As December unfolds, the spirit of giving glows warmly around us. This is a time to embody the word hineni – “here I am” – and to bring light and safety to our community. [Jewish Federation of San Diego]
Particularly telling is the account of the way the German occupiers gradually close in on the Jewish population, depriving them of their rights and property and eventually deporting them in [ cattle trains to concentration camps in the east, with the cooperation of the French authorities. All those events are described in harrowing detail. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
European Family’s Lives Tracked Through Several Countries and Holocaust Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Holocaust, International, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, in a meeting in Philadelphia with Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, said “When it comes to antisemitism, it is incredibly important for everyone to understand that there is no nuance. Everyone in a position of public trust—and everyone in our communities—has a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity and speak out against it.” [SDJW staff]
Gov. Josh Shapiro: Everyone Has a Duty to Denounce Antisemitism Read More »
Antisemitism, International, Israel, Middle East, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
The Gmach warehouse, an essential service of the Kindness Initiative, is experiencing significant growth due to an increasing demand for the household goods and services it provides to local Jewish families in need. [Miriam Gershenson]
Yosef received a life-changing lesson about purpose and focus. When Yosef was wandering, searching for his brothers, the Angel Gavriel appeared and asked him a powerfully insightful and transformative question: “Mah Tevakesh?” – “What are you seeking?” Read and repeat that to yourself. “Mah Tevakesh?” – “What are you seeking?” Do you know? [Michael R. Mantell, PhD]
Parsha Vayeishev: ‘What Are You Seeking?’ Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Boxes of Chanukah candles – check; chanukiyot cleaned and ready – check; oil, potatoes, sour cream, applesauce bought and ready – check. Phew, getting everything ready for the Eight Crazy Nights is a tough job, but someone has to do it, and in this house that someone is ME. [Cailin Acosta]
We Prepare for Chanukah Read More »
Antisemitism, Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA, VideosU.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller has tried to tamp down expectations that a ceasefire in Gaza will be reached before the end of the year. [SDJW staff]
Excitement about Gaza Ceasefire may be Premature Read More »
California, Israel, Middle East, News Media, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, USA
Many UAP organizations have formed since the December 2017 publication of a groundbreaking New York Times article exposing a UAP program at the Pentagon (co-authored by a Jewish journalist), and I have been fortunate to contribute to some of them. It has been surprising to meet so many fellow Jews who contribute to these same UAP organizations, sharing a passion for the topic as well as observance of the Jewish religion. Jews are indeed an “over-represented minority” in the UAP field. (Kerry Eskenas Schlossberg)
Many Jews Involved in Search for Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Read More »
Israel, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, The World We Share, USA
Some view Netanyahu as the consummate statesman while others see him as a power-mad autocrat. Objectively speaking, he is the first premier of Israel to be born after Israel’s independence, the only premier to have spent years in the US as a student, and the youngest man to have reached the pinnacle of Israeli political power. By the same token, Bibi is the only sitting Prime Minister to be charged with criminal offenses. [Steve Kramer]
OpEd: What Will Netanyahu’s Legacy Be? Read More »
Israel, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve KramerPresident Joe Biden, at a White House pre-Chanukah party, said, “Next week you’ll light the eight candles on your menorahs. My final Chanukah message to you is this: As president, this is to hold onto that hope. Shine your light. Shine the light of optimism. And above all, keep the faith.” [SDJW staff]
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff Vows to Keep Fighting Antisemitism Read More »
International, Israel, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, The World We Share, USA
Former Major League Baseball All-Star Brad Ausmus made more than a few folks a tad verklempt while sharing an especially profound experience at a nearly-packed Anti-Defamation League-sponsored panel discussion Monday night about Jews in baseball. [David Ogul]
Finding Inspiration through Baseball Read More »
Antisemitism, David Ogul, Israel, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
The Torah generally reveals little or no information about women. We are told that Jacob had a daughter named Dinah, but there is no more about her than what is mentioned in the drama. It does not tell us that Jacob had other daughters. It only reveals this in Genesis 37:35, where it states, “All his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him (Jacob),” and 46:15, where it states Leah, Jacob’s wife, bore thirty-three children with Jacob among “his sons and daughters.” [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
Comparing Dinah and Joseph Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors
How cute. We find Baby Jesus in a new environment: swaddled by a black-and-white keffiyeh, emblem of the Palestinian struggle. Not to rest in a manger but to lie amid a pile of rocks that symbolize the rocks left over from bombed-out buildings in Gaza. Thus, the label “Christ in the Rubble.” [Bruce S. Ticker]
OpEd: Manger Display Unacceptably Portrays War in Gaza as a Religious One Read More »
Bruce Ticker, International, Israel, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USAU.S. President-Elect Donald Trump told a news conference Monday he had “a really good conversation” with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I think we’re going to be in a good place in the Middle East,” he said. “I think the Middle East will be in a good place. I think actually more difficult is going to be the Russia-Ukraine situation.” [SDJW Staff Report]