Byliners

Update on Southern California Wildfire Relief Efforts

These Jewish communities have been extensively impacted. According to the reporting of 27 organizations, we know so far:  446 families (approximately 1,353 individuals) have lost their homes completely. 451 families (approximately 1,514 individuals) have damaged/uninhabitable homes. 47 families have lost their businesses. Approximately 20 professionals who work in the Jewish community have lost their homes. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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California, Heidi Gantwerk, Jewish History, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jewish Biography: Edmund Landau, Mathematician Hounded by Nazis

His main areas of research were function theory and analytic number theory. Landau became world famous for his two-volume course Foundations of Analysis (1930), written with impeccable logical rigor. As a professor he enjoyed great success, doctoral students came to him from all over the world. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Saving Lives as the World Fell Apart

Streets in Jerusalem and Petach Tikvah bear the name of Paul Gruninger, a Swiss police officer who stood as a beacon of humanity during one of history’s darkest chapters. In 1938, Paul Gruninger chose to defy heartless government policies with acts of extraordinary bravery, saving thousands of Jewish lives as Europe descended into madness. [Gedaliah Borvick]

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Gedaliah Borvick, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: Trump Appointees Mostly Pro-Israel, but Witkoff, Boulos, and DiMino Raise Questions

Trump’s November 2024 victory is seen as a game changer for Israel, nullifying much of the Biden agenda and installing a much needed, friendly American ally to back up Israel. But not all signs indicate that outcome. On the plus side are very Zionist appointees: Marco Rubio, Secretary of State; Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense; Mike Waltz, National Security Advisor; Elise Stefanik, US Ambassador to the UN; Mike Huckabee, US Ambassador to Israel; and many others. [Steve Kramer]

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International, Israel, Middle East, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer, USA

Border Fire Pollutes Air Near 3 Synagogues in Chula Vista, But No Evacuation Orders So Far

CHULA VISTA, California — Smoke and ash filled the air near three synagogues in Chula Vista, but none of them were immediately threatened or evacuated on Friday or Saturday. Chabad of Chula Vista was the closest to the fire being about five miles away. [Sandy Scheller]

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San Diego County, Sandra Scheller, Staff and Bylined Contributors

The High Cost of Dying in San Diego County

The biggest expenses are the cemetery plots, the vault and opening and closing of the grave. The exclusively Jewish cemetery Home of Peace is probably the least expensive with plots running about $9,000 a piece. The digging, filling and labor total another $4,000. Altogether, with the mortuary fees, it costs about $20,000 for a burial from start to finish. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Rabbi Drazin’s Speculations Generate an Eclectic Book

Our regular readers will not be surprised that in this book he poses answerless questions intended to make us think. He speculates about the sacred and the mundane, inquiring in chapter 30 “What do we know about God?” and in chapter 26 about “Ethical behaviors concerning shoes.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Holocaust Exhibit at La Jolla Library Draws Opening Day Crowd

A particularly emotional moment came during the yellow ribbon-cutting ceremony, led by Holocaust survivors, and by Irwin Jacobs and Lee Goldberg. The yellow ribbon, a symbol of solidarity with hostages around the world, added a layer of significance to the occasion, reminding everyone of the ongoing struggles for freedom and justice across the globe. [Sandra Scheller]

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Holocaust, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Sandra Scheller, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘Sol’s Journey’ Contains Good Advice for American Jews

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin PIKESVILLE, Maryland — I have been reading and reviewing the inspiring, fascinating books by the brilliant writer Rabbi Dr. Charles H. Freundlich for over ten years and have enjoyed them all. Sol’s Journey, his eleventh fiction book since he started writing them at age eighty, is no exception. It is

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Satire: Trump’s First Three Days

By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — Although Vice President J.D. Vance recently assured an interviewer that Trump would decide to pardon the 1/6 rioters on a case-to-case basis, Trump pardoned all of them, even those convicted of assaulting Capitol police. The Pride Boys and Oath Keepers immediately disbanded and reconstituted themselves as the Stormtroopers under

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Lawrence Baron, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Israelis’ Emotions Ran High as First 3 Hostages Returned to Their Families

The return of the first three hostages after more than a year in captivity in Gaza was a rare moment of unity in Israel. Like most other people in the country, I was glued to the television screen on the afternoon set for their return and was not sure what I would be witnessing. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Parsha Va’eira: An Antidote to Shortness of Breath

This week’s parsha is tailored to the times in which we are living. Fear of the unknown, “uncertainty,” has spun many into anxiety, depression, and self-destruction. Many have so weakened their sense of hopefulness, that they live with exhaustion, believing nothing can, or will, improve. The devastating, shocking, overwhelming loss in Los Angeles has led many to beat themselves down. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]

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California, Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors