By Sara Appel-Lennon CHULA VISTA, California — Where can you go to listen to a full orchestra combined with a leading pianist in a two-hour Beethoven concert for $10 per ticket? On Sunday, January 29, Kingsley McLaren, on-air host of 104.9 XLNC, introduced a concert of such magnitude at the First United Methodist Church here. [...]
By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California–The third year of “Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices” at the Astor Judaica Library of the Lawrence Family JCC opened Tuesday evening, January 18, and featured Judith Rubenstein, Howard Rubenstein and Ron Horvitz. Each of the featured poets read 15 to 20 minutes from their original works. Judith Rubenstein played selections of [...]
By Sara Appel-Lennon SAN DIEGO — Last June, University City High School student Zac St. Louis explored volunteering options for his Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project, coming upon The Ranchero Fund, which offers medical equipment to paralyzed patients with no health insurance. St. Louis learned that Rebecca and Niel Pollock started The Ranchero Fund after [...]
By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California–The season’s heaviest rainstorm descended Wednesday evening, January 20, as fifteen people braved the inclement weather to gather at the JCC Astor Judaica Library for the first of three programs by local poets: Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices. Yael Gmach, who was scheduled to sing an original song in French, was stranded [...]
By Sara Appel-Lennon LA JOLLA, California—A Shabbos Mother,” written and directed by Inbar Namdar portrays how celebrating Shabbos (Sabbath) brings a family together. The film centers on a widow, Miriam, and her three daughters, Yael, Cheli, and Ella. Yael, the oldest sister and radio announcer, shows up for the Shabbos meal just 20 minutes before [...]
By Sara Appel-Lennon FORT WORTH, Texas–I watched my step-daughter, Erin, make 200 Christmas tree shaped cookies when I found myself saying aloud, “Etz a beautiful tree. How do you say tree in Hebrew? Etz”. Memories of conversational Hebrew lessons danced in my head from my summer camp counselor experience at Camp Tamarack in Brighton, Michigan. [...]
By Sara Appel-Lennon SAN DIEGO–While researching Thanksgiving origins, I uncovered some hidden history. Many were taught that the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving at Plymouth Rock in 1620. The meal served only a small part of the celebration. Originally Thanksgiving focused on prayer to offer thanks for a bountiful harvest. In Jewish tradition the festival [...]
By Sara Appel-Lennon SAN DIEGO–Picture yourself wearing a blindfold while eating. A blind person is challenged with eating in darkness at each meal. In 1999 Jane Clifton and Dave Ward from the Hillcrest Mission Valley Lion’s Club were invited to eat lunch blindfolded while Blind Center students cooked and served them. This experience prompted the couple [...]
By Sara Appel-Lennon LA JOLLA, California-He appeared last Sunday at the San Diego Jewish Book Fair to promote his book, My Remarkable Journey. Brooklyn boyhood friends called him “Zeke the Creek the Mouthpiece” since he loved to talk. To this day he refers to himself as the little Jewish kid from Brooklyn. He said “I left [...]
By Sara Appel-Lennon SAN DIEGO–Two melodies beloved by English-speaking children recently were played by Klezmer clarinetists at San Diego State University to demonstrate that any song can be Klezmer if played with Klezmer flavor. Yale Strom, Jewish Studies Artist in Residence coordinated the Klezmer complementary concert on Wednesday, November 4, featuring Leo Chelyapov, Robet Zelickman, [...]
