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.
The Republican presidential debate By Laurie Baron MARGATE, New Jersey — CNN advertised the debate like it was a boxing match in which some of the candidates would be knocked senseless in the ensuing exchanges. It turned out that the views of many of the candidates on abortion, childhood inoculations, gay marriage, the minimum wage, […]
Humoring the Headlines: September 17, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron MARGATE, New Jersey‒ Donald Trump conceded that the United States might have to permit some Syrian refugees to immigrate here for humanitarian reasons. On second thought, he realized he could make a better deal by offering to trade undocumented Mexican aliens for a group of Syrians and an undisclosed number of white
Humoring the headlines: September 11, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron MARGATE, New Jersey‒ To compete with Donald Trump and boost his own flagging presidential bid, Chris Christie proposed that the US government contract with FedEx to track the whereabouts of immigrants in the United States. If they are here illegally, they will be shipped back to their countries of origin in crates
Humoring the Headlines: September 2, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireSAN DIEGO (SDJW) – During the month of August, San Diego Jewish World was privileged to publish works by the following writers and photographers. We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you and to publicly express our appreciation. To access works by these contributors on San Diego Jewish World, type or copy their name into the
A hearty thank you to SDJW’s August contributors Read More »
Barry Shaw, Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Edwin Black, Eileen Wingard, Fred Reiss, EdD, Ira Sharkansky, Lawrence Baron, Mark D. Zimmerman, Michael Ordman, Mimi Pollack, Natasha Josefowitz, Sheryl Rowling, Shor M. Masori, Shoshana Bryen, Steve KramerBy Laurie Baron MARGATE CITY, New Jersey–Donald Trump ejected Univision anchor Jorge Ramos from a campaign rally for asking a question about Trump’s plan to deport 11,000,000 undocumented aliens. Although Trump allowed Ramos to return, the Donald was overheard saying, “Only 10,999,999 left!” * A Colorado judge sentenced James Eagan Holmes to 12 life terms
Humoring the headlines: August 26, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Hackers have posted personal data obtained from the infidelity dating website Ashley Madison. Former President Bill Clinton has requested that the FBI immediately return the private server it confiscated from the Clinton home. * Donald Trump was dismissed from a jury panel when he told a prosecutor that the facts
Humoring the headlines: August 20, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ The Food and Drug Administration approved the use of OxyContin for children as young as 11 years old. When a reporter asked why kids that young would require the medication, an FDA official asked, “Do you know how painful it is to be a middle school student?” * Donald Trump
Humoring the Headlines: August 17, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Incensed that Megyn Kelly had asked him an inappropriate question about sexist remarks he has made, Donald Trump commented: “You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her whatever.” Journalists reported that the excrement flowing out of Trump’s mouth shows no signs of
Humoring the headlines: August 11, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireThe Fox News Presidential Debate By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ It opened more like a sporting event than a political debate with the moderators observing that the venue was where the Cleveland Cavaliers play their games. Though the moderators are supposed to be impartial, Megan Kelly anointed Carly Fiorina the Snow White of the earlier
Humoring the headlines: August 7, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ The Koch Brothers summoned five Republican presidential candidates to compete for their endorsement and funding. Charles Koch compared the conservative activism of him and his brother to the civil rights movement. Under the banner of “Rich Lives Matter More,” the brothers and the candidates sang the anthem of their cause:
Humoring the headlines: August 4, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
SAN DIEGO (SDJW) – During the month of July, San Diego Jewish World was privileged to publish works by the following writers and photographers. We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you and publicly express our appreciation. To access works by these contributors on San Diego Jewish World, type or copy their name
SDJW thanks its July 2015 contributors Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Eileen Wingard, Eric George Tauber, Eva Trieger, Fred Reiss, EdD, Ira Sharkansky, Lawrence Baron, Lloyd Levy, Mark D. Zimmerman, Michael Ordman, Mimi Pollack, Natasha Josefowitz, Sheryl Rowling, Shor M. Masori, Shoshana Bryen, Steve KramerBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Animal Control has been unable to locate the lion that was sighted prowling the streets of Milwaukee and have concluded that either the sightings were a hoax or the lion has started walking to Minnesota to find dentist Walter Palmer and avenge the killing of Cecil in Zimbabwe. * Fox
Humoring the Headlines: July 31, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Hollow Holocaust Analogy: Huckabee accused Obama of being so naïve about Iran that he accepted a nuclear deal that would “take the Israelis and basically march them to the door of the oven.” Jews don’t go to their deaths like lambs to the slaughter when they possess 75 to 400
Humoring the headlines: July 27, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & SatireBy Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO─ Texas Transportation Code: Sec. 545.104. (a) An operator shall use the signal authorized by Section 545.106 to indicate an intention to turn, change lanes, or start from a parked position. Sentencing Guidelines: a warning, a ticket, Tasing if the operator tries to harm the officer with secondhand smoke, and the
Humoring the headlines: July 23, 2015 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire