By Dan Brin WEST HILLS, California — Nathaniel Oakes Brin was only 28 years old when his life ended in a tragic accident in Northridge on Nov. 20.. Nate’s life was brief, but it was a life filled to overflowing with love for the simple joys of living: ice cream on waffles, a good hamburger […]
Father mourns Nate Brin, 28 Read More »
Obituaries & memorials, USA
Anyone familiar with the “Dayenu” (It would have been enough) recitation during a Passover seder will feel a certain sense of familiarity with the Jewish presidential candidate’s lengthy biographical spot in which he introduces himself to voters in California’s March 3 primary election. Reciting a list of Bloomberg’s accomplishments, the narrator punctuates the litany with “He could have stopped there” but he went on to accomplish more. [Donald H. Harrison]
Bloomberg’s presidential campaign hits S.D. airwaves Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
Three congregations and the Jewish Federation of San Diego County are preparing for the visit of an Israel Defense Force reserve unit whose members have been through the stress of battle and now need rest and relaxation to help them cope with symptoms of PTSD. [Donald H. Harrison]
IDF reservists to undergo therapy in San Diego Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education
Even after all the evidence presented at the House Impeachment Hearings, the American public opinion polls have not registered a significant shift in the numbers supporting impeachment and those opposed to it. I believe this has nothing to do with the substance of the case against Trump and more to do with his ability to coin demeaning names for anyone who criticizes him. Perhaps Michelle Obama was wrong. Maybe we should abandon the high road and engage in name calling. Here’s my list of suggested epithets: [Laurie Baron, PhD]
If Democrats followed Trump’s example Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
Many, perhaps most, Israelis seem to think that it’s time for Netanyahu to resign. He doesn’t appear to think so, but it’s not clear that he’ll be able to stay in office. Unless a government is formed in the next few days, Israel will go to elections again. As they seem to abhor the idea of having to go to the polls for a third time within the year, they’ll blame Netanyahu for it and his Likud party may do badly, despite the fans afflicted by the Stockholm syndrome. Let’s hope that parliamentary colleagues will move heaven and earth to avoid elections and join the Blue and White party in forming a unity government. But will they succeed? [Rabbi Dow Marmur]
Israelis’ Stockholm syndrome Read More »
Middle EastJewish Family Service is in the process of contracting for its fourth “Safe Parking” area for homeless persons who live in their motor vehicles. Three such areas are located in the City of San Diego – on Balboa Avenue, Aero Drive, and near the SDCCU stadium. The fourth, if given final approval Dec. 18 by the Encinitas City Council, will be located at the Leichtag Commons on Saxony Road. [Donald H. Harrison]
JFS plans 4th ‘Safe Parking’ facility for homeless Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Middle East, San Diego County, USA
If you’re looking for a love story, this week in Toldot, we read a magnificent one, in fact the first. You see, we are told that husband and wife are to, “cleave to each other and become one flesh.” This is precisely what Isaac and Rebecca teach us so perfectly. In fact, they even prayed as one. We see this in the gematria of Yitzhak יצחק and Rebecca רבקה totaling 515, which equals to the gematria of בשר אחד or “one flesh.” Even more, 515 is also the gematria of tefilah תפלה. [Michael Mantell, PhD]
The love story of Isaac and Rebecca Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
If people would take the time to look at the bulletin of an Orthodox Synagogue, they would find something very curious. The women are instructed to light candles several minutes before the men are scheduled to attend the Mincha service, and Mincha takes place about fifteen minutes before the onset of the Sabbath. Thus, remarkably, this schedule obligates women to start the Sabbath long before men do so. Simply stated, most Jews understand that the current practice is that the Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday evening, but the rabbis required the lighting of the Sabbath candles eighteen minutes before sunset on Friday evening and set the end of the Sabbath and the saying of the Havdalah service forty-two minutes after sunset on Saturday night. This seems straightforward, but it isn’t. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
Shabbat in Temple times started at daybreak Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
Scholars are asking if the various checks and balances of the US are strong enough to deal with a President who seems to be breaking a lot of the rules. We’ll see if his disregard for realities, truth, and the revelation of his tax returns, along with all the other charges continue to attract enough of the poorly educated Whites to give him another four years. Here in Israel the process is more clearly legal than political, but certainly with its political elements. [Ira Sharkansky, PhD]
Trouble at the top in U.S., Israel Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
In a country where multiculturalism has a reverent following and criticism of protected minorities has essentially been criminalized as “hate speech,” it is more than ironic that on some Canadian campuses radical students have taken it upon themselves to target one group, Jewish students, with a hatred that is nominally forbidden for any others. And with a recent incident that took place on November 20th, York University, in particular, has now revealed a troubling pattern of tolerating physical and emotional assaults by pro-Palestinian radicals against Jewish students and others who dare to demonstrate any support for Israel or question the tactics of Islamists in their efforts to destroy the Jewish state. [Richard L. Cravatts, PhD]
Jew hatred dressed in academic clothing Read More »
International, Middle East, Richard L. Cravatts, Science, Medicine, & Education
Playwright Lauren Yee has returned home to roost at UC San Diego’s Potiker theater. No stranger to San Diego stages, Yee has been producing plays since before 2005 at the Old Globe, South Coast Rep, and farther afield as well. Audiences in Denver, Seattle and Miami have enjoyed Yee’s shows, many of which have garnered her coveted awards including the Doris Duke Artists Award, the Horton Foote Prize and the Steinberg/ATCA Award. Other projects have been seen on television and film. [Eva Trieger]
Yee’s back with ‘Cambodian Rock Band’ Read More »
Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & BroadcastCongressman Scott Peters (D-San Diego) was the only member of the county’s congressional delegation to sign on to a letter drafted by Rep. Andy Levin (D-Michigan) that rebuked the State Department for its recent decision to reverse American policy that had opposed Israeli settlements in the West Bank, an area also known as Judea and Samaria. [Donald H. Harrison]
Peters joins critics of State Dept’s Israel policy Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, San Diego County, USA
“I’m not in favor of torture,” Dershowitz writes, “but if you’re going to have it, it should damn well have court approval.” His claim is that if we are, in fact, going to torture then it ought to be done in accordance with law: for tolerating torture while pronouncing it illegal is hypocritical. In other words, democratic liberalism ought to own up to its own activities, according to Dershowitz. If torture is, indeed, a reality then it should be done with accountability. There are, however, significant problems with the reasoning behind torture-warrants [Sam Ben-Meir, PhD]
Dueling movies and the case against torture Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Middle East, Sam Ben-Meir, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
Miriam Adelson, who is the current publisher of Israel Hayom, told investigators, among other things, that Sara Netanyahu complained that when Israel Hayom published a picture of her, the picture was too small. What bad consequence did Sara Netanyahu say would befall Bibi because Israel Hayom did not defend him enough? [Humor column by Mark Zimmerman]
Jewish trivia quiz: Bibi Netanyahu Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire