By Donald H. Harrison
NATIONAL/ INTERNATIONAL – President Trump has nominated a replacement for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. He is Jeffrey Rosen, who currently serves as Deputy Transportation Secretary under Secretary Elaine Chao, the wife of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. .. Jared Kushner and Michael Flynn are persons of interest in a House Oversight Committee investigation into the Trump administration’s efforts to share nuclear technology with Saudi Arabia, according to the committee chairman, U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland. Flynn, President Trump’s former national security advisor, is awaiting sentencing for lying to the FBI. Kushner, who is the President’s son-in-law, is a senior White House advisor. … U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson has ordered President Trump’s friend Roger Stone to appear in court on Thursday to explain his Instagram post, since removed, picturing the judge with what appeared to be a cross hairs of a gun near her head. Stone had said in a post he considered Berman, who was appointed to the court by President Barack Obama, to be biased against him in a case alleging that Stone tampered with witnesses and made false statements to the FBI working with Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the investigation of Russian influence on the 2016 U.S. presidential election…. French President Emmanuel Macron who was among thousands attending a rally protesting anti-Semitism has been lauded by the American Jewish Committee for endorsing the working definition of anti-Semitism formulated by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. “President Macron’s declaration endorsing the working definition is critically important and most welcome,” said Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, Director of AJC Europe. “However, additional substantive, sustained, and meaningful steps are urgently required to seriously confront the scourge of anti-Semitism that has strikingly strong roots in French society.”
PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS – Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the partners who created the Ben & Jerry ice cream company, are campaigning for Bernie Sanders, saying “We’re supporting Bernie because the next President of the United States will decide the fate of this country and our plant. And we believe Bernie is the best person for the job.”
ISRAEL MATTERS – University of Haifa President Ron Robin has succeeded Tel Aviv University President Joseph Klafter as chairman of a committee of the presidents of Israel’s seven research universities in charge of countering the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. “While there is no denying the seriousness of the BDS threat, I will use my new position to work with my colleagues to show the world the strength and the inspirational quality of Israeli academics and innovation,” Robin said. “We will also promote the truths about Israel’s status as the only Middle East society which respects the values of free speech and academic freedom – truths that Israel’s detractors and BDS proponents so blatantly disregard.” … Meeting with touring members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, two members of the Knesset’s Defense Committee shared their opinions on Gaza. Omer Barlev of Labor said, “The worst enemy is the one who has nothing to lose and no hope. That is the situation in Gaza. … If you want Israel to be more secure, the situation of the Gazans should be better. It won’t necessarily bring peace, but it will make Israel more secure.” Anat Berko of Likud said, “There should be a confederation between the West Bank and Jordan and between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. We would like to have peace, but I would like to be connected to the realities of the Middle East.” … Nefesh b’ Nefesh has selected twelve finalists for its “Initiative for Zionist Innovation” awards. The finalists, all immigrants to Israel from the United States or the United Kingdom, and the fields of their endeavors were Eden Adler (immigrants in technology); Becky Kupchan Berkman (English language academics in the Negev); Rebecca Jennings (art therapy for the English-speaking community); David Lasday (Lacrosse clinics); Louie Miller (baseball programs in northern Israel); Kathy Poodiak (cancer networking for English-speaking patients); Menucha Saitowitz (networking for young, religiously observant, English-speaking women); Jodi Samuels (dinner parties for young single professionals); Sam Sank (all-immigrant soccer team); Sylvie Schapira (litter clean-ups); Mia Schon (collaborative mosaic murals); and Bryan VanDoorninck (teaching English to children through soccer).
SCIENCE/ MEDICINE – Professor Boaz Lerner of Ben-Gurion University has developed an artificial intelligence platform for monitoring and predicting progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s, the university has announced. “Our new technology will more accurately predict disease progression, a crucial ingredient for clinical trials, and better identify the interrelationships between the demographics and other measurable factors identified through physical examinations and patient functionality,” Lerner said.
SAN DIEGO – Attorney Bruce M. Abrams, chair of the City of San Diego’s International Affairs Board, is hosting a fundraiser for mayoral candidate, State Assemblyman Todd Gloria, on March 1. … Jason Bercovitch, a field representative for U.S. Rep. Scott Peters, has been elected as a vice chairman of the San Diego County Democratic Party.
SPORTS – Infielder Ian Kinsler, 36, currently plays second base for the San Diego Padres and had been considered as a possible third baseman, but now with former Dodger slugger Manny Machado joining the Padres in a reported $300 million, 10-year deal, Kinsler will stay put. According to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune, he’ll be teaching Luis Urias and possibly Fernando Tatis Jr. the ropes, until eventually one of them may take over his position. In the meantime, “I’m expecting to play my best,” says Kinsler. “Show what I have, show I can still play this game at a high level and go from there.” Manager Andy Green thinks infielders can learn a lot “from a guy who’s done it for about 15 years in the big leagues,” noting that Kinsler has “a World Series ring on his finger, been in (two others), been an All-Star and played in the WBC. He’s done about everything you can possibly do in the game and still has a lot to offer.”
SIMCHAS/ AWARDS – Actor Peter Strauss who won an Emmy for his 1979 role in The Jericho Mile, is 72 today… Soul Coughing bass player Sebastian Steinberg is 60 today. … Actor Michael Zegen who plays Joel Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is 40 today. … My daughter, Sandi Masori, proprietor of Balloon Utopia (who also is a restaurant reviewer for San Diego Jewish World) has been named one of the 20 most importer industry influencers in the balloon décor world by Qualatex, the company that manufactures balloons. Masori has a YouTube channel, and books and videos for sale about how to make balloon sculptures.
OBITUARIES/ MEMORIALS – Los Angeles Dodger President Stan Kasten had the sad duty to announce yesterday the death at age 92 of Don Newcombe, one of the first black African American pitchers in baseball, who won a Cy Young Award and was a Dodger MVP during a Major League Baseball career that went from 1949 to 1960. … Film Critic Gene Siskel, who partnered with Roger Ebert to make “two thumbs up” filmdom’s much desired critique, died on this day in 1999.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com