Books, Poetry & Short Stories

How the Brits broke the Nazis’ ‘Enigma’ code

Capturing the Enigma; the Unsung Heroes of HMS Bulldog by Patrick Spencer; Published by Mouse Works Publishing By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — In May 1941, at a time when the Second World War was in full swing and the British forces were doing their utmost to block Hitler’s rampage across Europe, the battle to control […]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International

A star-studded ‘Night’ to honor Elie Wiesel in New York

Five-hour January 29 event at Museum of Jewish Heritage features diverse community reading of the slim 116-page volume that changed the world By Renee Ghert-Zand Millions have read Elie Wiesel’s landmark Holocaust memoir “Night.” When Oprah Winfrey selected it for her book club in 2006, she turned it into an instant bestseller and countless students

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials

Former FBI agent details long search for ‘Devil’s Diary’

Nazis’ ‘minister of hate’ planted ‘seed’ of ideology Robert Wittman signs copies of his book detailing his search and recovery of the diary of Alfred Rosenberg, a leading architect of the Third Reich who “in some respects turned Hitler into Hitler.” Photo by Debra Rubin Many consider Alfred Rosenberg the “architect” of the Third Reich,

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History

Donald Trump Wants To Eliminate The National Endowment For The Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts, the independent federal agency that promotes and funds art in American communities, will be eliminated if the Trump administration has its way, the Hill reported Thursday. The NEA provides direct grants to art agencies and artists throughout the country. In 2015, the agency awarded grants in every Congressional district,

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Some great thoughts to learn and unlearn

  By Natasha Josefowitz, Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — We are faced with contradictions on a daily basis; some are generational, some cultural, some familial. When we have believed in one way of acting and then are faced with new medical or scientific findings or a deeper understanding and recognize that the opposite way is

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Natasha Josefowitz, Science, Medicine, & Education

U.S. Jewish briefs: January 11, 2017

ADL: Roof verdict underscores need for anti-hate crime law in South Carolina NEW YORK (Press Release) –The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Wednesday, Jan. 11, welcomed closure of the federal trial in the Charleston massacre case, which resulted in hate crime convictions against white supremacist Dylann Storm Roof for the murders of parishioners at Emanuel AME

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA

Poets of three nations debut in JCC’s new season

By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — The ninth season of Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices will open with three featured poets, Samantha Lennon, Marc Rolnick and Ilana Brosh. Tuesday evening, January 17, 7  p.m., these three talented writers will inaugurate the 2017 season of this series in the Astor Judaica Library of the Lawrence Family JCC. Samantha

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eileen Wingard, San Diego Calendar

Argentine writer Ricardo Piglia dies aged 75

Buenos Aires (dpa) – Argentine novelist and short story writer Ricardo Piglia died on Friday at the age of 75, his publisher Anagrama confirmed. Piglia, one of the most important Argentine writers of the past 50 years, had been suffering for several years from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive neurodegenerative disease. He published his first

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Obituaries & memorials, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Why Obama Won’t Pardon Snowden

On September 14, 2016, days before the premiere of Oliver Stone’s hagiographic movie Snowden, Human Rights Watch, the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International launched a well-funded campaign, with full-page ads in The New York Times, imploring President Barack Obama to pardon Edward Snowden, a former contract worker at the National Security Agency, for

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, USA

Sales Skyrocket For Special Edition Of ‘Mein Kampf’ In Germany

Sales of a new, special edition of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” are skyrocketing since a German publisher brought it to market last year. “Mein Kampf,” which translates in English to “my struggle,” is an autobiographical depiction of Hitler’s ideology that served as the bedrock for Nazism. It laid out his hatred for the Jewish faith

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History

‘Europa’ — a guidebook to help migrants and refugees navigate Europe

The thick, colorful book titled, “Europa: An Illustrated Introduction to Europe for Migrants and Refugees,” aims to broaden the perspectives of Europe’s newest immigrants, with plenty of historical photos, maps and individual accounts and factual information. That’s according to Alia Malek, a Syrian-American journalist who was one of the book’s editors. Overall, the guidebook tries

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International

Song Meaning Of NYE Tune ‘Auld Lang Syne’

Aside from lots of booze and cute appetizers, there’s something very familiar about New Year’s Eve: “Auld Lang Syne.” While the famous song is almost always played at the stroke of midnight, not everyone knows what it means– and they certainly don’t know the words to it. In “Harry Meets Sally,” Billy Crystal’s character Harry

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food