Nearly one year after the worst anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history that claimed the lives of 11 people worshiping inside a Pittsburgh synagogue building, the Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Congregation announced it will move forward with rebuilding plans that reflect resiliency, strength and community collaboration. [News Release]
Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue charts re-opening Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion, USA
The Jewish custom of once a year building a little hut or sukkah in one’s garden or backyard supposedly harks back to the time many thousands of years ago when the Hebrews were wandering in the wilderness after having left Egypt and had to live in makeshift huts or tabernacles, more or less in the way the Bedouin Arabs live today. Like many aspects of the Jewish religion, practice and history are bound up together. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Memories of a childhood sukkah Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish Religion, Middle East
Moses, ‘following G-d’s orders,’ carves a second pair of tablets following which he receives additional orders regarding entrance to the promised land: Ch. 34: vv. 12-13 “Beware of making a covenant with the inhabitants…No, you must tear down their altars, smash their pillars, and cut down their sacred asherim).” [Irv Jacobs, MD]
Pottery indicates some Israelites worshiped multiple deities Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish History, Jewish Religion
I had the honor on Wednesday night to be the speaker at the Beth Israel Men’s Club. My topic was the historic contributions of two Jewish San Diegans who had been members of Congregation Beth Israel: Marcus Schiller and Jacob Weinberger. Both men were immigrants to this country from Europe, both had been active in the political life of San Diego, and both helped to form institutions that are prominent in our local Jewish community.
Two S.D. Jewish community builders lauded Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
rom November 15-16, 2019, more than 1 million Jews in over 1,500 cities around the world, including San Diego, will unite for the annual international Shabbat Project. Last year, the Shabbat Project attracted more than 1 million participants in 101 countries across 1,511 cities and towns. This year, organizers believe the initiative will top those numbers.
Global Shabbat project expects a million plus participants Read More »
International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA
Like all other biblical holidays, Rosh Chodesh is not observed today as required by biblical law. This is because of changed social circumstances and because the principle element of the biblical worship was animal sacrifices, which was discontinued after the Romans destroyed the Jewish Second Temple in 70 CE. Additionally, the name of the celebration was changed from “Chodesh” to “Rosh Chodesh,” which in the Torah did not mean “New Moon,” but “First Month” and referred to the month now called Nissan when Passover occurs.
Rosh Chodesh not observed as Torah commands Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion
Mr. Netanyahu, It is time for you to reflect on where you stand and how best to serve the country you care about in a time of much uncertainty and turmoil.
Netanyahu should spare Israel humiliation, pain Read More »
Alon Ben-Meir, Middle East, USA
SAN DIEGO− President Trump wrote a letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Oct. 9 in which he said, “”Let’s work out a good deal! You don’t want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don’t want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy — and I will.” In the
How Erdogan might have replied to Trump Read More »
International, Lawrence Baron, Middle East
Dr. Sol Lizerbram, the Rancho Santa Fe resident who serves as national president of the Jewish National Fund, offers some statistics to back up the claim that sending a teenager to JNF’s Alexander Muss High School program in Israel can contribute in the long run to Jewish continuity.
JNF: Israel schooling leads to Jewish continuity Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Judaism, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA
Kurdish forces, facing a well-armed and aggressive Turkey, appear to have turned to the Syrian government — meaning its sponsors in Iran and Russia — for rescue. It makes sense in historical terms, although it is likely to be bloody in current ones. Historical, in this case, means before the U.S. military presence in the northern part of the country.
Russia, Iran oppose Turkey in Syria Read More »
International, Middle East, Shoshana BryenA year ago Donald Trump praised the Kurds for helping the United States defeat ISIS, but now he wonders why they didn’t fight alongside the Allies on D-Day. Come to think of it, they didn’t even warn us about Pearl Harbor!
Evelyn Marcus and Rosa Zeegers are a Jewish lesbian couple who uprooted themselves from Holland and moved to the United States because they saw ugly anti-Semitic history repeating itself in Europe. Anti-Semitic graffiti, beatings, rallies, bombings, and demonstrations all seemed to presage the same kind of Holocaust that their parents had lived through. Now, they are seeing some of the same troubling signs in the United States — last Passover’s shooting at San Diego County’s own Chabad of Poway being just one example.
‘Never Again is Now’ references Poway shooting Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego Calendar, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USAThere are many disagreements about four ancient Jewish institutions: the Sanhedrin, the Men of the Great Assembly, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees. Put differently, no one knows the truth about these institutions, even though that for many Jews, the subject is profoundly important.
Four extinct Jewish institutions Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion