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INTERNATIONAL Israel and Iran: between apocalypse and pragmatism ... by Rabbi Dow Marmur in Jerusalem
As I try to follow the debate about what has been termed the Iranian threat, I find it more and more difficult to fathom what this is really all about. READ MORE
Bikers for Israel enjoy (and well deserve) Shabbat rest day ... by Ulla Hadar in Caesarea, Israel
Israel’s day of leisure comes on Shabbat, and for the riders of BikeIsrael2009, this Saturday was no different. After riding almost 150 miles in three days, they all got to spend the day as they chose. I was among those who walked from the hotel to the nearby ancient port of Caesarea.READ MORE
Former U.S. professor forges a new identity as an Israeli ... by Ira Sharkansky in Jerusalem One of my correspondents asked that I write about my life in Israel. I did not grow up in a Zionist atmosphere. My parents were proud to be Americans. My father was either not able or not willing to contribute to Israeli causes.READ MORE
JUDAISM Don't let financial problems drive you from a synagogue .... by Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal in San Diego Rabbi Mordechai of Pitatshuv was a student of the renown Seer of Lublin (Rabbi Yakov Yitzchak of Lublin, 1745-July 15, 1815). Rabbi Mordechai was very poor. He had three daughters who had not married because he could not provide their dowries or their weddings.READ MORE
The Bible in Pop Culture: The Sinai Desert... John E. Finley found a sign advertising "Sinai Auto Body" in Gardena, California READ MORE
ARTS Michael Kaiser brings his arts expertise to San Diego ... by Cynthia Citron in Encino, California
Michael Kaiser is a household name. Maybe not in your household, but certainly in the homes and offices of people in the arts, where he is known as “the turnaround king.”READ MORE
Keyboardist Beyer dissects and recreates Beatles music ... by Donald H. Harrison in San Diego Throughout his career as a musician, Mark Beyer has told the story of the time when he was six years old, and his sister, Sherry, then 16, turned at the door on her way out to a date and warned him not to even think of touching her Beatles records. READ MORE
THE CO-PUBLISHERS' MAILBOX San Diego REPertory Theatre Presents Jewish Arts Festival May 26 – June 29, 2009 READ MORE
Girl's family takes her 1st Grade classmates on Jerusalem virtual tour READ MORE
SPORTS A bissel Jewish sports trivia with Bruce Lowitt ... in Oldsmar, Florida Q: Who did Casey Stengel once describe as having "the sweetest swing in baseball," although, with a lifetime batting average of .238, he never lived up to the billing?READ MORE
ADVENTURES IN SAN DIEGO JEWISH HISTORY
February 6, 1953; Southwestern Jewish Press
JEWISH INTERNET FAVORITES We continue our examination of Jewish entertainers Hal Linden in the title role of Barney Miller tv series VIEW VIDEO
Jackie Mason does a 1960s standup routine on politicians VIEW VIDEO
Paul Mazursky promos his documentary on Chasidim, "Yippee" VIEW VIDEO
Tina Louise plays 'Ginger the movie star' on Gilligan's Island VIEW VIDEO
STAFF BOX
In today's issue, columnist Ira Sharkansky tells the circumstances surrounding his decision to make aliyah and what ilfe has been like for him. We invite our other columnists around the world and n San Diego to share their personal stories with our readers.
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JERUSALEM--As I try to follow the debate about what has been termed the Iranian threat, I find it more and more difficult to fathom what this is really all about.
On the most obvious level, a regime vehemently hostile to Israel is acquiring nuclear capability and may use it against what it nastily calls the “Zionist entity.” The fact that other hostile regimes may also unleash nuclear weapons – North Korea and Pakistan come to mind – only further increases the threat to Israel. Iran’s massive support for Hezbollah and Hamas causing havoc on Israel’s borders and beyond is evidence of its murderous agenda. Ahmadinejad’s recent rant in Geneva reflects the mood.
But there are other dimensions, too, which are less about the threat as such and more about the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians. For many players in the field - apart from the United States, moderate Arab states and Europe - seem to be saying that a two-state solution will take the wind out of Iran’s sails.
By insisting that the United States first deal with Iran, not by talking but by acting, before it puts pressure on Israel, the Netanyahu government may want to go back on much of what the Olmert government – with Tzipi Livni, now the leader of the opposition, then the principal negotiator – appears to have been willing to concede to the Palestinians (and perhaps also to Syria, one of Iran’s clients).
Some speculate that a corollary to the Netanyahu government’s stance is that, if President Obama is persuaded that Iran is the priority, the United States will allow Israel to attack Iran and, if successful, Israel will be able to remove, or at least drastically reduce, the Iranian threat. Further benefits would be the de facto end of Hamas and Hezbollah, a less strident Syria, a stable Lebanon able to make peace with Israel, plus improved standing of Israel in the world. Others say that that’s pie in the sky, and very risky to boot: the feverish fantasy of a strident right-wing Israeli administration.
Israel’s new foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, who manages to catch the headlines in Israel and abroad almost daily, seems to have yet another, perhaps supplementary, agenda: improving relations with Russia so that it stops supplying Iran with stuff needed to make nuclear weapons. Judging by the content of the recent attack on Lieberman by Iran, his strategy may be working – improbable as that seems.
A more hidden aspect of Lieberman’s agenda may be to show America that Israel isn’t as dependent on it as it seems. This may incline Washington to go easy on putting more pressure on Israel. Another aspect of the feverish fantasy, or Realpolitik?
There are thus many here who say that these are only vain speculations before Netanyahu meets Obama in Washington
next month and is taught the facts of life, namely that Israel better get on with the peace process with the Palestinians by
really ceasing settlement expansion and getting ready to make substantial concessions, also over Jerusalem; and that he leave dealing with Iran to the United States.
There has always been a tension in Zionist thought between the apocalyptic (we’re on the verge of annihilation unless all of Israel is in our hands, including Jerusalem; etc., etc.) and the pragmatic (settle for what you can before things get worse). Politicians may try to delay the pragmatic solution, but in the end they can’t escape it, for in the end pragmatism always wins. May it happen soon - and without more bloodshed.
Marmur is rabbi emeritus of the Holy Blossom Congregation in Toronto. He divides his time between Canada and Israel. He may be contacted at marmurd@sandiegojewishworld.com
POLICE WELCOME—Two Israeli police officers at Tel Megiddo give a warm welcome to San Diego's Bike Israel 2009 group.
TO THE GATES OF THE NEGEV
Bikers for Israel enjoy (and well deserve) Shabbat rest day
Editor's Note: This is the fourth in a series of stories by our bureau chief (and chief bike rider) Ulla Hadar on the BikeIsrael 2009 project created by United Jewish Federation to raise money for the protection of Sha'ar Hanegev students against rocket attack. To contribute to this cause, please click on this link to a webpage of the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County.
CAESAREA, Israel—Israel’s day of leisure comes on Shabbat, and for the riders of BikeIsrael2009, this Saturday was no different. After riding almost 150 miles in three days, they all got to spend the day as they chose. I was among those who walked from the hotel to the nearby ancient port of Caesarea.
Caesarea was originally called Straton's Tower after its founder Straton, who is believed to have been a ruler of Sidon in the 4th century BCE. The city was captured in 96 BCE by Alexander Yannai and remained in the Hasmonean kingdom until it was given autonomy by the Roman ruler, Pompey. Later it was in the possession of Cleopatra, ruler of Egypt, until Augustus returned it to Herod.
Once the site of a Phoenician port, over the course of 12 years Herod built Caesarea into the grandest city other than Jerusalem in Palestine, with a deep sea harbor aqueduct, hippodrome and magnificent amphitheater that remain standing today. Herod renamed the city Caesarea in honor of the emperor. The population of Caesarea was half gentile and half Jewish, often causing disputes among the people. In 6 CE, Caesarea became the home of the Roman governors (Procurators) of Judea. The city remained the capital of Roman and Byzantine Palestine.
Today Caesarea is very much a bedroom community with many of its residents commuting to Tel Aviv and Haifa. On the outskirts of Caesarea, lies the 3500-acre Caesarea Business Park. Modern Caesarea is one of Israel's most upscale residential communities.
The ancient harbor is a National Park. Small restaurants, stores and coffee places are graciously situated at the pathway that runs along between the ruins and the Mediterranean Sea.
While walking back towards our hotel, I chatted with Mardelle Davis, one of the four female riders of the group.
Mardelle Davis at Caesarea seashore
She said that she and her husband Jeff, who is principal of Maimonides Upper School of San Diego Jewish Academy, have visited Israel several times. “ I decided to take on this venture because of the support we can give to the people of the Sha'ar Hanegev, where many of our very dear friends live," sh said.
“In February 2008 when Jeff visited Israel, he met up with Rick Kornfeld of San Diego and Aharale Rothstein, principal of the Sha'ar Hanegev High School, at a small restaurant situated in the area of Sha'ar Henegev,” she said. “The idea for the BikeIsrael2009 was born. Everyone was searching for a way to help and support to the citizens of Sha'ar Hanegev."
Jeff Davis and Rick Kornfeld are both active cyclists and thought this could be the perfect way to raise money to protect Sha’ar Hanegev High School from the constant Kassam rocket attacks from Gaza.
Mardelle Davis continued: "I have been riding with my husband for 27 years. We ride a tandem and as we have been going through Israel I have realized that this kind of bike is something considered very unusual. I travelled mostly in a car on my former visits so this time the experience is a completely different one. You get to see the birds, the flowers, the people and the cities. Everything moves slower and the bike riders have time to absorb all the impressions and whatever the surroundings offer. You get a really good grasp of the country when you pedal through it.
"Another important ingredient is the camaraderie that exists in a bike group—the building of relationships with the other riders.
DINNER IN SDOT YAM—Front left to right: Aharale Rothstein and Jeff Davis, principals respectively of Sha'ar Hanegev High School and Maimonides Upper School of San Diego Jewish Academy. Down right side of table: Robert Lapidus, Andi Neugarten, Ulla Hadar, Leo Spiegel, Sha'ar Hanegev Mayor Alon Schuster , and Mitch Shack
Hopefully this project will continue in the future and more people will have the chance to experience what we have been experiencing."
Later in the afternoon several members from the Sha'ar Hanegev area visited Kibbutz Sdot Yam, situated close to Caesarea, where they had arranged a BBQ for everyone of the bike group. They were greeted by a delegation from Sha’ar Hanegev, including Alon Schuster, mayor of Sha'ar Hanegev, Varda Goldstein, Director of Resource Development and Aharale Rothstein, principal of Sha'ar Hanegev High School.
The two groups had an enjoyable and relaxing evening in each other’s company—a marked contrast to Friday when they pedaled 59 miles to Caesarea from Beit She’an.
Because the bikers had experienced strong headwinds on Thursday en route to Beit She’an, they were concerned that Friday’s ride might also encounter wind resistance. The breezes were gentle in the morning, but later during the day the winds gathered more strength becoming quite strong in the afternoon. This made the bike ride more challenging.
From the center of Bet She'an the group headed northwest for a tour of Tel Megiddo, a site of great importance in the ancient world, because anyone traveling between Egypt and Assyria had to go through its narrow pass. For this reason, Megiddo was considered a place of great strategic importance. It was the site of numerous battles. Among them were:
•The Battle of Megiddo (15th century BCE) was fought between the armies of the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition led by the rulers of Megiddo and Kadesh. This was the first documented battle in recorded history.
• Battle of Megiddo (609 BCE): fought between Egypt and the Kingdom of Judah, in which King Josiah fell.
• Battle of Megiddo (1918) fought during World War I between Allied troops led by General Edmund Allenby, and the defending Ottoman army.
The strategic hill overlooking Megiddo is known in Hebrew as Har Megiddo—a name that has come down through the centuries as “Armageddon”—the site that some religious traditions believe is where the last battle of the world someday will be fought.
Allan Goldstein at Har Megiddo
Here, I sat with Allan Goldstein, one of the San Diego participants, to learn his reasons for joining the ride in Israel.
Goldstein was raised in Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe, and works as a pilot for UPS. He is married to Meg Goldstein, development director for San Diego Jewish Academy, who is originally from Johannesburg ,South Africa. They have two children: Jonatan, 23 and Sara,21.
" How did I get involved in this? My good friends Jeff and Mardelle Davis started talking about this project last October. Jeff tried to engage me. Over the years I have been doing a lot of surfing and running but never biking. One of the reasons was being afraid of falling off and getting hurt. Last January I got on a bike for the first time in my life and afterwards there was no return. I was hooked. The group of riders already in the project helped me to get started and gave a lot of advice."
Before his wife Meg went to work for SDJA, she worked for the United Jewish Federation helping to organize missions to Israel. “ This involvement led to close contact with people of the Sha'ar Hanegev community, counting mayor Alon Schuster, Knesset member Shai Hermesh and principal of the Elementary school Anat Regev."
He added : "I already had a good experience of Israel as I lived here in 1972-73 participating in a guiding course in Jerusalem. Afterwards I lived for six months in Kibbutz Zor'a. Returning in the years of 1977-78 I tried to do aliyah at the same time living in Kibbutz Nir Eliyahu.
“The first day of this (bike) trip when the group was leaving Tel Aviv on Holocaust Day, the (memorial) sirens went off. As we got out of the bus everything just became much more significant and meaningful."
Goldstein said it "has been absolutely amazing experiencing Israel from the saddle of the bike. It is different to see the number of memorials, to be surrounded by soldiers and to watch what is happening to the cities of the country, in the current environment. When travelling by on bike everything is much more vibrant than when you go whizzing by in a car."
Before arriving in Caesarea, the group drove through Zichron Ya'acov. This community was founded in December 1882 by 100 Jewish pioneers from Romania, members of the Hovevei Zion movement. The original Carmel-Mizrahi Winery continues to make wine in Zichron, while another winery, the Tishbi Winery founded by Jonathan Tishbi, is also based here.
Tourists are attracted to the town’s picturesque setting and historic city center with a restored main street called Derekh HaYayin ("Path of The Wine).
JERUSALEM—One of my correspondents asked that I write about my life in Israel.
I did not grow up in a Zionist atmosphere. My parents were proud to be Americans. My father was either not able or not willing to contribute to Israeli causes. The last time I visited with my mother, after living in Israel for 15 years, with an Israeli wife and two children born in Israel, she asked, “Ira, when are you coming home?”
I first visited Israel on my return to the United States after six months doing research in East Africa. I had spent a decade teaching and writing about American politics and government administration. A colleague suggested that we examine some developing administrative procedures in Kenya and its neighbors.
That project opened my eyes to the importance of understanding other countries. A short visit to Israel exposed me to a society and a group of scholars more attractive than I expected.
A year later, I found myself glued to 24-hour news radio during the Yom Kippur War. What happened in Israel had become important to me.
Then there was another visit, meetings with professional colleagues, my request to be invited for a visit of a year or two, followed by an offer of a permanent position.
As an undergraduate I had studied the migration of Europeans to the United States. What I read occurred in my own experience. Although I had a tenured position as a senior professor at the most distinguished Israeli institution, I had trouble with the language and the culture. Divorce is a frequent experience of immigrants, and I shared in that pain.
Over the years, roughly one half of immigrants to Israel from North America and Western Europe return home. I can think of several explanations for my persistence.
I found Israel to be an attractive venue for my interests. It is fascinating, and even thrilling to see how the Jewish people from radically different backgrounds have managed to cope with one another, and with the problems of economics and defense. Of the hundred or so countries founded in the period after World War II, Israel is arguably the most successful in maintaining its democracy and developing its economy. Yet few of its founders came from democratic societies, and the problems of defense, mass immigration, and initial poverty have been at least as severe as those faced by other new countries.
Like many immigrants here and elsewhere, I remain something of an outsider. I also have felt like an outsider in my homeland, during visits and year-long sabbaticals at different universities. My Hebrew is good enough to teach students, lecture and consult at the upper reaches of government and the army, and to have directed a respectable
number of MA and PhD theses, but not good enough to satisfy Varda or our children.
A recent conversation with a Russian friend at the gym began with him talking about the catastrophe of Israel. My response was that the country was in better shape than the place he came from, and the place that I came from.
The United States dwarfs Israel in size, power, and wealth. No doubt many more people (Jews included) aspire to live in the United States than aspire to live in Israel. Yet Israel compares favorably to the United States on the quality of health care and education, especially higher education available to the average citizen, indicators of health and longevity, income equality, levels of addiction and crime, and family stability. Despite persistent assertions of discrimination, Israel’s Arab minority does better on those indicators than American minorities. Israel has learned more than the United States how to deal with its enemies, without occupying them or aspiring to change their societies.
Being Jewish has figured in my life more than Judaism. As a teenager, I was pleased to be expelled from religious school. My parents had insisted on attendance against my resistance. The rabbi I did not admire solved my problem. Much later I began writing and teaching about religion and politics. Weekly study of the Talmud with a religious friend has not made me religious. It has added to my identity as a Jew, and provided me with a sense of taking part in arguments that have gone on for more than two millennia.
When I came here, my monthly income declined by more than 60 percent. Over the course of 34 years, Israel has become less socialist and more capitalist. Some want it to become even more like the United States, but wiser heads have prevailed. From what I hear from American friends, my old age is better protected than theirs. I may have decided well after all.
Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University. His email: msira@mscc.huji.ac.il
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TORAH ON ONE FOOT
Don't let financial problems drive you from a synagogue
SAN DIEGO—Rabbi Mordechai of Pitatshuv was a student of the renown Seer of Lublin (Rabbi Yakov Yitzchak of Lublin, 1745-July 15, 1815). Rabbi Mordechai was very poor. He had three daughters who had not married because he could not provide their dowries or their weddings.
Every few weeks Rabbi Mordechai would travel to Lublin to see his mentor, the holy Seer. Every time he left home his wife urged him to tell the great tzaddik about their problems and ask for his blessing and advice. However, as soon as Rabbi Mordechai entered the Seer's presence he would forget about his material needs and never asked for the rabbi's help.
After several years his wife grew frustrated and decided that she, too, would travel to Lublin. She did not tell her husband that she was going and arrived before he did. When Rabbi Mordechai saw his wife standing in the Seer's home he immediately knew why she had come. He told his Rebbe about his family's financial straits.
The Seer was surprised. "Why have you waited until now to tell me?" he asked.
Rabbi Mordechai answered: "I didn't say anything because I thought that you, who is such a great rabbi, would know about my situation through ruach hakodesh (Divine inspiration)."
"No,"replied the Seer. "Let's study what the Torah says about personal (spiritual) afflictions (Heb: negah): 'When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling...and it develops into a scaly affliction (negah) on the skin...it shall be reported to Aaron the priest....' (Lev. 13:2-3) What this means is that when a person has a spiritual affliction (negah) he comes before the priest, and the priest on his own is able to see the problem. The sufferer does not have to say a word.
"However, about scaly afflictions (negah) found in his home the Torah says: 'the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, "Something like a plague has appeared on my house."' (Lev. 14:35) That is, when it comes to material afflictions or needs the priest cannot recognize them on his own, but needs to be informed by the bearer. You should have told me what you needed and not made me guess!"
We are living through difficult times. Synagogue boards knows that many members who were once financially secure now worry about their future. They also know that full synagogue dues are beyond the capacity of some. However, congregational officers are not blessed with ruach hakodesh and are unable to guess who is especially afflicted by the downturn.
If you need help in meeting your congregational obligations, please come forward and inform the appropriate officers. Don't just abandon the congregation. Just as synagogues expect their members to take care of its institutional needs, so do synagogues need to take of their members, especially in challenging times.
Exodus 16:1 They journeyed from Elim, and the entire assembly of the Children of Israel arrived at the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month from their departure from the land of Egypt.
John E. Finley took this photo at Rosecrans and Crenshaw boulevards in Gardena, California, on April 23, 2009. He noted that "Still Waters" in background also comes from Bible, specifically Psalm 23: 2: "He lay me down by still waters..."
SHARE YOUR PHOTO SHOWING A BIBLICAL REFERENCE IN POP CULTURE —Please send your jpg photo for posting to editor@sandiegojewishheritage.com. If possible, please send it at 72dpi resolution and 400 pixels wide. Please include the name of the photographer, the date and place the photo was taken, and any other relevant caption information.
ENCINO, California—Michael Kaiser is a household name. Maybe not in your household, but certainly in the homes and offices of people in the arts, where he is known as “the turnaround king.”
Kaiser, in addition to being the president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., is the chief mover and shaker in helping arts organizations around the country to stay alive, pay off their debts, energize and engage their communities, and even make a profit. His “road show,” all-day seminars which he takes directly to groups of major arts administrators, is called “Arts in Crisis: A Kennedy Center Initiative,” and it arrives in San Diego on Monday, April 27th.
“While all arts organizations are not necessarily in crisis, they are coping with a changing environment,” says Kevin Chaisson, president of the board of the San Diego Performing Arts League, who instigated Kaiser’s visit. “This seminar will give arts administrators the chance to get together as a community and share ideas,” he says. To that end, some 110 participants---some from as far away as Denver---will convene at the Jacobs Center, 404 Euclid Avenue, to hear what Kaiser and his senior staff have to say.
“I really believe in training people for arts management,” Kaiser says in a telephone interview from Washington. “I’ve been teaching for the past eight years at the Kennedy Center in Washington and in New York.” His outreach even extends to the Internet, where he holds web chats with his “students” around the country.
In his 2008 book, “The Art of the Turnaround: Creating and Maintaining Healthy Arts Organizations,” Kaiser postulates ten basic rules for bringing financially distressed arts organizations back to life and keeping them strong. One of his highest priorities is to establish strong leadership, so I asked him how he gets a prominent organization with a myriad of disparate leaders and differing agendas to relinquish control. “When an organization is deeply in trouble,” he responded, “they are looking for answers and plans. In that desperate state they are willing to relinquish their control and rethink their priorities.”
Kaiser, who has performed virtual miracles with such organizations as the Kansas City Ballet, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the American Ballet Theater, and London’s Royal Opera House, emphasizes that cutting budgets and programming will not turn an ailing arts organization around. There are certain fixed costs that can’t be cut, he noted, and that create a specific kind of challenge. A symphony orchestra is always symphony orchestra-size, for example. Cutting unnecessary and non-strategic expenditures within the organization helps, of course, but the real key is to provide good programs and market them well. As an example, he notes the success of the innovative programming at the Kennedy Center: mounting six Stephen Sondheim musicals in a single season, and running all ten of August Wilson’s “20th century” plays in chronological order. “When audience members and donors are excited about a particular performance, that performance will sell tickets and receive funding,” he says.
“The Kennedy Center was not a sick organization when I arrived in 2001,” he notes, “but the programming was not important enough to generate widespread interest and support.” Now, he says, “we spend more than $100 million each year on performing arts programming and education” and, as a result “our contributed income has doubled over six years and we have earned an operating surplus every one of those years.”
I pointed out that he had worked mainly in large cities with infinite potential audiences, and wondered how one works with smaller cities like San Diego, with a smaller pool of donors and
subscribers. “The techniques are not different,” he answered. “What’s different is the number of zeros.” You work with the organization’s advantages, and get the board members excitedand engaged, he advised, noting that that can sometimes be easier in smaller cities, where there is less competition for an audience’s attention.
In an era where the media itself is in trouble and there is less opportunity and space for the coverage of the arts, Kaiser has turned to “our best friend”: the Internet. He uses social networking tools, exciting graphics, and more information about the programs and performers to stimulate interest.
A review of his book mentions his work ethic, boldness of vision, and ability to learn from his mistakes, and so I asked if he could share one of his mistakes. He talked about his initial work with the Kansas City Ballet. “Our marketing campaign was unfocused,” he said, “and I learned that you need to have the resources to market properly.”
And finally, I asked if the methods he employs to turn arts organizations around would work for such entities as Chrysler or General Motors. He agreed that the planning side is similar, but the main corporate mission of for-profit companies is to make money. “I’ll stick with the arts,” he said.
In 2007, Kaiser was one of four Americans delegated by President Bush to attend the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Museum of the History of Polish Jews to be erected in Warsaw. Kaiser, whose maternal and paternal grandmothers were Polish Jews, described it as a “very moving ceremony.”
He noted that the museum is being built just across from where the Warsaw Ghetto once stood. “There is a rebirth of Jewish culture and population going on in Poland,” he said, “and a renewed interest in Jewish culture.” He even attended a Jewish wedding service in a temple in Warsaw---the very first one since the Second World War, he was told.
Michael Kaiser, in addition to being the “turnaround king” is also a terrifically involved human being. And he does it all with only one kidney. To no one’s surprise, he donated the other one to his ailing sister Susan.
Citron is Los Angeles bureau chief of San Diego Jewish World. Her email: citronc@sandiegojewishworld.comSheila Orysiek in San Diego provided some research for this article
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POST-PERFORMANCE—Dressed in street clothes, keyboardist Mark Beyer takes a break after Rain's performance at San
Diego's Balboa Theatre. {Photo by Donald H. Harrison}
THE JEWISH CITIZEN
Keyboardist Beyer dissects and recreates Beatles music
SAN DIEGO –Throughout his career as a musician, Mark Beyer has told the story of the time when he was six years old, and his sister, Sherry, then 16, turned at the door on her way out to a date and warned him not to even think of touching her Beatles records. When Sherry came home, there was Mark doing just what he wasn’t supposed to—but, more importantly, the six-year-old was sitting at the family piano amazingly picking out the Beatles melodies by ear.
Fast forward 40 and some years and Beyer was doing the same thing as he prepared to become a regular cast member of Rain, the touring Beatles tribute group that will conclude an eight-concert run at the downtown Balboa Theatre in San Diego with two performances today, and which will return in May 2010 for another two performances in response to this year’s sellouts.
Beyer is a keyboardist whose specialty is playing complex orchestral music electronically – simulating the kind of music that the Beatles created in the latter stages of their recording careers. Whereas that latter-day music was far too complex for the Beatles to play on stage in their time, modern day computers linked to keyboards have become so sophisticated that the sounds can be approximated by bands such as Rain.
Why only “approximated”? Beyer draws on a well-known celebrity of his native Louisville, Kentucky, to answer.
“Their methods are sometimes like Colonel Sander’s Secret Recipe; nobody knows to this day how they did their recording, but they were highly experimental and they would use anything and everything to try to make their sounds,” he said.
One supposes that a food chemist could deconstruct Sanders’ “secret recipe” for Kentucky Fried Chicken and in what might be a comparable process, Beyer does his best to determine what instruments and sounds the Beatles utilized. Using Kontakt 3 software, he then programs these sounds onto his MacBook laptop computer.
Like a Navy submarine that has its blue crew and its gold crew, Rain maintains two sets of cast members to portray guitar playing vocalists John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison, and drum-playing vocalist Ringo Starr on stage, as well as a keyboardist in the shadows who replicates the sounds made for the Beatles by a great variety of backup studio musicians and off-stage instruments. In this assignment Beyer rotates with keyboardist Mark Lewis, who is also Rain’s manager.
“The process of learning a Beatles song is often identifying the sounds. Some are exotic instruments, some were created with a secret recording formula they had,” said Beyer. “You have to read books and use your ears and research how they recorded these sounds and start from scratch and try to recreate those. ‘Strawberry Fields’ has some sounds that were even played backwards, and it has some unusual instruments that are no longer made.”
As a six year old, Beyer had only an untrained ear to rely on to pick out the melody. Now he has four decades of music making under his belt, and also is aided by some of the artifacts in his highly specialized musical collection.
“What I like to collect are bootlegged recordings and studio recordings, out takes, and rare videos and audios” of the Beatles, Beyer said. This is material that “might not be entertaining to the average listener but actually helps me isolate some of the sounds and some of the parts. There are unfinished versions without all the overlays of the orchestra. It is almost like peeling back the layers. There are early stage recordings before they were finished, recordings not used, that give your ear an opportunity to hear what they were doing, before other sounds are mixed in and it becomes harder to hear.”
Knowing what instruments—or sounds—to program into his computer is only one step in the process. Setting up his keyboard to enable switching between sounds is yet another challenge.
“One of the things that makes it challenging is that you may have four or five instruments laid out across the keyboard, with maybe the flute at the bottom and the trumpet at the top and you may have to switch instruments very quickly four or five times within a song—so it is like a stunt for one man to be an entire orchestra.”
In Rain’s current show, “’I Am The Walrus’ is an extremely complicated and frankly weird piece that had to be dissected,” said Beyer. “That is very challenging to play and to map out across the keyboard and emulate the sounds….”
* *
After six-year-old Mark’s musical inclination was discovered, his family sought to arrange piano lessons for him. But to his disappointment, the teachers said his hands were “too small” so he had to wait until he was eight. After a few years, his first piano teacher said she had taught him all that she knew, and recommended that he study with teacher Don Murray of the music department at Bellarmine College in Louisville.
After Murray accepted Mark as a student, the boy started arriving an hour or so early, in order to listen to Jonathan Wolff, a fellow member of the Louisville Jewish community who had the regular appointment before his. Wolff went on to develop a slap bass guitar and provided the percussion music heard between scenes on the Seinfeld television series, among other popular TV credits.
Within a couple of years, Beyer and friends, including a fellow bar mitvah student from “The Temple,” formed a rock band they called “World.”
“We had band practice every night and from age 14 to 20 developed our musical talents and even went out on the road at a very young age—around 18. We did very difficult progressive rock music that a lot of people our age couldn’t play like some of the songs of Kansas (a band best known for ‘Dust in the Wind’) and Boston (a band particularly remembered for ‘More Than A Feeling’).
“We practiced at whoever’s house had a basement, whose mom would let us.” One basement meeting those important criteria was that of Greg Foresman, who is “now a guitar player for Martina McBride.”
“This was during the 1970s when the electronic keyboard was just starting to evolve, so I was lucky to begin to learn my craft using the crude equipment back then and to emulate orchestral with electronic sound,” Beyer said.
World did night clubs, outdoor concerts, and its members stayed friends. In fact, two years ago, it had a 27-year-reunion.
The next step in Beyer’s career was serving as musical director and a member of the five-piece band for Karen Kraft, a Louisville singer who worked steadily at local show rooms and dance clubs. “We stayed at one place, Flaherty’s, for nine years,” Beyer said.
“Keyboard equipment had evolved quite a bit, and I was responsible for full orchestration like on Celine Dion numbers—strings, flutes, and trumpets. The technology was capable of approximating them. That is what I became known for, audiences being able to close their eyes and hear saxophones and trumpets and things that were not really on stage all being reproduced by the art of electronic keyboard.”
He remained with Kraft until approximately five years ago when “I wanted to follow my dream of playing Beatles music and found some other guys in Louisville that wanted to do the same, and we all left our steady groups and formed a group called the Rigby’s” –yes, after the Beatles song “Eleanor Rigby.”
“We played Beatles festivals and became Louisville’s only band that played exclusively the Beatles,” Beyer said. Unlike Rain, which Beyer calls “the Rolls Royce of Beatles Tribute bands,” the Rigby’s were a five piece band that “did not do the stage show, the illusions, or the videos” but simply did “our best job recreating the music.”
A break came when Louisville hosted a Beatles Festival that attracted 75 Beatles bands from all over the world for five days. “I began to network with all those bands and started to get hired by several of them and started performing internationally with many different bands that did Beatles music. I got the reputation and finally some notoriety, and I played in Canada, and in Liverpool, England, and I think my name circulated and that’s how I got the call from Rain.
The gig in Liverpool was his second visit to the city. Earlier, on a private vacation, he made a pilgrimage to the Beatles’ home town, visiting such sites as the boyhood homes of Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and places that gave their names to Beatles song titles such as “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Field.” Beyer also went to London, and like many a tourist, had himself photographed walking across the street that is shown on the famous “Abbey Road” album cover.
When Rain performs, the show mixes genuine newsreels from the times of the Beatles with doctored footage in which the faces of the Rain performers are substituted for those of the Beatles. The show follows the progression of Beatles music from their early era singing such songs as “I Want To Hold Your Hand” through songs like “Eleanor Rigby” up to later, more complex hits, like “I Am the Walrus.” The costumes and wigs change with the period, making the audience feel as if it has entered a nostalgic time machine.
Beyer said one need not have experienced the Beatles to enjoy the show. The music, he suggests, has universal and multi-generational appeal. “Whatever it is, it has affected millions and millions of people,” he said. “I think it changes your brain chemistry. There is something infectious about this sound. It is song-writing that is so out of this world that you can’t believe humans are capable of writing such things. And they all sang so well. … I think Paul McCartney has the best voice in the world.”
After today’s performances, Beyer will return to Louisville to spend 10 days with Ronda Nissen, a Spanish language teacher with whom he has had a committed relationship for four years. He said that Ronda grew up in a Navy family so is used to separations. “She is very supportive of what I am doing; she knows that it is my dream to play this music. She also comes to some of the shows, and enjoys whatever city we are in.”
For many people, concerts are a great way to relax after work. But what do people do when concerts are their work? I asked Beyer.
“I still like to go to concerts, even though I perform in them,” he replied. “And being a couch potato in front of television can be good too.”
OLDSMAR, Florida—Q: Who did Casey Stengel once describe as having "the sweetest swing in baseball," although, with a lifetime batting average of .238, he never lived up to the billing?
(a) Norm Miller
(b) Marvin Miller
(c) Si Rosenthal
(d) Wayne Rosenthal
Background: He played 8 1/2 seasons with the Houston Astros before finishing his 10-year career with the Atlanta Braves. On April 15, 1968, he singled in the bottom of the 24th inning of a scoreless game and eventually scored on a grounder for a 1-0 win over the New York Mets. At the time, it was the longest shutout and longest night game ever, at 6 hours and six minutes.
San Diego REPertory Theatre Presents Jewish Arts Festival May 26 – June 29, 2009
SAN DIEGO (Press Release) – San Diego REPertory Theatre proudly presents the 16th Annual Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival. Directed by the REP’s Associate Artistic Director Todd Salovey, this year’s festival will be held May 26 – June 29, 2009 and explores the richness of Jewish culture through theatre, music, dance and visual arts.
Festivities include the 9th Annual Klezmer Summit featuring Russian clarinet virtuoso Alexander Gourevitch, Gustavo Bulgach and his ensemble Klezmer Juice, which traces the influence of tango and samba in beloved klezmer in Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. This year’s Jewish Arts Festival will also include an all-acoustic concert by Yale Strom and his band Hot P’Stromi, a special performance by Malashock Dance, a groovin’ concert by Hassidic star Benny Friedman and the premiere readings of two unforgettable plays, My Name is Asher Lev and Women of Valor.
Di Ershte Frukhten — First Fruits CelebrationFeaturing Yale Strom and Hot P’Stromi; All-Acoustic Concert plus the World Premiere Screening of A Great Day On Eldridge Street; Tuesday, May 26, 7:30pm, Congregation Beth El, 8660 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037
In October 2007 over 100 klezmer musicians and Yiddish singers, from Theo Bickel to John Zorn, gathered at the famous Eldridge Street Synagogue on the Lower East Side. Yale Strom captures the magic of the occasion in a film that celebrates the klezmer revival.
The evening continues with an all-acoustic concert in the beautiful new Beth El sanctuary featuring Yale Strom, Elizabeth Shwartz and the all-star band Hot P’Stromi. Also featuring Mark Dresser, Peter Stan, and beautiful melodies of the holiday Shavuoth. Sponsored by Congregation Beth El Film & Concert: $20; Concert Only: $15. For tickets please contact the Lyceum box office
Malashock Dance — Shadow of Mercy;Sunday, May 31, 7:00pm, Lyceum Space. For one night only: Malashock Dance’s world premiere Shadow of Mercy, based on the music of internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. Cohen blends profound human imagery, soulful musicality, heartbreaking wit, and stunningly original poetry. Ten talented dancers express Leonard Cohen’s lyrics and John Malashock’s stunning choreography in this luminous pairing of two brilliant talents. Reserved seating: $25. Students: $14
Women of Valor—The premiere reading of a play with music by Todd Salovey, Ali Viterbi, and Leah Salovey. Directed by Todd Salovey. Sunday, June 14, 2pm Lyceum Space.
“A woman of valor who shall find?” Share the excitement of a brand new piece of theatre celebrating the lives and courage of nine remarkable women from the San Diego Jewish community. Todd, Ali, and Leah have interviewed and created a moving theatrical work that explores the vision, love, strength, and faith of the women in our lives. Tickets: $18; Sponsor Tickets: $180
All proceeds will benefit the three San Diego Jewish High Schools: Torah High School of San Diego, San Diego Jewish Academy, and SCY High
Glorious Groove of Shabbat—A concert featuring Hassidic star Benny Friedman and a free pre-concert lecture and discussion. Monday, June 15, 7:30pm (lecture begins 6:30pm). Lyceum Stage
The candles are glowing, the challah rests beside the wine… Let the music begin! Benny Friedman, whose celebration of the Jewish calendar was a highlight of the ’08 festival, returns to perform, teach, and share the most beautiful, and groovin’ melodies and stories of Shabbat. Before the concert please join Rabbi Zalman Carlebach and Rabbi Moishe Leider for a free lecture, “Making Your Shabbat Table More Meaningful and Joyful.” Lecture includes a free taste of Shabbat challah. Sponsored by Chabad of Downtown San Diego. Co-sponsored by Chabad Hebrew Academy. Reserved Seats: $36. Balcony: $18
The 9th Annual Klezmer Summit: Klezmer and Knaidlach!!! And free pre-show discussion; Sunday, June 22, 7:30pm (discussion begins 6:30pm) Lyceum Stage
The festival’s most joyous FEAST of Jewish music, and yes, free matzo ball soup! Features the incredible Russian clarinet virtuoso Alexander Gourevitch who, with his violinist daughter Natasha, has dazzled festival audiences with his expression of Jewish musical soul. Joining Alexander with klezmer of the Latin American world is Gustavo Bulgach and Klezmer Juice. Bulgach, who comes from Argentina, traces the influence of tango and samba in beloved klezmer in Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. Before the concert, please join Gustavo Bulgach in a free discussion on klezmer in North and South America and in Eastern Europe. Sponsored by San Diego County LibraryCo-sponsored by Seacrest Village. Concert and Delicious Soup: $18
My Name is Asher Lev by Aaron Posner; Adapted from the Chaim Potok novel. Originally commissioned and produced by the Arden Theatre Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Monday & Tuesday, June 28 & 29, 7:30pm; North Coast Rep; 987 Loma Santa Fe Dr., Solana Beach, CA 92075
See the West Coast premiere reading of a new adaptation of the famous novel by Chaim Potok. Featuring David Ellenstein, and directed by Steve Lipinsky, Asher Lev is the story of a young Hassidic artist torn between his observant Jewish community and his need to create. His artistic genius threatens his relationship with his parents and community. “Exquisite adaptation…beautifully created.”—Philadelphia Inquirer
“A fascinating coming-of-age story seamlessly blended with a debate about the nature of art…a marvelous evening of theater.” —Philadelphia City Paper
Sponsored by North Coast Rep; Tickets: $18; For My Name is Asher Lev tickets only, please call 858-481-1055 or visit www.NorthCoastRep.org
For tickets to all Lyceum events—Please call the box office at 619-544-1000 or visit www.sdrep.org. 2 shows $2 off, 3 shows $3 off. (All except My Name is Asher Lev) Group discounts are available to those with 8 or more patrons
Girl's family takes her 1st Grade classmates on Jerusalem virtual tour
By Stephie Buchwald, First Grade Judaic Teacher
SAN DIEGO (Press Release)—
In life we all are given daily opportunities to do chessed and do mitzvot. Nevertheless, not everyone is lucky enough to have the 20/20 vision to see the gifts placed in our hands when the opportunity arises and take it to its maximum potential.
Last week the first grade students of Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School and their teachers were given a first -and taste of how mitzvot should be performed and chessed beautified. We were all deeply touched by the incredible efforts the Soffer family did to make a 1st Grade chessed project come to life.
We were learning about the Kotel in Yerushalayim and how people place wishes and blessings into the cracks in the wall. We learned that over Pesach break one of our own students, Sabrina Soffer, would be travelling to Eretz Israel. We asked the Soffer family (Vick, Lea and daughter Sabrina) to go on a special mission on behalf of our class: Sabrina, as our class representative, was to place all of her classmates' wishes and requests at the Kotel and to deliver the tzedakah money that the class has been collecting throughout the year.
Sabrina not only did her mission with great joy and efficiency, but her parents were kind enough to film the events so that our students could feel as they were personally there. Mr. Soffer put together a special video showing our children what it is like to be in Yerushalayim. In the video Sabrina stood at the Kotel and said each child's Hebrew name as she placed their wish inside. The film also showed Sabrina going around the city giving tzedakah the class had collected directly to those who needed it. The children were so deeply moved and felt as if they were there!
As if that was not enough of a present, the Soffer family brought back for each student and teacher a red string that is usually offered as a sign of gratitude and good wishes by many recipients of tzedakah in Israel. The string was beautifully attached to a bag that contained treats and souvenirs from Israel. The Soffers also brought a puzzle with the picture of the Kotel so that all the children in our class and anyone else who wants to participate can put together and make it a beautiful keepsake for our school. We can surely say that this week we all learned how beautiful chessed can look. THANK YOU to parents Vick and Lea, and their lovely daughter Sabrina, for going above and beyond the call of duty and enriching so many lives with the beautiful way you do mitzvot!
Media Watch
Hillel Mazansky found fascinating an article eralier this month in the Los Angeles Times concerning two non-Jewish geneticists who believe that the same gene mutations that make Ashkenazi Jews more liable to certain diseases also may account for higher IQs. Here is a link to the story.
Adventures in San Diego Jewish History With thanks to Gail Umeham for the transcription
Packing For Israel Southwestern Jewish Press February 6, 1953, page 3
Successful “Clothes for Israel” Drive netted 54 boxes of new and almost new clothes which were immediately shipped to Israel. Working hard packing the clothes are: Jeanette Abrams, Dora Berner, Pauline Press, Minnie Harris, Rose Domnitz, and Esther Moorsteen, Chairmen. Also helping were a committee, which included Dena Weisman, Rose Brooker, Rose Garber, Norma Schaffer and Florence Lebb. Special thanks are due I. Lebb, and Frank and Goldie Winicki and Mr. Goldberg, who were responsible for the immediate shipping service which was so necessary at this time.
Personals Southwestern Jewish Press February 6, 1953, page 3
Sidney Sonnabaum, son of Mrs. Rosalie Sonnabaum, after a short furlough at home has left for Munich, Germany where he will be stationed.
Maxine Chenkin Kreinberg, visitor from Cleveland, was honored at a luncheon for 25 at the home of Mrs. Louis Steinman. Mrs. George Neumann was co-hostess. Out of town guests were Mrs. Shura Kompaniez of Los Angeles, sister of Mrs. Gabriel Berg, and Mrs. Hattie Jones, aunt of Mrs. Seymour Rabin.
January 29th marked the 37th wedding anniversary of Nan and Nate Schiller.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Krasnow of Hartford, Conn. are spending a month with Mr. and Mrs. Ben Passell. They are visiting with their other San Diego children too—Pauline Merkin and Albert Krasnow.
Mr. and Mrs. Max Brody have had as their houseguests Mr. Brody’s sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Tepper of Denver Colo.
A surprise bridal luncheon and shower given by Dr. and Mrs. Charles A. Fleischnner on Jan. 17 honored Ruth R. Suchman, bride-to-be of Harry C. Brussels. Place settings were fore 18 intimate friends. The bridal décor was carried out by means of wedding bells and birds of paradise, with the bridal cake centerpiece designed by the hostess.
The gentlemen joined the ladies later in the day for Saturday nite supper, which was followed by a champagne party arranged by Mr. Brussels.
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Bass wish to thank their friends for the thoughtfulness shown them on Mr. Bass’ recent loss.
Mr. Mimi Karpman expresses her thanks to her friends for the kindnesses expressed on her recent loss.
Mr. and Mrs. Sam Weiss have as their houseguest Mrs. Weiss’ sister, Esther Martin of Los Angeles. Miss Martin is secretary to Sammy Kahn, the producer of “High Button Shoes."
Mrs. Sam Kurtz of Brooklyn and Mrs. Elsie Arnold of Richfield, Conn. are dividing their time between visits with the Jerry Aronoffs and the Harry Aronoffs. Jerry and Harry hope their sisters will stay for several weeks.
Congratulations to Dr. Frederick G. Hollander who was elected President of the San Diego Blood Bank. City of Hope Jrs. Southwestern Jewish Press February 6, 1953, page 3
The men are especially invited to the next meeting of the City of Hope Jr. Auxiliary which will be held Tuesday evening, Feb. 10 at 8:00 p.m. at the Landis Street Center.
A movie will be shown describing the work done at the Medical Center at Duarte and a speaker from the hospital will be present to explain the film.
The men will be asked to become members of the Auxiliary to help in the work for the City of Hope.
City of Hope Group
Present Gala Show Southwestern Jewish Press February 6, 1953, page 3
Mrs. Jennie Siner, general chairman, invites everyone to attend the City of Hope Annual Concert Sunday, Feb. 8th, 7:30 p.m. at Beth Jacob Center. Matilda Barsha Zuckerman, Musical Director for the City of Hope for many years has recently returned from a music festival in Israel.
She was pianist for the Los Angeles Choral Group, which won first prize in the Israeli Musical Contest. Matilda is
bringing to us the “Singing Vespia Brothers,” who have entertained in night clubs, television, radio and the concert stage.
Also for your musical pleasure, you will hear Martha Manners, well known operatic star, who has recently returned from New York, where she was wonderfully received, and Fritzie Caress who will present “Gay Musical Moments," impersonations, etc. Refreshments are to be served at the close of the concert.
Your attendance will insure you a most enjoyable evening, and at the same time, help patients at the City of Hope at Duarte, Calif.
Last Call for Recipes Southwestern Jewish Press February 6, 1953, page 3
Mary Kantor, editor of the Jolly 16 Cook Book, has announced that February 15 is the deadline for entries. She asks that recipes be sent to her ar 4417 Braeburn Rd.
Cradle Southwestern Jewish Press, February 6, 1953, page 3
Mr. and Mrs. Carl Mann (Lois Wieder) announce the birth of their first child, a daughter, Melinda (Mindy), born Sunday, Jan. 25th. The young newcomer weighed 6lbs. 5 oz. Grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Wieder and Mr. and Mrs. Ruben Umansky.
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Garvin have chosen the name Shari Rae for the young lady born on Jan. 11th who has joined their family.
Plumbers Donate Labor to JCC
Historic Ad~Sol Randall's 'Randy's'
“Adventures in Jewish History” is sponsored by Inland Industries Group LP in memory of long-time San Diego Jewish community leader Marie (Mrs. Gabriel) Berg. Our indexed "Adventures in San Diego Jewish History" series will be a daily feature until we run out of history.
JERUSALEM--As I try to follow the debate about what has been termed the Iranian threat, I find it more and more difficult to fathom what this is really all about. 
CAESAREA, Israel—Israel’s day of leisure comes on Shabbat, and for the riders of BikeIsrael2009, this Saturday was no different. After riding almost 150 miles in three days, they all got to spend the day as they chose. I was among those who walked from the hotel to the nearby ancient port of Caesarea.
JERUSALEM—One of my correspondents asked that I write about my life in Israel. 
SAN DIEGO—Rabbi Mordechai of Pitatshuv was a student of the renown Seer of Lublin (Rabbi Yakov Yitzchak of Lublin, 1745-July 15, 1815). Rabbi Mordechai was very poor. He had three daughters who had not married because he could not provide their dowries or their weddings.
ENCINO, California—Michael Kaiser is a household name. Maybe not in your household, but certainly in the homes and offices of people in the arts, where he is known as “the turnaround king.” 
SAN DIEGO –Throughout his career as a musician, Mark Beyer has told the story of the time when he was six years old, and his sister, Sherry, then 16, turned at the door on her way out to a date and warned him not to even think of touching her Beatles records. When Sherry came home, there was Mark doing just what he wasn’t supposed to—but, more importantly, the six-year-old was sitting at the family piano amazingly picking out the Beatles melodies by ear.
The next step in Beyer’s career was serving as musical director and a member of the five-piece band for Karen Kraft, a Louisville singer who worked steadily at local show rooms and dance clubs. “We stayed at one place, Flaherty’s, for nine years,” Beyer said. 
OLDSMAR, Florida—Q: Who did Casey Stengel once describe as having "the sweetest swing in baseball," although, with a lifetime batting average of .238, he never lived up to the billing? 
