The Arts

Movie Preview: ‘Soul Doctor’ Telling of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach to be Shown Across Country on June 13

Soul Doctor: Journey of a Rockstar Rabbi is a filmed stage show about the friendship and mutual support between Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and African-American singer Nina Simone. Starring Josh Young as Carlebach and Nya as Simone, the musical will be shown in more than 600 theatres across the country at 7 p.m.  Tuesday, June 13, including selected AMC’s and Regal Theatres in San Diego County. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Program Builds Connections Between Israeli Academics and Local Universities

MGSDII operates parallel programs, with different professors, at San Diego State University, Cal State University San Marcos, and the University of San Diego. One year, an Israeli professor taught at Cal Western Law School.  Cumulatively, the universities in San Diego County host the largest ongoing Israel Studies program in the United States, having attracted through the 2022-2023 academic year 43 visiting professors from Israel. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

The Jewish Foods of India in Five Distinct Sub-Cultures

Author Esther David tells of the history and cuisines of five Jewish communities in India –the Bene Israel, centered in Mumbai; the Cochin Jews on India’s southwestern coast around Kochi;  the Baghdadi Jews on India’s northeastern coast around Kolkata (close to Bangladesh); the Bene Ephraim of Andhra Pradesh on India’s central eastern coast around Machilpatnam; and the Beni Menashe of Manipur and Mizoram on the northeastern arm of India bordering Myanmar (Burma). [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Travel and Food

‘Poets of the Past’ to Feature Distinguished Holocaust-Era Writer Primo Levi, Yiddish Composer Bertha Kling

By Eileen Wingard   LA JOLLA, California — Holocaust survivor Primo Levi, recognized as one of the most distinguished writers of the Shoah, and Bertha Kling, a Belarus-born Bronx resident, who composed Yiddish songs and poetry in the early 20th century, will be the two featured poets for the “Poets of the Past” program on

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eileen Wingard, Holocaust, International, San Diego County

The Adventures of Three Fun-Loving, Environmentalist Dogs

GoGo, Yip and Dave are three dogs who are very much like humans — that is, the variety of humans who are gentle, kind, and care about others. Author Linda S. Klibanow and her illustrator daughter Natalie J. Klibanow have conjured up for young readers a world where dogs talk to other animals, as well as to people, and live by themselves in houses very similar to human abodes. {Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

An Imaginative Tale About the First Jew to Set Foot in the New World

This large format book for elementary school-aged children is about Luis de Torres, who was the interpreter for Christopher Columbus on his 1492 voyage of discovery. Some of the story is true, as best as historians can tell; more of the story comes from the rich imagination of authorTami Lehman-Wilzig. Overall, it should be considered a work of historical fiction, rather than history. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History

Workshop Highlights Holocaust Experiences and Research

Spielberg established the Shoah Foundation, which is headquarters in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, after making the impactful Holocaust movie Schindler’s List.  UC San Diego’s former head librarian Brian Schottlaender, consulting with History Prof. Deborah Hertz, decided during the 2006-2007 academic year to lease the database and to make it available for free to anyone on campus. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Technology, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

The Jewish Eye: San Diego Teen Philanthropists; Mayorkas, Sanders Under Fire

In Jewish tradition, the fate of the world depends upon 36 upstanding people known as the Lamed Vavniks.  As a matter of interest, there are 36 leaders and officers of the Jewish Teen Foundation (JTF) in San Diego County.  They will be awarding philanthropic funds that they have raised to various nonprofit organization at a 4 p.m. ceremony Sunday May 21 at Congregation Beth Am in the Carmel Valley neighborhood of San Diego.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

The Jewish Eye: Immigration Surge; Sanders Promotes ‘Nakba’ Day

U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) offered these thoughts on surging immigration: “The Biden-Harris Administration has prepared for the end of Title 42, but no amount of planning can make up for the fact that Congress has abdicated its responsibility to pass comprehensive and inclusive immigration reform for decades. [Donald H. Harrison}

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California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Gender-Bending ‘1776’ at Civic Theatre Too Slow

There were a couple of standouts, Liz Mikel lit up the stage as Benjamin Franklin. Mikel was the only actor who got a loud roar from the crowd at the curtain call.  Mikel’s performance was much stronger than those of the rest of the company. Nancy Anderson did a good job as Thomas Jefferson winning extra points for violin solos.  And Kassandra Haddock did an infuriatingly good job at portraying Edward Rutledge, especially as Rutledge tries to protect the right to own slaves.  [Sandi Masori]

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Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

La Jolla Symphony Showcases Native American Indigenous Instruments

By Eileen Wingard   LA JOLLA, California — A buffalo hide drum, a whistle fashioned from an eagle’s wing, a five hole flute, and a rattle with corn kernels were some of the Native American indigenous instruments heard with the La Jolla Symphony in its May 6 and 7 concerts at Mandeville Auditorium. The native

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

The Jewish Eye: Dianne Feinstein Returns to U.S. Senate; Disney Fires Back at Florida’s DeSantis

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) has returned to the Senate in a wheelchair after more than a two-month absence while recuperating from shingles. Democrats have needed the vote of the 89-year-old Feinstein on the Senate Judiciary Committee to approve President Biden’s judicial nominees. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

The Jewish Eye: Trump Accuser Awarded $5 Million; Debt Ceiling Showdown Continues

A jury in the federal courtroom of Judge Lewis Kaplan deliberated less than three hours before awarding former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll $5 million. They found that former President Donald Trump had sexually assaulted her and defamed her, but did not come to the conclusion that Carroll had been raped. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast