10 JEWISH INVENTIONS

JEWS

ABROAD 10 Jewish inventions

RIVKA RONDA ROBINSON COURTESY: AISH.COM

Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn sweet shop owner and his wife, Rose, created a stuffed toy bear in honour of former US president Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. It all began when Roosevelt went on a hunting trip in 1902, but failed to locate a single bear. His assistants reportedly cornered and tied a black bear to a tree for the American president to shoot.

A big game hunter, according to the National Park Service Roosevelt refused to kill the bear because it would be unsportsmanlike. A political cartoonist turned that fateful trip into satire. When the Michtoms saw the cartoon they decided to create a new toy and call it “Teddy’s Bear.” Their invention was wildly popular. Meanwhile, across the ocean, a German family named Steiff created stuffed toy bears with shoe-button eyes and an embroidered nose.

2. Yakity-Yak Talking Teeth

Thank another Jewish inventor for providing lots of laughs with his YakityYak Talking Teeth. In the 1940s an ad for a false-teeth holder called a “tooth garage” amused Eddy Goldfarb. He imagined a pair of dentures chomping, sputtering down the road and parking in its proper place.

That image inspired Goldfarb to create a wind-up toy known as chattering teeth. When his gag chompers debuted in 1950, the packaging read, “Amazing! They Walk, They Talk, They’re Alive!” Even as a youngster in Chicago, Goldfarb was inventing toys and crafting action figures from the cardboard inserts in laundered shirts.

3. Sam Born, The Candy Man

The novelty business also appealed to a sweet maker born in 1891 who received his education in Berdichev, Ukraine, at the city’s rabbinical school. When Sam Born’s family moved to France, he landed a sweet job in a candy store and learned the business.

In 1910 Born emigrated to the US and was responsible for many innovations. These including the technology to produce chocolate sprinkles, known as Jimmies and the hard chocolate coating used in Eskimo Pies. Born was given the keys to the city of San Francisco in 1916 for inventing a machine that mechanically inserted sticks into lollipops. It was called the Born sucker machine.

He began to manufacture sweets in 1923, naming his company Just Born because the products were so fresh. His company created Mike and Ike, Hot Tamales and Peanut Chews, earning him a spot in the Candy Hall of Fame.

4. The Ballpoint Pen

Laszlo Biro, a Hungarian/Argentine inventor, came up with the idea for the modern day ballpoint pen.

He worked as an editor for newspapers in Hungary and had a problem with ink from fountain pens, which smudged and took a long time to dry. He noticed, the ink in newspaper printing presses didn’t smudge and dried quickly. He tried putting the same ink into a fountain pen, but couldn’t get it to flow into the tip.

So, Laszlo Biro worked with his brother, a chemist and developed a new tip with a ball that moved freely in a socket. The Biros presented the first working ballpoint pen at the Budapest International Fair in 1931.

5. Instant cameras

Edwin Land, cofounder of the Polaroid Corporation, made it possible for pictures to be taken and developed almost immediately. In 1947, he demonstrated the Polaroid Land Camera, which could produce a finished print in 60 seconds. Land’s photographic process soon found many applications in business, science and the military. Before he died in 1991, the New Englander had received more than 500 patents for his innovations in light and plastics.

6. Word-processing computer

Pioneer Evelyn Berezin was born in New York in 1925 to Jewish immigrants from Russia. She designed the first true word-processing computer. She also developed the first automated airline reservation system. United Airlines put her invention into service in 1955. According to the Computer History Museum, it served 60 cities throughout the United States with a one-second response time and with no central system failures in 11 years of operation.

Berezin received her BA in physics from New York University in 1945 and an Atomic Energy Commission fellowship for graduate study there in 1946. Her interest in physics stemmed from reading her brother’s science-fiction periodicals.

7. Mobile phones

Credit engineers at Motorola’s Israel research and development centre for coming up with the original cell-phone technology. According to ISRAEL21c, “from the tool that guards your mobile identity to a new keyboard solution, Israeli expertise keeps your phone from getting bigger, yet staying cutting edge.”

8. Video games

Who can believe that video games already have been around for 50 years? Ralph Baer, whose family fled Germany just before World War II, helped pave the way for the game systems we know today. The Jewish engineer began to investigate how to play games on a television in 1966. Then, he and two colleagues created several test units. The result was the Brown Box, a prototype for the first multiplayer, multiprogram video game system. Baer licensed it to Magnavox, which released the design as the Odyssey in 1972.

9. Camera phone

Remember life before smartphones and selfies? Baby Boomer Philippe Kahn does. He was born in Paris in 1952 to Jewish immigrants of modest means. His mother was a Holocaust survivor. The arrival of his daughter in 1997 triggered the birth of a new technology. Kahn wanted to take a picture of the baby and send it to friends directly from the hospital. While in the waiting room, he succeeded. He fired up his computer, wrote some lines of codes, synchronised them with his Motorola mobile phone and digital camera, and created the world’s first camera phone.

10. Google

As computer science graduate students at Stanford University, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, now Silicon Valley billionaires, developed Google. Page envisioned a world wide web search engine that could rank hyperlinks based on how often other pages linked them. Brin helped turn the idea into PageRank, the algorithm foundation of Google Search. The product went live on Stanford’s network in 1996.

FOODIES'

CORNER Kosher KApers

RAMONA FREEDMAN THE KASHRUT AUTHORITY

The KA loves sharing all-things-kosher with Jewish report readers – each day there’s so much happening in Kosher Land as you can see below in this jam-packed Kosher

KApers edition!

The KA advises that Jesse’s Bakery and Café will be temporarily closed for renovations late June for a few days. The grand plan is to revitalise and refresh the café and it will reopen with new menu items, décor, creative cakes and more baked treats, all aided by a passionate new pastry chef. In addition, the community will be introduced to new coffee sensations featuring Little Italy Coffee Roasters.

Locally and lovingly produced, Little Italy has invested time and energy to create unique blends that coffee connoisseurs will agree, simply hit all the right notes. Believing coffee to be a beautiful balance between art and science – the results will be available daily at the reinvigorated Jesse’s Café – here to continue serving our community with freshly baked goods, outstanding coffee, cakes, pastries, a magnificent new menu and more.

We are excited to introduce you to a new member of our KA Family of companies: Taste Water. This was

Paesanella Buffalo Mozzarella

established with a vision to create a difference in the world, encouraging all to live a healthier lifestyle - underscored by a mission to give back to the community. The Taste Water team wanted to create beverages that had a great flavour and simultaneously ticked the daily boxes of enhancing health and wellness. That translated into the range having no sugar, additives, calories, preservatives or sweeteners. Mission accomplished!

After much research and with the nostalgic pure reminder of childhood memories featuring fresh fruit in cold water jugs offered by wise older relations – Taste Water embraced the challenge and the result is three flavours in stylish bottles (500ml): Blackberry; Watermelon and Pineapple. In addition to being proudly KA-certified (as conveniently noted on each label), Taste Water is also Vegan Australia certified and gluten free (stockist info is below). Try this niche kosher product today! The KA is pleased to advise that later this month, all rennet set cheeses within the Paesanella range will be KA-certified (Dairy, not Chalav Yisrael) via designated batch production only.

These include cheeses such as bocconcini, mozzarella, burrata, halloumi and more. Individual kosher cheeses will have a ‘KA’ imprinted on the label near the Best Before Date and will be available at selected Woolworths stores. In addition, the three varieties of award-winning acid set cheeses: Paesanella’s Fresh Pure Milk Ricotta; Buffalo Ricotta and Dry Ricotta will be available at all outlets that stock this range and will not require any specific KA codes on the label.

We also wanted to shine a kosher spotlight on a brand new product that is now proudly KA-certified: CO YO’s Greek Style Coconut Yoghurt. This is such a versatile product that can be used to replace sour cream, mayonnaise or buttermilk. wIt is absolutely perfect to be used as a part of a dressing, in sauces, dips, curries, soup or marinades. Of course, so many will also enjoy with muesli or fruit too! This is the latest addition within a huge range of KA-certified CO YO products – all pareve, all appreciated by our community, with so many opting to or needing to avoid traditional dairy products.

The kosher space is dynamic daily – stay tuned for more KA kosher updates!

Here’s a snapshot of kosher news around town:

• Q5 Espresso is a shop located at Wharf 5, Circular Quay and it sells a variety of Serendipity ice cream and sorbet flavours (during winter on weekends only). KA-certified kosher tub flavours are marked (KA or KADairy) and consumers should ensure staff use a clean scoop. Note that the cones are KA-certified too. The milkshakes and thick shakes are not acceptable. • Serendipity ice cream cakes are currently available in three flavours: Chocolate, Vanilla & Salted Caramel – they can be ordered from the Serendipity HQ, call 02 9557 8986 or visit the Factory shop to purchase all KA-certified flavours open Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday 1pm-4pm 333-339 Enmore Road, Marrickville. • As this edition of Kosher KApers goes to print, the exact June date when KA-certified batch productions of Paesanella cheeses will be in the marketplace has yet to be finalised. Stay tuned via The KA’s Facebook group ‘Kashrut Authority of Australia & NZ’ for daily updates or add your name and details to The KA’s database list, call the office on 02 9365 2933. • KA-certified Taste Water is currently stocked at The Bagel Co., Jesse’s Café and Krinskys with more stockists to be announced shortly. Kosher consumers can also purchase online from the Taste Water website: www. tastewater.com.au. Online customers can get 10% off the first purchase by keying in code ‘WINTER10’ & if you spend over $150, get free shipping direct to your door. • A large range of Jesse’s baked goods are now available at two new Woolworths Metro stores located at: 220 Glenmore Road, Paddington and 290 Bobbin Head Road, Turramurra North. • Friendship Bakery opening hours: Monday-Wednesday + Friday 9am1pm. Outdoor seating available visit 2 Laguna Street, Vaucluse. • OMG Decadent Donuts East Sydney offer kosher gluten free and dairy free donuts daily – currently stationed within the Royal Randwick Shopping Centre Monday-Friday + Sunday 10am-5pm.

KA PRODUCT UPDATES

• Gordon’s Alcohol free (Natural

Botanicals) with Tonic and a hint of lime (pareve) is acceptable • Orange Toblerone Made in Switzerland is new and kosher (Dairy) • The lemon and lime concentrated juices at Coles and Woolworths are acceptable - Chef's Choice have KAcertified lemon and lime options within its range e.g. available at Harris Farm stores • Halo Top frozen desserts are no longer produced with a Chof-K hechsher (or any kosher certification). Please note there are still tubs in the marketplace with kosher logos from final kosher production. • Nestle Milo Xtra (12g protein) and Milo 30% Less Added Sugar are both kosher

Dairy (not Chalav Yisrael) • The KA advises that all pure agar-agar (a natural vegetable gelatin) is kosher. • The KA advises that all malt vinegar is acceptable and pareve except for vinegar which is Product of New Zealand which is Dairy. • CO YO Greek Style Coconut Yoghurt (500g & 900g sizes) is now KA-certified and available in Woolworths stores and

Woolworths online. For recipe inspiration for this new product, visit www.coyo. com/au/greek-style-recipe-guide. • Barker’s New Zealand – the following four products are kosher and Pareve:

Beetroot Relish 250g; Traditional Tomato

Relish 240g; Sweet Chilli Relish 260g and Peach & Mango Chutney 260g.

Purchase online: www.barkers.com.au/ shop for Australia-wide delivery. • Seagram’s 7 Crown Blended Whiskey is kosher certified • Millions Shakers (tiny chewy sweets made with real fruit juice) Made in UK are kosher Pareve in the following flavours:

Banana; Blackcurrant Buzz; Bubble Gum;

Cola and Strawberry • All varieties of Nespresso coffee pods are kosher Pareve • Cottee’s Cordials three Zero Sugar varieties: Coola Lime; Raspberry & Lemon

Crush (Kosher Australia certified Pareve) • Barilla Red lentil penne (gluten free, requires OU logo) • Deletion: Bio Cheese Cheddar Flavour &

Crackers Pack

MOVIE

REVIEW Has Elvis really left the building?

ELVIS (M) BY ALEX FIRST

Elvis lives. Well, not quite. But Baz Luhrmann has breathed new life into the legend and aura surrounding the consummate performer, the best-selling solo recording artist of all time.

Elvis the movie unfolds as a hero and villain story.

The hero is obviously Presley (Austin Butler), an artist with a prodigious talent, while the villain is his manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).

The tale unfolds as Parker is lying on his death bed, reflecting on what went down, ejecting suggestions that he was responsible for the demise of The King.

Instead, the Colonel maintains he made Elvis and theirs was a true partnership.

We learn that the Parker was a snowman, who used every trick in the book to get others to see things his way.

And he did a really good job of that … to a point.

That is until Elvis wanted to spread his wings. Then, the Colonel pushed back.

Even though the pair worked their way through some of those unpleasantries, the relationship was bound to end badly.

Along the way, of course Elvis met and married Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge), the daughter of a US military officer.

Elvis the picture details the highs and lows of the singer and movie star’s career.

In also highlights the gambling addiction that saw Parker push Presley in a direction the latter didn’t want to go.

We see the influence of African American entertainers and gospel singers in the emergence of Elvis as a serious force in the music business.

And what would a movie about Presley be without the adulation of fawning women … everywhere.

Baz Luhrmann is one of four with writing credits, alongside Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce (The Great Gatsby) and Jeremy Doner.

Elvis isn’t what I would call a traditional biopic. It has Luhrmann’s creative flair all over it.

Another way of expressing that is that the movie is full of showmanship in realising elements of the life of the ultimate showman. It is glossy and gaudy.

Visually, it is stunning. The cinematographer is Mandy Walker (Mulan). The production values are magnificent (Catherine Martin and Karen Murphy were responsible), as is Martin’s costuming.

Some events that would likely be highlighted by another director are given short shrift here.

Elvis quickly goes from courting Priscilla in one scene to marriage and a baby, that being but one example.

Much more attention is paid to the Colonel’s skulduggery.

The music – a mix of the real Elvis and Austin Butler – is very much on song.

So, too, the performance of Butler in the lead. He manages to capture the look and feel of Elvis.

Hanks impresses as the sleazy manipulator extraordinaire.

DeJonge maintains a quiet dignity as Priscilla.

I am not convinced we needed 2 hours 39 minutes to relate the story we saw, especially as we didn’t really dig deeply into Elvis’ psyche. Rather, we got a feel for what he was about.

Still, I greatly enjoyed the offering and Luhrmann’s trademark pizzazz.

Rated M, Elvis scores an 8 out of 10.