By Steve Kramer KFAR SAVA, Israel — Just 71 years ago, Israel declared its independence based on several factors: *God promised the Land of Israel to the Jews in the Bible – echoed in the Christian Bible and even (gasp!) in the Koran. *Three ancient Jewish kingdoms in Israel are part of archaeological and historical […]
An Independence Day tour of Israel Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Steve Kramer, Travel and Food
By Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel ENCINITAS, California — At the last minute on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 1, I received an invitation from Genine, my vivacious friend, to attend a program at the Hive. I had a long day of activities, and was ready to relax after dinner, but since the Leichtag campus is
Students worry about apathy about Poway shootings Read More »
Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel, z"l, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & EducationBy Eileen Wingard SAN DIEGO — Gerald Robbins is a pianist I have watched during his musical development, from prize winner of both the Young Musicians Foundation in Los Angeles and the Van Cliburn Competition in Texas, to his successful career as soloist with major symphony orchestras, and as chamber music collaborator with some of
Gerald Robbins’ piano recital a holiday gift Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego CountyBy Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — Experiencing music in the Conrad, the new home of the La Jolla Music Society, was a rare treat. At the April 9 concert, featuring the Jerusalem Quartet, the audience basked in the sunshine of sound projected by the Israeli musicians. The music floated gloriously in the fine acoustics
Jerusalem Quartet provides a musical treat Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Superhero comics have been influenced greatly by Jewish life in the United States and by Torah learning, according to Jordan Gorfinkel, 51, the entertainment entrepreneur who managed the Batman franchise for a decade before creating his own Avalanche Comics Entertainment company. In the sanctuary of Tifereth Israel Synagogue
Superman, Batman and deeper Torah concepts Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy Eileen Wingard SAN DIEGO — “Songs of Home and Exile” is the title of the program Yale Strom will present at Smith Recital Hall, SDSU, Tuesday evening, April 9 at 7 p.m. The multi-talented artist-in-residence at San Diego State University’s Jewish Studies Department, has assembled an outstanding group of singers and instrumentalists for this
Strom to present songs of home and exile April 9 Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego Calendar
By Eva Trieger SAN DIEGO — Music has a way of altering one’s mood and attitude. Dance possesses the capacity to shift one’s perspective while releasing inhibition. The marriage of the two art forms creates nothing less than magical storytelling. Malashock Dance and the Kontras Quartet intertwine their gifts to bring San Diegans High Strung,
Malashock, Kontras in ‘High Strung’ alliance Read More »
Eva Trieger, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy Eileen Wingard SAN DIEGO — TICO’s April 2 concert in Patrick Henry High School’s beautiful on-campus concert hall, PHAME, opened with a spirited rendition of Aaron Copland’s Outdoor Overture. The violins were admirably incisive in their opening attack and the other sections, under Conductor David Amos’ precise beats and careful cues, made their complex
Operatic soloist thrills at TICO concert Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County
By Sam Ben-Meir NEW YORK — On March 11, the world lost someone who was very special, who made a mark and touched people with his voice, as a singer, a humorist and writer. Born in Tel Aviv in 1944, Danny Ben-Israel began his musical career while serving in the Israeli Defense Forces and enjoyed
In memory of Danny Ben-Israel Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-Meir, USA
Story by Donald H. Harrison; Photos by Shor M. Masori BERKELEY, California – This coming May will once again be Jewish American Heritage Month. The theme for this annual celebration will be “American Jewish illustrators” —and perhaps none is better known than Rube Goldberg, who donated a collection of more than 5,000 of his cartoons
UC Berkeley boasts Rube Goldberg’s cartoon collection Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education
Britain vows to vote against all resolutions presented under UNHRC’s ‘Item 7’ The American Jewish Committee (AJC) praised the United Kingdom decision to vote against all resolutions under the United Nations Human Rights Council’s notorious agenda item 7, which deals exclusively with Israel. “Britain’s decision, the first European country to take this principled step, is
Editor’s E-Mail Box ~ March 21, 2019 (5 items) Read More »
International, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, USABy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson JERUSALEM — I was privileged to attend a concert in a private home given by young musicians who are students at Jerusalem’s Hassadna Music Conservatory. Together with the rest of the audience, I was greatly impressed by their professional standard and aplomb. Some of the musicians were of Ethiopian background and displayed
Hassadna teaches music to all classes of Israelis Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual ArtsBy Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — It was encouraging to see two young Israeli artists performing so beautifully last Sunday evening in the sanctuary of Congregation Beth El. Violinist Tal First, currently a student at the Juilliard School in New York and an America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship recipient, opened the program with Bloch’s Nigun
Israelis musicians First, Laskin perform at Beth El Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Making the rounds of Jewish film festivals across the country is the documentary Chasing Portraits by Elizabeth Rynecki, concerning a quest to learn more about the pre-Holocaust art of her Polish Jewish great-grandfather Moshe Rynecki (Pronounced Renetsky). Previously, Elizabeth Rynecki published a book with the same title that
Quest for Rynecki’s art fuels ‘Chasing Portraits’ Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA