President Clinton hosted a summit at Camp David where Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered Arab leader Yasser Arafat a plan for an independent state covering all of Gaza, eastern Jerusalem and 93 percent of the West Bank. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Van Hollen’s OpEd in NYTimes forgets Barak & Clinton offer to Arafat Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Israel, Middle East, News Media, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
The authors created a text that speaks simultaneously to the intellectually curious reader, the seeker of religious inspiration, and the conversion student searching for a reliable and comprehensive guide. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin}
‘Essentials of Judaism’ will please life-long Jews and those studying for conversion Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Let’s go back in time to those old Jewish resorts in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, but not back to their heyday in the early 20th century. We’re going to Fleischmann’s in the 1960s where most were barely hanging on and some fell prey to “tragic fires.” [Eric George Tauber]
Can a satyr be kosher? Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Fiction, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
Charles Barris (June 3, 1929 – March 21, 2017) was an American game show creator, producer, and host, author, and songwriter. A key crew member of several hugely successful television game shows, he was the creator of The Dating Game (1965–2021), the original producer of The Newlywed Game (1966–2013) both for the ABC network and syndication, and the host and producer of The Gong Show from 1976 to 1980, for the NBC network and syndication. [Wikipedia]
Today’s Jewish birthday: Chuck Barris Read More »
Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia
This historical novel is loosely inspired by Audrey Hepburn, the Dutch Resistance, and the glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age. It follows two sisters as they reunite after World War II and embark on a journey filled with justice, survival, and long-buried secrets against the backdrop of the Red Scare in Hollywood. [Cailin Acosta]
Novel probes what an immigrant star did during World War II Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Staff and Bylined Contributors
The extraordinary Michael Tilson Thomas (1944–2026), known to his public and colleagues alike as MTT, succumbed in April to an aggressive brain cancer. Conductor, pianist, composer and educator, he was a musicians’ musician, one of dazzling brilliance who was somehow still performing — conducting Mahler symphonies, no less — well beyond anyone’s expectation of what was possible with the grim prognosis he faced. [Ronald Robboy]
Michael Tilson Thomas and the Yiddish Theater: A Firsthand View Read More »
Jewish History, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
As we approach our 250th anniversary, there appears to be a dearth of celebratory events or awareness. It seems to me that we need a boost and reaffirmation now more than ever before. [Eva Trieger]
I will be hosting the program and my guest will be Jerusalem-born Sari Esserman, who will introduce several of the songs and tell us about her early life in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood. Currently a resident of La Jolla, Sari is a respected artist, working in pottery and producing vibrant paintings in oils and pastels. [Eileen Wingard]
JCC presents June 4 musical program in honor of Jerusalem Read More »
Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel, z"l, Eileen Wingard, Israel, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
The film’s protagonist, Niki White, … is a former pianist suffering from hyperacusis. (John E. Finley-Weaver]
‘Tuner’ is movie you’ve got to hear Read More »
Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
Julian Beck (May 31, 1925 – September 14, 1985) was an American actor, stage director, poet, and painter. [Wikipedia]
Today’s Jewish birthday: Julian Beck Read More »
Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia
Tthe premiere of Amazon Prime Video’s new live-action series “Spider-Noir” proves that the two are inextricably linked. Dropping its entire eight-episode first season on Wednesday May 27, 2026, the series arrived as a cinematic triumph that can be watched in standard color or a gorgeous, authentic, high-contrast black-and-white film noir cut that honors the golden age of cinema. (Barrett Holman Leak)
Spider-Noir’s’ deep Jewish and San Diego roots Read More »
Barrett Holman Leak, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
(I) could not contemplate any journey without having a book to read. But last week I had to endure that half-hour journey without proper reading matter, a predicament I hope never to have to repeat. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]
Without a book to read, author mulls eight novels she wrote Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Israel, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food
If you are one of the people, like my son, who has never seen either the 1965 movie starring Julie Andrews or the play, which has long been a high-school musical favorite, here’s a quick run-down. [Sandi Masori]
Enjoy ‘The Sound of Music,’ but please don’t break out in song Read More »
International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food
Much of the Western world’s media is in a tizzy over the inhospitable, “uncivilized” treatment that participants in a recent flotilla suffered at the hands of Israeli authorities. (See Times of Israel story) Some of those arrested claimed that they were treated like terrorists. [Steve Kramer]
Flotilla passengers accuse Ben-Gvir of treating them like terrorists Read More »
Antisemitism, International, Israel, News Media, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer