Jewish History

Jewish Biography: Franz Werfel, Impactful Novelist

Franz Werfel (Photo: Carl Van Vechten via Wikipedia)

The writer’s friends, including Franz Kafka, considered Werfel to be the prophet of their generation—the generation of expressionists. But, as Thomas Mann wrote, “He was too richly gifted and too great a personality to confine himself within the framework of a single school, and he went far beyond the boundaries of Expressionism.” [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Wraparound Crowd Attends Holocaust Panel at Comic-Con

Sandra Scheller and Marcia Wollner at Comic-Con's Holocaust panel (Photo: Cailin Acosta)

If you had a red triangle, you were classified as a political prisoner who was opposed to the Nazi regime. A green triangle designated habitual criminals, purple triangles were Jehovah’s Witnesses, black triangles were a-sexual or designated gypsies, more accurately known as Senti-Roma. The yellow triangle was to identify the Jews… (Cailin Acosta)

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

Roll Call of a Century of Prominent Jews Who Influenced the World of Comic Books

In a Comic-Con panel, Mark S. Zaid, Esq. (Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide advisor; comic book historian, author, GI’s Rabbi) presented a PowerPoint on “The Jewish Experience in Comics: Characters and Creators.”[Cailin Acosta]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, Jewish History, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Did Epstein Think He Was Saving the Jewish Community from a Shanda?

A protracted trial, or a stringent plea agreement for that matter, would have landed him in prison for years. The swarm of press stories would have inevitably damaged the name of the Jewish community, using Epstein as the emblem of a Jewish sex trafficker. [Amy Neustein, Ph.D.]

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Amy Neustein, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Opinion, Shanda File, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Republican Jewish Coalition Gains Clout in Washington D.C.

The Dispatch’s David Drucker published an article highlighting the Republican Jewish Coalition’s creation and remarkable growth over the last 40 years. The piece details the RJC’s evolution from a small advocacy group into the political powerhouse it is today. 
Below is a short preview of the article. The piece can be read in its entirety here. (Press Release)

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Jewish History, News Media, Press Release, USA

UC San Diego Conference Explores the Exodus Through Multiple Perspectives

“Whether we approach this story as believers or skeptics, as historians or theologians, as archaeologists or from other fields of science,” he continued, “we encounter fundamental questions about freedom, community and hope that remain as urgent today as they were over 3,000 years ago.” [Mika Elizabeth Ono]

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Military Chaplains Date from Biblical Times

Many nations used military chaplains before and after the time of Moses. Military chaplains provided spiritual and moral support to soldiers. The US Chaplain Corps was established on 29 July 1775 when the Continental Congress authorized one ordained Chaplain, serving at the rank of Captain, for each regular regiment of the Continental Army. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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International, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Historical Fiction Captures, for One Family Group, the Sweep of the Holocaust and Aftermath

Moises transcribed and translated an oral history taped in Spanish and Yiddish by his mother. Sherry blended Hinda’s account with historic research and fictional characters whom she extrapolated from Hinda’s remembrance into a rich and suspenseful novel. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Jewish Trivia Quiz: Elmo

A man ‍dressed ‍as ‍Elmo ‍solicited ‍tips ‍and ‍yelled ‍antisemitic ‍rants, ‍earning ‍the ‍name ‍Bad ‍Elmo. ‍The ‍real ‍Elmo, ‍on ‍the ‍other ‍hand, ‍has ‍a ‍much ‍better ‍history ‍of ‍involvement ‍with ‍the ‍Jewish ‍community, ‍including ‍which ‍of ‍the ‍following? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

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Antisemitism, Jewish History, Mark D. Zimmerman, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Jewish Biography: Anton Rubinstein, Musician

Anton and his younger brother Nikolai owed their musical talents and love for music to their mother. She came from the Prussian city of Breslau, which at that time was one of the centers of European culture and education, accessible even to Jews, for whom admission to educational institutions in Russia was very limited. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘The Woman With 50 Faces’ Documents a Stunning Art World Con

– Art historian Jonathan Lackman and graphic artist Zachary J. Pinson have subtitled their collaboration “Maria Lani & the Greatest Art Heist That Never Was” and that formulation requires a bit of explanation. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors