Byliners

A bissel this, A bissel that … San Diego Jewish news and chatter

(Col. 22, Feb. 28, 2011) Compiled by Donald H. Harrison Simchas When Allison Ogul became a bat mitzvah over the weekend at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, the congregation led by Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal welcomed many non-Jewish visitors, including relatives of her mother, Sharon Wilson-Ogul.  They also came from the staff of the San Diego Union-Tribune, where […]

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David Ogul, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi

Middle East turmoil shows shortcomings of international law

  By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Among the lessons we can tentatively parse from the current commotion in Muslim countries are possible clarifications about the murky overlap between international law and international politics. Notice the extreme lack of certainty, suitable for any discussion of international law and politics. Much more than domestic law in well ordered countries,

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Short stories portray down-and-outers and the wealthy of Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv Stories by Ashley Rindsberg; Midnight Oil Publishing, 2010; ISBN 978-0-615-42243-5; 159 pages, $14.95.   By Donald H. Harrison   SAN DIEGO – This is a surprising book.  It begins with six sketches of down-and-outers, people living on the margins of Tel Aviv society, but finishes with a longer story, a near novella, following

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Donald H. Harrison

With Middle East in tumult, now is not the time to press Israelis and Palestiniana

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM _- The best that Israeli policymakers can do in the context of what is happening in the region is to say little and to do virtually nothing. And the best that interested outsiders can do is to avoid dreaming that this is the time for Israel and Palestine to negotiate seriously

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Randall Dodge is fantastic in ‘The Fantasticks’

ESCONDIDO, California —The musical The Fantasticks with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones was originally an off-Broadway production that ran a total of 42 years and 17,162 performances making it the world’s longest running musical. It’s characters are Matt (a Boy), Louisa (a Girl), Huckaby (the Boy’s father), Bellomy (the Girl’s father), Henry,

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Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘I Love a Piano’ is an Irving Berlin revue

By Carol Davis VISTA, California–How does one pay tribute to an American icon who lived to be 101 years old, wrote over a thousand songs, nineteen were Broadway scores, eighteen Hollywood films scores with several nominations for Academy Awards, plus “God Bless America”, “Easter Parade” “This is The Army” and “White Christmas” and still do

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Carol Davis, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

A bissel this, a bissel that – San Diego Jewish news and chatter

  (Col. 21, Feb. 24, 2011) Compiled by Donald H. Harrison Jewish Organizations The Agency for Jewish Education sponsors a presentation by Ghada Osman, SDSU’s director of Islamic and Arabic Studies, on encounters between Judaism and Islam at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 28, at the Carlsbad Library, 1775 Dove Lane. This weekend, the J*Company begins

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County

Another Jewish license plate

SAN DIEGO — Melanie Rubin, our Jewish license plate sleuth, has found this alternate spelling of “chutzpah,” a Yiddish word meaning “colossal nerve.”    Eventually, it will be added to our on-line collection of Jewish-interest license plates, but we are having technical difficulties linking this website to that colle tion. * Rubin may be reached at

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Melanie Rubin

History file: The Jewish shepherd of Tijuana

Editor’s Note: From time to time, on request,  we will reprint articles from the that editor Donald H. Harrison compiled has compiled over nearly a half century of reporting.  Carlos Salas-Diaz, subject of this article, still is leading his congregation in Tijuana. Reprinted from the San Diego Jewish Press-Heritage, October 23, 1998 TIJUANA, Mexico (special) — The

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Donald H. Harrison

Why does the West cave in to the lies and demands of Arab leaders?

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — So repressive governments – Arab governments – lie to their people about Israel, politics and the 21st century to maintain the illusion of security and control at home until the dam breaks. But why do governments in the West, knowing better, nevertheless insist that lies and wishful thinking be

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Shoshana Bryen

A bissel this, a bissel that …San Diego Jewish news and chatter

(column 20, Feb. 21, 2011) Compiled by Donald H. Harrison Jewish Organizations  In a “Save the Date” message for June 3-5, Alan Friedman, executive director of Camp Mountain Chai, says a planning committee is at work for the 3rd annual Men’s Getaway Retreat.  Dreaming up activities for the weekend themed “Fitness for the Body and

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi