Byliners

OpEd: Elon Musk is a Friend of the Jews and Not a Nazi

After the celebration of Donald Trump’s victory, Musk expressed gratitude with the statement, “This one matters, thank you, I give you my heart,” followed by a gesture perceived by some as resembling a Nazi salute. This incident quickly overshadowed his remarks about his ambitions for space exploration with SpaceX and Tesla. Musk’s actions sparked intense debate across political lines, particularly among left-wing commentators. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Novel Explores an Immigrant Jewish Family’s Life in Louisville Before World War II

This novel is a collection of sequential short stories about the Toplansky family, whose patriarch Shlomo immigrated in 1920 from Bialystok, Poland, to Louisville, Kentucky. He changed his first name to Sol and eked a living from his tailoring shop supplemented by singing and gambling.  He served as the chazzan at the Orthodox synagogue. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Fiction, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Stabbings in Tel Aviv, Trouble in Samaria Mark Days Following Gaza Ceasefire

In Tel Aviv, two people were severely wounded when they were stabbed in a terror attack on Tuesday. An off-duty border policewoman shot the terrorist repeatedly in the torso. Investigators reported that he was a Moroccan whose “green card” entitled him to residency in the U.S. [Miriam Gershenson]

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Israel, Miriam Gershenson, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Winds Have Everyone Nervous About Wildfires; Thank You’s Due to First Responders

First Responders can’t be thanked enough for putting their lives on the line to save others. It is the true example of either being a mensch or someone practicing tikkun olam daily. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Obituaries & memorials, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

OpEd: ‘Protecting My Peace,’ Part 2

So, here I stand at the intersection, in my skin, in my culture, in my community, as a human being who is African American, Jewish American and female. I always recognize quite clearly when one of those components is being left out of a conversation or consideration. I am very aware that collaboration between Black and Jewish communities can create a powerful alliance to combat hate, promote mutual understanding, and protect the peace and well-being of all. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Antisemitism, Barrett Holman Leak, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: After Donald Trump’s Inauguration, I’ll Be ‘Protecting My Peace’

This inauguration, for me, was a tragic way to honor this day, which is the American federal holiday of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. There was a celebration and inauguration of Trump and his oligarchic Cabinet of mostly elite rich white men on a day commemorating one of the greatest Americans, one of the most globally recognized African Americans, and one of the most ardent Zionists and activists for racial and economic justice in history – The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Israel, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: Progress After Middle East Ceasefire May Be Elusive

Slightly past 9 p.m. Israeli time on Sunday in Ramat Gan. I am smiling at television footage of Emily Damari’s friends jumping up and down to cheer her arrival at Sheba Hospital. Then I stiffen up as I think of the pain and anguish she must have endured for the past 15 months. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Israel, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jewish Biography: Giacomo Meyerbeer, Opera Impresario

Meyerbeer’s vast fortune and the great success of his operas, as well as his observance of the laws of the Jewish religion, set him apart from many musicians. He was a sponsor of many young composers, including Wagner, who “thanked” him with an antisemitic article, “Jewry in Music.” [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Biblical Imagery Brightens Poet’s Bleak Account of Life in the Arizona Desert

Poet Allisa Cherry is entranced by Hebrew Scriptures, turning to them to express her anguish over the tragic lives of the members of a Mormon family. A grandmother had a double mastectomy; a father died of radiation poisoning caused by nuclear testing in the desert; a brother died in a car accident before he was 20; and a wife, caught in a loveless marriage, divorces her ne’er-do-well husband. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Kol Tefillah Band Specializes in Music for Praying and Reflecting

Something ignited when Debbie Mishek, M.D., traveled to Congregation Beth Am in Los Angeles to attend a presentation about Kol Tefillah (The Voice of Prayer) a few years ago.  The program was about “reimagining Jewish prayer and making it more relevant and more inspiring,” the developmental pediatrician recalled.  “There is something about music and prayer that is so spiritual.  I access my spirituality through music.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors