By Teresa Konopka SAN DIEGO — With Rosh Hashanah this past weekend, there were plenty of festivities. From services to lunch to dinner to shofar blasts to tashlich, the opportunities to connect with community were endless. Chatting up friends old and new, I broke the ice with my standard question — “any new year’s resolutions?” […]
Discovering Purpose Read More »
Jewish Religion, Opinion, Teresa_Konopka
By Doron Krakow JCC Association’s board convened in New York this week, and our meetings opened on September 11. Beth Mann, a remarkable member of the professional team, reflected on that devastating morning 22 years ago when our nation and world were rocked to their very core. Back then, Beth was the executive director of
When Tomorrow Comes Read More »
Doron Krakow, Jewish Religion, Opinion, USA
By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — “The Shoah is part of Paris’ history” – Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo “The speech by Fatima Mousa Mohammed at the CUNY Law School commencement shocked and horrified so many people in New York and around the world” – Maura Moynihan, daughter of the late N.Y. Sen Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Mobilizing Antisemitism Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, USA
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Whether it’s because I have an M.A. in Communications (with a thesis on the language of the news) or am simply a glutton for punishment, I find it impossible to cut myself off from the nightly news broadcasts on television. The anchormen and women do their best to
Cause for Optimism? Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Opinion
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Socrates is famous for saying, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” If Socrates had a preferred Jewish holiday, I believe it would undoubtedly be Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. These holidays offer us an opportunity to reflect, review, and reconsider who we are, what we’ve
Rosh Hashanah: What Does it Mean to be Human? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Opinion
By Oz Laniado SAN DIEGO — Here is the good news: We are going to win this battle because we don’t have a choice. To be able to continue to put Mezuzahs on our doors during the next decade, we better wake up now. In the face of adversity, the Jewish community has always shown
The Battle at Home: The Surge of Antisemitism Read More »
Israel, Opinion, USA
By Gedaliah Borvick JERUSALEM — We had the great honor of marketing a lovely apartment in Jerusalem’s Sha’are Chesed neighborhood for the estate of Yehuda Avner. Standing in Avner’s office and viewing numerous photos of him with leading world leaders felt like I was taking a stroll through the history of the State of Israel.
The Ultimate Insider Read More »
Gedaliah Borvick, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion, USABy Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — Their offense was to shake hands with the devil. After literally shaking hands with a foreign athlete during an international competition last month, an Iranian weightlifter was barred for life from entering his nation’s sports facilities. A state senator from Dearborn, Mich., apologized to her Arab and Muslim constituents
Seeking Peace With a Dysfunctional ‘Family’ Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, USA
By Rabbi Rosette Barron Haim (JNS) When I think of the High Holy Days, I think of generations of our people who have come together to worship and reconnect to the tradition. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and the days in between the holidays present an ideal time to strengthen our ties to God, Torah and
The High Holy Days Appeal: Words That Matter for Israel Read More »
Israel, Jewish Religion, Opinion, USA
By Jerry Klinger A cemetery stone on a street is a strange site, even in London. It is even stranger considering that there is no body buried beneath. The black and gold stone of honored memory is for a Jewish secret agent, a member of the British Special Operations Executive, SOE, Captain Lionel Lee. Lee
Captain Lionel Lee: Extraordinary Courage and Dedication Read More »
Holocaust, International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Opinion
By Jonathan S. Tobin (JNS) You would think that everyone understands that you can’t defend the Jews while supporting something set up to help promote antisemitism. Yet apparently, that basic truth is being ignored by those who ought to know better. The Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California (JPAC) has put itself in just such
California’s Ethnic Studies Mandate Cannot Be Fixed Read More »
California, Israel, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, USABy Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — As Jewish leaders and show-biz celebs pondered the use of a prosthetic nose in a film portrayal of composer Leonard Bernstein, three Israelis were gunned down by terrorists along a West Bank highway and outside a gas station. Philadelphia Jews might well be surprised that preschool teacher Batsheva Nigri,
Ignore West Bank Killings at Israel’s Risk Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Israel, Opinion, USA
The Matzo Chronicles By Karen Galatz Many years back, I wanted to contact one of my cousins. I didn’t have her phone number and, for the life of me, I couldn’t recall her married name. I wasn’t worried because I knew the information was in my late mother’s address book. But I couldn’t find her
An Old Address Book Holds Numbers, Memories, and So Much More Read More »
Karen Galatz, Lifestyles, OpinionBy Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — After seven months on the job, U.S. Rep. Summer Lee set herself up for the winter of Summer, to borrow from “The summer of George” title of a Seinfeld segment. Earlier this month, she traded barbs with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which criticized her decision to boycott
The Potential Fall of Congresswoman Summer Lee, the Squad Member From Pittsburgh Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Israel, Opinion, USA