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Today’s Jewish Birthday: Moshe Dayan

Courtesy of Wikipedia Moshe Dayan (May 20, 1915 – October 16, 1981) was an Israeli military leader and politician. As commander of the Jerusalem front in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (1953–1958) during the 1956 Suez Crisis, and especially as Defense Minister during the Six-Day War in 1967, he became a worldwide fighting symbol of the new state […]

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International, Israel, Jewish History, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia

Jewish Biography: Arthur Kösztler and the 13th Jewish Tribe

There is no missionary in Judaism, which sharply limits the mobilization potential of this religion. Therefore, in the Khazar Khaganate, in which only a part of the elite accepted Judaism, there could not be an intensive violent spread of religion, similar to what took place in Christianity and Islam. Therefore, the Jews were so few among the Khazars that they could not by themselves be a source of intensive spread of the Jewish religion. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, International, Israel, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Being a Kid Again at the JCC’s Israel Festival

We made our rounds checking out the different booths and activities. We sought out some and discovered others. The avira (atmosphere) was incredible. People were happy, children were running around laughing, everyone was just enjoying the festivities. In the center of the field, there was still a reminder that we are waiting for our hostages. [Miriam Gershenson]

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Albert Kreimerman, Israel, Miriam Gershenson, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

‘The Butler Did It’ Offers Plays Within Plays

Under Dennis Floyd’s direction this fast-paced, silly adventure depicts the return of the once-admired Broadway director, Anthony J. Lefcourt, presenting his newest whodunit–not a thriller!–that features an aging starlet, a dewy-eyed ingenue, a doddering actor who can’t learn his lines, a street kid attempting to pass as a schooled butler, and an out-of-work actor-cum-detective. [Eva Trieger]

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Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Novel Imagines Political Consequences if Aging Could Be Reversed

Geiderman presents us with an opportunity to imagine what it would be like to suddenly grow younger than one’s daughter, but rather than diving deeply into that story, he had another story in mind – one which, I am sad to say, was not nearly so interesting. It plowed the familiar ground of political intrigue. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Takeaways From the JNF’s CEO Most Recent Trip to Israel

Our Emergency Response Centers, vital to the feeling of security these communities need, are not just physical manifestations of security that will house fire, rescue, civil defense, and medical services; they signal to the volunteers who will operate out of them that their destiny is in their own hands; it’s something they can control, a feeling very much needed today. [Russell Robinson]

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Israel, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: The Lion’s Trail Passes Through Desert City of Dimona

David Ben Gurion toyed with the idea of a revived Mamshit becoming the Capital of Israel if the state ever came to be. Necessity was reality. Ben Gurion declared Israel’s independence in Tel Aviv in 1948. Dimona was too remote, too hard to get to, and endured a harsh climate [Jerry Klinger]

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Israel, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Nora Ephron

Courtesy of Wikipedia Nora Ephron (May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012) was an American journalist, writer, and filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing romantic comedy films. She received numerous accolades including a British Academy Film Award and nominations for three Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and three Writers Guild of America Awards. Ephron started her career writing

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, The Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA, Wikipedia

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Jacob Javits

Courtesy of Wikipedia Jacob Javits (May 18, 1904 – March 7, 1986) was an American lawyer and politician. During his time in politics, he represented the state of New York in both houses of the United States Congress. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the state’s Attorney General. Generally considered a liberal Republican, he was often

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News Media, Today's Jewish Birthday, USA, Wikipedia

Three Intriguing Stories Lead to One in ‘The Boy with the Star Tattoo’

The highly readable novel juxtaposes three stories: 1) love and survival in Vichy France;  2) Jewish efforts shortly after World War II to find European Jewish orphans who could be brought to Eretz Israel; and 3) the drama of Israel “stealing” its own ships from under the eyes of the French. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish Fiction, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘Kosher Jammers’ Links Jewish and African-American Jazz

From the 1920’s through the early 1950’s, luminaries like Harold Arlen (Hyman Arluck) Yip Harburg (Isidore Hochberg) and countless others wrote tunes that became the jazz standards that helped make Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Teddy Wilson, et al, world famous. [Yale Strom]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA