AAA-Writers and photographers

Below are the names of writers who are currently active.  For others, living and deceased, please type their name into the search box above the masthead on our home page, www.sdjewishworld.com

The Year Passover Died

The biblical holiday Passover, a significant event in Jewish history, disappeared entirely when the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 CE. This cataclysmic event marked the end of an era and led to a significant shift in religious practices. However, its name, Passover, was resurrected and given to the holiday Chag Hamatzot, symbolizing the resilience and adaptability of Judaism. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: The ‘Che Guevara Effect’ on College Campuses

I think I wore a Jack Kerouac “T,” but I could have had a “Che” one as well. In both instances, I knew little about the face that I was identifying with. So it is with the crowds of young people who clamor for the victory of Hamas against Israel – which means the Jews. They know nothing except hateful propaganda. [Steve Kramer]

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Antisemitism, International, Israel, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer, 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

Jewish Fiction: Another American Passover

The haroset is a mixture of fruit, especially those things with laxative qualities such as prunes, nuts and wine. It is very sweet and quite enjoyable. Is this really what the Rabbis intended to convey? The sandwich of Matzah, bitter herbs and cement is actually a tasty appetizer. Let me get this straight, the symbols of slavery are tasty? [Jerry Klinger]

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Jerry Klinger, Jewish Fiction, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire

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

Holocaust Rescuer Nicholas Winton Profiled in ‘One Life’

One Life is a film about the selfless heroism of Nicholas “Nicky” Winton (1909-2015), a self-effacing humanitarian. He directed the rescue of 669 Jewish children in Prague in 1938. The story moves soul searchingly back and forth between the events of 1938 and 1988 when Winton was honored by a BBC television special that brought together, a reunion of sorts, of several hundred rescued children, their children and grandchildren. [Oliver Pollak]

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Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Nordot, Oliver Pollak, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

History of American Jewish Historical Societies Plumbs Differences Between Amateurs and Professional Historians

It is an exciting history of the alliances of American lay and scholarly commitment to their history in the wake of the Holocaust. They sought to save the past for the future. Volunteers and professionals faced similar hurdles, establishing a presence, membership, leadership, volunteers, location, visibility, funding, establishing archives, crafting exciting programs and exhibits that bridged diverse interests, education, and producing, newsletters, journals and websites. [Oliver Pollak]

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California, Jewish History, Oliver Pollak, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

The Lion’s Trail Through Biblical Israel: First in a Series

  By Jerry Klinger BOYNTON BEACH, Florida — Benny Kashriel, the mayor of Ma’ale Adumim, a bedroom community of 30,000 just over the Green Line from Jerusalem, shared with me in November 2022 that Ma’ale Adumim is mentioned in the book of Joshua 18:17. The mayor presented me with a special recognition.  Judy and I

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Israel, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Israel’s National Library and Me

We unloaded our books onto the counter. They looked lovely there, the covers all being based on my own watercolor paintings. Unfazed, the librarian handed me an empty form and told me to start filling it out. I began to embark on the task, expecting to have to make an effort to get my books into the annals of posterity. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Israel, 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

Democracies Have Inherent Self-Destructive Tendencies According to Academicians

Arrow received the Nobel Prize in economics in 1972 for proving the impossibility of simultaneously meeting the requirements of reasonableness and equality and the impossibility of establishing the ranking of social priorities. According to the Gödel-Arrow theorem, any electoral system is flawed. [Alex Gordon, PhD]

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Alex Gordon, International, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA