Staff and Bylined Contributors

Becoming “Besties” with a 105-Year-Old Seacrest Village Resident

It’s not every day you can say you are now best friends with a 105-year-old. I am happy to tell you on Friday, May 31, I can report I now have a new best friend named Charlotte Marx. I attended Marx’s 105th birthday lunch at Seacrest Village in Encinitas with a contingent from Tifereth Israel Synagogue Sisterhood. [Cailin Acosta[

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Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, International, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jewish Political Scene: Democratic Candidates Feast on Trump’s Criminal Conviction

So far, Biden’s reticence has contrasted with the rhetoric of at least two Jewish California Democrats, who believe they can turn Trump’s felony conviction to their advantage in the upcoming November 5 elections. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Rocking, Rolling and ‘Mothaland Bouncing’ at the JCC

Black manages to integrate Jewish theology, history and culture into his lyrics. The cadence and flow of his music is similar to Jay-Z and Ice-T. He even weaves in some humor. There is a definite gospel vibe. It was spiritually transforming, transporting us out of the tension we in the Jewish community have been living under for eight months. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Israel, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Treachery, Sex, Sportsmanship Dominate Novel about 1936 Olympic Games

Hitler sought a propaganda victory for his Nazified country with the Olympic Games supposed to be the setting for a demonstration of “Aryan” superiority. Brundage, blinded by his own lust for prominence, became Hitler’s stooge, so desperate was he to rise to the presidency of the International Olympic Committee.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Holocaust Survivors Ink Letters in Torah Reclaimed from the Shoah

Each Holocaust survivor paused silently and then spoke about their family members who perished before signing. San Diego Holocaust survivors who participated were Ben Midler, Gerald Szames, Violet and Ben Gurfinkel, Lubbock Geller, and Freda Sheykhet. [Sandra Scheller]

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Holocaust, International, Israel, San Diego County, Sandra Scheller, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Embracing Midlife Friendships

To have close girlfriends at any point in our lives is a gift, but there is a quality to our more mature relationships that either did not or could not exist in our young adulthood. They tend to be real, easy, and honest, mirroring our maturation and growth. And, unlike in past decades, our topics of conversation are increasingly about us, and our midlife evolution, as opposed to our kids or careers. [Shayna Kaufmann]

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Lifestyles, San Diego County, Shayna Kaufmann, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

A Word from Your Federation: A Month of Togetherness & Community Commemorations

This year’s events demonstrated the San Diego Jewish community’s resilience and unity. Despite geopolitical tensions, anti-Israel protests across our college campuses, and the rising tide of antisemitism, we showed up for each other, affirming our shared identity and commitment to our heritage. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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Antisemitism, Heidi Gantwerk, Holocaust, Israel, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

The Yin and Yang of Life’s Transitions

As high school students are graduating and heading off to college, The Israeli American Council (IAC) encourages students to join Mishelanu (Of our own). Mishelanu is a supportive community for college students to celebrate Jewish heritage and love for Israel. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, California, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘Love is All We Need’: An Idyllic Book for Children (and Their Adults)

Love is All We Need by Krina Patel-Sage; Northampton, Massachusetts: Crocodile Books © 2024; ISBN 9781623-716929; 26 pages; $18.95. SAN DIEGO – The two boys hugging in the middle of the adjacent cover image are a Muslim and a Jew – a timely reminder during the fierce Israel-Hamas War that friendships between people of different

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Learning from Isaac Leib Peretz’s Masterpiece ‘If Not Higher’

I consider Peretz’s story “If Not Higher” the best of his tales. In it, the Hasidim of the town of Nemirov believe their rabbi is so holy that he ascends to heaven each year during the Penitential Prayers, which are recited in synagogues every Friday morning before the New Year holiday Rosh Hashanah. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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