Sen. Josh Hawley’s decision to challenge the election of Joe Biden as president is dangerous nonsense and desperately wrong in every way. Missouri’s junior senator said Wednesday he’ll challenge the Electoral College results when Congress opens presidential ballots next week. He’s the first senator to make such a pledge. If he follows through, both houses […]
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — U.S. Sen. David Perdue said Thursday he was forced to quarantine after being exposed to the coronavirus, scrambling the final days of a runoff campaign for control of the U.S. Senate. In a statement, the Republican’s campaign said he and his wife, Bonnie, tested negative for COVID-19 on Thursday morning and are
Perdue quarantines after exposure to COVID-19 in final days of tight runoff race Read More »
USA
West Palm Beach (United States) (AFP) – President Donald Trump wound up his vacation at his Florida resort on Thursday, isolated, angry and with his power slipping away. Two months after losing the US presidential election to Joe Biden, the 74-year-old Trump is still refusing to admit his defeat. He spent the past eight days
Trump in winter: eight days of golf, tweets and rage Read More »
USA
Isaac Herzog, chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, has been busy writing letters to the heads of state in various European countries to protest the ban on kosher slaughter recently enacted by Belgium and upheld by the European Court of Justice. [Donald H. Harrison]
Herzog asks European leaders to defend kosher slaughter Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA
Mayim Bialik kicks off the new year as the lead in the new Fox comedy “Call Me Kat,” which is based on the BBC sitcom “Miranda.” “We’re doing an American version, which means more of an American sensibility, so we’ve adjusted it around my quirks and my personality,” said Bialik. “‘Call Me Kat’ is about
MIAMI — Miami Congresswoman-elect María Elvira Salazar will be unable to attend a Sunday ceremony in Washington to swear in members of the new Congress after learning she has COVID-19 during an emergency trip to the hospital, her office announced Thursday morning. Salazar, a Republican who last month defeated Democratic U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala in
Freshman Miami congresswoman-elect to miss DC swearing-in ceremony due to COVID-19 Read More »
USA
This week’s portion is titled Va’Yechi, which means And He Lived. The portion begins by discussing the final 17 years of the life of Jacob, third, and in many ways greatest, of the Patriarchs. It is ironic that the portion that talks about Jacob’s death is called, “And He Lived.” [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]
A Word of Torah: To Life! Read More »
Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi
Our lives involve a constant series of rebirths that affords us the opportunity to expand our horizon and vision of the world around us. Whenever we wake up on the first day of the New Year, it behooves us to think about what we must accomplish and achieve while we travel through time. Let us use this time to set goals and make new promises to our soul that each of us will boldly live our lives and realize the God-given potential that we each have. [Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel]
Prayers for the New Year Read More »
Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
My grandchildren, who have grown up in a secular environment in Israel, find it odd that I, their (hopefully) broad-minded grandmother, should have gone to a secondary school for girls. In Israel, it is only those segments of the population which adhere to ancient tenets of gender identification that maintain gender-segregated schools for their offspring. In England, where I grew up, the situation was similar but the ideas behind it were different. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Education for Girls in Britain and Israel Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education
Pat Toomey could not get elected as a senator for Illinois, our sixth most populous state, but since 2010 he was narrowly elected to two terms in Pennsylvania amid low turnout in Philadelphia for each election. One can draw a straight line between his re-election in 2016, possibly on Donald Trump’s coattails and his late December proposal to shut off a safety valve to salvage state and municipal budgets such as those in his home state. And mine. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Toomey typifies Unrepresentative Senate Read More »
Bruce Ticker, USA
This essay covers Joseph’s oath to Jacob of his burial in Machpelah; Jacob’s ‘adoption’ of Joseph’s two sons; Jacob’s crossed arms preferential blessing of Ephraim over Manasseh; Jacob’s testament to Judah. I have chosen four passages, for hoped-for comparison via the internet with writings attributed to ancient Israel’s neighbors. [Irv Jacobs, M.D.]
Torah (Va-Yehi) Compared with Ancient Practices Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion
With many people ignoring health regulations intended to curtail the spread of the Covid19 virus, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria signed an executive order on Wednesday allowing for fines of up to $1,000 “for those who blatantly defy provisions of State orders or the San Diego County public health order.” The measure, which went into effect at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night, was intended to bolster the following state and local regulations: {Donald H. Harrison]
ATLANTA — Senate candidate Jon Ossoff’s closing TV argument is a call to action centered on Black voters’ struggles with injustice and the coronavirus pandemic as he makes his final pitch in the last week of the runoff campaign. The 30-second spot, “We the people,” includes flashbacks to the stories of five Black Georgians his
Every time we near the end of one year and the start of another, I take time to reflect and look back on what we’ve gone through and achieved together. And honestly, I can’t think of another year in my life that compares to 2020. The year started with our efforts to hold President Trump accountable for wrongdoing, to send a message that no one — not even the President of the United States — is above the law. [Adam Schiff]
Schiff on 2020: Impeachment, COVID-19, Biden Victory Read More »
USA