By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–One of the arguments against electing Shimon Peres as President of the State of Israel was that he wouldn’t be above the fray, as is expected of a titular Head of State, but deep in it. However, after the embarrassment of his predecessor having to leave office before his time was […]
Shimon Peres speaks out on Jerusalem crisis Read More »
Middle East, USAJERUSALEM–It’s too early to panic, I hope. President Obama returned to his sweeping demand that Israel stop construction in post-1967 neighborhoods of Jerusalem, extend the construction freeze in settlements outside of Jerusalem beyond the ten months agreed, and take other steps to bring the Palestinians to negotiations. Comments at a high tone have come from
U.S-Israel rift may cool over Passover holiday Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USAJERUSALEM–Now when he’s about to get a Jewish son-in-law, Bill Clinton moves to Israel, converts to Judaism, forms a political party and is elected Prime Minister with acclamation. I cannot have the same fantasy about Barack Obama whose popularity in Israel is now in single digits. But unlike Clinton, Obama may want to be involved
Watching Israeli reactions to Obama-Netanyahu rift Read More »
Middle EastYehuda Halevi by Hillel Halkin, Nextbook/Schocken, New York; ISBN 978-0-8052-4206-5, ©2010, $25.00, p. 353. By Fred Reiss, Ed.D WINCHESTER, California– Give me the names of three medieval Jewish poets … Okay, I’ll take just two … Can you name just one? If you’re like most people, all you heard was the sound of silence. Our
Book places Halevi and his poetry in context Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdDBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–It may be time for Barack Obama to visit the Knesset. Anwar Sadat’s visit in 1977, and his opening words “In the name of God, Mr. Speaker of the Knesset, ladies and gentlemen . . .I come to you today on solid ground to shape a new life and to establish peace.
Should Obama make a Sadat-like visit to the Knesset? Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USASamuel’s Daughter by Ann Brener, BookSurge Publishing, 2010, 230 pages, ISBN: 1439249911, paperback, $14.95 By Laurel Corona SAN DIEGO–In the spirit of Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent, Ann Bremer takes three individuals mentioned briefly in the Babylonian Talmud and fleshes them out into a rewarding story about life in the Jewish Diaspora in the third-century
'Samuel's Daughter' is a sweet love story Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Cynthia Citron LOS ANGELES – Who knew sex could be so tedious? In David Hare’s The Blue Room 11 acts of intercourse are conducted without heat, or charm, or intimacy, or humor, or foreplay. The acotrs climb all over each other into a black out, and from there, it’s just “wham, bam, thank you, ma’am” and “Where are my shoes?” Moreover, if a cardinal rule of acting
So who knew sex could be so boring? Read More »
Cynthia CitronSACRAMENTO (Press Release)–Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced today that 460 insurers have agreed in writing to a moratorium on future investments in 50 companies identified by the California Department of Insurance (CDI) to be doing business with the Iranian energy, nuclear and defense sectors. “This level of participation in the moratorium signals tremendous progress in
460 insurance companies to boycott investments in companies doing business with Iran Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Okoronkwo Umeham and his wife, Gail Feurzeig Umeham, have heard rumors that the Mexican government may apologize for his wrongful incarceration in a Tijuana Federal Detention Center earlier this month, but so far that is all that the reports have turned out to be – rumors. To my
Schmooze and News for all us Jews Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, USA
Will You Freak-Out or Hunker Down? ATLANTA, Georgia–Sometimes motivation is forced upon us. We are thrust into the Un-comfort Zone. And, whether we sink or swim depends on how we respond to the situation. How do you react during a crisis? Here are the stories of two men who faced a crisis late in life
The Un-Comfort Zone with Robert Wilson Read More »
Travel and FoodSAN DIEGO — In the weeks before Pesach I am asked more questions about one topic more than anything else: kitniot. Kitniot are vegetables and grains that Ashkenazic Jews avoid eating during Pesach even though they are not chametz. “Kitniot” are often erroneously translated as “legumes.” However, while most legumes are kitniot (i.e., beans and peas),
The reasons we don't eat kitniot during Pesach Read More »
Travel and FoodBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C.–Sometimes it takes a while for a story to come full circle. Last week, we reported on a ForeignPolicy.com blog that said American military officers in CENTCOM blamed U.S. relations with Israel for American weakness in the region. The ForeignPolicy blog went viral on the web, attracting other “authoritative” statements blaming
General Petraeus sets record straight on Israel Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, USABy Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO–Rabbi Yosef Charif of Slonim was known for his sharpness and insight. Every year as Pesach approached, he received a multitude of queries concerning the intricate laws of the holiday. One year, he received a distressed looking woman on Erev Pesach morning, asking for an audience with the Rabbi. The
When a noted philanthropist went broke Read More »
Travel and Food
By Natasha Josefowitz, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California– Potentially difficult conversations are the conversations we put off because we assume they will be unpleasant at best or escalate into acrimony at worst. And yet it must be done. It can be anything from needing to tell an elderly parent he or she should stop driving (my
Preparing for unpleasant but necessary conversations Read More »
Natasha Josefowitz