Jewish History

Remarkable Concentration Camp Wedding Featured in ‘Bau, Artist at War’

Scheduled to open Sept. 26 in theaters around San Diego (AMC, Angelika, Cinepolis, Regal, The Lot) is a remarkable Holocaust movie, Bau, Artist At War revealing the initial meeting, romance, and surreptitious wedding of Joseph Bau (Emile Hirsch) and Rebecca Tannenbaum (Inbar Levi) in a women’s barracks at the Plaszow Concentration Camp . [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Mass Execution at Babi Yar and Subsequent Flooding of Kurenevka Part of Ukraine’s Tragic History

After the war, Kiev was rebuilt, constructed, and grew. Brick factories were built. Kiev became a large construction site. Local brick factories dumped their waste, which was diluted with water, into Babi Yar. The ravine gradually filled with slurry, a mixture of sand, clay, and water. The population of Kiev grew. The residential area of Kurenevka was located near Babi Yar. Babi Yar was 65 meters above Kurenevka. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: White Jews Must Recognize that Many Black People Also are Jewish

A real Black–Jewish alliance must be rooted in mutuality. That means addressing antisemitism in Black communities and also fighting racism in Jewish communities. It means centering Black Jewish voices as leaders. It means recognizing that our struggles are interconnected—that the same systems that uphold White supremacy target both of us, even if in different ways. [Rabbi Sandra Lawson]

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Antisemitism, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

My Mother’s Avinu Malkeinu

When she returned to Moscow in 1947, just after the war, she had no doubt where she wanted to study. She wanted to sing. And where had her beloved singer, Nadezhda Obukhova, graduated from? The Moscow Conservatory. That’s where my mother applied. [Yakov Nayerman]

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Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA, Yakov Nayerman

U.S. House Approves Bill to Replace Fallen Armed Service Personnel’s Grave Markers with Those Reflecting Warriors’ Actual Religions

Due to the sheer scale of burials that occurred during World War I and II, hundreds of American-Jewish servicemembers killed in action were improperly buried under Latin Cross grave markers, rather than Stars of David. It is estimated that as many as 900 remain that way today. [Press Release]

U.S. House Approves Bill to Replace Fallen Armed Service Personnel’s Grave Markers with Those Reflecting Warriors’ Actual Religions Read More »

Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials, Press Release, USA

American Jewish Committee Celebrates Abraham Accords’ 5th Anniversary

Five years ago, on September 15, 2020, President Trump convened leaders from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Bahrain to sign the Abraham Accords—a historic agreement rooted in mutual understanding, coexistence, and the pursuit of peace in the Middle East. By year’s end, the Kingdom of Morocco had also joined the Accords. [Press Release]

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International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Press Release, USA

Jewish Biography: Myron Mathisson, Polish Physicist

On July 7, 1936, Einstein wrote to Mathisson: “I am extremely pleased that you have found such a wonderful sphere of activity in Soviet Russia.” He ended up in Kazan on the recommendations of Albert Einstein, Paul Langevin, and Jacques Hadamard. All three were honorary members of the USSR Academy of Sciences and vouched for Mathitsson’s loyalty. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, International, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

A Rose by any other Name is a ‘Thorn & Petal’: Dramedy Depicts Early San Diego

The story follows German-Jewish immigrant Rose’s arrival in San Diego in the mid- 1800s, and his experience being an integral part of the early days of San Diego. He faced plenty of antisemitism in the process, but thanks to his geniality he was elected to myriad public offices including the presidency of the city’s board of trustees and the county’s board of supervisors. [Sandi Masori]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

A Tour of the Machpelah and the Jewish Section of Hebron

Today the tomb is divided between Jewish and Muslim sectors and is used as a place of worship and gatherings. Inside the Jewish areas are six large memorial markers for the three couples (patriarchs and matriarchs) buried far below. It has special opening hours. “Isaac’s Hall” is normally reserved for Muslim prayer but ten days a year, on Jewish special holidays, it’s reserved for Jewish worship. Wherever there is enough space, there are worshippers saying prayers. [Steve Kramer]

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Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer, Travel and Food

StandWithUs Urges Travel Boycott to Spain; Cancels its own Trip There

Since 2022, antisemitic incidents in Spain have reportedly risen by 567%. In the aftermath of the October 7th atrocities by Hamas, the Spanish government has fanned the flames of antisemitism by falsely accusing Israelis of genocide, participating in lawfare against Israel, and seeking to impose arms embargoes that would deny the world’s only Jewish state the ability to defend itself. [Press Release]

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Antisemitism, International, Jewish History, Press Release, Travel and Food

Halakhah Challenged by Space Travel, Documentary Explains

Before Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon on July 21, 1969, Jewish religious authorities were debating whether Jews were permitted to go to space. Naysayers cited Psalms 115:16 which is rendered by the Stone edition of the Tanach: “As for the heavens, the heavens are Hashem’s, but the earth He has given to mankind.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA