A Word of Torah: A Giant’s Presence

The portion (Va-Yetzei) starts by telling us where Yaakov left, something we already knew. Why didn’t it just say, “And Yaakov went to Charan?” Rashi, the great classical commentator, explains a specific lesson from the seemingly extra phrase. When Yaakov, great Tzaddik (righteous man) that he was, departed Be’er Sheva it made an impact. Likewise, when he arrived in Charan it made an impact. That is what happens when a saintly person leaves a place and arrives somewhere else; it makes an impact. The influence of the holy is profound and enduring. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

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Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi

The Saga of the Sammy Sculpture

I’ve never known a bad guy named Sam. I said that in the early 1960s, and many years later it is still true. Sam’s are warmhearted with a faint, off-beat nature. They are comfortable with their lives, competent in their work, devoted husbands that don’t cheat on their spouses; they usually work for large organizations and don’t complain.
My observation of these people inspired me to design and build a nine-foot tall stucco sculpture for Helen and Mike and named “The Essence of Sammy.” [Ira Spector]

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Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Thanksgiving Blessings and Tzedakah

I’m always fascinated at Thanksgiving time to see how rabbis express what is a central tenet of Judaism: giving thanks to the Almighty for the many blessings bestowed upon us.
For example, the Forward offered a prayer from the book, Talking to God: Personal Prayers for Times of Joy, Sadness, Struggle and Celebration  by Rabbi Naomi Levy of the Neshuva congregation in Los Angeles. The poem focuses on every day things—children’s laughter, our ability to breathe, having enough food to eat, living in adequate shelters, being clothed, being healthy, the special people in our lives, and residing in a country where people are free to practice their religion without fear. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Medical professionals lament holiday travel

My wife and I are in the medical field. My wife works on the front lines at a large medical center and watches the suffering that COVID inflicts.  Not just to the patients and their families but to the front line workers risking their lives to help others.  In the evening we watch the news showing these dedicated doctors, nurses and support staff, exhausted both physically and mentally, literally begging us to stay home this Thanksgiving.  The Surgeon General, the President-elect and many of our states’ governors also warn us not to make matters worse. They are ignored by a huge percentage of the population. [Ben Dishman, PharmD]

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Ben Dishman, Judaism, Lifestyles, USA

Contentment, Mindfulness and Judaism

The world has never been more advanced than it is now. Humans have found cures for many of the major illnesses that threaten us; we can travel across the globe in a matter of hours; and we can communicate with each other almost instantaneously. Virtually every problem humans have historically had, besides suffering caused by other people, has been mitigated to some degree. Why is it then that so many of us are still unhappy? Daniel Cordaro says that the problem doesn’t lie with the state of the world, but with the state of our internal being. [Shor M. Masori]

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Science, Medicine, & Education, Shor M. Masori

Trump is a good friend of Israel. We’ll see about Biden

In the recent election, American-Israelis voted 70%-30% for President Trump, the converse of how American Jews voted. That tells you Israelis value the president’s accomplishments abroad, feats which are not high priority for most Jews in the US. Under Trump, the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem, quit the Iran nuclear deal, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, declared that Israeli “settlements” beyond the 1949 Armistice lines are not illegal, endorsed, in principle, an Israeli annexation of up to 30% of the West Bank, and brokered normalization agreements with three Arab states under the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement. All of these accomplishments deal with reality in the Middle East, not some tired, fanciful panacea about the necessity for a State of Palestine to allow peace in the Middle East.  [Steve Kramer]

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Middle East, Steve Kramer, USA

Trudeau names Cotler as Canada’s special envoy on combating antisemitism

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named Irwin Cotler as Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism, the prime minister’s office said on Wednesday.The office said that the Canadian government has shifted a bit of focus to “reinforcing and strengthening Canada’s efforts to advance Holocaust education, remembrance and research,” in addition to stamping

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International

Trump pardons Michael Flynn, who lied to FBI over Russia

Washington (AFP) – President Donald Trump announced Wednesday he had pardoned Michael Flynn, the former security advisor whose lies about his Russian contacts spurred the troubling investigation into Trump campaign collusion with Moscow.The pardon, which was expected, came in the final weeks of Trump’s presidency, two years of which was spent fighting the allegations that

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International, USA

Fabiola Santiago: There’s poetic justice in Biden appointing a Cuban American to lead Homeland Security

The rise of Alejandro Mayorkas may be just the feel-good story Miami needs post-election.After his Jewish parents fled Fidel Castro’s Communist takeover of Cuba in 1960, Mayorkas lived in Miami as a child. They eventually left the capital of Cuban exiles for a life in Los Angeles, but the 61-year-old hasn’t forgotten his immigrant beginnings.It

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International, Jewish History, USA

JFS increases services many fold in pandemic’s wake

Eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) remains committed to helping San Diegans of all faiths, backgrounds and ages maintain stability through this crisis and beyond. JFS released statistics on Wednesday to demonstrate the region’s increased need for assistance during the pandemic. The 102-year-old nonprofit has also announced a new, “Triple Your Impact Giving Tuesday” donation match challenge for the JFS COVID-19 Relief Fund on Dec. 1. [Jewish Family Service]

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San Diego County, USA

Biden says Americans ‘won’t stand’ for attempt to derail election result

Washington (AFP) – President-elect Joe Biden said Wednesday that Americans “won’t stand” for attempts to derail the US election outcome, but Donald Trump doubled down on his unprecedented refusal to concede defeat and called for the results to be overturned.In a speech on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday, Biden said in his hometown Delaware

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USA

Why do we love books about presidents? Obama’s ‘Promised Land’ is next and there’s a stack about Trump

CHICAGO — In the early 1930s, Ralph Newman was walking through the Near North Side when he noticed a bookstore going out of business. He had left Northwestern University after a semester to play minor league baseball in the Southwest — only to be injured and leave baseball. He was in his 20s when he

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, USA