Lawrence (Laurie) Baron, now retired, served as the Nasatir Professor of Modern Jewish History at San Diego State University. He served from 1988 to 2006 as director of SDSU’s Lipinsky Institute for Judaic Studies. He was the founder in 1995 of the Western Jewish Studies Association.
He writes two satire columns for San Diego Jewish World: “Humoring the Headlines” under his byline, and “Hounding the Headlines,” under the byline of his dog Elona.
Books to his credit, available on Amazon, include:
Projecting the Holocaust into the Present: The Changing Focus of Contemporary Holocaust Cinema
The Modern Jewish Experience in World Cinema
The eclectic anarchism of Erich Muhsam (Men & movements in the history & philosophy of anarchism)
His most recent articles are:
“Making Room for the Jews: The House I Live In (1945),” AJS Perspectives, Summer 2023, 86-88.
“The Revolt of Job: Salvaging the Lost World of Rural Hungarian Hasidim,” Journal of Jewish Identities, 16:1-2 (January/July 2023), 181-198.
“Persistent Parallels, Resistant Particularities: Holocaust Analogies and Avoidance in Armenian Genocide Centennial Cinema, in Armenian and Jewish Experience between Expulsion and Destruction, ed. Sarah M. Ross and Regina Randhofer (Berlin: De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2021), 267-296.
“The Pioneering American Jewish Women Directors from Elaine May to Claudia Weill,” Jews and Gender (Studies in Jewish Civilization), ed. Leonard Greenspoon (W. Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press, 2021), 217-243.
I woke up from my sleep today
To learn Trump had his win.
And I feared for our democracy
And the purges he’ll begin. … [Laurie Baron]
Satire: ‘I’m Proud to be a Californian’ Read More »
California, Lawrence Baron, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAFactCheck.org points out that his speeches last three times longer than hers because, as he puts it, what sounds like rambling is really an intricate weave. Has Trump read Shakespeare? The Bard wrote, “Oh what a tangled web we weave/When first we practice to deceive.” [Laurie Baron]
Election 2024: Final Falsities Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USAThe low point of his comments came when he said, “This man was strong and tough, and I refuse to say it, but when he took showers with the other pros, they came out of there, they said, ‘Oh my God, that’s unbelievable.'” [Laurie Baron]
Satire: The Unexpurgated Donald Trump Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USADonald considers the Kol Nidre the precedent for the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity. When he recites it, he alters the language for the sake of political relevancy. [Laurie Baron]
Satire: Donald Trump’s Yom Kippur 2024 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAReacting to the ferocity of Hurricane Helene, Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X: “Yes, they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.” Although Greene doesn’t say who “they” are, “they probably are the same Jews she blamed for igniting California’s wildfires in 2021 with giant space lasers. [Laurie Baron]
Satire: Weaponizing the Weather Read More »
Antisemitism, California, Lawrence Baron, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAMuch to the surprise of the pundits, the Vice-Presidential debate was very civil, with Vance and Walz bent over backwards to agree on many things even when they didn’t. Each strove to appear to be decent. Here are some of the outtakes that didn’t make it into the broadcast of the debate. [Laurie Baron]
Satire: The Decency Debate Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAIf Robinson follows in King’s footsteps and gives his version of the “I Have a Dream Speech,” it might be retitled, “I Have an Extreme” and sound like this based on those posts and his current campaign pronouncements: [Laurie Baron]
Satire: ‘I Have an Extreme’ Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAAfter the second assassination attempt on Trump, the Secret Service announced new security measures to avert or thwart future attempts on his life. In addition to those Secret Service devises, here are some suggestions for additional security. [Laurie Baron]
Satire: Extra Security Measures to Protect Trump Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAHe entered the debate, like he was alone on stage.
His scowl was fixed upon his face, to indicate his rage.
She didn’t even hesitate to give his hand a shake.
Though his minions believe all of his claims … [Laurie Baron]
Satire: He’s So Vain (Melody: You’re So Vain) Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA
Watching the news with my human, I heard that J.D. Vance claims that Haitian immigrants have eaten cats in Springfield, Ohio. As a dog, I know that cats don’t taste good enough to be ground up in my food. If they were delicious, I can guarantee that some entrepreneurial person would recycle dead ones into a new product called The Farmer’s Cat. [Elona Baron]
Hounding the Headlines: Protecting Pets from People Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Staff and Bylined Contributors, The World We Share, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAThe incident has stirred up a controversy, but I suspect it was a false flag operation to mask more sinister things. According to my sources, Trump wants to privatize Arlington if he becomes president. [Laurie Baron]
Satire: Arlington Antics Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USARobert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Donald Trump. It is rumored that Trump, who previously referred to Kennedy as a “radical left liberal,” has promised Kennedy a post in his administration. Here’s some positions he would be qualified to hold. [Laurie Baron]
Satire: RFK Jr.’s Cabinet Post Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAWhat was telling is that the song from the movie Titanic implies Trump’s bid for his second term is sinking and that he is drowning like Jack in the film. One wonders what other messages his musical coordinator wants to convey with his selections of music for Trump’s appearances. Here are my predictions. [Laurie Baron]
Satire: Trump’s Campaign Songs Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USAWhen a sane governor from a state with many lakes/ Becomes the candidate to be VP/ Appealing to women with children, cats, or both / Campaigning to save democracy. … [Laurie Baron]
Satire: Walz and Kamala Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Lawrence Baron, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA