Published by The San Diego Union-Tribune As one of the greatest and most innovative songwriters in pop-music history, Burt Bacharach inspired several generations of fans and fellow musicians alike. Beyond the great art he created, two of my fondest memories of Bacharach — who died Wednesday of natural causes at the age of 94 — […]
Appreciation: Burt Bacharach Was a Music Legend Who Spoke Out Read More »
Music, Dance, and Visual Arts
By Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — After most intellectuals stopped reading and studying the Bible, it became fashionable to declare secular writers, philosophers, and scientists to be prophets, predictors of the future. The biblical meaning of prophets has been lost, so the ranks of prophets include authors who were alien to being counted as part
The Legend of Franz Kafka Read More »
Alex Gordon, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Opinion
By Sam Ben-Meir NEW YORK — Clement Greenberg once observed that Edward Hopper was a “bad painter. But if he were a better painter, he would, most likely, not be so superior an artist.” “Edward Hopper’s New York,” a major retrospective currently on view at the Whitney Museum, confirms this judgment. There is occasionally a
Light and Obliquity: Edward Hopper at the Whitney Museum Read More »
Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-Meir, USA
NEW YORK (Press Release) – The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the National Library of Israel (NLI) are delighted to announce the completion of the digitization of the Papers of Chaim Grade and Inna Hecker Grade. Making this collection available online will enrich the lives of lovers of Jewish and Yiddish literature throughout the
Digitization of the Papers of Chaim Grade, Inna Hecker Grade Now Publicly Available Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, USA
Ronald Gruner, who spent his working career as a CEO of three different tech companies (Alliant Computer; Shareholder.com; and Sky.Analytics), is a lay historian deeply interested in economic policy and outcomes. His book, analyzing the presidencies of the 17 U.S. Presidents from Warren G. Harding to Donald J. Trump, focuses largely on issues like unemployment, interest rates, and inflation. But along the way he also makes mention of significant geopolitical events that occurred during those presidencies. I will leave it to economists to determine the value of Gruner’s economic analyses. They are beyond my depth. What I did take notice of was how often our fellow Jews, and issues of direct relevance to the Jewish community, cropped up in the book. [Donald H. Harrison]
Many Jews Receive Mentions in Brief History of 17 US Presidents Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, USA
Daniel Kohanski, A God of Our Invention, How Religion Shaped the Western World (Hannacroix, NY: Apocryphile Press, 2023) 285 pages, $26.00 By Oliver B. Pollak RICHMOND, California — Daniel Kohanski graduated from Colgate with a degree in philosophy and received an MS in computer science from Rutgers. He spent many years as a computer programmer
‘A God of Our Invention’ Shines Light on Contemporary Political-Religious Agendas Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Jewish Religion, Oliver Pollak, USA
(Press Release) To begin the new year of 2023, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan gifted copies of the recently published Book of Jewish Knowledge to all ambassadors at the United Nations. In a body where Israel regularly faces negative headwinds, Erdan aimed to utilize the Book of Jewish Knowledge’s concise exploration of
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Uses New Book to Build Bridges Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel
Purim arrives this year the evening of Monday, March 6, and concludes on Tuesday, March 7. To get your children or grandchildren ready for the fun holiday, you could enjoy reading with them this parody on Little Red Riding Hood, wherein Lily whizzes on a skateboard toward grandma’s condo in Florida. Lily has hamantaschen loaded into her backpack.
Wolf(e) Foiled Again in Little Red Riding Hood Parody for Purim Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — The exotic melodies and improvisatory style of Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) songs evoke the colorful bougainvillea and balmy nights of Spain, even though much of that music was composed by the Sephardic Jews after their expulsion. They were driven out of Spain in 1492, then from Portugal five years later.
JCC Program to Spotlight Exotic Ladino Melodies Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego CountyBy Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — In August 1912, in Neue Rundschau, Stephan Zweig analyzed the work of notable new writers who had appeared in German literature: “Apart from Thomas Mann, certainly the one with the greatest hope of creating a truly German novel, two writers, Heinrich Mann and Jacob Wasserman have already shown with
Jacob Wasserman: The Story of Unrequited Love Read More »
Alex Gordon, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History
Published by DPA The Munich Philharmonic Orchestra gave a rapturous welcome on Wednesday to the appointment of Israeli musician Lahav Shani as its new chief conductor in the 2026-27 season. After a year’s deliberation, the council of the Bavarian capital backed the 34-year-old in the role, initially for five years. Shani, who despite his young
Israel’s Lahav Shani Named New Conductor of Munich Philharmonic Read More »
Music, Dance, and Visual Arts
“Turn Every Page, The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb,” Released December 2022, Sony Pictures By Oliver B. Pollak RICHMOND, California — The film title, “Turn Every Page,” is the vital maxim of the investigative journalist and historian. At the beginning of COVID-19, in early 2020, I took the opportunity for some self-directed continuing
‘Turn Every Page’ Film a Stunning, Intimate Learning Experience Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Oliver Pollak, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
The 103-minute documentary Deadly Deception at Sobibor, shows what happened to the camp after the famous escape. The work, painstakingly put together by filmmaker Gary Hochtman, will be shown at the San Diego Jewish Film Festival at 10 a.m., Thursday, Feb 16, at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. [Donald H. Harrison]
Documentary Reveals Gruesome Discoveries at Sobibor Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
(JNS) A documentary that reconstructs the lives of Holocaust survivors Lottie and Howard Marcus, who made the largest-ever charitable donation to an institution based in Israel, will screen at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival next month. “Who Are the Marcuses?” reveals the mystery behind an unassuming couple from Great Neck, N.Y., with a passion