Donald H. Harrison

Eighth-grade students commemorate the Holocaust by painting ceramic butterflies

La Mesa Arts Academy’s eighth-grade Social Studies classes, taught by Mrs. Debra Lunamand and Mrs. Heather Filippelli, participated in The Butterfly Project just before the end of the school year as students completed testing and finalized semester grades. More than 300 plaster butterflies were painted. [Cailin Acosta]

Eighth-grade students commemorate the Holocaust by painting ceramic butterflies Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jewish composer Justin Hurwitz featured at final concert of the semester at La Mesa Arts Academy

Composer and songwriter Justin Hurwitz, who wrote the music for La La Land, is Jewish and of Russian, Polish, Syrian, and Lebanese descent. Hurwitz attended Harvard University, where he was roommates with director Damien Chazelle. The two later collaborated on La La Land and several other films. [Cailin Acosta}

Jewish composer Justin Hurwitz featured at final concert of the semester at La Mesa Arts Academy Read More »

Cailin Acosta, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Parsha Shelach: ‘The link is what you think’

The Torah records one of the most revealing statements in all Tanach: “We were like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and so we were in theirs.”
The first half of the verse is understandable. The spies felt intimidated. They felt small in comparison to the challenges before them. But the second half raises an obvious question. How could they possibly know how the inhabitants of the land viewed them? [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

Parsha Shelach: ‘The link is what you think’ Read More »

Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Silent Movie Mondays ends with Harold Lloyd comedy: ‘Safety Last’

The hanging from a clock scene is one of the most famous sequences in film history: Harold Lloyd dangling from the hands of a giant clock high above the city streets of Los Angeles. The scene remains thrilling today … [Sherrie Rose]

Silent Movie Mondays ends with Harold Lloyd comedy: ‘Safety Last’ Read More »

California, Jewish History, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Anti-Israel protesters demand that Colorado release firebomber

The contempt that some Israel-bashers hold for America’s laws never ceases to surprise. Their accomplices in Boulder, Colorado, eclipsed them all on June 1, the first anniversary of Karen Diamond’s murder in a firebombing on Boulder’s Pearl Street. They are demanding the release of her convicted killer, Mohamed Soliman, who was sentenced to life plus 2,178 years in prison last month after pleading guilty to 101 charges in the attack. He injured 13 others. (Bruce S. Ticker)

Anti-Israel protesters demand that Colorado release firebomber Read More »

Bruce Ticker, Israel, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jewish history projects win college scholarships

The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and PeerK12 concluded their 2026 San Diego Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) Student Scholarship Contest with a special awards ceremony held at the RUTH: Remember Us The Holocaust exhibit at the La Jolla Library on Tuesday. The event brought together students, community members, and Holocaust survivor Ben Midler to celebrate the next generation of young leaders committed to preserving Jewish history and combating antisemitism through education. (Press Release)

Jewish history projects win college scholarships Read More »

Jewish History, Press Release, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions

Novel is based on what an old lion swallowed

The tale turns to two timelines. In 1938, while Nazi Germany was in turmoil, young Sarah Frank escaped persecution against Jews. She finds refuge in a traveling circus populated by lion trainers, acrobats, elephant handlers, and interesting, sometimes strange people. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

Novel is based on what an old lion swallowed Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Fiction, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Graduations lead to service on behalf of the Jewish people

American Jewish Committee San Diego reports that its Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT) graduating cohort spent the year gaining the skills, confidence, and knowledge needed to advocate for the Jewish people and Israel in high school and beyond. {Cailin Acosta}

Graduations lead to service on behalf of the Jewish people Read More »

Cailin Acosta, Lifestyles, Obituaries & memorials, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘Pillars of Power’ draws heavily on Jewish teachings

For thousands of years, Jewish teachings have emphasized that true abundance is measured not only by what we accumulate, but by what we contribute. The concept of tikkun olam—repairing the world—calls upon each generation to use its gifts, resources, wisdom, and compassion to elevate the lives of others. (Jennie Edwards Stock and Michael Adam Cohen)

‘Pillars of Power’ draws heavily on Jewish teachings Read More »

Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast