Lawrence Baron

Laurie Baron

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.

Satire: If Queen Elizabeth Were Jewish

I am finding the 11 days of mourning ceremonies between the death of Queen Elizabeth II and her burial next Monday archaic, pompous, and tedious. If only she were Jewish, we would be spared the redundant rituals, and much time and money could be saved not only by the United Kingdom but also by all the countries dispatching their leaders and reporters to cover the event.     [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]

Satire: If Queen Elizabeth Were Jewish Read More »

International, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire

The Semi-Fascist MAGA Menace: The Truth is Funnier (and Scarier) Than Satirical Fiction

By Laurie Baron President Biden received scathing criticism for labeling MAGA Republicans “semi-fascists.” I selected some quotations from MAGA leaders to test the validity of his characterization. “The church is supposed to direct the government. The government is not supposed to direct the church. That is not how our Founding Fathers intended it. I’m tired

The Semi-Fascist MAGA Menace: The Truth is Funnier (and Scarier) Than Satirical Fiction Read More »

Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Satire: CPAC

By Laurie Baron CPAC has kept its acronym but changed what it stands for: Conspirators Planning Authoritarian Coups. This change is reflected in this year’s conference program. Viktor Orbán replaced Vladimir Putin who canceled because he hadn’t finished writing his scheduled speech on “The Only Good Neighbor is An Annexed One.” After Orbán bragged how

Satire: CPAC Read More »

Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Satire: Teed Off

By Laurie Baron Families of victims of 9/11 are protesting the holding of the LIV tournament at Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, because LIV is funded by Saudi Arabia which they blame for abetting the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. Trump claims this is merely a sporting event that has nothing

Satire: Teed Off Read More »

Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Satire: The Unexpurgated Draft of the Right to Contraception Act

By Laurie Baron The House of Representatives passed the Right to Contraception Act to protect “a person’s ability to access contraceptives and to engage in contraception, and to protect a health care provider’s ability to provide contraceptives, contraception, and information related to contraception.” The text of the bill, however, was considerably abridged from the original

Satire: The Unexpurgated Draft of the Right to Contraception Act Read More »

Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Hounding the Headlines: From January 6 to Supply Chain to Gun Control

By Elona Baron (as barked to Laurie Baron) It has been a long time since I decided to take pen in paw and comment on what’s going on in the world. (Actually, I’m lying. I always have dictated my columns because God forgot to give dogs opposable thumbs. Those primates have all the luck!). January

Hounding the Headlines: From January 6 to Supply Chain to Gun Control Read More »

Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Jewish Studies Scholar Richard Freund (1955-2022)

By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO — Dr. Richard A. Freund passed away in Charlottesville, Virginia on July 14, 2022 from complications arising from the rejection of a bone marrow transplant he had received 18 years ago.  He held an MA, PhD, and rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Bertram and Gladys Aaron

Jewish Studies Scholar Richard Freund (1955-2022) Read More »

Jewish History, Lawrence Baron, San Diego County, USA

Guns Kill Americans

By Laurie Baron (Melody: God Bless America) In Memoriam to the Victims of Highland Park Guns kill Americans; we should expect Some who bear arms will inflict harms. With malice background checks detect. From the temples to the churches. To the markets and parades once secure. Guns kill Americans, easy for all to procure. Guns

Guns Kill Americans Read More »

Lawrence Baron, Opinion, USA

Satire: Dictionary of Select Committee Testimony

By Laurie Baron Partisan Witch Hunt=The committee consisting of 6 Democrats and 2 Republicans formed after Kevin McCarthy rejected a proposal for a committee that would have had equal representation for both parties.  Also look under self-fulfilling prophecy. Premature Tabulation=Claiming victory before all the votes are counted.  Also look under slogan “Stop the Real.” A

Satire: Dictionary of Select Committee Testimony Read More »

Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire