By Dorian De Wind AUSTIN, Texas — It was many years ago when I first heard about a Nazi death camp named Sobibór, nestled deep in the forests of the Lublin district of southeastern Poland. Sobibór was one of three Nazi extermination camps — the other two were Belzek and Treblinka — that had received
Sobibor unmasked; its awful legacy confirmed Read More »
Dorian de Wind, Jewish History
LOS ANGELES (WJC) — The Simon Wiesenthal Center has said it had identified dozens of former members of Nazi mobile death squads who might still be alive. The Los Angeles-based organization gave the German government a list of 80 names for investigation. The Wiesenthal Center’s top Nazi hunter, Efraim Zuroff, told the ‘Associated Press’ on
Wiesenthal Center identifies death squad members Read More »
International, Jewish HistorySAN DIEGO (Press Release) — Beth Israel of San Diego Men’s Club will welcome Lou Israel Dunst, Holocaust survivor, as its guest speaker at the October 22nd Dinner Forum. Dunst will share his experience and tales of survival living through five concentration and labor camps and how he eluded certain death in two different Gas Chambers in Auschwitz
Survivor Dunst to speak at Beth Israel Oct. 22 Read More »
Jewish History, San Diego CalendarBy Steve Kramer JERUSALEM — I had last visited the Temple Mount in 1982, on a synagogue-sponsored trip from New Jersey. My memories of that visit are hazy, but Michal and I got another chance just before Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. We joined a Tel Aviv University-sponsored trip, guided by archeologist/historian Dr. Stephen Rosenberg, whose
Touring holy places of three religions Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East, Steve KramerHere is an article by San Diego Jewish World’s regular reviewer Eric George Tauber. Another of our writers, Rabbi Ben Kamin, who made a presentation prior to one of the performances also was moved to write a review, which is linked here. By Eric George Tauber SAN DIEGO–If you love to take in a rich
A Holocaust play of note Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Jewish HistoryThis is a bonus review of ‘The Pianist of Willesden Lane by Rabbi Ben Kamin, who made a presentation before one of the performances. An article by our regular reviewer, Eric George Tauber, is linked here. By Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — There are but three “characters” on the stage of the deeply-realized, lyrically expressed,
Holocaust story touchingly told by pianist Read More »
Jewish History
Editor’s Note: Following is the text of an address delivered in August on the 70th anniversary of the liquidation of the Lodz ghetto by Prof. Goldie Morgentaler, Ph.D., who teaches English and Yiddish literature at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. Dr. Morgentaler was the subject of a recent feature story in San Diego
Lodz Ghetto again comes alive in book, lecture Read More »
International, Jewish History
Running From Giants: The Holocaust Through the Eyes of a Child by Margareta Ackerman, Ph.D. Illustrations by Vivien Mildenberger. © 2013, ISBN: 9781492330967, 81 pages. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—This book retells the stories of author Ackerman’s grandfather Srulik, who against all odds survived the Holocaust as a child after running away in
Book tells of 10-year-old who eluded the Nazis Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History
-Twenty-first in a series– By Donald H. Harrison ROSEBURG, Oregon—Having written a biography of Louis Rose, the first Jewish settler in San Diego, I was anxious to learn about Aaron Rose, for whom this town in southwestern Oregon was named. He and Louis Rose were contemporaries. Furthermore, I was intrigued by the fact that an
Roseburg founder long mistaken for a Jew Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Travel and Food, USA
NEW YORK (WJC) – A performance of The Good and the True, a play based on the life of two Czech Holocaust survivors, brought tears to the eyes of Petr Papousek, the president of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic and a World Jewish Congress Vice-President. The play, whose New York opening
Off- Broadway play recalls Czech Jews in Shoah Read More »
International, Jewish History
By Anav Silverman JERUSALEM (TNA)–Pottery sherds, or fragments, discovered by an Israel Antiquities Authority inspector several months ago, during extensive work by the Netivei Israel – National Transport Infrastructure Company, Ltd. on the new Highway 1 project resulted in an archaeological excavation. A previously unknown settlement from the Late Second Temple period was discovered, as
Hoard of coins found from time of Great Revolt Read More »
Jewish History, Middle East
–Seventh in a series– By Donald H. Harrison PRIMM, Nevada – As grandson Shor and I drove through the California desert, we saw shimmering in front of us what seemed a scene out of Oz, or maybe Xanadu: some tall structures including a giant roller coaster. Was this one of those fabled desert mirages often
The shimmering mirage of Primm, Nevada Read More »
Jewish History, Travel and Food, USA
–Fifth in a series– By Donald H. Harrison SAN BERNARDINO, California –As grandson Shor and I continued our tour up the Interstate 15 from Riverside, it seemed only a matter of minutes until we reached San Bernardino, site of the oldest Jewish cemetery in continuous use in Southern California. The Home of Eternity, at 8th
Home of Eternity: So Cal’s oldest Jewish cemetery Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, USA
MADRID (WJC) –Spain’s world-famous Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum should return the Impressionist masterpiece ‘Rue Saint-Honoré’ to the heirs of the Jewish family from whom it was stolen by the Nazis shortly before World War II, the president of the World Jewish Congress urged on Friday. The Madrid museum is owned by the Spanish state. “Since 1988, Spain
WJC backs San Diego family’s art claim against Spain Read More »
International, Jewish History, San Diego County, USA