Although I have never relieved myself on the White House lawn, I think the Golden Deceiver recently stepped into a pile of dog poop there. He has become about as popular as an unleashed Pitbull is to a mail carrier. In my capacity as man’s best friend, here’s some advice for him. [Elona Baron as told to Laurie Baron]
Satire: Advice for the Golden Deceiver Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
President Donald J. Trump’s policies toward foreign students are “extreme,” “unnecessary,” and “cruel,” said Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) in leading 136 members of Congress to urge the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to rescind a decision to deport foreign students who during the coronavirus pandemic take courses on-line rather than in person. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]
Congresswoman Davis protests ICE’s plan for foreign students Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
When my brother Bill Harrison and I were growing up in New Rochelle, New York, we shared a room. As you walked in, his bed was against the wall on the right, and mine was against the wall on the left. Bill, who was five years older than I am, grew tired of me crossing over to his side of the room where I would inspect his things, and sometimes play with his “grown-up” stuff. So he did what any big brother might do, he banned me from his side of the room. [Donald H. Harrison]
Bill Harrison, z”l, has a place of his own Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Obituaries & memorials
Rabbi Michael Hattin’s new 207-page book Judges has 19 chapters, two less than the biblical Book of Judges. Judges is part of a series of Maggid Books, a division of Koren Publishers Jerusalem, that uses an interdisciplinary approach incorporating traditional rabbinic interpretations with scholarly literary techniques to explore the characters, themes, and text of the Hebrew Bible. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
Judges in Book of Judges did not judge Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
I have chosen three passages from the parasha for comparison with ancient non-Israelite practices concerning divinely appointed priests and poliical leaders; and the inheritance rights of daughters. (Irv Jacobs, M.D.)
Ancient practices: Divinely appointed priests, leaders; inheritances of daughters Read More »
International, Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA
The summer of 1965, I was not quite 17, not quite 5-foot-7, and not quite a college freshman. I was also broke, and I was convinced that I held the school record for number of crushes on girls who couldn’t quite remember who I was when I called for a date. I couldn’t do anything about my age or height, but I decided to solve my other two problems with a summer job at a Catskill Mountains hotel, piling up tips and meeting girls – Jewish preferred, but not required. [Michael Ginsberg]
Short story: Dirty Dishes Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Michael Ginsberg, USA
In December 2001, I was semi-kidnapped by a taxi driver in the state of Karnataka, a remote area in Southeast India. Although scary at the time, it ended being one of many adventures/ stories that happened during the three weeks I was in India, studying with His Holiness (HH) the Dalai Lama. [Mimi Pollack]
Adventures of a Jewish Buddhist Read More »
International, Lifestyles, Mimi Pollack, Travel and Food
This week when thinking about these catastrophes I couldn’t help but think about the triumph of one particular segment of the Jewish people; Jewish women. The major failures that come to mind include the story of the Golden Calf, the Spies, the Rebellion of Korach and his cohorts, and consorting with the Midianites. The lack of participation by the Jewish women is in stark contrast to their Jewish brethren. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]
A Word of Torah: Strong women of Judaism Read More »
Jewish Religion, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi
Laurie Baron, PhD, collates a list of streaming lectures on Jewish topics for Sunday, July 12 through Thursday, July 16
Streaming Jewish lectures: July 12-16 Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
The Tifnoute community of 44 villages (about 12,000 people) … is so remote that it takes 24 hours to get there due to having to circle around the Atlas Mountains in order to arrive, with the last 70 kilometers of which being unpaved paths. When, as Peace Corps Volunteers, we were assigned to the Toubkal park, we could choose to live anywhere among its valleys of villages, so when I heard that no one had gone to the Tifnoute, I said, “OK, I’ll do it, I’ll go.” I traveled in segments, and it took me three days to get there that winter in 1993. [Yossef Ben-Meir]
The Moroccan villager who changed my life’s course Read More »
International, Middle East, USA, Yossef Ben-Meir
It’s almost Shabbat. Time to look at two new picture books. The first helps families welcome Shabbat, the Sephardic way. The second introduces young children to Havdalah, to help close Shabbat and usher in the new week. [Marcia Berneger]
Books for Jewish children: On Shabbat Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Marcia Berneger
Jew-hatred (politely termed anti-Semitism) has returned to the US and the West, jolting some Jews but befuddling others who fail to recognize the phenomenon. We baby boomers grew up in era of acceptance of the Jewish community. But this ancient hatred has reverted to the mean as the shock of the Holocaust has receded and Israel has become a powerful nation. [Steve Kramer]
Jew-hatred, then and now Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle East, Steve Kramer, USA
The euphoria lasted exactly two weeks. As June progressed the general rejoicing and premature self-congratulation on the part of the government came to an abrupt stop. The dreaded second wave had arrived. The curve which had been flattened reared its ugly head again, and alarm bells started ringing as the number of infections rose drastically. The idea of returning to the theatre and the concert hall vanished like the proverbial mirage. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Between Hunkering Down and Resurgence Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Lifestyles, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
The Talmud has always been a champion of free speech. It is a unique document of human history where rabbis engage philosophers, wise women, emperors, Roman centurions, and a host of other people as they debate the meaning of life and the message of Judaism. Rabbinical discourse is dialectical. It presents a no-hold-bars approach to virtually any topic, from war and peace to the laws governing sexual relations. But be forewarned: the Talmud is not for the faint of heart. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]
Why the great Talmudists valued contrary opinions Read More »
International, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA