Love at first sight, and other biblical phenomena

“And when Jacob saw Rachel,…and watered…(her) flock…Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and broke into tears.” This is an example of love at first sight. I wondered about existence  of this phenomenon in ancient times.  It is acknowledged to have commonly occurred, but the first well-recorded explanation comes from a story told by Aristophanes, described by Plato in The Symposium. [Irv Jacobs, M.D]

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Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion

Three local poets to recite Dec. 17 at LFJCC

Adam Greenfield is a professional podcast producer and published poet. His 2017 book, Regarding the Monkey, received critical acclaim. Anna Abraham Gasaway, a graduate of Holyoke College, is currently studying poetry in the Master of Fine Arts Program at San Diego State University. Her poetry has been published in the San Diego Reader, Last Exit, Toyon, Mesa Visions and Cityworks. Lucy Lehman, a graduate of Wellesley College, has had her poetry published in the San Diego Poetry Annual. [Eileen Wingard]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Eileen Wingard, San Diego County

Winter songs and dance at the Welk

With everything else going on in the world, there’s a nice little respite below the hills in Escondido at the Welk Resort Theatre where co-creator Larry Rabin with co- director Noelle Marion and choreographer and co-creator Cheryl Baxter Ratliff are presenting “Welkome Home For The Holidays” in a two hour sing and dance fest through Dec. 29. Billed as a love letter to “The Rat Pack” TV Holiday Specials of the past, it’s a holiday/variety/ fun filled songfest with a thinly veiled story line. [Carol Davis]

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Carol Davis, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Pennsylvania vote could decide presidential election

These elections follow those in 2018 when Pennsylvanians re-elected Gov. Tom Wolf and Sen. Robert P. Casey, both Democrats, while Democratic governors were elected in the other states, Wisconsin and Michigan. … No doubt the Jewish vote contributed to Democratic gains in Philadelphia’s suburbs. The Jewish presence in Montgomery County has long been substantial and in recent years expanded northwards. Delaware County has had a smaller but steady Jewish population. In recent decades, the Jewish population has grown in Chester County and skyrocketed in Bucks County. [Bruce S. Ticker}

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Bruce Ticker, USA

Book charts lives, legacies of Holocaust survivors

Other items in this column include: *Numbers add up for Butterfly Project *Political bytes *Mazal tov! Mazal tov! By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — In furtherance of the goals of the newly created San Diego Holocaust Survivor Coalition, the Jewish Federation of San Diego County has published a prototype book, sketching the lives of

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, USA

Searching for God a route to wellness

In this week’s parasha, Vayetzei, we learn quite a bit about spirituality, how we can find a deeper, broader meaning in life. In Genesis 28:17 Jacob proclaims, “How awe-inspiring is this place! This is none other than the house of G-d, and this is the gate of heaven!” When was the last time you felt awe inspired, recognizing the house of G-d wherever you may be? [Michael Mantell, PhD]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

Rabbi’s granddaughter seeks 3rd school board term

Elana Levens-Craig, granddaughter of the late Rabbi Monroe Levens of Tifereth Israel Synagogue, is seeking election to a third term on the Santee School District Board.  In 2016, she ran unopposed, and, so far, it looks as if she will again have no opposition.  The Santee School District has nine K-8 schools, serving approximately 7,000 students.[Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

Chanukah: A time of dreams, visions

For eight nights, starting with the twenty-fifth of the month of Kislev, Jews celebrate the 165 BCE victory of the Maccabees, a brave troop of priest-warriors that vanquished the mighty Syrian-Greeks. Every winter, we commemorate this military miracle by lighting the Chanukah candles, increasing the glow of spirituality in the world and saluting those who keep the dream of freedom alive. [Sam Glaser]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Sam Glaser

Bloomberg’s welcome impacts on the presidential race

Michael Bloomberg wants Donald Trump defeated by someone—anyone. And towards that end he is prepared to self-fund his campaign and torpedo the President with TV, radio, and social media messaging. No need for mountains of paperwork, accountants and lawyers to keep track of the thousands of names, email accounts, job descriptions and zip codes of large and small donors—as other candidates must do. [Colleen O’Connor]

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USA

DeVos urged to enforce Title VI rules against BDS

Noting that directors and affiliated faculty at federally-funded Middle East Studies programs who support an academic boycott of Israel have attempted to implement that boycott in ways that directly violate the legislative intent of Title VI of the Higher Education Opportunity Act, 88 education, civil rights and religious organizations on Wednesday called on U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to prevent this abuse. [Press Release]

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Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Stephen Miller’s Christmas Carol  

I’m scheming for a white nation. 
Just like the way it used to be.                                                                                                        
No asylum seekers or border sneakers,
No more yearning to be free.   [Satire by Laurie Baron]        

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Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Community coalition to aid Holocaust Survivors

True to its roots, when it was founded in 1936 to help European Jews who were being persecuted by the Nazi regime in Germany, the Jewish Federation of San Diego County on Tuesday, Dec. 3, launched a community-wide coalition to come to the aid and honor an estimated 500 Holocaust survivors who live in the county today. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA

Administrators: Assert control of your universities

An Open Letter to Administrators at McGill, York, and U Toronto: As you are certainly aware, in recent weeks a series of troubling incidents has occurred on your respective campuses. While the events in question were distinct, they all shared a common impulse by groups on your campuses who believe that they, and they alone, are able to set standards for free speech—in these particular cases, involving the debate about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and how Jewish students and other Israel supporters are treated as part of the university community. [Richard L. Cravatts, PhD]

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International, Middle East, Richard L. Cravatts, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA