Rivals jab Jacobs, Gomez in 53rd CD debate

In an otherwise peaceful debate Sunday, two Democrats with military backgrounds launched salvos against the front-runners in the race to replace Rep. Susan Davis in the 53rd Congressional District. Their targets: Qualcomm heir Sara Jacobs and San Diego Councilwoman Georgette Gómez (with the local Democratic Party as collateral damage). [Ken Stone, Times of San Diego]

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Ken Stone, San Diego County, USA

NBA’s Nets wear ‘No Place for Hate’ shirts

In light of the numerous anti-Semitic attacks that have taken place in Brooklyn over the past few months, during pre-game last night the Brooklyn Nets wore a specially created “No Place for Hate” shirt, in collaboration with ADL (the Anti-Defamation League). No Place for Hate ® is ADL’s signature education program for combating bias, bullying and hatred in public schools. [Anti-Defamation League press release]

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Sports & Competitions, USA

Chula Vista opens Holocaust exhibit

An eerie moment during the opening of an exhibit on Holocaust survivors who settled in the South Bay occurred when organizer Sandy Scheller, giving a speech at the podium, took a phone call, which she pretended was from her late mother, Ruth Sax, whose first name serves as an acronym for the exhibit’s title: “Project Ruth: Remember Us The Holocaust.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

SDSU wins plaudits for blocking anti-Semitic speaker

StandWithUs, a national organization combating anti-Semitism on American college campuses, has congratulated San Diego State University for blocking a speaking invitation to Ava Muhammad, who is a spokeswoman for Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Friendships: welcome at any age

Besides food, water, sleep, and shelter, there is another crucial ingredient for survival—the need for friendship, for a connection with other humans. This need starts early in life and lasts throughout it. There are at least four stages in our lives with different friendship needs. School years, parenting, empty nesters and old age. Some friends can last a lifetime, however they need to grow with us over the years as our life circumstances change. My best friend from high school still calls me; she is the only one who remembers my parents. [Natasha Josefowitz, PhD]

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Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz

Daf Yomi: A page of Talmud each day

One of the most remarkable traditions that has developed over the last 97 years is the Daf Yomi (a daily study of a page of the Babylonian Talmud), that was first introduced by R. Meir Shapiro. This Polish rabbi wanted to see more laypeople of the Orthodox Jewish communities engage in the Talmud study cycle that takes seven years to complete provided one studies a full page every day. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

AJC offers 5-point plan to combat antsemitism

ason Isaacson, the American Jewish Committee’s (AJC’s) chief of policy and political affairs, delivered five strong policy recommendations to members of Congress to combat the epidemic of antisemitism in New York and across the United States. “We all need to send the message that antisemitism in any form is unacceptable, that there is no room in these United States for bigotry or prejudice,” said Isaacson in remarks before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism. Isaacson was invited to brief members of the panel ahead of the subcommittee’s January 15 hearing on Antisemitic Domestic Terrorism and Government’s Response. [American Jewish Committee news release]

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USA

Iran confrontation like Cuban Missile Crisis

History has a way of repeating itself. In 1962, I was a young boy of nine years old when the Soviet Union decided to place nuclear missiles in Cuba. It was a scary time at school; I could remember the old “duck and cover” as we rehearsed hiding under our desks and covering our heads just in case of a nuclear attack. The “Duck-and-Cover-Drill” was a plan originally initiated by President Harry S. Truman in the 1950s. Nobody really believed the duck-and-cover exercise would help, but it did offer a modicum of psychological comfort, which was better than no comfort. [Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel]

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International, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, USA

Office of Civil Rights to investigate bias at UCLA

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) has notified StandWithUs and Zachor Legal Institute on January 3rd that it has accepted each of their respective complaints alleging that UCLA violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VI”) and has opened the matters for full investigation on the merits. StandWithUs and Zachor Legal Institute both alleged that the UCLA administration repeatedly failed to prevent a hostile campus environment for its Jewish campus community in direct violation of the school’s Title VI obligations. [Press Release from StandWithUs]

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