Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Mary Weiss, singer of hit-making The Shangri-Las, dies at 75

Published by New York Daily News Mary Weiss, the Queens-born lead singer of the hit-making 1960s girl group the Shangri-Las, has died at age 75, her representative confirmed. A cause of death was not released for Weiss, whose New York-bred band is known for songs such as “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” and the chart-topping […]

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Jewish Celebrities, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Nordot, Obituaries & memorials, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Neil Diamond

In 1966, he recorded the first of many hits as a solo artist, “Solitary Man,” and followed that year with “Cherry, Cherry” and “Kentucky Woman.” Subsequent years brought songs as “Sweet Caroline,” “Holly Holy,” “Cracklin’ Rosie” and “Song Sung Blue,” “I Am…I Said,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” “Forever in Blue Jeans.” [SDJW staff]

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Jewish Celebrities, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Our Shtetl San Diego County: A Jewish Calendar of Local Events

Here are some dates for upcoming Jewish events in San Diego County that you might want to enter into your calendar books or onto your calendar application on your computer.  San Diego Jewish World will update the calendar periodically in this column.  [SDJW staff]

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California, Holocaust, International, Israel, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego Calendar, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Theresienstadt Opera Remembered in ‘Death Strikes: The Emperor of Atlantis’

Together with Peter Kien, who wrote the libretto, Ullmann composed the music for an opera entitled ‘The Emperor of Atlantis,’ an allegory of the Nazi regime, in which Death goes on strike in protest at the widespread killing of human beings by a power-mad ruler. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Our Shtetl San Diego County: Groundbreaking Tuesday for Jacobs Performing Arts Center at Liberty Station

Mayor Todd Gloria will speak at groundbreaking ceremonies Tuesday, Jan. 23, for the future Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center that will be built at Liberty Station in a renovated Naval Building 178. [SDJW Staff Report]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Our Shtetl San Diego County: Homeless People Living in Their Cars to Have ‘Comfort Facility’ at Jewish Family Service Venue in Kearny Mesa

Once completed, the new Liebermensch Family Comfort Facility will be equipped with ADA-accessible showers, baby changing stations, and full-sized restrooms—providing guests a welcoming space to care for themselves and extra room to get ready for work and school. [SDJW staff]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Shanda File, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

US authorities to return artworks stolen by Nazis

Published by AFP United Nations (United States) (AFP) – US authorities announced Friday that two drawings worth $2.5 million stolen by the Nazi regime and eventually displayed in American museums will be returned to relatives of Fritz Grunbaum, an Austrian Jewish cabaret performer killed in the Holocaust. It follows the return last year of seven

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Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Nordot, USA

Our Shtetl San Diego County: Turning the Grading Tables on Local Universities

The shoe will be on the other foot for San Diego State, UC San Diego, Cal State San Marcos, the University of San Diego and other 4-year colleges and universities throughout the nation. The Anti-Defamation League has announced it is “developing a new tool to evaluate the climate of antisemitism on individual campuses.” [SDJW staff]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Danny Kaye

Most of Kaye’s films were light-hearted including The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Inspector General, White Christmas, On the Riviera, The Court Jester, and the biographical Hans Christian Andersen and The Five Pennies about jazz musician Red Nichols. But he also had a serious side, playing a Holocaust survivor in the TV film Skokie. [SDJW staff]

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Holocaust, Jewish Celebrities, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Shari Lewis

In 1960, the NBC network signed her for The Shari Lewis Show, which stayed on the air through September 1963. Among her many puppet friends were Lamb Chop, a sock with eyes; Charlie Horse and Hush Puppy.  [SDJA Staff]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Celebrities, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA

Elmo’s Not Good at Dreidel and Other Tidbits from Sesame Place

“Growing, learning, sharing kindness, and acceptance of others” are the watchwords of Sesame Place.  The Sesame Street theme park’s employees say they practice these values whether in day-to-day activities or at special events like last December’s Chanukah celebration that featured playing dreidel with Elmo. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Shlomo Carlebach

A songwriter who couldn’t read music, Carlebach composed the popular “Am Yisrael Chai” (The People of Israel Live),  which is now a Jewish standard, and thousands of other songs.  He gained fame as “the singing rabbi” and  he founded the Carlebach Shul in New York City’s Upper West Side.  [SDJW staff report]

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

A Creative Set for Upcoming ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ Production

Actors will move the suitcases and trunks around the stage “rather than having anything coming from off-stage, so we are keeping the wings basically free and open, so the actors have space to enter and exit from,” Schein explained. With a chuckle, Schein said “I’m almost calling the production ‘Fiddler on the Luggage.’ [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Israel, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Chaim Soutine

Among his friends in Paris was Amedeo Modigliani, who became another famous Jewish artist. They painted portraits of each other. After art dealer Albert Barnes purchased 60 of Soutine’s paintings in 1923, Soutine celebrated by hiring a taxi to drive him from Paris to nice, more than 400 miles away. [SDJA staff]

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Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday