Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on December 7, 2019

The Book of Proverbs (31:10-31) ends with the famous poem known in Hebrew as Eshet Chayil. The term has no English equivalent, although we often imprecisely translate it as A Woman of Valor.

The poem addresses the role of women, not only as the homemaker but also providers for their family and as psychological supports for their families and husbands. The poem describes the ideal woman as a person who takes care of others and inspires all whom she loves.

In traditional Jewish homes, we read the poem on Sabbaths and holy days and at the funerals of righteous women. The poem provides us with what King Solomon believed to be the parameters of an ideal wife, mother and home administrator. Eshet Chayil tells us that a husband should see such perfection in his wife to be comparable to that of a precious gem and states that a man who has found such a woman is truly blessed.

In the American language, the closest we have is the late 19th century saying: that behind every successful man there [stands] a woman. The American expression is much more terse and less poetic than the Hebrew but in many ways shares similarities. In our day and age, the term eshet chayil also reminds us, who live in a time of great superficiality, that true beauty radiates from the inside out. It is not a womans outer shell that determines beauty but the depth of her being. The Hebrew expression reminds us to judge a woman not by her clothing, hairdo or jewelry but by the quality of her mind and soul.

To be an eshet chayil is to be like many of the Biblical and Talmudic women we have studied in the past: flawed human beings who overcame personal or communal challenges and made the world better.

This month we examine such a woman. Just as in the poem, she was a woman who transformed a poor shepherd into one of ancient Israels greatest scholars and warriors. This month we examine the life and inspiration of one of Israels greatest woman. She was the woman behind the man, his eshet chayil. Because of her efforts, Israel received the gift of Rabbi Akiba, one of our greatest minds and intellectuals.

Akibas wife was more than spouse; she was his mentor and inspiration. It is no exaggeration to state that much of the credit for Rabbi Akibas brilliance and success is owed to his wife and number one supporter.

Rabbi Akibas wife is known more for what she did than for who she was. In fact, we are ignorant of most of her lifes details. We are not even sure of her name. Like many of the women found in the Talmudic texts, she is described as merely Eshet Akiba/Akibas wife.

Today we call her Rachel, but it is not clear if Rachel was her name or that of her daughters. Furthermore, as is typical of the ancient Middle East, we have numerous contradicting tales about her role in life. As we delve into the details of her life, the only thing about which we are certain is that we are not sure what we know and what we do not know.

Perhaps this paucity of biographic details and factual history are to our benefit. Might the lessons of history be learned not by facts but by the legends that surround the facts? Might this lack of fact be teaching us that it is the symbolism and lessons found within each life that matter more than the banality of mundane facts? What we do know is that the influence of Eshet Akiba/Akibas wife on Israels history was so great, her capabilities so vast, her insights so profound that it is impossible to distinguish the facts of her life from the legends that surround her. Perhaps, just as in the poem Eshet Chayil, it is her essence about which the legends speak that encompasses the lessons of her life.

Despite the differences found within primary sources, all sources seem to agree Akibas wife had an eye for talent. The Talmud reports that her future husband, Rabbi Akiba (first century CE) was an ambitious but poor shepherd. He had a minimal education and seemed destined for a life of ignorance and poverty. Rachel thought otherwise. The woman who discovered Akiba and became his wife was the beautiful daughter of one of ancient Israels richest men: a young woman of privilege. According to legend, Rachel recognized Akibas brilliance and fell in love with him. The Talmudic text indicates that her father was furious, disowned her, and after she married Akiba, the couple lived in poverty.

Akibas wife insisted that he attend the academy (the university of his day). She demonstrated her support for this decision by toiling to maintain him economically for two 12-year periods.

Due to his wifes love and unwavering support, Akiba became the greatest scholar of his time. Eternally grateful to his wife, he made it known to all that he owed his success to her. He never tired of telling the world that without her support, trust and belief in him, he would never have risen to become one of Israels great leaders.

Theirs was a true partnership. Each knew when to speak and to be silent; each trusted the other and helped to transform the nation in a world of political darkness into a beacon of light. It would not be unfair to state that Akibas brilliant writing and words or wisdom come to us only due to the efforts of his wife and mentor.

Recognized as that periods greatest scholar, Akiba and his father-in-law reconciled, and Akiba became a rich man. Despite his fame and wealth, Akiba never failed to state that his success belonged more to his wife than to him. She was truly, to quote Proverbs, more precious than rubies. Legend tells us that to honor his wife, Akiba presented her with headgear made of gold.

Akibas wife was his lifelong supporter, partner and mother to his children. She asked nothing in return. Living in a time of miracles, her disciples tell us that she too performed miracles, ended plagues and made the world a better place; the eshet chayil par excellence.

Akibas wife is buried in the northern Israeli city of Tiberius along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Today, thousands of people come to visit her tomb, to pray and to ask her for her guidance.

Just as we began our journey with Talmudic masters along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, so, too, is with Eshet Akiba that we end this journey. Many of the people whom we studied performed miracles, all faced issues, and all have something to teach us who live in another place and time. May Akibas wifes life inspire all of us, both men and women, to be an eshet chayil in whatever path we choose to take through life.

Peter Tarlow is the rabbi emeritus at Texas A&M Hillel Foundation in College Station. He is a chaplain for the College Station Police Department and teaches at the Texas A&M College of Medicine.

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The generous, supportive Rachel, Rabbi Akibas wife - Bryan-College Station Eagle

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Posted By admin on December 7, 2019

Seventh 8-Figure Campaign Gift is Part of $250 Million Fund Raising Effort

Boca Raton, FL Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation has received anothertransformative donation towards their $250 million fund raising effort, Keeping thePromiseThe Campaign for Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Noted philanthropists Toby andLeon Cooperman have made a $25 million gift, one of seven eight-figure gifts received by thecampaign that has already raised $152 million toward its goal. In recognition of their generosity,the new Medical Arts Pavilion at Boca Raton Regional Hospital will bear the Toby and LeonCooperman name.

There are few words to characterize the gratitude we feel at the hospital and in the communitytoward the Coopermans selfless generosity, said Lincoln Mendez, new President and CEO ofBoca Raton Regional Hospital, Baptist Health South Florida. It is a remarkable, historical giftthat, to us, is more than the financial resources it provides. Its an expression of belief, anaffirmation, and a trust in what we are doing at Boca Regional, our enormous campus initiative,and our future under the Baptist Health umbrella. Its a gift that will greatly enhance vital carefor our patients and everyone in this community. It represents an impact way beyond thesignature on the check.

The gift was officially announced at a December 3 event at the prestigious St. Andrews CountryClub in Boca Raton. More than 300 gathered to celebrate the donors and the donation, led byfriends and neighbors of the benefactors and a litany of Boca Raton Regional Hospital leaders.

We have referenced many times the Talmud, where it is proclaimed that a mans net worth ismeasured not by what he earns but rather what he gives away, said Mr. Cooperman. We arecommitted to give and to help others as best we can. The people of our community here in BocaRaton deserve the best possible healthcare available, and we are honored to join many otherswho have carefully considered the long-term vision and believe in a bright healthcare futurehere.

The Coopermans are noted and enduring philanthropists who have made extraordinary gifts tomultiple organizations. They are signers of the Giving Pledge, initiated by Warren Buffett oneof the worlds wealthiest individuals in an effort to help address societys most pressingproblems by inviting the worlds wealthiest individuals and families to commit to giving morethan half of their wealth to philanthropy. Toby and Leon Cooperman intend to give all theirwealth away, to those organizations, institutions and individuals that have made a difference tothem in their lifetime. These have included Hunter College in New York City, ColumbiaUniversity, and St. Barnabas Medical Center. They have also launched the Cooperman CollegeScholars Program and the Cooperman Family Fund for a Jewish Future. Leon was recentlyinducted into the prestigious Horatio Alger Society for having overcome his humble beginningsto achieve success on Wall Street and for his commitment to philanthropy.

Toby and Leon make their gifts for all the right reasons, said Christine E. Lynn, Chair, BocaRaton Regional Hospital Corporate Board of Trustees, Hospital Board of Trustees. We areeternally grateful for this extraordinary gesture of generosity. It will have an enormous impact onthe care we provide, and their commitment will live on in the Medical Arts Pavilion that willbear their name for generations to come.

The $250 million Keeping the Promise The Campaign for Boca Raton Regional Hospital isthe largest in the Hospitals history. In addition to the Toby and Leon Cooperman Medical ArtsPavilion, a freestanding building on the Boca Regional campus for outpatient surgery andspecialty practices, the campaign is supporting plans to re-imagine the campus, shaping thefuture of an unprecedented, world-class medical sophistication BRRH envisions. The projectincludes construction of the Gloria Drummond Patient Tower, an expansion of the criticallyacclaimed Marcus Neuroscience Institute and Christine E. Lynn Cardiovascular Institute, newoperating rooms, renovation of the existing facility to create an all private patient roomenvironment, and the soon to be opened Schmidt Family Parking Facility.

Toby and Leon know the value of philanthropy better than most, said Stanley Barry, ChairmanBoca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees. Their gift helps bring us to within$98 million of an ambitious capital campaign goal. We know it will inspire others to join us inthis effort, as our other donors have accomplished. The debt of gratitude is without peer.

About Boca Raton Regional Hospital Advancing the boundaries of medicine.

Boca Raton Regional Hospital is an advanced, tertiary medical center (BRRH.com) with 400 beds, 2,800 employees and more than 800 primary and specialty physicians on staff. The Hospital is a recognized leader in Oncology, Cardiovascular Disease and Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Orthopedics, Womens Health, Emergency Medicine and the Neurosciences, all of which offer state-of-the-art diagnostic and imaging capabilities. The Hospital is a designated Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). BRRH is recognized in U.S. News & World Reports 2018 2019 Best Hospitals listing as a Top Ranked Regional Hospital, for the fourth consecutive year, and the highest ranked hospital in Palm Beach County. Boca Raton Regional Hospital was proud to have selected and joined Baptist Health South Florida in July 2019.

About Baptist Health South Florida

Baptist Health South Florida is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 11 hospitals, nearly 23,000 employees, more than 4,000 physicians and more than 100 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health has internationally renowned centers of excellence in cancer, cardiovascular care, orthopedics and sports medicine, and neurosciences. In addition, it includes Baptist Health Medical Group; Baptist Health Quality Network; and Baptist Health Care On Demand, a virtual health platform. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to our faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist

Health has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the Worlds Most Ethical Companies. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/Newsroom and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Toby And Leon Cooperman Make Transformative $25 Million Gift To Boca Regional's Keeping The Promise Capital Campaign - The Boca Raton Tribune

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Posted By admin on December 7, 2019

In 2014, archaeologists discovered the ruins of a synagogue from the 3rd century CE in the ancient town of Majdulia. Located in the Golan Heights, Majdulia was founded in the 1st century CE, around the time of the destruction of the Second Temple, and was abandoned around 350. Further excavations have recently uncovered the remains of the colorful mosaics that once decorated the synagogue, as Amanda Borschel-Dan writes:

The rainbow tiles in the black basalt-stone synagogue shed light on a little-known but thriving Jewish community in the Land of Israels far north. . . . [Depicted on the tiles] are animal legs and other portions of intricate designs. The fact that no complete image remains may point to a deliberate dismantling of the decorations.

[T]he archaeologists see the lively decorations as pointing to a community that had its eye on transforming the more somber study hall typical of the early Roman period into an ornate public meeting hall.

In the 3rd century CE, we see an interesting mix of the continuation of a tradition from Second Temple synagoguesfor example the seating arrangementand the tradition of a relatively unadorned architectural style, with the addition of some new elements that with time became common in synagogues, such as colorful mosaics including animals, said Mechael Osband, [the excavations director].

Read more at Times of Israel

More about: ancient Judaism, Golan Heights, Jewish art, Synagogues

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A Rare 3rd-Century Synagogue, and Its Even Rarer Mosaic - Mosaic

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Posted By admin on December 7, 2019

A federal court convicted Joseph Cecil Vandevere of threatening to lynch Qasim Rashid, a Muslim man who ran for the Virginia Senate, on Friday. A sentencing date has not yet been set, but Vandevere may go to prison for up to five years and pay a fine of up to $250,000.

On July 18, 2018, Vandevere, 53, tweeted Rashid a picture of the 1915 lynching of Leo Frank under the Twitter handle DaDUTCHMAN5, captioned "VIEW YOUR DESTINY". Rashid screencapped the Tweet and contacted the FBI.

Vandevere was ultimately linked to the threatening account via a search for his phone number on Twitter. The DaDUTCHMAN5 account was subsequently shuttered by Twitter.

Vandevere was charged with interstate communication of a threat to injure a person in June.

He has also been accused of posting an anti-Semitic threat on the Facebook page of a Florida synagogue. Ramat Shalom Synagogue contacted the FBI after someone posting under the moniker of "Bob Smith" posted a disturbing comment in response to the synagogue's support for Parkland, Florida, after a gunman killed 17 there in February 2018.

U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn Jr. rejected an argument from Vandevere's lawyers that the charges be dismissed on First Amendment free speech grounds in September.

Vandevere's attorney, Andrew Banzhoff, claims that his client isn't a threat and that he'd spoken in a hyperbolic manner. Cogburn Jr. countered that he couldn't rule the threat was hyperbolic legally or that "no reasonable person would interpret this communication as a serious expression of intent to do harm."

"Using social media to communicate threats does not qualify as free speech," said U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray. "A threat is a threat, whether it's communicated face-to-face, in writing or online. My office will hold accountable those who use any online form of communication to transmit threats."

"Social media allows you to share your views with the world in seconds, but it does not give you the right to threaten violence against others. The FBI stands ready to investigate whenever threatening language crosses the line to a crime," said Special Agent in Charge John Strong.

Rashid, a lawyer and Democrat, lost his bid for the senate seat on November 5 to Richard Stuart.

While the indictment does not name either Rashid or Vandevere by their full names, both were identified by the Associated Press. Rashid's connection to the case was made after he posted a screencap of the threat to his account and flagged it for Twitter's abuse team.

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Virginia Man Convicted of Threatening to Lynch Muslim Senate Candidate - Newsweek

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Posted By admin on December 7, 2019

People are in need of a place to worship that is simple, free and easy to access. We want to create community around New York and offer services that are joyful and meaningful in pop up locations.

NEW YORK (PRWEB) December 02, 2019

Pop in to Sim Shalom's new Pop Up Synagogue this upcoming Friday night, December 6th. Noting the plethora of empty storefronts in the city that have inspired an emergence of pop up retail shops, Rabbi Steve Blane, visioned a Pop Up Synagogue. "People are in need of a place to worship that is simple, free and easy to access. We want to create community around New York and offer services that are joyful and meaningful."

Pop-Up Synagogue of NYC is the vision of Rabbi Steven Blane of online Jewish Universalist Synagogue Sim Shalom. Sim Shalom is celebrating ten years of streaming Interactive Online Services to the Jewish world. Sim Shalom's Jazz High Holiday Services at the Bitter End in NYC are a perennial sell-out! So don't miss out on the newest live NYC excitement.

Rabbi Cantor Blane is also a Singer Songwriter and has Hanukah songs and other inspirational tunes that illuminate the Sim Shalom services. Blane was raised in a conservadox shul but brings a progressive approach and contemporary freshness to his services.

About Sim Shalom and Rabbi Steve Blane

Sim Shalom is an interactive online Jewish Universalist synagogue which is liberal in thought and traditional in liturgy. Created in 2009 by Rabbi Steven Blane on Manhattan's Upper West Side, Sim Shalom offers a means of connecting the unconnected. Rabbi Blane leads accessible and short Shabbat services every Friday night using a virtual interface and additionally Sim Shalom provides online education programs, Jazz concerts, conversion and life-cycle ceremonies along with weeknight services at 7:00PM EST led by Rabbis and students of this online community.

Rabbi Blane is also the founder and director of the Jewish Spiritual Leader's Institute, http://www.jsli.net, the online professional rabbinical program and Co Founder of Union of Jewish Universalist Communities, an association of Rabbis that follow the tenets of Jewish Universalism. http://www.ujuc.org.

Sim Shalom, a non profit 501 (3) tax-exempt organization, nurtures a Jewish connection through its mission of innovative services, creative education and dynamic outreach to the global community. For more information visit http://www.simshalom.com or call 201-338-0165.

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Pop Up Synagogue NYC is the newest offering of Sim Shalom Online Synagogue - PR Web

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Posted By admin on December 7, 2019

Touting her Palestinian heritage, Freshman congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) took to the House floor Friday to present her vehement opposition to HR-326, a House resolution promoting a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

During her House address, Rep. Tlaib wasnt shy about her feelings toward Israel. She accused the Jewish state of perpetuating inequality, ethnic discrimination, and inhumane conditions. Moreover, she argued that Israels Nation-State law, which states that only Jews have the right to self-determination has eliminated the political rights of the Palestinian people and effectively made them second-class citizens.

I spoke today as the proud granddaughter of a strong, loving Palestinian woman in opposition to #HRes326. We must take bolder action to ensure human rights are upheld in Israel and that Palestinians and Black Israelis are treated with equality every human being deserves, Rep. Tlaib wrote on Twitter Friday.

Earlier this year, the Israeli government rejected Rep. Tlaibs request to visit the country because she actively promotes boycotts of the State of Israel. Her application request was incorrect stating she wanted to visit Palestine.

Read the full resolution here.

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Rep. Rashida Tlaib Opposes Bill Promoting Two-State Solution To The Israeli Palestinian Conflict - Sara A. Carter

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Posted By admin on December 7, 2019

Below, we've rounded up all of our critics' performance picks for the season, including August Wilson's Jitney, a dance piece by Brian Brooks Moving Company, and an appearance by Trevor Noah: Loud and Clear. Plus, find a complete list of theater, dance, and comedy events in Seattle this winter on our EverOut Things To Do calendar, or check out the rest of our critics' picks from Seattle Art and Performance. Theater

Through Sat Dec 28

A Christmas Carol ACT Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol is a dependable, simple pleasure, with just enough variation to warrant returning year after year. Kelly Kitchens will direct. (ACT Theatre, $37$75)

Dec 522

Hershey Felder: Beethoven Former Stranger writer Sean Nelson described Felder as an "astonishingly gifted vocalist and pianist, not merely in terms of pure technique, but in his capacity for restraint." In this show, he takes on the roles of both Ludwig von Beethoven and his student Gerhard von Breuning while playing such beloved pieces as Moonlight Sonata and Pathetique Sonata, as well as excerpts from the famed Fifth and Ninth Symphonies. (Seattle Repertory Theatre, $72$77)

Scott Shoemaker's War on Christmas Scott Shoemaker (Ms. Pak-Man) and illustrious friends like Mandy Price, Waxie Moon, Ad Conner, and Faggedy Randy will lead a fearless investigation into the War on Christmas. Their weapons: "ALL NEW hilarious comedy, songs, dance numbers, amazing videos and partial nudity!" (Re-bar, $25$85)

Sat Dec 14

Neal Kosaly-Meyer: Finnegans Wake Seattle composer, musician, and substitute teacher Neal Kosaly-Meyer will continue his amazing feat of reciting James Joyce's Finnegans Wake from memory, chapter by chapteras if reading the modernist monster wasn't hard enough. In praise of Kosaly-Meyer's feat, Charles Mudede wrote, "Maybe this is the only way the novel could be saved. It's not all that amazing to memorize something that everyone understands; it's very impressive to memorize something understood by only one person, who has been in the grave for many years." This will be the debut of Part I, Chapter 6. (Good Shepherd Center, 7:30 pm, $5$15)

Jan 219

Hershey Felder as Monsieur Chopin After his stint as Beethoven, the protean musician and actor Felder embodies the composer/pianist Fryderyk Chopin in a one-man show set just after the 1848 Revolution in France. (Seattle Repertory Theatre, $72$77)

Jan 1018

14/48: The World's Quickest Theater Festival True to its name, the 14/48 Festival turns around 14 brand-new, theme-based, 10-minute plays in two days. The high-pressure nature of the event produces an evening of surprising theater for the audience, who arrive in their seats charged with expectation and anxiety for the performers. Though there are always a few experiments that don't quite come together, it's endlessly fascinating to see the way one theme filters through the minds of several very different theater artists. Expect shit to get weird. RS (ACT Theatre, 8 pm, $25)

Jan 10Feb 2

Reparations Sound Theatre kicks off its 2020 season with the world premiere of Darren Canady's speculative drama about healing inherited traumas using a device that transforms your blood into a time machine. The cast features Allyson Lee Brown, whose turn as Serena Williams in Citizen: An American Lyric drew effusive praise from Stranger print editor Christopher Frizzelle: "[Brown is] such a captivating presence onstage, it's hard to look away from her." Jay O'Leary, who did such a great job pulling the good acting out of the players in WET's B, will direct. This production is stacked with so much talentcertainly one of the most highly anticipated shows of the season. RS (Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, $5$75)

Sat Jan 11

Dreaming in American The Jewish immigrant communities that fled pogroms and settled in Manhattan's Lower East Side, and the subsequent generations who grappled with assimilation and tradition, are the focus of Tales of the Alchemysts Theatre's performance piece based on works by Anzia Yezierska, Bernard Malamud, and Sholem Asch. (Elliott Bay Book Company, $10)

Jan 16Feb 9

The Revolutionists ArtsWest will stage Lauren Gunderson's comedy about four strong women in perilous revolutionary France: the feminist playwright Olympe de Gouges, the assassin Charlotte Corday, the prisoner Marie Antoinette, and the Haitian freedom fighter Marianne Angelle. (ArtsWest)

Jan 17Feb 16

True West America's favorite masc4masc playwright Sam Shepard is dead. He passed away a few years ago, but the swaggering cowboy, called the "greatest American playwright of his generation" by New York Magazine, is continuing to get a retrospective on stages across the country. Now the celebration comes to the Seattle Rep, with the theater putting on True West, a gritty and funny play about two brothers and some identity theft. Expect brawls and belly laughs. CB (Seattle Repertory Theatre)

Feb 1March 8

The Angel in the House Multitalented theater artist and playwright Sara Porkalob will direct her new dinner theater melodrama set at a New Year's Eve party in the Victorian era. When an uninvited guest shows up to the house of a textile tycoon and his socialite wife, death and shocking revelations are not far behind. (Cafe Nordo, 7:30 pm, $69)

Feb 116

The Best of Everything 2014 Stranger Theater Genius Valerie Curtis-Newton directs graduate actors in Julie Kramer's adaptation of Rona Jaffe's novel about ambitious women in a 1950s typing pool. (Jones Playhouse, $10$20)

Feb 7March 15

The Children In this Tony Award- nominated play by Lucy Kirkwood, two retired nuclear scientists on the coast of an environmentally devastated England receive a disruptive visit from an old friend. (Seattle Repertory Theatre)

Feb 12March 8

The Turn of the Screw Book-It will adapt Henry James's chilling and ambiguous Victorian ghost novel about a naive governess who discovers what she perceives as evil supernatural influences trying to possess her two charges. Carol Roscoe will direct an adaptation by Rachel Atkins. (Book-It Repertory Theatre, $26$50)

Feb 2022

The Actors' Gang: The New Colossus Twelve actors of diverse origins and heritage will tell the stories of their ancestors in this tribute to the strength and courage of refugees. This touring production is directed by Tim Robbins and performed by the Actors Gang, a justice-oriented Los Angeles troupe founded in 1981. (Moore Theatre, $23$133)

Feb 28March 29

August Wilson's 'Jitney' After staging Two Trains Running (the seventh in the great playwright August Wilson's cycle of plays about the black American experience) in 2018, the Rep will continue with the award-winning eighth installment, Jitney, which takes place in the 1970s. The owner and employees of an unlicensed cab company, learning that the city is planning to shut them down, strives to avert disaster. (Seattle Repertory Theatre)

Feb 6March 8

Snow White Two actors will portray Snow White, the evil queen, seven dwarfs, the talking mirror, and the huntsman in this ambitious show written by Greg Banks and directed by Desdemona Chiang. (Seattle Children's Theatre, $20)

Sun March 8

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood Live Fred Rogers might be gone (RIP you lovely, lovely man), but his legacy lives on in Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, an animated Daytime Emmy-winning PBS show for preschool-aged children that's based on the Neighborhood of Make-Believe from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and features characters of all shapes, sizes, and animal (and non-animal) persuasions. It's sweet and charming and kind of annoying but also one of my daughter's favorites, so this live theatrical production with all the DT characters ("filled with singing, dancing and laughter") seems like a no-brainer. LP (Paramount Theatre, 2 pm, $16$76)

Through Sun Dec 29

Head Over Heels Tunes by the Go-Go's pepper this musical loosely based on a 16th-century narrative poem by Sir Philip Sidney. A royal family learns of a fateful prophecy that may disrupt "the Beat" that supplies the rhythm to their kingdom. Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q, Bring It On: The Musical, the screenplay for Can You Ever Forgive Me?) wrote the book and lyrics. (ArtsWest, $42)

Mrs. Doubtfire This is the world premiere of the musical Mrs. Doubtfire, a stage adaptation of the 1993 Robin Williams film. After its run in Seattle, it goes straight to Broadway. Mrs. Doubtfire is directed by Jerry Zaks, a Broadway legend who won a Tony Award for directing the revival of Guys and Dolls in 1992, and was nominated again for his revival of Hello, Dolly! with Bette Midler in 2017. CF (The 5th Avenue Theatre, $29$169)

A Very Die Hard Christmas Marxiano Productions will restage last year's hit holiday musical from a script by the top-notch sketch comedy outfit the Habit (plus Jeff Schell), which peppers the rip-roaring action with songs, jokes, and more. (Seattle Public Theater, 7 pm, $26$32)

Dec 31Jan 5

Summer: The Donna Summer Musical The great disco diva gets the musical biography treatment, complete with a score full of her biggest hits"Hot Stuff," "Love to Love You Baby," and more. (Paramount Theatre, $30)

Jan 1419

Fiddler on the Roof Fiddler on the Roof is a musical about... oh, you know what Fiddler on the Roof is. The important detail here is that this version is directed by Bartlet Sher, a former Seattle theater director who has gone on to fanciness and fame and Tony Awards with unbelievably brilliant restagings of musical classics, including South Pacific and The King and I. A Sher production of an old musical is always a good bet. CF (Paramount Theatre, $35$95)

Jan 16March 22

She Loves Me Joe Masteroff, Jerry Bock, and Sheldon Harnick, progenitors of the deathless Fiddler on the Roof, also wrote this sweet musical about two perfume store clerks who butt heads constantlynot realizing that they're also in a romantic letter-writing relationship thanks to a classified. Yes, it's the plot of You've Got Mail. (Jan 16Feb 23: Village Theatre Issaquah, $38$80; Feb 28March 22: Everett Performing Arts Center)

Feb 7March 1

Disney's 'Frozen' Stranger managing editor Leilani Polk wrote of the Disney film, "I have a warm spot in my heart for Frozen, Disney's second-highest-grossing animated film about a princess who sets out on a quest (with a group of helpful sidekicks, of course) to find her estranged sister after said sister's powers accidentally bring eternal winter to their kingdom." This magical story will be transposed to the stage in this Broadway-on-tour production, with Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and book by Jennifer Lee. Just be warned that "Let It Go" will be stuck in your head for the next several years. (Paramount Theatre, $30+)

Thurs Feb 27

John Cameron Mitchell: The Origin of Love Tour The guy who starred in Hedwig and the Angry Inchthe original stage show and then the movieis coming to town. Not only did he star in it, he wrote the damn thing (with musical collaborator Stephen Trask). This is not a drill. He is a certified genius. He will tell stories from the show's 25-year history and sing songs from Hedwig, as well as some new music. He told me years ago he was writing a sequel. Maybe this is our sneak peek. CF (Moore Theatre, 8 pm, $50$65)

March 13April 5

Sister Act Sister Act is based on the super-popular 1992 comedy/musical film starring Whoopi Goldberg. You know the premise: a raunchy lounge singer must go undercover in a convent to save her own life, hilarity ensues. This new staging will be directed by Lisa Shriver. (The 5th Avenue Theatre)

Through Sat Dec 28

George Balanchine's 'The Nutcracker' If you haven't seen this Christmas classic since you were a kid, give it a go this year. In 2014, Pacific Northwest Ballet replaced its beloved Maurice Sendak set with one by Ian Falconer, who did the Olivia the Pig books, and I'm glad that they did. The new set is gorgeous in a Wes Anderson-like way, and it reflects the genuine weirdness and beauty in the story. I mean, the last 45 minutes of this thing is a Katy Perry video starring dancing desserts and a glittery peacock that moves like a sexy broken river. Bring a pot lozenge. RS (McCaw Hall, $27$189)

Dec 615

The Hard Nut The brilliant ballet choreographer Mark Morris's update of The Nutcracker, now a 28-year-old classic in itself, transports E.T.A. Hoffman's story from 19th-century Germany to 1970s America. With production design inspired by the great Fantagraphics-published comics artist Charles Burns, this Broadway staging is gonna be weird, queer, and perhaps even John Waters-esque. (Paramount Theatre, $35$90)

Dec 1215

Donald Byrd's 'The Harlem Nutcracker' Acclaimed local choreographer Donald Byrd developed this adaptation of the cherished Christmas ballet for black American culture. This will be the performance of "phase one," which will include Act 1, "Party Scene" and Act 2, "Club Sweets." (On the Boards, free$50)

Next Fest NW 2019 Velocity's annual Next Fest NW spotlights exciting new choreographers coming up in the Seattle dance scene. Lucie Baker, Shane Donohue, Marco Farroni, Vladimir Kremenovi, and Hannah Rae will present pieces that play to this year's theme"Ritual and Rebellion"covering subjects such as "brutalist architecture, corporate sponsorship, queer coming of age, and Slavic mythology."Last year, Donohue put on atranscendently good display of weird-ass bravado during his solo performance in Kim Lusk's fabulous ADance for Dark Horses,so I'm hoping he brings a similarenergy to THIS SPACE FOR RENT, which sounds like a welcome send-up of the unholy alliance between capitalism and the arts.According to a preview in Broadway World, Farroni's (papi) will draw from the dancer's personal experiences, revealing "performance practice as a method to understand displacement, adaptation, love, memory, and trauma." Baker's Singing Over the Bones, inspired by "figures from Eastern European folklore alleged to be the restless spirits of women who have died unjust or untimely deaths," sounds eminently unmissable, too. RS(Velocity Dance Center)

Dec 1322

Buttcracker V...the Last Thrust! This festive and raunchy holiday show promises glittery professional dance and holiday satire set to a hair-metal soundtrack...for the very last time. (Erickson Theatre Off Broadway, 7:30 pm, $22$28)

Thurs Jan 9

Devotion: Flesh & Blood Pop-Up Performance Much-praised Italian-born, Seattle-based dancers Alice Gosti and Lavinia Vago will take to the galleries to respond through movement to the important traveling exhibition Flesh and Blood: Italian Masterpieces from the Capodimonte Museum. (Seattle Art Museum, 7 pm)

Jan 1724

Xpress Whim W'Him's first production of 2020 is composed of three world premieres by three award-winning choreographers: Sidra Bell, founder of an eponymous dance company in New York; Ihsan Rustem, a Swiss choreographer who's collaborated with Whim W'him dancers in the past; and Whim W'Him's own Olivier Wevers. (Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center, 8 pm, $35$60)

Jan 30Feb 1

Brian Brooks Moving Company UW Creative Research Fellow Brian Brooks has developed dance pieces inspired by bodies on stage and within the realm of "immersive technologies." For this program, see three world premieres, including a solo by Brooks and two pieces for the ensemble, one of which is set to Partita for 8 Voices by Pulitzer Prize-winning violinist/singer Caroline Shaw. (Meany Center for the Performing Arts, 8 pm, $45/$53)

Jan 31Feb 9

Cinderella The quintessential fairy tale gets the Kent Stowell choreography treatment with music by Sergei Prokofiev performed by the great Pacific Northwest Ballet orchestra, a set by Tony Straiges, and fancy costumes by Martin Pakledinaz. (McCaw Hall, $25$185)

Fri Feb 14

Dani Tirrell: Black Bois In Black Bois, which sold out its 2018 world premiere run at On the Boards pretty quickly, choreographer/dancer Dani Tirrell assembles a many-gendered supergroup of Seattle performers, each of whom could easily carry their own full-length show. Together they create a show about the irreducibility of black experience. Tirrell and the cast fight back against a world that tends to flatten and fragment blackness into digestible, dismissible bits and instead, gives you all of itthe pain, the rage, the joy, the grief, the eroticism, the spirituality, the madness, the clarity, the multiplicity of the individual, and the deep-rooted particularities of the communities. RS (Moore Theatre, 7:30 pm, $40$50)

Feb 1516

Chop Shop This contemporary dance festival has presented performances from troupes and artists around the world, with the goal of reaching diverse audiences and connecting people of all abilities with dance instruction. This year's festival will bring Seattle and world premieres by OcampoWang Dance (New Jersey), Adam Barruch (New York) with Daniel Costa (Seattle), Eva Stone (Eastside), Omar Romn De Jess and Nicole von Arx (New York), Seda Aybay (Los Angeles), Ramona Sekulovic (Brooklyn), and Spectrum (Seattle). (Meydenbauer Center, $28)

Feb 2023

Solo: A Festival of Dance I love solos. They hold the attention of a room like nothing else in the world of performance. They're like the cat in that old theater rule about never allowing cats onstage because it's all the audience will look at. That's because the cat, like the solo dancer, is completely unpredictable. Two dancers, even in an improv show, project a sort of ordered world. In a solo, anything can happen. If this iteration is the same as On the Boards' inaugural edition in 2018, expect a good mix of local and national dancers showcasing incredible choreography they'd have a hard time producing anywhere elsenot because it's bad, but because venues rarely afford solo pieces big stages. RS (On the Boards)

March 1322

One Thousand Pieces This feels like private programming. I've loved everything PNB has ever produced by Alejandro Cerrudo, the genius Spanish choreographer behind Silent Ghost (which was the balletic equivalent of rolling around in bed on Sunday morning) and Little mortal jump (which was the balletic equivalent of a really good indie rock show in college). So, yeah, I'm excited to see One Thousand Pieces, which sets his flat-out gorgeous choreography to "Knee 5," the best piece of music Phillip Glass has ever written. The double bill includes David Dawson's sharp, athletic, and aggressive Empire Noirif you missed it in 2017, make sure you catch it this time. RS (McCaw Hall, $25$185)

Dec 5Jan 5

Wonderland Wonderland is divided into three short acts that make up a brisk 90-minute show. Hosted by the exceedingly charismatic JonnyBoy (Jonathan Betchtel), each act gets progressively naughtier, although the most scandalous thing an audience member sees is a jock-strapped ass and bare tits covered by pasties. The show has danger, but it's found in the cancan lines that occur mere feet from audience members' dinner salads. During the third act, two dancers performed an athletic duet thatwhen I saw itnearly knocked over a birthday girl's wine glass. But it didn't. Everyone whooped. CB (Can Can, $19$95)

Dec 1229

Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker A lascivious holiday show experience with sugar plum fairies, exciting clothes-dropping times, and other swanky fun. (Triple Door, $50$80)

Dec 2031

Voltage! Kink, luxury, and avant-garde fashion combine in Valtesse's signature style at this "futuristic sex dream" of a cabaret. Be sure to dress in red or black cocktail attire. (The Ruins, $65$95)

Feb 1316

The Atomic Bombshells in...J'ADORE! A Burlesque Valentine The boisterous Atomic Bombshells troupe has been instrumental in Seattle's burlesque revival, so for lovers of feathery, busty, glitzy fun, there's no better spectacle to attend for V-Day. (Triple Door, 7 pm, $30$45)

Dec 5Dec 24

The Dina Martina Christmas Show Watching Seattle drag legend Dina Martina perform is a bit like having a Christmastime flu. You will sit there, confused and warm, your thoughts disassociating, a fever addling your brain, while the holiday cheer twinkles all around you. Truly, there's no performer who is more like a strong dose of Nyquil than Dina Martina. She is cozy but disorienting. You will laugh without knowing why. Take her with alcohol and double the danger. CB (ACT Theatre, $27$47)

Dec 629

The Christmas Killings at Corgi Cliffs Butch Alice once again stars as Becky June Beasley-Jones in this drag-filled send-up of Agatha Christie-type whodunits. (Cafe Nordo, $95/$115)

Jingle All the Gay! Last year, after seeing the new revamp of the beloved institution Homo for the Holidays, Chase Burns wrote: "The new performers are the standouts in Jingle All the Gay. Kitten N' Lou brought in Markeith Wiley and Randy Ford, two breakout dancers/performance artists who've been having a great couple of years performing around Seattle. Wiley plays the mailman, an important figure in any holiday story, and he's got to deliver lots of big, uh, packages. Ford plays Lil' Fruitcake, a femme voguing fruitcake who fucks shit up in the best way possible. Ford and Wiley's duets are highlights, as are the numbers from Seattle drag artist Abbey Roads, who brings solid musical theater chops and good comic timing. Also in this cast: New York City's Mr. Gorgeous, serving his uniquely tall and hilarious boylesque as the Little Drummer Boy." These favorites return, along with the UK's Reuben Kaye. (West Hall, 7 pm, $25$40)

Fri Dec 13

Crossdresser for Christmas Few queens belt a Broadway hit like Ginger Minj. I once saw the RuPaul's Drag Race star perform her Crossdresser for Christ cabaret show to a sold-out crowd of bears (the gay kind), and her brassy singing brought the crowd to tears. By the end of it, I was drunk and singing along in the balcony. I'm pretty sure it will go down as the gayest night of theater in my life. Now that she's bringing a version of that showtunes-filled original show to Queer/Bar, maybe I can have the queerest night of theater in my life, too. CB (Queer Bar, 9 pm, $12$200)

Dec 2127

All I Want for Christmas is Attention Last year, in a preview of To Jesus, Thanks for Everything! Jinkx and DeLa, Christopher Frizzelle wrote: "BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon are like peanut butter and jelly: two great tastes that taste great together. They were on back-to-back seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race, they are both stunning drag queens from Seattle, they are both fiery political commentators, and they've never had a proper theatrical production for just the two of them." With To Jesus a smashing success, Jinkx and DeLa are back with another bid for your love. (Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, $29$69)

Wed Feb 5

Trixie Mattel: Grown Up 2020 Trixie Mattel once said that all her jokes are cries for help. If that's true, the poor girl needs an intervention. The drag queen and winner of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars has built an empire on morbid and strange drag humor, racking up impressive accolades inside and outside the cult of RuPaul, like a TV show on Viceland, a top-selling country album, and a sell-out tour with music from said country album. Mattel, a small-town clown from Wisconsin, has become the gay world's popular girl. Get your tickets now if they're still available. CB (Moore Theatre, 8 pm, $37)

Dec 1315

Acrobatic Conundrum Presents: Unraveling As Rich Smith has written, "Acrobatic Conundrum trades the cheeseball spectacle of circus arts for the more expressive vocabulary of modern dance without sacrificing the athletic rigor associated with the form." This live-scored production stars vertical rope artists, including former members of Cirque du Soleil and Teatro Zinzanni and alumni of the Montreal National Circus School, in a dramatization of "themes of interdependence, mortality, and love." (Broadway Performance Hall, $30$100)

Jan 1626

Bohemia This "macabre and mystical" cabaret-style musical from Mark Siano and Opal Peachey, set in 1890s Prague, features the music of Dvok and Chopin and art nouveau by Alphonse Muchaplus "beautiful green fairies, aerial numbers, dance, burlesque, classical piano battles, comedy, and original songs." (Triple Door, $26/$34)

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The Best Theater, Dance & Comedy Events in Seattle: Winter 2019/2020 - TheStranger.com

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Posted By admin on December 7, 2019

Shelley Morrison, best known for her role as maid Rosario Salazar in the US comedy Will and Grace, has died at the age of 83 from heart failure following a short illness.

Born to Sephardic Jewish parents who emigrated to the US from Spain, Morrison appeared in 68 episodes of the pioneering LGBT comedy between 1999 and 2006. While Morrison was reportedly only meant to be in the programme for a single episode, Salazar proved so popular that she ended up appearing in eight seasons. Morrison reprised her role in a 2016 election webisode in support of Hillary Clintons presidential campaign, though she did not return for the reboot in 2017.

Despite not returning for the later series, Morrison remained fond of her character; according to the Associated Press, she recently commented that Salazar [reminded] me a lot of my own mother who loved animals and children, but she would not suffer fools. It is very significant to me that we were able to show an older, Hispanic woman who is bright and smart and can hold her own.

Megan Mullally, who played Salazars boss Karen Walker, is among the shows stars who have paid tribute to Morrison, writing on Twitter that [I] just got a bulletin on my phone that Shelley morrison has passed. my heart is heavy. putting shelley, her beloved husband walter & their children in the light. thank you for your friendship & partnership, shell. you accomplished wonderful things in this world. you will be missed. Meanwhile, Debra Messing, who played Grace, paid tribute to Morrison on Instagram: Oh, Shelley ... what a loss. Our dear Rosario has passed on. Shelley had a career that spanned decades, but she will always be our dear Rosie. All my love to Walter and the entire family.

Will and Grace returned for the first of three rebooted series in 2017, the third of which is currently airing in the US. Morrisons career also included roles in the US soap General Hospital and long-running series including Murder, She Wrote and LA Law. She is survived by her husband of over 40 years, Walter Dominguez, and their three sons and three daughters.

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Shelley Morrison, Will and Grace actor, dies aged 83 - The Guardian

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Posted By admin on December 7, 2019

When Michael Benarrochs parents immigrated to Canada from Morocco in the early 1960s, no one in the family had ever earned a university degree. Now, Benarroch is preparing to take on his new role as president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manitoba.

On July 1, he will become the third Jewish president in the universitys 143-year history. Currently the provost and vice-president, academic, at Ryerson University in Toronto, Benarroch says he is looking forward to returning to Winnipeg, his home town, to take on the assignment.

This is a great opportunity for me, professionally, he says.

Benarroch, who will be the first Sephardic Jew to hold the post, is the scion of one of Winnipegs first Sephardic families. His parents, Mary and Shlomo Benarroch, came to Winnipeg to join Marys brother, Mahlouf Muyal, and his family, who had arrived in this city a few years earlier.

My parents hoped that their children would have more opportunity in Winnipeg, he says. It worked out very well for me and my brothers.

Over the years, the late Shlomo Benarroch served the community as Torah reader, sofer, shochet and mohel. Michael Benarrochs older brothers, Yossi and Yamin, are both Orthodox rabbis (in Winnipeg and Montreal, respectively) and his younger brother, Al, is the executive director of the Jewish Child & Family Service (JCFS) in Winnipeg and leads yom tov services at a local synagogue.

Benarroch served as chair of the Winnipeg Board of Jewish Education and coached basketball at Gray Academy. Benarrochs wife, Kim, was on the boards of the Adas Yeshurun Herzlia Synagogue (where his brother in now spiritual leader) and JCFS prior to their move to Toronto in 2017.

Benarroch credits his supportive family and the Winnipeg Jewish community for his success in life. My family was always willing to support anything we wanted to do, he says.

Benarroch studied economics at the University of Winnipeg. It was during his fourth year when he was asked to teach a class at a local college that he discovered his love for teaching and decided to pursue an academic career.

After earning his masters from Western University and a PhD from Carleton, he returned to teach at the University of Winnipeg. Following a 20-year career at the U of W where he served as dean of the faculty of business and economics he was invited to become the dean of the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba.

It was an amazing experience, he says of his five-year stint at the Asper school. It was a very good fit for me. My values and those of the university were well aligned.

He describes his time at Ryerson as a period of growth and renewal at the university. Over the past two years, we have hired 150 new faculty members, he says. We have seen growth also in the number of students who have enrolled and we have developed a new five-year academic plan.

While in Toronto, the Benarrochs have been members of the modern Orthodox Congregation Beth Lida and have been part of the Toronto Partnership Minyan, which he describes as Orthodox, but with a larger role for women.

In his new role, he explains, he will be the face of the university in the community. I am looking forward to continued great support from the faculty, the board and the business and non-profit communities, he says. The University of Manitoba is the place where the majority of Manitoba students want to come to study.

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His was the first generation of his family to go to university; now he's running one - Canadian Jewish News

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Posted By admin on December 7, 2019

Comedian, movie star and film mogul Adam Sandler gave a rare interview to The New York Times Magazine on Sunday, and in many ways it is a close examination of Sandlers Jewishness. As its author, Jamie Lauren Kelles, explained, I grew up as a Jew in a not-very-Jewish place, and Sandlers work meant a lot to me.

* Sandler is a member of Hillcrest Country Club, the oldest Jewish country club in Los Angeles, a place where self-proclaimed Jewish big shots could unwind in semiassimilated fashion. Sandler offers a tour of the Jewish comedians and other role models whose photos line the walls.

* Sandlers upcoming film, Uncut Gems, is a serio-comic deep dive into the shtetl of the New York diamond district. Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a jeweler to the stars who earns his nut hawking diamond-studded novelties to rappers and pro ballers.

* Uncut Gems is the work of Josh and Benny Safdie, and the character of Ratner is partly based on the directors father a Sephardic Jewish emigrant from France and their fathers boss at a diamond business on West 47th Street.

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* The after-party for the movie premiere was held at Katzs Delicatessen on the Lower East Side.

* Kelles insists that, Nearly every Adam Sandler character is Jewish, though if you arent Jewish, you might not even notice. Growing up in Manchester, N.H., Sandler had a standard Jewish-American upbringing: Hebrew school, J.C.C. basketball, a bar mitzvah. His older daughters bat mitzvah was held at Hillcrest, with entertainment by Adam Levine of Maroon 5. Its more about tradition, Sandler says of his Jewish identity. Remembering history, making sure that you have pride.

* Bonus fact: Sandler, despite playing a man-child in many of his best-known comedies, is a family man: Movies shoot in summer, so he can bring his kids to set. During the year, the workday is arranged to allow him to drop them off at school and pick them up.

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The Five Jewiest Things From That N.Y. Times Profile Of Adam Sandler - The Australian Jewish News

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