Travel and Food

The Jewish Eye: Outdoor Menorah; Banning Books; Gun Safety

Barry Soper, who has contributed to many political campaigns, now has political figures donating money to build a new, less destructible outdoor menorah at Chabad of San Diego State University, which is led by Rabbi Chalom Boudjnah.  Among contributors are the current and previous two San Diego County Assessors/ Clerks/ Recorders respectively Jordan Marks, Ernie Dronenburg, and Greg Smith.  The menorah, which symbolizes the Jewish hope to bring light into the world, has been vandalized on several occasions over the years.  Overseeing construction of a new one is Joshua Soper, son of Barry Soper. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish Celebrities, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Patrick Henry HS ‘Jerome the Giraffe’ Wins Imagery Award at World Competition

The judges at the FIRST World Robotics Competition held April 19-22 in Houston, Texas, were mighty impressed with the looks of “Jerome the Giraffe,” a San Diego robot manufactured at Patrick Henry High School. The usual nickname for Patrick Henry teams is the “Patriots” but the robotics club made a slight change in the name. Their team is the “Patribots.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Technology, Travel and Food, USA

‘Breakfast Cereal: A Global History’ — The Book I Did Not Write

By Oliver B. Pollak RICHMOND, California – I like porridge, cream of wheat, and semolina. It’s a nice starter for cold weather. I remember the advertising ditty, “Its cream of wheat weather, we repeat, so guard your family with hot cream of wheat.” In 2005 we were in San Francisco for a wedding. We breakfasted

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Oliver Pollak, Travel and Food

Polish Jewish Yiddishist Seeks Revival of Eastern European Jewish Culture

Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh in late 2021 acted upon an idea that had been incubating almost since she arrived here. She rented a 600-squae-foot storefront at 1128 Wall Street in La Jolla and named her enterprise “Yiddishland.”  She intends it to be an incubator for the baby that she hopes will grow into a “mini-shtetl,” hopefully in La Jolla, with a small hotel, museum, classes, and possibly costumed docents who will introduce visitors to the resurging Yiddish world of Europe that was almost snuffed out by the Holocaust. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Travel and Food

Israel’s First Shake Shack Planned for 2024; Kosher Status Unclear

(JNS) Earlier this year, 7-Eleven opened its first store in Israel. Next year, the land of flowing Slurpees is poised to have its first Shake Shack fast-food restaurant. The popular U.S. burger chain announced on April 19 that it would open at least 15 Israeli branches in the next decade, with the first to appear

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Israel, Travel and Food, USA

Passover and the Jackson Hole Book Nook

By Oliver B. Pollak RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA –This was written on April 11, 2023, at 6,000 feet in the Jackson Hole Airport, 35,000 feet in flight, and 5000 feet in Denver’s new United “wing,” enroute from Jackson Hole to Richmond, California. We spend the beginning of Passover in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and return to Richmond for

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Oliver Pollak, Travel and Food

B’Shalom: Leonard da Vinci a landsman?  Goldman v. Jordan.  Lawson-Remer et al v. Nathan Fletcher

News of Jewish interest broke on Tuesday at the International, National, State and Local Levels: [Donald H.Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

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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