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
LOS ANGELES (Press Release) — On May 31, Cox Communications entered into a national affiliation agreement with Jewish Life TV (JLTV). As part of the agreement, JLTV launched in the San Diego market. JLTV is the nation’s largest and most robust English language, Jewish-themed television network in several markets, including California (San Diego, Orange County,
Jewish-Themed Television Comes to San Diego Read More »
California, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — After Adam Lanza murdered 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., Democrats in 2013 represented 184 million Americans in the Senate and Republicans represented 118 million, according to a guest on a news program this past week. Yet the Republicans stopped dead legislation to
William Paterson’s Senate Plan of 1787, No Gun Control in 2022 Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Opinion, USA
By Sam Ben-Meir Charles Ray (b. 1953) — undoubtedly one of the most conceptually and visually breathtaking sculptors alive today — is enjoying something of cultural moment at present, with four exhibitions on two continents, including “Charles Ray: Figure Ground” at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Throughout his career, Ray has been engaged in
Charles Ray at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Read More »
Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-Meir, USA
By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — I suspect Vladimir Putin of planning the mass shooting in Uvalde to overshadow news coverage of the war in Ukraine. The Texas legislature is considering a bill to arm fetuses with tiny Derringers. It plans to drum up popular support for the measure with the slogan, “The only thing
By Jacob Kamaras LA JOLLA, California — For the average New York transplant (or any baseball fan) living in San Diego, the first thing that comes to mind upon the mention of outfielder Darryl Strawberry or pitcher Dwight “Doc” Gooden is each player’s time with both the New York Mets and New York Yankees franchises
By Alex Gordon HAIFA, Israel — The German historian and political scientist Otto-Ernst Schüddekopf wrote, “Walter Rathenau (the future German Foreign Minister, assassinated by the Nationalists in 1922 as one of the ‘ Elders of Zion’ – A.G.), who visited Radek in a Berlin prison in 1919 as an authority and read him his elegant
The Bitter Laughter and Tragic Fate of the First Writer of Anti-Soviet Jokes Read More »
Alex Gordon, International, Opinion
By Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. SAN DIEGO — This week’s parasha is read on the Shabbat before the celebration of Shavuot (this year beginning on Saturday evening, June 4, and concluding on Monday evening June 6). Both the parasha and the holiday involve counting. In the parasha, we learn of the importance of counting each
Parashat Bamidbar and Shavuot: The Multifaceted Importance of Counting Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
Ehrlich’s Café Shira is an imaginative series of vignettes that take place in an establishment much like Café Tmol Shilshom, wherein the regulars at each table have their own stories. Sometimes they are interwoven with the stories of waitresses Rutha and Rona and café owner Avigdor; other times, they are in a world of their own, made known to us only by the remarkable insight and intuition of the hard-working, extremely empathetic Rutha. [Donald H. Harrison]
Novel Incorporates Vignettes about Patrons of a Jerusalem Café Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Middle East
By Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D JERUSALEM — Americans are not quiet about Israel and the disputed territories. Neither are they quiet about gun deaths in their own country. Are the cases similar? No. Details, history, and explanations vary. But they are similar in reflecting serious problems. Neither country is perfect. Both have their defenders who
The Landscape Surrounding Guns in the US, Israel, and the Disputed Territories Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, Opinion, USA
By Jerry Klinger “The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as
On Memorial Day, Remember Read More »
Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Opinion
By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Don McLean, the singer/songwriter best known for his song American Pie, was scheduled to perform at the National NRA convention last weekend in Houston but he withdrew following the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. McLean stated that because of that tragedy “it would be disrespectful and hurtful” for
Jewish Trivia Quiz: Don McLean Read More »
Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
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
I Hate Hamlet seems like a silly name for a play, but it’s playing at the Scripps Ranch Theatre through June 12 all the same. Silly name notwithstanding, the comedy is worth the watch and will entertain and delight you, with many laugh-out-loud moments. [Sandi Masori]
‘I Hate Hamlet’ Needs to Show, Not Tell, Character’s Jewishness Read More »
Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast