Author Jeffrey Jaffe in Why Abraham? explores the Jewish people’s “chosen-ness” with questions such as, why would God designate any nation to be special, and specifically what possessed God to select Abraham as patriarch? [Fred Reiss, Ed.D]
Why Did God Select Abraham to Be Our Patriarch? Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors
My book-writing journey was not fast, linear, or easy. Its three-year evolution was punctuated with the losses of my father and a brother (two of my favorite people in the world), both of my daughters launching, and many other changes and challenges. [Shayna Kaufmann]
I’m Coming Out … With a Book! Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Shayna Kaufmann, Staff and Bylined Contributors
The Shabbat meal contains significant items, including zemirot, which are medieval songs and ancient biblical psalms. They are a powerful means of preserving and showcasing Jewish culture’s rich and diverse nature. These sacred, secular, serious, and playful lyrics praise God and the Shabbat, transforming the meal into a time of joy and inspiration. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
The Shabbat meal, its origin, beauty, and intelligence Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food
So well did they get along that they decided to become doubles partners in the competition that became the French Open. They ignored boos and rude comments from bigots in the stands as they made their way to the court together. They prevailed all the way to a championship game, at which they lost the first set. [Donald H. Harrison]
Children’s Tennis Story Tells of Gibson and Buxton Overcoming Discrimination Read More »
Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
In Eastern Europe before alarm clocks were generally available, a Jewish person known as a “klopper” was appointed to knock on doors early in the morning to help assure people would get to morning prayers on time. [Donald H. Harrison]
‘Klop, Klop! Wake Up; It’s Time for Morning Prayers’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Even more impressive than the newly achieved grandeur of the hall were the improved acoustics of the Jacobs Music Center. We were seated in the very last row of the downstairs, under the balcony overhang, over to the extreme right, and every sound, every nuance reached our ears with pure clarity, from the hushed solo violin strokes of Tchaikovsky’s “Canzonetta” to the bold final utterances of Orff’s “O fortuna,” for full chorus and orchestra. [Eileen Wingard]
Transformed Jacobs Music Center Features Highly Improved Acoustics Read More »
Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors
The narrative moves to the assassination of President Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre on a Friday night – the same time that many observant Jewish families were at their Shabbat dinners. When Rebecca’s mother lights candles, they unexpectedly flicker – symbolizing the spiritual blow to the nation. [Donald H. Harrison]
Children’s Book Describes Shock and Mourning over Lincoln’s Assassination Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA
Courtesy of Wikipedia Itzhak Perlman (August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist. He has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that have included a state dinner for Elizabeth II at the White House in 2007, and at the 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama. He has conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Westchester Philharmonic. In 2015, he was awarded the Presidential
Today’s Jewish Birthday: Itzhak Perlman Read More »
Jewish Celebrities, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia
September and the Jewish month of Elul are upon us. Traditionally, the month before the High Holy Days is supposed to be occupied with reflection about the last year and the anticipation of the New Year. [Cailin Acosta]
Preparing in Elul for Next Month’s High Holidays Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, California, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish Celebrities, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, Trivia, Humor & Satire
“Reboot Studios is proud to support this year’s Creator Fund recipients, who are expanding the Jewish narrative by bringing to light underrepresented stories from across the diaspora,” said Reboot Studios Managing Director Noam Dromi. [Press Release]
Reboot Studios Helps Finance 4 New Jewish Films Read More »
California, International, Press Release, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
One Day in October by Yair Agmon and Oriya Mevorach is a poignant and powerful memoir that captures the heart-wrenching events of October 7, 2023, in Israel. Through the lens of 40 individual stories, this book delves into the lives of those who survived the massacre, as well as the memories of those who tragically lost their lives on that fateful day. [Miriam Gershenson]
Book Chronicles 40 Diverse Stories from October 7th, 2023 Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Jewish History, Miriam Gershenson, Staff and Bylined Contributors
Tuvia is an expat Israeli born to a Yiddish-speaking rabbinical family in Bnei Brak, Israel’s largest majority ultra-Orthodox city. He has lived in Germany, the US, and elsewhere for many decades, working as a journalist and author. Holding multiple academic degrees and speaking several languages, Tuvia is also a playwright, essayist, and the founding artistic director of the Jewish Theater of New York. [Steve Kramer]
‘Careful, Beauties Ahead’ Probes Lives of Haredim Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Steve Kramer, USA
The Nuremberg Nazi Doctors’ Trials, called United States of America v. Karl Brandt et al., occurred from December 9, 1946 to August 20, 1947. There were 23 defendants. Twenty were medical doctors. They were accused of performing Nazi human experimentation and mass murder under the guise of euthanasia. (Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
Novel Depicts Trials of Nazi Doctors at Nuremberg Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr.
The Testament is a novel focusing on the Soviet leader Stalin murdering Russia’s greatest Jewish poets and novelists on August 12, 1952, and before that date. Wiesel gathers the lives, thinking, and acts of these martyrs by imagining the tale of Paltiel Kossova , a Jewish poet who, despite devoting himself to communism, was murdered by the communist leader. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
In Appreciation of Elie Wiesel’s ‘The Testament’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Staff and Bylined Contributors