The Arts

Singing Ernest Bloch’s sacred songs was a thrill

By Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel ENCINITAS, California — In the early 1930 s, visionary Cantor Reuven Rinder of San Francisco ‘s Temple Emanuel raised $ 10,000 to commission the world acclaimed composer, Ernest Bloch to write a setting with the Reform Jewish Sabbath Morning Prayer book of the `1930s. Bloch was already an acclaimed composer […]

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Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel, z"l, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA

Jewish gay comedian Jason Stuart speaks out

By Eva Trieger SOLANA BEACH, California — Steve Martin said of comedy, “It’s all in the ti-ming.” (He put the accent on the second syllable.) Well, if that be so, the time is now for Jason Stuart. The actor, stand-up comic and lecturer has also become a published author. This weekend celebrated a book signing

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eva Trieger, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘After the Wedding:’ A tale of love and grace

By Cynthia Citron LOS ANGELES — It is virtually impossible to review the beautiful new film After the Wedding because to reveal any of the plot would inevitably unravel all the rest of it. It’s a convoluted story, filled with twists and turns, secrets and surprises, impeccably presented by three extraordinary actors: Julianne Moore, Michelle

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Cynthia Citron, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

When our Sky ‘met’ Albert Einstein

  By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Our cousins, Harry and Sherry Jacobson-Beyer of Louisville, Kentucky, paid us a visit, bringing along their 14-year-old grandson, Ethan Jacobson, of Fairhope, Alabama.  Together, with Nancy’s and my grandson, Sky, 12, we visited the Reuben E. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park. The boys went off in

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA

Rabbi in Florida enjoys learning about San Diego

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Donald H. Harrison’s book Schlepping and Schmoozing through San Diego County, Vol. 1 is enjoyable, really fun to read, as one can tell by the book’s title. He has been a journalist since 1962 and is an excellent writer. His articles are not only enjoyable, sometimes witty,

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Waiting for divine help can result in tragedy

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Relying on prayer and divine help in daily life and when problems arise and not following the wise advice of Maimonides to use one’s intelligence, study the laws of nature, and act according to these laws, laws created by God, can, and usually does result in

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

Comey’s ‘A Higher Loyalty’ details chaos at the top

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — A friend gave me James Comey’s book, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership, and it strikes me as worthy of a review. Comey was a bureaucrat. A professional in the field of law, who worked his way from Assistant US Attorney, through positions as lawyer in the private sector,

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Ira Sharkansky, USA

An amateur competition for the love of music

By Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel LA JOLLA, California — The public was treated to a free weekend of brilliant piano music that started on Friday morning, July 12th at the beautiful new Conrad Preys Concert Hall in La Jolla. Piano music  including the works of Bach, Debussy, Mozart, Paderewski, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Liszt, Schubert and many

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Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel, z"l, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

‘Shadow Strike’: Reason for pause for anti- Iran hawks

(c) By Edwin Black WASHINGTON, D.C. —Jerusalem Post editor Yaakov Katz probably had no way of knowing that this would be a perfect time to release his briskly-selling Shadow Strike—Inside Israel’s Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power (St. Martin’s Press). Or did he? The world’s attention is once again and inevitably riveted to the

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Edwin Black, International, Middle East, USA

How the Bible has been used in U.S. history

Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land, The Hebrew Bible in the United States: A Sourcebook by M. Y. Soloveichik, M. Holbreich, J. Silver, and S. W. Halpern, editors, The Toby Press, New Milford CT, © 2019, ISBN 978-1-59264-465-0, p. 344, $29.95. By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California – Historians generally acknowledge the importance of the Protestant pulpit

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion

La Jolla Music Society sets innovative programs

By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — It must have been a challenging task for the La Jolla Music Society to find a successor for Summerfest’s former director, violinist Cho-Liang Lin. Taiwanese-born Lin was not only a brilliant violinist with a successful career as a performer, but he proved himself to be a gifted administrator

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

‘Book of Mormon’ sings with wicked humor

By Eric George Tauber SAN DIEGO — We’ve all had them come to our door, those clean-cut, baby-faced teenagers –who use the title “Elder” for some reason- in their starched, white, short-sleeved button down shirts and little black name tags. With wide eyes and toothy grins, they seem cheesily cheerful as they try to convert us.

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