The Arts

When hippies invented their own Judaism

Take yourself back to the 1960s and 1970s when Jewish hippies envisioned creating their own brand of Judaism. Kosher food mixed with marijuana. Come as you are davening with cushions in a circle, instead of chairs facing a bima. Potluck dinners, in both meanings of the word. Some traditional prayers in, others out. Fully egalitarian services long before more established movements recognized women as spiritual leaders. Men and a woman even going to an outdoor mikvah together (Okay, it was skinny-dipping mixed with traditional mikvah prayers.) [Book review by Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Judaism

Cinematic history of White nationalism

Although screen neo-Nazis continue to be portrayed as ideologues, mad scientists, or thugs, historical docudramas and psychosocial films constitute an increasing portion of the movies about neo-Nazis produced since 1980. This corpus of movies renders their main characters victims of familial, political, or socioeconomic circumstances rather than as stock villains. Their proliferation reflects the escalation of white supremacist rhetoric into recurring acts of right-wing terrorism in Europe and North America from the 1980s on. Depending on the national origin of these pictures, the specific catalysts for radicalization differ, but the images and themes of Holocaust denial, nativism, Nazi iconography, the skinhead look, and virulent racism embraced by actual and fictional white nationalists resemble each other because they network with each other via Internet propaganda, international contacts, joint training maneuvers, rock music, and social media. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]

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International, Lawrence Baron, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Ellis Island and the name ‘Kaputnik’

Supposedly, the name Kaputnik was assigned to the family at Ellis Island, when Mrs. Kapustin (her real name) worried aloud that if the baby dragon they had smuggled into the U.S. were discovered they would be Kaput (finished).  “Is that your name, Kaput?” a translator asked.  “Nicht (No),” responded Mrs. Kapustin.  And so the immigration inspector wrote down what he thought he heard — “Kaputnik.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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

What Rav Soloveitchik taught about suffering

In all faiths, cultures, and communities, the question of evil plays a prominent role in that specific group’s philosophies. What is evil, and how does one comprehend it in our lives? In Judaism, the question of evil and suffering is expressed in the following statement “Tzadik ve ra lo- A righteous person, and bad to him, rasha vetov lo- a wicked person, and good to him.”  The question is why do righteous people suffer and experience hardship, while others who are “wicked “do not experience pain and suffering? [Rabbi Dr. Bernhard H. Rosenberg]

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Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Jewish Religion

Kant on why we must not discriminate

The Supreme Court decided on June 15 that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination. Discrimination ‘because of sex’ is unlawful. But what is it that makes discrimination morally wrong? It is useful to examine this from a Kantian standpoint because Immanuel Kant lays the foundation for recognizing the inherent dignity of every individual – and discrimination is indeed an affront to human dignity. [Sam Ben-Meir]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Sam Ben-Meir, Science, Medicine, & Education

Temple Isaiah families dance in socially distant circles

Large circles, at least six feet apart, were drawn on the upper parking lot of Temple Isaiah, each reserved for a family grouping who wanted to dance, play games, and congregate, yet maintain the proper social distance from other families during this time of Covid19. (Donald H. Harrison)

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Donald H. Harrison, Judaism, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Travel and Food, USA

Comics as an agent of social change

The San Diego Convention Center would normally be bustling this weekend with devoted fans of science fiction, fantasy and horror dressing up and geeking out. This year, the center lays as quiet as a tomb. Yet, leave it to clever and resourceful nerds to find a way. Comic-Con International has moved online with presentations and forums via Zoom. While there is a variety of panel discussions and workshops to choose from, I decided to focus on a handful that feature comics as agents of social change. (Eric George Tauber)

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Eric George Tauber, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Online Comic-Con lacks spontaneity, nerdiness

As my friend Nick and I walked around downtown on Friday, there was a sense of stillness in the air. Restaurants had mostly converted to serving only outside and while nearby beaches were packed there was still a sense of disconnection among individual families camped out on their blankets. Perhaps the strangest part was the San Diego Convention Center. If this were normal times, downtown would be Comic-Con central right now. People would queue in mile-long lines to see their favorite piece of media or stories come to life. The restaurants in the Gaslamp Quarter would be buzzing with hungry nerds. Hotels would be filled with tourists. Today I saw a lone man, dressed as Shazam, making chalk art outside the center. [Shor M. Masori]

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Shor M. Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Comic-Con Online: Art & the Holocaust

When Art Spiegelman first proposed Maus, his two-volume graphic novel about the Holocaust, people asked how he could tackle a subject so dark, weighty and personal with comics. I think a more important question is: What happens if we don’t? How many stories will be lost? How many young people will lose the opportunity to comprehend this period of history without an accessible visual medium? [Eric George Tauber]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eric George Tauber, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

Daughter conducts violinist mom with Hungarian orchestra

This MSR recording is the first time in the annals of classical music that a violin soloist has been accompanied by her own conductor daughter!

My sister, violinist Zina Schiff, my niece, conductor Avlana Eisenberg, and Hungary’s MAV Symphony Orchestra are featured in this mother-daughter collaboration: Sibelius Violin Concerto, Barber Violin Concerto, Ben-Haim Three Songs Without Words.. Gramophone Magazine described how the “mother and daughter partnership shows evident unity of purpose….intense passionate feeling.” [Eileen Wingard]

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