Jewish American Heritage Month nears conclusion

Jewish Heritage Month is ending in a few days. I was pleased to see a display on my way out of an event at La Mesa Arts Academy honoring famous Jewish Americans. [Cailin Acosta]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish Celebrities, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

California Assembly approves legislation regulating protests near Houses of Worship

AB 2664 would establish a 100-foot zone around the entrances of houses of worship, within which protesters may not intentionally approach congregants within eight feet of their body without their consent. The legislation comes amid rising antisemitism and a growing pattern of protests outside religious institutions of all faiths. [Press Release]

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Antisemitism, California, Israel, Jewish Religion, Press Release, USA

Johnny Garcia defeats anti-Zionist Maureen Galindo for a Texas Congressional seat

Democratic Majority for Israel PAC on Tuesday celebrated Johnny Garcia’s victory in the Democratic primary runoff in Texas’s 35th Congressional District, where voters decisively rejected Maureen Galindo, whose long record of virulent antisemitic conspiracy theories made her unfit to serve in the Democratic caucus. (Press Release)

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Israel, Press Release, USA

Was Spinoza an atheist?

He is likely correct that Spinoza was convinced that God does not intervene in history, perform miracles, reward, punish, or listen to prayers – other Jewish thinkers said the same thing while never denying God’s existence. But he is clearly wrong to suppose that when Spinoza said we can see God in nature, he meant God does not exist. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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

Today’s Jewish birthday: Helena Bonham Carter

Helena Bonham Carter (May 26, 1966) is a British actress. She is known for her character roles as eccentric women in blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas. Bonham Carter rose to prominence by playing Lucy Honeychurch in A Room with a View (1985) and the title character in Lady Jane (1986). [Wikipedia]

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

Zina Schiff demonstrates her violin mastery in Alan Hovhaness CD

From the time Conductor Kostelanetz suggested Zina learn the Hovhaness Concerto and the release of this CD, she recorded 16 other CDs, all gaining critical praise. This Alan Hovhaness CD is also receiving a great deal of media acclaim. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

David Chait narrates a fanciful shtetl folktale

The basic story, set in an Eastern European shtetl, is about the disappearance of the dye-maker Samuel. Samuel has a special technique for extracting dye from the flowers, and that is by listening to the flowers, letting them live their lives, and then picking them only when they’ve died. [Sandi Masori]

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

Jewish biography: Siegfried Lichtenstädter, anti-utopian author

Lichtenstädter loved historical-prophetic sketches. In his book Das Neue Weltreich (The New Empire, 1903), he predicted Germany’s attack on Poland in October 1939 (he was off by one month). In 1912, Lichtenstädter predicted the “monstrous” slaughter of Armenians by the Turks, which took place in 1915. Long before the historical events, Lichtenstädter predicted the annexation of Austria by Germany in 1940 (he was off by two years). [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Television sit-com ‘Kim’s Convenience’ comes to Old Globe stage

Written in 2005 by Ins Choi, who also played the role of Appa (the dad) in this production, it was originally written while Choi was attending the Soulpepper Academy in Toronto.  At the time Choi cast himself in the role of Jung, the son. But, he said, he always aspired to play Appa when he “got old.”  [Sandi Masori]

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