Lifestyles

American remembers a life in Israel

There are figs in Israel, of course.  But alligators?  Perhaps in a zoo.  The title is explained in Chapter 3 of this memoir.  In Hebrew, figs are te’enim and alligators are taninim. It’s easy for an American just learning Hebrew to get the two confused.  Imagine going into a market and asking the vendor for a kilogram of alligators. {Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Middle East, USA

Home from Rehab, Editor Tells Experiences

I came home last Tuesday following brain surgery and nearly six weeks of physical rehabilitation with surprising mixed feelings.  It was the eve of Nancy’s and my 53rd wedding anniversary, so of course I was excited, especially since because of the Covid pandemic, we had not been able to get near each other, much less share a kiss.  But, on the other hand, I felt like a kid at the end of his summer camp session; going home meant leaving behind new friends as well as interesting and enjoyable activities. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

The Science of Struggle

One day, a boy found a fuzzy caterpillar and put it in a cage as a new pet. Soon, he observed the fascinating metamorphosis as the caterpillar disappeared within a cocoon. He checked the crusty shell daily and eventually noticed a small opening. As he’d hoped, a butterfly was trying to emerge. The boy waited impatiently and feared it was stuck. He took a scissors and gently opened the hole so the creature could escape. Sure enough, the butterfly inched out with a large swollen body and small, misshapen wings. Sadly, those wings never grew properly and the malformed insect spent its last days haplessly crawling around the cage. The boy learned that wings only develop when butterflies mount a tenacious struggle to escape their cocoons. His misguided act of kindness led to the creature’s doom. [Sam Glaser]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Sam Glaser

Streaming Jewish Programs (January 10-16, 2021)

Following are streaming Jewish programs of academic and lay interest that may be accessed via the Internet.  All times Are Pacific Standard Time. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Lifestyles, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Out of the Mikvah and onto a Ph.D

The mid-life journey that led me back to college began in the mikvah. I had been observing the laws of Niddah (aka “Family Purity” or Taharat haMishpacha) for about six years when this immersion initiated a series of changes that brings me to where I am today. The night of this immersion (momentous only in retrospect), I had been struggling with post-partum hip pain for about a year and a half that no amount of physical therapy or chiropractic treatments was fixing. This night, the pain was unusually bad as I limped sideways down the mikvah steps. The attendant asked with clear concern in her voice, “Do you need help?” I said, “No, it only hurts”. But stairs had never hurt that bad. [Isobel-Marie Johnston]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

David & Sharon Wax Contribute $500,000 in Matching Funds to Seacrest Village

Seacrest Foundation is excited to announce that longtime supporters of Seacrest, Sharon and David Wax, have committed a beautiful matching gift of $500,000 to the Hearts of Gold gala. Sharon and David shared, “We are delighted to give this gift in honor and recognition of our dear friends and gala leadership, Cindy and Larry Bloch, Jean and Franklin Gaylis, Mary and Jon Epsten, and Esther Fischer, for their support and dedication to Seacrest.” The Waxes, who generously support many Jewish organizations and the San Diego community at large, are especially eager to help motivate the community to double their impact to support Seacrest during this time of crisis. They continued by saying “Seacrest Village residents are among the most vulnerable in our population, and it’s imperative that we provide as much support as possible to ensure their care and safety.” [Press Release]

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Lifestyles, San Diego County

Inclusion at Camp Chi

It was June of 1969. I was an 11 ½ year old visually impaired girl leaving home for the first time to attend Jewish overnight camp. I boarded the train to Wisconsin consumed with mixed emotions: already a little homesick and anxious, but also excited. I was excited about the friends coming from my Jewish Day school, and the new friends I hope to meet. At that moment, I was just like them—leaving home to spend three fun-filled weeks at summer camp.
It was a disaster. [Michelle Friedman]

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Judaism, Lifestyles, USA

Good News from Israel (December 27, 2020)

In the Dec. 27, 2020 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been vaccinated against Covid-19.
A woman and a Druze Arab make Israeli Air Force history.
Historic signing of agreements between Israel and Morocco.
Two new Israeli fabric coatings protect against Covid-19.
Europeans are buying millions of Israeli flowers this month.
They will all come to Jerusalem. [Michael Ordman]

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Business & Finance, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Ordman, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, The World We Share, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

La Jolla family immigrates to Israel

“I saw Uriel deplane his Nefesh B’Nefesh flight, I looked at Orin, and I said, ‘Let’s make Aliyah.’ And that was it,” recalls Liora Green regarding her son’s immigration to Israel in August 2019. Indeed, the Green family did not need any further convincing. A year later — and in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic — Liora and Orin Green as well as their children Merav, 14, and Dalia, 11, made Aliyah from La Jolla to join Uriel, 20. Another sibling, Eyal, 17, is completing his studies at Southern California Yeshiva (SCY) High and plans to make Aliyah in June 2021. [Jacob Kamaras]

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Jacob Kamaras, Lifestyles, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Is Your Synagogue the Healthcare Center of 2021?

At a time many are searching for meaning, hope, comfort, and inner peace in daily life, many turn to art, music and nature, while others, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, turn to faith and religion. Spirituality, defined as a belief in a higher power that gives life meaning, characterized by humility, plays a role in improving overall health and may prolong life. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell

Changing the Business Culture in the 1970s

In 1979, a representative of a publishing house, Addison-Wesley, was asking secretaries at WSBE, what they were working on. My secretary showed him the outline of my course on women in management. The next thing I knew, I was signing a contract for a book I was not writing. My first book, Paths to Power: A Woman’s Guide from First Job to Top Executive (Addison Wesley) was written chronologically based on my class syllabus. I was fortunate to have the first and only book dealing with women in organizations. The book was adopted by over one hundred universities and colleges, both nationally and internationally, and was translated into several languages. The book became a best seller in 1980. [Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, PhD]

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Business & Finance, Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz

Reflections on an Accessible Trip to Israel

I am a Jewish Inclusion Fellow at RespectAbility, but I’ve always had a complicated relationship with my Jewish identity. I have always enjoyed eating potato latkes at Hanukkah, and appreciated the ritual of reevaluating oneself during the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but I know very little about Judaism, beyond these cultural touchstones. Some of this is because a childhood seizure disorder kept me from Hebrew school, but it’s also due to my uncertainty of my belief in God. It’s hard to reconcile God with the injustice in the world, such as abuse, cancer, despair, homelessness, hunger, hate crimes, violence. Yet, my Jewish heritage enabled me to travel to another country without my parents for the first time in my life…to Israel. It changed me in many ways. [Blair Webb, RespectAbility via San Diego Jewish World]

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Lifestyles, Middle East, Travel and Food, USA

Editor’s surgery postponed; SDJW will continue publication

As previously reported, I had been scheduled for brain surgery on Dec. 18, but on the recommendation of an anesthesiologist at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in San Diego, the surgery will be delayed for four to six weeks.  The anesthesiologist was troubled by an X-Ray showing a spot on my lower lung that suggested the possibility of pneumonia. My neurosurgeon informed me today any problem in the lungs can cause serious difficulties during an estimated six-hour surgery in which it’s necessary to insert a  breathing tube will be inserted. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA