Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted ... For many years I've been told that we look alike. Also for many years I've been told that we sound alike. I do know we are both funny ... but she was a comedian and I was a dancer and now (still) a vocalist. Also, she is deceased and I am (at least for now) still alive! Have you guessed who I'm referring to? Joan Molinsky is her name and she (like me) was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. Now do you know? Of course you do! Joan Rivers was her...
I feel heartsick ... Don't forget... I write this column almost two weeks in advance of your reading it. So... it is January 1st and I just watched "Fiddler On The Roof" for the third time. It was featured on television and that's what I do most of my spare time, watch television! Getting back to "heartsick": Although I was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and my dad was born in Brooklyn also ... and my mom was born in Montreal, Canada, I know my ancestry is Russian and Polish. Actually, my maternal...
What a shock! (A good one.) ... I love to watch Jeopardy!, the television game show. It is my 7 p.m. "go to" show. For the past several weeks there has been one person winning each time. She is phenomenal! She is also a trans-gender person who seems very proud of her status. (She should be proud! I never saw anyone with such diverse knowledge.) Her name is AMY SCHNEIDER and she is Jewish! As you know by now, I write this column almost two weeks in advance of your receiving the Heritage. So, Amy...
More Jewish super-talents ... ADAM SANDLER is a talented actor-comedian who has starred on television and in many movies. He, of course, is Jewish and born in Brooklyn like me! His ancestry is Russian like me! At the age of 6, he and his family moved to Manchester, New Hampshire, where he grew up. (Not like me.) As a teenager, Adam attended the Jewish youth group BBYO. He graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in Manhattan. Of course, he became famous as a member of the...
I know I've said this before, but WHAT TALENT! ... An EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony ) winner (and well deserved! ) I refer to singer, actress, etc. BARBRA STREISAND, from Brooklyn like me, a singer like me ... (well not. I wish I could sing like her!) I may have written about her before, but such a talent is worth many write-ups! Her half-sister ROSLYN KIND is also a singer but not in the same league as Barbra. Her maternal grandfather was a cantor in the Russian Empire. Her paternal...
Maybe we should change the name to un-American Airlines ... Before I write about celebrities, I must comment on this ... A story I just heard over the television news: An elderly orthodox Jewish couple were kicked off an American Airlines flight for refusing to place his Tallis bag and tefillin on the floor! They placed the bag in the overhead bin but the hostess and other flight crew made them take it down. They tried to explain that the bag could not be placed on the floor and they refused to...
What a talented people we are ... I am writing this column in advance as usual. It is actually the first night of Chanukah. I made matzo ball soup, latkes, fried chicken ... all with NO calories! We recently lost the talented and wonderful Stephen Sondheim. He was 91 years old when he expired. He was (as you know) a fabulous composer and lyricist. He was even praised for "reinventing the American musical." He wrote the lyrics to "West Side Story" and his best-known works were many of my...
You know I write weeks in advance ... Actually, as I write, Thanksgiving hasn't begun yet. I will be phoning my eldest son, DAVID, who is a Navy commander, and his wife, JOLENE, and I will be face-timing my son, Dr. STEVEN, a psychologist, his wife, Jessica, also a psychologist and my grandchildren, LAUREN and ZACH to wish them a happy holiday! My third son, RON, an experiential marketing event manager, will be here with me and we will also celebrate! I repeat... I know it's late but "Happy...
Who knew? Of course I did ... First of all, author Daniel Keyes (born Daniel Korzenstein) was my first cousin. His mom, my aunt Betty, and my mom, Sally, were sisters. Danny's little sister, GAIL, and I were (and still are), extremely close. (She feels like a sister to me.) Danny wrote the famous book "Flowers For Algernon" which became required reading in some New York City schools. He also wrote "The Minds of Billy Milligan" and other successful books. What people didn't know (but we in the fa...
Who knew?... In all my 48 years did I ever know that Emma Lazarus, the lady who wrote the verse on the Statue Of Liberty, was Jewish? (Okay... shut up about my age!) Emma Lazarus was an American author of poetry, prose, and translations, as well as an activist for Jewish causes. She was born in New York City and is buried in Brooklyn at Beth Olam cemetery. Of course we all heard of her. She wrote "The New Colossus," the lines inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Like my departed...
You've Got To Be Kidding ... Famous actor, SEAN PENN had a Jewish father, the son of emigrants from the Russian Empire. Sean's mom was not Jewish but he was raised in a secular home in Malibu, California. Another surprise ... Born in New York City, famous talk show host, stand up comic, political satirist and so much more, BILL MAHER's mom, Julie Berman Maher, was Jewish. Her parents were from Hungary. Do you remember ... Famous movie star, Lauren Bacall, was born back in 1924 and died in 2014....
Surprise! Surprise!... I never knew that GERALDO RIVERA was raised Jewish. Did you? This is a complete surprise to me! He is a well-known American journalist, attorney, author, political commentator and former television host. But a Jew???? Geraldo, was born at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City to Lillian Friedman and Cruz Allen Rivera. (His dad was Puerto Rican). Geraldo's mom's family was of Russian Jewish descent. Geraldo also had a bar mitzvah! He did some growing up in Brooklyn,...
How thrilled I am ... Sure, sure, at my age anything would thrill me, right? WRONG! It has to be something very special ... and it was! The other evening on the KELLY CLARKSON television show, her first guest was BARRY ALAN PINCUS! WHAT? You don't know who that is? How about if I say BARRY MANILOW? AHA! Now you know. Is there any better entertainer? Not if you ask me. "Mandy," "I write the songs," "Can't smile without you," "Copacabana," to name but a few of his fabulous hits. What a thrill to...
My past is catching up ... Okay. This is a test. I will be able to tell how old you are by the fact that you remember this entertainer ... David Daniel Kaminsky. (You knew him as Danny Kaye, beloved comedian, singer, dancer, musician, actor, etc.) I used to love him (and still do) and was reminded about him, although he is deceased many years, by a television program about Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary, as he was part of the EPCOT celebration. Danny was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., (like me)...
More surprises ... Of course I've heard of WILLIAM SHATNER, but I never knew he was Jewish. Shatner was born in Montreal, Canada (like my mom). His grandparents were Jewish immigrants from present day Ukraine. (Also like my ancestors). He started out acting in Canada, playing many serious roles. When you think of William Shatner, you automatically think of "Star Trek." (Hey! Captain Kirk!) Incidentally, he is 90 years old and still going strong. Then there is Chaim Witz, musician, singer,...
Wow! A favorite of mine ... One of my sons, a marketing manager, recently worked in New York City for a weekend. He met some very famous people and one of them was a favorite of mine, LARRY DAVID, who happens to be Jewish (but you knew that!) I loved Larry way back when he was one of the creators of "Seinfeld," most everyone's favorite television series. Then when his own TV show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" was established, I fell in love with Larry David, especially his humor. (It hit home every ti...
How could we ever forget?... I’m sure (at least I hope) we will never forget what happened to our country on September 11th, especially to my beloved New York City. I refer to the World Trade Center, of course. (Since I write this column about 2 weeks in advance of publication. I am writing it on September 11th, a day and tragedy that will live on in infamy.) I lost my cousin, Alan Feinberg, in tower one of the Twin Towers that day. He was a firefighter with the 9th battalion in Manhattan. He was bravely rescuing people when the building c...
Surprise! Surprise!... Did you know that Golden Globe, Prime Time Emmy and an Academy Award... all for best actress, were earned by fabulous actress HELEN HUNT? Did you also know that her paternal grandparents were from German-Jewish folks. Like me, Helen grew up in New York City from the age of three. I recently saw her on television discussing her career. (You may have also.) And you probably have heard of actress, Milena Markovna Kunis. NO? (How about MILA KUNIS?) Mila, born in Soviet...
I watch this show regularly… And I’m not ashamed to admit it! I’m talking about the Maury Povich show on television. I love watching it although everyone I know says “it’s beneath them.” I also enjoy watching “Hoarders.” Maybe because I’m very sloppy? (Oh shut up!) Anyway, MAURY POVICH has always been a favorite of mine and, of course, he is one of us! I also enjoy watching SNL (Saturday Night Live) on television. I need a laugh now and then and now, now, now! I’ve enjoyed watching particularly when the guest host is SCARLETT JOHANSSON....
I truly love New York City … I was born in Brooklyn, one of the five boroughs of New York City … you know, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. And, I grew up there. (That should explain my weird sense of humor!) Recently, I was watching “I Love NYC” on television, a salute to a place that was on its way back from a horrible pandemic. It took place in Manhattan’s Central Park and began with a fabulous salute of music played by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Many star...
Too many to list at one time ... I'm talking about famous Jewish entertainers like Billy Crystal and Zac Efron. Also, Natalie Portman (oh wait! You knew she was born in Israel.) How about "Saturday Night Live's" MAYA RUDOLPH. (I never even suspected.) Also Sarah Jessica Parker. (I sort of suspected.) What about Paula Abdul (NO WAY!) Yes, way! Wow! If you are shocked about these artists being Jewish, just wait until next week! The future of the Jewish people ... I read this in a World Jewish...
Eretz Israel ... Oops ... How did I miss writing about May 14 1948? YEAH! Israel is officially a state! Have you ever been to Israel? I have! It is our PROMISED LAND, YES! I left my heart there ... Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Masada, the Dead Sea. the Golan Heights and on and on. A return trip to Israel is definitely on my Bucket List! More about famous Jews who have my heart ... WOLF BLITZER, for one. He is a noted American journalist, television news anchor and author who has been a CNN reporter...
More Famous Jews ... JAY SCOTT GREENSPAN is an American actor who became famous with JERRY SEINFELD on his long running TV show, "Seinfeld." Oh yes! You would know him as Jason Alexander who played George Costanza, Jerry's buddy on the television show. And of course, Jason has appeared in several movies as well. A Newark, New Jersey born actor/comedian, Jason is Jewish! (But you knew that!) Here's a surprise ... Fabulous Fred Astaire was born Frederick Austerlitz, the son of Friedrich "Fritz"...
Some sad news ... Comedian Jackie Mason died. He was in his early 90s. Jackie Mason was born Yacov Moshe Hakohen Maza on June 9, 1928, (according to 1940 NYC census), in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the fourth and last son (and first son born in the United States) in a family of six children of strict Orthodox Jews. Mason came from a long line of rabbis, which included his father, his grandfather, his great-grandfather, and his great-great-grandfather. His father Eli Maza and his mother, Belle...
More famous Jews... Comic Lenny Bruce once said "To me, if you live in New York City or any other big city, you are Jewish. It doesn't matter, even if you're Catholic, if you live in New York City you're Jewish." (He said that but what did he mean??) Well, here's a Jew who wrote a terrific Christmas song, probably one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time! "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, Yule tide carols being sung by a choir, and folks dressed up...
