By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Although I have known Nancy more than 50 years, and have been married to her for 48 plus, Gayle Midyette has even more bragging rights. She has known Nancy 60 years, ever since the Brownies matched them up as pen pals. They’ve only met in person a few […]
15 essays help define North Carolina’s character Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Travel and Food, USANot many authors can claim to have reinvented an entire genre but Richard Adams, who has died aged 96, did just that with “Watership Down”, which became one of the biggest-selling childrens’ books of all time. He took the ancient theme of talking animals, but instead of cutesy, this was cruel and savage, like nature
“Watership Down” author Richard Adams dies Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Obituaries & memorials
The Conversations We Never Had by Jeffrey H. Konis; Outskirts Press; © 2016; ISBN 9781478-767299; 197 pages; $13.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – On the back cover of this book is the listing “Fiction: Historical” and that, perhaps, constitutes the author’s greatest regret. If he could have gone back in time, the listing
What third generation Holocaust survivors might learn Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish HistoryThe Person in the Parasha: Discovering the Human Element in the Weekly Torah Portion by Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, OU Press, Maggid Books, Jerusalem, © 2016, ISBN 978-1-59264-462-9, p. 624, $29.95 by Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California – Even a cursory look at the catalogue of Jewish book publishers shows a great propensity for
The human element in the Torah Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish ReligionAftermath by Allison Nazarian, Allie Girl Publishing, 2016, ISBN 978-0-9828922-2-0, pgs. $9.99 Kindle, $14.99 paperback. By Eva Trieger SOLANA BEACH, California — In general most of us shy away from ultimatums or at least prefer not to be tested by a “now or never” choice. This was how Allison Nazarian explained her decision to write
Genetic mutations, Shoah affect coming generations Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eva Trieger, Jewish HistoryBy Susie Rosenbluth TheJewishVoiceAndOpinion.com ENGLEWOOD, New Jersey — The symbol of Jerusalem’s Third Temple and its implications for Messianic Times, including world peace, universal brotherhood, and the end goal of the Jewish mission, looms large in Jewish, Christian, and even some Muslim traditions. According to the Bible, both the First and Second Temples stood on
‘The Falconi Effect’ envisions the Third Temple transforming the world Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel –Some time ago I had one of those ‘white nights’ that occasionally descend and prevent me from sleeping. I cannot say whether it was my night-cap cup of tea or thoughts about the dire political situation, but whatever the cause, sleep eluded me. As I lay in bed passages
Was the Bard an insomniac? Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-VansonBeki İkala Erikli shot dead outside her apartment building; motive of killing unclear By Times of Israel staff Beki İkala Erikli (LinkedIn) A Turkish Jewish writer was murdered at her Istanbul home Thursday by an unknown shooter, local media reported. Beki İkala Erikli was shot at the entrance to her building in the Kabataş neighborhood
Turkish Jewish author murdered in Istanbul Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Several years ago I read The Pianist of Willesden Lane written by Mona Golabek about the experiences of her mother, Lisa Jura, first in Vienna and then in London. She had been sent there at the age of fourteen in the framework of the Kindertransport, the undertaking that
In praise of Mona Golabek, author and performer Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish History, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual ArtsBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – As the widow of billionaire Carnival Cruise Lines founder Ted Arison, Lin Arison has had the chance to travel wherever she wants to around the world. The Carnival Corporation owns not only Carnival Cruise Lines, but such other cruise lines as Princess Cruises, Cunard Lines, Holland-America, Seabourn Cruises,
A travel case filled with love for Israel Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, Travel and FoodIn 1915, the Aaronsohn siblings founded an espionage group in their village of Zichron Yaakov to help the Brits defeat the Turks. Outside of Israel, why was their tale whitewashed from history? By JP O’ Malley On December 11, 1917, the British imperial governor, General Sir Edmund Allenby, entered Jerusalem, placing the city under military
With spy Sarah Aaronsohn’s suicide, Israeli history was rewritten, claims author Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Middle EastThere are a lot of great opening lines in literature. But this one by the late Gabriel Garcia-Marquez is among the best: “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.” That’s the way he starts the book
As we stare headlong into the approaching holiday season, the 1946 James Stewart classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” is set to make its annual television appearance Saturday on NBC. It was the first movie Stewart made when he returned home after serving as a pilot in World War II, an experience that left him adrift
How Jimmy Stewart’s war service affected ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USANobel Prize-winning author Wole Soyinka said Thursday that he fulfilled his promise to throw away his United States green card and relocate if Donald Trump won the presidency. “I’ve done it,” the Nigerian author told news channel eNCA on the sidelines of an education conference at the University of Johannesburg, Reuters reported. “When I was
Wole Soyinka, Nobel Prize-winning author, throws away green card over Trump win Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, USA