FEATURE STORY
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DONALD HARRISON A TRUE LEGACY IN THE JEWISH SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY STEPS DOWN FROM THE HELM OF SAN DIEGO JEWISH WORLD BY MIMI POLLACK
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onald Harrison is a true mensch, and I am sure many would agree with me. He has been a voice for the Jewish community in San Diego County for many years with his highly regarded online newspaper, San Diego Jewish World. However, he is also aware of time moving on and the value of new and younger voices, so he has decided to hand down the reins and semi-retire. At the end of the year, Jacob Kamaras will take over as editor and publisher of SDJW with Harrison staying on as a contributing writer and editor emeritus. Harrison has positively influenced many people, including myself. Thanks to him, I began a second career as a published writer in my 50s in 2010. His guidance inspired me to actively pursue freelance writing and submit articles to various publications, including L’CHAIM magazine and San Diego Jewish World. More importantly because of his mentorship, I entered a new world where I got to meet fellow journalists, interview a wide variety of interesting people, and make friends outside of my ESL teaching world. This has broadened my horizons in San Diego, and I am grateful to him for that. One of things I admire about Harrison is his sense of adventure and not being afraid to try or learn new things. I am also appreciative of his graciousness with newcomers. He actively participated in a pen pal program I started with my ESL students and took several of my 24
L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2021/JANUARY 2022
students on tours of San Diego. Another thing I admire is his knowledge of Judaism and his ability to find a Jewish story in the most unlikely places! He written several books about traveling and finding Jewish stories, including Schlepping through American West, 77 Miles of Jewish Stories, and Schlepping and Schmoozing through San Diego County. Ever gracious, Harrison sent his encouragement to the publishers of L'CHAIM when they launched this publication in 2014, and even posted an announcement in SDJW. His charisma and friendliness draw people to him. But don’t just take my word for it. Fellow writers also admire Harrison. “I don’t actually recall the year that I began writing for San Diego Jewish World, but I do know that it was such an ego-rush to see my name and words in print,” From Eva Trieger (who also writes for L’CHAIM magazine). “Harrison is a great editor and taught me so much about writing and how to make a piece publishable. I am eternally grateful for the numerous opportunities Harrison gave me. I learned about so many aspects of San Diego that I would otherwise have been ignorant of. Thank you, Harrison, for being an amazing editor, teacher, and friend.” Like Eva, Harrison also gave me numerous opportunities to review local plays and meet some very interesting people. “Harrison has been a dear friend for many years, a cousin of my
