It was a Tuesday morning in September, and a small crowd had gathered around the grand piano on Jaffa Road, listening to a medley of jazz improvisations performed by a guy who had plunked his battered fedora hat on top of the piano. His audience included an Arab street cleaner standing under a nearby tree, […]
Social piano experiment has Jerusalem passersby keyed up Read More »
Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts#Parasha: Weekly Insights from a Leading Israeli Journalist by Sivan Rahav-Meir, Menorah Books, Jerusalem, © 2017, ISBN 978-1-59264-480-3, p. 321, plus glossary of Names, $24.95 By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California – Sivan Rahav-Meir, the author of #Parasha, is an anchorwoman on Israeli Channel 2, a columnist for Yediot Aḥaronot, Israel’s largest newspaper, and a weekly radio
#Parasha like a one-to-one discussion Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish ReligionWARSAW, Poland — Former Warsaw Ghetto fighter, Simcha Rotem, known in Poland as Kazik Ratajzer, won his case against the PWN publishing house which published his letters to his former romantic partner Irena Gelblum. The letters were published in Remigiusz Grzela’s book “Irena’s choice.” PWN was ordered to apologize to Rotem and donate $5,900 to
Former Warsaw Ghetto fighter wins lawsuit over published love letters Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Middle East
By Eva Trieger SAN DIEGO — Nowadays it’s not too unusual for a wedding invitation to arrive via email, but the one for this past Labor Day was a little unusual. I was invited to a Yidishe Khasene (A Yiddish Wedding), a theatrical re-enactment of the wedding of Edward Meisarosh and Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh. A
A Yiddish Wedding Reenacted Read More »
Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & BroadcastEinstein’s Pacifism and World War I by Virginia Iris Holmes. Syracuse University Press, 2017, 332pp. By David Strom SAN DIEGO — “Where have all the idiots gone? Gone to government, every one.” (This verse is a parody on the anti-war song “Where Have All the Soldiers Gone?”). If Einstein was alive today, I am certain he
Einstein, the pacifist, urged an atom bomb Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Former high school physics teacher Fred Reiss has liked series of numbers since he was a little boy. He recalls that he was approximately six years old when he would stand on the front porch of his aunt’s house in South Philadelphia and count the number of students
Unique calendar can tell yahrzeits far into the future Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish ReligionBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson JERUSALEM — When I heard that Anne-Marie O’Connor would be speaking at the Tower of David Museum in a dialogue with fellow-author Ora Ahimeir I jumped at the opportunity to see and hear the author of the monumental book Woman in Gold in person. As readers are doubtless aware, the book relates the saga
An Evening with the Author of ‘Woman in Gold’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-VansonMel Brooks is fed up with society’s “stupidly politically correct” sensibilities and warns that they will lead to the “death of comedy.” Brooks, the creator of acclaimed comedy films like “Blazing Saddles,” “History of the World, Part I” and “Young Frankenstein” and one of only 12 people to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an
This comedy legend goes to bat against “stupidly politically correct society” Read More »
Theatre, Film & BroadcastIn many parts of the world, Jewish custom holds that a tombstone be placed on the one-year anniversary of one’s death. For the late Israeli politician Shimon Peres, that anniversary is being marked by the release of his autobiography. In many parts of the world, Jewish custom holds that a tombstone be placed on the
Shimon Peres’s memoir reveals lifelong optimism for peace Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Middle East, USAIrving Berlin created music without formal training. And by himself. In 1918, while serving in the U.S. Army, he wrote the one and only “God Bless America.” When at first he couldn’t sell the song, he did what many songwriters do when such things happen: He stuck it in a drawer. Berlin dusted the tune
Irving Berlin: The Story of the Man Behind ‘God Bless America’ Read More »
Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USABy Eric George Tauber SAN DIEGO –The typical musical centers around the relationship of two paramours with all other relationships revolving around them. So focusing on a brother and sister with their love interests playing second fiddle is what sets Benny & Joon apart. Benny is a real mensh. He works hard at the garage
Benny & Joon sing unusual tune Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy Sam Ben-Meir NEW YORK — This month, the Robert Lehman Wing of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is hosting the work of Mexican baroque artist, Cristóbal Villalpando (1649 –1714). The highlight of the show is Moses and the Brazen Serpent and the Transfiguration of Jesus (1683), a staggering 28-foot tall altarpiece that until
Powerful biblical images at MMA Read More »
Music, Dance, and Visual ArtsThe 2017 Emmy Awards presentation, which is being hailed as a historic night for diversity in Hollywood, honored some Jewish talent. “Saturday Night Live” led the way with eight of the TV awards, which were handed out Sunday night in Los Angeles. Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition by email and never miss our
Lorne Michaels wins with SNL at 2017 Emmys Read More »
Theatre, Film & BroadcastEmmys host Stephen Colbert delivered a ton of jabs to President Trump in his opening monologue of this year’s award show. The host taunted the president many times, reminding the audience of several tweets he made about previous award shows. Colbert joked with previous Emmys host Seth Myers about the tweet Trump sent that accused
Jaws dropped when Stephen Colbert invited a special guest to the Emmys stage Read More »
Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA