The first semester of my senior year in high school was all about the Native Americans. Fitting, as the school was located in Manhattan, which the early Dutch colonists purchased from Indigenous tribal leaders for the equivalent of a thousand dollars. We’d learned that in fourth grade, but that was all we knew about these…
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First Person
First Person
Christian pastor: This Holy Week, I’m giving up antisemitism
This piece first appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is reprinted with permission. Two years ago this week, my book buddy Jim Van Buskirk and I…
Local Voice
Asian Americans like me are finding the courage to share our trauma
Many in the community may know me as Berkeley’s elected city auditor. In that role, I project an image of professionalism, competence, and the confidence…
First Person
Last Passover we said, ‘Next year in Calabasas!’ This year we’re doing it.
Each year as the last winter storm threatens the West Coast and ultimately disappoints forecasters, my mother sends the email to the list. Littered with…
First Person
Asian Jews are suffering. We need you to listen.
A version of this essay originally appeared on Alma. Over the years, I’ve dealt with a lot of reactions to the fact that I am Korean and Jewish. They’ve…
History
I was face to face with evil at the Nuremberg Trials
It happened to me 75 years ago, as World War II ended, but every detail is clear as day. My outfit, the 407th Infantry Regiment, found itself in the…
Music
In memoriam: Musician Jewlia Eisenberg, 50
Whoever preserves a single life, the Talmud tells us, is said to have saved the whole world. With the death of Jewlia Eisenberg last week at the age of…
First Person
Getting vaccinated was a lesson in humility and gratitude
Majesty and humility. These two words have been swirling through my mind. After consulting with health experts who confirmed my role as a community…
First Person
Childhood illness and tikkun olam at Family House
Over a decade ago, I was on hiatus from my longtime role with the Jewish Community Federation and wanted to learn more about photography, a practice I…