Music and Visual Arts

‘Oppenheimer’ sweeps up at Oscars

Published by AFP Hollywood (United States) (AFP) – “Oppenheimer” swept the board on Sunday at the Oscars, Hollywood’s biggest night of the year, with seven awards including best picture and best director, crowning a triumphant year for filmmaker Christopher Nolan. Nolan’s masterful drama about the father of the atomic bomb, half of last summer’s massive […]

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California, Holocaust, International, Israel, Music and Visual Arts, Nordot, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Walter Benjamin’s ‘Little History of Photography’

Benjamin, however, was critical of such commercial photographic studios, noting with derision their paraphernalia and ‘props’ intended to enhance the impact of the image or portrait. In the exhibition an enlarged photo of young Franz Kafka illustrates this concept, with the serious young boy holding a stick and a large black hat, surrounded by heavy, dark furniture emphasizing the gravity of the situation. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Music and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors

In ‘MJ’ the King of Pop Rises Again

To illustrate the various periods in Jackson’s life, there are three versions of Michael, “MJ” (Banks) is the Michael of the 90s,  “Michael” (Brandon Lee Harris) is a teen Michael, and “Little Michael” (Josiah Benson) covers the childhood and young Jackson 5 version. [Sandi Masori]

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Music and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Louis Kahn

From 1958 through 1965, he collaborated with biologist Jonas Salk on what some have described as his defining work, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla. The architecture, sometimes described as brutalism, emphasized the cement and wood materials used in its construction. The laboratory cluster, consisting of two parallel blocks, frame a long view of the Pacific Ocean, accentuated by a thin linear fountain that seems to reach for the horizon. [SDJW staff]

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Business & Finance, California, International, Music and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA

An ‘Escape’ to Tel Aviv

But all Israelis, and not just Jewish citizens, feel the pressure that comes from seeing, hearing, and reading about the daily casualties and the damage being done to our society, financially and socially. So, as a diversion, Michal planned a day trip to Tel Aviv to take our minds off of the situation and to enjoy several hours away from tv, newspapers, and social media. [Steve Kramer]

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Israel, Music and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer, Travel and Food

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Dinah Shore

In 1951, she debuted The Dinah Shore Show on NBC television, and in 1956 The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, a variety show that continued through 1961.  She sang with Ella Fitzgerald, Mahalia Jackson, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Pearl Bailey. When Tennessee Ernie Ford appeared on the show, she kiddingly introduced him as Tennessee Ernie Chevrolet. [SDJW staff]

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Jewish Celebrities, Music and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday

Our Shtetl San Diego County: Prayer Melodies from Tifereth Israel

Kol Tefilah, led by Debbie Mishek, M.D., is a performance group that periodically leads Friday night services at Tifereth Israel Synagogue “with joy, music, intimacy, and an awareness of God’s presence,” according to an announcement for the 6:15 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat service at 6:15 p.m., Friday, March 1. [SDJW staff]

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California, Jewish Religion, Music and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Meir Dizengoff

After moving back in 1905 to Palestine, where he settled in Jaffa, he formed a partnership with the Ahuzat Bayit company to develop land on the outskirts of Jaffa. Sixty six families drew lots for housing locations along the beach from which the city of Tel Aviv would grow. The Dizengoffs were among those first families, and he served as head of town planning from 1911 to 1922. When Tel Aviv was recognized as a city, Dizengoff was elected as its first mayor. [SDJW staff]

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International, Israel, Jewish History, Music and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday

‘Maestro’ Looks into the Soul of Leonard Bernstein

The story begins with Lenny’s big break. He was the Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic when, just before a concert at Carnegie Hall that was broadcast live on the radio, the conductor took ill. They had zero rehearsals together, but the depth of his knowledge and passion for the music shone through. After that, folks in the industry knew his name and he was a hot-ticket item. [Eric George Tauber]

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Eric George Tauber, Music and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Don’t silence Israel’s story at Eurovision

Published by Euronews (English) Each year, I eagerly await the Eurovision Song Contest, a magnificent event where singers from countries across Europe and beyond share their stories. This exceptional gathering provides a cultural stage for participating nations to offer glimpses into their cultures, histories, and ways of life. It is a platform for learning about,

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International, Israel, Music and Visual Arts, Nordot, Sports & Competitions

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Debbie Friedman

Over nearly four decades she recorded 22 albums, enriching the Jewish liturgy with such compositions as “The Aleph Bet Song,” “Miriam’s Song,” “Not By Might,” “I Am a Latke,” and “Mi Shebeirech,” co-written with her partner Drorah Setel. “Mi Shebereich,” a song for healing, is used by hundreds of congregations throughout North America. Her songs were gender sensitive and inclusive. [SDJW staff]

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Jewish Religion, Music and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Maurycy Gottlieb

His painting “Shylock and Jessica” won the Gold Medal at the Munich Academy. Later, he returned to Vienna to study under Heinrich von Angeli, and produced paintings on biblical themes. Meeting in Rome, Matejko urged him to return to Krakow to work on a series of monumental paintings including scenes depicting the history of the Jews in Poland. [SDJW staff]

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International, Jewish History, Music and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday

California Legislators Visit Sites of Oct. 7 Massacre

Throughout the trip – a collaboration of JPAC, JCRC Bay Area, and Jewish Federation LA – lawmakers witnessed firsthand the consequences of the horrific atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th and their lasting effect on Israeli civil society. We visited impacted communities on the Gaza border and the surrounding areas, cried with families of hostages, and met with Israeli government officials, including President Isaac Herzog.  [David Bocarsly]

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California, Israel, Music and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Winehouse Statue in London Defaced with Palestinian Sticker

LONDON (JNS) — A sculpture of Amy Winehouse in the town of Camden, in northern London, was defaced over the weekend with a Palestinian flag sticker covering the late Jewish singer’s Star of David necklace. “This is disgusting. Amy Winehouse was a famous Jewish singer who was proud of her Jewish heritage,” wrote the National

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International, Israel, Jewish Celebrities, JNS, Music and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials