Staff and Bylined Contributors

Choosing Blessings Over Curses in San Diego’s Jewish Community

We always have the power to choose, no matter the circumstances surrounding us. Today, so many of us are choosing to spend time and resources defending the Jewish people, making our community safer, and supporting Israel in her time of need. We are choosing to do this because it answers the questions of who we are and where we are, and what kind of people we want to be. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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Heidi Gantwerk, Israel, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

An Israeli-American Perspective: Comparing Education Systems

From a young age, there is an emphasis on critical thinking and debate, perhaps reflecting Israel’s diverse society and its focus on security and civic responsibility. The famous Israeli chutzpah starts in the classroom, where students are encouraged to question, challenge, and engage in lively discussions with their teachers. [Shahar Masori]

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Israel, Science, Medicine, & Education, Shahar Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors

In Israel, It’s the Year of the Bumper Sticker

Since October 7th, grassroots campaigns have taken place to educate the public about our heroic warriors who died Al Kiddush Hashem protecting our nation. The medium used is the humble bumper sticker. These stickers usually feature the person’s name, photo, date of passing, and a quote or value reflecting their spirit. [Gedaliah Borvick]

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Gedaliah Borvick, Israel, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Have Lost Effectiveness

The pro-Arab network has spent the past 5 ½ years pressuring Democrats to undermine Israel, forcing them to walk a tightrope between Israel-bashers and the Jewish community. Not now. A week ago, I was ready to suggest that their influence could be waning. No longer “could be.” It is waning. They have lost much of their credibility, and both protesters and high-level Democrats agree with that assessment, in so many words. [Bruce Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Israel, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Book Chronicles 40 Diverse Stories from October 7th, 2023

One Day in October by Yair Agmon and Oriya Mevorach is a poignant and powerful memoir that captures the heart-wrenching events of October 7, 2023, in Israel. Through the lens of 40 individual stories, this book delves into the lives of those who survived the massacre, as well as the memories of those who tragically lost their lives on that fateful day. [Miriam Gershenson]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Jewish History, Miriam Gershenson, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘Careful, Beauties Ahead’ Probes Lives of Haredim

Tuvia is an expat Israeli born to a Yiddish-speaking rabbinical family in Bnei Brak, Israel’s largest majority ultra-Orthodox city. He has lived in Germany, the US, and elsewhere for many decades, working as a journalist and author. Holding multiple academic degrees and speaking several languages, Tuvia is also a playwright, essayist, and the founding artistic director of the Jewish Theater of New York. [Steve Kramer]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer, USA

Local Events Focus on Upcoming Anniversary of Oct. 7 Massacre

As the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre approaches, San Diego’s Jewish community’s programming and thoughts focus on the people of  Southern Israel, in particular those of Sha’ar Hanegev, San Diego’s Sister City which was ravaged in the attacks. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, USA

‘Go Around Cemetery’ Sign Led to Program of Community Participation in Development Projects

I sincerely internalized lessons from his experience and that signpost, coming to understand the needs that communities determine and express and the responsibility of development agencies to respond accordingly. This primary tenet of sustainability is so simple, and yet it has taken decades for prior generations worldwide (and still may require generations going forward) to truly forsake the destructive control of central planning in lieu of people’s own decision-making as it impacts their lives. [Yossef Ben-Meir]

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International, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Yossef Ben-Meir

In Appreciation of Elie Wiesel’s ‘The Testament’

The Testament is a novel focusing on the Soviet leader Stalin murdering Russia’s greatest Jewish poets and novelists on August 12, 1952, and before that date. Wiesel gathers the lives, thinking, and acts of these martyrs by imagining the tale of Paltiel Kossova , a Jewish poet who, despite devoting himself to communism, was murdered by the communist leader. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jewish Trivia Quiz: Joe Biden’s Rabbi, Michael Beals

Following ‍President ‍Biden’s ‍poor ‍performance ‍in ‍his ‍debate ‍against ‍Donald ‍Trump ‍last ‍June, ‍‍Forward ‍editor ‍Jodi ‍Rudoren ‍spoke ‍to ‍Rabbi ‍Beals, ‍who ‍offered ‍a ‍Jewish ‍framework ‍for ‍discussing ‍the ‍issue ‍of ‍Biden’s ‍age ‍and ‍its ‍impact ‍on ‍his ‍presidency ‍and ‍his ‍future ‍leadership. ‍What ‍did ‍Rabbi ‍Beals ‍say ‍regarding ‍this ‍issue? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

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Mark D. Zimmerman, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Works of Rachmaninoff, Rozsa Delight SummerFest Audience

The dynamic classical/jazz pianist, Conrad Tao, opened the August 17 SummerFest concert, California Dreamin’, with eight selections connected to Sergei Rachmaninoff, who spent his last years in Los Angeles after immigrating from his native Russia. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors