Jewish connections to Halloween?

With the coming of Halloween, San Diego Jewish World introduces a new feature — a three-part video reporting series by my daughter, Sandi Masori, who has been after me for years to utilize originally produced video.  “Fine,” said I, “you do it!”  And so she did. In this series, which can be viewed above and will continue tomorrow, and Halloween night, Sandi interviews Rabbi Scott Meltzer of Ohr Shalom Synagogue in San Diego about some of the parallels between Halloween and Jewish mythology.  They discuss the stories of golems — human-like creatures created by great rabbis  — intended to protect their communities, and how golem stories were background to Mary Shelley’s famous tale about Frankenstein’s monster. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Sandi Masori, USA

In regional game-changer, US seeks to sell F-35 jets to UAE

Washington (AFP) – The United States has agreed to sell more than $10 billion of top-of-the-line F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates to reward its recognition of Israel, potentially reshaping power dynamics in the turbulent region, Congress was informed Thursday.In an informal but required notification to Congress, President Donald Trump’s administration said it

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Middle East, USA

U.S. Passports Can List ‘Jerusalem, Israel’ as Birthplace

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Thursday that henceforth U.S. passports issued to American citizens born in Jerusalem will say  at their choice “Jerusalem, Israel,” rather than simply “Jerusalem,” as has been the case up to now. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Middle East, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

The world must remember Kristallnacht

On November 9th  1938, mobs burned synagogues, destroyed Jewish homes and businesses, vandalized Jewish hospitals, orphanages and cemeteries, and dragged thousands of Jewish men, women and children into the streets, where they were beaten and humiliated.  The Germans later called this night “Kristallnacht” – The Night of Broken Glass – because of the tons of shattered glass that scattered throughout German cities, after it had taken place.  The Jews began to call that date the beginning of the Holocaust because of the tremendous violence, which started on that night and grew even more dreadful as time had passed. [Rabbi Dr. Bernhard H. Rosenberg]

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Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, International, Jewish History, USA

Normalization alone not a path for Mideast peace

Regardless of how many more Arab countries normalize relations with their country, the conflict with the Palestinians will not disappear and it must be addressed if Israel wants to ensure long-term stability and security. The Palestinians, on the other hand, must accept the emerging reality. Instead of opposing the normalization of Israeli-Arab relations, which in any case they cannot stop, they should be prepared to enter into such a process of reconciliation with Israel that would eventually lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state. [Alon Ben-Meir, Ph.D]

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Alon Ben-Meir, Middle East

Haters on the right and left this political season

I can’t blame either congresswoman for fearing for their lives. “Posting a photo with an assault rifle next to the faces of three women of color is…incitement,” tweets U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar. “There are already death threats in response to this post.” Adds her pal Rep. Rashida Tlaib: “It’s dangerous in a time of rising political violence openly encouraged by this fascist president that a soon to be member of Congress thinks a post threatening women’s lives is acceptable.” [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Middle East, USA

Three killed in terrorist knife attack inside Nice church

Three people were killed on Thursday inside a church in Nice, southern France, in what President Emmanuel Macron said was “a terrorist, Islamist attack.”The attack, which was quickly condemned in France and around the world, came only two weeks after a schoolteacher who had used caricatures of the prophet Mohammed in a lesson was beheaded

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International

New lawsuit to challenge Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy

SAN DIEGO — As one legal challenge to the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” program heads to the Supreme Court, a new one is being launched in California.The program, known officially as Migrant Protection Protocols, requires most asylum-seekers from Latin American countries to wait in Mexico while their immigration court cases progress in the United

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International, San Diego County, USA

Labour party suspends Corbyn over reaction to anti-Semitism report

London (dpa) – Britain’s opposition Labour party suspended former leader Jeremy Corbyn on Thursday, after he rejected parts of a report into anti-Semitism in the party during his time in office, saying the issue was “dramatically overstated.”The report by the independent Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) uncovered “serious failings” regarding investigations of anti-Semitism in

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International, Jewish History, Middle East

First delegation of Israeli high-tech companies visits UAE to foster ties: reports

A delegation of leading Israeli high-tech companies are in the United Arab Emirates to establish a presence in the Gulf state, just weeks after the two countries formalised ties, according to Jewish Press.Representatives from more than a dozen tech companies are involved in the trip, including Secret Double Octopus, an Israeli software company specialising in

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Business & Finance, Middle East