Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Ruach, plenty of spirit, at Camp Mountain Chai

By Donald H. Harrison ANGELUS OAKS, California—Along with a few other San Diegans, I visited Camp Mountain Chai in the San Bernardino Mountains last week.  On arrival, I saw a Baer. It turned out that Dan Baer is the director of the camp, located 134 miles from the parking lot of the Jewish Federation of […]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

‘American Socialist,’ story of Debs, debuts July 4

By Eva Trieger SOLANA BEACH, California — How often do you catch yourself humming a tune, or singing along with lyrics, when you suddenly experience that moment of clarity as you realize the song’s message?  The instant when you learned that “Ring Around the Rosie” was about Black Plague or that U2 was singing about

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Eva Trieger, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Music stars in La Jolla Music Society’s summer nights

By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — For his final season as Music Director of the La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, before handing over the director’s reins to the brilliant Israeli pianist, Inon Barnatan, violinist Cho-Liang Lin has assembled an outstanding group of artists to perform at sixteen concerts. Each concert includes a Prelude Lecture or

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

Jewish trivia quiz: Beatles in Israel

By Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Paul McCartney appeared on a Carpool Karaoke segment of the Late Late Show with James Corden, with the two driving around Liverpool while singing Beatles tunes. They also visited sites from Paul’s childhood, and put on a surprise concert in a local pub. McCartney has many Jewish connections, from working

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Mark D. Zimmerman, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Trivia, Humor & Satire

‘Jacob and his Sons’ at the Israel Museum

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson JERUSALEM — The exhibition of paintings by  Francisco de Zurburan, a seventeenth-century Spanish painter, has been a major attraction at the Israel Museum for the last few weeks. I had never heard of him, so I made use of a free morning to go and take a look. What met my eyes

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

‘Once’ every so often, a show as good as this

By Cantor Sheldon Merel CORONADO, California — Last night I was at an Irish Pub in Dublin, (although in the heart of Coronado.). “Come early before show time to catch the music and have a drink at the bar,” the woman at the Box Office advised. So, after dinner, sure enough , as my friend

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Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel, z"l, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Catalog illustrates 70 years of Israel craft and design

By Mimi Pollack SAN DIEGO — My maternal grandparents were born in the 1800’s  in the land that today is known as Israel. They passed away before I was born, and I regret I never got the chance to talk with them and hear their stories. Thus, it is with great interest that I perused

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Middle East, Mimi Pollack, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

Celebrating Israel’s 70th in Balboa Park

Story and photos by Donald H. Harrison; other photos by Shor M. Masori SAN DIEGO — They sang, they danced, they ate, and, really, what better ways are there to celebrate Israel during its 70th birthday year? On Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17, who better to introduce the outdoor entertainment in Balboa Park’s area of

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

Pin and Patch Con offers wearable pop art

Story by Donald H. Harrison; photos by Shor M. Masori SAN DIEGO – Lucky for me, I had my 17-year-old grandson Shor with me at San Diego Pin and Patch Con, which was held in Montezuma Hall at San Diego State University on Saturday.  Besides being the photographer for this story, he also was a

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Donald H. Harrison, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Shor M. Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Touring Seacrest Village with a beloved resident

By Donald H. Harrison ENCINITAS, California – A visit on Monday at Seacrest Village Retirement Village to see Cantor Sheldon Merel, 94, the beloved emeritus cantor of Congregation Beth Israel, proved to be doubly interesting.  First and foremost, he’s always interesting to talk to.  And second, active and physically fit, Merel showed me around the

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

Angelina Reaux does Kurt Weill proud

By Cantor Sheldon F. Merel SOLANA BEACH, California — On Monday evening, June 6th,  the North Coast Rep  featured the brilliant artist,   Angelina Reaux.   She sang several of Kurt Weill ‘s Broadway hit show tunes, and charmed the audience throughout the evening .  Reaux’s voice is perfectly placed; she sings magnificently.  Weill’s piano accompaniments are

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Klezmer Summit felt like a casual hamische party

By Eric George Tauber SAN DIEGO — The Lyceum Theatre was pretty packed on a Tuesday night –not too shabby- for the 17th Annual Klezmer Summit. The upper gallery featured Yale Strom’s photo portraits of the Jews still living in Eastern Europe. Shot in stark black and white, they evoke a mystical world where time waits

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Eric George Tauber, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County