Books, Poetry & Short Stories

German historians describe the German catastrophe

Wittstock and Blubacher, born in 1955 and 1967 respectively, represent a postwar generation of scholars who chronicle what went horrendously wrong in Germany, the decline of the Weimar Republic, Germans who felt wronged and betrayed by the Treaty of Versailles, inflation and financial disaster, Hitler’s charismatic attraction to the alienated volk, and the methodical manner in which Nazis infiltrated and challenged democratic political and cultural institutions focusing on the enemy, and eliminating Jews, Socialists and Communists. [Oliver B. Pollak]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Compassion, as outlined in her book, helps Kaufmann cope with cancer’s return

Am I shocked? Not really. From the very beginning, I was told that Stage-IV cancer is considered manageable but not curable. (Though I still reject the absoluteness of that statement. I know firsthand that anything is possible.) And truthfully, before the scans and biopsies confirmed the reoccurrence, I knew it was back. [Shayna Kaufmann]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Shayna Kaufmann, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Book explains holiday of Sukkot to tykes

Author Deming and illustrator Teplow take us through the process of decorating a sukkah, with especial attention to such kid-friendly activities as hanging fruit and vegetables from the support beams of the ceiling; making paper chains; indulging passions for many colors; and participating in the ancient ritual of shaking the etrog and lulav to the east, south, west, north, above and below. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

A tale of three cons

By the morning after Comic-Con, the giant studio wraps and offsites had been dismantled. The Gaslamp sign over Fifth Avenue, which had spent the weekend disguised as an Eastern European gateway for Avengers: Doomsday, was once again the familiar entrance to the Gaslamp Quarter’s main street. More than 135,000 fans had come and gone, taking their costumes, props and collective, humidity-enhanced body odor home. (Shor M. Masori)

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Business & Finance, Opinion, San Diego County, Shor M. Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Tradition, tradition: Each generation gets to add an ingredient to the recipe for stuffed cabbage rolls

A family tradition invites a representative of each generation to add her own touch to the recipe. Greatgrandma (Nana) added raisins to the mixture; grandma (Bubbe) added diced onions; Stella’s mother (Mama)added crushed garlic; and after much consideration, Stella chose to add a drizzle of honey. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Fiction, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Comic-Con weighs this era’s impact on fiction writers

Jewish horror writer Max Brooks told the audience at a Comic-Con panel titled “Creature Feature Reboot: Monsters of Horror” that the present is a scary time, though not necessarily a dark one. It is a time of change, and human beings hate the unknown. (Shor M. Masori)

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Business & Finance, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Shor M. Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘Creation:’ The story of beginnings by Jonathan Grossman

Grossman, a professor of Bible at Bar-Ilan University, is widely known for demonstrating how careful attention to the structure and wording of the biblical text reveals layers of multiple meaning that are often overlooked. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Textual analysis of Deuteronomy offers little-known facts

His work appeals to readers across a broad spectrum of Jewish backgrounds because he seeks to demonstrate that many profound ideas emerge from paying close attention to the Torah’s own language before consulting later commentators.[Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors