The Arts

Jewish Political Briefing: November 15, 2025

U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) shares a fundraising letter with fellow Democratic Congresswoman LaMonica McIver of New Jersey, boosting the latter’s defense in a federal case charging her with “forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers” in an immigration policy protest at Delaney Hall detention center in Newark.  [Donald H. Harrison]

Jewish Political Briefing: November 15, 2025 Read More »

Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, News Media, San Diego County, Shanda File, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Does Shylock Trigger Antisemitism or Expose It?

Most Jews wonder after being exposed to The Merchant of Venice: Is the play too antisemitic for the public at large? Is it better to ignore The Merchant, or is it worse to cancel a story that has traditionally shown Jews in a negative light—when all it takes to humanize the character of Shylock is to fully understand him? {Susan L. Rosenbluth]

Does Shylock Trigger Antisemitism or Expose It? Read More »

Antisemitism, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

San Diego Jewish Men’s Choir Repertoire Delightfully Varied

Taking their fedoras in hand, they sang their lively opening number, the Yiddish Ale Brider (All Brothers),” dancing joyously, as they sang and watched the precise motions of their music director, Ruth Weber. [Eileen Wingard]

San Diego Jewish Men’s Choir Repertoire Delightfully Varied Read More »

Eileen Wingard, International, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

World Travel for a Woman with Disabilities and Her Partner

The book’s premise is inherently compelling: a couple, undeterred by age or physical limitations, embarks on journeys spanning the Arctic Ocean to tropical islands, deserts to urban centers, via planes, trains, cars, buses, and even a cruise in San Diego’s waters. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

World Travel for a Woman with Disabilities and Her Partner Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

A Short Story: The Poet of Uz

There was no rabbinic academy then, no definitive text—only scrolls that wandered from town to town like goats, a few psalms humming under their breath, a few laws clean and sharp as a knife’s new edge. Prophets came and went as sandstorms do: sudden, convincing, then gone. The poet—let us call him simply the poet—kept his own counsel, carried a knife and an abacus, and learned the shapes of rumors. [Sam Ben-Meir]

A Short Story: The Poet of Uz Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Fiction, Jewish Religion, Sam Ben-Meir, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Susan Kohler

Susan Kohner (November 11, 1936) is an American actress who worked in film and television. She played Sarah Jane, a young African-American woman attempting to “pass” as white, in Imitation of Life (1959), for which she was nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress. She won two Golden Globe awards for her performance. [Wikipedia]

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Susan Kohler Read More »

Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

Columnist’s Book Deeply Dives into History of Antisemitism in Ukraine

My Dear Dissonances is presented in two forms – stories and essays. I wrote my book in the genre of tragicomedy, as the tragic and comic in the history of this people are inevitably intertwined. The dramatic duality of Jewish existence encompasses a combination of the funny and the frightening – tears of laughter and tears of sorrow. [Alex Gordon]

Columnist’s Book Deeply Dives into History of Antisemitism in Ukraine Read More »

Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Classics 4 Kids Features Mozart, Elgar, Beethoven in Concert’s First Half, Sharon Katz and Peace Train Band in Second

Detailed lesson plans are sent to the teachers, and docents visit many of the classrooms ahead of time to prepare the young listeners for their concert experience. That advanced work was evident in the children’s conduct. Conductor Zembric also reminded them of the expected concert behavior, including when to applaud. [Eileen Wingard]

Classics 4 Kids Features Mozart, Elgar, Beethoven in Concert’s First Half, Sharon Katz and Peace Train Band in Second Read More »

Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors