Fall Arts Preview 2019 by New Jersey Jewish News

Fall Arts A SUPPLEMENT TO NEW JERSEY JEWISH NEWS SEPTEMBER 26, 2019

PREVIEW

A roundup of the fall offerings in theater, film, music, visual arts, and books

NJ Jewish News ■ Greater MetroWest Edition ■ September 26, 2019

Bauhaus-inspired homes. The Morven Museum exhibit will include Kahn’s drawing of an idealized school in Roosevelt. The town’s history and artistic heritage were intertwined. Many Roosevelt artists, Dube wrote in an email, “addressed issues in their work [that] are still very much relevant today: civil rights, economic equality, immigration, labor issues and fair pay, the right Dorothea Lange photograph of wives and to free speech, peace, and justice.” children of the cooperative farm homeOne example is the 1937 mural, steaders in Hightstown circa 1936. rendered in fresco by Shahn and Bryson, which will appear in the exhibit reproduced in vinyl from child of Jewish immi- together, and this is an idea of what a photo by Ricardo Barros. The grant garment workers, it was like and how liberal we were.” complex, detailed mural interweaves Her family remained in Jersey three-year-old Helen the story of Jewish immigration Barth moved with her Homesteads after the farm failed to America and the growth of liberal parents to Jersey Homesteads and the coat and suit factory closed trade unionism — it depicts the (now Roosevelt, where she still lives) within a couple years of the town’s workers’ escape from violence and in the late 1930s. Her parents were founding. Although no longer a pogroms in Europe only to find drawn by the vision of the town’s cooperative, Barth said the town themselves in U.S. sweatshops. retained its strong founder, Benjamin These two experiences sparked community feel. A 1938 photograph of the mural painted by in some immigrants the utopian Brown, to create a cooperative settle- N J J N C O N T R I B U T I N G W R I T E R “ E v e r y b o d y Ben Shahn, which depicts the story of vision of a cooperative settlement, ment of 200 homes with a factory, a always looked out for each other,” Jewish immigration into the U.S. where residents would work in the she said. community-owned factory and farm. farm, and retail stores. An influx of artists between the Although this utopian vision failed Pres. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Homesteads in 1945 in homage to the late 1930s and the 1950s added culture early on in Roosevelt, it continued Resettlement Administration aided the FDR administration’s efforts to create to the town’s identity. It started with to infuse community members who efforts to create the cooperative, and the Monmouth County town — and the Brown promoted his project through Ben Shahn who, with his partner work of its artists, past and present, will were able to remain and find jobs in union publications and Yiddish Bernarda Bryson (later his wife), be showcased in “Dreaming of Utopia: surrounding towns. newspapers. He drew an entirely completed a mural in 1937 in the Roosevelt, New Jersey,” opening Nov. Also in the Princeton exhibit are Jewish population from factories in town’s combined elementary school 15 at Morven Museum & Garden in images from Ben Shahn’s illustrated New York City and each family had and community center. The two artists Princeton. As many current Roosevelt Haggadah, which reflects a common to pay $500 to join. A couple of years fell in love with the ideals of Jersey residents are also artists, the show will theme in his art: the struggle against after its establishment, empty houses Homesteads and moved in. They were include work from contemporary ones oppression. in Jersey Homesteads were opened to followed by other artists whose work such as Ani Rosskam, her husband Bill A hand-colored lithograph of people not involved in the cooperative, reflected the town’s socialist origins, Leech, and Jonathan Shahn, son of Ben two of Landau’s 10 large stainedincluding African-American families. like Sol Libsohn, Jacob Landau, and and Bernarda. glass windows in the sanctuary of “We never once had segregation Louise and Edwin Rosskam. Ilene Dube, an arts journalist and Congregation Keneseth Israel in The history of Roosevelt — the creator of the 2017 documentary Elkins Park, Pa., are called “The in our town,” Barth told NJJN. town’s name was changed from Jersey “Generations of Artists: Roosevelt NJ,” Prophetic Quest.” Not only does this “Everyone sat together and played is the show’s guest curator. For her, theme mesh with Roosevelt’s social visiting Roosevelt is like entering an justice roots but it also reflects a quote alternate dimension, reminding her of an from Landau in a 2014-2015 Keneseth episode of the “Twilight Zone” where an Israel programming brochure: “My advertising executive commutes home, life is about trying to articulate the falls asleep, and wakes up in a model struggle, the human predicament, the town called Willoughby. beauty and terror of existence, and the “Every time I went to Roosevelt to hope of transcendence.” interview an artist, I felt like I was in Other works displayed depict Willoughby, some kind of utopia,” she elements in the town’s history. told NJJN in a telephone interview. Bryson, who died in 2004, Roosevelt’s history resonates contributed a penciled portrait of the with Dube on a personal level: town’s founder, Benjamin Brown. Her grandfather, who died before According to the book “Utopia, New she was born, grew up on a farm Jersey,” in 1928 Brown was invited in New Jersey, and Dube said she by the Soviets to help organize the “always imagined it was one of these federal farm marketing system for cooperative farming communities.” the Russian-Jewish settlement in Furthermore, the son of her father’s Birobidzhan, near the Chinese border. first cousin, Stanley Dube, worked Brown, who had also been involved in “Portrait of Bernarda Shahn, for Louis Kahn on the design of other cooperative efforts, “envisioned wife of Ben Shahn” by Mel Leipzig Roosevelt’s concrete, flat-roofed, Jersey Homesteads as a model in

VISUAL ARTS From sweatshops to ‘utopia’ Exhibit on Jews of Roosevelt intertwines art with history

Michele Alperin

P H OTO S C O U R T E S Y M O R V E N M U S E U M A N D G A R D E N

If you go

which Eastern European Jewish culture and the Yiddish language could be preserved,” Dube said. Also in the exhibit will be Otto Wester’s original bas-relief doors for the Roosevelt Public School, which depict scenes from the early history of Jersey Homesteads, hammered into the aluminum. Sol Libsohn, along with Ben Shahn (also a photographer) and Edwin and Louise Rosskam, documented living conditions across the United States during the Depression for the Farm Security Administration. Libsohn’s photographs in the exhibit will be divided between this professional work and snapshots he took depicting everyday life in Roosevelt.

“FINE ART EMPORIUM: AUTUMN SOIRÉE.” Award-winning art of Carol J. Cohn and more from a curated selection of local artists. Oct. 18, 3-7 p.m. Food and live music. 244 N. Fullerton Ave., Montclair, cjcohnartist.com

“Transform Your Sorrow” by Carol J. Cohn

“ED BERGER, THE JAZZ PHOTOGRAPHS: A BRIEF RETROSPECTIVE.” An exhibit of 30 photographs taken by Ed Berger, former associate director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University, Newark. Nov. 3-Jan. 12. Sundays, 1-5 p.m. and by appointment. The Jewish Museum of New Jersey, Newark, JewishMuseumNJ.org, 973-485-2609 “LAWYERS WITHOUT RIGHTS: JEWISH LAWYERS IN GERMANY UNDER THE THIRD REICH.” This exhibit from the American Bar Association a n d t h e G e rman Federal Bar provides a portrait of the fate of Jewish lawyers in Germany and stories that speak to how the Nazis purged them as one of the early steps to attack the rule of law. Dec. 19-Jan. 30. Free. The Jewish Center, Princeton, thejewishcenter.org, 609-921-0100

Based on his father’s design, Jonathan Shahn sculpted a bronze bust of FDR as well as a miniature version of the bust that will appear in the exhibit. Eleanor Roosevelt attended the sculpture’s 1962 dedication in Roosevelt. The “Generations of Artists” exhibit is a perfect fit for Morven, the house built by Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a home to five New Jersey governors. “We try to marry the idea of history and fine art or art history,” said Elizabeth Allan, deputy director and curator of Morven Museum & Garden. “The context of the artwork is what we are interested in presenting.” ●

Ed Berger

DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS NEW MUSICAL

LAST

SUMMER

DAYS OF

OUR INAU G P R O D U C U RA L T IO N in our new ho in downto me N ew B r u n w n swick

book and lyrics by STEVE KLUGER music by JASON HOWLAND based on the book by STEVE KLUGER direction and musical staging by JEFF CALHOUN Sponsored by the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation

OCT 15 — NOV 10

GeorgeStreetPlayhouse.org • 732-246-7717 GEORGE STREET PLAYHOUSE at the New Brunswick Performing Ar ts Center 11 Livingston Avenue • New Brunswick, NJ 08901

David Saint, Artistic Director Kelly Ryman, Managing Director

Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.

NJ Jewish News ■ Greater MetroWest Edition ■ September 26, 2019

What: “Dreaming of Utopia Roosevelt, New Jersey” exhibit When: Nov. 15, 2019-May 10, 2020; Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Where: Morven Museum and Garden, Princeton Cost: $10, $8 seniors and students Information: Morven Museum and Garden is hosting several programs associated with the exhibit. For details, visit morvenmuseum.squarespace.com/dreaming-of-utopia or call 609-924-8144.

VISUAL ARTS LIST

NJ Jewish News ■ Greater MetroWest Edition ■ September 26, 2019

VISUAL ARTS Exhibition celebrates Helen Frankenthaler’s print innovations MORE THAN 50 prints by Helen Frankenthaler — one of the most influential artists to emerge in the mid-20th century — are on view at the Princeton University Art Museum through Oct. 20. Frankenthaler (1928-2011), who grew up in a pro-

R e d e f i n i n g a g R e at

Arts e x p e R i e n c e

an evening With BRoadWay’S

tony yazBeck SAT, NOV 23 AT 8PM

A “spellbinding” one-man show, that invites audiences to join him on an emotional journey along life’s ups and downs as told through classic show tunes, new standards and dazzling tap dancing. Yazbeck is appearing as Cary Grant in a new Broadway musical, Flying Over Sunset, scheduled for Spring 2020. Jon B.

SAT, oCT 5 AT 8PM

Glenn Miller orCheSTrA Fri, noV 1 AT 8PM

on A WinTer’S niGhT 25Th AnniVerSAry ChriSTine lAVin, John GorkA, Cheryl Wheeler, PATTy lArkin And CliFF eBerhArdT Fri, noV 8 AT 8PM

GiAnTS oF JAzz 22 honorinG hArold MABern SAT, noV 16 AT 8PM

CArl PAlMer’S elP leGACy SUn, noV 17 AT 7:30PM

GAeliC STorM

Fri, noV 22 AT 8PM

Buy Tickets Today! Visit SoPACnow.org for more exciting events! Box office (973) 313-2787 South oRange peRfoRming aRtS centeR one Sopac Way South oRange nJ 07079

“Madame Butterfly,” Helen Frankenthaler, color woodcut, 2000 © 2 0 1 9 H E L E N F R A N K E N T H A L E R F O U N D AT I O N

gressive Jewish family on New York City’s Upper East Side, may be best known for her innovative abstract paintings. But she was also a prolific printmaker whose print works are characterized by the diversity of techniques she employed and the ways in which her engagement with printmaking could parallel her practice as a painter. “Helen Frankenthaler Prints: Seven Types of Ambiguity” examines the continuous and generative role of printmaking throughout the artist’s career, while tracing the ascendance of American printmaking in the latter half of the 20th century. The works on display span five decades and more than a dozen printmaking processes, including lithography, woodcut, etching, and engraving. The exhibition will highlight 10 prints and five working proofs that were donated to the Princeton University Art Museum by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation last year as part of the Frankenthaler Prints Initiative. Also on display will be loans of prints from the Frankenthaler Foundation and from public and private collections and selections from the museum’s holdings, as well as historical works by artists whose printmaking inspired Frankenthaler, including Edgar Degas, Utagawa Hiroshige I, and Rufino Tamayo. The exhibition’s subtitle is taken from literary critic William Empson’s iconic 1930 essay, “Seven Types of Ambiguity,” which articulated ways in which the formal structures of language could convey a multiplicity of meanings in poetry. Frankenthaler’s innovative artistic career emerged with force in the 1950s. Her first solo exhibition was at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery in New York in 1951. Her work has been featured in numerous exhibitions in this country and around the globe, and in retrospectives at such distinguished institutions as the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass., and, in New York, The Jewish Museum, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art. Frankenthaler was the recipient of many awards, including First Prize for Painting, Premiere Biennale de Paris, 1959; Annual Creative Artist Laureate Award of the American Jewish Congress, 1974; and Extraordinary Woman of Achievement Award, National Conference of Christians and Jews, 1978. Admission to the Princeton University Art Museum is free; hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. For more information, visit artmuseum.princeton.edu. ●

33 NJ Jewish News ■ Greater MetroWest Edition ■ September 26, 2019

This group of musical Jews ‘love entertaining’

Loose Canons bring their eclectic repertoire to Caldwell

The Loose Canons. the road” and went on to coordinate The Loose Canons. The ensemble was solidified, said Wantman, by recruiting musicians and singers from throughout the area. “We all knew each other from local synagogues and various Jewish choral groups in the area,” he said. Almost all the current members have been involved since the beginning. Most of the parodies are written by Spiegel and Ben Alter. Since they began entertaining audiences throughout New Jersey, Jewish concepts have been among the group’s motivating factors. They’ve always regarded its activities, said Wantman, as a form of tikun olam, performing “not to make money, but as a service to the community.” Their concerts are chiefly fund-raisers for Jewish insti-

f you explore their website, you the Nov. 16 event a free concert, in might conclude that this is not a recognition of the 10th music program Jewish musical group. In keep- they are presenting at CAI.) ing with the description of the The audience response, said Wantensemble as “Manhattan Transfer meets man, prompted them to “play it again” Second City,” what you will find is a a few months later at CAI. fully-loaded arsenal of spot-on politiAs it happened, said Ellen Goldcal satires, cleverly funny parodies of stein of Millington — a member of familiar songs, smooth ballads from Congregation B’nai Israel in Basking the American Songbook, beloved old- Ridge and of Oheb Shalom, where ies — including folk/pop classics and she was part of the original players some really cool doo-wop and a cap- — some of those players acknowlpella and sing-along edged “the numbers, sung in emptiness they N J J N E D I TO R I A L A D V I S E R close harmony and felt” every with eclectic arrangeyear since their ments. There’s even a little Dylan. shows had ended. It was, she said, But make no mistake: The Loose Wantman and Rich Mendelsohn who Canons (not a typo; it’s canon, as in “a first proposed “taking this show on contrapuntal musical composition in two or more voice parts”) has unassailable Jewish bonafides. The group will perform, along with Metropolitan Klezmer, at Congregation Agudath Israel (CAI) in Caldwell on Saturday evening, Nov. 16. The first Jewish element is the group’s origin story, which, said one of the veteran members, “came straight out of synagogue life.” It began in Oheb Shalom Congregation in South Orange in the early 2000s. That synagogue had for some years put on musical shows with a core group, but that had come to an Metropolitan Klezmer end. Then one year, two of the players suffered personal losses, and Charles Wantman of South Orange — a Loose Canon and Oheb Shalom member — suggested a way to honor one of those, a music lover, who had died: Who: The Loose Canons and Metropolitan Klezmer by staging a musical tribute. Thus was When: Saturday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m. born “Fractured Folk Songs” — a onenight-only performance of parodies Where: Congregation Agudath Israel, Caldwell created and performed with some of Cost: Free with registration before Nov. 15, the original players and some friends $20 at the door from outside Oheb Shalom. They included Randi and Murray Spiegel of Contact: 973-226-3600 or visit tinyurl.com/CAI-double-bill Roseland, members of Agudath Israel Metropolitan Klezmer performs a wide range of Yiddish and well-known in the community for musical genres, including numbers in the wedding dance, folk, their Israeli folk-dancing expertise and swing, and tango styles and material from vintage popularity as performers and teachers. (It’s the Spiegels who have made Yiddish films.

Abby Meth Kanter

If you go

Many of the Loose Canons’ performances are synagogue fund-raisers. tutions and other nonprofit organizations. The group’s mission, Spiegel said, is to support community groups by providing “high-quality musical entertainment” accompanied by the most amount of fun. Of the dozen Loose Canons, eight are men, four are women — all are Jewish and members of congregations throughout Greater MetroWest. And all, said Spiegel, are proud they have been together for 16 years (the one or two who were not there at the beginning are still veterans of many years). Wantman said they stay together because “we are not content just to have a good time; we’re committed to getting better and better, keeping our standards high — and our humor low.” Goldstein noted another factor contributing to their longevity: “We are all equal partners in running the group,” she said. “As with any group of Jews, there’s a lot of voting, conversation, e-mails, discussions to decide the repertoire,” but, at the end of the day, “we all really love each other. It’s so much fun, to be with the same people in this heimishe group, for 16 years.” Enough Jewish bonafides? Well, at holiday times, you may find them singing a few traditional numbers, and there’s a parody or two with particular appeal to Jewish audiences — “Shabbos Goy,” sung to the tune of “Danny Boy,” for example — but Murray Spiegel summed it up by saying that The Loose Canons fulfill the truism: “Jews love being entertained and love entertaining.” ●

If you go Cantor and pianist to play Broadway, chasidic tunes

AN ECLECTIC MIX of everything from traditional liturgical music to Broadway melodies will fill the air at the Monroe Township Senior Center Oct. 26 when Cantor Wayne Siet takes the stage. Siet, who retired from the pulpit at Temple Shaari Emeth in Manalapan two years ago after serving for 42 years, will use his talents in a benefit performance for the Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County. Siet will be accompanied by David Schlossberg, known as “Piano Dave” for his work as an accompanist. His CD, “A Place Beyond Words: New Visions of Classic Jewish Melodies,” was named one of the top five albums of the fall 2017 Global Music Awards Competition, which recognizes artists around the world in diverse genres. Schlossberg is a member of Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick, where he plays with the Kol Emet Choir, and is an accompanist for several Jewish chorale groups and a founding member of the Highland Park-based klezmer group, Tsu Fil Duvids (Too Many Daves). In addition, Schlossberg serves as musical director of the Monroe Township Chorus and the Concordia Chorale in Monroe, among others. Siet said he developed his varied repertoire through the many concerts he gave at Shaari Emeth and in fund-raisers for organizations such as ORT and Hadassah. “My concerts appeal to all age groups,” he told NJJN. “I learned the type of things people like to hear.” Siet said among the tunes those attending the Oct. 26 performance will hear is a chasidic medley, “Oseh Shalom” and “Hinei Ma Tov,” and a soliloquy from Camelot, “If Ever I Would Leave You.” ● — DEBRA RUBIN

Upcoming Museum Exhibitions

NJ Jewish News ■ Greater MetroWest Edition ■ September 26, 2019

Juried Photography Exhibition

Susu Pianchupattana: Inseparable

September 15 - November 10

September 15 - October 13

NJ Emerging Artists Series Kate Eggleston: Still Deep October 18 - November 17

Main Gallery Holiday Exhibition and Popular Model Trains November 24 - January 5

monmouthmuseum.org | info@monmouthmuseum.org 765 Newman Springs Road, Parking Lot #1, Lincroft, NJ 07738 | 732-747-2266

What: “An Evening of Musical Favorites” benefitting Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County Who: Cantor Wayne Siet and David Schlossberg Where: Monroe Township Senior Center When: Saturday, Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m. Cost: $36 per person, $136 sponsorship includes two tickets and name in program Contact: Call museum at 732-292-6990

Wayne Siet, cantor at Temple Shaari Emeth in Manalapan for 42 years, will perform Oct. 26 at the Monroe Township Senior Center.

Jewish-themed musical about addiction, recovery

Recovering addicts perform in “Freedom Song.” JEWISH FAMILY & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County (JFCS) and the Jewish Federation of Princeton Mercer Bucks, along with close to a dozen synagogues and donors in greater Mercer and Bucks counties, will present “Freedom Song,” a musical production intended to shatter the myth that Jews are immune to addiction. The performance will take place on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 p.m. at the NJ Hospital Association Conference Center in Princeton. “Freedom Song” was created by Beit T’Shuvah, a residential addiction treatment center in Los Angeles, and the cast is comprised of addicts in recovery. By interweaving a Passover seder with personal stories of addiction, the musical poses one stark question: What are you a slave to? “This is a perfect opportunity to be open about addiction — a topic that is often associated with shame within the Jewish community,” said Michelle Napell, executive director of JFCS. “By showcasing real people who are in recovery, we hope to raise awareness of the prevalence of addiction and opportunities for recovery.” The program is free; RSVP at jfcsonline.org or call 609-987-8100, ext. 104. ●

P R I N C E TO N S YM P H O N Y O R C H E S T R A

MUSIC LIST

R O S S E N M I L A N O V , M U S I C D I R EC TO R

Get Tickets Today!

“Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey.” The folk singers, who are part of the legendary folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, perform some of their hits. Oct. 11, 8 p.m. $68-$88. South Orange Performing Arts Center, South Orange, sopacnow. org, 973-313-2787

Peter Yarrow, right, with Noel Paul Stookey

ELGAR & BRAHMS Saturday October 26 8pm Sunday October 27 4pm

“I Wrote That One Too.” Musician Steve Dorff, who wrote hit songs for Barbra Streisand, Willie Nelson, and Celine Dion, will perform some of his best songs and share the stories behind them. Oct. 11, 8 p.m. $35-$50. Monmouth University Center for the Arts, West Long Branch, monmouth.edu, 732-263-6889

Rossen Milanov, conductor Pablo Ferrández, cello SIBELIUS / The Swan of Tuonela ELGAR / Cello Concerto in E Minor BRAHMS / Symphony No. 3

“The 5th Dimension.” The music vocal group will perform some of their R&B, soul, and jazz hits. Oct. 18, 8 p.m. $35-$55. Monmouth University Center for the Arts, West Long Branch, monmouth.edu, 732-263-6889

“Suave in the lyrical sections and able to bring a vitality to all else he touched.”

“Jerusalem Quartet.” The Israeli musicians will be performing classical and cabaret pieces. Oct. 23, 7 p.m. JCC MetroWest, West Orange, jccmetrowest.org, 973-530-3915 “Glenn Miller Orchestra.” The band will perform popular jazz hits. Nov. 1, 8 p.m. $30-$45.South Orange Performing Arts Center, South Orange, sopacnow.org, 973-313-2787 “Evening of Music.” Italian singer and composer Enrico Fink will be performing Italian-Jewish music. Pre-concert talk with reception following performance. Nov. 2, 7-9:30 p.m. $18, $10 members. The Jewish Center, Princeton, thejewishcenter. org, 347-623-4228

Yevgeny Kutik

“Music From A Suitcase.” RussianAmerican violinist Yevgeny Kutik will perform the music his mother packed with them when he was 5 years old and they emigrated from the Soviet Union to the U.S. Dec. 21 and 22, 2 p.m. $40, $35 members, $25 for those under 25. Morris Museum Bickford Theatre, Morristown, morrismuseum.org, 973-971-3706

“Klezmer Kafe.” Celebrate Chanukah with the Eastern European and Middle Eastern tunes of the Odessa Klezmer Band. Dec. 25, 6:30 p.m. $25, $10 children 6-13, free for children 5 and younger. Chinese food and doughnuts will be served. Participants are asked to bring a menorah for a community candle-lighting ceremony. B’nai Shalom, West Orange, bnaishalom.net, 973-731-0160

–The Los Angeles Times on Ferrández’ July 2019 Hollywood Bowl performance

princetonsymphony.org 609/ 497-0020 All concerts at Richardson Auditorium, Princeton University. Dates, times, artists, and programs subject to change. These programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Ed Goldberg of The Odessa Klezmer Band

40th Anniversary Season: ʹ͹ǡ ʹͲͳͻ  ʹͶǡ ʹͲͳͻ ͳǡ ʹͲʹͲ  ͷǡ ʹͲʹͲ  ͵ͳǡ ʹͲʹͲ Sundays at 3:30 p.m.

t e n -

Ǧ ǡ ͹ͷ͸ ǡ ǡ ǣȀȀ Ǥ Ǥ

Jerusalem Quartet

̈́ͶͲ ǡ ̈́ͳͷͲ Ǧ ǡ ʹͳ

NJ Jewish News ■ Greater MetroWest Edition ■ September 26, 2019

t s ,

NJ Jewish News ■ Greater MetroWest Edition ■ September 26, 2019

Having her say Emily Mann, McCarter Theatre’s exiting artistic director, on faith and activism

mily Mann made a name identity makes her feel like an outsider. for herself showcasing “I don’t consider myself white; I conthe work of women and sider myself a Jew,” she said people of color. Sitting cross-legged in the Berlind The artistic director of the Mc- Theater during rehearsal, Mann, a scarf Carter Theatre in Princeton since wrapped around her shoulders and a 1990, she recently announced that she cup of coffee in her hand, examined evwould step down at the end of this erything from the rhythm and pacing season, causing a buzz throughout the of the actors’ lines to music and lighttheater community because of her na- ing cues. Nothing has gone unnoticed. tional reputation as a groundbreaking An onlooker gets the sense that no modirector and playwright. ment in a play directed by Mann is an Less well known about Mann is accident, and that all her decisions and that she ascribes her fierce embrace conclusions are carefully considered. of social and political activism in her And she’s not shy about expresswork to her Jewish ing her opinroots. ions, which NJJN SENIOR WRITER “When I was a are, more oflittle kid, the Passten than not, over seder shaped my world view in as thoughtful as they are challenging. so many ways,” she said. “Because For instance, she told NJJN that we were in slavery, we know that no she is disappointed that Jews in large one can be free if anyone is enslaved.” numbers have not stepped up to doOn a rainy afternoon in the bar nate to McCarter, which like most area of McCarter’s Roger S. Berlind theaters, is always in need of financial Theatre after a rehearsal of “Gloria: support. “It’s very unusual,” for Jews A Life” (the play about feminist icon not to give, she said. “Go to almost Gloria Steinem, written by Mann, any theater in America, and half of the premiered off-Broadway last fall and patron wall is Jewish.” That this is not closes Oct. 6), Mann talked with NJJN about how Judaism weaves in and out of her life, but never leaves her psyche. In particular, she thinks deeply about anti-Semitism, evil in the world, her identity, and the Jewish obligation to pursue justice. On that subject, she believes it’s no coincidence that Jews in large numbers participate in social justice movements, such as advocacy for the rights of immigrants and refugees. She sees this kind of work not as optional but as a moral imperative. “If your empathy for others is dull, then you should be thrown out of the temple,” she said. Mann describes herself as “a cultural Jew, not religious,” and said her Jewish background “informs everything” about her work. Sometimes that influence is obvious, as in her work the case at McCarter she ascribes to with themes touching on the Shoah; Jews who are “not philanthropic, unother times, it’s under the surface. It’s less it’s for Jewish causes” or who are not difficult to draw a line directly to “looking for entertainment and not to her embrace of other minorities and be challenged.” minority themes in her plays. After all, When she arrived in Princeton in she told NJJN that her strong Jewish 1990, she said people didn’t realize

Johanna Ginsberg

After 30 years as artistic director of the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, Emily Mann announced that she plans to step down at the end of this season. P HOTOS COU RTESY MCC ARTER TH EATR E

she was Jewish and she was stunned at what they said around her. “I’d be at a party or at a fundraiser there with very, very wealthy people, and they’d say, ‘Oh, have you heard that so-andso’s daughter is going to marry a Jew?’” she recalled. “I could tell you hair-raising stories about what I heard about black people and about Jews.” Both the theater and Princeton, she said, have come a long way. While some of the plays throughout her tenure at McCarter have had Jewish characters or themes, most have not. She selects a play for the theater “because it resonates, because I love it, because it hits me in my gut,” she said. “It could be about Muslims, it could be about Jews, about black people; it could be about Koreans. It’s like, what is it as human beings that we learn and are moved by with this

memoir, the subject of Roman Polanski’s 2002 film, “The Pianist.” Mann surmises that her recurring interest in the Shoah stems from a childhood trip to several countries in Europe with her parents, during which she first read “The Diary of Anne Frank” and imagined herself in

Above: Emily Mann directing “Betsey Brown” in the early 1990s.

Left: “Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years” was Mann’s favorite McCarter Theatre play during her tenure.

particular story?” In her own writing the Holocaust frequently comes up. Three of her plays touch on themes involving the Shoah, and she is currently at work on a fourth, a staged adaptation of Polish composer Władysław Szpilman’s

Frank’s shoes. Even so, she does not embrace Anne’s hopeful view of humanity. “I think when I was a younger liberal, I believed that, you know, all people were capable of goodness. I’m not so sure anymore,” she said. “I think that evil is real” and that some people are “irredeemable.” Mann was raised in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago among intel-

(among many others), and in 1994 the McCarter Theatre won a Tony for outstanding regional theater under her leadership. She credits her father’s deep and lasting friendship with John Hope Franklin, author of “From Slavery to Freedom” and an icon in the AfricanAmerican community, for her ability to connect with the Black community and take on its issues. “I had a lot of street cred,” she said. In her first season at the McCarter she directed “Betsey Brown,” described as a rhythm and blues musical about civil rights that she wrote with the late Ntozake Shange featuring an all-black cast; she took on and

premiered some of the plays of South African playwright Athol Fugard; and wrote and premiered “Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years.” She also mentored many young playwrights of color, including Tarell Alvin McCraney, whose “Brother/Sister Plays” are among Mann’s favorites from her tenure (though “Having Our Say” tops that list). But she has some anxiety that a younger generation, more focused on ideas of cultural appropriation and less familiar with John Hope Franklin’s work, or her family’s close relationship with his, “might not give me the same pass.” Mann does not currently belong to a synagogue (though she was a member of the Jewish Center in Princeton when she was raising her son), but she loves the music of the Kol Nidre service, and on this day, a few weeks in advance of Rosh HaShanah, she is looking forward to attending High Holiday services with family in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. While many self-described “not religious” people consider this annual synagogue visit merely obligatory, she views it still as a time for introspection and meditation, a time to process a year that for her, with the loss of friends and her mother, has been difficult. Looking back on her career as she prepares to step down, Mann said she’s proud of her work: bringing a contemporary lens to classic plays, putting women and people of color on the stage, and serving as a mentor for younger artists. But she’d like to make something clear: “I’m not retiring.” Her time at McCarter is coming to a close and she’ll have more quality time to spend with her grandchild, but she still has “The Pianist” in the works and will continue mentoring young playwrights. That last piece is particularly important to Mann because she feels that no one served that role for her. She can recall being told in college in the early 1970s, “You’re very talented but women can’t direct professionally in the American theatre. Perhaps you should think about children’s theatre.” At every step, she felt she was being blocked rather than helped, she said, so she has vowed to do the opposite. In a pivotal moment in “Gloria: A Life,” the title character says, “We all have a role to play. Maybe my role is to help break this false stereotype.” The line could just as easily be spoken today by Mann. It’s a fitting play to raise the curtain on her final season at McCarter. ● jginsberg@njjewishnews.com

NJ Jewish News ■ Greater MetroWest Edition ■ September 26, 2019

lectuals — her father was a professor of history at the University of Chicago — but not within a Jewish community, though they did belong to Kehilath Anshe Ma’ariv, now KAM Isaiah Israel. Still, her father, who had grown up in Brooklyn (she described her mother’s family as Orthodox) insisted that the young Emily learn about her Jewish tradition. So Mann attended Hebrew school through high school and said she always stayed after class to ask for more Jewish books to read. It had an impact. “I never moved away from it in my heart,” she said. She earned an undergraduate degree from Radcliffe College (Harvard University) and a master’s of fine arts from the University of Minnesota. At age 22 she had a directing fellowship at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and directed plays at regional theaters around the country before joining the McCarter when she was in her late 30s. Over the course of her career she has been nominated for two Tony Awards, won eight Obie Awards

NJ Jewish News ■ Greater MetroWest Edition ■ September 26, 2019

38 “Deadbeats and Hustlers.”The improvisational group will perform a comedic set. Nov. 2, light refreshments served. Adath Israel Congregation, Lawrenceville, 609896-4977, adathisraelnj.org

THEATER LIST “Last Days of Summer.” Joe Margolis and his young son open an old box of letters that transport Margolis back to 1942, when he and his best friend wrote fan letters to their hero Charlie Banks, the star third baseman of the New York Giants. Oct. 15-Nov. 10. George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick, georgestreetplayhouse. org, 732-246-7717 “Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library.” World premiere of a play that explores the life of Johanna Stern (later known as Hannah Arendt), a German political theorist and one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century. Oct. 17-Nov. 10. Luna Stage, West Orange, lunastage.org, 866-811-4111 “Artrageous.” Experience the thrill of witnessing giant

“Journey from Johannesburg.” A musical production by Toby Tobias is set in apartheid-era South Africa and provides audiences with a view of racism and segregation as seen through the eyes of a privileged white South African-born Jew. Dec. 15, 2 p.m. Free, advanced registration recommended. Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County, Edison, jccmc.org, 732-494-3232 masterpieces being created live on stage, accompanied by music and dance. Oct. 20, 3 p.m. Wilkins Theatre, Union, keanstage.com, 908-737-7469 “Guys and Dolls.” The romantic comedy musical tells the story of NewYork’s big city gamblers and the women who love them. Nov. 1-17. $50-64. Axelrod Performing Arts Center, Deal, axelrodartscenter.com, 732-531-9106

“My Life on a Diet.” Actress Renée Taylor reflects on her memorable roles in Hollywood and on Broadway. Nov. 19-Dec. 15. New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, New Brunswick, nbpac.org, 732-745-8000

Sat, Oct 26 @ 2 & 7:30PM Experience the film with the full score performed live by New Jersey Symphony Orchestra! HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR. (s19)

Renée Taylor, “My Life on a Diet”

the munich philharmonic Valery Gergiev, conductor Behzod Abduraimov, piano Sun, Oct 27 @ 3PM Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5

A WORLD-PREMIERE MUSICAL FROM THE COMPOSER AND LYRICIST OF BE MORE CHILL! MUSIC, LYRICS & BOOK BY TONY NOMINEE

mandy patinkin

JOE ICONIS

with Adam Ben-David on piano Fri, Nov 8 @ 8PM Mandy Patinkin brings Diaries, his newest solo concert, with songs by Sondheim, Harry Chapin, Rufus Wainwright & more.

nov 9–24

Steps Ahead, Michael Franks and Spyro Gyra Fri, Nov 15 @ 8PM

Chaka Khan Thu, Nov 14 @ 8PM

The Roots with A Christian McBride Situation Sat, Nov 16 @ 8PM

For full schedule, visit njpac.org/moodyjazz

The American Song series at NJPAC is presented, in part, through the generous support of the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, the David S. Steiner and Sylvia Steiner Charitable Trust, and the Joan and Allen Bildner Family Fund.

For tickets & full schedule visit njpac.org or call 1.888.GO.NJPAC One Center Street • Newark, NJ

P o N f U e r d a 2 c a

c t d t c m

JOHN SIMPKINS

The Roots

Buddy Guy with Mavis Staples Sun, Nov 10 @ 7PM

g f m K

e P

DIRECTED BY

Christian McBride, jazz advisor

A s ’ p t i t N i e i e

N OV 9 – D E C 1 TICKETS AT 73 2 . 345.1400 | T WORIVERTHEATER.ORG 21 BRID GE AVENUE, RED BANK

d t l S c t a a

K s “ e

Rutgers film festival celebrates 20th anniversary A REMARKABLE UNDERDOG story — based on real events from the ’80s — of the Sephardic community’s pursuit of political equality in Israel is the opening night of the Rutgers Jewish Film Festival. Now in its 20th year, the festival will run Sunday-Sunday, Nov. 3-17, featuring 19 films, including four New Jersey premieres, that explore Jewish history, culture, and identity and discussions with filmmakers, scholars, and other guests. The festival is sponsored by Rutgers’ Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life and is made possible by a grant from the Karma Foundation. The brand-new New Brunswick Performing Arts Center will be the site of the opening-night program, Sunday, Nov. 3, featuring a gala dinner at 5 p.m., followed by the 7:30 screening of “The Unorthodox,” an Israeli film about the events leading up to the creation of Israel’s Shas Party; rich in comedy and drama, the film was nominated for 14 awards, including Best Picture, at the 2019 Israeli Oscars. The opening-night celebration is sponsored by the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation. All other screenings will be held either at AMC New Brunswick or Princeton Garden Theatre. The documentaries on the roster will cover a wide variety of topics — from the cultural history and legacy of “Fiddler on the Roof,” to a behind-the-scenes tour of the Israel Museum, to the discovery of a vast trove of historical documents at an ancient Egyptian synagogue. “Latter Day Jew,” an American documentary from producer/director Aliza Rosen that is variously hilarious and moving, follows H. Alan Scott, a gay comedian, writer, and cancer survivor who decides to leave the Mormon faith he was born into and become a Jew. Scott will appear at the screenings on Nov. 13 and 14. Acclaimed filmmaker Aviva Kempner will be guest speaker at both showings of her new documentary, “The Spy Behind Home Plate,” about enigmatic American-Jewish baseball

“My Polish Honeymoon”

“The Song of Names”

“The Unorthodox” In this Canadian historical drama, a man searches for his childhood friend — a Polish violin prodigy orphaned in the Holocaust — who vanished decades before, on the night of his debut performance.

“The Spy Behind Home Plate” player Moe Berg, who led a secret life as a spy during World War II. The line-up of dramatic films also deals with a broad range of subjects — from a forbidden interfaith love affair in contemporary Mexico, to the divide between secular and religious Jews in Israel today, to a light-hearted look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Three award-winning dramas will make their New Jersey premiere: “The Mover,” a Latvian film based on the true story of “Latvia’s Schindlers,” Žanis Lipke and his family; “Those Who Remained,” set in postwar Hungary, about the healing power of love after the trauma of the Holocaust (director Barnabás Tóth will speak at the Nov. 7 evening screening); and the French film “My Polish Honeymoon,” which follows a young Parisian-Jewish couple as they honeymoon in Poland, confronting modern-day anti-Semitism and coping with their families’ silence about the past (director Élise Otzenberger will speak at both Nov. 14 screenings). Closing night will feature a preview of “The Song of Names” from renowned director François Girard.

“Those Who Remained” Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds, who saved the lives of 200 Jewish American soldiers during World War II — on Friday, Oct. 18, at 2 p.m. at the Alexander Library in New Brunswick. RSVP to rujff@sas.rutgers.edu. Festival tickets cost $14, with discounts for seniors and students. For updates and information — including special admission packages and opening-night tickets — contact 848-9324166 or rujff@sas.rutgers.edu or visit BildnerCenter.Rutgers.edu/film. ●

JCC of Central New Jersey to host 15th annual film festival THE JCC of Central New Jersey’s Jewish Film Festival will run from Wednesday, Oct. 16, through Tuesday, Nov. 12. The festival opens with “Love in Suspenders,” a light-hearted comedy about the relationship between two people with very different personalities. The four other films being screened include documentaries and dramas such as “The Other Story” — on Oct. 28 — about the complications that arise when a dysfunctional Israeli family tries to lure their daughter away from Orthodox Judaism. The festival closes with “Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles,” the story of the Broadway sensation and its impact around the world, featuring interviews with Harold Prince, Jerry Bock, Chaim Topol, Harvey Fierstein, Fran Lebowitz, and others. The Jewish Film Festival of Central NJ is made possible by funds from the Union County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Film underwriters include Evalyn Dunn Gallery in Westfield, Citrin Cooperman, Gitterman Wealth Management/Elias and Susan Rauch, Doris Buttery and family, Renee and David Golush, and numerous sponsors. All films will be screened at 7:30 p.m. at the AMC Mountainside 10 in Mountainside. Tickets can be purchased at jccnj.org, by mail, or in person at the JCC in Scotch Plains. For more information, visit jccnj.org or call 908-8898800, ext. 208. ●

NJ Jewish News ■ Greater MetroWest Edition ■ September 26, 2019

The festival offers a free film 39 screening for middle and high school student groups from across New Jersey, in collaboration with Rutgers’ Littman Holocaust Resource Center. A Veterans Appreciation Program, cosponsored by the Rutgers Office of Veteran and Military Programs and Services, will offer a screening and discussion of “Footsteps of My Father” — a documentary about

NJ Jewish News ■ Greater MetroWest Edition ■ September 26, 2019

NEW SEASON NOW ON SALE!

NJ premiere, festival favorites are fall film highlights SEPTEMBER 28 ● 8 PM

An Evening with

Melanie The voice of her generation

singing her hit singles Brand New Key, Lay Down, Peace Will Come, Look What They’ve Done To My Song, Ma and Ruby Tuesday

OCTOBER 4 8 PM ●

OCTOBER 11 8 PM ●

THE 5TH DIMENSION OCTOBER 18 8 PM ●

WILLIAM CLOSE

THE EARTH HARP

COLLECTIVE

As seen on

NOVEMBER 2 • 8 PM

NOVEMBER 16 ● 8 PM AND MORE!! CHECK OUT ALL OUR EVENTS ONLINE! ALL SHOWS AT THE POLLAK THEATRE

FOR TICKETS CALL 732.263.6889 OR VISIT MONMOUTH.EDU/MCA

THE MILESTONE 20TH annual New Jersey Jewish Film Festival will be held March 19-29, but cinephiles need not wait till the spring for the opportunity to watch outstanding movies at JCC MetroWest in West Orange. The first festival Extra! of the season will be the N.J. premiere of “Latter Day Jew” on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 8 pm. The documentary charts the unlikely journey of H. Alan Scott, a gay former Mormon, cancer survivor, writer-comedian, converted Jew, as he searches for his spiritual path to becoming, as he says, “the best Jew I can be.” The film covers his Mormon upbringing, his conversion, and his trip to Israel in preparation for his bar mitzvah at age 34. Along the way, Scott encounters a host of other seekers and guides, including a formerly Mormon couple, originally from Utah, now in New York and preparing to make aliyah; an assortment of rabbis, among them one in Jerusalem who gives him a lesson in blowing shofar; and fellow comedian Judy Gold, who shares her own uproarious and touching take on Jewish identity.

e w “Late Marriage” i goers will have another chance to see “Late Mar-h riage,” Israel’s award-winning submission for BestM Foreign Language Film at the 2001 Oscars. b Zaza (Lior Ashkenazi) is 31 years old and unmar-i ried. His family’s Georgian-Jewish traditions dictateh the requisite traits of his future wife, and his deter-l mined parents drag their son to meeting after meetingn with potential brides and their relatives. Zaza plays along, but resolutely dodges every effort to seal af match. After his parents discover the reason for theirS son’s reluctance — he’s in love with a decidedlyl unsuitable 34-year-old divorcee andy mother (Ronit Elkabetz) — they mounth an offense to undo the couple, and Zazai must choose between his family tradi-f h tions and the yearnings of his heart. d

•••••••

Celebrating with other b’nei mitzvah, from “Latter Day Jew.” In explaining why she chose to make the film, producer/director Aliza Rosen said that Scott’s “strength, conviction, courage, and determination to find his true self was inspiring, uplifting, and — because he’s a hilarious comedian — entertaining.” His journey to Judaism was also about “coming into an authentic sense of self,” Rosen said, adding that in times like these, “when there is so much division and uncertainty, we could all use a funny and heartfelt story that resonates with audiences on many levels.” Following the screening of the film, which garnered an Award of Excellence at the IndieFest Film Awards, Rosen will join a post-screening discussion via Skype from California. Tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors, free for 20th annual NJJFF sponsors.

•••••••

To mark the 20th anniversary, NJJFF will present a series of free screenings — “fan favorites” from years past — on the 20th day of most of the months leading up to the March 19-29 festival. On Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 12:30 p.m., film-

Festival cochairs Andrea Bergman,A Joni Cohen, and Abby Meth Kanter saidP that “over its two decades, NJJFF hasb grown into one of the most respectedh Jewish film festivals in the country and ai major cultural event in our community. Last year’s re-s cord-breaking event screened 26 films — features and shorts, documentaries, comedies, and dramas fromt around the world — including 22 N.J. premieres.” a Leading audiences in discussion at the 2019 fes-o tival were filmmakers, dignitaries, and other guestsa — including international star Tovah Feldshuh. e Individuals and groups are invited to becomeb NJJFF sponsors and receive a range of benefits. f Individuals get an all-festival pass, admissionc to Extra! events throughout the year, invitations tot special events, priority seating, and names listed onh festival materials. e Among the benefits extended to sponsor organizations is the opportunity to select their spon-H sored film and recognition and priority entry to thatn screening; opportunity to reserve a JCC room for aL constituents’ event; and a number of complimentaryS and discounted tickets. o Early-bird pricing is in effect for certain sponsor-t ship levels until Nov. 3. For tickets, call 973-530-J 3417; to become a sponsor, go to jccmetrowest.org/o njjff or contact NJJFF director Sarah Diamond att sdiamond@jccmetrowest.org or 973-929-2938. ●

NONFICTION

oseph and the Way of Forgiveness: A Biblical Tale Retold” by Stephen Mitchell (St. Martin’s) reads like a novelistic treatment of the Joseph story, when he is sold into slavery by his brothers. SP ECIAL Mitchell inserts brief mediations into the narrative, illuminating ideas. About Joseph, he writes, “True forgiveness, he had learned, is the realization that there is nothing to forgive.” Translated into English for the first time, “Renia’s Diary” by Renia Spiegel with her sister Elizabeth Bellak (St. Martin’s) is the account of a young Jewish woman’s experience in hiding during the Holocaust, including her poetry. The tragedy of Renia’s final days in 1942 were filled in by her boyfriend, and there is an introduction by Deborah Lipstadt. A memoir, “The Odyssey of an Apple Thief” (Syracuse University Press), tells of Moishe Rozenbaum’s boyhood in pre-war Lithuania and his escape to Russia, where he served in the Red Army, escaped again, and settled in France. “Believers: Faith in Human Nature” by Melvin Konner (Norton) is a defense of religious belief, based on discoveries in neuroscience and anthropology and the personal experiences of the author, an admitted nonbeliever who grew up in an Orthodox family and has closely studied other cultures and religions. He shows that the capacity for faith is hardwired into humans, and that religious experiences can alter brain states. “The JDC at 100: A Century of Humanitarianism,” edited by Avinoam Patt, Atina Grossman, Linda G. Levi, and Maud S. Mandel (Wayne State University Press), is a collection of essays by professors reflecting on the history of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and its ongoing impact on Jewish communities around the world. Over 10 years, Lis Harris moved

back and forth between two families, crossing east and west Jerusalem, in order to understand the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in daily life and over generations. The author of “Holy Days: The Worlds of a Hasidic Family” and other books, she probes their views of history and the TO N J J N future, their losses and hopes in “In Jerusalem: Three Generations of an Israeli Family and a Palestinian Family” (Beacon Press). “Under My Hat: How Orthodox Women are Shaping the Future of Judaism” by Sally Berkovic (Ktav) is a new edition of the 1997 book, with the addition of new material about developments of the last two decades. It raises important questions and challenges for Jewish women straddling Orthodoxy and modernity. A Holocaust memoir, “The Listener” by Irene Oore (University of Regina Press), recounts how her Jewish mother shared her wartime stories, including marrying a gentile Polish officer in order to escape the death camps and keep her own mother and sister alive. “In the Shadow of Freud’s Couch: Portraits of Psychoanalysts in Their Offices” by Mark Gerald (Routledge) is a work of art, memoir, history, and analysis, showing the levels of meaning in space and office design, and the connection to emotional life and treatment. Included are more than 50 color photographs. Seeking to understand the dramatic rift between American and Israeli Jews, Daniel Gordis, in “We Stand Divided” (HarperCollins), acknowledges the long-standing differences and challenges dividing the communities and emphasizes the role of improved communication and shared moral commitment. Adam Frankel, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, writes of his shocking discovery that his dad was not his biological father, and his search to understand the intergenerational trauma experienced by his family related to the Holocaust,

Sandee Brawarsky

in “The Survivors: A Story of War, Inheritance and Healing” (HarperCollins). “Parkchester: A Bronx Tale of Race and Ethnicity” by Jeffrey S. Gurock (NYU) documents over 80 years of a planned neighborhood in the East Bronx built by Metropolitan Life, first open to mainly white ethnic groups and later integrated, always a place where people of different backgrounds have managed to live together in harmony. The author, a historian of New York, grew up in Parkchester. A memoir, “Mixed Messages: Reflections on an Italian-Jewish Family and Exile” by Eleanor Foa (Centro Primo Levi), traces the author’s discovery of her family history and legacy as distinguished 16th-century printers in northern Italy. In exploring a little-known resurgence of the anti-Semitic phenomenon, “The Accusation: Blood Libel in an American Town” by Edward Berenson (Norton) presents a deep analysis of local events as well as historical context, looking at both American and European anti-Semitism. “The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: From Abraham to Zabar’s and Everything in Between” (Artisan) is

an illustrated, smart, and comic guide, well-attuned to this moment. In “Return to the Reich: A Holocaust Refugee’s Secret Mission to Defeat the Nazis” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Eric Lichtblau recounts the story of Fred Meyer, a Jew who escaped Nazi Germany in 1938 and returned as an American commando, parachuting behind enemy lines and posing as a Nazi officer and French POW. “Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show That Defined a Television Era” by Saul Austerlitz (Dutton), published on the show’s 25th anniversary, is a behind-thescenes look at the show’s creation, development, and legacy. Drawing on new archival materials and interviews, “The Jews Should Keep Quiet: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, and the Holocaust” by Rafael Medoff (JPS) reconsiders the reasons behind FDR’s policies concerning his unwillingness to admit Jewish refugees. In “The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini” (Avid Reader Press), Joe Posnanski examines the extraordinary life of the most famous magician and his enduring legacy, almost 100 years after his death. Historian Sarah Abrevaya Stein studies an extensive family archive of letters and other documents to tell the story of the Sephardic Levy family that originated in Salonika, Greece, and then spread across several continents in “Family Papers: A Sephardic Journey Through the Twentieth Century” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). In “What We Will Become: A Mother, A Son and a Journey of Transformation” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Mimi Lemay, an advocate for transgender rights, details her young son’s transition, as well as her own path, after leaving the ultra-Orthodox world in which she grew up.

Continued on following page

NJ Jewish News ■ Greater MetroWest Edition ■ September 26, 2019

Leaf through fall’s new releases

NJ Jewish News ■ Greater MetroWest Edition ■ September 26, 2019

Books

continued from previous page “Hebrew Melodies” by Heinrich Heine, illustrated by Mark Podwal, translated by Stephen Mitchell and Jack Prelutsky with a foreword by Elisheva Carlebach (Penn State University Press) includes a new translation of the cycle of poems considered to mark the poet’s return to his Jewish roots, with luminous illustrations by Podwal. Bob Mankoff writes, “I always think it’s strange that the Jews, the People of the Book, eventually became much better known as ‘The People of the Joke.’” He shares his favorite Jewish cartoons, from his own collection and from other cartoonists, in “Have I Got a Cartoon for You: The Moment

JEWISH HERITAGE MUSEUM OF MONMO; 2.7457 in; 8.75 in; JW-Shared:ADS:Current PDF’s:New Jersey Ads:NJ Ads for 09_2019:NK2499.pdf; -; NK2499; 17.5 in

Magazine Book of Jewish Cartoons,” with a foreword by Roz Chast (Mandel Vilar/Moment Books). “Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman” by Abby Chava Stein (Seal Press) is a memoir by the first son in a rabbinical dynasty. Poised for leadership (the 10-generation descendant of the Baal Shem Tov), Stein grew up feeling misgendered in a highly gender-segregated society, and is now an activist and leader in the struggle for gender freedom. Stein was selected for The Jewish Week’s “36 Under 36.”

FICTION

“On Division Street” by Goldie Goldbloom (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) is set in the chasidic community in of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, focusing on the life of a soon-to-be great-grandmother, with 10 children of her own, at an unusual moment. The award-winning author is a chasidic mother of eight. “Live a Little” by Booker Prize-winning author Howard Jacobson (Hogarth) is a comedy about love in old age, between a pair of Jewish nonagenarians who meet at a funeral in London. The last novel by the late award-winning Israeli writer Ronit Matalon, “And the Bride Closed the Door” (New Vessel Press) is the story of a young woman who shuts herself up on her wedding day in her bedroom, with her extended family on the other side of the door. An unusual love story with politics in the background, “The Berlin Woman” by Alan Kaufman (Mandel Vilar/Moment Books) is about two writers, both children of Holocaust survivors, one a Zionist and the other a non-Zionist. “The Last Train to London” by Meg Waite Clayton (Harper) is an intimate journey through the pre-World War II experience, following two children, whose lives become dangerous with the Nazis’ rise to power, and a Dutch woman resister. In Jami Attenburg’s “All This Could Be Yours” (Houghton Mifflin), a family is brought together in summertime New Orleans as the father is dying, but there’s not much love for the real estate developer with shady deals in his past. Attenburg chronicles

the family dynamics and emotional roller coaster. “The Professor of Immortality” by Eileen Pollack (Delphinium Books) is the story of a professor of Future Studies who seems to have everything, until her husband passes away, her son slips away, and she discovers that a former student might be a terrorist. “Further Up the Path: Flash Fables” by Daniel Oz (BOA Editions) is a bilingual collection of very short stories, each less than a page, translated from the Hebrew by Jessica Cohen. These are brief parables, folk tales, or descriptive passages that engage with large questions of humanity, and provide no answers. The author is the son of Amos Oz. The new novel by film director and screenwriter Nicholas Meyer (“The Seven-Per-Cent Solution” and several films in the “Star Trek” series), “The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols” (Minotaur) features Sherlock Holmes investigating the creation of the anti-Semitic document the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” with a Russian-American Jewish woman as the heroine. “Pain” by Zeruya Shalev (Other Press) is the story of a woman who had been wounded in a terrorist attack in Israel, whose pain returns 10 years later, at the same time the love of her youth returns to her life. The kibbutz-born author has published four previous novels and is widely translated. “Pain” is translated by Sondra Silverston. A first collection of poetry by Erika Dreifus, “Birthright” (Kelsay Books), includes midrashlike reflections on traditional texts, riffs on contemporary events, and personal stories about family and faith, anchored in history. “The Liar” by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen (Little, Brown), translated by Sondra Silverson, is a novel by the Israeli author of “Waking Lions.” The work is about how one mistake can unfold into thousands of consequences. ● With additional reporting by Aderet Fishbane. Sandee Brawarsky is culture editor at The New York Jewish Week, NJJN’s sister publication.

Book festival to feature Jewish authors, themes

A NUMBER OF prominent Jewish authors will be featured at this year’s Morristown Festival of Books. More than 50 award-winning and best-selling writers in all will appear at five locales along South Street in Morristown, on Saturday, Oct. 12. Among the Jewish authors to be featured at the free festival are: Pam Jenoff: “The Lost Girls of Paris,” from the author of the bestseller “The Orphan’s Tale,” a story of friendship and courage centered around three women and a ring of female secret agents during World War II. Julie Orringer: “The Flight Portfolio,” a novel inspired by Varian Fry and the quest of this unlikely hero to save the lives and work of Europe’s great minds from the impending Holocaust. Carl Zimmer: “She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Hered-

ity,” the New York Times columnist and science writer presents a profound perspective on what we pass along from generation to generation.

“AS LONG AS IT’S PERFECT.” Lisa Tognola will discuss her book about an assistant contractor and her husband facing a collapsing economy. Oct. 20, 2 p.m. [words] Bookstore, Maplewood, wordsbookstore.com, 973-763-9500. Nov. 7, 7-8:30 p.m. Watchung Booksellers, Montclair, watchungbooksellers. com, 973-744-7177

book. [words] Bookstore, Maplewood, wordsbookstore.com, 973-763-9500 “SABABA: FRESH, SUNNY FLAVORS FROM MY ISRAELI KITCHEN.” Adeena Sussman will discuss her newest cookbook of Israeli recipes. Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m. $18, $15 members, register by

“THE ACCUSATION BLOOD LIBEL.” Edward Berenson will discuss his book, an investigation of America’s only al-

“ S A LT I N M Y S O U L .” D i a n e Shader Smith will discuss her book about her late daughter’s struggle with cystic fibrosis. Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m. Free, register by Oct. 18. JCC of Central New Jersey, Scotch Plains, jccnj.org, 908-8898800 “THE ROUNDA B O U T.” Elaine Durbach will be speaking about her novel, a story about love, loss, and courage. Oct. 27, 4 p.m. The Book House, Millburn, thebookhousemillburn.com, 973-5646262 “CILKA’S JOURNEY.” Heather Morris will be reading and signing copies of her latest novel about a young girl’s experience in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. $30, includes a hardcover copy of the

Nov. 8. Wine and snacks included. JCC of Central New Jersey, Scotch Plains, jccnj.org, 908-889-8800 “MINDFUL IS THE NEW SKINNY.” Jodi Baretz will discuss how she has learned to de-stress, and yoga instructor Adam Schultz will lead a mindful yoga session. Nov. 10, noon. $12, register by Nov. 6. JCC of Central New Jersey, Scotch Plains, jccnj.org, 908889-8800 “A GIRL RAISED BY WOLVES.”

Andrew Gross: “The Fifth Column,” by the New York Times best-selling author, a stirring thriller of a family torn apart set against the backdrop of a nation at war. Benjamin Dreyer: “ D r e y e r ’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style,” a humorous grammar guide from Random House’s longtime copy chief and a leading language guru. Paul Goldberger: “Ballpark: Baseball in the American City,” by the Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic, offers an illustrated look at the history of baseball told through the stories of America’s ballparks. Book sales and signings will occur at a tent on the grounds of the Vail Mansion. The free, all-day festival is presented by Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management. For more information, go to morristownbooks.org. ●

leged case of blood libel, and what it reveals about anti-Semitism in the U.S. and Europe. Nov. 27, 11:15 a.m. $8, $4.50 seniors, free for members. $6.50 for lunch, reservations are needed three days in advance. JCC of Central New Jersey, Scotch Plains, jccnj.org, 908-889-8800 “LIFE’S ACCESSORIES (A MEMOIR AND FASHION GUIDE).” JFCS of Greater Mercer County will host author Rachel Levy Lesser, who will discuss her coming-of-age memoir that tackles sen-

PRESENTING OVER 100 THEATER AND DANCE PERFORMANCES, EXHIBITIONS, READINGS, FILM SCREENINGS, CONCERTS AND LECTURES EACH YEAR, MOST OF THEM FREE! For more information and to sign up for a weekly email on upcoming events, visit arts.princeton.edu

sitive issues such as anxiety, illness, and loss. Dec. 5, 7 p.m. Shir Ami, Newtown, Pa., shiraminow.org, 215-968-3400 “ONE BOOK, ONE JEWISH COMMUNITY — ‘WUNDERLAND.’” Jennifer Cody Epstein will discuss her fictional story about a daughter who discovers her estranged mother’s secrets from her early life as an orphan in Nazi Germany. Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m. $20, register by Dec. 6. Wine and snacks included. JCC of Central New Jersey, S c o t ch P l a i n s , jccnj.org, 908889-8800 “THE PLOT A G A I N S T A M E R I C A .” Board member and moderator Robert Berger will discuss P h i l i p R o t h ’s n o v e l t h a t e xplores Jewish identity and counterfactual h i s t o r y. D e c . 14, 1 p.m. Free. B’nai Shalom, West Orange, bnaishalom.net, 973-731-0160 “A FIELD GUIDE TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE.” Humorists Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel discuss their comedic take on Jewish history. Dec. 17, 7 p.m. JCC MetroWest, West Orange, jccmetrowest.org, 973-530-3915

NJ Jewish News ■ Greater MetroWest Edition ■ September 26, 2019

BOOK LIST

Author Lock ey Maisonneuve will discuss her memoir and journey through sex trafficking, cancer, murder, and more. Nov. 14, 11:15 a.m. $8, $4.50 seniors, free for members. $6.50 for lunch, reservations are needed three days in advance. JCC of Central New Jersey, Scotch Plains, jccnj.org, 908-889-8800

NJ Jewish News ■ Greater MetroWest Edition ■ September 26, 2019