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What if Shakespeare’s Juliet Didn’t Die?

In this whimsical jukebox musical, Will Shakespeare (CJ Eldred) and his wife Anne Hathaway (Crystal Kellogg) try to write a new play together.  Shakespeare wants to stay with the star-crossed lovers tragedy, while Anne wants more of a female empowerment storyline. Shakespeare maintains that without conflict there’s no story, and Anne wants harmony. [Sandi Masori]

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

OpEd: Praise for Trump’s Role Ending Gaza Fighting; Criticism for His Domestic Policies

We watched with interest as President Trump addressed the Knesset, and cringed at his self-aggrandizing remarks. Only Donald Trump could make this joyous and historic moment about himself; his hyperbolic claims of forging a regional peace that has evaded civilization for hundreds or thousands of years are patently false. The ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas is historic and important, though it is also tenuous and incomplete. [Halie Soifer]

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International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jewish Cuban Practice of ‘Lo Que Sea’ Highlighted in Children’s Book

– Romi has outgrown her childhood dress. Her arbuelita (grandmother) , the town seamstress in Santiago de Cuba practices a philosophy of waste not, want not. Materially poor, spiritually rich Jewish Cubans make do with what they have to create what they need, a practice encapsulated by the Spanish idiomatic expression lo que sea. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Alliance Formed by Anti-Defamation League and National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

Through this new collaboration, the organizations will co-develop resources including faith-based educational content, digital campaigns, and launch advocacy efforts to counter antisemitism in all its forms—online, in the pews, and in the public square. [Press Release]

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Antisemitism, Press Release, USA

A Jewish War that Lasted Two Centuries

The two centuries were marked by Judean hatred toward Rome due to its conquest and control of Judea in 63 BCE. There were three pivotal violent rebellions against Rome: the Great Revolt of 66 to 74 CE, which resulted, among other calamities, in the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE; the Diaspora Revolt of 116 CE; and the Bar Kokhba Revolt of 132 to 136 CE. There were also many more minor battles before and sandwiched within these three. In each struggle between Judeans and Rome, thousands of Judeans fought alongside the Romans against their brothers. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Parsha Bereishit: Creation of the Universe, Reformation of Self

Each year, as we return to the opening words of the Torah, we are invited to begin again, not merely to reread familiar stories, but to renew our vision, our understanding, and our inner world. Bereishit is not only about the creation of the universe; it’s about the creation of the self, of human consciousness, purpose, and moral responsibility. [Michael Mantell, Ph.D.}

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Documentarians Probe Mystery of Missing Stamp Collection During Holocaust

Hollywood screenwriter Gary Gilbert heard a story from David Weisberg about the missing stamp collection. Weisberg said it was told to his father, psychiatrist Paul Weisberg, by a firefighter patient whose wife was the daughter of an SS officer. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Israel Mesmerized by Videos of Hostages Returning to Their Families

And so a whole nation, and possibly a whole world, watched with bated breath and swelling hearts as returning hostages ran into the arms of their waiting mothers and fathers, embracing siblings, friends, and even in some exceptional cases their own young children. It was impossible not to be moved at the sight, and not to share in the joy and relief of all concerned. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Jewish History, News Media, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, USA