The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s announcement on Tuesday that it will not accept new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) applications is cruel and unnecessary. (Michael Hopkins)
JFS leader denounces latest DACA diktat Read More »
San Diego County, USA
This week’s Torah portion in Deuteronomy (Parshah Vaetchanan) continues Moses’ plea with the Jewish people to obey God’s laws. Like parents encouraging their children to grow up to be the best they can be, Moses is trying to insure the same future for God’s children. [Marcia Berneger]
Torah for Children: Ten Commandments Read More »
Jewish Religion, Marcia Berneger
A Republican senator has deleted an ad that made his Jewish opponent’s nose bigger. Georgia Sen. David Perdue’s campaign is insisting it was just an error by a graphic artist, an explanation that many aren’t buying. (Joe Gandelman)
Politics: Winning or losing by a nose Read More »
USA
The Supreme Court decided on June 15 that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination. Discrimination ‘because of sex’ is unlawful. But what is it that makes discrimination morally wrong? It is useful to examine this from a Kantian standpoint because Immanuel Kant lays the foundation for recognizing the inherent dignity of every individual – and discrimination is indeed an affront to human dignity. [Sam Ben-Meir]
Kant on why we must not discriminate Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Sam Ben-Meir, Science, Medicine, & Education
Recently an Ethiopian refugee, Sintayehu Garedew, American Rapper Kosha Dillz aka Rami Matan Even-Esh and I held an event via Zoom. It was to raise awareness of the Jewish community called Beta-Avraham who inhabit the North Shewa mountains and town of Kechene near Addis Ababa. The nearly 80,000 people live in cramped and dangerous conditions and the fundraiser aims to raise funds for masks and protective equipment for the elderly and workers in the community affected by the strict lockdown of the Ethiopian government in response to COVID. [Sam Litvin]
Neo-Nazis disrupt Ethiopian Jewish fundraiser Read More »
International, Jewish History, Sam Litvin
Coronavirus is a puzzle. Or several of them. Individuals in health differ on several issues: Who is most and least likely to become infected? Can a person who is cured become ill with it again? Is it possible to produce a vaccine? Or do repeated bouts by individuals indicate that there is no way to achieve immunity? How accurate are the tests for having the disease? What about programs to trace contacts, in order to decide how someone became infected? How long should someone be quarantined? (Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D)
Coronavirus chaos infects Israeli politics Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education
Where is Auschwitz? What is it? Who did it concern? Who cares now? We are now living in the 21st century and that happened so long ago. Older generations will say, “Enough let it alone; it is long gone.” Younger generations will raise their eyebrows puzzled, “What are you talking about?” (Jacklyn Lewicki)
“Auschwitz” — What does the word mean to youngsters? Read More »
International, Jewish History
Congressman Yoho traveled to Israel in 2013, where he met with many Israeli political, military and civilian leaders, but also with Saeb Erekat, the chief negotiator for the Palestinian Authority. Yoho found the trip to be very educational, as he noted “It’s always fascinated me how screwed up that whole region is.” After returning from his trip, Yoho told a Gainesville Sun reporter that Erekat conceded Israel’s right to exist, but rejected that it should be populated by Jewish people. Noting that such a position undermined any real chance of peace negotiations, Yoho then said what? (Mark D. Zimmerman)
Jewish trivia quiz: Congressman Yoho Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA
Large circles, at least six feet apart, were drawn on the upper parking lot of Temple Isaiah, each reserved for a family grouping who wanted to dance, play games, and congregate, yet maintain the proper social distance from other families during this time of Covid19. (Donald H. Harrison)
Temple Isaiah families dance in socially distant circles Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Judaism, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Travel and Food, USA
The “news,” which reporters “report,” should be as objective as possible. This is often not the case today. I object to newspapers’ front pages which have been turned into op-ed pages. Because The New York Times is the American “newspaper of record” and is widely read by liberals, its front page bias needs to be considered because it’s often duplicated. [Steve Kramer]
Is it opinion or is it the news? Read More »
Middle East, Steve Kramer, USA
We can imagine that Donald Trump might issue a news release like the following in the coming week. (Laurie Baron, Ph.D)
Satire: How Trump aced his cognitive test Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
The San Diego Convention Center would normally be bustling this weekend with devoted fans of science fiction, fantasy and horror dressing up and geeking out. This year, the center lays as quiet as a tomb. Yet, leave it to clever and resourceful nerds to find a way. Comic-Con International has moved online with presentations and forums via Zoom. While there is a variety of panel discussions and workshops to choose from, I decided to focus on a handful that feature comics as agents of social change. (Eric George Tauber)
Comics as an agent of social change Read More »
Eric George Tauber, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
Meet Anna, Helena, and Naomi. As a reader of this novel, you’ll have the privilege of knowing exactly what each of these women is thinking over the course of a few days in Jerusalem, circa 1983. (Donald H. Harrison)
Novel eavesdrops on thoughts of 3 lonely women Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson
The idea of development itself, its definition, and even the method we use for defining it, would be a good place to begin toward discovering its potential in our lives. We cannot rely on any single, or even ten, definitions. We need to look at the full range of literature that arose following the end of World War II, decolonization, and reconstruction from when international development spawned in our era. How has development been defined across the decades? (Yossef Ben-Meir)
Building a development definition in Morocco Read More »
International, Middle East, Yossef Ben-Meir