California

Drama Concerns Family Members’ Reactions to a Memoir Spilling Their Secrets

Other Desert Cities at Cygnet theater is the story of  family members grappling with secrets from their past. Writer Brooke Wyeth (Melanie Lora) comes home to Palm Springs after finishing her second book.  Only this time her book isn’t a novel, it’s a memoir and it’s focused on the hardest time in her family’s history, when her brother committed suicide after being implicated in an anti-war protest turned deadly.  [Sandi Masori]

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

‘Internee Number 6’ Relates Story of Her Confinement in Fascist Italy for Being a Jew

The Villa Sorge was a private residence into which 75 women were crowded, speaking a variety of languages, and not all of them Jews. A topic of speculation was who was a spy among their fellow internees, who might be providing sexual favors to their captors in return for preferences, how bad the food was, and how a Jewish internee like herself could reach an understanding with another internee who was a self-described Nazi. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Taking in the Movies at the San Diego International Jewish Film Festival

The San Diego International Jewish Film Festival is being held at the Lawrence Family JCC. I love going to the movies but since having twins, those typical date nights with my husband are not very common anymore. [Cailin Acosta]

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Antisemitism, Cailin Acosta, California, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Update on Southern California Wildfire Relief Efforts

These Jewish communities have been extensively impacted. According to the reporting of 27 organizations, we know so far:  446 families (approximately 1,353 individuals) have lost their homes completely. 451 families (approximately 1,514 individuals) have damaged/uninhabitable homes. 47 families have lost their businesses. Approximately 20 professionals who work in the Jewish community have lost their homes. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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California, Heidi Gantwerk, Jewish History, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Parsha Va’eira: An Antidote to Shortness of Breath

This week’s parsha is tailored to the times in which we are living. Fear of the unknown, “uncertainty,” has spun many into anxiety, depression, and self-destruction. Many have so weakened their sense of hopefulness, that they live with exhaustion, believing nothing can, or will, improve. The devastating, shocking, overwhelming loss in Los Angeles has led many to beat themselves down. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.]

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California, Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Kol Tefillah Band Specializes in Music for Praying and Reflecting

Something ignited when Debbie Mishek, M.D., traveled to Congregation Beth Am in Los Angeles to attend a presentation about Kol Tefillah (The Voice of Prayer) a few years ago.  The program was about “reimagining Jewish prayer and making it more relevant and more inspiring,” the developmental pediatrician recalled.  “There is something about music and prayer that is so spiritual.  I access my spirituality through music.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors

San Diego Congregations Helping Southern California Fire Victims

It has been devastating to turn on the news or check social media to see the homes lost and evacuations of homeowners and animals due to the wildfires in Los Angeles.  San Diego congregations are aiding some of the victims. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, California, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors