The Arts

Holocaust answers in de Wind memoir

Not all members of today’s de Wind family, although all descendants of the Patriarch Issachar, are Jewish.

After a “mini-diaspora” from “Holland” in the late 1800s and early 1900s to places as close as Belgium and Spain and as far as Asia and the Americas, the Levys-de Winds married into other nationalities, ethnicities and religions.

But most have never forgotten their Jewish roots.

Holocaust answers in de Wind memoir Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorian de Wind, International, Jewish History

It’s Siberia, Not Walden

Where they live there is no horizon. There is only the dazzling white snow that stretches all around them as far as the eye can see. And then it transforms seamlessly into a sky that is exactly the same color. The white world encloses them like goldfish in a glass bowl.

The film is called Aga, and it was written and directed by Milko Lazarov. It is Bulgaria’s entry into the 2019 Academy Awards competition as Best International Feature Film and it has already won four major awards at European film festivals

It’s Siberia, Not Walden Read More »

Cynthia Citron, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Our Shtetl San Diego: September 29, 2019

Japanese-born artist JUURI is painting a portrait of Hannah Senesh, the Israeli pioneer who parachuted behind Nazi lines to help Hungarian Jews and was captured and  killed.

The mural is being installed at the Super Block building at 15th and F and will be the subject of  tours from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, as part of the Women Who Paint Festival. Tours begin at 889 Park Boulevard.

Our Shtetl San Diego: September 29, 2019 Read More »

Donald H. Harrison, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

Noura and the problems of immigrant families

Heather Raffo’s new play, Noura, the Old Globe’s West Coast premiere, unveils the story of a Chaldean couple who are Iraqi refugees. They’ve been in America for seven years, but are celebrating their first Christmas as American citizens. Their new passports sport new American names, Tareq is now Tim, Noura is now Nora, and their son, Yazen has morphed into Alex. While Tim seems happy with this development, Noura is resentful and doesn’t like the adaptation.

Noura and the problems of immigrant families Read More »

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

Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 28, 2019

Items in today’s column include:  *How various public schools named for Jews rank academically *Archaeology in Israel will be subject of day-long colloquium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography *Political Bytes *Honorable Menschen *Passages By Donald H. Harrison How various public schools named for Jews rank academically SAN DIEGO  — Voice of San Diego recently published “A

Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 28, 2019 Read More »

Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

‘A Trace of Smoke’ set in pre-war Berlin

Excerpt: I chose this book by Rebecca Cantrell because it promised to describe what life was like in Berlin in the early 1930s. I was not disappointed. Apart from the somewhat lurid plot of the novel, the book contains a vivid account of the way Berliners lived and loved at that time, the rising political power and physical presence of the Nazi party and – in a particularly sensational way – the life of the homosexual community there. (To read more, please click on the headline)

‘A Trace of Smoke’ set in pre-war Berlin Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson

Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 25, 2019

Items in this column include: 
*A few of Bern Schwartz’s works now at Museum of Photographic Arts
*Jewish Federation’s Men’s Event Dec. 8 to feature comedian Modi Rosenfeld
*Political Dots and Dashes
*Cohn Group of Restaurants to temporarily manage four more eateries
*Mazel tov! Mazel tov!

Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 25, 2019 Read More »

Business & Finance, Donald H. Harrison, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

An Orthodox guide to workplace behavior

Making It All Work: A Practical Guide to Hashkafah & Halacha in the Workplace by Avi Wasserman and Miryam Wasserman; Philipp Feldheim publisher;  ISBN-10: 16802-50310; 538 pages; Price $25.00 By Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel  CHULA VISTA, California — The authors of Making It All Work present the Orthodox Jewish community with an interesting book about some

An Orthodox guide to workplace behavior Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Rabbi Phillips authors tome on Jewish philosophy and theology

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin JERUSALEM — Judaism Reclaimed: Philosophy and Theology in the Torah by Shmuel Phillips, a rabbi and lawyer with a law degree from the University of London, is a book filled with interesting information inspired by his understanding of the views of Maimonides and Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. The book has

Rabbi Phillips authors tome on Jewish philosophy and theology Read More »

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

Gerald Robbins masterful at new Coronado music festival

By Eileen Wingard CORONADO, California — This past weekend, a new music festival was initiated at the Coronado Library, and concert pianist, Gerald Robbins, brother of  longtime Coronado resident, Bonnie Fox, helped launch the concerts by participating in two of them. At 1 p.m. Saturday, September 21, Robbins performed a solo recital on the Coronado

Gerald Robbins masterful at new Coronado music festival Read More »

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

Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 24, 2019

Items in today’s column include:
*Tel Aviv Foundation applauds San Diegans’ philanthropy
*Father Joe Carroll endorses Joe Leventhal for City Council
*Rabbi Dorsch and Cantor Leberman star in Tifereth Israel High Holy Days video
*Israeli Idol Haggit Yaso to perform at StandWithUs gala
*Meet the Family Eilfort

Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 24, 2019 Read More »

Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County