Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Comedy for Koby: Laughter Helps Victims of Terror to Heal

All three of them did a fair amount of crowd work, and I’ll admit I was relieved not to be in the “splash zone” of the first few rows.  I especially liked Liberman’s riffing on the Jewish holidays.  How do you explain Sukkot to someone who’s not Jewish?  [Sandi Masori]

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Israel, Jewish History, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

JFest: ‘Italian Jews Through The Generations’ Sweet, Intimate Event

Did you know that the history of the Italian Jews goes all the way back to the Maccabees? It is, in fact, one of the very oldest diaspora Jewish communities, and while there may only be 27,000 Jews left there, their history and culture is interwoven with the fabric of the country itself. [Sandi Masori]

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

Found: Six Women of Valor at San Diego’s JFest

It was with great excitement that we packed into Garfield Theatre at Lawrence Family JCC (a performance this Sunday, June 23, will be at the Leichtag Commons in Encinitas) to be brought into the lives of six superlative women who have contributed greatly to our San Diego community. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria opened the program with a short inspiring introduction. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Songs in ‘Johnny and June’ Memorable, but Narration Lacks Something

Basically, the show takes us through both Johnny and June’s beginnings, the way they met, how they started touring together and eventually fell in love, though both were married to others at the time. [Sandi Masori]

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

OpEd: Zelensky Keeps a Distance from His Jewishness and from Israel

The silencing of his Jewishness has characterized his entire tenure as president. Mentioning his Jewishness became taboo. Benjamin Disraeli, a baptized Jew, was Prime Minister of Great Britain and openly discussed Jewish issues and wrote novels with Jewish characters. Léon Blum was Prime Minister of France and spoke freely about his Jewishness. Bruno Kraisky was Chancellor of Austria and made no secret of his Jewishness. Walter Rathenau was Foreign Minister of Germany and spoke proudly of his Jewish ancestry. None of them were ashamed of their Jewishness as Zelensky was. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, International, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Shavuot Wishes and Some Fascinating Upcoming Events

Youth Summer Music Camp (6th-12th grade) with Sharon Katz will be at 1 p.m., Monday, June 17 until Saturday, June 22 (no camp on Wednesday, June 19) at the San Diego Central Public Library. Katz is the founder of The Peace Train Project and Band and will direct this summer camp at the library. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, International, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

OpEd: ‘Screams Before Silence’ an Intense Documentary

Many individuals did not want to watch alone the film about the horrific attacks on Jewish women during the Oct 7 massacre. Limiting the number of reservations to women-only, having mental health clinicians facilitate and not listing the location facilitated this event. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Israel, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

In This Play, Daughter is Overbearing, Not Trusting of Mother’s Choices

Mom (Lesa Sailors) has been a widow for two years, and though she loved her husband, has found new facets and interests and is allowing herself to live a more fully expressed life, which is equal parts unexpected and devastating to her daughter, Ellie. [Eva Trieger]

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Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

The Power of Science Fiction at the Comic-Con Museum

The Rat’s Dilemma takes only minutes but the emotions it stirred up were unbelievable. Perhaps because it took place during the Holocaust or that it’s in Hebrew, or maybe because we connect to losing someone, or perhaps all things combined. Whatever it is, filmmaker Meningher did a phenomenal job with this creation. [Miriam Gershenson]

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Albert Kreimerman, Holocaust, Israel, Miriam Gershenson, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Mandy Patinkin Concert: Controversial for Some; Entertaining for Others

The show was part concert, part stand-up, part story-telling. It was just Patinkin and an accompanist on piano. After spending a bit of time heckling the late comers in the audience, he spent some time singing some songs from Broadway musicals, old Jazz hits, and even a surprising rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”  [Sandi Masori]

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Kidnapped’ Resurrects 166-Year-Old Controversy Between Jews and the Catholic Church

The name of “Edgardo Mortara” once rocketed around the Jewish and Catholic worlds – the Jews protesting that he was kidnapped by the Catholics, and the Catholics saying that once the boy was secretly baptized by the Mortara family’s maid, it had no choice but to assume parental control. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Mel Blanc

Courtesy of Wikipedia Melvin Blanc (May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy radio programs, including those of Jack Benny, Abbott and Costello, Burns and Allen, The Great Gildersleeve, Judy Canova, and

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Jewish Celebrities, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA, Wikipedia

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Danny Elfman

Courtesy of Wikipedia Daniel Elfman (May 29, 1953) is an American film composer, singer, songwriter, and musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer and primary songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since scoring his first studio film in 1985, Elfman has garnered international recognition for composing over 100 feature film scores,

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Jewish Celebrities, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA, Wikipedia