Business & Finance

Inflation Index Adds to Cost of Buying Homes in Israel

The government created the Building Construction Index to protect all parties’ interests. When someone purchases an apartment in a project under construction, the unpaid portion of the price becomes linked to the BCI. Parenthetically, buyers who are risk averse can often accelerate their payment schedule and prepay the lion’s share of the purchase price, thus limiting their inflation risk. [Gedaliah Borvick].

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Business & Finance, Gedaliah Borvick, Middle East

Four Jews Who Served as Port Commissioners Tell of Their Tenures

Members of the Jewish community who have served on the Port Commission since its creation in 1962 were Harvey Furgatch (appointed 1969), Milton “Mickey” Fredman (1970), Ben Cohen (1977) and Louis Wolfsheimer (1979), all of whom had passed away prior to my undertaking this book, and Robert Penner (1988), Lynn Schenk (1990), Stephen Cushman (1998) and Laurie Black (2007), all of whom I had the opportunity to interview. All these Jewish Port Commissioners represented the City of San Diego, except for Penner and Cohen, who were appointed by Chula Vista and Coronado respectively. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Greg Smith: A Quarter Century as Assessor, Recorder, Clerk

If he were so inclined, Greg Smith could have a lot to brag about. Over a period of 25 years, he won seven elections to serve as the San Diego County Assessor as well as the county’s recorder and clerk. He headed a staff of between 400 and 500 county workers in the combined operations of assessor-recorder-clerk. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food

Biblical Insights into San Diego’s Housing Market

The San Diego real estate scene has yet again taken residents by surprise.  In January 2020, the median sale price was $600,000.  A year later in January 2021, that rose to $650,000.  In January 2022, the price rose yet again to just under $800,000 and leveled out just under $900,000 in April 2022.  Going into Summer 2022, prices have started to plateau and even drop. [Teresa Konopka]

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Business & Finance, California, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Teresa_Konopka, USA

SparkIL Launches First Peer-to-Peer Lending Platform for Supporting Israeli Small Businesses

NEW YORK (Press Release) — The peer-to-peer lending platform SparkIL today announced its launch of a first-of-its-kind initiative that enables individuals to support the small business of their choice in Israel, while strengthening meaningful connections and relationships between the lenders and Israel. Established in partnership with The Jewish Agency for Israel and The Ogen Group,

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Business & Finance, Middle East, USA

Natural Gas Adds to Israel’s International Acceptance

Israel’s significance as a Middle Eastern powerhouse has reached new levels with the help of two seminal events: the discovery of natural gas in Eastern Mediterranean waters and the success of the Abraham Accords between Israel and some Muslim Arab neighbors. Before, Israel was knocking on the door of the Arab and European countries; now, many of those countries have opened the door or soon will. Israel has what they want. (Steve Kramer)

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Business & Finance, International, Middle East, Steve Kramer, USA

Rabbi Scott Meltzer Introduces B’nai Mitzvah to the Joy of Giving

Beginning in 2014, Rabbi and Mrs. Meltzer invested $100 per month in the Kiva organization until they had built up a credit of approximately $8,000. They pored over lists of worthy borrowers, who were vetted by Kiva’s microloan partners throughout the world.  The Meltzers then decided to which borrowers they wished to make interest-free repayable loans. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Residents, Employees and Donors Celebrate Seacrest Reunion Gala

Breathtaking,” “Memorable,” “One-of-a-Kind,” “We didn’t want to leave,” “One Big Family,” “Gorgeous” are the words that guests used to describe the Seacrest Foundation Women’s Auxiliary 44th Annual Gala on Sunday, June 12, 2022. Truly a Reunion Gala, this extraordinarily special event was the first gathering of the Seacrest community of supporters in over two years. Co-Chairs Cindy Bloch, Mary Epsten, Jean Gaylis, Jane Ottenstein, and Shari Schenk, along with over 230 guests, came together at a private residence and vineyard in Rancho Santa Fe to celebrate the strength and commitment of the Seacrest community of supporters whose generosity and kindness made it possible to get through the worst of the pandemic.

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Business & Finance, Lifestyles, San Diego County

Jewish Brothers Al Lapin Jr. and Jerry Lapin Founded IHOP Chain

The International House of Pancakes at the Bay Plaza Shopping Center in National City was built in conformance with the shopping center’s architectural guidelines, rather than in IHOP’s usual configuration. However, it still has a trademark blue roof, and its menu is fairly typical of some 1,500 other establishments in the family restaurant chain created by two Jewish brothers. Al Lapin Jr. and Jerry Lapin started IHOP in 1958 in the tony San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Toluca Lake. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Founded by an Antisemite, Ford Motor Co’s Leaders Became Pro-Zionists

We’re interested in the turnaround of the Ford family, starting with automotive pioneer Henry Ford, who was a vicious antisemite, and continuing with his grandson Henry Ford II, known as “Hank the Deuce,” who became a large supporter of Jewish and Zionist causes, and onto Bill Ford, Ford Motor Co’s current executive chairman. who traveled in 2019 to Tel Aviv to inaugurate a new Ford Research Center there. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Technology, Travel and Food, USA

Liberal Jewish Newspaper Publisher Made His Mark in a Conservative Town

Lowell Blankfort, a liberal Jewish Democrat, became co-publisher and editor of the staid, very conservative Star-News in 1961, and immediately began to shake up the old order. In his very first editorial, he announced that the community newspaper no longer would run columns by U.S. Rep. James Utt. Blankfort explained that Utt’s “so-called ‘column’ from Washington, or weekly political diatribe, is being dropped, pronto. Mr. Utt is the Republican Congressman from Santa Ana who, due to some deft GOP gerrymandering 10 years ago, also has been foisted on National City and Bonita.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Freedman, Cooney, Morisett Pioneereed Children’s Educational Television

In an interview with the Archive of American Television, Cooney recalled that Freedman talked at that dinner party about the great educational potential of television.  “He was a stunning man, mesmerizing,” she said. “He could have been a revival minister, an Elmer Gantry. He was just stunning. He talked about how the potential had not been tapped for education in television. Well, something clicked in Lloyd’s mind because Carnegie was financing research in the educational development of children—how they learn.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA