Byliners

Hounding the Headlines: The Golden Deceiver’s Cabinet

Upon declaring our independence from British bulldogs in 1776, all creatures living in this land established the United States of Animals whose government parallels that of the human USA.  This year the ostriches convinced us to put our heads in the sand and elect the Golden Deceiver while parrots incessantly repeated his lies.  Since the Deceiver is rabid, he has nominated dangerous beasts to serve in his cabinet. [Elona Baron as barked to Laurie Baron]

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

Parsha Toldot: The Biblical View of Love and Marriage

If you’re looking for a love story, this week in Toldot, we read a magnificent one, in fact, the first. You see, we are told that husband and wife are to “cleave to each other and become one flesh.” This is precisely what Isaac and Rebecca teach us so perfectly. In fact, they even prayed as one. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Counting Our Blessing Every Friday Night

When my kids were very young, we had a Thanksgiving tradition (no doubt like so many other American families) of going around the table and saying what we were thankful for. The answers ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous, depending on the age and mood of the three boys. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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Heidi Gantwerk, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jews Divide Along Denominational Lines over Thanksgiving Celebrations

“When can we eat?” Not only do we hear this as we gather for Passover, but I am sure this question was asked in many homes on Thanksgiving. It is always the debate. Do you serve Thanksgiving lunch, something between noon and 6 p.m., or serve as the sun sets for dinner? [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

World War II’s Impact on German Civilians Told in Biography of Heidi Posnien

This, as the title suggests, is the story of Heidi, a little Catholic girl born in 1936 who grew up in Berlin and the nearby countryside during the Hitler regime that culminated in Germany’s utter defeat in World War II.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: What I’m Politically Thankful For

My son asked me what I’m thankful for this year. I gave the standard answer: my creature comforts, dog, family, friends, health, and house. Then he queried if I was grateful that Trump was elected president. I struggled to find some reasons I hadn’t abandoned all my hope for the future. Here’s what I came up with. {Laurie Baron]

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Lawrence Baron, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Bill Introduced to End Federal Funding to Universities that Support BDS

Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-New Jersey) and Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina) on Tuesday introduced a bill requiring a cut-off of federal funds to any institution of higher education that engages in a commercial boycott of Israel. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Middle East, News Media, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

A Handbook for Social and Political Action

This is a handbook for social and political activism, written by a medical doctor who has spent his life engaged in protests, demonstrations, and movements for change. Whether you agree with his positions on a variety of issues, or disagree, reading this book may be enlightening. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: Ceasefire Agreement is an American-Imposed Mirage

A fata morgana is a rare optical phenomenon in the atmosphere, consisting of several forms of mirages, in which distant objects are seen repeatedly and with a variety of distortions. Fairy Morgana is an enchantress, a half-sister to King Arthur. The American administration has made great efforts to organize a peace agreement between Lebanon and Israel, which means creating a new mirage, another fata morgana, an illusion of peace. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Israel, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Amos, Zelickman, Schumann Team in All-Mozart Concert at the LFJCC

Assistant Conductor of the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra (TICO), Robert Zelickman, opened the matinee All-Mozart Concert at the Garfield Theater of the Lawrence Family JCC Sunday, Nov. 24, conducting, the Overture to “The Impresario,” one of Mozart’s comic operas in which a director is auditioning two singers for a role and each is trying to outdo the other. The wave after wave of sequences in the rapid-fire overture reflected that competition. Zelickman sustained the orchestral energy of the overture throughout the five-minute work. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

The Jewish Citizen: Israel and Hezbollah Agree to a Ceasefire

Israel’s Security Cabinet on Tuesday approved “in principle” a ceasefire with Lebanon, requiring Hezbollah forces to move north of the Litani River, about 18 miles from Israel’s border, while Israel would withdraw its forces to south of the border.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Middle East, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: Senator Jon Ossoff Has Just Put His Reelection in Jeopardy

Advocates for the Palestinians, especially in battleground state Michigan, predicted their faction would vote for neither Trump nor Harris to punish Democrats on grounds that President Biden did too little to restrain Israel’s military response to Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas slaughtered 1,200 Israelis. Another faction that was expected to undermine Harris were racial minorities who accused Democrats of taking their votes for granted. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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

Hasidic Rebbes and what they taught us

Eight of Elie Wiesel’s fifty-seven books could be called “Theological Biographies.” They are books on biblical figures and stories about Hasidim. They are Souls on Fire (1972), Four Hasidic Masters and Their Struggle Against Melancholy (1978), Somewhere a Master (1982), and Wise Men and Their Tales (2003), which focus on Hasidim. Messengers of God (1976), Five Biblical Tales (1981), and Sages and Dreamers (1991) look at biblical people. Filled with Fire and Light is a 2021 posthumous book addressing biblical, Talmudic, and Hasidic figures.    [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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