Lord Get Me High! by Rabbi Elchanan Shoff, Kodesh Press, New York; ISBN 978-069-250-143-6 ©2015, $24.95, p. 109 By Fred Reiss, Ed.D WINCHESTER, California –Psalm 27, the subject of Rabbi Elchanan Shoff’s newest book Lord Get Me High!, is every bit as commanding in its imagery and meaning as its more well-known cousin, the Twenty-Third Psalm. […]
Getting high with Psalm 27 Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish ReligionEverything You Ever Wanted by Jillian Lauren, Plume/Penquin Publishing Group, 2015 By Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO — This is the second of Jillian Lauren’s memoirs.* Born in 1973, she was adopted as an infant by a middle class Jewish couple in Livingston, New Jersey. Her childhood included the cultural norms of that time and place such
From the Jewish library: ‘Everything You Ever Wanted’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories
By Erin Philips SAN DIEGO – In Your Arms, the world premiere musical currently playing at the Old Globe, is simply sensational. Romance is the theme and dance is the medium for the ambitious production: ten mostly wordless vignettes, created by a lineup of theatre heavyweights, including Tony, Pulitzer Prize, Emmy and Academy Award winners. The
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Theatre, Film & Broadcast
SAN DIEGO (Press Release)– The Jewish Federation of San Diego County announced that OPTIONS ,The Women’s Event, will be held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego, on November 1, from 11:30 am until 2 pm. OPTIONS will feature three trailblazing Jewish women – Lisa Loeb, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, Janet Gurwitch, Founder and Former CEO of Laura
Lisa Loeb to sing at OPTIONS Nov. 1 Read More »
Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego CalendarBy Eileen Wingard SAN DIEGO — Yale Strom, the multi-talented artist-in-residence at San Diego State University’s Judaic Studies Department, introduced his latest composition on the second half of the program last Tuesday evening at the Lyceum Theater. Thanks to the support of a generous grant, he wrote a string quartet based on motifs gathered from listening
Strom, Hausmanns debut Somalia – inspired music Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual ArtsBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — “Non!” screamed the rather large and overdressed lady sitting in the row near me as the audience burst into spontaneous applause between two movements of the piece of baroque chamber music that had just been played. This happened last summer when we attended several concerts in the charming
The changing habits of concert audiences Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Music, Dance, and Visual ArtsJewish Identity: The Challenge of Peoplehood Today by Ruth Shamir Popkin, Gefen Publishing House, Jerusalem; ISBN 978-965-229-671-9 ©2015, $24.95, p. 272, plus Notes, Sources, and Index (also available in Kindle) By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — From the time of the Bar Kokhba Revolt in the second century to 1948 and the establishing of the State
Book probes the concept of Jewish identity Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish History, Jewish Religion
By Eva Trieger LA JOLLA, California — As autumn approaches, who doesn’t look forward to a bowl of soup? And what about your grandma’s special recipe for borscht? Not so much? Well, maybe you’re more excited about the Borscht Belt and the Jewish comedians who gave that Upstate New York region her beloved cache. Jewish
‘Jewish Joke’ Oct. 19 examines humor in tough times Read More »
Eva Trieger, Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy Dan Bloom CHIAYI CITY, Taiwan — Bill Tammeus is a former religion columnist for the Kansas City Star and the author of several books over the years, among them They Were Just People: Stories of Rescue in Poland During the Holocaust, which he co-authored with Jacques Cukierkorn. He knows the Jewish community in Kansas
Columnist who studied Shoah now writes about Pope Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short StoriesSome Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren, published by Plume/Penguin Group, 2010 By Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO — Jillian Lauren was born in 1973 and was adopted as an infant by a Jewish couple in Livingston, New Jersey. Later a son was adopted. They were a middle class suburban family, gave their
From the Jewish bookshelf: ‘Some Girls’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories
The Devil in Jerusalem by Naomi Ragen; St. Martin’s Press © 2015; ISBN 978-1-250-04313-9; 306 pages, $25.99 By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – This novel is well-written and suspenseful, yet exceedingly difficult to read. It is about child abuse with descriptions so graphic it will make almost any reader shudder or cringe. Author Naomi
Child abuse makes important novel hard to read Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. HarrisonLA JOLLA, California (Press Release) — J* Company Youth Theatre kicks off the 23rd season with the joyful Mary Poppins. “One of the most popular Disney movies of all time is capturing hearts in a whole new way: as a practically perfect musical!” says director Joey Landwehr. Based on the books by P.L. Travers and the
J*Company schedules ‘Mary Poppins’ Oct. 17- Nov. 1 Read More »
Theatre, Film & BroadcastThe War Reporter by Martin Fletcher; St. Martin’s Press © 2015; ISBN 978-1-250-07002-9; 306 pages, $25.99. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—Set in Sarajevo (Bosnia) during the siege, and in Belgrade (Serbia) ten years afterwards, this novel tells of television journalist Tom Layne briefly encountering Serbian General Ratko Mladic near the former war-torn city and trying
Amid chaos, ‘The War Reporter’ introspects Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. HarrisonBy David Amos SAN DIEGO –As we do every year, my wife and I sat at the synagogue in our preferred seat for the High Holidays services. As expected, we enjoyed the thought provoking words from our Rabbi, heard the pure and beautifully performed chants from our cantorial soloist, and greeted fellow congregants, many of
Inspiration and distraction at High Holy Day services Read More »
Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts