Only a few moments after her audience had sat in stunned silence hearing about how the mother of Fanny Krasner Lebovits sacrificed her life so her youngest child should not have to go alone to her death, a cell phone tinkled from somewhere in the front of the audience. [Donald H. Harrison]
Crying and laughing with a Holocaust survivor Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego CountyThe European Union is a group of countries which seemingly have a collective hatred of Israel, and by extension, the Israelis – 75% of whom are Jewish. (What else do we expect from the continent that brought us the Holocaust?) Not every country in the EU is vehement about their distaste for our Jewish country, but their collective decisions, by consensus, are testament to it. I love Brexit because it weakens the EU and will probably lead to a further lessening of its power. Thankfully, Boris Johnson soundly defeated Jeremy Corbyn in the latest UK elections, enabling the EU to begin leaving the EU imminently. [Steve Kramer]
Just the other day, I received an email from Jean Klugman in Boston that read: ”Hello Dan. My cousin Heather Siegel just sent me a copy of the article you wrote nine years ago, in 2011, in the San Diego Jewish World about a Jewish Boston man who served as Martin Luther King’s German-language tutor at Boston University when MLK was studying for his PhD exam in the 1950s.” In my article for this online newspaper in 2011, I was not able to give the name of the man I was writing about, since I did not know his name and saw no way I would ever find out. But Jean solved the mystery. [Dan Bloom]
Jewish emigre from Nazi Germany was MLK’s tutor Read More »
Jewish History, USA
Though he lives in Boynton Beach, Florida, Jerry Klinger writes stories for this publication from all over the United States and the globe.
Klinger is president of the Jewish American Society of Historic Preservation, an organization which he largely funds. It has erected more than 100 historic markers honoring Jewish-American contributions in this country, Europe, and Israel. [Donald H. Harrison]
Behind the byline: Jerry Klinger Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Travel and Food, USA
… They first performed at the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum in 2019. This year, in observance of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp they will premiere the first public performance of a piece composed for them by Laurence Sherr of Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Sherr has a specialty in music of the Holocaust. The program will be cosponsored by the German and Italian Counsels of Los Angeles. Audiences should be prepared for remarkable music, by a remarkable globe-trotting couple. [Oliver Pollak, PhD]
Jewish melody infuses German, U.S. chamber music Read More »
Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Oliver Pollak
By Kira Thomas ALPINE, California — I was raised Christian. I grew up in a very charismatic church, the Church of God. Our beliefs were very passionate about our love for God and Jesus. Although I didn’t view Jesus as God I had a very strong love for him because I thought he was our
Her journey to Jewish conversion Read More »
Jewish History, San Diego County, USA
By Mark Thomas ALPINE, California — When you’re raised in a Christian home you naturally have a conflict with Judaism, because the claims of Christianity are based on Jewish ideas mixed with Roman ideas about religion. The conflict is obvious, according to the Church, you have to believe Jesus is literally the Son of God
His journey to Jewish conversion Read More »
Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA
We have a problem. A silver tsunami is coming our way. It is the baby boomer generation, that high curve on population charts, which has reached retirement age. Not only is our elderly population increasing—the largest growth is people age 85 and older and by 2050 the global population of 65+ year olds will have doubled—but the number of working-age people and fertility rates are shrinking. So, we will have more people needing care and assistance and fewer people available to provide these services. [Natasha Josefowitz, PhD]
Can robots help elderly, lonely people? Read More »
Lifestyles, Natasha Josefowitz
Other items in today’s column include: * Political bytes * Recommended reading By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Mathematics tell us that Rabbi Ralph Dalin, San Diego’s Jewish community chaplain, has approximately as much chance of winning a delegate spot at the World Zionist Congress as, say, the Red Sea has of splitting again.
Rabbi Ralph Dalin honored by WZC nomination Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Middle East, San Diego County, USA
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public and private life, including employment, education, transportation and access to all places available to the general public, became law in 1990. On occasion, I find myself giving a ride sharing trip with someone who has a handicap permit. Typically, I am told by the handicapped individual that he will bring the permit so we can make parking a bit easier and closer to the venue we are attending together.
There is no question as to the different reasons why a person is entitled to this placard and the necessity it provides and the validity that it justifies. Nevertheless, for a moment I think to myself, “Hey, that’s great, but wait a minute, Baruch Hashem I don’t have a disability; I should not take advantage of this.” [Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky]
We should strive to fix our imperfections Read More »
Jewish Religion, San Diego County
It is a forgone expectation that the Senate will not vote to remove the Golden Deceiver from office. If only the humans of the United States would let dogs conduct an Impoochment Trial of the Golden Deceiver, the outcome would be different. [Satire by Elona Baron as told to Laurie Baron]
The Impoochment of the Golden Deceiver Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
Opposition to Nazi power is a theme of two stories set in the Austrian Alps. The musical The Sound of Music by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II featuring the von Trapp Family Singers appeared on Broadway in 1959. The 1965 film starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer broke Gone with the Wind box office records. It ran 174 minutes and won five Academy awards. The sound track sold over 20 million albums. It was loved. [Oliver B. Pollak]
‘A Hidden Life’ and ‘The Sound of Music’ Read More »
International, Oliver Pollak, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
This parasha covers Moses’ meetings with Pharaoh, which encounters result in the first seven plagues. I have chosen to pursue two Torah passages, with regard to their originality within ancient literature. [Irv Jacobs, MD]
Theophanies and plagues Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion
Fast-forward to this past September when Nicholas Bogan, 17, sent his store manager a message that he was “celebrating the Jewish holiday tomorrow night.” In Eatontown, N.J., 75 years after the Holocaust, Francesco Scotto Di Rinaldi responded: “F-k the Jewish. Put them on fire/like Hitler was trying to do/He had a point,” according to The New York Post. Predictably, Bogan never returned to his part-time job as a pizza delivery driver, and two months later he filed a lawsuit against the owners of the restaurant, Maurizio’s Pizzeria & Italian Ristorante, a short drive from Asbury Park. [Bruce S. Ticker]
There are tools for fighting the anti-Semites Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Jewish History, USA