The Jews of Key West: Smugglers, Cigar Makers, and Revolutionaries (1823-1969) by Arlo Haskell; Sand Paper Press; 2017; 170 pages plus notes, bibliography and index; $24.00. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Arlo Haskell’s book on the Jews of Key West is unlike most other local histories in that it is fueled by […]
Tales of internat’l intrigue in old Key West Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, USAMore than 2,800 bible-related artifacts will be presented to the public starting on Friday, as the Museum of the Bible swings open its doors in Washington, D.C. But the fanfare over the capital’s newest museum hasn’t overshadowed the scandal involving the project. Hobby Lobby, an arts and crafts supply store owned by the Evangelical Christian
Hobby Lobby’s Bible Museum Opens After Scandal Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, USAThe foundation maintaining the Amsterdam house where Jewish diarist Anne Frank hid from Nazis during World War II said Thursday they had bought another property where her family lived in the 1930s. But the Anne Frank Stichting said it had no plans to use the “other home” as a museum, like the one in Amsterdam’s
Anne Frank foundation buys her family home in Amsterdam Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, InternationalFor years, Rabbi Adin Even-Yisrael Steinsaltz, 80, has been working to make the Jewish library accessible to every Jew and anywhere in the world. With his own hands the rabbi built a life project that continues gaining momentum from day to day. Today, much of the Talmud has already been translated into several languages, including
‘Rabbi Steinsaltz was moved, his eyes sparkled’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Middle EastAMHERST, Massachusetts (Press Release) – The Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts, is now accepting applicants for three programs for recent graduates, college students, and high school students: the 2018 Steiner Summer Yiddish Program, the 2018–19 Yiddish Book Center Fellowship Program, and the 2018 Great Jewish Books Summer Program. The Yiddish Book Center Graduate Fellowship
Yiddish Book Center seeks applicants for three programs Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
The Skeptic and the Rabbi: Falling in Love with Faith by Judy Gruen, She Writes Press, © 2017; ISBN 978-1-63152-302-1; 219 pages, $16.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Author Judy Gruen grew up in a more-or-less Conservative Jewish home, but after falling in love with Jeff, who was embarked upon a journey toward
A journey into Jewish Orthodoxy Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish ReligionA special birthday present for Sophie, 13 today: President @EmmanuelMacron’s reply to her poem on the #EiffelTower. Bon anniversaire Sophie! pic.twitter.com/NxMTbikMBm- French Embassy UK (@FranceintheUK) November 1, 2017 Seeing a school project pinned up on your household’s refrigerator is one thing – it’s another thing entirely when it is complimented by the president of France.
By Renee Ghert-Zand In 2015, Canadian author Alison Pick decided it was time to visit Israel for the first time. While promoting her memoir, “Between Gods,” about her decision to convert to Judaism, she was told that experiencing the Jewish state first-hand was a necessary next step in solidifying her Jewish identity. Pick grew up
Acclaimed Canadian author explores dark side of pioneers’ Zionist utopia Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short StoriesStefan Schomann attempts to stitch together a real-life impression of China With its long history, China has always been a treasure trove of soul-touching sagas of epic proportions. The intercultural love story of a Jewish young man and a Chinese woman in war-torn Shanghai during World War II is one of them. It was discovered
A German writer’s perspective on China’s soul-touching stories Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, InternationalBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASERET Zion, Israel — A few years ago a friend added me to the mailing list of a British publication that lists books (not ebooks) that are available at a reduced price. The masthead proudly proclaims that it is ‘Britain’s Best Postal Book Bargains.’ And at the side is the royal crest that
Books giving way to the Internet Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-VansonThe decision by a Mississippi school district board to pull Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird from approved school reading lists has drawn widespread criticism. The 1960 Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Alabama native Harper Lee explores racism and injustice in a small town, however according to Kenny Holoway, the vice president of the Biloxi
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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, USA
By Dan Bloom CHIAYI CITY, Taiwan — I first met Robert Wechsler online during some email chats back in 2015 when he was trying to find out the name of the artist who painted the portraits on the 1952 Topps baseball cards (it was Maurice Blumenfeld). He told me then he was working on The
Jewish baseball card book now on sale Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Sports & CompetitionsSANTA ROSA, Calif. — The widow of the late Charles Schulz, creator of the iconic “Peanuts” comic strip, escaped the fire racing through Santa Rosa this week, but the hillside home the couple shared since the mid-1970s was destroyed, according to family members. Jean Schulz fled her home at about 2 a.m. Monday and is
‘Peanuts’ creator Charles Schulz’s widow flees Calif. wildfire, home destroyed Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USABy Natasha Josefowitz, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — There are many books on aging on bookstore shelves; some are humorous, some serious, some emphasize financial planning, some deal with loss, most wish to help our aging population to age “gracefully.” The new book by Dr. Ken Druck, a noted author, addresses the issue of aging by
Courageous reading: ‘Courageous Aging’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Natasha Josefowitz