Scene Around

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 remove it. When they refused, they were kicked off the flight!

(Oy vay! Maybe I'll fly Delta next time!)

As I write this ...

You know I write well in advance of this column coming out. That said, I just watched "Saturday Night Live" and learned that long-time executive producer LORNE MICHAELS is Jewish.

Surprise!! His real name is Lorne David Lipowitz. He was born in Toronto, Canada, or Israel (not sure) and is a citizen of Canada, Israel and the U.S.A. (My heart is in all 3 places!) He is the winner of 20 prime time Emmy awards and a super talented man!

And speaking of super-talented ...

Unfortunately, Oscar Levant is no longer with us. He was a superb pianist and also a fine actor and comedian, etc., etc., etc. He has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame!

Oscar was born in Pittsburgh to very orthodox Jewish parents who had immigrated from Russia. His maternal grandfather was a rabbi.

(I always enjoyed his piano playing and his comedic acting ability!)

And here's another super-talented person ...

Kudos to Lee Adler who has used his photography skills to benefit many charities around town. "For the past three years, we have set up photos shoots with seniors and volunteers around town and used Lee's pictures for all of our publicity," said Nancy Ludin, CEO of the Jewish Pavilion.

Lee's picture taking is superb and working with Lee is so pleasurable. Usually, his wife Marlene Adler, acts as his photography assistant and adds humor to every photo shoot experience. Participants are told they can leave after their pictures are taken, but they never do, because they are having so much fun! In this particular photo (shown here), Lee set up the camera and ask his grandchild to take the photo. We are so pleased to finally have a good picture of our Jewish Pavilion "photographer extraordinaire." Lee is pictured with his dear friends, Gloria Newberger.

Good for WJC ...

I read this in the World Jewish Congress bulletin and pass it along:

"The World Jewish Congress publicly shared its full support of the 50 City University of New York professors who resigned en masse from the school's faculty union at the end of summer after it adopted a resolution condemning Israel.

The union, known as the Professional Staff Congress, had approved a measure that, among other items, condemns the massacre of Palestinians by the Israeli state.

"We have your backs," WJC President Ambassador RONALD S. LAUDER said. "The WJC is in full solidarity with these brave professors and the university leaders who have the courage and integrity to stand with them. These educators are speaking with one voice against the troubling rise of institutionalized antisemitism in American academia, which is being emboldened from the far left and far right and is accompanied by rising support for formerly fringe movements, such as the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.

This shameful development is only the most recent sign that reflexive anti-Israel positions and antisemitism generally are surging, according to a recent poll, over 70 percent of American Jews fear antisemitism and consider themselves at risk.

(How true. I hear this often from my Jewish friends.)

Hate is hate, and the position taken by CUNY's professional union is hateful and must be condemned. Sadly, the Union's stance is symptomatic of a far wider problem in our society. We applaud the 50 professors standing in the breach and want them to know that we have their backs."

A little background to understand what we are facing in today's world ...

I read this recently in a pamphlet titled "Genocidal Anti-Semitism and Rejection of Peace in the Hamas Ideology":

"By the late 1930s, Nazi Germany had established formal contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood, which then adopted elements of Fascism. These included unconditional loyalty to 'the leader' and a militia that adopted the motto 'action, obedience, silence,' which was strikingly similar to the Italian Fascist slogan 'believe, obey, fight.' The idea of 'heroic death' was also adapted from Fascism. The veneration of martyrs dying in the act of suicide bombings echoes this Fascist principle.

(There is much more to this article but it was too upsetting for me to even pass along ... making a hero out of Hitler!)

Something much more pleasant. This is about a lovely lady ...

Recently, at a Red Hat Boa Belles gathering at Victorio's Restaurant, I had the pleasure of sitting across from a really charming gal named MARCIA HAHN of Altamonte Springs. It even seems we had similar backgrounds, attending rival high schools back in Brooklyn, N.Y. (I went to Tilden H.S. and she attended Midwood H.S. )

Although she's younger than I am and much more lovely looking, we seemed to have a lot in common.

Unfortunately widowed at a very early age from a first husband's passing, Marcia recently found the "love of her life," George Sutton, a widower, at the Maitland JCC. They fell in love and less than a year later were married.

Unfortunately, George passed away this year.

(Finding a friend like Marcia is like finding a diamond in the rough. I am very lucky!)

The Jewish Pavilion ...

The Jewish Pavilion Grief Support group is taking names now for their spring meetings. It is a six week program that explores grief through a Jewish lens. (You must attend all six.)

Please phone 407-678-9363 to be placed on the reminders list.

One for the road...

(I think this joke was written about me.)

"A mother gave her son David two ties for Chanukah. The next week he arrived at her home for Shabbat dinner wearing one of the ties.

His mother seemed upset. She greeted him with "Whatsa matter? You didn't like the other tie?"