Barrett Holman Leak

OpEd: An Evening with Israeli Journalist Tal Schneider at the Lawrence Family JCC

In Monday evening’s conversation, she explained the social situation on the ground in Israel since the October 2023  Hamas attack on Israel. “For Israelis, there was life before; then there is NOW,” she said. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Israel, News Media, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: Standing Together Through It All

Then there are the times when you are trying to get into a parking garage and the pro-Palestinians surrounding your vehicle are bashing their fists on your car doors, banging on your car window, chopping huge protest signs on your hood, and then laying it on your windshield so you cannot see to drive forward. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Antisemitism, Barrett Holman Leak, Israel, Lifestyles, Middle East, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

‘Nobody Wants This’ Trades in Stereotypes of Jewish Women

Bina Roklov, her daughter-in-law Miriam, Miriam’s friends, and Rebecca the ex-girlfriend, are all portrayed in stereotypes and tropes of Jewish women as toxic: the overbearing mother, manipulative, materialistic and status-conscious, dishonest, secretive, a religious hypocrite, nagging and critical. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Antisemitism, Barrett Holman Leak, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

An Evening with Henry Winkler

As the lights dimmed and Winkler took the stage, the audience erupted in a standing ovation (he commented humorously, “The one night my wife is not here!”). With his characteristic charm and humor, he shared anecdotes from his Emerson College days, landing commercials in New York City, his journey in Hollywood, and from his breakout role on Happy Days to his recent successes in shows like Barry. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Jewish Celebrities, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

San Diego Teen Returns From Chetz v’Keshet Trip to Israel

I spoke with Hila Baruch, 15, who relocated to San Diego with her family from Israel when she was six. The Carmel Valley teen recently returned from her Chetz v’Keshet (CVK) experience this summer and shared that it was a life-changing, transformative experience. (Barrett Holman Leak)

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Barrett Holman Leak, Holocaust, Israel, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA, Videos

Former San Diegan Fashioned Simone Biles’ Goat Necklace

She founded and operates her own business, Janet Heller Fine Jewelry, specializing in custom pieces. She doesn’t consider herself and artisan but rather a person with the ability to transform vision into story through jewelry, with meticulous skill and precision. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Lynching of Sonya Massey’s Ancestor Stirred Jewish Community to Social Action and NAACP Formation

By Barrett Holman Leak SAN DIEGO — There is deep grief, shock and trauma right now over the fatal police shooting in Springfield, Illinois of 36-year-old Sonya Massey — in her own home, after calling police for help. The nation is traumatized and angry. Calls for justice abound. What people know is the details of

Lynching of Sonya Massey’s Ancestor Stirred Jewish Community to Social Action and NAACP Formation Read More »

Antisemitism, Barrett Holman Leak, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: The Black Community and Its Zionist Heritage

His overall point was that the Black community in America, which descends from Africa, knows that: Zion is Jerusalem and that since ancient times Zion has been spoken of and written about; that African/Black Americans have always sung about Zion; and that Zion was culturally embedded in Black American culture centuries before the modern state of Israel. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, International, Israel, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Hard to Keep Your Feet Still During a Sharon Katz Concert

South African music is not subtle about the beat. It hits the beats and in rapid succession. You’ve got to dance. Sharon Katz on electric guitar, her very popular Cuban bassist Ignacio Arango, and her drummer hit all the notes and bounced to the next ones. It was funky,  joyous, and rhythmically bubbling through your body. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, International, Mimi Pollack, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Found: Six Women of Valor at San Diego’s JFest

It was with great excitement that we packed into Garfield Theatre at Lawrence Family JCC (a performance this Sunday, June 23, will be at the Leichtag Commons in Encinitas) to be brought into the lives of six superlative women who have contributed greatly to our San Diego community. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria opened the program with a short inspiring introduction. [Barrett Holman Leak]

Found: Six Women of Valor at San Diego’s JFest Read More »

Barrett Holman Leak, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA