The Arts

Childhood of Judy Blume reimagined in poetry

Otherwise Known as Judy the Great: A Poetic Ode to Judy Blume by Selina Alko; New York: Christy Ottaviano Books, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company; © 2026; ISBN 9780316-570633; 42 pages; $18.99. By Donald H. Harrison in San Diego Children’s author Judy Blume (née Sussman) was born in 1938 and through her 7th

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Trump lauded for signing legislation making it easier for families to recover art seized during the Holocaust

RJC CEO Matt Brooks said: “It is deeply meaningful that on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, President Trump signed the HEAR ACT—landmark legislation to extend and improve the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016—into law. The HEAR Act empowers family members, who have fought for decades, to recover artwork stolen from Jews by the Nazi regime during the Second World War.  (Press Release)

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Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Opinion, Press Release, USA

An excellent book about Maimonides

Maimonides composed his landmark philosophical work, The Guide for the Perplexed (Moreh Nevukhim in Hebrew), in Judeo-Arabic, written in Fustat (Old Cairo), Egypt. The treatise aimed to reconcile Jewish theology with Aristotelian philosophy and was addressed to his student, Rabbi Joseph ben Judah of Ceuta. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

August Wilson’s ‘Fences’: A tear-jerking masterpiece

Troy and Rose tell the story of how they met and the audience gives Rose a big spontaneous round of applause after Troy says that he told her when they first met that he wasn’t the marrying kind, and she responded that she told him if he wasn’t the marrying kind, he better step out of the way so he doesn’t block the view for the man that is the marrying kind. [Sandi Masori]

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Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

AI utilized to mass-produce online antisemitic messages

“Generative AI has dramatically lowered the barrier to producing and distributing antisemitic content,” said CyberWell Founder & CEO Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor. “What once required coordination, creativity, basic technical skills and time can now be created instantly and shared at scale. …” [Press Release]

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Antisemitism, International, Israel, Middle East, News Media, Press Release, USA

A suburban tale during the 49 days of counting the Omer

This is not a religious tract, although kabalistic suggestions for counting the omer are thrown in.  I must confess I didn’t find the nexus between what is essentially a story of suburban life and those suggestions for meditations on each day of the 49 between the second day of Passover and the arrival of Shavuot.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Fiction, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Lawrence Family JCC to play 13 curated songs about the impact of Israel’s early wars

At the Thursday, April 16, 2:00 p.m. program of Treasures from the Music Collection of the Astor Judaica Library: Music of Yom Hazikaron, my guest, Guri Stark, and I will introduce a playlist of 13 recorded songs. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Israel, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Finding beauty in nature at the Cardiff Library

Cali notes that his photographs are meant to be lived with. They are not asking for interpretation or explanation. Instead, they offer a space to slow your breath, rest your eyes, and feel a sense of connection. In searching for beauty, he is really seeking moments that feel honest and true. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, California, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Contemporary Torah: The sacred architecture of silence

Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, step forward with their own fire pans, offering “strange fire” (esh zarah) which God had not commanded. Within seconds, they are dead. The music stops. The joy evaporates. In the center of the camp, there is only smoke and a father staring at the bodies of his sons. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Antisemitic statements rattle Jews in two states; goof in advertisement draws adverse comments in a third

Georgia legislative candidate Nathalie Kanani risked offending Atlanta-area Jews when she took out a Passover ad that featured a loaf of challah which was decidedly leavened. In Connecticut’s Fairfield County, a bunch of spoiled rich Catholic high school students proclaimed “at least we are not Jews.” [Bruce Ticker}

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Antisemitism, Bruce Ticker, California, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, News Media, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food