Vaccine for Covid-19 must touch the heart

One by one, countries are scrambling to sign billion dollar contracts to buy potential vaccines to Covid-19. At the moment, the development of an effective vaccine is highly questionable, at least according to WHO Secretary General António Guterres and White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, who both stated that an effective vaccine is unlikely in the immediate future, if ever. [Michael Laitman, Ph.D]

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Lifestyles

Willie the plumber and Lavender Laura

Willie and Laura Pincus were a forever couple. There was never any Willie without Laura, nor Laura without Willie, even after he died. He was sixty-five when he checked out, after many years of heart trouble. Jerry Lewis, the comedian once said; “Good Jewish food killed more of my people than the Holocaust did!” Willy had too many delicious pastrami, and chopped liver, sandwiches. When he died, Laura felt cheated. She often told me that she was waiting to rejoin him. She had to wait twelve long years, but finally her patience paid off, and I’m left to tell the tale. [Ira Spector]

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Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County

Memoir of a Holocaust survivor, Kibbutznik, lover

Holocaust survivor Gidon Lev had written a memoir but he needed an editor.  Julie Gray, who had recently made Aliyah to Israel, had a background as a writer for magazines and periodicals.  Even though Lev had children older than Gray, their relationship became more than a work match; the two would travel together, become lovers and lifelong companions, and produce a joint memoir that was  both an  exploration of Lev’s experiences and Gray’s reaction to them. [Book review by Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, USA

Person-to-person diplomacy in Swaziland

We stayed overnight at the upscale Hotel Orion in the community of Piggs Peak. After checking in, and dinner at the hotel restaurant, we strolled into the lobby. Sitting on the floor in an alcove was a young man with several nicely wood carved figures of animals. Curious I picked up and examined a few of them. Pasted on the bottom were tags showing how many hours it had taken him to carve each piece. A small simple elephant caught my eye. It had taken 32 hours to carve. I remarked how lovely I thought the piece was, but asked if he was aware of the small inexpensive hand held Dremel electric Motor tool which I had used for years in my carving, sanding and polishing work? He reached into his back pocket and pulled out an old Dremel catalogue and replied,”yes I am, but they are not available in my country and I can’t afford to buy one.” Impulsively I said, “I will send you one when I get back home.” What’s your name and address? And that’s how I became introduced to Pius Mthupha of Piggs Peak, Swaziland. [Ira Spector]

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International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Travel and Food, USA

King T’Challa and King David

This morning, I woke to the sad news that actor Chadwick Boseman had passed from this world after a four-year battle with colon cancer at the age of 43. Boseman had the honor to play some amazing icons of African-American history including Jackie Robinson in 42 (2013), James Brown in Get On Up (2014) and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall (2017). But he is best known as the Marvel Universe superhero, Black Panther, appearing first in Avengers movies and then in his own feature film in 2018. [Eric George Tauber]

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Eric George Tauber, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Higher education: How low can we go?

Higher education has never been so low. From the zenith of being the sole possession of reclusive monks who dedicated their lives to delving in secret ancient texts in isolated monasteries, science has become a tool in the hands of the rich and powerful to dominate, exploit, manipulate, and intimidate rivals and the general public. Humanities and social sciences, which once debated ideologies and discussed the merits and demerits of human nature and humankind, are now used as indoctrination tools to plant dogmas in young and malleable minds. [Michael Laitman, Ph.D]

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Science, Medicine, & Education

Letting go of our attachments

As I get closer and closer to departing this planet—being in my mid-nineties is a warning bell—I look around and wonder what will I miss? Actually, this is a stupid question. When I’m dead, I will obviously not miss anything. What is it that makes this so uncomfortable? It is not death itself; it is the leaving of people and things that have mattered. [Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D]

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Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz

Torah for Children: Return lost objects

An important part of this parashah are rules to follow when you find something that belongs to someone else. If you find an animal that has wandered away from its home, the Torah says you must return it. If you don’t know to whom it belongs, you can keep it until the owner claims it and then you must give it back. The Torah says “…and so too shall you do with anything your fellow loses and you find.” [Marcia Berneger]

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Jewish Religion, Marcia Berneger

Increasing instances of Jew-hatred mar country

The contempt that is showered on our people has been unremitting, not just here in San Diego but around the country.  It is part of a process, conspired in by right-wing and left-wing extremists, to normalize Jew-hatred.  Our community really needs to be on guard. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Lawrence Baron, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Humoring the Headlines: The 500th Column

When I retired from teaching at San Diego State University in 2012, Don Harrison asked me to write a weekly column. I agreed to occasionally review Jewish- themed films in a column titled “The Wandering Review.” A year later I offered to write a weekly political satire column called “Humoring the Headlines.” Familiar with “The Wandering Review,” Don thought I said that I was willing to write a column weakly. Nevertheless Don approved and all three of the fans of “The Wandering Review” were disappointed that it would appear less frequently. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]

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Donald H. Harrison, Lawrence Baron, San Diego County, Trivia, Humor & Satire

A Word of Torah: ‘Optional’ warfare

There were different types of war that the Jewish people would engage in. Those wars that entitled conquering the Holy Land were called, “Milchamot Mitzvah,” “Mitzvah” wars, as it was a positive commandment to conquer the land and expel the Canaanites, who were exceedingly evil people. Lest we accuse the Israelites of being colonialists it is appropriate to remember that the Canaanites had driven off the offspring of Noah’s son Shem, from whom the Jewish people trace our roots. In other words, the Jews were simply repatriating the land that belonged to them and which the Almighty had given in a bequest to Abraham our father. Astonishingly we learn about a different type of war – a war that was optional. The Torah explains that under certain circumstances the Jewish people would be allowed to expand the borders of Israel and fight wars with her neighbors in order to conquer additional lands [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

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Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi

San Diego Democrats to vote on anti-Semitism

Editor’s Note: The San Diego County Democratic Central Committee will vote on Tuesday, Sept. 1, on a resolution dealing with anti-Semitism.  A previous meeting on the subject indicates that there is considerable opposition to the resolution among some of the committee’s membership. By Matthew Finkelstein SAN DIEGO — I knew some in the San Diego

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Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Arson, vandalism, RJC video ramp up tensions in Jewish community

Jewish community tensions are being ramped up with news of an arson fire at the Chabad House at the University of Delaware, vandalism at a Reform synagogue in Kenosha, and a video from the Republican Jewish Coalition purporting that Democrats are turning their back on Jews and Israel and are coddling anti-Semites. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA