Holocaust

‘A Small Light’ Leaves a Big Impression about the Holocaust

Many of us grew up with the story of Anne Frank. I read her diary, saw a movie and plays about her, read books by people who knew her, even interviewed one of her contemporaries. Although I was quite familiar with the important role Miep Gies had played in Anne Frank’s life, it was not until I watched this dramatization that I came to understand the intensity of Miep’s experience and the vast contours of her bravery as well as that of her husband Jan. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Year-Long Holocaust Exhibition Features Survivors Who Settled in S.D. County

There is much to read in addition to the shelved books at the Rancho San Diego County Library.  From now until next May 21, which will be the one-year anniversary of a Holocaust exhibition curated by Sandra Scheller, visitors can read on standing panels a brief timeline of the Holocaust and the experiences of some victims who suffered through it and later settled in San Diego County. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Fred Kropveld, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, San Diego County

Music of Refugee Composers to Complete 3-Part Holocaust Series

By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — “Music of Refugee Composers” is the final program in the three-part Music of the Holocaust series. The recordings from the collection of the Astor Judaica Library will be played in the library at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center on Thursday, June 1, at 2 p.m. Register here:

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Eileen Wingard, Holocaust, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

Of Robots, Banned Books, Dying, and Abortions

Elkins was one of three presenters at a Tikun Leil Shavuot, a Shavuot night study session at Tifereth Israel Synagogue. The others were Marcia Tatz Wollner, who spoke about book banning and burning through the ages, and Dr. Seth Krosner, M.D., a critical care surgery specialist, who discussed what Jewish texts have to say about decisions concerning end of life and abortions. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Technology

American Investigative Reporter Probes Cases of Jews Murdered by Poles

Five members of the Rożeńek family were pulled from their hiding places in 1944 by armed members of a militia, forced to jump from a second-story window, and riddled with bullets on their way down.  One member of the family, who was hiding in an outbuilding, observed the massacre and escaped into obscurity. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

‘Poets of the Past’ to Feature Distinguished Holocaust-Era Writer Primo Levi, Yiddish Composer Bertha Kling

By Eileen Wingard   LA JOLLA, California — Holocaust survivor Primo Levi, recognized as one of the most distinguished writers of the Shoah, and Bertha Kling, a Belarus-born Bronx resident, who composed Yiddish songs and poetry in the early 20th century, will be the two featured poets for the “Poets of the Past” program on

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eileen Wingard, Holocaust, International, San Diego County

Workshop Highlights Holocaust Experiences and Research

Spielberg established the Shoah Foundation, which is headquarters in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, after making the impactful Holocaust movie Schindler’s List.  UC San Diego’s former head librarian Brian Schottlaender, consulting with History Prof. Deborah Hertz, decided during the 2006-2007 academic year to lease the database and to make it available for free to anyone on campus. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Technology, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Videos

The Jewish Eye: Trump ‘Rape’ Case Heads to Jury; Legislation in 2 States to Combat Antisemitsim

Barry Schneider, a past commander of the Jewish War Veterans, and Combat Antisemitism Movement Adam Beren were among speakers at the Oklahoma State House on Monday when Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a declaration declaring that every May henceforth will be designated Jewish American Heritage Month in Oklahoma.  In Virginia, meanwhile, Gov. Glenn Youngkin also declared May to be Jewish American Heritage Month in his state and also signed a declaration adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish Celebrities, Jewish History, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Music from Terezin: What If These Composers’ Lives Were Not Cruelly Cut Short?

By Eileen Wingard   LA JOLLA, California — Treasures from the Music Collection of the Astor Judaica Library will present the second program in its Music from the Holocaust series, Music from Terezin, on Thursday, May 11, 2 p.m. in the library. This free series is co-sponsored by  “We Are The Tree of Life.” Register

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Eileen Wingard, Holocaust, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

The Jewish Eye: Infrastructure Improvements; Washington DC Ethics; Teaching About ‘Others’

San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera says the Council has only reluctantly consented to adding two lanes to State Route 56. While it may ease traffic flow on the route that connects the Interstate 5 and the Interstate 15, it also encourages even more gasoline-powered traffic. “This is not a win from a climate perspective,” Elo-Rivera was quoted Thursday in The San Diego Union-Tribune. “We need to own that and recognize that and do everything we can to turn the wheel in the right direction as quickly as possible.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Israel, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Miep Gies and the Quest for a Lasting Holocaust Lesson

By Jonathan S. Tobin (JNS) There is something about the story of the eight Jews who spent more than two years hiding in the secret annex on Prinsengracht 263 in Amsterdam that is irresistible to readers, as well as audiences for plays and movies. The travails of Otto Frank and his family, who were trapped

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, International, Opinion, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Congressional Bills Aim to Give Highest Honor to ‘Righteous Gentile’ Roddie Edmonds

By Mike Wagenheim (JNS) Both houses of Congress reintroduced legislation this week to honor the late Roddie Edmonds, who put his life in danger to save Jews during the Holocaust and is one of five Americans Yad Vashem names as “Righteous Among the Nations.” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) put the bill up again in the

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Holocaust, USA

The 3 Spirited Women Behind ‘Lost in Yonkers’

By Eva Trieger SAN DIEGO — If my interviews with these three spirited women is any indication of the energy of this show, Scripps Ranch Theatre’s Lost in Yonkers is going to blow your mind! Last Tuesday, I had the extreme pleasure of speaking with actor, Jill Drexler, director Jacquelyn Ritz, and dramaturg, Samantha Goldstein.

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Eva Trieger, Holocaust, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Sanctuary Modeled After Those of Lost Eastern European Communities

Stone’s first thought was to commission I.M. Pei himself to “design a building that takes in an old sanctuary from Eastern Europe that was destroyed in the Holocaust and use concrete and glass to rebuild it – an ode to the past in a modern context.” At the nearby library of UC San Diego, Ryan found illustrated books about the synagogues of Eastern Europe, whose congregants had been annihilated in the Holocaust. Synagogues Without Jews by Rifka and Ben-Zion Dorfman proved particularly helpful. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA