The Arts

‘Poets of the Past’ Set for May 16

By Eileen Wingard   LA JOLLA, California — Brilliant Israeli poet and song lyricist, Avraham Shlonsky (1900-1973), and German-born Jewish Nobel Prize-winning poet, Nelly Sachs (1891-1970), will have their poetry read this coming Monday evening, May 16, 7 p.m. on Zoom. This program is sponsored by the Lawrence Family JCC Astor Judaica Library, the Senior […]

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

‘Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits:’ The Delightful Comic Relief We’ve All Been Waiting For

By Eva Trieger SOLANA BEACH — Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits is the delightful comic relief that we’ve all been waiting for. Thank you, North Coast Rep for providing this playful romp that might have otherwise been titled Broadway Bloopers or Broadway Barbs. The extremely talented cast includes director and performer William Selby, Cathy Barnett, Trisha

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Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Frida Kahlo Loved Jews So Much She Invented Jewish Ancestry

The Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is the subject of several murals at Chicano Park. Modern genealogists say that she was the daughter of a mother of mixed indigenous and Spanish descent, Mathilde Calderon y Gonzalez, and a German Lutheran father, Guillermo Kahlo. However, Frida herself always insisted that her father, who was an important influence on both her life and her art, was actually Jewish. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

New Book Stops ‘Exit by Exit’ Along I-5 to Recount Jewish Experience in San Diego

By Jacob Kamaras Times of San Diego LA JOLLA, California — By finding at least one Jewish story at every exit from the Mexican border to Old Town San Diego, veteran journalist Donald H. Harrison’s book Schlepping and Schmoozing Along the Interstate 5 transforms the West Coast’s main north-south highway into a treasure trove of

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jacob Kamaras, Jewish History, San Diego County

Book Puts the ‘Land’ in the Land of Israel

Essentials of the Land of Israel, Brandon Marlon, Vallentine Mitchell, London, ©2022, ISBN 978-1-91267-686-6, p. 186, plus biography and index, $69.75. By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California – Anyone perusing the table of contents of Essentials of the Land of Israel by Brandon Marlon, a prolific, award-winning Canadian-Israeli author, would correctly conclude the book’s value

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Middle East, Travel and Food

Assassinated Gay Jewish Political Leader Harvey Milk Is Honored by the U.S. Navy

The “christening” ceremony featured a principal ceremonial address by Milk’s nephew, Stuart Milk, as well as remarks by Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro; Vice Admiral Jeffrey Hughes, deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting development; and Rear Adm. Michael Wettlaufer, commander of the Military Sealift Command. Sponsors of the ship were U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who had served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors with Milk, and Paula Neira, clinical program director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Transgender Health. Neira shattered a bottle of sparkling wine across the ship’s bow in a time-honored Navy tradition. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Celebrities, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Centuries of Despicable Behavior Against Jews

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Dr. Emily Michelson, senior lecturer in history at the University of St. Andrews, describes the over two and a half centuries when the Roman Catholic Church in Rome, Italy, forced Rome’s Jews to attend weekly hostile sermons. The Church’s aim was to convert the Jews to

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History

San Diego Shakespeare Festival Encourages Students to Recreate Famed Scenes

By Eva Trieger   SAN DIEGO — Not everyone gets to have his birthday parade in Heritage Park in Old Town, San Diego, and enjoy performances in his honor. But then again, the Bard is not just anybody! William Shakespeare’s birthday and his accomplishments are the focus of the 17th Annual San Diego Shakespeare Festival.

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Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

New to ‘Rent,’ I Was Glad Someone Was There to Explain

My son and I got a chance to see the opening night performance.  As with every other show I’ve seen at the Civic Theatre, we ran into people that I knew as soon as we walked in.  This time it was Bar Mitzvah planner Lydia Krasner and her husband Ron.  I am not a “Renthead,” having never seen the musical in the quarter century between the time it started touring at the La Jolla Playhouse to this final touring performance.  It was fortunate that we ran into Lydia and Krasner, because Lydia is really knowledgeable about the show and was able to explain some of the plot points that we found confusing.   [Sandi Masori]

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Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Book for Toddlers Tells of the Lights of Shabbat

This tale for tots conflates the light of Shabbat candles with other pleasant and helpful lights that they might encounter.  These include a flashlight helping people to find their way; lanterns at an evening picnic; a lighthouse that aids sailors; the moon and stars; fireflies; and a soft nightlight in a child’s room. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion

Author’s Vivid Accounts Range From Nazi Death Camps to Boston’s Worst Neighborhoods

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — From Broken Glass: My Story of Finding Hope in Hitler’s Death Camps to Inspire a New Generation, by Steve Ross, is truly an inspiring story. Interspersed with the author’s vivid recollections of being incarcerated from the age of 8 in a succession of concentration camps are accounts of

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Holocaust, International, USA

After Persisting During Pandemic, Israeli Theater Can Now Share the Fruits of its Labor

By Toby Klein Greenwald (JNS) Raise Your Spirits Theatre released, on the morning of April 15, on the eve of Passover, the video (for women only) and audio recording (for everyone) of our latest biblical musical, “REBECCA! Mother of Two Dynasties.” It is a story of great faith, love, courage, and the hope of reconciliation

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Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Toby Klein Greenwald