Lauren and Sol Lizerbram bring San Diego presence to global Yom Ha’atzma’ut celebration

Sol and Lauren Lizerbram of Rancho Santa Fe had cameo roles in the hour-long, worldwide webcast for Israeli Independence Day (Yom Ha’atzma’ut) that was co-hosted Wednesday by Israeli actress Shira Haas (who stars in the mini-series Unorthodox) and Eric Fingerhut, chairman of the Jewish Federations of North America. Sol Lizerbram is the U.S. President of the Jewish National Fund, which arranged to video the near-private ceremony this year at Mount Herzl in honor of Yom Ha’atzma’ut — near private because of the ban in Israel on gatherings of large groups [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA

The too-often forgotten thank you

There is a forgotten Thank you. We don’t see them; they are rarely seen on the street. They are the watchers on the wall. They are the ones, far away from us, thousands upon thousands of miles away, standing watch, far from their family, their home, doing their silent duty looking into the scary night. They stand the cold, wet wall across from the DMZ, they service the ships upon the seas and the vessels deep under. They squeeze into cockpits and fly the skies. They crowd into uncomfortable steel tanks or patrol the road with only a rifle and prayer in their hands. [Jerry Klinger]

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Jerry Klinger, USA

‘Murder Most Foul’: Dylan culture on a silver platter

If Bob Dylan is a modern-day lesser prophet then his retelling of the murder of JFK in ‘Murder Most Foul’ could serve as a forewarning to a moment that signifies a depature from the norm. The timing of Dylan’s single release via Twitter, on March 27th, is somewhat shrouded in mystery, not least as the song was “recorded a while back,” according to Dylan’s tweet. Dylan’s message to fans is that they are to stay safe, vigilant, and have trust in the almighty, and that they may find the song “interesting.” While Dylan wants the general population to remain safe, the song itself is a far cry from any sense of safety. Instead there is upheaval and turmoil, a dark force that is in motion behind the scenes, or as Dylan sings it, “Greatest magic trick ever under the sun.” [Omer Zalmonowitz]

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA

Satisfaction outweighs discontent in Israel

Today, on Israel’s Independence Day, the 72nd anniversary of its creation, the Israel Democracy Institute, a highly regarded institution in the land, reports that 90% of people who live here feel that they belong to this country. As only about two-thirds of the population are Jews, it means that many Israeli Arabs also feel that they belong in Israel. 63,5% of the population believe that Israel’s achievements outweigh its shortcomings. [Rabbi Dow Marmur]

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Middle East

Biden’s 3-point program to protect religious institutions

Former Vice President Joe Biden, referencing the one-year anniversary of the murder of Lori Gilbert Kaye in a shooting attack on Chabad of Poway, on Tuesday announced a three-point program to protect religious communities. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA

Journey of a song

This story appears to have begun in 1984 but, in truth, it began in 1967. That was when I read the book by Elie Wiesel, The Jews of Silence, about Soviet Jewry who, the oppression notwithstanding, would come out of the shadows to celebrate on Simhat Torah. I was captivated by the book, and had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Wiesel when he attended a community-wide rally in Cleveland that year. [Toby Klein Greenwald]

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International, Jewish History, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Toby Klein Greenwald, USA

The country needs a top dog

While pawing through the newspaper today before I chewed it up, I noticed a report about the first case of a human transmitting Covid19 to a dog.  Given the incompetence shown by the Golden Deceiver when he advised ingesting or injecting bleach or Lysol as a cure for the disease (which is akin to telling dogs to eat rat poison if they don’t want to be bitten by a rat), I have decided that the United States needs to appoint a top dog to manage the pandemic.  [Satire by Laure Baron channeling his dog Elona]

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Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Mental Health Challenges During a Crisis

Barbara Bry, San Diego City Council’s President Pro Tem and candidate for mayor, hosted a one-hour webinar on Monday that included the following panelists: Physician Coach, and Assistant Clinical Professor at University of California, San Diego Dr. Helane Fronek; Associate Professor in Family Medicine, Public Health, and Psychiatry at University of California, San Diego Dr. Suzi Hong; Emeritus Professor in Psychiatry at University of California, San Diego Dr.David Janowsky; and Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, and Health Mentor Marc Rosenberg

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Lifestyles, Michael Mantell, San Diego County

Jewish folk music for Yom Zikaron, Yom Ha’atzma’ut

In commemoration of Israel’s Yom Hazikaron (Day of Remembrance) and Yom Ha’atzma’ut (Independence Day), I have selected my sister Zina Schiff’s recording, The Golden Dove.  Although the recording features composers of Russia’s Society for Jewish Folk Music, five of the composers on the recording — Engel, Weinberg, Rosowsky, Saminsky, and Achron — spent time in Palestine and influenced the early music of the pre-state Yishuv (Jewish settlement in Palestine). [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Israeli Memorial Day rites include Poway’s Lori Kaye

The name of slain Lori Gilbert Kaye, who died a year ago during a gunman’s attack on Chabad of Poway, was linked Monday in Latrun, Israel, to the names of Israel’s fallen soldiers during an annual Yom Hizakron (Day of Memory) ceremony. To view the entire ceremony on Facebook, click here. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Joe Gandelman, Middle East, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA