Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Danielle Alhassid blends archival materials into her art

What can a family photograph, an old cup or a century-old book reveal about lives largely forgotten? For Brooklyn-based Jewish artist Danielle Alhassid, such objects offer a way to recover overlooked voices and explore the connections among Jewish identity, migration, memory and storytelling. (Cailin Acosta)

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Cailin Acosta, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Holiday pumpkins have been well appreciated by Sephardic Jews

Pumpkin has a rich and often overlooked history in Sephardic Jewish cuisine. Introduced to Europe from the Americas in the 16th century, it was quickly embraced by Jews, who incorporated the versatile vegetable into dishes across the Mediterranean and beyond. (Cailin Acosta)

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Violinist Katchatryan performs Katchaturian’s Violin Concerto admirably

Katchaturian’s Violin Concerto overflows with Armenian folk influence. After the first movement’s brief orchestral introduction, Katchatryan entered with the percussive excitement of the opening theme, then brought out the lyrical beauty of the second theme. The development included a lovely cadenza, written by the great Soviet-Jewish violinist, David Oistrakh, to whom the concerto was dedicated. After the return of the original themes in the recapitulation, the movement culminated in a virtuosic climax. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Gershwin and the LA Jewish Symphony shine at The Soraya

“So much of what we call the Great American Songbook—and even the sound of Broadway and Hollywood—was shaped by Jewish composers and lyricists whose families had come to this country looking for opportunity and belonging,” Green observed. [Karen Klein]

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California, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

The mystery of an old statuette

“I recently discovered that I am about twenty-five percent Sephardic Jewish,” she said. “During World War II, that could have been enough to send me to a ghetto or a death camp. Today, it could make me eligible to apply for Israeli citizenship.” {Yakov Nayerman}

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International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA, Yakov Nayerman

Do Jews believe in angels?

Do Jews believe in angels? The Hebrew word for angel, mal’ach, means “messenger,” and in biblical sources, angels deliver specific information or carry out particular functions. In the Torah, an angel prevents Abraham from slaughtering his son Isaac. An angel appears to Moses in the burning bush and gives direction to the Israelites during the desert sojourn following the liberation from Egypt. Angels are associated with visions and prophecies. [Cailin Acosta]

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Today’s Jewish birthday: Steve Reich

Steve Reich (October 3, 1936) is an American composer best known as a pioneer of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich’s work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, and canons. Reich describes this concept in his essay “Music as a Gradual Process” by stating, “I am interested in perceptible processes. [Wikipedia]

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

The changing meaning of a Jewish holiday

In 70 CE, with the destruction of the Second Temple, Shemini Atzeret was previously devoted to the ritual cleansing of the altar. In the present day, it marks the beginning of the rainy season in Israel, so it includes the year’s first prayer for rain. [Cailin Acosta]

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