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

An iconic tale comes to San Diego

We’ve all seen variations of Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol many times in stage plays, films and musicals. His iconic character, Ebenezer Scrooge with his catchphrase, “Bah Humbug” is so well known that I doubt many Israelis name their children “Ebenezer” except for some ultra-orthodox sects who avoid all things Krastmik along with the rest of the goyishe velt. So what can you do to put a new twist on this classic tale? Set it in sunny San Diego, California. [Eric George Tauber]

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Eric George Tauber, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Attorney, singer Roberta Winston runs for judge

You might have heard attorney Roberta Taylor Winston perform as a cantorial soloist at Congregation Beth El, where she also has served on the board.  Or perhaps you heard her belting out the songs for Congregation Beth Am’s Rockin’ Shabbat band. Even before that, you might have heard her sing as part of the High Holiday quartet that accompanied Cantor Alisa Pomerantz-Boro at Tifereth Israel Synagogue. Now, she’s campaigning for another spot in which she would have an audience, but instead of performing, for the most part, she would be actively listening.  Roberta Winston, 58, is in a race to become a Superior Court Judge in Office No. 18, from which Judge Jacqueline Stern is retiring [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

San Diego Jewish World to vacation Dec. 19-Jan 8

Everyone needs a vacation, even people who run daily websites.  Accordingly, my wife and co-publisher, Nancy Harrison, and I plan to take a three-week breather from this exciting and enjoyable task of putting out San Diego Jewish World.  We will suspend publication after our report is filed on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019, and will resume publication on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County

Can God regret? Is God all-knowing?

In response to my recent article on Noah’s Flood, reader Turk Hill wrote with a question that I answered. Dear Rabbi Drazin, After the flood, Genesis recounts G-d in a state of regret, “His heart was saddened.” This has caused some scholars to ask the question, “Does G-d regret?” Certainly, G-d is all-knowing and knew the future. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

EU’s Blatant Anti-Semitism

[BDS advocates] have persuaded the European Union to introduce a labeling policy on Jewish produced products and services from Judea and Samaria in Israel, frequently called “the West Bank,” and in diplomatic circles the “disputed territories.” In a unique policy, the EU is insisting that Israeli products emanating from Jewish towns, villages, and industrial areas in these areas can no longer be labeled “Made in Israel” but must be designated some other description. [Barry Shaw]

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Barry Shaw, International, Jewish History, Middle East

Now candidates want to sell campaign giveaways

Back in the days when I was the politics writer for The San Diego Union (1972-80), things were a lot different.  Campaigns were delighted if supporters would put up yard signs, or ruin their car bumpers with political stickers. They were only too happy to give such materials to you, and while they were at it, give you even more for your friends and neighbors too. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, USA

Activist pushes Hollywood to adopt cli-fi genre

Undeterred and full of confidence, I’ve launched the first-ever ”cli-fi movies initiative” to try to get the “cli-fi” term into the ears, eyes and minds of major Hollywood players in the 2020s. My long-term goal: to make cli-fi a genre term that everyone in Hollywood knows by the year 2030. [Dan Bloom]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Sephardic family spread over nine countries

One is reminded of the saying “to save  life is to save a world” when viewing the family tree of Sa’adi Besalel Ashkenazi a-Levi (1820-1903), who was a publisher during the 19th century in the Ottoman empire city of Salonica, known today as the Greek city of Thessaloniki.  He has over 100 descendants spread across nine countries, and that doesn’t count spouses of the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so forth. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History