Donald H. Harrison

[caption id="attachment_119310" align="alignright" width="100"] Donald H. Harrison[/caption]

Donald H. Harrison is the publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World. 

Harrison began his journalism career in 1962 on the UCLA Daily Bruin.  Following graduation he joined the staff of the Associated Press, and later became politics writer for The San Diego Union.  Afterwards he pursued a career in tourism, helping to establish San Diego’s Cruise Ship Program as well as Old Town Trolley Tours of San Diego.  He also wrote for such Jewish publications as the San Diego Jewish Press Heritage and San Diego Jewish Times before starting San Diego Jewish World in 2007.

Don’s  latest work is the three-volume Schlepping and Schmoozing Along the Interstate 5.  

He is the author of six previous books.  Those with links may be obtained on Amazon.

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Jewish News Around San Diego, June 18, 2021

The Balboa Park-based San Diego History Center has embarked  on a $100,000 fundraising campaign “to edit, conserve and preserve” more than 90 hours of interviews that were conducted in preparation for its 2017-2018 exhibition Celebrate San Diego: The History of San Diego’s Jewish Community and a companion documentary film. To the Ends of the Earth: A Portrait of San Diego.  The fundraising campaign is being led by Jeff and Karen Silberman. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Why everyone should celebrate Juneteenth, the new federal holiday

By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – I was delighted to learn that Congress, by an overwhelming vote, has decided that Juneteenth should be a federal holiday. President Joe Biden subsequently signed the Juneteenth bill into law. Marking the June 19, 1865 date when U.S. Army Major General Gordon Granger abolished slavery in Galveston, Texas,

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Donald H. Harrison, USA

Will We Lose the House of Israel to Another Nation?

A bit of friendly advice for my fellow Jews, and especially those from Israel residing in San Diego.  The House of Israel, which has been open continuously in Balboa Park since 1948–the same year Israel was created–is now in danger of losing its charter.  The dedicated volunteers who do their best to keep the House open every Saturday and Sunday, as required by the City of San Diego, are wearying.  Some are getting too old to maintain that type of schedule; others are experiencing burnout. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Jewish Stories Are Everywhere — Especially in Books

It’s my joy to review for this publication many current books — especially memoirs, biographies, and novels — but occasionally when there are none left on the pile to review, I have the opportunity to tuck into older books recommended to me by friends and relatives who know that I love to find stories corroborating this publication’s mantra that “There is a Jewish story everywhere.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

Novel Imagines German-Jewish Relationships at Close of 19th Century

The book cover of ‘All Things That Deserrve to Perish’ gives a false impression of the contents..  While there are sexual situations that contribute to the outcome of the story, the major theme of this book is the toxic relationships between Jews and German Christians at the fin de siècle. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

Novel Set in Warsaw Ghetto Has Verisimilitude

Normally, I am a bit wary of Holocaust fiction because I fear it will prompt Holocaust deniers to say, “See, it’s all made up.” But whether someone writes a novel or a rigorously footnoted history, that will be what the deniers say; no matter that the novel is clearly identified as a fictional work as indeed The Warsaw Orphan is so billed. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

More Than a Raceway: Novel Presents a Jewish Side of Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen by Eleanor Lerman; Mayapple Press 2021; ISBN 9781952-781018; 213 pages. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – The Finger Lakes region of upstate New York is known for Watkins Glen International, a race car venue that permits ordinary citizens to take three laps around the track in their personal cars for a fee.

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Fiction, USA

One-Day U.S. Screening of Documentary on the Warsaw Zookeepers Who Hid Jews

An unusual, although not unprecedented, rollout for the documentary Of Animals and Men will occur on Tuesday, June 22, in theaters around the nation when the film telling “the true story behind The Zookeeper’s Wife” will be given a one-day only showing. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, The World We Share, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

App Unveiled to Help Law Enforcement Be More Culturally Sensitive

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced on Thursday the development of a new phone app to help members of law enforcement be more culturally sensitive when they have interactions with any of 12 ethnic and religious groups. The dozen groups include 1) African American Youth; Asian; Chaldean; East African/ Somali; East African/ Somali Youth; Karen/ Karenni (from Burma); Latinx Youth; Mexican and Mexican American; Muslim; Native Americans, Samoans, and Vietnamese. It was not deemed necessary to include Jews among the groups, but I think this was a mistake. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, USA

A Survivor’s Trek Through Europe and the U.S.

In this memoir, nonagenarian Michael G. Kesler tells how as a teenager, he escaped both forced service in the Soviet Army and the Nazi invasion of his Polish home town by hopping trains with his older sister Luba eastward to the Soviet Asian republics where they both found productive work. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Travel and Food

Jewish Family’s Anguish after Converting as Catholics during Nazi Era

Erika Hecht’s mother had herself and Erika converted from Judaism to Catholicism to protect them from discovery by the Nazis or their Hungarian allies, the Arrow Cross. Erika was enrolled in Catholic school, where she learned her catechism, but she remained aware of her Jewish parentage — especially since she remained close to her father and paternal grandmother. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Superman: The Mighty Analog

The answer to the question, “Is Superman circumcised?” in literature probably would depend on what the custom might have been on Krypton concerning the ceremony we Jews know as brit milah.  Such an operation would have been impossible on Earth.  If a bullet couldn’t penetrate Superman’s skin; how futile would be the use of a mohel’s lknife? [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

Goodbye Columbus, Schweitzer, and Lindbergh

For many years, performing any of Richard Wagner’s orchestral works was verboten in Israel.  Wagner was a virulent antisemite and Hitler’s favorite composer.  In a country that had taken in so many victims of the Holocaust, performing any of Wagner’s works would have been like pouring  burning oil onto an open flesh wound. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA