An Israeli-American Perspective: Growing Up in Two Worlds

Those early years in Israel, from preschool through my early teens, were shaped by a unique blend of independence, community, and a deep connection to our surroundings. The rhythm of our days was set by the school bell and the hum of local life—a far cry from the structured, often insulated, childhoods I would observe later while raising my own kids in the United States. [Shahar Masori]

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Israel, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Shahar Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Parsha Va’etchanan, Shabbat Nachamu: Caring for One’s Health

The parsha urges us, pleads with us, to prioritize our self-care and well-being. Our bodies harbor immense potential, which can only be fully realized when we maintain optimal health. In the Torah’s view, our physical forms are sacred vessels, instruments for achieving greatness. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Debra Messing

Courtesy of Wikipedia Debra Messing (August 15, 1968) is an American actress. After graduating from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Messing starred in the television series, Ned and Stacey on Fox (1995–1997), and Prey on ABC (1998). She achieved her breakthrough role as Grace Adler, an interior designer, on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received seven Golden Globe Award nominations and five Primetime

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Jewish Celebrities, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

How to Heal Troubled Mother-Daughter Relationships

The mother and daughter relationship can be a very sensitive subject for most mothers and daughters. How they communicate, don’t communicate, and interact in everyday life can be a constant tug-of-war on the mind and body. Someone is right and someone is wrong. It is a delicate process when dealing with emotions and hormones in different spectrums of womanhood. [Cailin Acosta]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Kamala Harris’ Challenge with Jewish Voters

New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, a Republican, could be proven right with her prediction in Monday’s New York Post: “I believe the Jewish vote is going to shift to the right in astronomical numbers in this election. The deeply rooted antisemitic rot in the Democratic Party is obvious. Jewish Dems feel betrayed, and they’re going to soundly reject it at the ballot box.” [Bruce S. Ticker]

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

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Mila Kunis

Courtesy of Wikipedia Mila Kunis (August 14, 1983) is an American actress. Born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, and raised in Los Angeles, she began playing Jackie Burkhart on the Fox television series That ’70s Show (1998–2006) at age 15. She has voiced Meg Griffin on the Fox animated series Family Guy since 1999. Kunis’s breakout film role was in the 2008 romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  She

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Jewish Celebrities, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

Jewish Federation Teams Up to Present Zoom Seminar on Israel

Jewish Federation of San Diego, Impact Cubed, The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) and Lawrence Family JCC have announced there is still time to register for the Zoom session “Understanding Israel: Current Events and Public Opinion” at 10 a.m., Wednesday, August 14. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, International, Israel, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Spokesman Shares ZAKA’s Missions Following Disasters in Israel and Abroad

At the kibbutzim, it was indescribable what they saw, what the victims had gone through.  They went house to house retrieving victims, discovering who had been murdered. They went through every house, and every car, removing every drop of blood, ashes, and human fragments to help identify the dead. It took 2 ½ weeks just to retrieve all the bodies. [Marlene Risman]

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

In Defense of a 25-Year-Old Novel by Elie Wiesel

Many reviewers found Elie Wiesel’s 1999 book The Judges difficult and abandoned it before reaching the end. They enjoyed the dozens of this Nobel Peace Prize winners’ books but dismissed this one, although it is in easy-to-read English, because they could not understand what was happening. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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

Mexican Jewish Leader of Tijuana and San Diego Tells His Humble Origins

Our arrival in Tijuana, a city of twenty thousand inhabitants, was a significant moment in my life. It was August, a hot month that brought a plague of fleas due to the unpaved streets. We embarked on a train journey from Mexico City, where we unfortunately lost all our hard-earned money in Chihuahua. Despite this setback, we were ready to face the challenges ahead. [José Galicot]

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International, Jose Galicot, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Memoir Tells of Russian Immigrant’s Social Climb in New York City

Memoirs are typically written by famous people or by those who survived extraordinary events.  Politicians, movie stars, artists, and diplomats are in the first category.  Soldiers and Holocaust Survivors are in the second.  But who is Anya Gillinson?  How many people outside of New York City have ever heard her name?  What impelled her to write her memoir? [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA