24A
JEWISH INTEREST
March 2013
Stars of David
By Nate Bloom, Contributing Columnist Editor’s note: Persons in BOLD CAPS are deemed by Nate Bloom to be Jewish for the purpose of the column. Persons identified as Jewish have at least one Jewish parent and were not raised in a faith other than Judaism – and don’t identify with a faith other than Judaism as an adult. Converts to Judaism, of course, are also identified as Jewish. Jews on Ice The 113-day lockout of National Hockey League (NHL) players by the owners ended in early January. Here are the four Jews playing NHL hockey as the delayed season began: MIKE BROWN, 27, right wing, Toronto Maple Leafs; MICHAEL CAMMALLERI, 30, left wing, Calgary Flames; JEFF HALPERN, 36, center, NY Rangers; and ERIC NYSTROM, 29, left wing, Dallas Stars. Halpern and Brown are the sons of two Jewish parents. Nystrom, who was raised Jewish and had a bar mitzvah, is the son of a non-Jewish father and a Jewish mother. Cammalleri, who is also the son of a Jewish mother/non-Jewish father, was raised secular, but has no problem being identified as a “Jewish athlete.” Jewish Sports Review magazine says that 10 Jewish players are now playing in the highest minor league, the AHL. Several have a good chance of being called up to the NHL this season or next. Now He Can Speak Freely Frank Langella, 75, is a highly respected actor, best known for his stage work. I recently came across his 2012 memoir, Dropped Names: Famous Men and Women As I Knew Them. About 60 quite famous people are the subject of short profiles. All are deceased, so Langella can be completely candid. I found many of his entries really fresh and interesting. Famous Jewish subjects include TONY CURTIS, LEE STRASBERG, DINAH SHORE, ELIZABETH TAYLOR, ARTHUR MILLER, and PAUL NEWMAN. About Newman, Langella writes: “He was a deeply feeling, decent man...[but he was] a pretty dull companion. Never rude or unkind, just dull...But he was so beautiful, people thought it must be their fault if
he went silent or just emptily gazed at them.” Chuck Lorre Speaks/ Charlie Sheen Redux CHUCK LORRE, 60, is famous as creator or co-creator of many big TV hits including Cybill, Dharma and Greg, Grace under Fire, Two and a Half Men” and Big Bang Theory. Lorre, who was born Charles Levine, is also wellknown for his personal essay, “vanity cards,” which flash on the screen for an instant at the end of an episode of his shows. For many years, you could read the cards online and now, with a DVR, you can easily hit “pause” and read them. A card (labeled #396) that ran last fall after a Big Bang episode now seems very timely and “very Jewish.” Here’s part of the text: “It appears as if roughly half the people in this country think that they’re in mortal danger from their own government. That’s a lot of people sensing a lot of malice and threat. I worry that I don’t see it. Sure, I see inefficiency and incompetence, but I’ve always seen that – regardless of which party is in office. And frankly, I’ve always welcomed it...A cursory glance through history would indicate that well-organized governments tend to enjoy well-organized parades, followed by well-organized ethnic cleansing. Which is why I celebrate the magnificent, muddle-headed ineptitude of our democracy. As far as I’m concerned, a little confusion and waste may keep the trains from running on time, but it also keeps people like me from getting a one-way ticket in a cattle car. [Yes, there’s a lot of waste] But keep in mind that bureaucrats who can’t find their tush with a flashlight are not likely to find you either.” As many of you know, Lorre fired Two and a Half Men co-star Charlie
Interested in Your Family’s History? Ten years of doing a Jewish celebrities column has turned Nate Bloom (see column at left) into something of an expert on finding basic family history records and articles mentioning a “searched-for” person. During these 10 years, he has put together a small team of “mavens” who aid his research. Most professional family history experts charge at least $1,000 for a full family tree. However, many people just want to get “started” by tracing one particular family branch.
So here’s the deal:
Send Nate an email at middleoftheroad1@aol.com, tell him you saw this ad in The Jewish News, and include your phone number (area code, too). Nate will then contact you about doing a “limited” family history for you at a modest cost (no more than $100). No upfront payment. Sheen in February 2011 after months of dealing with Sheen’s drug-fueled bizarre behavior that included disparaging remarks by Sheen about Lorre, including at least one that virtually everyone took as anti-Semitic. Sheen parried the charge of antiSemitism by noting that his then-wife, BROOKE MUELLER, 35, is Jewish (Mueller’s mother, a Palm Beach socialite, is Jewish). Sheen added that his mother is Jewish, too. The latter claim is a “Charlie Sheen fantasy” – his mother comes from an old WASP family – and Charlie’s (full) brother, actor Emilio Estevez, has told interviewers that she was
born and raised a Southern Baptist. Well, Charlie is still singing the same song about his mother. Recently, he was interviewed by the Brit paper, The Guardian. The reporter prefaced the interview text by noting that Sheen: “Talks thorough his nose, in rapid jags that sound like the side-effect of whatever he has done to his brain over the years.” When the reporter mentioned his controversial remark about Lorre, Sheen once again lied, or fantasized, telling the Guardian, “My mom’s Jewish. I’m Jewish.” Maybe Charlie should enter a rehab center for the “factually challenged.”
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JEWISH MUSEUM OF FLORIDA-FIU Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
Thru March 17, 2013
Since the 1920s, the game of mah jongg has ignited the popular imagination with beautiful tiles, mythical origins and communal spirit. This exhibit provokes memories of the intergenerational tradition of this game, and illuminates mah jongg’s influence on contemporary culture.
Project Mah Jongg was curated and is circulated by the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, New York.The exhibition is made possible through the generosity of the National Mah Jongg League. Additional support is provided by Sylvia Hassenfeld and 2wice Arts Foundation. Local funders for Project Mah Jongg include Robert Arthur Segall Foundation, Funding Arts Network, Charles & Sandra Simon, Joni & Stanley Tate.
NEW EXH
Thru May IBIT 5
Portraits by Inez Hollander Larry Dreaming About the Beach, acrylic on canvas, 2008.
Bring this ad in for 2 for 1 admission
Through vibrant primary colors and strong, unrelenting brushstrokes, this series documents a community teeming in diversity and captures the emotions of its subjects.
Elaine in Green Dress, acrylic on canvas, 2009.
Also see MOSAIC: Jewish Life in Florida, visit the Orovitz Museum Store for one-of-a-kind gifts and have a snack at Bessie’s Bistro!
301 Washington Ave., Miami Beach 305-672-5044 l www.jewishmuseum.com Open Tuesday - Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The Museum is supported by individual contributions, foundations, memberships and grants from the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, the Miami-Dade County Tourist Developement Council, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissionsers and the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council.
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