Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Provocateurs sow dissension among Americans

Just because a former President of the United States is no longer in office -and lacks the authority to affect any executive orders or policy changes- does not mean that he is no longer a threat. The morals and ideals he espouses continue to have a lasting impact on the fabric of this great nation, whether to bind the threads of American citizenry in unity or rent them asunder. [Eric George Tauber]

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Eric George Tauber, International, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

StandWithUs celebrates 19th anniversary of its founding

StandWithUs celebrated the 19th anniversary of its founding on Thursday with an international webcast that showcased its growth and successes helping students on college campuses, high schools and middle schools learn about Israel and defend against anti-Semitic attacks. The program was emceed by comedian Elon Gold and also featured the singing of “Hatikvah,” Israel’s National Anthem, by Rabbi/ Cantor Alison Wissot of Temple Judea of Tarzana, California, and a popular, optimistic Hebrew song by Israeli singer David Broza on the theme of “things will get better.” [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Local political races re-energized

As the only daily Jewish news outlet in our county, San Diego Jewish World has made it a mission to keep track of important races in the county in which members of the Jewish community will be runoff candidates in the November general election.  Now, with the nation, state, and local governments all in the process of looking beyond the coronavirus pandemic to the recovery of the economy, candidates for mayor, Congress, and the County Board of Supervisors are again making news. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

San Diego County, nation, respond to hate incidents

Two grocery store incidents in Santee earlier this month in which a man wearing the hood of the Ku Klux Klan, and a man and woman wearing masks featuring swastikas, continue to reverberate.  San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher proposed that a countywide Human Relations Commission be re-established and empowered to look into such incidents, and the San Diego Union-Tribune ran three opinion pieces Monday on the incidents and their impact on the City of Santee. In another response to hate, the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement (CAM) arranged for 25 olive trees to be planted at Kfar Silver Youth Village in southern Israel in memory of Lori Gilbert Kaye, who was murdered when a gunman attacked Chabad of Poway on the last day of Passover in 2019. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Eva Trieger, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Comedy album review: ‘Drinking at the Kids Table’

Comedian Billy DeVore, who co-hosts the Cincinnati Reds’ focused podcast “The New Nasty Boys,” has come out with his debut album: Drinking at the Kids Table. Loud, self-deprecating and rather crude, DeVore cracks wise about being overweight (Having a gym membership just means he can watch Sports Center in another building.) rescuing cats, and the challenges of married life. His wife Alicia views him not so much as a pet project like “This Old House” but more like “Extreme Home Makeover.” [Eric George Tauber}

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Eric George Tauber, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Trivia, Humor & Satire

AJC rabbi fights international anti-Semitism

Rabbi Andrew Baker, an official with both the American Jewish Committee and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), says because of the coronavirus pandemic, there probably will be a drop in anti-Semitic incidents in 2020.  However, this is because potential targets, such as synagogues and Jewish schools, have been closed during the pandemic.  When re-opened, he said, they may become targets again. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Trivia, Humor & Satire

FDR not as portrayed in ‘Plot Against America’

In HBO’s recent adaptation of the Philip Roth novel The Plot Against America, American Jews are coerced by President Charles Lindbergh to move to rural parts of the country so they will become “Americanized” and shed their Jewish ways. In real life, however, it was President Franklin D. Roosevelt who wanted to do just that. [Rafael Medoff, Ph.D]

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Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Celebrating safely at a drive-thru circus

But how do you celebrate such a festive occasion when the plague of our own era demands that we distance ourselves from one another and avoid gatherings? Make it a drive-through. Welcome to the Lag Ba’Omer Drive Thru Circus Experience. Chabad Hebrew Academy located along Pomerado Road in Scripps Ranch set up multiple stages in their parking lot. Festival patrons slowly drove through in their cars. They were greeted by arches of red and yellow balloons (representing flames) Chasidic music, stilt-walkers, unicyclists, acrobats, jugglers, hula hoops, puppets and clowns. [Eric George Tauber]

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Eric George Tauber, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast