Articles, Essays and other Media Adventures

 

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Letter to the Editor - A Response to the 5 Town Jewish Times - April 4, 2013

Integrating Internet Technology with Amateur Radio for Public Service Events - October 2012 CQ Magazine

The Evolution of American Civilian Defense into Modern Emergency Management - August 2012 Fire Enginnering

The history of the origins of the 9th day of the month of Av (Tisha b’Av) - July 22, 2012

In Shadow of Terror Attack in Bulgaria, Media Perpetuates Myth of Bulgarian Government - July 21, 2012 - Israel National News & The Jewish Voice

Letter to the Editor / Correction: "New York’s Chief Rabbi" - July 20, 2012 The Jewish Press

The Annual Exploitation of a Sephardic Rabbi's Words to Make Money - June 11, 2012 Shabu'ot (Shavuos)

Thoughts Relating to Falsities Attributed to Shim'on bar Yohai - May 9, 2012

A Concise Overview of Hanukah - December 5, 2011

Origins of the Non-Jewish Custom Of 'Shlissel Challah' (Key Bread) - December 1, 2011

Jews Deifying the Non-Jewish English Word 'God,' by Spelling it 'G-d' - November 15, 2011

The Arrival and Disappearance of the Little-Known Spanish Jews of New York - Oct. 27, 2011 Submitted for the 2012 Metropolitan Review of Empire State College / State University of New York

The Myth of Praying at Amuka for a Spouse - June 29, 2011

The Murdered Jews of Macedonia and Thrace Remain Without a Voice - February 28, 2011 History News Network (George Mason University)

Whitewashing the Media Perpetuates: The Jews of Bulgaria and the Holocaust - December 20, 2010

The Fake Kabbalist Crisis Among the Orthodox Jewish World - Sept 7, 2010

The Nazi-Muslim Persecutions and the Forced Exodus - Sept 1, 2010 - (Cover Story) Viewpoint Magazine

Ashkenazi Against Sephardi Racism Lives - June 18, 2010

Why do Sephardi Children go to Ashkenazi Schools in Israel? - June 18, 2010

Hakham Mordehai Eliyahu (1929-2010) ZS”L June 7, 2010

Letter to the Wall Street Journal - In regard to an article about the Hurva Synagogue March 10, 2010

A review of An Early 20th-Century Sephardi Troubadour... February 11, 2010

Lubavitch's Break-Away Religion of 'Schneersonism' is Growing - January 3, 2010

Sephardic Leadership in Old Jerusalem - Image Magazine October 7, 2009

Sonia Sotomayor NOT the first Hispanic for US Supreme Court / The New York Times Challenged by Shelomo Alfassa and Responds - May 26, 2009

Book Review: Why Jewish Pirates Sunk - May 2009

German Persecutions Lead to New and Lasting Jewish Customs - February 25, 2009

Alfassa's photos published in Mishpacha Magazine - February 24, 2009

Shelomo Alfassa quoted in The Jewish Voice and Opinion - February 2009

Abraham Lincoln: Friend of the Jews but Not Jewish - December 24, 2008

Forty Years After the Edict of Expulsion from Spain - December 14, 2008

Why Jewish Blood Runs in Modern Spaniards - Israel National News - December 7, 2008

The Chabad Rabbi in India was not ‘Killed’ - HaModia December 17, 2008

Remembering the History of the Jews of Hebron on the Eve of Expulsion - November 19, 2008

Wikipedia® Continues to Destroy Intellectualism - August 31, 2008

Sephardic Men Beat Their Wives? - August 28, 2008

Shelomo interviewed on the Zev Brenner Radio Show - August 23, 2008

The Champion of Zion: Hakham Mordehai Eliyahu, shelita - June 13, 2008

Letter to the Editor - A clarification on the "Chief Rabbi of New York" - The Jewish Press - June 6, 2008

The Sephardic Perspective' Gets Syndicated by Reuters - April 16, 2008 (Press Release)

Real Victims Deserve Real Recognition - The Cutting Edge News - April 14, 2008

The Forgotten Jews of the Lower East Side: Greeks, Turks and Syrians - April 8, 2008

Judy Frankel, the Ladino Songstress, 65 - April 2, 2008

Letter to the Jerusalem Post - Erroneous History of the Hurva Synagogue - March 28, 2008

Iran Diverts Attention at Opening of UN Council in Geneva - March 19, 2008

Origins of Noise Making to Wipe Out the Evil Name on Purim - March 16, 2008

Last WWI Vets Dying, Get You Thinking About Your Family - March 13, 2008

January 27, 2008 - Shelomo mentioned in The Jerusalem Post

January 24, 2008 - Shelomo Alfassa in The New Jersey Jewish News

Hank Halio, 91 - A Sephardic Cultural Icon - January 23, 2008

Fortune Telling and Palm Reading are Not Part of Judaism - January 1, 2008

The Remodeling of Benazir Bhutto into a Saint - December 29, 2007

Remembering - Chief Rabbi Jacob Meir (On the Occasion of the 90th Anniversary of the Balfour Declaration) November 16, 2007

Sephardic Contributions to the State of Israel Image Magazine - November 1, 2007

How the Turks Saved the Jews from Genocide - October 10, 2007

Origin of the Statement of Sultan Bayezit II on the Jews - October 10, 2007 [Original Research Paper]

Sephardic Contributions to the Development of the State of Israel - For the Jewish Agency August 16, 2007

Herzl's Sephardic Connection Revealed - August 14, 2007 - The Cutting Edge News

Turks Unfairly Remain a Hated People - May 22, 2007

A World Now Gone: What Have We Lost - May 15, 2007

May 2, 2007 - Alfassa's book 'Reference Guide to the Nazis and Arabs During the Holocaust' was featured on ABC radio - KGO 810's "The John Rothmann Show"

Holocaust memorial to focus on 'Farhud' Staten Island Advocate - April 6, 2007

The Little Known Oriental Bureau of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society - Passages - Fall 2007

Letter to the Editor on Sephardic Radicals - The Jewish Press - January 19, 2007

Rabbi Shelomo Shaul Kassin (1908-1982) January 2007 - Image Magazine

Professor Stanford J. Shaw 1930-2006 - A Personal Appreciation - December 24, 2006

Matteo Maurice Alfassa - French Government Official - December 2007 [My relative!]

Mira Alfassa / From Sephardic Jew to Hindu Guru - September 2006 [My relative!]

Remember Hebron 77 Years Later August 13, 2006

The Call to Abandon Haifa: An Echo of History - Israel Insider Magazine - Aug 11, 2006

Andalusi - What's In a Name? July 8, 2006 Israel Insider Magazine / Israel National News

NY Sephardic Community Rallies Against Genocide in DC June 2006 Image Magazine

Why Some Don't Eat Rice on Pessah March 31, 2006 The Jewish Voice

Religious Jews Fall Divided March 31, 2006 The Jewish Voice

Jews In Danger March 3, 2006 Letter to the Editor - The Jewish Week

Lamp of the Greek Jews has Dimmed March 3, 2006 The Jewish Voice

Reverend Abraham Lopes Cardozo z"l (1914-2006) March 3, 2006 The Jewish Voice

Rabbi Shemuel David Luzzatto March 2006 Image Magazine

Tajikistan Synagogue Destroyed - Where is the Outrage? February 27, 2006 Los Angeles Jewish Observer

The Plight of the Jews in Iran February 17, 2006 Israel Insider Magazine

Rabbi Kaduri Passes Away at 106 February 3, 2006 The Jewish Press

Remembering a Beloved Rabbi February 1, 2006 The Jewish Voice

Who Was Nahmanides? Image Magazine January 2006

A Sephardic Perspective on Hevron Part I January 24, 2006 Israel National News

A Sephardic Perspective on Hevron Part II January 29, 2006 Israel National News

U.S. Holocaust Museum Whitewashes Arab-Nazi Ties 18 January 2006 The Jewish Press

Political Correctness Trumping History at the US Holocaust Museum? 13 January 2006 Israel Insider Magazine

Rabbi Yaakov Anatoli (1194-1256) Jewish Image Magazine January 2006

Revisionism is Growing 23 December 2005 Syndicated

A Concise Overview of Hanuka 22 December 2005

Sephardic Astronomers 9 December 2005

For the Sake of Zion 16 November 2005 Jewsweek

An Introduction to String Theory Feb. 2005 / Oct 05

An Open Letter to Moshe Katsav - President of the State of Israel October 24, 2005 Israel National News

Is Uncle Sam Confused? Israel Insider Magazine Oct. 20, 2005 & The Jewish Press October 24, 2005 (page 3)

Disarming and Converting Israelis 21 Sept 2005 Israel National News

My Opinion on Hurricane Katrina - The Failure to Help 1 Sept 2005

Sephardic Jewish Community Please Help Katrina Victims 31 Aug 2005

Rabbi Kahane on the National Geographic Channel 26 Aug 2005 Sephardic Voice

Another Wakeup Call for Turkish Jews 12 Aug 2005 Sephardic Voice

Bibi's Resignation on USA TV 7 Aug 2005

Sharon has Isabella Syndrome 14 July 2005 Israel National News / The Jewish Press

Qairawan: Between East and West 12 July 2005

An Overview of the Berber Jews of Morocco 7 July 2005

Look Back to Remember What We Lost 1 July 2005 Sephardic Voice

Remembering Cecil Roth on the 35th Anniversary his Passing 21 June 2005 History News Network (George Mason University)

Spain: Selling Culture to Jews or Selling Out Jewish Culture 20 June 2005

Open Letter on the Anusim Situation 17 June 2005

The Four Sephardi Synagogues 10 June 2005 Sephardic Jewish Voice

Mr. President, Please Call Tehran 13 April 2005 Israel Insider

Get Prepared for a Media Blackout Israel National News 3 April 05

Imus the Jew Hater and the Babbling Jew. An observation. 30 March 2005

From Babylonia to Barcelona Sephardic Image Magazine, April 2005 & Israel National News 11 March 05

The Vatican and its Friends Are Not Your Friends Israel National News 24 February 05 - Israel Insider 4 April 05

Death of the Grand Rabbi of Tunisia Sephardic Image Magazine. December 04

Book Review: "Banking on Baghdad" Australian Jewish News 13 October 04 & Moment Magazine April 2005

Beleaguered but Beloved, Gaza Sephardic Image Magazine. September 04

350 Years Since First Jew Landed in New York Israel National News 22 August 04

Review of Mel Gibson's Passion An Orthodox Observation 1 March 04

Palestine: According to America, it’s Here! Arutz Sheva, Israel National News 4 Shevat 5764 / 27 January 04

American Media Blackout of the Rally Arutz Sheva, Israel National News 18 Tevet 5764 / 13 January 04
(I was honored by Dr. Steven Plaut of Haifa University for subsequently promoting this essay, thank you Dr. Platt!)

Loss of a Sephardic Elder The Jewish Press 19 December 03

One Hundred Years Later: 1903-2003 Where are we? World Sephardi News Service 23 Nov 03

Torah Is Alive, Well, and Growing on the Internet World Sephardi News Service 9 Nov 03

Diaspora Jewish Intellectual Life Hits Bottom 13 October 03

A Few Bad Apples Spoil the Bunch Arutz Sheva, Israel National News 17 Elul 5763 / 15 September 03

Muses on Missiles and Mortars 4 Elul 5763 / 1 September 03 (Submitted to Arutz Sheva)

Shekel to Become Euro? Another Nail in the Coffin of the Jewishness of Our State. Jewish Press June 26, 03

Book Review of Sephardic Genealogy: "Discovering Your Sephardic Ancestors and their World." Koré, the Magazine of Arts and Letters: European Sephardic Institute. Vol. 33., Sivan 5763.

Thoughts on the Death of a Righteous Muslim Arutz Sheva, Israel National News 10 Sivan 5763 / June 10, 03

Letter correcting an error that NPR made while interviewing some non-Jewish "expert" on Jewish history! May 28, 03

Glimpses of Sephardic Astronomers Sephardic Image Magazine. May 2003

Death of the Chief Sephardic Rabbi Of Jerusalem. Jewish Press. April 19, 03

Book Review of Sephardic Genealogy: "Discovering Your Sephardic Ancestors and their World." Sharsheret Hadorot Journal of the Israel Genealogical Society. Vol. 17 No. 2: June 03

Pride of the Sephardim: Haham Yosef Caro. Sephardic Image Magazine. March 03
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

A Sephardic Perspective on Hebron. Israel National News, Arutz Sheva. February 7, 03 [Link]

Death of the Hahambashi Sephardic Image Magazine. Vol. 13, No. 9. September 2002.
Part1 Part2

The Classic of Constantinople: Me'am Lo'ez Sephardic Image Magazine. Vol. 12, No. 11. September 2002

When the High Court Welcomes Messianic Jews Israel National News, Arutz Sheva, May 14, 2002

Standing for Israel in Washington, D. C. Heritage Florida Jewish News, April 26, 2002
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

A Lesson in Judaism from the Tragedy in Georgia Heritage Florida Jewish News, March 8, 2002

Urgent Please for Argentine Jewry Jewish Press February 1, 2002

Black Hebrews: A Hate Group Watched by the FBI - January 22, 2002

A Call for Action! Jerusalem Post January 17, 2002

I went to NY's ground zero to help: a first person account Heritage Florida Jewish News, September 28, 2001
Part 1 Part 2 (Nominated for Florida Press Association Article of the Year Award)