Blood of the Band: An Ipai Family Story by David L. Toler, Jr.; Sunbelt Publications, © 2015; ISBN 978-1-941384-12-1; 285 pages, including index; $19.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –This is a story of the San Pasqual band of Ipai Indians. The Ipai are the western branch of the Kumeyaay Nation, as opposed to […]
The Ipai and the Jews Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County
Ruth: Woman of Valor by Jim Baumgardner; Baumgardner Press, Wichita, Kansas (c) 2015; ISBN 978-0-98841-075-6; 371 pages. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Two years ago on these pages, we reviewed Jim Baumgardner’s fictional biography of Queen Esther. Now comes another novel based on the Bible: Ruth: Woman of Valor. Most of the time
Filling in the blanks in the Book of Ruth Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison
By Eva Trieger SAN DIEGO — The San Diego REPertory Theater has the perfect recipe for success in its current show, The Oldest Boy. Little could improve upon the synergistic combination of playwright Sarah Ruhl, director Sam Woodhouse, and actor Amanda Sitton. The play recalls Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1994 film, Little Buddha, which starred Bridget Fonda, Keanu
‘Oldest Boy’ is emotional story of separation Read More »
Eva Trieger, Theatre, Film & BroadcastOne Nation Under Gods: A New American History, by Peter Manseau. Little, Brown and Company. 2015, 469pp By David Strom SAN DIEGO — At the founding of our nation over 20 percent of African slaves were Moslem. Their number dwarfed the number of Catholics or Jews living in the colonies. The third president of the
Historian traces religious diversity in the U.S. Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, USA
By Ken Stone SAN DIEGO (SDONA)– A week ago at the San Diego Civic Theatre, Adam Sandler unveiled his fourth version of the “Hanukkah Song” in all its Jewish-name-dropping glory. The downtown show Nov. 18 also featured David Spade, Nick Swardson and Rob Schneider. The video was posted Wednesday to his “Happy Madison” YouTube channel, where
Adam Sandler debuts new Chanukah song Read More »
Ken Stone, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USABy Eva Trieger LA JOLLA, California — The strains of violin, clarinet and accordion set a reminiscent and inviting tone for this play. The set of the Mandel Weiss Forum was fairly simplistic with English and Yiddish subtitles projected over stage, creating an esoteric sensibility in the viewer. Spirited dancing accompanied the music as characters
Lesbians? Nothing shocking about them Read More »
Eva Trieger, Theatre, Film & BroadcastBy David Amos SAN DIEGO — The second half of October, just a month ago, turned out to be very special. From the 19th to the 23rd, I was invited to conduct the London Philharmonic in the city’s Abbey Road Studios. The following week takes only one word: Israel. Here are the details of both destinations.
Recording in England, resting in Israel Read More »
International, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts
By Eric George Tauber CHULA VISTA, California — One doesn’t normally expect to hear Hanukah music in a church. But when that church is Iglesia Restauración in Chula Vista, the meeting place of Latinos por Israel, the rules change. It’s taken 500 years, but many B’nei Anousim (Jews forcibly converted to Catholicism during the Inquisition)
Rekindling the Lights of Januká Read More »
Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast
Piece of Mind by Michelle Adelman; W.W. Norton & Company; ISBN 978-0-393-24570-7; 304 pages, $25.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – I was enchanted by this novel by Michelle Adelman, who is a teacher here in San Diego. It tells the story of a brain-damaged woman from that woman’s interesting, often humorous, and at
Novel provides insight into the brain- injured Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. HarrisonThe Castles and the Crown, Spain 1451-1555, by Townsend Miller, Published by Coward-McCann, Inc., 1953 By Sheila Orysiek SAN DIEGO — I first read this book several decades ago and since have read it twice more finishing my third reading of it in this last week. It was as fresh and as exciting a tale
From the Jewish library: ‘The Castles and the Crown’ Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International
Together We Can Do More: The Leon Williams Story by Lynne Carrier; 2015; Lynne Carrier and Montezuma Publishing; ISBN 978-0-7442-3808-2; 223 pages including notes and index. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – This biography of Leon Williams, who was the first African-American to serve on the San Diego City Council and scored another such
Leon Williams biography a lesson in civil government Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County
Tempting The Devil in the Name of God: The Heavy Hand of Fate by Howard Beckman; Inspire on Purpose Publishing; 2012-2015; ISBN 978-1-941783-24-8; 373 pages, $19.99 By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – One of my favorite apocryphal stories concerns the Jewish woman who traveled to India to see the guru. She was told that
Drug dealer becomes a spiritual leader Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish ReligionBy Eric George Tauber SAN DIEGO — Is there another city in the world that draws as much controversy as Jerusalem? I-max film director Daniel Ferguson spent five years making Jerusalem and “nothing came easily.” The first challenge was to get their mixed crew of Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians to work through their distrust of one another
‘Jerusalem’ explores holy sites of 3 religions Read More »
Eric George Tauber, Middle East, Theatre, Film & BroadcastMy Grandfather Would have Shot Me, by Jennifer Teege and Nikola Sellmair. The Experiment, Pub. 2015, 221pp By David Strom SAN DIEGO — At the age of 38 Jennifer Teege was at the Hamburg central library. There she glanced at a book with a red cover and was drawn to it. From photographs in the book,
Mixed-race descendant of Nazi murderer tells of life Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History