Byliners

The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet: Tragedy Transformed to Comedy

The Seussification of Romeo & Juliet reimagines Shakespeare’s classic tragedy through the style and sensibility of Dr. Seuss. Taking inspiration from a number of classic Seuss tales, like The Sneeches, The Lorax, Oh! The Places You’ll Go and the The Zax, this 2004 original by Peter Bloedel is campy, silly and fun. [Sandi Masori]

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

Plaque Celebrates Historic Indian and Jewish Amity

A remarkable historical plaque was recently presented in the Kalikotta Palace here in Cochin, India. It honored His Highness, Rama Varma Pareekshith Thampuran, the Last Maharaja of Cochin. The brass, 2’x3’ plaque, in English and Hebrew and mounted on rosewood, hangs below the Maharaja’s portrait. [Jerry Klinger]

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International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Documentary Charts Journey of Honduran Refugees Helped by Jewish Congregation in Seattle

All We Carry is an 87 ½ -minute documentary distributed for sale by Good Docs that follows Honduran refugees through Mexico to their detention at the Tijuana/ San Diego border and later, as adoptees of a Seattle, Washington, synagogue as they awaited a decision on their applications for asylum in the U.S. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

San Diego Symphony Orchestra Attracts Young and Old Audience

Seated on my right were two fifth-grade girls from Carlsbad who were studying violin. On my left was a 98-year-old woman and her 100-year-old gentleman friend, both long time symphony attendees. The audience was a mixture of youthful faces and elderly patrons.  [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Guarding Jewish Teens’ Mental Health

In survey after survey, teens in the U.S. report increasing levels of anxiety, depression, bullying (in person and online), traumatic experiences, and even suicidal thoughts. Ninety-two percent of teens report extended use of screens on a daily basis. And, over 40% report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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Heidi Gantwerk, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Mann O Mann, Could Thomas Write on Biblical Subjects!

Thomas Mann … set himself the monumental task of tackling the stories of the ancestors of the Jewish people and setting them in their wider context, thereby resurrecting them in a way that draws on archeology, history, geography, comparative religions, philosophy, and psychology to portray the events described in a skeletal manner in the Bible. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Parsha Yitro: Leadership, Revelation, and Finding Balance

In the shadow of Har Sinai, where the thunderous revelation of Matan Torah is about to unfold, an unexpected teacher emerges, Yitro, a Midianite priest and Moshe Rabbeinu’s father-in-law. Before the epic moment of receiving the Torah we are presented with a powerful twist—a lesson in leadership, humility, and the art of balancing spiritual loftiness with practical wisdom. [Michael R. Mantell,Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Hillel at UC San Diego Takes Pro-Active Steps to Counter Antisemitism

One week after the annual hate-filled apartheid week organized by various student organizations at UC San Diego, pro-Israel students will get to counter-program with “joy” by sponsoring Israel week.  The on-campus celebration will open this May’s observance of Jewish Heritage Month. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, California, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Couple from Tifereth Israel Synagogue Killed in I-8 Pile-Up Monday Night

Hours after attending a birthday gathering for Tifereth Israel Synagogue’s Sisterhood members who were celebrating their February birthdays, Rosalind Allina and her husband James — Roz, 77, and Jim, 79 — were killed in a chain-reaction freeway accident. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food