Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

An ‘Escape’ to Tel Aviv

But all Israelis, and not just Jewish citizens, feel the pressure that comes from seeing, hearing, and reading about the daily casualties and the damage being done to our society, financially and socially. So, as a diversion, Michal planned a day trip to Tel Aviv to take our minds off of the situation and to enjoy several hours away from tv, newspapers, and social media. [Steve Kramer]

An ‘Escape’ to Tel Aviv Read More »

Israel, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer, Travel and Food

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Dinah Shore

In 1951, she debuted The Dinah Shore Show on NBC television, and in 1956 The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, a variety show that continued through 1961.  She sang with Ella Fitzgerald, Mahalia Jackson, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Pearl Bailey. When Tennessee Ernie Ford appeared on the show, she kiddingly introduced him as Tennessee Ernie Chevrolet. [SDJW staff]

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Dinah Shore Read More »

Jewish Celebrities, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday

Our Shtetl San Diego County: Prayer Melodies from Tifereth Israel

Kol Tefilah, led by Debbie Mishek, M.D., is a performance group that periodically leads Friday night services at Tifereth Israel Synagogue “with joy, music, intimacy, and an awareness of God’s presence,” according to an announcement for the 6:15 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat service at 6:15 p.m., Friday, March 1. [SDJW staff]

Our Shtetl San Diego County: Prayer Melodies from Tifereth Israel Read More »

California, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Meir Dizengoff

After moving back in 1905 to Palestine, where he settled in Jaffa, he formed a partnership with the Ahuzat Bayit company to develop land on the outskirts of Jaffa. Sixty six families drew lots for housing locations along the beach from which the city of Tel Aviv would grow. The Dizengoffs were among those first families, and he served as head of town planning from 1911 to 1922. When Tel Aviv was recognized as a city, Dizengoff was elected as its first mayor. [SDJW staff]

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Meir Dizengoff Read More »

International, Israel, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday

‘Maestro’ Looks into the Soul of Leonard Bernstein

The story begins with Lenny’s big break. He was the Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic when, just before a concert at Carnegie Hall that was broadcast live on the radio, the conductor took ill. They had zero rehearsals together, but the depth of his knowledge and passion for the music shone through. After that, folks in the industry knew his name and he was a hot-ticket item. [Eric George Tauber]

‘Maestro’ Looks into the Soul of Leonard Bernstein Read More »

Eric George Tauber, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Don’t silence Israel’s story at Eurovision

Published by Euronews (English) Each year, I eagerly await the Eurovision Song Contest, a magnificent event where singers from countries across Europe and beyond share their stories. This exceptional gathering provides a cultural stage for participating nations to offer glimpses into their cultures, histories, and ways of life. It is a platform for learning about,

Don’t silence Israel’s story at Eurovision Read More »

International, Israel, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Nordot, Sports & Competitions

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Debbie Friedman

Over nearly four decades she recorded 22 albums, enriching the Jewish liturgy with such compositions as “The Aleph Bet Song,” “Miriam’s Song,” “Not By Might,” “I Am a Latke,” and “Mi Shebeirech,” co-written with her partner Drorah Setel. “Mi Shebereich,” a song for healing, is used by hundreds of congregations throughout North America. Her songs were gender sensitive and inclusive. [SDJW staff]

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Debbie Friedman Read More »

Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Maurycy Gottlieb

His painting “Shylock and Jessica” won the Gold Medal at the Munich Academy. Later, he returned to Vienna to study under Heinrich von Angeli, and produced paintings on biblical themes. Meeting in Rome, Matejko urged him to return to Krakow to work on a series of monumental paintings including scenes depicting the history of the Jews in Poland. [SDJW staff]

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Maurycy Gottlieb Read More »

International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Today's Jewish Birthday

California Legislators Visit Sites of Oct. 7 Massacre

Throughout the trip – a collaboration of JPAC, JCRC Bay Area, and Jewish Federation LA – lawmakers witnessed firsthand the consequences of the horrific atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th and their lasting effect on Israeli civil society. We visited impacted communities on the Gaza border and the surrounding areas, cried with families of hostages, and met with Israeli government officials, including President Isaac Herzog.  [David Bocarsly]

California Legislators Visit Sites of Oct. 7 Massacre Read More »

California, Israel, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Winehouse Statue in London Defaced with Palestinian Sticker

LONDON (JNS) — A sculpture of Amy Winehouse in the town of Camden, in northern London, was defaced over the weekend with a Palestinian flag sticker covering the late Jewish singer’s Star of David necklace. “This is disgusting. Amy Winehouse was a famous Jewish singer who was proud of her Jewish heritage,” wrote the National

Winehouse Statue in London Defaced with Palestinian Sticker Read More »

International, Israel, Jewish Celebrities, JNS, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials

Israeli Composer Forwards ‘Jewish Tunes from Haifa’

I completed a fantasy piece about the songs of the Jewish people a few days before their tragedy broke on the day of their great and joyous holiday, the Joy of Torah. I titled the piece I Hear a Scream. On the “Black Sabbath” of October 7, I heard the screams of Jews, victims of a pogrom that happened where there could have been no pogrom – in the territory of the Jewish state. [Boris Levenberg]

Israeli Composer Forwards ‘Jewish Tunes from Haifa’ Read More »

Alex Gordon, Israel, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Videos

Theodore Bikel’s Songs to Be First in JCC’s ‘Beloved Voices’ Series Feb. 22

I will be hosting the program, and my special guest will be Aimee Ginsburg Bikel, who was Theodore Bikel’s wife during the last years of his life and founder and director of the Theodore Bikel Legacy Project. The songs were selected to illustrate Bikel’s vast range and the large number of his recordings in our Astor Judaica Library.  [Eileen Wingard]

Theodore Bikel’s Songs to Be First in JCC’s ‘Beloved Voices’ Series Feb. 22 Read More »

Eileen Wingard, International, Israel, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego Calendar, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Temple Etz Rimon Shares in Interfaith Projects with Pilgrim Church; Both Congregations are Committed to Social Justice, Inclusiveness

Every synagogue has its own personality. Farber said that Temple Etz Rimon’s is that “it is very, very friendly. Warm. You come into the building and you are greeted. You are welcomed at the oneg. They grab you; they love you. People will say, ‘Oh my God, you are so friendly!’ We are. There is no snobbishness in the group. It’s really a nice congregation. Unfortunately, it is getting smaller and smaller.” [Donald H. Harrison]

Temple Etz Rimon Shares in Interfaith Projects with Pilgrim Church; Both Congregations are Committed to Social Justice, Inclusiveness Read More »

Ben Dishman, California, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jackie Gmach Utilizes the Arts to Teach Lessons of the Holocaust and the Tree of Life Synagogue

That drawing inspired Gmach to develop “We Are The Tree of Life,” a project focusing on Holocaust education utilizing the arts to promote a message of hope and survival. Literature, music, dance, poetry and drawings created by prisoners in the concentration camps and ghettos during World War II show that beauty can survive, even when experiencing unspeakable horrors. [Eileen Wingard]

Jackie Gmach Utilizes the Arts to Teach Lessons of the Holocaust and the Tree of Life Synagogue Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eileen Wingard, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA