The Arts

Wanted/ Unwanted Refugees

By Steve Kramer ALFE MENASHE, Israel — Refugees aren’t too popular these days in most countries. Israel has some unwanted refugees of its own. These refugees, commonly called “infiltrators” here, number about 30-40,000, down from a much larger contingent several years ago. What happened? Israel’s policy has been to grant asylum to almost none of […]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Steve Kramer

Novel for teens depicts life in the DP camps

What The Night Sings by Vesper Stamper; Borzoi Book of Alfred E. Knopf; © 2018; isbn pending: 18.99;                 250 pages plus notes and glossary. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – This novel is a welcome addition to Holocaust literature.  It plumbs the emotions of young Holocaust survivors in the Displaced Persons (DP) camps as

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

‘No Resting Place’ sears and stuns

No Resting Place: Holocaust Poland by Rick Halperin and Denise Gee; photographs by Sherry Aikman SMU Embrey Human Rights Program/Terrace Partners (October 2017). Hardcover (11.75” x 11”); 168 pages; 206 color images; $39.95. ISBN 978-0-692-85960-5 By Edwin Black No Resting Place/Holocaust Poland achieves searing power to illuminate the dark burning reality of Nazi concentration camps

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Edwin Black, Jewish History

Son relates his father’s Holocaust survival

Through My Father’s Eyes by Barry Fischer; Fischer Family Press; © 2014; ISBN 9780991-073313; 211 pages; $19.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –This memoir is a good introduction to the Holocaust for middle school students and older.  It is written in a clear, conversational style, the author remembering how his father, Mayer Fischer, described

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History

‘Jewish Poets – Jewish Voices’ resumes Jan. 23

By Eileen Wingard SAN DIEGO — “Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices” opens its tenth season at the Lawrence Family JCC’s Astor Judaica Library Tuesday evening, January 23, at 7 p.m., with three outstanding San Diego poets: Chris Baron, Professor of English at San Diego City College; Roger Aplon, former teacher at The Writing Center;  and Ruth Benjamin,

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eileen Wingard, San Diego Calendar

Home is where the hearth is

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — As always, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom gave her traditional Christmas message, which was televised and broadcast all over the world. Although I don’t usually pay it much attention, this year I happened to catch it live on TV, and watched with greater interest than usual,

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

The Holocaust seen through its postal history

Holocaust Postal History by Justin Gordon; Six Point Watermark;© 2016; ISBN 9780997-840100; 138 pages plus glossaries, bibliography and index. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – The author of this richly illustrated book deserved compliments for his persistence as a collector, his clarity as a writer, and his ability as a researcher.  No matter how

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

Segal’s Holocaust exhibit is gateway to museum art

Editor’s Note:  This inaugurates a new series of stories where a Jewish writer searches out Jewish art in museums, galleries and libraries. (c) Oliver B. Pollak  SAN FRANCISCO –We joined San Francisco’s De Young Museum and the Legion of Honor. On Thursday between Christmas and New Year we spent an afternoon at the much applauded exhibited

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Oliver Pollak

‘American Stranger’ describes several of its characters

American Stranger by David Plante, Delphinium Books © 2018, ISBN 9781883-285759;  239 pages. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Nancy is the daughter of Jewish parents who escaped Hitler’s Germany physically, but apparently not emotionally.  There is a distance about them that Nancy never can seem to penetrate. Trying to compensate for their lack

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

‘Journey to a Dream’ had many detours

Journey to a Dream; A voyage of discovery from England’s industrial north to Spain’s rural interior by Craig Briggs; (c) 2012; ISBN 9781480-254930; Prices vary on Amazon By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel –Author Craig Briggs describes in great detail the process whereby he and his wife decamped from the north of England to Spain in

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International