The Arts

Old Globe presents ‘Measure for Measure’ in Balboa Park

The basic plot is that Claudio (David T. Patterson) has slept with Juliet (Kayce Wilson) and gotten her pregnant, out of wedlock, which is a crime punishable by death. Angelo (Sam Lilja) the Duke’s cousin and proxy sentences him to death, perhaps because he himself was enamored with Juliet. Claudio’s sister Isabella (Amelia Pedlow), who is a nun in training, comes to Angelo to plead her brother’s case. Angelo offers her an indecent proposal instead. Distressed she runs crying to the Friar (who is actually the Duke in disguise) (Ato Blankson-Wood) who helps her concoct a plan to both save her honor and her brother. Chaos ensues. [Sandi Masori]

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Judaism has a ‘to do’ list

The negative commandments can often be fulfilled alone. They require restraint. The positive mitzvot, however, requires a relationship. You cannot welcome a stranger without a community. [Betzy Lynch]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Juneteenth has deep meaning, especially for someone born Black and Jewish

To be a person of African heritage and a Jewess is to hold a deep, ancestral understanding of what it means to be pulled from the depths, to celebrate a hard-won liberty, and to remain fiercely determined to stay free. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Nusach JFest: Where Broadway, prayer, and the spirit of San Diego soar

Becca Myers transformed Jeremy Gimbel’s scholarly thesis into a lively musical journey, tracing the evolution of Jewish sacred music while educating and celebrating the diverse cultural influences that make San Diego unique.  [Sherrie Rose]

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Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Cygnet’s ‘SpongeBob Musical’ brings Bikini Bottom to the stage

Drew Bradford’s Sheldon J. Plankton was my favorite. His voice was a good match for the character’s, and it seemed like he had fun being the maniacal villain. His voice also changed depending on what he was singing. The rap section sounded closer to his speaking voice but was impressive nonetheless. Also, Plankton doing an Eminem-like rap is wild. [Shor M. Masori]

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San Diego County, Shor M. Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Jewish biography: Felix Hausdorff, mathematician & philosopher

The life of Felix Hausdorff is a profound story of duality: he was a brilliant German scientist and writer. But alongside this duality, there existed a Jewish-German duality: Hausdorff was German by culture and Jewish by blood. He considered German science and culture his own, belonged to the highest academic elite of Germany, but the forces ruling German society saw in him, a brilliant scientist, an inferior outsider doomed to destruction. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

JFest brings Leonard Cohen’s music, stories, and spirit to The Conrad

Batalla noted that in 2026, Yom Kippur falls on Cohen’s birthday. The following song, “Who by Fire,” was based on the prayer Unetanneh Tokef. He wrote it after the improvised concerts he gave IDF soldiers during the Yom Kippur War. For “Who By Fire,” Batalla introduced the udu, an African water drum, and the guitar-like Middle Eastern oud played by Dimitris Jimmy Mahlis, who toured with her and Cohen. Batalla said Cohen’s touring band always had an oud player and said in the hands of a master it has been called a direct line to God. {Shor M. Masori]

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Jewish Celebrities, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Shor M. Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors