Staff and Bylined Contributors

A Handbook for Social and Political Action

This is a handbook for social and political activism, written by a medical doctor who has spent his life engaged in protests, demonstrations, and movements for change. Whether you agree with his positions on a variety of issues, or disagree, reading this book may be enlightening. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: Ceasefire Agreement is an American-Imposed Mirage

A fata morgana is a rare optical phenomenon in the atmosphere, consisting of several forms of mirages, in which distant objects are seen repeatedly and with a variety of distortions. Fairy Morgana is an enchantress, a half-sister to King Arthur. The American administration has made great efforts to organize a peace agreement between Lebanon and Israel, which means creating a new mirage, another fata morgana, an illusion of peace. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Israel, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Amos, Zelickman, Schumann Team in All-Mozart Concert at the LFJCC

Assistant Conductor of the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra (TICO), Robert Zelickman, opened the matinee All-Mozart Concert at the Garfield Theater of the Lawrence Family JCC Sunday, Nov. 24, conducting, the Overture to “The Impresario,” one of Mozart’s comic operas in which a director is auditioning two singers for a role and each is trying to outdo the other. The wave after wave of sequences in the rapid-fire overture reflected that competition. Zelickman sustained the orchestral energy of the overture throughout the five-minute work. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

The Jewish Citizen: Israel and Hezbollah Agree to a Ceasefire

Israel’s Security Cabinet on Tuesday approved “in principle” a ceasefire with Lebanon, requiring Hezbollah forces to move north of the Litani River, about 18 miles from Israel’s border, while Israel would withdraw its forces to south of the border.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Middle East, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: Senator Jon Ossoff Has Just Put His Reelection in Jeopardy

Advocates for the Palestinians, especially in battleground state Michigan, predicted their faction would vote for neither Trump nor Harris to punish Democrats on grounds that President Biden did too little to restrain Israel’s military response to Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas slaughtered 1,200 Israelis. Another faction that was expected to undermine Harris were racial minorities who accused Democrats of taking their votes for granted. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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

Hasidic Rebbes and what they taught us

Eight of Elie Wiesel’s fifty-seven books could be called “Theological Biographies.” They are books on biblical figures and stories about Hasidim. They are Souls on Fire (1972), Four Hasidic Masters and Their Struggle Against Melancholy (1978), Somewhere a Master (1982), and Wise Men and Their Tales (2003), which focus on Hasidim. Messengers of God (1976), Five Biblical Tales (1981), and Sages and Dreamers (1991) look at biblical people. Filled with Fire and Light is a 2021 posthumous book addressing biblical, Talmudic, and Hasidic figures.    [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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

OpEd: Ghahremani’s Execution Underscores Iran’s Persecution of Jews

The story of Arvin Nathaniel Ghahremani is a haunting reminder of the challenges faced by Jews in Iran. In 2022, at the age of 18, Ghahremani found himself in a violent altercation that would ultimately cost him his life, not because of justice, but because of systemic prejudice.  [Miriam Gershenson]

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Antisemitism, Israel, Middle East, Miriam Gershenson, Staff and Bylined Contributors

The Jewish Citizen: Bipartisan Effort to Increase Penalties for Conspiring with Foreign Powers to Kill or Harm Federal Officials

Democratic Congressmen Brad Schneider of Illinois and Jared Moskowitz of Florida are among the sponsors of a bipartisan bill increasing criminal penalties for engaging in murder-for-hire conspiracies and murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, or assault on federal officials, former federal officials, and their families.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Visiting the Gaza Envelope

Recently we followed in the footsteps of many Israelis and traveled south to the “Gaza envelope” (the area of Jewish communities adjacent to the border). We were on one of two buses sponsored by the ESRA organization going to the area where 1,269 Israelis (and some others) were killed, thousands were wounded, and 250+ were kidnapped. In addition to our bus there were many other busses and private cars visiting the area. [Steve Kramer]

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Israel, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer, Travel and Food

Jewish Trivia Quiz: Mike Huckabee

Prior ‍to ‍Mike ‍Huckabee’s ‍2015 ‍trip ‍to ‍Israel, ‍he ‍criticized ‍President ‍Obama ‍for ‍spending ‍“more ‍time ‍berating ‍Israel ‍for ‍building ‍bedrooms ‍for ‍its ‍families ‍than ‍he ‍has ‍spent ‍bothering ‍Iran ‍for ‍building ‍nuclear ‍bombs.” ‍He ‍then ‍went ‍on ‍to ‍draw ‍a ‍contrast ‍between ‍his ‍and ‍Obama’s ‍relationship ‍with ‍Israel, ‍invoking ‍what ‍musician? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

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Israel, Mark D. Zimmerman, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Are There Jewish Miracles? Yes, 8 Days of Chanukah Among Them

Do Jews believe in miracles? An article on myjewishlearning.com sparked my interest. Miracles appear throughout Jewish texts, from the splitting of the Red Sea to the bush that burned but was not consumed. [Cailin Acosta]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Religion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Jewish Biography: Leonid Solomonovych Pervomaysky, Ukrainian Author

Jewish themes were constantly present in Pervomaysky’s work. In the early “everyday” stories and novels they occupy a leading place. They were in the center of the story of The Promised Land, the stories The Umbrella of Pinchus-Moti (1926), In the Bookbinder’s Room (1928), From the Song of Songs (1935), and One Night of Ilyusha’s Childhood (1937). [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘That’s The Shul I Don’t Go To?’

Young Israel, Chabad East County, Beth Jacob—each a long-standing wellspring of Torah and inspiration. Together, they could become a beacon of unity, proving that our differences are not barriers but opportunities to strengthen each other. The Torah was given to us as one at Sinai. Let us live that way, too. Let’s do more than sing, “Acheinu Kol Beit Yisroel,” (“Our Brethren, the entire House of Israel”) let’s take visionary action and live this. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

The Jewish Citizen: Chabad Rabbi Slain in the United Arab Emirates

The body of murder victim Chabad Rabbi Zvi Kogan was recovered Sunday in the United Arab Emirates, and that nation’s Interior Ministry announced the arrest of three suspects, giving no further details. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish Religion, Middle East, News Media, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA