In the black-and-white photograph, men and boys lean against the Western Wall, while women sit just behind them. The year is 1880, or thereabouts, and it’s just one of the many fleeting moments captured in a vast and priceless photography collection at the National Library of Israel that has just received a $2.5 million gift…
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Art
Books
Refugees’ stories illuminate universal pain of leaving home
In “Refugees in America,” Rabbi Lee T. Bycel introduces his book with lines from a poem by British-based writer and activist Warsan Shire, born in Kenya…
Art
S.F. Holocaust Memorial sculpture to undergo restoration
Visitors to the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco after Sept. 20 will notice that the Holocaust Memorial is missing. But not to worry. The…
Art
Robert Frank, influential photographer known for ‘The Americans,’ dies at 94
Robert Frank, a documentary photographer best known for his book “The Americans,” has died. Frank, a resident of Manhattan, died Monday in Inverness, Nova…
Trailblazers
Dorothy Saxe: a masterpiece of generosity and understanding
Part of Trailblazers, a series of profiles of Jewish men and women who build and sustain our Jewish community, supported by a generous donation from Carol…
Art & About
Art around the Bay this month: hate speech, sacred texts and shrooms
For me, as a native New Yorker, September has always signaled the start of the busiest cultural season. The Bay Area is no slouch either in that regard.…
Northern California
‘Auschwitz-themed’ Barbie Death Camp at Burning Man catches ADL’s eye
The San Francisco-based office of the Anti-Defamation League is investigating a macabre art display it called “offensive” and trivializing of the…
Art
Rare early Soviet-era illustrations of ‘One Little Goat’ seder song at Magnes
An upcoming exhibit at the Magnes museum in Berkeley brings to light a fascinating yet little-known slice of modern European Jewish history. “El…
Photography
For Tu B’Av, enjoy 9 sweet photos of Israelis in love
Tu B’Av (literally, the 15th of the month of Av) is a minor Jewish holiday that has become a major driver for late summer romance and romantic gift…