Barrett Holman Leak

Spider-Noir’s’ deep Jewish and San Diego roots

Tthe premiere of Amazon Prime Video’s new live-action series “Spider-Noir” proves that the two are inextricably linked. Dropping its entire eight-episode first season on Wednesday May 27, 2026, the series arrived as a cinematic triumph that can be watched in standard color or a gorgeous, authentic, high-contrast black-and-white film noir cut that honors the golden age of cinema. (Barrett Holman Leak)

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Barrett Holman Leak, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Tchotchkes: Why we cling to the things with no use

Psychologists who study material culture suggest that tchotchkes function as “externalized memory drives.” In a fast-moving world, our brains are notoriously unreliable narrators. We forget the exact smell of the salt air on a vacation from 2012; we forget the specific cadence of a late-night conversation with an old friend. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

This is America – and we are not alright

He came rushing in, a foot taller than me, much heavier and wider than me, angrily screaming that I was a f*** b****** and that we (Jews) are all f*** b***s and murderers That we had murdered his grandfather, his grandparents. I had just unlocked the House of Israel in Balboa Park last Saturday to prepare for my volunteer staffing shift. I had not expected a rage-filled Palestinian man to burst in, screaming at me. I was cornered behind the counter with him making antisemitic comments … [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Antisemitism, Barrett Holman Leak, Israel, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Education and collaboration are crucial in fighting antisemitism

One of the workshops that I attended on media advocacy called for the same courage. Led by two men named Noah, they shared their personal and professional experiences in dealing with antisemitism. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Antisemitism, Barrett Holman Leak, International, Israel, Jewish History, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Contemporary Torah: The sacred architecture of silence

Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, step forward with their own fire pans, offering “strange fire” (esh zarah) which God had not commanded. Within seconds, they are dead. The music stops. The joy evaporates. In the center of the camp, there is only smoke and a father staring at the bodies of his sons. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Black/ Jewish solidarity required to defeat racism, antisemitism

While the national media often treats the intersection of Black and Jewish identities as a modern novelty, the history of Jews of Color in the Americas is centuries deep. Long before the term “bridge-building” became a social justice buzzword, individuals were living at this intersection, weaving together the traditions of two resilient peoples. I am one of them. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Antisemitism, Barrett Holman Leak, Jewish History, News Media, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Thoughts at the conclusion of a district convention of Women of Reform Judaism

It started with the Playing Together Project, bringing together African American and American Jewish neighbors over Shabbat dinners to heal communal divides, and evolved into pitching a Jewish Solidarity Tent at the local Juneteenth Freedom Festival in San Diego. These moments were my “Small Alephs”—quiet calls to serve. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, California, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Rabbi Dr. Andrea Weiss, former Provost of HUC, dies at 60

Rabbi Dr. Andrea Weiss passed away on March 3, 2026—the day of Purim—at her home in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, following a year-long battle with cancer. Her passing on a holiday defined by courage and the “reversal of fate” mirrors her own life’s work of transforming the rabbinate. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Contemporary Torah: Crazy poems, gold, stories and time

I, like many, many people, have experienced a type of generosity that no bank account can quantify. I remember a moment when my little girl decided to “give back” to me. She didn’t have money, but she gave me her resources: She went into her room and emerged later with a crinkled drawing and a polished stone she had picked with a ribbon. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors