Parsha Ki Tavo: Happiness Comes from Within

I’ve long held that happiness is an inside job. It’s not dependent on what you have, or don’t have, it rests largely on what you think. Rav Mordechai Gifter, zt”l, of the Rosh Yeshiva of Telz Yeshiva in Cleveland, offered a penetrating insight into human nature, “Happiness is not something that happens to us. Happiness is our choice.” [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Are You a ‘Genesis Jew’ or an ‘Exodus Jew?’

This (Oct. 7) tragedy has prompted a profound reassessment of Jewish identity, highlighting a transition from what Cosgrove terms “Genesis Jews” to “Exodus Jews.” This shift signifies a move from an identity grounded in divine blessing and cultural belonging to one shaped by external threats and the need for self-defense. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: David Bromberg

Courtesy of Wikipedia David Bromberg (September 19, 1945) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. An eclectic artist, Bromberg plays bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country and western, and rock and roll. He is known for his quirky, humorous lyrics, and the ability to play rhythm and lead guitar at the same time. Bromberg has played with many famous musicians, including Jerry Jeff

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Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

The Bunny Rabbit and the Shofar

I had multiple texts from my husband about Freckles acting weird. She was stomping her back feet and the kids were scared since she had never done that before. In the rabbit world, that behavior either means she is upset about something, or she is alerting her rabbit friends there is danger, a predator nearby. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, The World We Share, USA

Academic Journal Takes Note of San Diego’s Comic-Con

Klickstein’s book tells of Comic-Con’s growth “from an informal gathering of ‘geeks’ into a centerpiece of San Diego’s bustling, gentrified, tourist-trapping downtown area,” Friedmann writes. He goes on to quote one of 50 interviewees quoted in Klickstein’s book, the late Trina Robbins, as explaining why San Diego is the Comic-Con venue. “San Diego’s a great city for a vacation. Much better for a vacation in mid-summer than New York.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: Leftists Try to Falsely Link Black Americans’ Plight with Palestinians’

Hill’s most disgusting comment was to justify Hamas’ massacre of 1,200 Israelis in southern Israel. He insisted that his “moral code” is against maiming, raping and slaughtering innocent people and kidnapping another 250, but… “As a non-Palestinian, it is not my job to tell people how to liberate themselves. It is not my job to tell people how to be free,” Hill said. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Israel, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

James, Brother of Jesus, More Closely Aligned with Judaism than with Paul’s Christianity

Of all the books of the New Testament that ought to appeal to a modern Jewish reader, the Epistle of James probably comes closest to the values found in the Pirke Avoth, the Ethics of the Fathers in rabbinical Judaism. [Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Researchers Find Cells with Abnormal Number of Chromosomes Most Sensitive to Anti-Cancer Drugs

According to the researchers, “A significant portion of cancer cells are aneuploid, and this trait distinguishes them from healthy cells. Our work focuses on the vulnerabilities of aneuploid cells, with the aim of promoting new strategies for eliminating cancerous tumors. In our studies, we found that aneuploidy increases the sensitivity of cancer cells to certain types of anticancer drugs.” [Press Release]

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Israel, Press Release, Science, Medicine, & Education

Lost ID Card the First Trouble with New Car Company

Before leaving on holiday, we handed in our current car and were told that the ship bringing the fresh batch of vehicles would be reaching Israel in our absence, the procedure for registering the change in ownership would be undertaken by the company, and for that purpose we were told to leave our ID cards there. This we did willingly, glad to be relieved of at least one bureaucratic headache. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Business & Finance, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Reading the News with Trepidation and Resolve

It was all so horrific, and I think back to the weeks following October 7th. I remember that fear within me each time I turned on my phone right after Shabbat (and often during the week as well). What new information will the news bring? Has Israel entered Gaza yet? Have they found any of the hostages? And our precious chayalim (soldiers). Please tell me they are all safe, that there were no casualties over Shabbat.  [Ilanit Zakowski]

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Ilanit Zakowski, Israel, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Joshua Angrist

Courtesy of Wikipedia Joshua Angrist (September 18, 1960) is an Israeli–American economist and Ford Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Angrist, together with Guido Imbens, was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 2021 “for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships”. He ranks among the world’s top economists in labor economics, urban economics, econometrics, and the economics

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Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

Kosher Pizzeria in La Mesa Burglarized

On Saturday night, Sept. 14, about 10:30 p.m., burglars broke the lock box off the front door and came in looking for money. They emptied the register and the safe. Chris Leyvas, manager and a part owner, said he was not sure how much they got away with, but it was cash that needed to be deposited in the bank. [Cailin Acosta]

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Business & Finance, Cailin Acosta, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Yohanan Plesner: Ceasefire or Continued War: Israel at an Inflection Point

Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, does not want a ceasefire.  His goal, Plesner said, is to touch off a general war from the countries and regions surrounding Israel – Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, the West Bank, and Yemen – in which Iran might also participate as it did for the first time with a missile and drone attack on Israel in April. [Donald H. Harrison]

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