Jewish National Fund-USA Appeals for Donations to Help the People of Northern Israel

Cities across the Galilee, including Kiryat Shmona, Haifa, Nazareth, Akko and more have been relentlessly shelled; children run to shelters in hotels they have lived in for 11 months. This is a human tragedy of enormous proportions. [Sol Lizerbram, M.D]

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Israel, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Sol Lizerbram, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Hezbollah Mocked by Arabs; Ethical Concerns Proliferate in Wake of Pager Attack

Hezbollah, a group known for its terrorist activities, found itself targeted in a series of attacks in Lebanon. Twin blasts involving rigged pagers and walkie-talkies killed dozens and injured thousands, including Hezbollah fighters and Iran’s envoy to Beirut.  [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Israel, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology

Human Medications Seep Into Red Sea Coral Near Eilat, Israel

“We sampled 96 reef-building stony corals representing two types, Acropora sp. and Favites sp., in shallow sites as well as deeper sites beyond the limits of recreational diving. We were surprised to find an extensive presence of medications even in the deep-water corals which usually escape contaminations affecting corals in shallower areas.” [Press Release]

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Israel, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, The World We Share

Journalist on the Anti-Israel Campus Beat Says Court Suits Most Effective Way to Stop Encampments

While other tactics such as legislative hearings, donors withdrawing their donations to universities, and discrimination complaints to the U.S. Department of Education all have drawn needed attention to the problem, Kessel said litigating the matter on First Amendment grounds has proven more successful. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Mordechai Kedar, Israeli Expert on Islam, Coming to San Diego

Kedar, an expert on Middle Eastern politics and Arab culture, will hold discussions with students, strategic meetings with local leadership and media, and speak that evening at a location in La Jolla that will be disclosed to those who register. [Pamela Nathan]

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Israel, Middle East, San Diego Calendar, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Excellent dating advice, Marry a Mensch

Kigel’s longest chapter contains her Dating Don’ts. She discusses breaking up a relationship with a so-so man, experiencing opposite traits in a person, confusing bad habits with bad character, being attracted to a “bad boy,” dating guys who are not interested in marriage, having unrealistic expectations, what feelings should be taken seriously, being the pursuer as a woman, being friends with other men, and dating more than one man at a time. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Ben Platt

Courtesy of Wikipedia Benjamin Platt (September 24, 1993) is an American actor and singer. The son of film and theater producer Marc Platt and philanthropist Julie Platt, he began his acting career in musical theater as a child and appeared in productions of The Sound of Music (2006) and The Book of Mormon (2012–2015), rising to prominence for originating the title role in the Broadway coming-of-age musical Dear Evan Hansen (2015–2017). His performance

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Jewish Celebrities, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

A Letter to School Administrators Concerning the October 7 Anniversary

American Jewish Committee (AJC) is writing to you with grave concern about a document issued by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) regarding how teachers should discuss the anniversary of Hamas’ horrific attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. We urge all San Diego County schools to disregard this deeply problematic document. [Sara Brown, American Jewish Committee]

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Israel, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

The Matzo Chronicles: Hosting a Muslim Student from Jordan

My concern was mostly for him, a 20-year-old, religiously observant, first-time visitor to the U.S. How would he feel staying with Jews? We were fine. We were adults, who had willingly opened our home, but how about him? Would he, who had merely been assigned a random housing slot, feel blind-sighted, uncomfortable, overwhelmed, or G-d forbid, hostile? [Karen Galatz]

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Israel, Karen Galatz, Lifestyles, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Israeli Parents Experiencing Higher Rates of ‘Burnout’ Than Others Around the World

During the current war, parents in Israel are overcome by ongoing feelings of fatigue, psychological tension, and exhaustion related to their parental functioning (“parental burnout”). Among parents whose partners have been called up for reserve duty, the situation is even more serious, with levels of parental burnout as high as 3.5 times the global average. [Press Release]

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Israel, Press Release, Science, Medicine, & Education

OpEd: Biden Administration Ties Israel’s Hands Behind Its Back

Never mind that many of the “innocents” were terrorists, many more were supporters of Hamas, and any civilians who were killed were human shields, a diabolical war crime that ensures many civilian casualties. This is the atrocious Hamas strategy of making the Gazans into the first line of defense for Hamas terrorists (human shields). [Steve Kramer]

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Israel, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer, USA

Jewish Trivia Quiz: Eating Pets & Feeding Pets

Judaism ‍has ‍many ‍laws ‍governing ‍what ‍animals ‍are ‍kosher ‍and ‍what ‍rules ‍apply ‍to ‍preparation ‍of ‍kosher ‍food. ‍But ‍Judaism ‍also ‍has ‍rules ‍regarding ‍the ‍feeding ‍of ‍pets, ‍including ‍which ‍of ‍the ‍following? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

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Mark D. Zimmerman, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Jewish Biography: Yakov Sverdlov, Who Might Have Ruled Instead of Stalin

Although millions of Soviet citizens were murdered during his rule, no one blamed the Georgian people for this heinous crime. Stalin would likely have lost the power struggle had it not been for the Spanish flu epidemic that killed Lenin’s most likely heir, Yakov Sverdlov, in 1919. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food