The firework celebrations of the 4th of July may be over, but there are plenty of exciting and interesting programs around the area to attend and connect. [Cailin Acosta]
Fireworks Lit Up the Sky; Jewish Works May Light Up Your Mind Read More »
Antisemitism, Cailin Acosta, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
Imagine being handed a golden ticket and complaining it’s not platinum. That was Korach in a nutshell. His dissatisfaction bubbled and boiled, a cauldron of ambition and discontent that would eventually overflow, scalding not just himself but those around him. [Michael R. Mantell, PhD]
Parsha Korach: Portrait of an Envious, Self-Aggrandizing Man Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined ContributorsJuly will be a busy month at various Jewish congregations around the county. Other Jewish venues will also be busy with programming. Here’s lookahead. [Cailin Acosta]
Busy July at the Congregations and Other Jewish Venues Read More »
Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
Israel’s Haredi community is warning of a religious war after the Supreme Court ruled that the government must start drafting yeshiva students into the military. Some Haredi have threatened to fight this decision if the Israeli government attempts to draft their students. [Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel]
Challenges Israel Must Face in Drafting the Haredim Read More »
Israel, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors
The Acosta family set out on Friday to conquer the San Diego County Fair. We arrived and were on a scavenger hunt to find hidden Jewish items. We laced up our running/walking shoes, filled up our water bottles, cellphones all charged and were ready to take on the challenge. [Cailin Acosta]
Finding Lots of Jewish Stories at San Diego County Fair Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food
This weekend Rabbi Mathew Marko will lead his last Shabbat services as the spiritual leader of Tifereth Israel Synagogue. He resigned at the two-year mark of a three-year contract. His explanation, in a letter to the Conservative synagogue’s congregants, should help us understand how sometimes life brings extraordinary pressures and stresses upon a congregational rabbi. [Donald H. Harrison]
Emotional Times Take Toll; Rabbi Mathew Marko Resigns Tifereth Israel Synagogue Pulpit Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USAImagine the scene – the Jewish People, fresh out of the incredible Exodus experience, find themselves faced with a choice: embrace the positive or succumb to the negative. Tragically, they chose the latter, disqualifying the miracles they had witnessed and viewing life through a filter of excessive bleakness. It’s a cautionary tale that resonates even today with a world filled with depression and anxiety. [Michael R. Mantell, PhD]
Parsha Shelach: Don’t Let Your Fears Get in Your Way Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined ContributorsNer Tamid Synagogue’s Farewell Shabbat Weekend for Rabbi Sammy Seid and Cantor Heather Seid will begin at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, June 29. Additional farewell opportunities include Kabbalat Shabbat Service and Oneg at 7 p.m., Friday, June 28 and Minyan, Torah Café at 9:30 a.m., Sunday, June 30. Click here to let the caterer know you’re coming. [Cailin Acosta]
Ner Tamid Bids Farewell to its Rabbi and Cantor Read More »
Cailin Acosta, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA
For the second year in a row, there was love, joy, education and Jewish solidarity June 15 at the annual Cooper Family Juneteenth Freedom Festival at San Diego’s Memorial Park. [Barrett Holman Leak]
Jewish and Black Solidarity on Display on Juneteenth Read More »
Barrett Holman Leak, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
It was with great excitement that we packed into Garfield Theatre at Lawrence Family JCC (a performance this Sunday, June 23, will be at the Leichtag Commons in Encinitas) to be brought into the lives of six superlative women who have contributed greatly to our San Diego community. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria opened the program with a short inspiring introduction. [Barrett Holman Leak]
Found: Six Women of Valor at San Diego’s JFest Read More »
Barrett Holman Leak, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USAMoses is like, “Oy vey, can these people just be happy for five minutes?” Exasperated, Moses cries out to Hashem, “Kill me rather, I beg you, and let me see no more of my wretchedness” So, he begs Hashem to make them stop whining. But Hashem’s response is epic: “You want meat? You got it! A whole month of meat until it’s coming out your ears!” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Parsha Behaalotecha: Focus on the Good Things Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors
When you go back to a shiva house, it is not a party. People have a tendency to joke around and treat it like an occasion for happy festivities when it’s really a time for reflection. [Rabbi Dr. Bernhard H. Rosenberg]
Ways Not to Comfort the Bereaved at a Shiva Read More »
Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
Tenenbom also mocks practices that rational thinkers would consider strange. For example, pious men feel that it is wrong to look at a woman lest they be driven to lust, but women can look at men because they are not so distracted. Also, married women cover their hair so that men do not become attracted to them. However, many buy wigs that make them more beautiful than they ever were before they wore them. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
‘Careful Beauties Ahead!’: Laughing at the Pious Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors
In Israel, Shabbat is more than just a religious observance; it is a national rhythm that influences the entire country. The word “Shabbat” itself stems from the Hebrew root “shin-bet-tav,” which means to cease or to rest. For Israelis, Shabbat is a time to “sit” and relax, to pause the hectic pace of life and find peace. [Shahar Masori]
An Israeli-American Perspective: Shabbats in Both My Countries Read More »
Israel, Jewish Religion, Shahar Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA