Jewish History

Ohr Shalom in last stages of preservation campaign for old Temple

SAN DIEGO (Press Release)–Nearly 100 elected officials, preservationists and business leaders from both sides of the U.S./Mexico border gathered Wednesday morning on the site of a historic preservation project at the corner of Third and Laurel streets in Park West. The attendees came from nearby businesses as well those in Baja California to support the […]

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Jewish History

Re-opening of Cosmopolitan Hotel in Old Town to recall various religious denominations of 19th century San Diego

SAN DIEGO (Press Release)– The grand opening of the Cosmopolitan Hotel & Restaurant in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park will be commemorated with a free public festival on Saturday, July 10, featuring an open-air night-time circus. The day-long event will begin at 1 p.m. with live entertainment including strolling actors, musicians on stage, and

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History

Tessie Sonnabaum, lady of big hats, smile and heart, laid to rest

By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—At gravesite services for Tessie Sonnabaum at the Home of Peace Cemetery on Thursday, June 24 , I couldn’t help but observe that she was known for her big hat, big smile, big laugh…. “And her big heart,” added Leah Fradkin, the rebbetzin of Chabad of Scripps Ranch. How true. Sonnabaum

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History

Holocaust anthology provides insight for readers, therapy for writers

Marking Humanity: Stories, Poems & Essays by Holocaust Survivors, Toronto, SoulInscriptionsPress.com, 2010, 312 pages, ISBN 978-0-9864770-0-3. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –Canadian journalist Shlomit Kriger has brought together the reflections, stories and poems of nearly 50 Holocaust Survivors in an anthology that covers many aspects—and emotions—of the Shoah.  Marking Humanity could serve as an excellent

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History

Old Louis Rose might have kvelled over National City Marine Terminal

By Donald H. Harrison NATIONAL CITY, California – Observing the National City Marine Terminal from the top deck of M.V. Jean Anne, a 13,000-metric ton ship that transports automobiles and other cargo between San Diego County and the Hawaiian Islands, I could imagine four 19th Century San Diego pioneers standing there with me and nudging each

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History

Eva Schloss, stepsister of Anne Frank, writes intriguing memoir

Eva’s Story by Eva Schloss (with Evelyn Julia Kent), William B. Eerdman Publishing Co, 2010, 226 pages. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—This is an updated version of the memoirs of Eva Schloss, who was the posthumous stepsister of the immortal Anne Frank.  Originally published in 1988, the current edition brings readers up to date

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History

San Diego’s Historic Places: San Diego Automotive Museum

  By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—There are many automotive museums around the world, interpreting their missions in a variety of fashions. Some collect, wanting to obtain representative automobiles of every make, nationality, or year. Others love to show the marriages of art and technology, form and function, and marketing and self-perceptions all shaping people’s

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, USA

Another paradigm for historians: Jewish life on the West Coast

By Joellyn Zollman Jews of the Pacific Coast: Reinventing Community on America’s Edge. Ellen Eisenberg, Ava F. Kahn, and William Toll. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2009, 309pp. SAN DIEGO–The New York Jewish experience has long served as the template for understanding American Jewish history. In Jews of the Pacific Coast, historians Ellen Eisenberg, Ava

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Jewish History

San Diego’s Historic Places: Veterans Memorial Museum hosts exhibit on Japanese-American members of the Armed Forces

  By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—Probably no event has seared into the consciousness of the Japanese-American community more painfully than their forced relocation from their homes on the West Coast of the United States to internment camps in the interior of the country during World War II.   This is the central portion of

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, USA

Judaism’s chain of tradition impacts on a daily basis

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO–Terms such as the “chain of Jewish tradition” and “Jewish continuity” have been so overused that they are in danger of becoming trite. However, once in a while something happens that makes me pause and reflect on how our tradition is truly ancient and unbroken. One such moment occurred for

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Jewish History, San Diego County

San Diego’s Historic Places: 19th Coast Artillery at Cabrillo National Monument

  By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—It is commonplace to see elementary school classes walking through Cabrillo National Monument on history field trips. But similar field trips to Cabrillo may also be appropriate for high school trigonometry classes – especially for those students who wonder, “What’s the point of this stuff? When would we ever

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, USA