The Arts

Beth Jacob issues rules for outdoor davening

– Beth Jacob Congregation responded quickly to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order on Monday, once again closing down indoor places of worship in response to the spiking coronavirus pandemic. The governor’s order also included fitness centers, offices for “non-critical sectors,” personal care services, malls and  hair salons and barbershops. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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

Jewish trivia quiz: Ringo Starr

Ringo Starr just celebrated his 80th birthday by hosting a livestream concert benefiting Black Lives Matter and other causes. The concert featured performances by Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, Steve Earle, Keb Mo and others, with Ringo opening the show performing “It Don’t Come Easy.” The Beatles drummer once found himself at the receiving end of a very scary threat, which led him to say, “I’m not Jewish.” What was the frightening event? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

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Mark D. Zimmerman, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Trivia, Humor & Satire

A Holocaust exhibit takes to webcasting

The Remember Us The Holocaust (RUTH) exhibit at the Chula Vista Heritage Museum, located in Chula Vista’s main library, was barely a fourth of the way into its anticipated year-long run, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced it closure.   Sandra Scheller, the exhibit’s curator and daughter of the late Ruth Sax, a Holocaust survivor, remained undaunted.  She slowly but thoroughly transformed the exhibit into a virtual experience. {Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Short story: Dirty Dishes

The summer of 1965, I was not quite 17, not quite 5-foot-7, and not quite a college freshman. I was also broke, and I was convinced that I held the school record for number of crushes on girls who couldn’t quite remember who I was when I called for a date. I couldn’t do anything about my age or height, but I decided to solve my other two problems with a summer job at a Catskill Mountains hotel, piling up tips and meeting girls – Jewish preferred, but not required. [Michael Ginsberg]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Michael Ginsberg, USA

Between Hunkering Down and Resurgence

The euphoria lasted exactly two weeks. As June progressed the general rejoicing and premature self-congratulation on the part of the government came to an abrupt stop. The dreaded second wave had arrived. The curve which had been flattened reared its ugly head again, and alarm bells started ringing as the number of infections rose drastically. The idea of returning to the theatre and the concert hall vanished like the proverbial mirage. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Lifestyles, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

White moves first; is chess racist?

Given the assault on “whiteness” that we see today, some people of the ultra-left claim that chess is a racist game since it pits the “whites” vs. the “blacks.” To certain individuals, this game accentuates the problems some see in race relations. To make matters further complicated, the white pieces go before the black pieces. This is perceived by those who consider themselves “woke” (people who are super-sensitive to racism) as a “racially biased.” [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Paul Robeson sang in Yiddish

I still remember the rich bass baritone voice of  Paul Robeson singing  “Old Man River” in the 1936 movie Show Boat. That was his song and I thought no one else could match his performance. By chance someone just sent me a link to a recording by Robeson in Yiddish. This is a new one, for me. I further learned he had   recorded several Yiddish songs and often included them in his concerts. [Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel]

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Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel, z"l, International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

What is the Book of Esther really about?

Maggid Books has just published an excellent comprehensive 493-page study of the biblical Book of Esther called Esther: Power, Fate, and Fragility in Exile by Erica Brown, Ph.D, an award-winning author of many books, lecturer, and Jewish teacher. Brown tells readers exactly what the Bible text is saying, not what people read into it. She does so in clear, easy to read language. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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

July Fourth, American history, and cultural myths

The Fourth of July is my friend Ben Dishman’s birthday, just as it was the birthday of my late father, Martin B. Harrison.  When both of them were pre-schoolers, their parents fibbed to them that the fireworks and celebrations all were in honor of their birthdays.  Of course, they both believed the story, as it had come from what for them was the source of all knowledge — their parents.  It wasn’t until they were old enough to go to school that they were disabused of the notion by their classmates. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Ben Dishman, Donald H. Harrison, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

‘Ode to Passion’ Strikes a Chord

Ode to Passion was supposed to premiere at the Queens World Film Festival back in March, but the plague put the kaibosh on that. So it has gone to Amazon Prime Video. It is the first feature-length film by Writer/Director Jack Danini with 19 original songs written in 80s rock-ballad style with shades of country. From the opening strains of a wailing base guitar and a forlorn lover clutching a thorny red rose, we know that this story does not end happily. [Eric George Tauber]

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Eric George Tauber, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Six valorous Jewish women of San Diego

When it comes to the Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival, not even COVID19 can stand up to the chutzpah, commitment and ingenuity of Associate Producer Ali Viterbi and co-writers Leah Salovey, Sarah Price Keating and Becca Myers, Associate Producer of JFest, as they bring us the 11th annual “Women of Valor.”  This virtual show is a tribute to our local women, some unsung and others, banner-waving, who have created a more humane, compassionate, and impactful Jewish San Diego.  [Eva Trieger]

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Eva Trieger, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA