Donald H. Harrison

22 Youths at Congregation Beth Israel Earn Presidential Volunteer Service Awards

In a letter to each youth, Biden wrote: “The American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us. I congratulate you on taking it upon yourself to contribute to the public good … Throughout our country’s history, the American story has been strengthened by those who combine an optimism about what can be with the resilience to turn that vision into reality. I know I’m not alone in recognizing that those who are willing to step up and volunteer in service of community and country are essential to the ongoing work of forming our more perfect union.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

SIX, a Musical about Henry VIII’s Wives, Electrifies

Electric! That is the first word that comes to my mind when I think about the SIX, the Broadway in San Diego show currently playing at the Civic Theatre. It’s the shortest Broadway musical I have ever seen, being only one act and clocking in at about an hour and twenty minutes, but every single one of those minutes is jam-packed with energy and earworm-worthy tunes. [Sandi Masori]

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Ruth Mastron, House of Israel President, Volunteers for Janitorial Work in Israel

Ruth Mastron, the president of the House of Israel in Balboa Park, has had an active love affair with that nation since 2008, the year she first volunteered to work for three weeks on an Israeli Army base. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Secure Community Network’s Bill Ganley Describes Services to Jewish Community

In an interview, Ganley drew upon two nautical analogies to deliver the message that members of Jewish institutions should continually train themselves to counter threats. “When does the Navy stop painting a ship?” he asks rhetorically. “Never,” he answered. “We have to approach training the same way.  Repetition builds muscle memory.” The same might be said about reading the Torah.  As soon as we finish reading the concluding fifth book, Deuteronomy, we immediately begin again reading the first book, Genesis, so that the cycle of learning never ends. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Katz Concert Brings Bunny Chow Diners to Their Dancing Feet

Troubador Sharon Katz, who won fame in South Africa as the leader of the Peace Train that brought together a 500-member choir representing that country’s many ethnicities, provided a free concert Monday evening, June 26, at the Bunny Chow restaurant, whose owners were instrumental in bringing her to the San Diego/ Tijuana region where again she has been promoting peace through music. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Travel and Food

Guilt-Edged Good Deeds

Koufax, a Jewish kid from Brooklyn, an outstanding major-league pitcher, was slated to play a leading role. Specifically, he was scheduled to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Minnesota Twins in the first game of the best-of-seven series for the World Championship.  But due to an accident (?) of fate or faith (religious observance), that was also the day on which Yom Kippur fell that year.  [Joel H. Cohen]

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Jewish History, Joel H. Cohen, Sports & Competitions, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center Showcases Budding and Established Poets

Four times a year on a weekday night, Jewish poets and poetry lovers convene in the Samuel & Rebecca Astor Library on the Jacobs Family Campus of the Lawrence Family JCC to recite or hear Jewish poems and songs. {Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Travel and Food

Jewish Artists Included in Contemporary Art Museum’s Collection

In this image, she uses gelatin silver paint as her medium and only black, white, and red colors to make her statement pop out more to the viewer. She creates an image of an x-ray of a skeleton that appears to be a woman, as the skeleton is wearing jewelry and heels. However, if the skeleton were to remove the jewelry and heels, its gender would be undetermined, challenging stereotypes. Her message is that gender is an idea that was created socially, not something that attended our creation as humans. [Rowanne Reifman]

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

Preston Turegano Skewers and Praises San Diego Reporters, Leaders

An employee of the San Diego Union-Tribune and its predecessor Evening Tribune for 36 years until his retirement in 2006, author Preston Turegano had been an editorial assistant, general assignment reporter, and arts critic.  He once was told by an editorial supervisor that people in the arts community were afraid of him.  A colleague reassured him, “People don’t hate you because you’re gay; people hate you because you are you.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County

Documentary Challenges America’s Wildfire Strategy

Jack Cohen, a retired U.S. Forest Service fire research scientist who lives in Missoula, Montana, passionately contends that for centuries the United States has dealt with wildfires all wrong. Instead of spending billions of dollars to put the fires out wherever they may occur, efforts should be prioritized to make homes and other structures as invulnerable as possible to flying embers, he insists. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

A High-Stakes Love Triangle in the Warsaw Ghetto

When the actors were backstage, they were enmeshed in a real-life love triangle featuring the competition of Edmund (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) and Patryk (Mark Ryder) for the affection of Stefcia (Clara Rugaard).  Patryk’s on-stage wife Ada (Valentina Belle) was left out of the backstage action. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Jewish Fiction, Theatre, Film & Broadcast