Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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No surprise ... One of my favorite actors who has since passed, Jerome Silberman, was Jewish. You may know him as Gene Wilder. He also was once married to Gilda Radner, another Jew and another of my favorites, who made me adore the television show "Saturday Night Live." She passed away many years ago and much too young! And someone I consider absolute genius, Dr. Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through di...
Am I Proud! ... The song "Of Thee I Sing" written by my 2nd cousins (on my fathers side), George and Ira Gershwin, became the first musical to win a Pulitzer Prize on Oct. 10, 1935 (way before I was born!). Also, the wonderful musical opera "Porgy and Bess" opened on Broadway before I was born. It was written by them as well and with Dubois Heywood. (I'm NOT so old!) On my very first CD, I recorded five of the Gershwin's great songs. I titled the CD "Dreamer on the 18th Floor" in honor of the...
For many (many) years... I performed as a dancer but mostly as a vocalist. In fact, this was the first New Years Eve that I haven't performed. I will always remember the year 2020 as the worst I've ever spent in my long life, mostly quarantined at home watching "Dr. Phil" on television and over-eating! (Oy vay!) Maybe this year 2021 will be back to normal. (If I don't gain too much weight!). Here is a photo of me and Eddie Fisher working on one New Years Eve. (He had just left his wife, Debbie...
If it gets any colder, I'm moving to Florida! ... (I shouldn't complain. I get to wear a jacket and hide my tummy!) Anyway, I must say, the more I research for this column, the more I find reasons to be proud! For instance, the songs of today do not compare with the great American songbook (that was written mostly by Jews.) As a vocalist, I stick to the beautiful songs, the ones written mostly in the '30s and '40s and mostly by Jews. This morning I watched a movie on television (what else is...
Chanukah is over for this year ... And what a year it was! 2020 was a nightmare (due to the pandemic) and Chanukah was not celebrated with family this year ... just one son, who lives here to keep me safe, and my dog, Chloe. Of course, we kept in touch with family by phone but cooking for just one son and myself (Chloe was stuck with dog food) isn't quite the same. We had chicken, matzo brei, potato latkes, etc., and lit the candles, of course ... but it was not festive. Maybe next year!...
Thanks to TikTok ... (I'm too old to know about TikTok but anyway): The World Jewish Congress was pleased to hear from TikTok that it has removed anti-Semitic content shared by users after the WJC flagged such content for the social media company. The WJC has worked closely with TikTok to identify specific examples of harmful content and was informed that TikTok had removed 98 of 100 flagged videos and banned 9 of 12 users. TikTok has now followed YouTube and Facebook in banning Dieudonne...
Here is more proof ... Proof that Jewish people were fabulous composer/lyricists and many of their songs live on ... no matter what the subject! (It never ceases to amaze me.) For instance, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nippin' at your nose ..." The Christmas Song. It was written by Mel Tormé, a singer, also known as "The Velvet Fog." Melvin Howard Tormé was the son of Jewish/polish immigrants. I had the pleasure of meeting him once. And I also had the pleasure of meeting f...
Happy Chanukah! ... As you know, Chanukah began sundown on Dec. 10th and goes through sundown on Dec. 18th. The holiday celebrates redemption of the second Temple in Jerusalem. Of course, fried foods are proper in commemoration of the oil that burned for 8 days when the Maccabees purified and rededicated the Holy Temple. (Yum, Latkes!) This is one of my favorite holidays. Let's celebrate the "Festival of Lights." What I'm grateful for ... Watching Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on television, I...
I am sooo proud ... I know I've said this before, many times: "Much of the American Songbook (no rap) was composed by Jews. The greatest songs of all time, in my opinion!" The other night while watching television (what else is there to do since the start of this pandemic?) I watched the movie "Holiday Inn" on television. All the songs were written by Israel Bellin. (You know him as Irving Berlin.) This was the Broadway version of the 1942 movie of the same name. It had many funny moments,...
What a loss ... I loved watching the television show, "Jeopardy." Although I rarely knew the answers to the questions, I enjoyed watching the game hosted by Alex Trebek. Maybe its because I felt such warmth from him, such tenderness. Also, although he was not raised Jewish, I believe he had Jewish ancestry on his father's side. Alex was from Canada, his ancestry is Ukrainian, like mine on my mother's side. (My mom was born in Canada but her parents and siblings were born in Ukraine.) I will...
Oy Gevalt! ... I recently read this, got upset, and pass it along to you: "The Jewish Confederation of Ukraine voiced outrage following an attack on the Mariupol synagogue by an axe-wielding vandal. The incident occurred on the eve of one of the Jewish calendar's holiest days, Tisha B'Av, which marks the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem. The synagogue's security guard is being hailed as a hero after he successfully fought off the armed attacker. Media reports indicated that the...
Wow! Once again I'm "wowed"! ... What great talent our people have. I just watched the old movie "Billy Rose's Dumbo" on TV. It made me smile and feel good after so much staying at home for the past many months. I knew Billy Rose was Jewish but the movie featured many beautiful songs, some of them by two of our most talented songwriters, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, both Jewish, of course! And on the same subject ... I watch a lot of television now that I'm stuck in the house, (mostly Dr....
Memories ... Did you know that former New York City Mayor, Ed Koch, (who was Jewish) once came to Orlando and visited us at Congregation Ohev Shalom? Well he did, and I had the pleasure of meeting him in person! And speaking of famous people ... The other night on JIMMY FALLON's "Tonight Show," the guests were two prominent Jewish people, comedian CHELSEA HANDLER and Senator BERNIE SANDERS. Actually, Bernie went to a rival high school, Madison, in Brooklyn when I attended Tilden High School and...
Some upsetting news from Canada ... I read this in the current issue of the World Jewish Congress digest and pass it along to you: "The WJC-affiliated Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs released the following statement in response to a string of anti-Semitic incidents across Toronto, Canada: The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is disgusted by a recent series of disturbing anti-Semitic incidents across the Greater Toronto area. An anti-Israel protest took place at Celebration Square in...
Who knew?... I surely didn't and I knew her! Actress GOLDIE HAWN was raised Jewish by a Jewish mom and non-Jewish dad. She's been on television lately as "Rowan and Martin's Laugh In" has returned to the small screen. She was then primarily a dancer and a comic. (I should have realized she was Jewish because she was sooooo cute!!) Speaking of cute ... Here is another cute Jewish girl, actually adorable in every way! Her name is LAUREN NICOLE YOUSHA. Aha! The Yousha name was a dead giveaway, righ...
This comes directly from the "Jerusalem Post" newspaper recently ... Its title is "The Jewish imperative of the coronavirus crisis." "The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented global crisis. Hundreds of thousands have died, millions have been sickened, and billions have been confined to their homes. Healthcare and economic systems have been stretched and strained, and many nations are facing a test the likes of which they have not encountered since 1945. For many months now, the...
What a life... Here I am, still alive in spite of my age, still performing and still writing. And if the coronavirus doesn't get me, there is still a lot to do! Of course I have great memories of folks I met and worked with, many of them Jewish like me and many from Brooklyn, N.Y. like me, but not all! For instance, singer Eddie Fisher, a Jew yes, but from Philadelphia! We worked together in Las Vegas and Orlando. He is gone now but never forgotten. (See photo. That's Eddie and me, not Elizabeth...
She was special ... And she will go down in history, for sure. I refer to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who recently passed away. She was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Ginsburg was nominated by President BILL CLINTON on June 14, 1993 (my birthday!) and has served since Aug. 10, 1993. until just last week. She was born in Brooklyn (like me) and was generally viewed as belonging to the liberal wing of the court. Of course, she should be buried at Arlington National...
How lucky I am! ... The music, the performers of my time ... thank goodness I grew up in the 40s, 50s and 60s. The great American songbook is the BEST! The performers were the BEST! (If you are willing to admit to being that old, you would agree!) Anyway, I just heard MICHAEL FEINSTEIN singing Gershwin on the radio! (Yup, Jewish.) And I just learned that billionaire MARK CUBAN of "Shark Tank" the TV show, with his great looks and personality is also Jewish! (And he is super rich!) Difficult...
Iran's ban on Israel ... I read this in the World Jewish Congress digest, said to myself "oy vay," and pass it along to you: Iranian President HASSAN ROUHANI issued an implementation order of a law banning any cooperation with the State of Israel, specifically bans on technological products, including computer hardware and software. Following the order, the Iranian interior, intelligence, foreign, and defense ministries, the Supreme National Security Council, and the Judiciary are now required...
A scary, uneasy time ... I received the following from the World Jewish Congress and I pass it along to you: "There is no doubt that we are living through a tumultuous time of profound unrest and uncertainty across the nation and around the world. We continue to struggle against the consequences of COVID-19 and the resulting fight against new forms and new waves of antisemitism and discrimination of any kind. At the same time, there are glimmers of real hope and progress on the horizon. The WJC...
The Simon Wiesenthal Center ... I received a letter recently from Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the SWC. It started off like this: In 1977, I made a sacred vow to Simon Wiesenthal that the Center that carries his name would uphold his legacy of combating anti-Semitism, defending the Jewish nation and standing up for justice and human dignity. Forty-three years later, that struggle is very urgent and very real. The last few months have been an unprecedented time in our country. Like...
While watching television ... (What else is there to do during this pandemic quarantine? Well. If I wasn't a widow I would figure it out!) Anyway, I saw some great movies in the last few days. "First Wives Club" was one of them. BETTE MIDLER and GOLDIE HAWN were two of the stars and both are Jewish. Also, SARAH JESSICA PARKER is featured in that movie, (Another Jew.) Next, I saw "Foul Play," again with Goldie Hawn as one of the stars. The movie featured the music of Barry Alan Pincus throughout....
A proud Navy mom ... While watching television the other night (what else is there to do during the "pandemic"?), I watched one Navy musical movie after another. The first one was titled "Hit The Deck," starring Alvin Morris, a nice Jewish boy! You probably knew him as Tony Martin. The second movie musical about the Navy is titled "On The Town." The talents behind it were Basia Cohen (Betty Comden), Adolph Green and Leonard Bernstein, among others. They, of course, were all Russian Jews. Who...
Oy, what memories! ... I'm sure I don't have to tell you that, because of Covid-19, I (and many of you) spend day after day after day at home, watching television and going batty with boredom ... unless you have children in your home and then it's not so bad. But my kids are grown men and, except for my youngest, also a grown man who insists on watching over me in my "old" age, I am alone with my dog, Chloe. So, I watch a lot of television ... mostly "Dr. Phil" and an occasional movie. What a...
