Moses Crossy
Also Bossy
We don’t Likey
This long Hikey
Sun is Bakey
Feet are achey … [ Norma Levinson-Sedler ]
The aftermath of The Ten Plagues Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Fiction, Jewish Religion, Trivia, Humor & Satire
The fact that the UAE conditioned its recognition of Israel on freezing any further annexation is considerably important. It offers the Palestinians the opportunity to move forward and enter into unconditional negotiations now, while there will be no further annexation of Palestinian land. Even though Prime Minister Netanyahu said the halt on further annexation is temporary, once the Palestinians agree to negotiate in good faith, they will make it impossible for any Israeli government to annex any territory without risking normalization of relations with other Arab states. [Alon Ben-Meir, Ph.D]
Palestinians should quickly negotiate with Israelis Read More »
Alon Ben-Meir, Middle East
Ta’amod encourages and guides Jewish organizations to hold themselves to a higher standard, thereby ensuring that every individual experiences a safe, respectful workplace, regardless of whether that employee identifies as Jewish or not and no matter where they identify in Jewish practice and beliefs. [Eva Trieger]
National director of Ta’amod settles in San Diego Read More »
Business & Finance, Eva Trieger, San Diego County, USA
“Schluff Gezunt” a Yiddish expression, means “sleep well.” What a lovely way to put yourself in the best position to sleep well each and every night with a wish from a loved one to sleep well. While that sounds sweet, innocent, and childlike, for millions of people suffering with insomnia disorder and circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders (delayed type), about a third or more of the population, a simple wish before bedtime unfortunately isn’t enough to promote a restorative night’s sleep, essential for health and wellbeing. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Schluff Gezunt, Sleep Well Read More »
Lifestyles, Michael Mantell
The State Legislature on Monday gave final approval to a bill requiring that ethnic studies be made a requirement for graduation from California high school. Members of the Legislative Jewish Caucus sent out a news release seeking to allay fears expressed in the Jewish community that the content of those courses might include anti-Israel or anti-Semitic material. [Donald H. Harrison]
Jewish Legislative Caucus amends Ethnic Studies bill Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
When I posted the article containing a long list of obscure items in the Tanakh, I heard from many readers who found the list interesting and thoughtful. Some even offered their own interpretation of the obscure item. In view of the interest. I am listing some more of the hundreds of obscure words and events that could be listed. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
More obscure items in the Torah Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
The concerts take place on the stage of the new concert hall in Tel Aviv. I am pleased to report that in the first two concerts, the musicians were socially distanced, although they were not wearing masks. Of course, that would have been impossible for the clarinetist in the first concert, which featured Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. [Eileen Wingard]
IPO’s music is together, but players are socially distant Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts
I commend Morelli for her courage in choosing to work with four point-of-view characters, and I can’t think of any way she could have removed any of them and still told such a sweeping story, but the book suffers, in my estimation, from the intricacies inherent in such an approach. Chapters range from two to around ten pages, meaning that often within a few minutes reading time we are bounced from one character to another, and from the fifteenth to the twentieth century and back again. One never has the chance to settle in, to feel involved with the characters, to develop a strong sense of caring, before one is off again someplace else. [Laurel Corona]
‘The Night Portrait’: Another nice book to read Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories
School, High Holidays, travel to Uman. They are all problematic, and causing squabbles for us, as well as the government of Ukraine with its Jewish President. Most immediate is the opening of school, set for today. Until now we’ve been wondering about a teachers strike, the prospect of paying an extra several thousand teachers and aides to allow smaller classes, and how the various grades will be treated with respect to masks, teaching in class or from home, as well as the thousands of students still without computers or internet connections that would allow some kind of distant learning. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]
Israel muddled by coronavirus, school openings, High Holidays Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education
Today, television news reported that there were three more deaths in San Diego County from COVID-19, and that all three victims were in their 80s “with underlying conditions.”
This phrase, “with underlying conditions,” apparently is meant to make some people feel better about the death toll. It sends the message that if you are young and healthy, without any underlying conditions, you’re safe from the disease. But it sends a different message to those of us who are older and have thus far survived our battles with “underlying conditions.” It tells us that if we die from COVID-19, it won’t be so important; it’s less of a tragedy. After all, we had underlying conditions. [Donald H. Harrison]
On behalf of those ‘with underlying conditions’ Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Middle East, USA
It does not seem possible that here in the United States, a country that has long prided itself on its humanity, a man could be serving a life sentence for stealing hedge clippers. Yet, shocking as it is, Fair Wayne Bryant’s story is the story of thousands of Americans whose lives have been decimated by draconian laws that disproportionately affect minorities. [Sam Ben-Meir, Ph.D]
End mandatory life sentences for non-violent offenders Read More »
Sam Ben-Meir, USA
Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest serving prime minister, announced his retirement as a result of deteriorating health. Japan recognized Israel in 1952, but for many years they did not have strong relations, as Japan was a major trading partner of the Arab League, which supplied oil to Japan. Over time, however, Japan and Israel have strengthened their ties, particularly since 2014 when the two countries increased their security, economic, and political cooperation following a visit to Japan by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In 2018, Prime Minister Abe and his wife visited Israel, and while the trip was considered to be successful, there was one diplomatic gaffe by the Israelis. What happened that upset Abe and his wife and the Japanese staff and diplomats? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish trivia quiz: Shinzo Abe Read More »
International, Mark D. Zimmerman, Middle East, Trivia, Humor & Satire
Menachem Begin made peace with Egypt, Yitzhak Rabin made peace with Jordan. The normalization of the relationship between Israel and the Emirates should have put Binyamin Netanyahu in the same league as his distinguished predecessors. Though, unlike the Emirates, Egypt and Jordan had been at war with Israel and peace with them has remained a cold peace, normalization with the Emirates carries great promise of normalization with its neighbors and a relationship that will benefit both countries. It is also likely to shield us from Iran. [Rabbi Dow Marmur]
UAE deal gains no adulation for Bibi Read More »
Middle East
This history of one Holocaust family’s experiences, together with a book by Julie Gray that I reviewed yesterday — The True Adventures of Gidon Levin in which Gray traveled with Lev to the major venues in his life, — leave me with a hopeful sense that we are moving into a new era of Holocaust research and scholarship. I’m hopeful because I’ve often heard Holocaust survivors ask plaintively, “When we’re gone, who will tell our stories?” The answer is that an entirely new generation of journalists, descendants, and academics will probe the history of the mass murder of six million Jews, unearthing untold stories and bringing to them fresh new perspectives. [Book review by Donald H. Harrison]
A new generation of writers tackles the Holocaust Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History