their prime, their ego rose to such levels that they could not overcome it. As a result, many of them began to shun the way of unity, the way of their fathers, and began to lean toward the cultures of their neighboring countries, namely Hellenism. The Hellenistic culture, with its gymnasiums, amphitheaters, grand statues and impressive architecture, seemed more appealing than Judaism, which demanded that the individual would strain to love others. Contrary to loving others, the Greeks extolled the self, the individual, and offered gods that were much more humanlike than godlike, which appealed to people’s growing self-absorption. [Michael Laitman, Ph.D]
Jewish Unity and Antisemitism, Part VII Read More »
Jewish History
By Nadeen Ebrahim CAIRO (Reuters) -A grand parade conveyed 22 ancient Egyptian royal mummies in special capsules across the capital Cairo on Saturday to a new museum home where they can be displayed in greater splendour. The convoy transported 18 kings and four queens, mostly from the New Kingdom, from the Egyptian Museum in central
Egyptian mummies paraded through Cairo on way to new museum Read More »
International, Travel and Food
Former State Senate President pro tempore James R. Mills, who died March 27 at the age of 93, was a pragmatic politician who knew that he could get what he wanted if he enabled his colleagues to do the same. [Donald H. Harrison]
Remembering Jim Mills Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, San Diego County, USA
For more than a year I have not left my apartment except for a couple of medical appointments; also, no one has come to visit. Newspapers recount more frequent instances of depression, anxiety and suicide due to the pandemic’s mandates to shelter at home. [Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D]
Personal Changes After a Year of Isolation Read More »
Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz, San Diego County
The U.S. Library of Congress admits only 25 recordings to its Recording Registry, which are works that added have to have a historical and cultural significance to be preserved for posterity. This year’s list includes Janet Jackson, Winston Churchill and Kermit the Frog. Churchill’s 1941 Christmas Eve speech will be added to the Library after it was
Winston Churchill, Kermit & Janet Jackson’s Recordings Added To The Library Of Congress Read More »
Theatre, Film & Broadcast
Arden Cho says she experienced a racist attack in which a man threatened to kill her. The “Teen Wolf” star was walking her dog Wednesday night when the man screamed “I’m going to motherf—g kill you c— and your f—g dog,” she said in an emotional Instagram post. Cho, 35, said the man shouted other
‘Teen Wolf’ star Arden Cho says man threatened to kill her, screamed racial slurs Read More »
Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
The new film “Shiva Baby” combines the traditional, weeklong Jewish mourning period with a meshugenah love rectangle and overbearing family members. Hilarious and anxiety-inducing, the movie, written and directed by Emma Seligman is now out in select theaters and on demand, during Passover. “It’s like a sort of Jewish wake that lasts a week and
‘Shiva Baby’ tackles Jewish mourning, comedy and female empowerment Read More »
Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Amy Tennery (Reuters) -Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Robert Manfred said the league was relocating its 2021 All-Star Game and MLB Draft from Atlanta, following outcry over Georgia’s new voting restrictions. The removal of the lucrative All-Star Game marks one of the most significant and high-profile protests after Georgia last week strengthened identification requirements
MLB moving All-Star Game, draft out of Georgia following outcry over voting law Read More »
Sports & Competitions, USA
At the beginning of March, another swastika was found scribbled on a dormitory wall. This was the third such incident, but this time J. Luke Wood, vice-president of student affairs and campus diversity, was on it from the start. On March 11, about a week or so after the swastikas were discovered, he sent out a tweet condemning anti-Semitism and expressing solidarity with SDSU’s Jewish faculty, staff, and students. But that was only the beginning On March 30, President de la Torre, Vice-President Wood, and Christian J. Holt, Associated Students President, distributed a campus-wide email announcing “San Diego State University’s enhanced partnership with two local organizations, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Hillel, that share our goal of creating a more inclusive community for Jewish students, faculty and staff.” [Peter C. Herman, PhD]
SDSU Responds Appropriately to Antisemitism Read More »
San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
As the 2016 Internal Holocaust Remembrance Association’s (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism continues to be adopted by organizations and universities that find it useful as a way of identifying instances of anti-Semitism—and especially the “new anti-Semitism” which couches itself as criticism of Israel—predictably, though unsurprisingly, groups that wish to continue to slander and libel the Jewish state have come out in opposition to it. [Richard L. Cravatts, Ph.D]
Antisemites Should Not Define Antisemitism Read More »
Richard L. Cravatts
We are in the home stretch! Most of Passover is already behind us. Yet we contemplate the final part of the “King of the Holidays,” which also coincides with the holy Shabbos. Here, in the Diaspora, we celebrate and observe Passover for eight days, as opposed to Israel where it is celebrated for seven days. The Promised Land has a superior level of ‘organic’ holiness. The Sages found a way to somewhat compensate for that by adding an extra day of holiness outside the borders of Israel. Therefore, instead of having a single, climax-of-the-holiday day, we have two. One additional day of mundanity transformed into a day of holiness (nothing to sniff at). [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]
A Word of Torah: The Final Day(s) of Passover Read More »
Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi
National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) kicks off its Yiddish Women Playwrights Festival with a virtual reading of Chava Rosenfarb’s play The Bird of the Ghetto (Der Foygl fun Geto), the first time the play will be presented in the language in which it was written, Yiddish. Audiences can stream the event at 11 a.m. (Pacific Time), Sunday, April 18 through 11 a.m. Thursday April 22 at 2:00 PM ET. [National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) press release]
Yiddish writer’s play finally to be performed in Yiddish Read More »
Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
This is a short, entirely prose, sequence of events during the early reign of King David. It involves the ups and downs of moving the desert Ark to Jerusalem, to be housed in a tent at the City of David. The Temple, the ultimate house for the Ark, was to be built later by King Solomon. There are episodes of intrigue and hostility in this story, including within David’s relationship to Michel, daughter of the deceased King Saul, who is David’s wife. God, who punishes actors in these scenes, for innocent unavoidable setbacks, does not come across as loving or reasonable, though he ultimately blesses David and promises loyalty to his throne and successors. [Irv Jacobs, M.D.]
Haftorah Reading for April 3, 2021 Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion