15 minute read
A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY
AROUND THE COMMUNITY
With more free time than usual as a result of lockdowns over the past two years, Gaby Steinberg has turned her creative endeavours into a small Judaica business.
The 21-year-old now produces and sells personalised Jewish-themed wedding designs, along with artworks and holiday cards. Her sister, Talia, was married in Melbourne the day after a lockdown lifted in July last year.
Gaby created a monogram (a motif of two or more interwoven letters) using her favourite art form – micrography – that was used for her sister’s wedding invitation and the bentcher (a prayer book for after meals). Micrography involves minute writing to craft a design or image. In this case, the words of the Sheva Brachot made up two intertwining Hebrew letters, representing the bride and groom’s first names. Soon thereafter, a good friend asked Gaby to design her ketubah (Jewish marriage certificate). She hadn’t done anything like that before, but she saw it as a golden opportunity to expand her skill set.
“Sometimes it's not until you invest in opportunities that you realise you are passionate about something new,” Gaby says. She says she loved the artistic endeavour. Next, she worked on a personalised front cover of a bentcher for another friend in Sydney. Around the same time, Gaby visited the local scribe to ask for advice about calligraphy, in which she was self-taught. He asked if Gaby could help out by filling in the details for ketubot. Her requests for ketubot, bentchers and wedding monograms started increasing.
A Beth Rivkah graduate, her artistic journey was heavily influenced by residing among the art galleries of Nachlaot in Jerusalem in 2011 and 2012.
During a gap year after completing her VCE in 2018, she lived alongside the art-filled Cardo in the Old City.
That same year, she received the Jewish theme prize in the B'nai Brith Jewish Youth Art competition for her main VCE artwork. Now she enjoys mixing micrography with calligraphy, watercolour creations, gold leaf designs and hand paper cut outs.
A golden opportunity
Gaby Steinberg
To reach out to Gaby, email her at gabysteinberg@gmail.com or give her a call on 0468 495 271. Check out her artwork on Instagram: @gabs.artwork Ketubah
Soldiers' Monogram Bentcher
Monogram
THEATRE REVIEW
FUN HOME REVIEWED BY ALEX FIRST
A poignant and amusing slice of life musical, it is not hard to see why Fun Home received five Tony Awards for the original Broadway production.
That included Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score
Now, fortunately, Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company have picked it up and done a wonderful job with it.
In fact, so much so, that it is amongst my favourite MTC productions of all time. It really is that good.
Alison Bechdel (Lucy Maunder) is a 43-year-old lesbian cartoonist who is trying to make sense of the relationship she had with her father, Bruce (Adam Murphy).
That involves looking back at her life when she was 10 (as played alternately by Flora Feldman, Sophie Isaac and Teja Kingi) and, again, as a newly minted college student (Ursula Searle).
Through three generations of Alisons, we gain further insight, as she sets about finding her place in the world.
Bruce was an intelligent and complicated man, driven by his sexual impulses. An English teacher and undertaker, who took pride in his work, home restoration and period detail was a passion for him, as was good literature.
Alison and her brothers, John (played alternately by Luka and Sebastian Sero) and Christian (played alternately by Jai D’Alessandro, Edgar Stirling and Aidan Synan), grew up helping their father polish the caskets.
When they were first married, Bruce and his wife Helen (Silvie Paladino) lived in Germany, where Bruce was in the army. A death in the family saw them move to Pennsylvania.
Bruce had a “my way or the highway” approach. He insisted on his home being meticulously clean – a showpiece.
He was a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, prone to angry tirades and treated Helen shamefully.
Still, Alison had an enduring respect for him and his intellect. She wanted to please him and they had more in common than she first thought.
The nine-strong cast and six-piece band do a wonderful job bringing this fractured family tale to life. The narrative is driven both by spoken word and song lyrics (I loved the flow between them) … and what magnificent material there is to work with.
Based on a graphic novel by Alison Bechdel, published in 2006, the book and lyrics are by Lisa Kron, with music by Jeanine Tesori.
Fun Home is both desperately sad and, at times, hilarious – the light critically important as a juxtaposition to the shade.
The performances are first rate – all so polished. The elder Alison shadows her younger selves throughout and does so seamlessly.
In fact, all three versions of Alison make a huge and favourable impression. Their timing and delivery are impeccable.
Murphy is able to readily channel the different sides of Bruce’s character as he walks closer and closer to the edge of a metaphorical cliff.
Emily Havea is dazzling and delightful as Alison’s newfound gay friend.
That leads me to reflect on the delicious, mirth-enduring representation of Alison’s first loving encounter with the same sex.
A cheeky number by the children creating a promotional ad for the funeral home is among the many highlights of Fun Home.
Among several standout solo performances that reach deep into our souls is Paladino finally letting loose as mother Helen.
The set design by Alicia Clements (who is also responsible for the costumes) is superb. Upon entering the theatre, we see two tiers of the family home, including Bruce’s prized book collection, accessible via an impressive black metal spiral staircase.
During the course of proceedings, the rotating stage also showcases the outside of the home, where a small tree is planted, the morgue and Alison’s dorm room.
Fun Home is a magnificent theatrical production, helmed with distinction by director Dean Bryant.
Musical direction is from Matthew Frank and choreography by Andrew Hallsworth.
Fun Home is playing at the Playhouse at Arts Centre Melbourne until 5th March.
Outstanding slice of life musical
Photo: Jeff Busby
Zionist Federations calls out Amnesty International
ZIONIST FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA
The Zionist Federation of Australia has condemned an Amnesty International report released at the start of this month in the stronger possible terms.
ZFA President Jeremy Leibler called the document, titled Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians, appalling. "It makes a mockery of both objectivity and the victims of Apartheid South Africa, who suffered under an evil regime that bears absolutely no resemblance to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Mr Leibler said.
He said the report is about Israel’s very existence, not about Palestinian rights or occupation.
Mr Leibler said the report is a one-sided attack on Israel, where the conclusion of “apartheid” was predetermined and aspects of the conflict were selected on the basis that they could be made to fit that conclusion.
“If they couldn’t be twisted or decontextualised in a way to fit the apartheid lie, they were ignored.
“In creating such a report, Amnesty will fuel the antisemitic attempts to hold Israel to a standard not applied to any other country and will further motivate those who enact violence against Israelis and Jews around the world,” Mr Leibler said.
The ZFA President said full participation of Palestinian citizens of Israel is ignored or downplayed.
“That Israel’s governing coalition has an Arab party, that there are Arab cabinet members, Arab High Court justices and more are all ignored by Amnesty, because they are unfortunate truths that would prove the lie of Amnesty’s claims.
“What is tragic is that such an important organisation has allowed itself to be manipulated by key members who are much more interested in pursuing their ideological hatred of Israel than they are of pursuing human rights,” Mr Leibler said.
He called on Amnesty International to withdraw the report and for those who want genuine Israeli-Palestinian peace to reject it.
Judaica quiz answers
1. The Great Synagogue 2. Rabbi Noah Weinberg 3. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego 4. Honouring one’s parents 5. It is a prayer for the recovery of someone who is unwell 6. Liam Neeson 7. d) Helen Reddy (In 1968, she converted to Judaism before her marriage to Jeff Wald) 8. a) Adar 9. The League of Nations 10. David Irving sued Penguin Books & Deborah Lipstadt 11. A) Akko - situated at 32.9331° (Karmiel 32.9147°; Tiberias 32.7959°) 12. Stephen Fry and Daniel Radcliffe 13. Eliezer, Yehoshua, Eleazar ben Azaryah, Akiva, Tarfon, Ben Zoma, Yehudah, Yosi Haglili, Gamliel and Hillel 14. The Great Synagogue 1870s (1878); The Central Synagogue 1910s (1913), Mizrachi Synagogue 1930s (1938) & North Shore Synagogue 1950s (consecrated 1957) 15. Cappuccino 16. b) First Jewish American male astronaut 17. Givat Ram 18. In the attic of the Altneuschul in Prague 19. Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, Akkadian, Assyrian, Coptic, Ethiopic, Ugaritic, Phoenician, Syriac, Mandaic, Chaldean, Amharic, Proto-Semitic or Canaanite 20.1909 21. Ezekiel 22. Sheloshim - All Israel cried for one month 23. George Gershwin 24. Talmud Yerushalmi, otherwise known as The Palestinian Talmud 25. c) A type of plant
THEATRE REVIEW
JAGGED LITTLE PILL REVIEWED BY ALEX FIRST
The Oscar-winning writer of the powerful film Juno, Diablo Cody, has crafted another beauty, this time the storyline behind the stellar musical Jagged Little Pill.
The result, a Tony Award, for Best Book of a Musical.
Like Juno, Jagged Little Pill is a comedic drama, with inclusion at its core.
And who can go past the acerbic tongue of Alanis Morrisette, whose songs the musical showcases and whose award-winning 1995 album inspired its creation.
After nearly 20 years, Mary Jane (MJ) (Natalie Bassingthwaighte) and Steve Healy’s (Tim Draxl) marriage is in deep trouble.
Living in Connecticut, they are reasonably well off.
She is a highly competitive perfectionist who has become addicted to drugs after a car accident.
He is a workaholic, who regularly bills 60 hours a week.
They have two children, both at school.
The elder, Nick (Liam Head), has just found out he has received a place at Harvard.
MJ couldn’t be prouder of her elite swimmer son.
Adopted 16-year-old African American daughter Frankie (Emily Nkomo), who writes poetry, has enormous trouble relating to her parents.
She is a lesbian, who turns out to be bisexual, and is heavily invested in causes.
She and her close “friend”, Jo (Maggie McKenna) are the only members of a club they have formed specifically for that purpose.
Jo has in common with Frankie struggling to get her mother to understand her.
Other kids at school make fun of the pair, but one day while reading out another poem Frankie attracts the interest of a new kid in class, Phoenix (Aydan).
Quickly, Frankie’s head is turned too.
Meanwhile, expectation weighs heavily on the “heroic” child Nick.
He unexpectedly attends a party, where something mighty heavy goes down involving a long-time friend, Bella (Grace Miell) … that he does nothing about. While MJ encourages him to keep quiet about it, the incident’s shattering impact affects not only the victim, but MJ, Nick and Frankie.
The story is bookended by two deeply personal, ruthlessly honest letters about her previous 12 months that MJ has a habit of widely disseminating via email each Christmas.
Wonderfully directed by Diane Paulus, Jagged Little Pill is a rolled gold winner on every level – pacey, pithy and pulsating.
Not only is it a terrific story with excellent music, but the vocals are stupendous – rich and powerful. Natalie Bassingthwaighte sets a high bar, matched by her younger contemporary in Emily Nkomo. Their voices are strong and pure.
Maggie McKenna shines as Frankie’s friend, knocking her numbers out of the park. The timber in Tim Draxl’s voice adds weight to his characterisation.
In fact, there are no weaknesses among the 19-strong exuberant cast, that sing and, at times, dance up a storm.
In fact, so much so that one number (“You Oughta Know”) brings with it a well-deserved standing ovation during the second act. I assure you I was among the many on my feet.
The choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is spectacular (free flowing and athletic) and the staging a real feature. A multitude of props are wheeled in and out at will, with videos projections setting the scene and helping to transport the action.
An excellent band, located on scaffolding at the back of the stage, give it their all, providing Morrisette’s Jagged Little Pill a new life.
This is a musical that delights and moves audiences.
The mix of light and shade is difficult to balance well in any artistic endeavour, but Jagged Little Pill most certainly has and much credit for that goes to Diablo Cody.
Put simply, it is a must see jukebox musical.
It is playing at the Comedy Theatre until 16th March.
Talented line-up shines
Photo: Daniel Boud
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AROUND THE COMMUNITY
JEWISH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2022
JIFF 2022 (which runs from March 2nd to April 3rd) features 55 premiere films from 20 countries.
The program includes 31 feature films, 25 documentaries and six short films.
“Adapting to change has been a theme for all of us over the last two years and our selection of films only highlights the challenges that come with adapting to change, a story all too familiar to Jewish people,” says JIFF Artistic Director, Eddie Tamir. Opening the Festival is Olivier Dahan’s moving biopic Simone Veil: A Woman of the Century, which deals with the life and legacy of the French feminist icon through pivotal events of the 20th century.
Closing night will see two episodes of Israeli period melodrama The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem.
The series spans three generations of a family set against the backdrop of the Ottoman Empire, the British Mandate and the establishment of the Jewish state.
Festival features
Tales of unlikely and generation defying friendships are an important part of the program.
They include the dramedy Here Today directed by and starring Billy Crystal and
Tiger Within, which recounts the friendship between a Holocaust survivor, played by Ed Asner and a teenage runaway.
The history and plight of the Jewish diaspora is highlighted in films including French filmmaker Sandrine Kiberlain’s directorial debut A Radiant Girl.
The handsomely lensed black and white film Shadow Country is a unique account of life in a small Czech-Austrian village, examining the dire effects of nationalism in the aftermath of WWII.
Haunting drama The Conference, shot on location at Wannsee Lake in Berlin, marks 80 years after the Nazi conference, which conceived the idea for the systematic mass murder of millions of Jews across Europe.
Israel’s submission for Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards and winner of Best Film at the 2021 Ophir Award (the Israeli Oscars) is the bittersweet satire Let It Be Morning.
That is a snapshot of the IsraeliPalestinian tensions as seen through the eyes of a Palestinian-born Israeli man.
Also nominated for Best Film at the 2021 Ophir Awards is acclaimed Israeli director Avi Nesher’s Image of Victory, an antiwar epic that tells the little-known story of the Battle of Nitzanim in Israel’s War of Independence.
Australian stories
Mother Mountain is the story of a young, restless Jewish mother and her family set in idyllic country at the base of a mystical and sacred Aboriginal mountain.
Marianne Mathy & Her Legacy documents a momentous figure in Australian music history who, after emigrating to Australia from Germany in 1939, went on to train many of Australia’s greatest opera singers. Japanese documentarian Mirai Osawa’s Where But Into the Sea shines a light on the underreported asylum process for Jewish people in wartime Japan and Japanese occupied Shanghai – many of whom made Australia their home.
Documentaries
Documentaries that reflect JIFF’s 2022 theme of heroes of change include Sigmund Freud, a Jew Without God, Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song, Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful and I Am Here.
The latter is about spirited South African Holocaust survivor Ella Blumenthal.
Intimate profiles of past Israeli leaders include Upheaval, an incisive portrait of Menachem Begin, Shamir: War, Peace and a Dream and What If? Ehud Barak on War and Peace.
Dozens of premiere films
Photo: Simone Veil, A Woman of the Century
Special Events
JIFF’s film program will be accompanied with a Festival-long suite of special events spanning comedy, cabaret, script-reading and live music.
2022 Jewish International Film Festival Screening Dates
2nd March – 3rd April Classic Cinemas, Elsternwick 3rd March – 3rd April Lido Cinemas, Hawthorn
Website: www.jiff.com.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/ JewishIFF Twitter: www.twitter.com/jewishiff Instagram: www.instagram.com/jiff_oz/
See the best of Jewish-themed and Israeli cinema at the 2022 Jewish International Film Festival, screening only in cinemas from March 2.
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE —
Inspiring Opening Night Film Simone Veil, A Woman of the Century; rom-com Here Today, starring Billy Crystal; documentary Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song, about the beloved performer; and Closing Night presentation The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem (pictured).
