Travel and Food

Jewish Musician and Cultural Leader Eileen Wingard Reminisces About Her Career

Violinist Eileen Wingard was never the star of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. Such billings belong to conductors like Zoltan Rozsnyai, Peter Eros, David Atherton, Yoav Talmi, and Jung-Ho Pak, all of whom she played under during a career stretching from 1967 through 2004. Or perhaps the stars are donors like Irwin and Joan Jacobs, who in 2002 gave the San Diego Symphony an amazing gift of $120 million, the largest ever given to an orchestra in America. [Donald H. Harrison]

Jewish Musician and Cultural Leader Eileen Wingard Reminisces About Her Career Read More »

California, Donald H. Harrison, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Tel Aviv: Israel’s Playground

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — To start with, Tel Aviv features the Mediterranean Sea, with its long sandy beaches, kept relatively clean by the municipality, with designated areas for people to play games (ah, the dreaded “matkot” with their constant noisy batting to and fro of a ball against wooden bats), another area

Tel Aviv: Israel’s Playground Read More »

Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Lifestyles, Middle East, Travel and Food

Larry Schwartz: Organizer of AFT Local 1931

A large crowd gathered on December 1, 1995, to rename the Quad at San Diego City College as Schwartz Square.  The gathering was in honor of history professor and American Federation of Teachers #1931 President Larry Schwartz.  He had died at age 62 of a brain tumor ten months prior to the ceremony. The dedication plaque there reads: “In memory of Larry Schwartz. He inspired students, challenged colleagues, and shared the passion and action of his time.” [Donald H. Harrison]

Larry Schwartz: Organizer of AFT Local 1931 Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Travel and Food, USA

A Jewish Tour of Balboa Park

The San Diego Zoo is known as one of the world’s premier institutions for the conservation of endangered wildlife species. Along with its sister San Diego Safari Park, located in the San Pasqual Valley, the San Diego Zoo is considered one of the best, if not the very best, zoos in the world. Of particular Jewish interest is the fact that the San Diego Zoo has served as a big brother to the Tisch Family Zoo in Jerusalem, which also is known as the Jerusalem Zoo. Many of the exhibits in Jerusalem are modeled on those in San Diego and both zoos have received generous financial contributions from San Diegans. {Donald H. Harrison]

A Jewish Tour of Balboa Park Read More »

California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Israel’s UN Ambassador Turns to Food Tech to Win Hearts, Minds, and Stomachs

By Mike Wagenheim (JNS) Israel is sick and tired of the way it is treated by the United Nations. And so, it’s going to make member states an offer they can’t refuse. Food. It sounds a bit silly on the surface, but food insecurity in a deadly serious and growing problem. That’s why Israeli Ambassador

Israel’s UN Ambassador Turns to Food Tech to Win Hearts, Minds, and Stomachs Read More »

International, Middle East, Travel and Food

Before Melvin, Padres had 11 players, 2 coaches with at least one Jewish parent

Since the team’s induction into Major League Baseball in 1969 until 2021, the Padres counted 11 players and two coaches on its rosters who had at least one Jewish parent. In 2022, Bob Melvin became the team’s first manager with a Jewish parent. [Donald H. Harrison]

Before Melvin, Padres had 11 players, 2 coaches with at least one Jewish parent Read More »

AAA-Writers and photographers, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Celebrities, Jewish History, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Travel and Food, USA

Traveling Around Israel in the Run-Up to Israel’s Independence Day

By Steve Kramer KFAR SABA, Israel — Israel recently commemorated its 74th year of independence, preceded by the memorial day for military and terrorist casualties. To celebrate Israel’s birthday, which follows Passover by two weeks, we visited a number of places around our small country. All of these jaunts were a half-day or more, with

Traveling Around Israel in the Run-Up to Israel’s Independence Day Read More »

Middle East, Opinion, Steve Kramer, Travel and Food

Frida Kahlo Loved Jews So Much She Invented Jewish Ancestry

The Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is the subject of several murals at Chicano Park. Modern genealogists say that she was the daughter of a mother of mixed indigenous and Spanish descent, Mathilde Calderon y Gonzalez, and a German Lutheran father, Guillermo Kahlo. However, Frida herself always insisted that her father, who was an important influence on both her life and her art, was actually Jewish. [Donald H. Harrison]

Frida Kahlo Loved Jews So Much She Invented Jewish Ancestry Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA

Book Puts the ‘Land’ in the Land of Israel

Essentials of the Land of Israel, Brandon Marlon, Vallentine Mitchell, London, ©2022, ISBN 978-1-91267-686-6, p. 186, plus biography and index, $69.75. By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California – Anyone perusing the table of contents of Essentials of the Land of Israel by Brandon Marlon, a prolific, award-winning Canadian-Israeli author, would correctly conclude the book’s value

Book Puts the ‘Land’ in the Land of Israel Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Middle East, Travel and Food

Assassinated Gay Jewish Political Leader Harvey Milk Is Honored by the U.S. Navy

The “christening” ceremony featured a principal ceremonial address by Milk’s nephew, Stuart Milk, as well as remarks by Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro; Vice Admiral Jeffrey Hughes, deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting development; and Rear Adm. Michael Wettlaufer, commander of the Military Sealift Command. Sponsors of the ship were U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who had served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors with Milk, and Paula Neira, clinical program director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Transgender Health. Neira shattered a bottle of sparkling wine across the ship’s bow in a time-honored Navy tradition. [Donald H. Harrison]

Assassinated Gay Jewish Political Leader Harvey Milk Is Honored by the U.S. Navy Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Celebrities, Jewish History, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA