SAN DIEGO — Veteran journalist Donald H. Harrison has reacquired ownership of San Diego Jewish World and will resume as its publisher and editor as of January 1, 2024, it was jointly announced by Harrison and Jacob Kamaras, the current publisher.

Pictured on Sunday, July 31, 2022, in La Jolla are (from left to right) Don Harrison, then editor emeritus of San Diego Jewish World, holding the $1 he received for selling the publication to Jacob Kamaras; Roz Rothstein, co-founder and CEO of StandWithUs, holding her Jewish Community Leadership Award plaque; and Kamaras. On Dec. 26, 2023, Harrison and Kamaras jointly announced Harrison’s reacquisition of the publication for $2 as well as Harrison’s resumption of the role as publisher and editor. Credit: Ben Dishman.

In a celebrated $1 sale effective January 1, 2022, Kamaras became the publisher and editor of the San Diego-based Jewish website which provides news and features of direct interest to the Jewish community.  Harrison, who had started the publication in 2007, continued to submit articles and served as editor emeritus.

To reacquire San Diego Jewish World, Harrison paid Kamaras $2, so the latter can honestly claim to have made a 100% profit on the transaction.

Kamaras, father of two young children and a third child expected in March, has a full-time position as executive director of J Cubed Communications, an international public relations firm representing a variety of American Jewish and Israeli institutions. “As a young father and a full-time public relations professional, I simply didn’t have the bandwidth to also put out a daily Jewish news publication,” Kamaras said. “Luckily, Don was ready to step back in.”

Harrison has been covering Jewish news in San Diego County since 1986, first as an editor with the San Diego Jewish Press-Heritage through 2003 and later as a columnist for the San Diego Jewish Times.  After both those publications folded because of insufficient advertising, staff members of both publications suggested that the Jewish Sightseeing website that Harrison then maintained be converted into a Jewish news and feature site to serve the San Diego Jewish community.

Harrison has published nine books about Jewish San Diego over the years, the first being Louis Rose: San Diego’s First Jewish Settler and Entrepreneur in 2005, and the most recent being a three volume examination of Jewish life and accomplishments called Schlepping and Schmoozing Along the Interstate 5.

“Jacob is a valued friend and colleague,” Harrison said. “I look forward to the fact that our paths will continue to cross many times in his capacity as a public relations representative for some very important Jewish organizations.”

“Now that I am back as editor and publisher, I plan to beef up our coverage of San Diego County’s Jewish community, as well as those in the rest of the United States, in Israel, and around the globe.”

Republished from San Diego Jewish World

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