Cygnet’s ‘SpongeBob Musical’ brings Bikini Bottom to the stage

Drew Bradford’s Sheldon J. Plankton was my favorite. His voice was a good match for the character’s, and it seemed like he had fun being the maniacal villain. His voice also changed depending on what he was singing. The rap section sounded closer to his speaking voice but was impressive nonetheless. Also, Plankton doing an Eminem-like rap is wild. [Shor M. Masori]

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San Diego County, Shor M. Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

JFS seeks volunteer drivers for senior rides program

Without reliable transportation, simple errands can become major life challenges for older adults who need assistance getting to medical appointments, visit friends and family or take care of everyday errands. Volunteer drivers serve as a free rideshare service, using their own vehicles to take riders to the grocery store, doctor’s appointments, social gatherings, the veterinarian and more – offering companionship and connection along the way. (Press Release)

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Lifestyles, Press Release, San Diego County, Travel and Food

Jewish biography: Felix Hausdorff, mathematician & philosopher

The life of Felix Hausdorff is a profound story of duality: he was a brilliant German scientist and writer. But alongside this duality, there existed a Jewish-German duality: Hausdorff was German by culture and Jewish by blood. He considered German science and culture his own, belonged to the highest academic elite of Germany, but the forces ruling German society saw in him, a brilliant scientist, an inferior outsider doomed to destruction. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

JFest brings Leonard Cohen’s music, stories, and spirit to The Conrad

Batalla noted that in 2026, Yom Kippur falls on Cohen’s birthday. The following song, “Who by Fire,” was based on the prayer Unetanneh Tokef. He wrote it after the improvised concerts he gave IDF soldiers during the Yom Kippur War. For “Who By Fire,” Batalla introduced the udu, an African water drum, and the guitar-like Middle Eastern oud played by Dimitris Jimmy Mahlis, who toured with her and Cohen. Batalla said Cohen’s touring band always had an oud player and said in the hands of a master it has been called a direct line to God. {Shor M. Masori]

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Jewish Celebrities, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Shor M. Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Adat Yeshurun hosts JFEST’s South African Jewish night

Marcus also shared that when they first came to South Africa from Lithuania in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Jews became peddlers, traders and small business owners, similar to the American Jewish immigrant stories. (Sandi Masori)

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International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

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]

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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