Donald H. Harrison

Donald H. Harrison

Donald H. Harrison is the publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World. 

Harrison began his journalism career in 1962 on the UCLA Daily Bruin.  Following graduation he joined the staff of the Associated Press, and later became politics writer for The San Diego Union.  Afterwards he pursued a career in tourism, helping to establish San Diego’s Cruise Ship Program as well as Old Town Trolley Tours of San Diego.  He also wrote for such Jewish publications as the San Diego Jewish Press Heritage and San Diego Jewish Times before starting San Diego Jewish World in 2007.

Don’s  latest work is the three-volume Schlepping and Schmoozing Along the Interstate 5.  

He is the author of six previous books.  Those with links may be obtained on Amazon.

Agriculture, Sharing, and A Dollop of Torah for Toddlers

Shavuot arrives this year on Tuesday night, June 11.  This hard-cover book is intended to introduce your toddler to the holiday of Shavuot, getting your hands dirty gardening, the joy of sharing, and the names of the seven species of ancient Israel. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, The World We Share

Children’s Book Offers Myth of an Earlier Garden of Eden

It posits that before it was relocated to Earth, the Garden of Eden—with a man and a woman, the snake, and its fruits and vegetables—all existed on an unnamed planet.  There, the fruits each laid claim to being the best.  The apple boasted it was the “hardiest”; the pomegranate, the “biggest”; the grape, the “sweetest”; the fig, “the yummiest” and the citron (lemon) because it could make any of them taste better with just one drop. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Children’s Book Teaches Israel Geography and Conservation

In this picture book for children between the ages of 3 and 8, a young girl who is a future conservationist travels up and down Israel finding treasures that she can hold in her hands for moments before restoring them to their rightful place in nature. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Staff and Bylined Contributors, The World We Share

University President’s Memoir Tells of Growing Up Jewish in Rural South

Most of Gitenstein’s memoir probes in depth her relationship with her parents, siblings, and grandparents and their relationships with each other.  The family saved the letters they wrote to each other and Gitenstein quoted from those letters frequently. [Donald H. Harrison

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Rep. Sara Jacobs Votes Against Antisemitism Awareness Act

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) voted in the minority against a bill on Wednesday, May 1, that is called the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023.  She said the measure “would stifle and restrict free speech in an effort to combat the rise of antisemitism”  The measure passed the House by a vote 320-91. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

‘The Dybbuk’ Meets Schizophrenia in ‘The Book of Izzy’

Playing Khanan and also stepping into the role of director, Izzy falls in love with Sue-Ann, who portrays Leah.  At times brilliant and at times in la-la land, Izzy leads readers on a  adventure through S. An-sky’s well-known, memorable play, and through his own disordered mind. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

OpEd: Sara Jacobs, Please Explain Your Political Philosophy and Mideast Outlook

I have asked Lauren McIlvaine, the press secretary in Rep. Sara Jacobs’ Capitol office, for an explanation from the congresswoman about her voting record, specifically about what her guiding principles may be as she considers legislation affecting Israel and the Middle East. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, News Media, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Garvey: Defund Universities that Won’t Protect Students; Strip Tenure from Professors who Support Terror

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Garvey, on a Zoomcast from Hancock Park in Los Angeles, said on Thursday, April 25, that federal funds should be stripped from those colleges and universities that refuse to protect their students from the wave of antisemitic, anti-Israel demonstrations now taking place on college campuses across the nation. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, California, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

His ‘Life as a Jew’ is an Introspective Search for Definition

In lengthy, brilliant, and painfully introspective essays, he examines not only conflicts between Jews and their non-Jewish detractors, but also delves deeply into the sometimes- internecine divisions among Jews themselves. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

OpEd: Is Rep. Sara Jacobs a Friend or Foe of Israel?

Jacobs voted Saturday, April 20, in favor of funding for a $95 billion package incorporating aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, but her explanation why she cast that vote prompted a backlash from supporters of Israel. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Middle East, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Two Whose Memories are Blessings: Joel Cohen, Ellen Fox Lorang

One of our beloved humor columnists, Joel Cohen, has died in New York City, his children have informed me. The news came just two days after I had attended the funeral in San Diego of Ellen Fox Lorang. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Joel H. Cohen, News Media, Obituaries & memorials, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Love Competes with Jealousy in YA ‘Summer Nights and Meteorites’

There are passing mentions of b’nai mitzvah, Shabbat, and studying Hebrew but these are not essential to the plot, and I wonder sometimes whether such Jewish content is there simply to be placed on Jewish reading lists.  You won’t learn anything about Judaism or Jewish culture, but interesting information abounds about the space and the sea. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Biographer of Abe Cahan Illuminates a Bygone Era

The newspaper also taught new immigrants about American folkways—dishing out advice on such diverse topics as how baseball is played, how Americans set their tables, and to sneeze into handkerchiefs to avoid spreading germs in crowded tenements. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Business & Finance, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, News Media, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA