By Gedaliah Borvick JERUSALEM — A couple of weeks ago, I drove my daughter to her apartment on Yoni Netanyahu Street in Givat Shmuel. Gazing at the street sign hearkened me back to July 4, 1976, when we heard the miraculous news of the daring Operation Entebbe in which over 100 hostages were rescued. Sadly, […]
Feeling Very Far Away Read More »
Gedaliah Borvick, Israel, Jewish History, Travel and Food
Pittsburgh’s Jewish community is currently forced to relive the murders of 11 members of three congregations who gathered to worship at Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, and the experience is obviously most traumatic for surviving victims who testified at the alleged gunman’s trial. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Must Pittsburgh Jews Endure Another Trial? Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Jewish History, USA
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]
‘A Small Light’ Leaves a Big Impression about the Holocaust Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
With only one day of Jewish American Heritage Month remaining, the San Diego Unified School Board on Tuesday, May 30, unanimously recognized May as Jewish American Heritage Month and encouraged “staff, students, and community members to raise awareness and educate future generations about Jewish Americans and their role in the diverse fabric of our country and communities and in the American experience.” [Donald H. Harrison]
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]
Year-Long Holocaust Exhibition Features Survivors Who Settled in S.D. County Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Fred Kropveld, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, San Diego County
It is a playhouse with good yichus. It was started in 1947 by three movie stars – Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer—with the financial backing of movie producer David D. Selznick, who was then best known for his 1939 blockbuster Gone With the Wind. [Donald H. Harrison]
Jewish Philanthropist Mandell Weiss Gave Famed La Jolla Playhouse Its Home Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
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]
American Investigative Reporter Probes Cases of Jews Murdered by Poles Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History
By Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — The Jewish people have a long experience of functioning in absurd situations. The very creation of the State of Israel was an unthinkable event, the realization of an unattainable dream. This is what the struggle between Soviet Jews and the Soviet authorities for the right of repatriation in the
Eugene Ionesco: Rhinoceroses Read More »
Alex Gordon, International, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion
Soul Doctor: Journey of a Rockstar Rabbi is a filmed stage show about the friendship and mutual support between Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and African-American singer Nina Simone. Starring Josh Young as Carlebach and Nya as Simone, the musical will be shown in more than 600 theatres across the country at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 13, including selected AMC’s and Regal Theatres in San Diego County. [Donald H. Harrison]
MGSDII operates parallel programs, with different professors, at San Diego State University, Cal State University San Marcos, and the University of San Diego. One year, an Israeli professor taught at Cal Western Law School. Cumulatively, the universities in San Diego County host the largest ongoing Israel Studies program in the United States, having attracted through the 2022-2023 academic year 43 visiting professors from Israel. [Donald H. Harrison]
Program Builds Connections Between Israeli Academics and Local Universities Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA
By Jerry Klinger BOYNTON BEACH, Florida — Every Julius Rosenwald marker has a backstory. The Rosenwald marker story in Boynton Beach had a shocking twist. The Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation (JASHP) recently donated and dedicated with its partners, the Boynton Beach Historical Society and the Boynton Beach Historic Resources Preservation Board, its newest
The Rosenwald Schools in Palm Beach County: Keeping Open the Door of Freedom Read More »
Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
This large format book for elementary school-aged children is about Luis de Torres, who was the interpreter for Christopher Columbus on his 1492 voyage of discovery. Some of the story is true, as best as historians can tell; more of the story comes from the rich imagination of authorTami Lehman-Wilzig. Overall, it should be considered a work of historical fiction, rather than history. [Donald H. Harrison]
An Imaginative Tale About the First Jew to Set Foot in the New World Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History
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]
Workshop Highlights Holocaust Experiences and Research Read More »
California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Technology, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
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]