Holiday gatherings hamper Israel’s fight against coronavirus

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Life here has focused on the confluence of holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah, plus the preoccupation of the Prime Minister with his indictments. The combination is a spike in the illnesses of the ultra-Orthodox, and manipulations by the Prime Minister to remain on the good side […]

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Sephardic rabbi says youths attacked him

By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Sephardic Rabbi Yonatan Halevy of Kehillat Shaar Hashamayin (Community of the Gates of Heaven)  has told police that he was attacked by teenagers during the Sukkot holiday last Saturday as he walked with his father Shalom Halevy, a stroke victim, near his congregation at 3232 Governor Drive, Suite

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County

Israel to receive another 2,000 Ethiopian Jewish immigrants

JERUSALEM  (Press Release) — The Jewish Agency for Israel and the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) applaud Monday’s decision by the Government of Israel to approve the Aliyah (immigration) of 2,000 members of the Ethiopian community who are expected to arrive in Israel by early 2021. These Olim (immigrants) are among the thousands in

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International, Middle East

Jewish trivia quiz: Birkat Kohanim

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — On the Jewish festival holidays, and additionally in some communities on Shabbat, the Birkat Kohanim–the Priestly Blessing–is traditionally offered as part of the Musaf service, the additional service that follows the Torah reading. But on Simchat Torah, which we just celebrated, the Birkat Kohanim is traditionally offered

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Jewish Religion, Mark D. Zimmerman

Crypto Jews: Finding and Embracing their Roots

By Mimi Pollack L’Chaim San Diego Magazine SAN DIEGO — My late fiancé, an 8th generation New Mexican, used to tell me about the secret or crypto Jews of New Mexico. He was convinced that although he was raised Catholic, some of his ancestors were “Conversos” or secret Jews who came to New Mexico when

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Jewish History, Mimi Pollack, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Stop Burning Masks: Choose Life Over Death

By Rabbi Benjamin Herman MIAMI, Florida — In seeing footage of members of the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn publicly burning masks has filled me with outrage and disgust. I recognize that this came in reaction to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s increasing restrictions largely affecting Orthodox Jewish communities where COVID is spreading like wildfire. Yet I

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, USA

Facebook to ban Holocaust denial

NEW YORK (Press Release) — The Anti-Defamation League is relieved by Facebook’s announcement that it was updating its hate speech policy to prohibit any content “that denies or distorts the Holocaust.” This comes after nearly a decade of ADL advocating for such changes and just weeks before the 2020 presidential election, where users have been

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Business & Finance, International, Jewish History, USA