Scene Around

The music I love …

If you’re like me, you too will consider that “Rap is Crap”!

I love and perform the good stuff, the music of the 30s and the 40s…not rock and roll & (heaven forbid) rap!

Maybe the music I love will live on… or maybe, with today’s teens, it will go by the wayside. But why should I care? I am considered a senior citizen. (NOT MENTALLY!)

We lost one of the best …

I’m referring to Stephen Sondheim, of course. He was one of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater.

Stephen was born in New York City (of course) and lived to be 91years old. He was a fabulous composer, songwriter and lyricist. He won many Tony Awards for his superb work.

Just to name a few… “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “Company,” Follies,” “A Little Night Music,” Sweeny Todd,” “The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Sunday in the Park with George,” and “Into the Woods.” (I just named a few!) Oh yes, and naming awards, 8 Tonys, an Oscar, 8 Grammys, a Pulitzer Prize, a Kennedy Center Honor and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. (That’s not all but I don’t want to run out of room!)

Such a talent … and Jewish, of course!

How about more musical talent …

I am referring to Richard Rodgers, who we lost in 1979.

He was one of the very, very, very best American composers in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most important American composers of the 20th century. (Right up there with my second cousins, the Gershwins.) He was the first person to win all four of the top American entertainment awards in theater, film, recording and television … a Tony, an Oscar, a Grammy, and an Emmy (and my heart.) He also won a Pulitzer Prize and was honored at the Kennedy Center for lifetime achievement in the arts.

He collaborated with the talented Lorenz Hart and later with Oscar Hammerstein and he also attended (among other schools) Julliard School of Music, known then as the Institute of Musical Art.

And speaking of Lorenz Hart …

Lorenz, a gifted lyricist who gave us “Blue Moon,” “The Lady is a Tramp,” (I don’t care what you think, this song was NOT written for me!), “Manhattan,” “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” and “My Funny Valentine,” to name a few.

His parents were immigrants from Germany and Jewish, of course!

Hart and Rodgers wrote many wonderful songs together for musicals and also for movies. Unfortunately, Lorenz died at a much too early age. Also dying at a much too early age, Oscar Hammerstein, who was also half Jewish through his dad whose family was from Germany. SUCH TALENT OUR PEOPLE HAVE!

Not famous for his music, but his superb acting …

I’m talking about SEAN PENN, still with us, thank goodness.

Sean’s dad was Jewish, the son of emigrants from Lithuania. (I was surprised too!)

Sean was raised in Malibu, California and attended Malibu Park Junior High and Santa Monica High. He was friends with actors EMILIO ESTEVEZ and CHARLIE SHEEN, who lived near his home.

Sean had too many relationships with women to mention here, but the fact that he is such a talented actor must be because he has Jewish blood in him!

A disturbing WJC survey about anti-Semitism …

I read this in a World Jewish Congress bulletin and pass it along to you:

“Hatred against Jews in Germany reached alarming levels during the COVID 19 pandemic. According to a 2021 survey commissioned by WJC President Ambassador RONALD S. LAUDER from November 12 to November 30, one in five adult Germans espouses antisemitic attitudes. Among 18 to 29 year olds, the number grows to one in three.

The results are alarming. They show the extent of hatred and resentment toward Jews, especially amongst young Germans. It is disturbing to see how widespread conspiracies and anti-Jewish prejudice are,” said Lauder. “At the same time, knowledge about the Holocaust is dwindling. The pandemic is acting as a catalyst: people are trivially comparing the Holocaust to vaccinations. Under the guise of supposed criticism of coronavirus measures, antisemitism has become even more socially acceptable and thus even more dangerous.”

The main results of the WJC survey are as follows:

Antisemitism is omnipresent: One fifth of all respondents said at least once that Jews had too much in the areas of finance, politics, media, or in conflicts and wars compared to other groups in society. Among 18-29 year olds, nearly one third of participants shared such anti-Jewish attitudes.

COVID conspiracies fuel hatred of Jews and vice versa. Many myths surrounding the COVID 19 pandemic build on antisemitic prejudices: about one fifth of all respondents think that Jews received a better vaccine and benefitted economically from the pandemic. Among 18-29 year olds, the figure is as high as one in three. Young people who also express anti-Semitic attitudes in other ways are particularly susceptible to COVID conspiracy theories: around three quarters of antisemitic 18-29 year olds believe COVID 19 was produced in a laboratory and that the pandemic was planned by a group of elites.

Holocaust knowledge is in decline: Thirty percent of respondents think that Jews use the Holocaust to advance their “own agenda.” 40 percent think that Jews talk to much about the Holocaust. Half of the surveyed population think that Germany has done enough to make amends for the killing of Jews. At the same time, a growing majority of Germans lack basic knowledge about the Holocaust. Sixty percent cannot correctly say that six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. In 2019 the figure was 54 percent. Among 18-29 year olds, 71 percent now lack this knowledge.

On Jan. 27, we commemorated the six million victims of the Holocaust. Yet today, Jews and other minorities in Germany are constantly exposed to the danger of violence, prejudice, and hate speech, according to Lauder. “It is striking that young people are less aware of the dangers of antisemitism than older adults. They are even more likely to hold antisemitic views. Prejudice and hatred against Jews in the minds of young people, as well as islamophobia and racism, threaten the future of democratic society in Germany.”

The WJC president commended the ambition of the new Federal Government to fight antisemitism and foster diversity and equality. “I expect those bearing responsibility in Germany to be relentless in their efforts. Every child should learn about Jewish life and history at school. Germany has laws to combat hate speech on line, but illegal and harmful content continues to proliferate on many online platforms, with nefarious activity in Telegram groups being a growing challenge. As an international organization, the WJC offers its full support to governments in Germany, Europe, and globally to tackle the problem.”

Oy Vay. White Supremacy. Need I say more? ...

DAVID DUKE is a white nationalist, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, and former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. He has a history of making racist, homophobic, and antisemitic statements, such as “Jews are filled with more hatred and rage for our race, for our heritage, for our blood than perhaps you can imagine.”

(I repeat… Oy Vay!!)

JCC Seniors on the Go …

A message from BARBARA GOLDBERG: Each Monday at 1 p.m. at the JCC:

June 27---Gentle BeMoved

July 4-----Closed for Independence Day

July 11---Gentle BeMoved

One for the road …

Nowadays you don’t have to worry about things like colds. You can take pills to eliminate nasal congestion. You can take pills to counteract the symptoms of sore throat, coughs and headaches.

You can take pills to give you quick energy and increase your body tone and vigor.

In fact, thanks to medical science, every day people are dying who never looked better!