What can’t be replaced are pictures and any family heirlooms like a menorah or Shabbat candle holders that have been passed down from generation to generation. [Cailin Acosta]
What Would You Grab If You Had Minutes to Evacuate? Read More »
Cailin Acosta, California, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire
Ten of the eleven portions in the book of Exodus and many portions in other of the five books of Moses begin with the Hebrew letter vav. Why? How should it be translated? Lexicographer Reuben Alcalay defines the letter vav as “and,” “also,” “but,” “therefore,” and “then.”Most translators use “and,” which does not seem appropriate in modern English. Perhaps “then” is better, but it is rarely used. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
Never Stop Questioning the Whyfors of Biblical Expression Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Sam Lerner, left, observes as Rabbi Hanan Leberman prepares to mount a mezuzah on the doorpost of the Gotthelf Dance Studio at the Lawrence Family JCC on Monday, Jan. 13. Lerner presented the mezuzah on the birthday of his late mother, Susy Lerner, who died last September, in memory of her and her late husband, Ira Lerner. [SDJW staff]
Lerner Family Remembered with Mezuzah at the JCC’s Gotthelf Dance Studio Read More »
Ben Dishman, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors
May He who blessed our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and our foremothers, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, bless and protect all the emergency response forces in Los Angeles who are risking their lives to extinguish the great fire. … {Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander]
A Prayer for L.A.’s First Responders Read More »
California, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors
There is no permanent Jewish population in Greenland, though it is believed that there may have been Jews in Greenland as early as the 16th and 17th centuries, among the Dutch whalers who fished in Greenland waters. Which of the following is true about Jews in Greenland? [Mark D. Zimmerman]
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Greenland Read More »
International, Jewish History, Mark D. Zimmerman, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire
In a small book Four Years of Political Murders (1922), Emil Julius Gumbel, who became professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Heidelberg, gave the following data: after the end of World War I, 376 political murders were committed in Germany, among them 22 were committed by left-wing extremists, 354 by right-wing extremists. [Alex Gordon]
Jewish Biography: Emil Julius Gumbel, Pacificist Statistician Read More »
Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Danny was born Rezso Engel in 1873, in a tiny village in the Gömör-Kishont region of the Kingdom of Hungary. He and his whole family were Jews. [Jerry Klinger]
Marker for Jewish Founder of UK’s ‘Old Contemptibles’ Read More »
International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors
He identified Amon Göth, the commandant of Plaszow, whose brutality was graphically depicted in the movie Schindler’s List. Göth used to shoot inmates for target practice from a vantage point overlooking the concentration camp. Touring the camp, Göth would abruptly murder inmates on a whim. He reveled in making Jews quake. [Donald H. Harrison]
Rebbetzin Chaya Andrusier discussed the Torah portion of the week, Miketz, which continues the story of Joseph. Pharaoh gave Joseph a wife, Asenath and they had two sons together: Manasseh and Ephraim. [Cailin Acosta]
Jewish Women’s Circle Discusses Joseph’s Resilience Read More »
Cailin Acosta, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Pierre Mendès France (January 11, 1907 – October 18, 1982) was a French politician who served as prime minister of France for eight months from 1954 to 1955. As a member of the Radical Party, he headed a government supported by a coalition of Gaullists (RPF), moderate socialists (UDSR), Christian democrats (MRP) and liberal-conservatives (CNIP). [Wikipedia]
Today’s Jewish Birthday: Pierre Mendes France Read More »
Jewish History, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia
JDCA was launched in the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017, as neo-Nazis marched through the streets with tiki torches and chants of “Jews will not replace us.” We came into being with a voice rooted in Jewish and Democratic values, speaking truth to power, combating extremism, and opposing the dangerous policies of Donald Trump that are – at their core – antithetical to Jewish values. [Susie Stern]
Susie Stern Introduces Self as New JDCA Board Chair Read More »
Antisemitism, Jewish History, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USAIt has been devastating to turn on the news or check social media to see the homes lost and evacuations of homeowners and animals due to the wildfires in Los Angeles. San Diego congregations are aiding some of the victims. [Cailin Acosta]
San Diego Congregations Helping Southern California Fire Victims Read More »
Cailin Acosta, California, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors
When Jews were expelled from Portugal, many moved East to form the Sephardic community we all know, but as many Jews, perhaps 100,000, moved West to the Americas in the 16th century. Today it is estimated that a quarter of Hispanic Catholics in the Americas derive from Jewish stock, with many now awakening to their heritage. [Mark A. Schneegurt, Ph.D.]
Sephardic Prayer Songs Found in Church Records of Mexican Inquisition Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors
While the events of our lives are commonly beyond our control, the way we interpret them—and how we choose to react to them—are abilities within our own mind. This teaching echoes through the story of Joseph, who reinterprets the betrayal of his brothers as part of Hashem’s divine plan, and through Jacob, who blesses his children with wisdom. [Michael R. Mantell, PhD]
Parsha Vayechi: Transforming Suffering into Divine Purpose Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors