Jewish History

Contra Costa County Jewish history exhibit seeks help

By Oliver B. Pollak RICHMOND, California — I am helping in the preparation of an exhibit at the Richmond Museum of History — “Pioneer Jews to the Present: Jews of Richmond and Contra Costa County.” I am reaching out to San Diego Jewish World readers who may have memories, photographs, artifacts or stories about Richmond and […]

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Jewish History, Oliver Pollak, USA

HBO film short has 10-year-old narrating the Holocaust

By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – HBO and the Museum of Jewish Heritage plan to air on January 27th a 19-minute short film, The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm.  It builds on a touching conversation between an inquisitive 10-year-old, Elliot Saiontz, and his 90-year-old great-grandfather, Jack Feldman of Rochester, New York.  Elliot narrates the film.

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International, Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Ancient Jewish town from Hasmonean period discovered

Coins, pottery, and ritual baths recently uncovered revealed a Hasmonean-era Jewish town at the Susya in Mount Hevron. The findings are surprising in light of historical reports about Hasmonean activity to convert the Edomites who lived in the region, in year 112 BCE. The discovery a settlement site from the time of the Hasmonean Kingdom

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Jewish History, Middle East

New book tells stories of Jews sheltered in China

7 years of research yields trove of material about wartime experience A new book was launched on Dec 12 in Shanghai that gives a new Chinese perspective on Jewish refugees in China during World War II. Publication of Jewish Refugees in China (1933-1945): History, Perspective and Chinese Model marked the conclusion of a project sponsored

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History

For over 90 years, this Holocaust survivor’s art has kept him alive

When you step inside artist Kalman Aron’s modest apartment in Beverly Hills, a lifetime of creation surrounds you. The walls are covered in paintings and finished canvases are stacked on the floors, a dozen deep. The paintings range from portraits to landscapes to abstract works. They’re just a fraction of the roughly 2,000 pieces Aron

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International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA

Global tour of Auschwitz relics begins seven-year, 14-city journey

By Matt Lebovic An unprecedented world tour of artifacts from Auschwitz-Birkenau premiered in Madrid on December 1, the first stop in a “roving exhibition” about the Nazi death camp where one million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. With the tagline, “Not long ago. Not far away,” the tour will appear in 14 cities during

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International, Jewish History, USA

In the shadow of Auschwitz, Jewish life once flowed with spirits

By Matt Lebovic OSWIECIM, Poland — Although its name later became synonymous with the Holocaust, the Polish town Oswiecim — or Auschwitz, in German — once brimmed with Jewish culture. The rise and fall of the community’s buildings left behind evocative relics, a few dozen photographs, and many tales of the town’s special place in

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International, Jewish History

Medieval Basin Finally Identified As Jewish Ritual Bath

Archaeologists are finally uncovering the purpose of a massive cellar in Marseille, France, more than 20 years after its discovery. Following two weeks of intensive analysis, the local research team from the National Institute for Preventative Archeological Studies told a French news channel it’s likely a mikve, a ritual Jewish bath. “Every time I went

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International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion

Jerusalem liberated from the Turks a century ago

By Barry Shaw On December 11, 1917, General Edmund Allenby’s forces officially liberated Jerusalem. Actually, a Jerusalem delegation, led by the mayor, surrendered the city to a pair of British army cooks on December 8. Thus began a comical farce of who received the surrender of the Holy City. The Turkish army and their German

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Barry Shaw, International, Jewish History, Middle East