rom December 5-8 at The Diplomat Resort & Hotel in South Florida, the 2019 Israeli-American Council (IAC) National Summit will bring together nearly 4,000 attendees from around the world for critical dialogue and inspiring sessions as part of an event that shapes the Jewish communal conversation. [Press Release]
A ‘living bridge’ between U.S. and Israel Read More »
Lifestyles, Middle East, San Diego County, USA
Everyone needs a vacation, even people who run daily websites. Accordingly, my wife and co-publisher, Nancy Harrison, and I plan to take a three-week breather from this exciting and enjoyable task of putting out San Diego Jewish World. We will suspend publication after our report is filed on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019, and will resume publication on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. [Donald H. Harrison]
San Diego Jewish World to vacation Dec. 19-Jan 8 Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County
Humans have always been storytellers, whether around a firepit in some jungle or around a fireplace in an urban apartment, the children and grandchildren listen to the stories. They learn the sagas of their parents, their grandparents, and their grandparents’ grandparents, who became Indian chiefs or generals or were jailed and escaped or who started a business or a university. [Natasha Josefowitz, PhD]
Connecting to ancestors and descendants Read More »
Jewish History, Lifestyles, Natasha JosefowitzJewish Family Service is in the process of contracting for its fourth “Safe Parking” area for homeless persons who live in their motor vehicles. Three such areas are located in the City of San Diego – on Balboa Avenue, Aero Drive, and near the SDCCU stadium. The fourth, if given final approval Dec. 18 by the Encinitas City Council, will be located at the Leichtag Commons on Saxony Road. [Donald H. Harrison]
JFS plans 4th ‘Safe Parking’ facility for homeless Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Middle East, San Diego County, USA
In Western religions, the numbers 3, 7, and 40 have symbolic significance. So too are they important to the understanding of the life and works of Baldassare Forestiere, who created the sprawling underground gardens and home that today are recognized as a California Historical Landmark as well as a venue listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [Donald H. Harrison]
Religious numerology at a state historic landmark Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Travel and Food, USAHoping something bad happens to the perpetrator is responding with revenge. This kind of anger is destructive and can escalate into violent confrontations. But there is also righteous anger. Anger can send a message that something really matters. When strong beliefs are at the foundation of a strong reaction, a fruitful dialogue can ensue which acknowledges the legitimacy of the anger and hopefully leads to a resolution. A parent’s angry message means the child has crossed a line. The boss’s angry tone indicates that the job may be at risk. An angry spouse demands more attention. [Natasha Josefowitz, PhD]
The impact of righteous or vengeful anger Read More »
Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz
Gala Co-Chairs Mary Epsten and Alana Ziman, and Honorary Chairs Sheila and Jeffrey Lipinsky along with an expected 400 guests, will gather on Saturday, February 22, at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla for the Legacy of Light and Love Gala, honoring the legacy of our San Diego Jewish community. It will be a spectacular night featuring a cocktail reception, live auction, 3-course dinner, electrifying entertainment by The Dancing Fire, and dancing to Spencer and his Players! [Seacrest Village press release]
Seacrest gala to support financially needy residents Read More »
Lifestyles, San Diego County
The passage I have chosen to explore is offensive to modern sensibilities: Genesis, Ch. 12, vv. 11-13 “As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, ‘I know what a beautiful woman you are. If the Egyptians see you, and think, She is his wife, they will kill me and let you live. Please say that you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may remain alive thanks to you.'” Sarah was carried off by Pharoah’s officials, and placed in his harem. According to the story, she was not violated, because of God’s intervention.
Female beauty: Torah, mythology, and ancient history Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles
This week’s parasha teaches that to live a meaningful life, turning inward and reflecting on these questions are important, yet we may also have to ditch the links to our past and project a new course…guided by Torah as our road map to discovering our real purpose. We may have to leave our comfortable Haran to go to our Canaan, our Land of Israel. [Michael Mantell, PhD
Rejecting complacency, embracing our true selves Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell
The playwright Eugene O’Neill (1888-1953) grew bored and frustrated by what passed for theatre early in his life. There were few stories told that connected with reality; instead, theater essentially was spectacle – lots of costumes, big sets, predictable plots and one-dimensional characters. He wanted to change all that, suggested Tory Starling, the educational technician at the Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site. He experimented in various forms of theatre. [Donald H. Harrison]
Tao House: Where O’Neill wrote well-known plays Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, The World We Share, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USAWhat is surprising is that facts have very little to do with changing people’s minds. Beliefs that have an emotional charge cannot be easily dislodged. We like to hold on to something that has been part of our belief system for a long time; change means we must negate what worked for us for many years, to accept that we had been wrong all those years. We tend to accept information that confirms what we believe and discard contradictory information even when presented as facts. We attach labels to genders, races, and cultures. [Natasha Josefowitz, Ph.D]
Letting go of cherished beliefs Read More »
Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz
These creatures project an image of ourselves that make us feel uncomfortable—a rotting corpse, reminding us about the power of death. Zombies have no redeeming qualities. Unlike vampires, you cannot have conversation with them at the dinner table. The history of zombies goes back to antiquity. [Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel]
Reflections on Halloween about zombies Read More »
Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USADr. Ben Dishman, PharmD, who is retired as a psychiatric pharmacist from the Veterans Administration Hospital, enjoys visiting Sea World on the average of once a month. Besides seeing the animals, he likes to see love bloom among Orthodox Jewish couples who apparently consider Sea World to be a perfect meeting place for their arranged dates. [Donald H. Harrison]
Orthodox romance at Sea World Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Middle East, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
With Jews around the world scheduled to read the story of Noah’s Ark next Saturday, the Abraham Ratner Torah School at Tifereth Israel Synagogue held a blessing for the animals in a brief outdoor ceremony on Sunday. Rabbi Joshua Dorsch, with arms raised, blessed about a dozen dogs and one rabbit that were brought by congregants of the Conservative shul. [Donald H. Harrison]
Animals receive a blessing at Tifereth Israel Synagogue Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, The World We Share, Travel and Food, USA