Staff and Bylined Contributors

Six Reform Congregations in San Diego County Receive Fake Bomb Threats

Six Reform Jewish congregations throughout San Diego County were targeted on Tuesday, Jan. 2, with false bomb threats, according to Bill Ganley, the Secure Community Network’s security director at the Jewish Federation of San Diego. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, California, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: A War to the Finish

Is Hamas losing? I say yes. One significant reason is the hundreds of Hamas fighters who have surrendered to the IDF. They have given up their fight only because they have no surviving commanders, they are hungry and thirsty, they lack ammunition, and they know that the Israelis will treat them humanely. In the meantime, these terrorists, some of whom were active in the October 7 onslaught, have provided a tremendous amount of intelligence. [Steve Kramer]

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Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Victor Borge

One routine involved adding a number to any word containing the sound of a number, so, for example, “wonderful” became “twoderful” and “anyone for tennis?” became “any two for elevennis?”  Another shtick was reading books aloud, making special sound effects to indicate punctuation. [SDJW staff report]

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International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA

Mixed Reactions to Kosher Hamitbach in New Mission Valley Location 

In order to make people who don’t keep kosher care about a kosher restaurant it has to have three things: 1- great food first and foremost.  Especially when you’re paying a premium for kosher meat, it must not only be as good as the non-kosher version, but even better to justify the higher cost.  2- great service, if you don’t feel welcome in the restaurant, why would you ever go back?  And 3- good ambiance.  [Sandi Masori]

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Parasha Shemot: Trust in God, Have Compassion for Others

Imagine this: you, nestled in His embrace, unshackled from earthly limits. Now, wouldn’t Hashem naturally want to protect and provide for you? That’s the essence of Bitachon – a deep assurance that, fueled by your trust, Hashem’s blessings will manifest, regardless of any perceived “worthiness.” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Children’s Book Relates the Odyssey of the Sarajevo Haggadah

Approximately 673 years ago, the Sarajevo Haggadah was given as a wedding present, not in Bosnia but in Spain, where it remained until 1492, when King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella expelled those Jews who would not convert to Catholicism.  The ancient and beautifully illustrated narration of the Passover seder was a treasure that the Jewish family carried with it over the generations, first to Italy and later to Sarajevo, Bosnia. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Isaac Asimov

The family immigrated to the United States in 1923 and owned candy stores, where, as youngsters, Isaac, his sister Manya, and brother, Stanley, all worked. The stores stocked science fiction magazines and newspapers, perhaps accounting for Isaac becoming a science fiction writer and Stanley a vice president of Long Island Newsday. [SD Jewish World staff]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA

Fighting Antisemites in the U.S. and Around the World

By Brooke Goldstein NEW YORK — As we welcome 2024, I am honored to share with you a recap of the impactful journey we’ve undertaken at The Lawfare Project over the past year. Amidst unprecedented challenges, our team has remained steadfast in our commitment to upholding justice and defending the legal rights of the Jewish

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Antisemitism, International, Israel, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: J. D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye, featuring the adventures of the cynical Holden Caulfield, was greeted enthusiastically by literary reviewers and by high school teachers, but in other parts of the country, it was denounced as smut because of Salinger’s frequent use of such words as “goddamn,” bastard,” “Chrissakes.”[SDJW Staff report]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA

Last Word: A Satiric Review of 2023

By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO – Laughing to keep from crying, here’s a look back at 2023: January My Blue Kevin (Melody: My Blue Heaven) The GOP votes multiple times. ‘Cause the crazies reject blue Kevin. Turn to the right, the extreme MAGA right Will make him the blue, blue Kevin. He bargained away, whatever

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International, Lawrence Baron, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

New Year’s Wisdom from My Fig Tree

So, what is the New Year’s wisdom from my fig tree? Its seasonal variations remind me that change happens gradually; that nature takes patience and time to produce its fruits – its goals. The tree is not making a resolution to produce a certain number of figs. It cannot. It is unable to control how much water it receives, unforeseen weather patterns, or the quantity and sweetness of the figs it will eventually yield. [Shayna Kaufmann]

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Lifestyles, Shayna Kaufmann, Staff and Bylined Contributors

How I Plan to Triumph over Antisemitism: My New Year’s Resolution

I am asking the lobbyists for their help in securing a Congressional investigation into the federal grant programs intended for insuring equity and inclusion of university students, but have, instead, been usurped by propagandists, who have used these funds to bring in guest lecturers and core faculty members who espouse a full-fledged frontal assault on Israel as “colonists” and “apartheidists.” [Amy Neustein, PhD]

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Amy Neustein, Antisemitism, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA