Jacob Kamaras

Jacob Kamaras

La Jolla, California, based public relations executive Jacob Kamaras is a former editor-in-chief of the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS).  He is an active member at Adat Yeshurun Synagogue.

Donald Harrison: Relentless Pursuer of Jewish Stories

By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — What’s there to say about Donald (Don) Harrison, founder of the San Diego Jewish World and our soon-to-be editor emeritus, that hasn’t already been said? The media coverage surrounding my impending ownership of the publication has focused on the $1 purchase price, my unconventional mixture of careers in […]

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Jacob Kamaras, San Diego County

New Sunday Series Will Probe Jewish Stories Along the Interstate 5

Every Sunday of 2022, with the permission of San Diego Jewish World’s new publisher and editor Jacob Kamaras, I will be posting an installment of a new book that I am writing, tentatively titled Schlepping and Schmoozing Along the Interstate 5. [Donald H. Harison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jacob Kamaras, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Holocaust Museum LA’s Expansion Advances Its Founding Vision

By Jacob Kamaras When California state lawmakers recently announced $2.5 million in funding to support the expansion of Holocaust Museum LA, it marked the latest step toward realizing a cornerstone of the museum’s founding vision. The state support will fund a new learning center pavilion and new programming for younger learners at the museum. It

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Jacob Kamaras, Jewish History, USA

San Diego School Board Modifies Resolution Calling for ‘Unbiased’ Materials on Israel

By Jacob Kamaras (JNS) The San Diego Unified School District’s Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved, though modified, a resolution condemning antisemitism that would have also supported “unbiased and politically neutral” classroom materials pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the approved version of the resolution, the board stated that it “affirms the rights of Jewish

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Jacob Kamaras, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

San Diego Jewish World Names Jacob Kamaras Publisher and Editor Starting January 1

The San Diego Jewish World on Tuesday announced that Jacob Kamaras will assume the role of publisher and editor in chief of the daily online news publication beginning January 1, 2022. Kamaras, a public relations professional who previously served as the first editor in chief of the national Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), succeeds San Diego Jewish World founder Donald H. Harrison, 76, who will become editor emeritus. [SDJW]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jacob Kamaras, San Diego County

Can a Synagogue Feel Open with Locked Doors? Rabbis Reflect on Pittsburgh, 3 Years Later

By Jacob Kamaras (JNS) In a sense, the Jewish communal reactions to the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh and the coronavirus pandemic were diametric opposites. After Robert Bowers shot and killed 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, American Jews were urged to show up at services in droves the

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Jacob Kamaras, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, USA

Bringing Israel to San Diego: The ‘Magic’ of Hosting a Young Emissary

By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — On August 29, Jane Fantel of Carmel Valley posted a heartfelt message on Facebook to mark one year since an “amazing young woman came into my life” — referring to Klil Amar, The Jewish Agency for Israel’s ShinShinit (service year emissary) at the KAVOD Charter School, Congregation Beth

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Jacob Kamaras, San Diego County

Putting the ‘Community’ in Jewish Community Day at Petco Park

By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — I’ll never forget my first baseball game. My father brought me to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on the last day of the regular season in 1993, as we watched the New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers, 2-1. Even as my interest in America’s Pastime has waned

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Jacob Kamaras, Sports & Competitions, USA

Botanic Burgers: Creative Kosher Treats, with a Kick

By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — In recent years, the advent of the Impossible and Beyond vegan burger brands has helped fulfill a seemingly impossible dream for the kosher consumer: the taste of an authentic cheeseburger. And that’s exactly what set the stage for my visit this week to Botanic Burgers, the new kosher

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Jacob Kamaras, San Diego County, Travel and Food

New Kosher Bakery in La Jolla Offers an Authentic Taste of France

By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — “Why don’t we have kosher restaurants?!?!?” That’s the desperate plea — often reaching a primal scream — issued by San Diegans who strictly observe kosher dietary laws. For those consumers, the recent opening of Parisien Gourmandises at 7643 Girard Avenue in La Jolla is certainly a reason to

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Jacob Kamaras, San Diego County

Shabbat in Baja

By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — When it came to planning my family’s summer vacation this year, the process could be summed up by a Yiddish proverb: Der mentsh trakht un Got lakht. Man plans and God laughs. Initially scheduled to depart for Hawaii on August 24, we later realized that we booked that

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Jacob Kamaras, Travel and Food

Choosing a Flavor of Response to the Ben & Jerry’s Boycott

By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — One thing is clear about the recent decision by Ben & Jerry’s to stop selling ice cream in what the company described as “Occupied Palestinian Territory” (referring to parts of the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem): Jewish opinions about the frozen products are on fire. As the passionate

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Jacob Kamaras, Middle East, USA