String Quartet of Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Impressive at the Prebys

Celebrating the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s 85th anniversary, the IPO String Quartet gave an impressive concert last Wednesday evening in the Baker-Baum Concert Hall of the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla.  The four outstanding IPO musicians, David Radzynski, Polina Yehudi, violins, Yoni Gertner, viola, Haran Meltzer, cello, were on their next-to-last leg of a six-city tour, which included performances in New York, Miami, Dallas, and Los Angeles. Sunday, they will conclude their tour in San Francisco. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

San Diego Rep’s Next Play Explores the World of a Neuro-Atypical Teen

In anticipation of San Diego Rep’s next mainstage production, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, I spoke by phone with Artistic Director, Todd Salovey. I had the magnificent opportunity to speak with him after the first reading as a company, and his insights and observations served as the basis for our call. [Eva Trieger]

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Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Memoir: The Soviet Man’s American Dream

My grandmother brought up her sons, my father and his brother, in the spirit of loyalty to Communism. She herself could not have been a Bolshevik, for in her youth she had been tainted by her membership in the Menshevik Party. She did not hide her biography and taught her children to be honest and frank with their motherland and the Bolshevik party. In the upbringing of my uncle, her eldest son, my grandmother had tremendous success. [Alex Gordon]

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International, Jewish History, Middle East, USA

Debunking the Jewish Faculty Network

The Jewish Faculty Network (JFN), is comprised of some 140 Canadian academics who last March published a statement in which they decried the IRHA definition, suggesting at that time that, “as Jews,” they wished to “add our voices to a growing international movement of Jewish scholars to insist that university policies to combat antisemitism are not used to stifle legitimate criticisms of the Israeli state, or the right to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people.” [Richard L. Cravatts, Ph.D]

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Middle East, Richard L. Cravatts, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Trump in foul-mouthed tirade on old ally Netanyahu: report

Published by AFP Washington (AFP) – Former US president Donald Trump spat an expletive about his old ally, Israel’s ex-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for congratulating Joe Biden on his victory in last year’s election, according to a new book. Trump lashed out in an interview for a book on US-Israel relations during his presidency, author

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Middle East

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint Reunite For ‘Harry Potter’ 20th Anniversary Special: PHOTO

Published by PopCrush Potterheads were treated with the first photo from the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts set. On Wednesday (Dec. 8), HBO Max unveiled a photo of the three main stars, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who were sitting in what appears to be the Gryffindor common room. According to

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Jewish Celebrities

Met dropping Sackler name from museum over opioid links

Published by AFP New York (AFP) – New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art said Thursday it was stripping the Sackler name from several exhibition wings, amid ongoing controversy over the billionaire family’s alleged role in fueling the opioid crisis. The Sackler name will be removed from seven exhibitions, among them the wing housing the Temple

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Shanda File

Baer Leaves Camp Mountain Chai for Camp Seneca Lake

Dan Baer, who has served as director of Camp Mountain Chai over the last six years, has announced his resignation to take a job as director of Camp Seneca Lake in Rochester, New York. Rachel Shyloski, the associate camp director, will serve as interim director pending a search to fill out the camp team, it was announced Thursday, Dec. 9, by David Bark, the board president, and Buddy Voit, executive director. [Camp Mountain Chai]

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San Diego County, USA

Sacha Baron-Cohen and Isla Fisher celebrate 20 years together as a couple

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sacha Baron-Cohen and Isla Fisher have celebrated 20 years together as a couple. The pair first met at a party in Sydney, Australia, in 2001, and after falling in love they married in March 2010 and now have three children together: Olive, 13, Elula, 10, and Montgomery, five. To mark

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Jewish Celebrities

Israeli foreign minister in Egypt for talks on Gaza, diplomatic ties

Published by DPA Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid arrived in Egypt on Thursday to discuss boosting ties between the two countries with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, as well as reviewing a months-long ceasefire in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, officials said. Egypt, which became the first Arab country to establish diplomatic ties with Israel, in 1979,

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Middle East