The Arts

Theatre group raises spirits of Gush Etzion residents

By Judy Lash Balint JERUSALEM — A sellout crowd of women packed the prestigious Jerusalem Theater a few weeks ago for, Sisters!The Daughters of Tzelofchad, the latest production of the Raise Your Spirits Theatre group. If someone just gave you a ticket without telling you the background of this all-female group of performers, you would be justified

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Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Toby Klein Greenwald

Aaron Schueler: A spark growing into a fire

By Eric George Tauber SAN DIEGO — When I covered San Diego Civic Dance Arts, I took notice of Aaron Schueler, a young hoofer with “very busy feet” who reminded me of “a little Fred Astaire.” (https://www.sdjewishworld.com/2016/02/17/67511/) Aaron is twelve years old and a sixth grader attending Albert Einstein Academy, taking classes at SDCDA after

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Eric George Tauber, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘The Dream of Zion’ focuses on the life of Herzl

The Dream of Zion: The Story of the First Zionist Congress by Lawrence J. Epstein, Rowman & Littlefield, New York;  ISBN 978-1-4422-5466-5 ©2016, $36.00, p. 137, plus chronology and references. By Fred Reiss, Ed.D.   WINCHESTER, California — Professor emeritus Lawrence Epstein in his newest book The Dream of Zion, argues that the nineteenth-century European Enlightenment’s

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, International, Jewish History, Middle East

Fabled chameleons protect food supply on Noah’s Ark

The Chameleon That Saved Noah’s Ark by Yael Molchadsky with illustrations by Orit Bergman; Penguin Young Readers Group/ Nancy Paulsen Books (c) 2015; ISBN 978-1-100-99676-8; 28 pages, 16.99 By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –You could call this Israeli-written and illustrated book a fable, or a midrash, that utilizes the well-known biblical story of Noah

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

A Righteous Gentile’s own story

In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke and Jennifer Armstrong; Penguin Random House/ Ember; (c) 1999, 2015; ISBN 978-0-679-99181-6; 278 pages including appendices, $10.99. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — This publication has reviewed, and will continue to review, numerous memoirs by Holocaust survivors. What makes this memoir different

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

‘Look at Us Now, Mother’ explores a Jewish childhood

By Cynthia Citron    LOS ANGELES — In the children’s nursery song the cheese stands alone. Hi-ho the derry-o, the cheese stands alone. In the Jewish home it is the mother who often stands alone,  because her children frequently see her as opinionated, pushy, stubborn, and embarrassing.  As seen by those children who grow up to

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Cynthia Citron, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Growth of Museum of Tolerance, Moriah Pictures told

Meant To Be by Rabbi Marvin Hier; Toby Press, LLC; © 2015; ISBN 978-1-59264-389-9; 342 pages including photo sections and index; $29.95 By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –This memoir tells the story of the founding of the Yeshiva University of Los Angeles, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Moriah Pictures, and the Museums of Tolerance in

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

From the Jewish library: ‘Life Along the Silk Road’

Life Along the Silk Road, by Susan Whitfield, 2nd edition, University Press, 2015 By Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO — The book opens with several explanatory sections:  a “Preface to the Second Edition,” a “Note of Transliteration and Names,” an “Introduction,” a “Prologue,” and a map spread across two pages. The map is arresting.  It shows

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories

Katz’s book on Israel’s war against terror is outstanding

The Ghost Warriors: Inside Israel’s Undercover War Against Suicide Terrorism by Samuel Katz; Berkley  (2016) ISBN: 1592409016; $18; Rated: 5* By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — There is hardly a day when we don’t read another story about a terrorist attack. For the most part, Radical Islam has demonstrated an almost uncanny ability to raise

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East

Ohr Shalom dedicates Pillars of Cloud, Smoke

By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Before Holocaust Survivor Lou Dunst died last year, he and his wife Estelle commissioned art to enhance the Holy Ark at Ohr Shalom Synagogue at Third and Laurel Streets in San Diego. Four artists competed for the honor of designing the works, with architect Amy Reichert of Chicago,

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts