Lifestyles

Of Robots, Banned Books, Dying, and Abortions

Elkins was one of three presenters at a Tikun Leil Shavuot, a Shavuot night study session at Tifereth Israel Synagogue. The others were Marcia Tatz Wollner, who spoke about book banning and burning through the ages, and Dr. Seth Krosner, M.D., a critical care surgery specialist, who discussed what Jewish texts have to say about decisions concerning end of life and abortions. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Technology

Popular Instructor Says Judaism and Yoga are Complementary

When an acquaintance suggested that she try yoga, Gadd was skeptical at first. “How can that help me?” she asked. “Just come and see,” counseled the acquaintance. Moving her body in specific ways, according to the directions of her yoga instructor, “led to clarity of thought,” she said.  Mindfulness helped her “dissipate the stress, the mental shpilkes, something like giving your dog exercise so it can calm down,” Gadd recalled. She found that she left the yoga sessions feeling better, without need for medications. “Deep breathing and so forth can create physiological changes,” she explained. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Fred Kropveld, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions

The Jewish Eye: San Diego Teen Philanthropists; Mayorkas, Sanders Under Fire

In Jewish tradition, the fate of the world depends upon 36 upstanding people known as the Lamed Vavniks.  As a matter of interest, there are 36 leaders and officers of the Jewish Teen Foundation (JTF) in San Diego County.  They will be awarding philanthropic funds that they have raised to various nonprofit organization at a 4 p.m. ceremony Sunday May 21 at Congregation Beth Am in the Carmel Valley neighborhood of San Diego.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Hinei Ma Tov

By Doron Krakow The setting was an estate on Long Island—a one-time family home now an elegant retreat center about an hour from midtown Manhattan. The topic was talent and the professional pipeline of the organized Jewish community, and along the way I found myself in a meeting with the heads of the major denominations

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Doron Krakow, Lifestyles, Opinion, USA

Documentary Intimately Records Eli Timoner’s Choice to End His Life

The heartbreaking loss of lives in the airplane crash resulted in Air Florida going into bankruptcy, and the stroke reduced Timoner’s earning capacity. He held on for nearly 40 years, but when congestive heart failure made him even more dependent on others, he decided that as a California resident he would take advantage of the Golden State’s “Right to Die” Law. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Tips for Living a Longer and Exciting Life

Authors David Cravit and Larry Wolf differentiate between “Default Aging” and “Super Aging.”  The former style of aging is passive: You retire, take some vacations, become increasingly passive and irrelevant, fade into obscurity, and then die.  It is what “retirement” has meant for too long a time, according to the authors.  On the other hand, “super aging” involves taking charge of your life after the so-called retirement age; finding a purpose, keeping well informed about health and fitness, being mentally active, and not letting anyone else define you by your age. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles

Jewish Husbands: How Do You Rate as a Mate?

My niece, Ellen Goodman, has an intriguing theory about the components of marital bliss.  She contends, “Everyone has an internal number (1-10) that reflects his or her assertive/passive nature. Basically, it’s how that person handles the things, major and minor, that come up in life — it can be paying your bills, deciding what to watch on television, choosing what and when to eat, shopping, house repairs, etc. A person who has a “take-charge” attitude and wants everything done her or his  way- right now! — would have a high number (8–10). [Joel H. Cohen]

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Joel H. Cohen, Lifestyles, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Polish Jewish Yiddishist Seeks Revival of Eastern European Jewish Culture

Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh in late 2021 acted upon an idea that had been incubating almost since she arrived here. She rented a 600-squae-foot storefront at 1128 Wall Street in La Jolla and named her enterprise “Yiddishland.”  She intends it to be an incubator for the baby that she hopes will grow into a “mini-shtetl,” hopefully in La Jolla, with a small hotel, museum, classes, and possibly costumed docents who will introduce visitors to the resurging Yiddish world of Europe that was almost snuffed out by the Holocaust. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Travel and Food

A Backyard of Blessings: The Impact of the San Diego Jewish Experience

Editor’s note: Rabbi Eric Ertel has shared the following message regarding the San Diego Jewish Experience’s 2023 Campaign: The San Diego Jewish Experience is having its most impactful year to date. Now that student life is back to normal, SAJE has been able to meet and form strong bonds with record breaking numbers of students

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County

Kaufmann’s Three Essential Qualities of a Leader: Wisdom, Love, and Power

San Diegan Eric Kaufmann is an executive coach who teaches managers, team leaders and executives that they need to utilize three essential elements of their personalities to achieve success: their wisdom, love and power. To actualize these qualities, he writes, one must correct one’s “ego myopia—the inability to recognize and manage your ego.”  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Business & Finance, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles

Strength in Adversity

By Doron Krakow Over the past few days, a series of remarkable gatherings took place across the continent—gatherings of hundreds of Jewish Community Center professionals from dozens of JCCs, centers, and camps representing different regions of our movement. Programs and settings varied, but each one focused on skill-building while addressing emerging challenges around programs, operations,

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Doron Krakow, Lifestyles, Opinion, USA

Jewish Life in San Miguel de Allende

By Oliver B. Pollak RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA — San Miguel sits at 6200 feet in Mexico’s high central altiplano 146 air miles northwest of Mexico City. Passenger train service ceased many years ago. Volaris Airlines very efficiently flies 240 passengers the 1,735 miles non-stop from Oakland to Leon near Guanajuato. Everything costs extra, except a styrofoam

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International, Lifestyles, Oliver Pollak, Travel and Food

A Stream of Consciousness About the Ever-Changing Values of Our World

*Editor’s note: This column is posted posthumously. By Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — I recently read about a Missouri Congressman who was among the majority that voted on a new rule forbidding women from entering the chamber with bare arms, requiring them to cover up. My initial reaction was: “Here we go

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Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz, Opinion