The Arts

‘Mufti’ Will Satisfy Neither Historians nor Graphic Arts Fans

This book is an amalgam of two genres: History and Graphic Non-Fiction. I don’t think it will satisfy devotees of either genre.  For graphic arts fans, there are too many pages filled with writing, rather than drawings.  For the serious student of history, phantasmagoric images detract from the work’s verisimilitude. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Staff and Bylined Contributors

What Role in Society Should Literature Play?

When we read good literature, we should question what we read and why something is happening. We should seek to be stimulated by our reading to change and improve ourselves and everything. Is what we read proper? Should it have been done differently? [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

What Hitler’s General in the Netherlands Was Really Like

De Vries has every reason to express dismay about a man who admires Hitler, a man who wishes his generals were more like Hitler’s generals. For it is one of those generals, totally loyal to the Führer and blindly following his orders, who was directly responsible for the deportation of 110,000 Dutch Jews — 75 percent of the entire Dutch Jewish population at the time — to Nazi concentration camps. Only approximately 5,000 returned home alive after the war. [Dorian de Wind, The Moderate Voice]

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Antisemitism, Dorian de Wind, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, News Media, The Moderate Voice, USA

Some Theorize Elijah Was Pinchas Reincarnated

Virtually every Jew—regardless of age—has heard of Elijah, whose presence inspired the “Cup of Elijah” ritual seen at every Passover celebration. Elijah’s name is also evoked in the Havdalah ceremony in a special prayer expressing our hope that Elijah will be the precursor of the Messianic Era. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Emanuel Ax Flawlessly Performs Mozart in San Diego Symphony Concert

Ax is a no-nonsense player, performing flawlessly, with elegance and grace. There were no histrionics, no dramatic gestures, there was just honest perfection.  And the orchestra, with reduced strings, one timpani, one flute and pairs of oboes, bassoons, trumpets and horns, provided beautiful, nuanced support under Raphael Payare s direction. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Harold Brodkey

Courtesy of Wikipedia Harold Brodkey (October 25, 1930 – January 26, 1996), was an American short-story writer and novelist. Aaron Weintraub was the second child to his Jewish parents Max Weintraub and Celia Glazer Weintraub (1899-1932), born in Staunton, Illinois. Samuel Weintraub (1928-2017) was their oldest child. When their mother died, Samuel was four and old

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Wikipedia

Handel’s ‘Messiah’ at Historic Church in Abu Ghosh a Welcome Respite from War’s Impact

Suddenly this year, in the midst of the war and tragedy that has befallen us, there was a beam of light. The Israel Barrocada Ensemble, which plays on period instruments and has been giving concerts in Tel Aviv, announced that it was returning to Abu Ghosh, and would start with a performance of Handel’s ‘Messiah.’ The sublime music, using texts taken from Isaiah, Psalms and other books of the Bible, has always inspired me and uplifted my spirit. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Simchat Torah: Should We Dance or Cry?

As we approach the one-year anniversary [on the Hebrew calendar] of the devastating attack on Simchat Torah, a day celebrated as one of the most joyous in the Jewish calendar, we are confronted with a profound paradox. Over 1,200 people were murdered, and hundreds more were taken hostage. How can we reconcile such joy with such deep sorrow on this powerful day? [Rabbi Shmuly Begun]

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Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Semyon Nadson, Philosemitic Russian Poet

The poet Semyon Nadson (1862 – 1887) lived for 24 years. He is known for being the first poet of Jewish descent to achieve national prominence in the Russian Empire. In 1886, Nadson was awarded the Pushkin Prize of the Academy of Sciences, the most prestigious literary award in pre-revolutionary Russia. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors