Travel and Food

From the Holocaust to Santa Barbara: Stories of ‘Thrival’

By Eva Trieger SANTA BARBARA, California — As we celebrate Passover, the Festival of Freedom, it feels appropriate to write about a Holocaust documentary to which I was recently introduced. In 2008 filmmaker, podcast host and comedian, Louise Palanker teamed up with Jennie Reinish to bring us “We Played Marbles: Remembering a Stolen Childhood.” The […]

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California, Eva Trieger, Holocaust, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

‘Edu-tainment’ on ‘Seal Tour’ and at San Diego Zoo Safari

So, it was off to the San Diego SEAL tour on Thursday and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on Friday to engage in what Old Town Trolley Tours’ parent company, Historic Tours of America, calls “edu-tainment,” which refers to educating people while entertaining them. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, The World We Share, Travel and Food, USA

Jewish Life in San Miguel de Allende

By Oliver B. Pollak RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA — San Miguel sits at 6200 feet in Mexico’s high central altiplano 146 air miles northwest of Mexico City. Passenger train service ceased many years ago. Volaris Airlines very efficiently flies 240 passengers the 1,735 miles non-stop from Oakland to Leon near Guanajuato. Everything costs extra, except a styrofoam

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International, Lifestyles, Oliver Pollak, Travel and Food

San Diego’s Jewish Pioneer Built Area’s First Tannery in Rose Canyon

Rose Creek runs through Rose Canyon, which is known to seismographers as the site of the Rose Canyon Fault.  The canyon, the creek, and the fault are not named for the rose flower.  These locations are named for Louis Rose, who in 1850 became San Diego’s first Jewish settler. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

How Remote Israeli Communities Flourish on Just 1 Inch of Rainfall a Year

By Celia Theller Located in Israel’s southern Negev Desert, the Arava region receives approximately one inch (30 mm) of yearly rainfall. In comparison, cities like London and Melbourne receive around 24 inches, with New York receiving upwards of 45 inches annually. “In the Arava,” noted local resident and the region’s Resource Development Director, Noa Zer,

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Travel and Food

B’Shalom: Restaurant Server Shirts, Jewish Political News

At a growing number of restaurants, there’s more to read than the menu.  The backs of the wait staff’s shirts can teach you Yiddish at a Jewish deli, or engage in some punnery at two Italian restaurants in the eastern part of San Diego and in Santee. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Sunday Soundoff: Cancel Culture, Transit Equity, & Love vs. Hate

Craven now has been “cancelled” by the unforgiving academic community. The irony of this is that were it not for Bill Craven, Cal State San Marcos would not have existed in the first place.  He fought the uphill legislative battle to win approval for the construction of that campus. Opponents noted that San Diego County already had San Diego State University, whereas other parts of the state didn’t have even one state university campus, much less two, in addition to a campus of the University of California. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA

Twitter Faces Legal Complaint in Germany Over Antisemitic Content

Published by Reuters UK BERLIN (Reuters) – A group of Jewish students and an anti-hate speech association have filed a legal complaint against Twitter at a German court, they said on Wednesday, arguing the company did not remove anti-Semitic content. The European Union of Jewish Students and HateAid criticised what they described as a lack

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Travel and Food

Archaeologists Find Evidence of Asian Trade Route Through Israel in 8th Century

“Our findings seem to provide the first evidence that there was also an ‘Israeli Silk Road’ used by merchants along the international trading routes. This route branched off from the traditional Silk Route that passed to the north of Israel, crossing the Arava and connecting to the main historical trade routes that crossed the country, as well as to the main ports of Gaza and Ashkelon that served a major gateways to the Mediterranean world.”

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International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Travel and Food

Jewish Nuggets on MS Koningsdam Cruise from San Diego

One notices almost immediately after boarding this cruise ship that it is musically themed. There are show rooms named for such musicians as B.B. King and The Rolling Stones.  Four decks are named after composers Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Gershwin.  On the most forward of three elevator landings on Deck 5, there is an autographed photo of its namesake Jewish composer, who is well known for “An American in Paris” and “Porgy and Bess.” On the landing for the aft elevator, there is a cassette tape encased in a blue background – a physical interpretation, is it not?—of Gershwin’s celebrated “Rhapsody in Blue.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Travel and Food