The Arts

God needs worthy people as partners for His miracles

God and Politics in Esther, 2nd Edition, by Yoram Hazony; Cambridge University Press; (2015); ISBN-10: 1107583454; $18.27 on Amazon. Rating ***** out of 5 Stars. By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Yoram Hazony’s exposition of the Book of Esther is priceless. In my Judaism 101 class, everyone read a little bit from God […]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

Multi-media ‘Gotham’ well received in La Jolla

By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California — Fascinating black and white film footage of New York City accompanied Gotham, by Michael Gordon, the opening work on the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus’ March 12 concert in Mandeville Hall at UCSD. Gordon, a Miami-born Jewish-American composer, has often teamed up with film-maker Bill Morrison to create

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

‘The Passover Surprise’ is brief yet topic rich

The Passover Surprise by Janet Ruth Heller; illustrations by Ronald Kauffman; © 2015; Fictive Press; ISBN 978-1-927663-17-1; 35 pages including glossary and discussion drive. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –A lot of ground is covered in this story for middle schoolers.  It begins with a pre-teenage girl, Lisa, competing with her younger brother, Jon,

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, USA

Ron Campbell brings Bucky Fuller to life

By Eric George Tauber SAN DIEGO — Imagine a rounded arch made of triangles … structures of multiple triangles in tetrahedrons … globes of octohedrons. And on this globe, everyone works selflessly to provide for the betterment of humanity. War is replaced by coöperation. Want and excess give way to universal sufficiency. This is the world

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Eric George Tauber, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Never read ‘The Book Thief’? Steal the time

The Book Thief (10th Anniversary Edition) by Markus Zusak; Alfred A. Knopf; ISBN 878-0-399-55652-4; 550 pages plus bonus material covering the creative process; $19.99. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Sometimes a book comes out and, like a news article, dies after a period of time, forgotten by everyone except the author and perhaps

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

‘Being Selfish’ far too self- indulgent for most readers

Being Selfish by Sarah Marshank, Selfistry.me, 2015, 978-1-68222-814-2, 350 pgs., $17.89. By Eva Trieger SOLANA BEACH, California — To paraphrase, some things are better left unwritten.  I’m not saying that an author doesn’t have the right to speak her piece and put it out there for the market to purchase, however, I can’t imagine throngs

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Eva Trieger

Valverde sings with David D’Or in Haifa

SAN DIEGO (SDJW)– Jonathan Valverde, the pastor’s son with an operatic voice who founded Latinos for Israel, has returned from a trip to Israel where he performed with Israeli signer David D’Or.  Valverde was invited there by the Israeli singer after an appearance in San Diego at which Valverde also sang. Here is a video

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Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

From the Jewish Library: ‘Why Not Say What Happened’

Why Not Say What Happened: A Sentimental Education by Morris Dickstein (Liveright Publishing Corp., 2015) By Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO — Morris Dickstein was born into a family of Orthodox Jews who brought with them the anxious and narrow life view of the Eastern European shtetl to New York City’s Lower East Side.  He was given a

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories

Wanger, Cohen to headline Beth Israel’s Spring Gala

SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — Congregation Beth Israel will host its annual Spring Gala that features a 1920’s “Let’s Play” theme and includes an evening of play and entertainment by actress Debra Wanger. Dan Cohen, the Emmy Award winning co-anchor of CBS News This Morning, will emcee the event. The gala begins at 5:30 p.m.,  Sunday,

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San Diego Calendar, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Poet Nathan C. Goldman reflects on Jewish themes

By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – In my mail came a book of poetry for review, unbidden, a gift from its author, a stranger to me.  Titled Above History, Behind Time, it contained the thoughts of Nathan Carliner Goldman, PhD, who is a professor of government at the College of the Mainland in Texas

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion

Love in the age of religious diversity

By Cynthia Citron STUDIO CITY, California–He is a non-observant Jew, she is an ardent Catholic, and they meet cute.  He sees her through the front window of an art gallery in Soho and jumps out of his Uber to meet her.  He bumbles awkwardly through an introduction and she, for some inexplicable reason, is charmed.Thus begins writer/director Dan Frischman’s

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Cynthia Citron, Theatre, Film & Broadcast