Lawrence (Laurie) Baron, now retired, served as the Nasatir Professor of Modern Jewish History at San Diego State University. He served from 1988 to 2006 as director of SDSU’s Lipinsky Institute for Judaic Studies. He was the founder in 1995 of the Western Jewish Studies Association.
He writes two satire columns for San Diego Jewish World: “Humoring the Headlines” under his byline, and “Hounding the Headlines,” under the byline of his dog Elona.
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Books to his credit, available on Amazon, include:
Projecting the Holocaust into the Present: The Changing Focus of Contemporary Holocaust Cinema
The Modern Jewish Experience in World Cinema
The eclectic anarchism of Erich Muhsam (Men & movements in the history & philosophy of anarchism)
His most recent articles are:
“Making Room for the Jews: The House I Live In (1945),” AJS Perspectives, Summer 2023, 86-88.
“The Revolt of Job: Salvaging the Lost World of Rural Hungarian Hasidim,” Journal of Jewish Identities, 16:1-2 (January/July 2023), 181-198.
“Persistent Parallels, Resistant Particularities: Holocaust Analogies and Avoidance in Armenian Genocide Centennial Cinema, in Armenian and Jewish Experience between Expulsion and Destruction, ed. Sarah M. Ross and Regina Randhofer (Berlin: De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2021), 267-296.
“The Pioneering American Jewish Women Directors from Elaine May to Claudia Weill,” Jews and Gender (Studies in Jewish Civilization), ed. Leonard Greenspoon (W. Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press, 2021), 217-243.
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Questions By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO−If Joe Biden kissing a woman on the back of her head and smelling her hair disqualifies him from running for president, then why did Trump bragging about grabbing women’s genitals on the Access Hollywood tape not result in the postponement of the 2016 election until he was replaced by […]
Humoring the headlines: April 3, 2019 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO−Exoneration (to the tune of Anticipation) He and the angry Dems tried to take me down. But I claimed it was all fake news grist. And if you were one of those who slandered me, Then welcome to my enemies list. Exoneration, exoneration! Should be making me glad, But I’m seething
Humoring the headlines: March 29, 2019 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireTweetin’ Donald (tune: Rockin’ Robin) By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO− He tweets from his cell phone all day long, Dissing and venting, calling everyone wrong. All his petty fears flow from his little brain Trying to inflict the maximum pain. Tweetin’ Donald, (tweet-tweet-tweet) Tweeting’ Donald, (tweet-tweedilly-tweet) Go Tweetin’ Donald ’cause you can’t let go of
Humoring the headlines: March 20, 2019 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire“Always Something There to Remind Me” By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — This week I returned from several weeks of travel in Germany, Israel, and the United Kingdom. I was busy seeing old friends and giving lectures. I hoped my trip would be a respite from the anxiety and dismay that have plagued me since
Humoring the Headlines: March 14, 2019 Read More »
International, Lawrence Baron, Middle East, San Diego County, Travel and Food, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USANational Emergencies By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO −Now that the President has declared a National Emergency to bypass Congress’s refusal to allocate the funds he demanded for building the wall, what declarations might be next from the Trump White House? * Constitutional Basis: “In case public safety is seriously threatened or disturbed, the President may
Humoring the headlines: February 1, 2019 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireThe Uncensored State of the Union Address By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO−For the most part, President Trump read off the teleprompter yesterday, but there were zingers he wanted to add to parts of the State of the Union Speech that his advisors told him to omit. Here they are. * “If there is going to
Humoring the headlines: February 6, 2019 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAPresidential Poems By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO−To build support for his wall, this week President Trump Tweeted a short poem: “Build the wall and crime will fall!” If this works, he plans to compose other snappy couplets. * I’m not weaker than Madam Speaker. Forget Roe vs. Wade! Just don’t get laid. Border urgency equals
Humoring the headlines: January 27, 2019 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireWhy Mike Pence thinks Donald Trump is like Martin Luther King Jr. By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO−On Sunday Mike Pence compared Donald Trump’s new proposal on border wall funding to Martin Luther King’s activist philosophy. To Pence, Trump is the White King (though not as white as Pence). Here’s why: * Both King and Trump
Humoring the headlines ~ January 22, 2019 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USABy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Sandy Scheller and filmmaker Olena Zernychenko have been collaborating on a movie about Scheller’s mother, Ruth Goldshmiedova Sax, a Holocaust survivor who died at age 90 at the end of last year. “Ruthie” Sax had been a popular speaker throughout San Diego County, whose willingness to share her
Movie in the works about life of Ruth Sax Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Lawrence Baron, San Diego Calendar, Theatre, Film & BroadcastSAT (Satisfactory Answers Test) for William Barr By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO−So far, William Barr has displayed verbal dexterity in evading direct answers to questions about what parts of Mueller’s final report he would release to Congress, about whether he would recuse himself from overseeing the Mueller investigation if the ethics experts at the Department
Humoring the headlines: January 16, 2019 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAWalls (with apologies to Joyce Kilmer) By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO− To think that I possess the gall To close the country for a wall. A wall of concrete or of steel To generate my voters’ zeal. A wall that keeps the riffraff out By blocking their illegal routes. A wall that saves us from
Humoring the Headlines: January 9, 2019 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireThe Year in Review By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO−January/February: The San Diego Jewish World was on a publishing hiatus during these months. March Betsy Devos released a music video to support Donald Trump’s plan to arm teachers: School days, school days, they have become such cruel days. ‘Reading and ‘riting and shoot to kill, collateral
Humoring the headlines: December 29, 2018 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireThe President Phones Kids on Christmas Eve By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO-Following precedent, President Trump phoned children last night to wish them a Merry Christmas. Here is a transcript of one of the calls. Trump: What’s your name little girl? Rosita: I’m Rosita and I’m waiting for Santa to bring me presents. Trump: Regarding that,
Humoring the headlines: December 25, 2018 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBob Mueller Is Bringing You Down By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO− Melody: Santa Claus is Coming to Town O! You better watch out! You better not lie. Stop tweeting a lot. I’m telling you why Bob Mueller is bringing you down. He’s made a list They’ve testified. Admit they colluded It can’t be denied. Bob
Humoring the headlines: December 19, 2018 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire