Below are the names of writers who are currently active. For others, living and deceased, please type their name into the search box above the masthead on our home page, www.sdjewishworld.com
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — It’s two o’clock in the morning as the ‘Fasten Seat-Belts’ sign comes on in the plane bringing us back to Tel Aviv. We anxiously scan the darkness outside for the first signs of the city that never sleeps. And suddenly, there it is. The strings of lights that tell […]
180 Degrees: 25 Amazing True Stories… That Caused a Turning Point in People’s Lives by Abraham Leib Berenstein, Feldheim Publishers, Nanuet, NY, © 2017, ISBN 978-1-68025-293-4, p. 340, plus a list of benefactors, $22.99 By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California – The Jewish High Holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, are perceived by Jews as a time
‘180 Degrees’ tells of returns to Judaism Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Author Howard Kaplan wandered 40 years through the movie desert, but unlike Moses, he’s going to enter the Promised Land. At the upcoming Boston Film Festival, on Sept. 23, the successful spy novel he published in 1977—The Damascus Cover—will finally be premiered as a movie starring Jonathan Rhys
Spy novel finally makes it to the movies Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. HarrisonBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO−As Hurricane Irma headed toward Florida, President Trump convened a cabinet meeting, but nothing was released about what was discussed. Russia obtained a transcript and handed it over to Wikileaks for publication. Here’s what we know. * Cabinet members spent the first thirty minutes of the meeting praising Trump as the
Humoring the headlines: September 11, 2017 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireJudas by Amos Oz; Hebrew Language, Keter Books. By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Amos Oz, the doyen of Hebrew writers, was not awarded the prestigious International Man Booker literary prize, which went instead to David Grossman’s book, A Horse Walks into a Bar. Having read both books in the original Hebrew, I am unable to
‘Judas’ a theme of Amos Oz book on early Israel Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO−What should the world do when the testosterone twins throw tantrums and start comparing the size and potency of their missiles? As the Chinese say, erections have consequences. * Before signing the Executive Order to rescind DACA, President Trump professed his love for the Dreamers and assured them he would handle
Humoring the Headlines: September 6, 2017 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireTimeless Travels: Tales of Mystery, Intrigue, Humor and Enchantment by Joseph Rotenberg, Gefen Publishing House © 2017; ISBN 9789652-299154; 358 pages, $24.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – I haven’t finished reading all of Timeless Travels, and that, in part, is because I like to draw out my reading pleasure, rather than rush it.
A short story book to keep you in your chair Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. HarrisonBy Sam Ben-Meir VIENNA, Austria – Among Vienna’s many landmarks, few are as unmistakable and beloved as its Riesenrad, the giant Ferris wheel that stands in the Prater amusement park, only a few miles from the city center. At its apex of two hundred and twelve feet, visitors are granted a unique vantage on an
The view from above: Vienna at a glance Read More »
Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-MeirGenesis: From Creation to Covenant by Zvi Grumet, Maggid Books, New Milford, CT, © 2017, ISBN 978-1-59264-477-3, 470 pages plus bibliography and index, $29.95 By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California – In the Jewish tradition, the Five Books of Moses, the Torah, which begins with the Book of Genesis, is annually re-read in consecutive order. This
Author interprets the Book of Genesis Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish ReligionBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson DOMEYROT, France –Although we’re coming to the end of our vacation in France we have not been cut off from happenings in the rest of the world, specifically Israel and England. Summer in Israel is always hot and this year it seems to have been hotter than usual, at least according to
Thoughts of two homelands while on vacation Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Middle EastBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO−Buoyed by his power to override the judicial system when he pardoned Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Donald Trump is considering pardons and actions he can take to help people who merit his intervention. Here’s the list he has compiled. * Bernie Madoff: He was just doing his job maximizing profits. Investors must
Humoring the headlines: August 30, 2017 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — The San Diego History Center on Sunday welcomed three Arizona women whose family lent to its museum the diary of mid-19th century teenager Victoria Jacobs for the current exhibition about the history and heritage of the local Jewish community. The visitors included Alden Hardy Carroll, the great-great
1850s teen diarist Victoria Jacobs Franklin recalled Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, USACHARROUX, France — In this picturesque village in Central France I was able to attend a literary festival held in French and English. The three-day event was crowded with interesting talks, some in French but most in English, given by a wide range of writers. I wasn’t able to attend all of them, or even
Book lovers delight in festival in French town Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson
The Book of Love and Hate by Lauren Sanders; Akashic Books ©2017; 300 pages; ISBN 9781617-755828. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Jennifer is the daughter of a fugitive billionaire, American businessman who is somewhere on the lam in Israel—or is he already dead? Jennifer’s mother abandoned the family years ago, and her brother,
Finding oneself–or not–in the land of Israel Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison