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February 19, 1998

Up Front

Leave a Comment / Community, Old Stories /

Rabbi MichaelBeals (above) was disturbed by press reports after arson fires at twolocal Orthodox synagogues. Left, a book damaged in the blaze.Photo at left by Peter Halmagyi

Rabbi Michael Beals of B’nai Tikvah Congregation,a Conservative synagogue in Westchester, was disturbed when he read aLos Angeles Times article in late December that described arson firesat two Orthodox synagogues in the Beverly-Fairfax. The storydescribed the damaged shuls, Congregation Kehillas Yaakov andCongregation Shaarei Tefila, as being in a neighborhood that “hasoccasionally been the scene of contentious rivalries between variouscongregations — including conflicts between Reform, Conservative andOrthodox Jews.”

In a letter written last month to Rabbi GershomBess of Congregation Kehillas Yaakov, Beals decried the description,noting that “we are not aware of any conflicts between our movementsin your neighborhood.” Reporting such conflicts was “irresponsiblejournalism, suggesting hatred and intolerance that just does notexist within the Jewish community of Los Angeles,” wrote Beals, whobecame rabbi at B’nai Tikvah last fall. The rabbi sent contributionsfrom B’nai Tikvah’s discretionary fund to both synagogues indenominations of $18, which, in Hebrew, is symbolized by the letters,chet and yud, for chai — life.

Responding to Beals’ letter, Rabbi Alan Kalinsky,the director of the Orthodox Union’s West Coast region, wrote Bealsto say B’nai Tikvah was the first synagogue in the city to offer aidto the two damaged houses of worship. He called the gesture a true”Kiddush Ha-Shem” (sanctification of G-d’s name).

Kalinsky expressed the hope that Beals’ letter,which he also sent to the Los Angeles Times and The Jewish Journal,”will help dispel the notion that Jews of various levels ofobservance can not get along. [Beals’] gesture has helped Los AngelesJewry live up to the motto kol Yisrael arevim zeh la-zeh — namely,that each Jew is responsible for the other.”

As for Beals, he was so gratified by the exchangeof letters that he contacted The Journal to see if we couldn’t put alittle good news in our paper to show the “inter-movement cooperationamong L.A. Jewry, despite the bad news coming out of Israel.” — RuthStroud, Staff Writer

Marc Debden Moss

British Swindler

Up Front was recently at the Roybal Federal CourtHouse to witness the sentencing of Marc Debden Moss to eight years inprison for defrauding clients of millions of dollars as a commoditiesbroker.

During a year in Los Angeles as an illegal Britishimmigrant, Moss, now 73, cut a fine figure, with his expensiveItalian suits, luxury cars, well-appointed offices in a SunsetBoulevard high-rise, and rented Beverly Hills mansion.

Prospective clients were even more impressed byhis British upper-class accent and his casual references to hisaristocratic background, his service as a highly decorated officer inthe British army, and his friendship with the Queen.

He used such aliases as Gen. Marc Debenham andCol. Jonathan Hancock, but when we interviewed Moss a year ago at theMetropolitan Detention Center, at the request of a London newspaper,we discovered a third name.

That would be Marcus Moscovitz, his actual birthname as the son of a Jewish immigrant couple in London. Why did hechange his name, we asked.

“There is a lot of anti-Semitism in England,always has been…you don’t push [your Jewishness]. There is lots ofhidden prejudice, even today.” — TomTugend, Contributing Editor

Move Over,

C-Span

In the comingweeks, it’s a safe bet that the unfolding saga of the president’sintern will remain front and center on most television news programs.Like the Gulf War, this story already has its own logos and thememusic — proof of our intense interest. Yet even the most addictednews junkies can’t live on “Monicagate” alone. Jewish viewers lookingfor a brief respite from the national soap opera now have aninteresting alternative, thanks to the Feb. 17 debut ofJ-Span.

J-Span airs exclusively through the JewishTelevision Network. According to JTN’s development director, JonathanSchreiber, J-Span is designed to “get past the sound bites” by airingmore extensive coverage of news events that are of particularinterest to the Jewish community. Along with coverage of the ongoingconflict with Iraq, upcoming episodes will include a speech byJordan’s ambassador to the United States, candid talk about the peaceprocess from Israeli Maj. Gen. Oren Shackor, and discussion about theimplications of Chinese arms sales to Iran.

Like C-Span, its much larger predecessor, J-Spanis aiming at an audience that wants more extensive news coverage thanis possible in mainstream formats. Forums, lectures and other eventswill be broadcast in their entirety.

The program is funded, in large part, by LosAngeles’ Jewish Community Foundation, and it ties JTN together withfour partnering organizations: the Anti-Defamation League, theAmerican Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress and theFederation’s Jewish Community Relations Committee. Each partner hasagreed to make its programming available for J-Span.

If it’s a success, a program such as J-Span couldbecome an important news source for Jewish viewers, given the scopeof JTN’s potential audience. According to Schreiber, JTN reaches 30million people in 13 million homes. That includes 55 percent of thecountry’s Jewish households.

Locally, J-Span’s airing schedule will be asfollows: Century Cable, Channel 76, on Tuesdays at 7 p.m.;MediaOneCable, Channel 39, on Tuesdays at 6 p.m.; TCI Cable, Channel15, on Tuesdays at 7 p.m.; and Time-Warner Cable, Channel 39, onTuesdays at 7 p.m. — Diane ArieffZaga, ArtsEditor


Up Front Read More »

Torah Portion

Leave a Comment / Old Stories, Torah /

Deeply ingrained ideas die hard. This week’sparasha,however, helps to ring the death knell for one such idea. Many of ushave been trained to believe that the Torah’s commandments can bebroken down into two basic categories. These re: the mitzvot we do for God and themitzvot we do for the benefit of fellow human beings. The kosherlaws, for example, would belong to the former category, and the lawsregarding the returning of lost items, for example, would belong tothe latter. This classification system may be neat and clean, but itis also inaccurate and it distorts one of Judaism’s most importantmessages.Evidence that the system is inaccurate permeatesthis week’s portion. Consider, for instance, this week’s presentationof Shabbat. Although Shabbat is thought to be a classic example ofmitzvah that we do for God, you would never get that idea bylistening to the Torah reading this week. Rather, you would hear,”…on the seventh day, you shall rest so that your ox and donkey mayhave rest, and so that the son of the handmaid and the stranger maybe refreshed.” Shabbat is here a labor law, ensuring proper treatmentof those who work for us, rather than the more familiar “remember thecreation” law that was presented in the Ten Commandments.

Similarly, the explanation given this week for notharvesting crop in the Sabbatical year (shmita) is not the morefamiliar “it is a Sabbatical year unto the Lord”; rather, it is “sothat the poor of thy people may eat [it].” Shmita has an unmistakablesocial-welfare component to it.

Conversely, many mitzvot that we generally assumewe are doing for the benefit of fellow human beings, are presented inthe Torah as mitzvot we do for God. We are directed, for example, touse only honest weights and measures. To be certain, part of theconcern is to prevent others from being cheated. But equallyimportant (see Leviticus 19:36) is the desecration of God’s name,which would result from one of His children behaving in a crookedmanner. Similarly, the commandment that epitomizes Judaism’sinterpersonal ethic — “You should love your neighbor as yourself” –is explained by the late Nehama Leibowitz as being the command torecognize that God created all people, and, therefore, they deserveto be treated accordingly. Of course, this mitzvah benefits thepeople around us, and human society at large. But it is alsoinextricably intertwined with our relationship with, and beliefsabout, God.

The message of all this, I believe, is clear: TheTorah’s mitzvot defy the neat categories of “for people” and “forGod.” Performance of a “for God” mitzvah, such as eating matzo orobserving Shabbat or attending prayer services, that does not have a”for people” component to it is an incomplete performance. There isalways a way to be sure that the mitzvah we are engaged in will bringbenefit to the people around us. Similarly, any performance of a “forpeople” mitzvah that does not animate our feelings for God, that doesnot reinforce and strengthen our commitment to our covenant with God,is also an incomplete mitzvah. In extending a hand to people, weshould feel ourselves to simultaneously be taking a step towardGod.

This insight about the nature of mitzvot, and thenature of God’s will for us, has important implications forcontemporary Jewish life. It is not valid to shut oneself into “thefour cubits of the study hall” and be unconcerned with the materialand spiritual welfare of the larger community — Jewish as well asnon-Jewish. There is no such concept as mitzvot “for Godonly.”

The same can be said concerning behaving ethicallysolely for the sake of behaving ethically. Surely, there is greatmerit to it. But it cannot be equated with the performance ofmitzvah. The moments of our greatest moral accomplishment, themoments of our most compassionate embrace of less fortunate humanbeings, need also to be moments that we sense God’s satisfaction withus.

The concept of mitzvah is enjoying a well-deservedappreciation in these days of general spiritual striving. This week’sTorah reading gives us an even deeper appreciation of its complexityand wonder.

Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky is rabbi at B’naiDavid-Judea in Los Angeles.

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Torah Portion Read More »

A Woman’s Voice

Leave a Comment / Old Stories, Womans Voice /

After spending months moderating aweekly chat room in America Online’s Jewish section, I finally foundEmes, someone I could really talk to.

It happened a few weeks ago, following an hour oflively conversation about Monica Lewinsky: Is she a nice Jewish girlor not? Everyone had an opinion, even those who pretended to beunaware that Monica was Jewish. (“Polish, right?” was the generalfirst response.)

More than 40 people usually show up for thesenightly national gabfests, timed to distract those on the East Coastfrom the first half hour of Jay Leno. I’ve come to enjoy the hour Ispend there, although it does remind me of the year I spent as a highschool substitute teacher. You have to keep the kids in line.

I keep the topics upbeat but religiously generic.This is not because chat room attendees are agnostics ordisinterested in spiritual affairs. Quite the contrary. They are alldevout, all definite, all completely self-assured. They will defenduntil the rooster crows a point of view, whether about God or kashrutor anything else, including the presence of Israelis in the icedancing competition at Nagano.

I steer the group away from issues of contemporaryreligious politics, but rarely succeed for long. Jew fighting Jew iscatnip; some can’t resist.

It was different months ago. When I first beganhosting the chats, the custom of a nightly topic was honored more inthe breech. For a few weeks, my chats were filled with scaryanti-Semites who shouted (all caps is a shout), HEIL HITLER. Boy,were we Jews polite to each other then!

But these days, since I’ve learned how to use myTough Jewish Broad power to take control of a room (I cry to thenearest AOL official, who then ejects them forcibly), theanti-Semites are gone. And I’ve learned that, left to themselves,without a common enemy, a room full of Jewish strangers will quicklydeteriorate into bitter intramural battles over “Who is aJew?”

Really. Every single week, I have to break upverbal fist fights between otherwise educated men and women over someminor issue of tradition or a biblical hiccup. The words that we useagainst each other (“You’re treif,” someone called out) would makeyour kindergarten teacher send the provocateurs to the corner for atimeout.

Not everyone is clambering for a duel, but ifthere’s one thing about chats, they’re no holds barred. In chatrooms, you know who is with you because the screen name is listed ona roster in the right -hand corner. They are there in more than nameonly: Though I can’t see them, I always feel their eyes peeled on me.Chat-room participants are activists by nature, and nuancedlisteners. They are ready to pounce on a factual misstatement (“Yourstatistical pool is too small,” said LegalStats the other day, whenwe discussed the topic of Jewish singles), and to take umbrage atsome perceived slight or innuendo.

In a chat room, punctuation is the emotional coinof the realm. We express ourselves with colons, semicolons, commasand parentheses. My guests often hear heavy breathing in the drop ofa comma or a missing 😉 (chat-room code for “smile.”) At the sametime, we love to laugh. Chat-room activists love a good joke — lolmeans “laugh out loud,” though my friend Allen thought it meant “lotsof love” and got scared away. A chat room can be as riotous as aBorscht Belt evening with Henny Youngman. You should hear (read) 40people going “lol” “lol” “lol!!!!!!!” — at a punch line.

Beyond being hall monitor, a chat-room host is aposition of power, the sole power to TYPE IN CAPITAL LETTERS. “THAT’SIT,” I’ll say, “NO TALK ABOUT THE NEEMAN COMMISSION FOR 10 MINUTES.”Using my moniker, Wmnsvoice, I type away frantically, trying to keepthe Lower Cases from killing each other. In the anarchy of the chatroom, CAPITAL LETTERS CARRY SEX APPEAL.

That’s how I met Emes. The Lewinsky conversationwas almost over, but the heat was still high; my computer monitor wasfilled with screen names talking excitedly back and forth about whatit might mean to the world that the White House intern was Jewish,and whether assimilation is some how to blame. About 10 minutes tothe hour, I began to speak privately with those who were about toleave. I ask if they have other subjects for future weeks and how thechat went.

Emes, in a surprise move, asked about me. Did Ihave children? I said I was raising a daughter. Emes spoke of sons,the same age. We sympathized about the teen-age years. I said I wasalone. Emes too was alone.

I felt the strange stirrings that people oftentalk about in chat rooms but I have never known. You meet a strangeracross a crowded chat room, and somehow you know…. So this is whymillions come on line, I thought.

I asked Emes where he lived, you know, small talk.I wondered how tall he was.

“My husband just moved out,” she said.

Good thing no one could see me laugh. LOL. LOL.LOL!!!!

Marlene Adler Marks is senior columnist of TheJewish Journal. Her Sunday “Conversation” series at the SkirballCultural Center continues on March 8 with essayist Richard Rodriguez.Her email address is wmnsvoice@aol.com.

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SEND EMAIL TO MARLENE ADLER MARKS
wmnsvoice@aol.com

February 13, 1998 —How Do We DoIt?

 

February 6, 1998 —One by One byOne

 

January 30, 1998 —TheDaughter

 

January 23, 1998 —Babysitters NoMore

 

January 16, 1998 —FalseAlarms

 

November 28, 1997 —As AmericanAs…

 

November 21, 1997 —The ThirteenWants

 

November 14, 1997 —Music to MyEars

 

November 7, 1997 —Four Takes on50

 

October 31, 1997 —ChallengingHernandez

 

October 24, 1997 —CommonGround

 

< B>October 17, 1997 —Taking Off theMask

 

October 10, 1997 —Life’s a MixedBag

 

October 3, 1997 —And Now ForSomething Completely Different

 

September 26, 1997— An OpenHeart

 

September 19, 1997— My BronxTale

 

September 12, 1997 — Of Goddesses andSaints

 

August 22, 1997 — Who is Not a Jew

 

August 15, 1997 — A LegendaryFriendship

 

July 25, 1997 — A Perfect Orange

 

July 18, 1997 — News of Our Own

 

July 11, 1997 — Celluloid Heroes

 

July 4, 1997 — Meet theSeekowitzes

 

June 27, 1997 — The Facts of Life

 

June 20, 1997 — Reality Bites

 

A Woman’s Voice Read More »

Letters

Leave a Comment / Letters to the Editor, Old Stories /

One of my pet peeves is people who make generalconclusions from rather sketchy specific facts. Such is the column ofCharles Marowitz wherein he comments about Los Angeles’ “unfailingability to turn crocks of manure into crocks of gold” (“Looking forthe Genius in ‘Picasso at the Lapin Agile’,”Jan. 30).

He does this based upon the fact that someproducer has once again decided to present “Picasso at the LapinAgile.” In proving his case he uses several examples including theplay “Shear Madness” in Boston and “Abie’s Irish Rose” on Broadway.He names a couple of others which he degrades as having run for alengthy time in Los Angeles, and to prove his point then states that”The Drunkard,” “a crude melodrama” ran for many years here in LosAngeles.

Mr. Marowitz sounds a lot like so many others whohave chosen to live here, but don’t want to admit that it’s really apretty neat place.

But my beef with him particularly is in regard to”The Drunkard.” It didn’t pretend to be anything other than a lot offun. It was a corny melodrama followed by Olio acts and communitysinging, but there was dinner and beer thrown in.

I have a feeling Mr. Marowitz might have evenenjoyed it.

Irwin D. Goldring

Los Angeles

Right Voice

I was troubled by the lack of ahavas Yisroel or love of Jews,shown by Mr. Elyakim Haetzni when he echoed statements made by theIsraeli government that we may have to send troops into Gaza and theother PLO autonomous areas (“A Voice from the Right,” Feb. 6).

This is a defeatist attitude. We should not makethe same mistakes of the 1982 Lebanon War. My first and only concernis the safety and well-being of our own soldiers.

The false piety of Elyakim Haetzni and thedefeatist attitude of the Israeli government would be the cause ofJews having to pay the butchers bill. We should seek to destroyrather than to conquer.

Max Kessler

Los Angeles

More on Monica

I concur with the letters that lambasted yourtreatment of the Monica Lewinsky story in a vain and irrelevantattempt to develop a Jewish connection.

The environment that creates a Monica Lewinsky isa story of greater magnitude. Can we assume that she is a product ofthe disparity of wealth in our economy which diminishes familyvalues? Or, as she grew up, was she victimized by the media whichtrivializes sex, crime and corruption? If so, we are losing ourchildren to a culture that transcends ethnicity and religiousbackground.

Leonard Stone

Beverly Hills

*

According to your Jan. 30 cover story on MonicaLewinsky, we are involved in pimping and prostitution; Bibi, likeClinton, has zipper problems ; Marlene Marks just discovered that ourdaughters and sons are not perfect (neither are their parents, by theway); rabbis, doubling up as sexuality experts, interpreted the finelines between oral sex, intercourse and adultery (that article wasreally hilarious, move over Seinfeld).

Some of your readers were almost raving mad. I, onthe other hand, thought that this issue was one of the finest, mostdiversified, most hard-hitting in a long, long time. We are beginningto accept the previously unthinkable concept that among us walk thegood, the bad and the indifferent. “To be normal, that is my goal formy people,” said Rabin, shortly before he was assassinated. We arecertainly making giant strides in that direction.

As to Gene Lichtenstein’s melodramatic plea forJewish unity behind Monica Lewinsky, please “include me out”: I cansee her parents giving her unconditional love and support; I, though,have enough problems with my own children, trying to keep my rockyboat afloat.

Maurice Kornberg

Los Angeles

Insulting to Orthodox

Adam Gilad’s opening paragraph reeks of resentmentand hate (“Where the Action Is,” Jan. 30). It is a diatribe againstevery Orthodox Jew in Jerusalem, insulting in its message andrevoting in its tone.

The purpose of a community newspaper is to providenews and opinion. As surely as we ought not restrict the former, weshould insist on responsibility in the latter. While everyone isentitled to an opinion, a community supported paper cannot be thepodium for every disgruntled voice looking to let off steam. Shouldnot someone bother to ask whether an opinion expressed in such aderogatory manner is worth the attention of the public? Had theauthor of the piece been some noted thinker or public figure, thedecision to publish might have been justified.

A community paper should help solve the problemsof our Jewish community, not contribute to them. At very least, weshould see lip service paid to the cause of civility.

Irwin Lowi

Los Angeles

‘Morning Star’

Thank you to fellow reader Helen Bruck for herhead’s up on “Morning Star,” the play currently playing at the ColonyTheater (“Great Play,” Jan. 23). At her recommendation, I went to seeit and enjoyed it very much. It’s a charming and moving play thatseems to dramatize similar experiences of my immigrantgreat-grandparents.

I apparently can get better entertainment tipsfrom Jewish Journal readers than from the Los Angeles Times’ leadtheater critic who found “Morning Star” too “clichéd” and”sentimental.” Also, artist David Rose’s paintings in the lobby weretruly inspiring.

All in all, my money was well spent. I didn’t comeaway feeling cheated or angry, but emotionally fulfilled andthoroughly entertained – not to mention proud of my heritage.

David Feldstein

Burbank

Westside JCC

I was dismayed by the news that the WestsideJewish Community Center may be sold to a private religious highschool (“Westside JCC May Be Sold to Shalhevet,” Feb. 6).

The center has been a focus of my family’s lifefor 35 years. We sent our children to its wonderful nursery school,used its fine athletic facilities and participated in its many dailyand camp programs. Now our grandchildren go to the same (stillwonderful) nursery school, and swim in the pool there.

The population served by WJCC — young familiesand the elderly — will be left without recourse if the centercloses, and its services scattered into different facilities. Thecultural continuity provided by WJCC is as important as Jewisheducation, which can be accomplished in many venues.

I hope a chorus of others who have benefitted fromthe WJCC will join me in attempting to save our precious center forthe community at large.

Robert J. Wunsch

Los Angeles

Upcoming Lecture

People who acknowledge the lack of quality in ourfoods today will be happy to know there are measures they can take toprotect their health. Most of us try to eat well, but due tooverprocessing as well as harvesting fruits and vegetables beforethey are ripe, many of the nutrients our bodies need are no longeravailable. As a result of these deficiencies, people are experiencinghealth problems in increasing numbers. This deterioration innutritional value is a product of the 20th century in that it is duelargely to increased population, depleted farmlands and the economicsof our fast-paced society.

On Saturday, Feb. 28, Dr. Stephen Nugent willdiscuss how nutritional deficiencies and environmental toxins areimpacting health worldwide. He will tell us what we can do to protectour bodies and preserve and improve our health. Dr. Nugent has awealth of experience in medical practice, research and education. Hehas authored books and audio tapes on this subject, and lecturesinternationally to tens of thousands of people.

The lecture will be held at UCLA’s Ackerman GrandBallroom, and it is open to the public (seating is limited and isexpected to sell out). I know this lecture will be of considerableinterest to your readers.

Steve Hirsh

Los Angeles

Correction

The Anti-Defamation League did not protest outsideTemple Kol Tikvah during Rev. Jesse Jackson’s visit there, as wereported (“Jackson Shares His Dream,” Feb. 13). The protesters weremembers of the Jewish Defense League. We regret the error.


THE JEWISH JOURNAL welcomes letters from all readers. Letters shouldbe no more than 250 words and we reserve the right to edit for space.All letters must include a signature, valid address and phone number.Pseudonyms and initials will not be used, but names will be withheldon request. Unsolicited manuscripts and other materials shouldinclude a self-addressed, stamped envelope in order to bereturned.Publisher, Stanley Hirsh

THE JEWISH JOURNAL welcomes letters from allreaders. Letters should be no more than 250 words and we reserve theright to edit for space. All letters must include a signature, validaddress and phone number. Pseudonyms and initials will not be used,but names will be withheld on request. Unsolicited manuscripts andother materials should include a self-addressed, stamped envelope inorder to be returned.Publisher, Stanley Hirsh

Editor-in chief,Gene Lichtenstein

Managing editor, Robert Eshman

Assistant editor, Stig Jantz

Calendar and copy editor, William Yelles

Senior writer, NaomiPfefferman

Staff writer, RuthStroud

Production coordinator and

online editor, SaraEve Roseman

Community editor,Michael Aushenker

Arts editor, DianeArieff Zaga

Senior Columnist, Marlene Adler Marks

National Correspondent, J. J. Goldberg

Contributing writers, James David Besser (Washington), Larry Derfner (Tel Aviv),Rabbi Ed Feinstein, Linda Feldman, Beverly Gray, Joel Kotkin, RabbiSteven Leder, Yehuda Lev, Deborah Berger-Reiss, Eric Silver(Jerusalem), Teresa Strasser

Contributing editor, Tom Tugend

Art director,Shelley Adler

Photo/Graphics, Carvin Knowles

Advertising art director, Lionel Ochoa

Members of the corporation,

Ed Brennglass (1919-1997), Willard Chotiner, IrwinDaniels, Irwin Field, David Finegood, Herbert Gelfand, Osias Goren,Richard Gunther, Stanley Hirsh, Marvin Kristan, Mark Lainer

Legal counsel/ accountants, Leon Katz of Tyre, Kamins, Katz and Granoff; JonathanKirsch of Kirsch and Mitchell/Gerald Block of Block, Plant andEisner

THE JEWISH JOURNAL (ISSN 0888-0468) USPS 468530 ispublished weekly, every Thursday for $23.50 (out of state add $12.50)by Los Angeles Jewish Publications Inc., a community nonprofitcorporation, 3660 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 204, Los Angeles,California 90010. Address all mail to: Jewish Journal, 3660 WilshireBoulevard, Suite 204, Los Angeles, California 90010. Phone213-368-1661, Fax 213-368-1684. E-mail at Los Angeles Freenet,ab871@lafn.org

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE JEWISHJOURNAL, 3660 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 204, Los Angeles, California90010. THE JEWISH JOURNAL is not responsible for unsolicitedmanuscripts or photographs. They will not be returned unless senderenclosed return postage.

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Letters Read More »

Pursuing Justice, But at WhatCost?

Leave a Comment / Old Stories /

One could almost see historyon the march in Washington last week when the House Banking Committeeheld a day of hearings on Nazi plunder — stolen artworks in themorning, looted insurance policies after lunch — and how to restoreit to its rightful owners.

These days, of course, it is historic enough justto see a roomful of Congress members managing to tear themselves awayfrom probing the president’s underwear for a day. But the Naziplunder hearings carry a deep meaning. They represent a sort of milemarker in the mysterious unfolding of Jewish history. And notnecessarily a healthy one.

Right now, there are at least four separate billsmoving through Congress, each aimed at getting the U.S. government tohelp identify stolen Jewish assets and win them back. Last week’shearings laid out some of the legal and technical hurdles. Insurerssay much of their prewar assets were seized by communists in EasternEurope, where most Holocaust victims lived; while the firms amassednew fund reserves, these may not be applicable to the lost policies.Lawyers say that statutes of limitations on stolen property varybetween nations and even states, ensuring a jurisdictionalnightmare.

Perhaps most significant, reclaiming stolen assetswill be hampered by a chasm between two different Western legalcodes. In the common law of Britain and America, stolen goods belongto their original owner, however often they change hands. In thecivil law followed in Austria, France, Italy and much of the world,someone who unwittingly buys stolen goods “in good faith” owns themoutright, ending the original owner’s rights. In much of Europe, manyHolocaust victims simply have no legal right to their propertyanymore.

Despite the complications, sources on Capitol Hillinsist that some form of legislation will be enacted this year. Whenit is, the campaign for restitution — against Swiss banks that hidHolocaust victims’ accounts, insurance companies that wouldn’t payout their life insurance, museums that won’t give back their stolenpaintings — will take on a new profile. It will no longer be theinsurance companies against the Jews. They will be tangling with theworld’s lone superpower.

How we got here is a remarkable tale: years ofspadework by Jewish organizations, sympathetic press coverage, publicoutcry, a bill by a friendly lawmaker, overwhelming congressionalsupport.

It’s not new. Following the same script, Congress,in 1974, passed the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, making U.S.- Soviettrade relations dependent on how Moscow treated Jews. In 1977,Congress outlawed compliance by U.S. businesses with the Arab boycottof Israel. In 1978, Congress created the Office of SpecialInvestigations, the Nazi-hunting unit of the Justice Department, totrack down war criminals who settled here illegally after World WarII.

In each case, the power of the U.S. government washarnessed to an international pursuit of justice for Jews. This is nosmall thing. No government in history ever treated Jews so kindly.Nor does America pursue justice for all people everywhere. It did notact to stop the genocide in Rwanda. It dithered for three yearsbefore taking action in Bosnia. Many Americans oppose entanglement inconflicts overseas, period.

For that matter, America has its own victims ofinjustice still awaiting restitution: the remnants of the Cherokeeand Sioux, the grandchildren of black slaves. What they seem to getfrom America, more than anything, is resentment that they are stillhurting.

But when it comes to Jewish suffering, Americarises up like a mighty wave. Initiatives such as Jackson-Vaniktypically pass Congress by huge majorities, approaching unanimity.America, it often seems, simply likes Jews.

It wasn’t always so. Think back, say, six decades.In the spring of 1939, Congress held hearings on a bill to easeimmigration rules so that 20,000 German Jewish children could beplaced in American foster homes, out of the Nazis’ path. The ideadrew a storm of opposition and died in committee. At the time, therewere 60 bills before Congress to restrict immigration even further,mainly to keep Jews out. Polls showed that five of every sixAmericans opposed any easing of immigration restrictions, Hitler orno Hitler. Almost 30 percent believed that Jews were a threat toAmerica.

Sixty years ago, America refused to save Jews fromNazism. Today, America springs into action. What caused the change?One could be dewy-eyed and credit it to America’s bedrock moralfiber. But that would not explain America in 1939. One could becynical and chalk it up to our campaign financing, which favors thosewho know how to give. But that ignores the genuine good inAmerica.

In the end, one cannot explain it without talkingabout the postwar organized Jewish community. Time after time, Jewishleaders — yes, sometimes they are exactly that — managed tocrystallize an issue in terms that appealed to America’s sense ofjustice. They got the public’s attention and forged coalitions. Mostimportant, they managed, at best, to frame the debate in a way thatleft the other side looking foolish and wicked.

This time, they are trying something new. Intaking on museums and insurance companies, the Jewish community hasembarked, for the first time, on a campaign in which the crimes arenot necessarily inhuman and the enemies are not necessarily wicked.It is a battle not of good versus evil but of conflicting claims anddifferent legal interpretations. It is a battle for money.

It is a battle that leaves many Jews queasy. Mostuneasy are Holocaust survivors, who spent their lives fighting tomake the world see the incomparable evil of the Nazis’ crimes. Nowthe moral authority they amassed over a lifetime is being used todemand cash — not from Nazis but from neutral financialinstitutions. Many survivors are very unhappy about this.

Few speak out because they do not want to dividethe community. They hesitate, too, because no one wants to justifyrobbery. Most of the victims’ claims are doubtless justified. Manycry out for justice.

But in taking up these claims as the Jewishpeople’s crusade, the community’s leadership has taken a huge gamble.American Jews have had no greater weapon in the last half centurythan their unquestioned moral authority as symbols of suffering andredemption. What will remain of that authority when the dickering isdone and the insurance companies have paid us off?

J.J. Goldberg is the author of “Jewish Power:Inside the Amercan Jewish Establishment.” He writes regularly for theJewish Journal.

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Fine Cut: A Festival of Student Film

Leave a Comment / Community, Old Stories, Orange County /

Student films from throughout Southern California are currentlybeing featured on the three-part KCET series “Fine Cut: A Festival ofStudent Film,” airing on Sundays at 10 p.m. The series, hosted bydirector Michael Apted, will feature a total of 17 films fromstudents at UCLA, USC, CalArts, Loyola Marymount and the AmericanFilm Institute. Ranging in length from three to 32 minutes, theentries include dramas, documentaries and animation.

Debuting last Sunday, “Fine Cut” continues this week with anotherentertaining lineup. “In the Hole,” the true story of a Queensteen-ager who steals a New York subway train for a joyride, isfeatured; “Hole” debuted at last year’s Telluride Film Festival’sFilmmakers of Tomorrow program. Also this week: Tony Bui’s impressivedebut, “Yellow Lotus,” the first American film shot in Vietnam, whichwowed audiences at Telluride in 1995 and won the Loyola Marymountgraduate a lucrative feature contract; “The Projects,” a satiricallook at California immigration policies; and “INFITD,” a UCLA dramaabout a young boy who wards off evil forces by chanting “INFITD,” anacronym for “I’ll not fall into the Devil.”

Both of this week’s animated shorts are courtesy of CalArts. MarkOsborne’s “Greener” uses a variety of techniques, including thepainstaking stop-motion and hand-coloring processes, and “Stampede”is a three minute piece created with hand-carved rubber stamps.

Next week’s installment includes “Independent Little Cuss,” winnerof the Gold Medal at the 1996 Student Academy Awards, which documentsthe story of disabled-rights activist Carole Patterson as sheprepares to marry a non-disabled man against the wishes of herfamily. Also scheduled is “Unbearable Being,” an animated short abouta personal identity crisis; the computer-generated “Cocoon”; and”Sitting in Limbo,” starring Adam Wylie (“Picket Fences”).

Buñuel in Mexico

Fans of Spanish director Luis Bunuel will want to check out theLos Angeles County Museum of Art’s current series that showcases hisMexican work. “El Bruto,” “Abismos de Pasion” (his surreal “WutheringHeights” remake), and many other works unavailable on video are amongthose featured. At LACMA’s Bing Theater, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., LosAngeles. Call (213) 857-6010 for a complete schedule.

Documentary Days

Laemmle Theatres’ current series of documentaries continues at theGrande 4-Plex in downtown Los Angeles. This week: “Colors StraightUp,” which profiles a year in the life of Colors United, anafter-school drama program for youth in Watts. The Grande is at 345S. Figueroa St. Call (213) 617-0268 for show times.

Go to The Jewish Journal’s 7 Days in theArts

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Dear Deborah

Leave a Comment / Dear Deborah, Old Stories /

Two-Timing Online

Dear Deborah,

My roommate and friend, “Joe,” is engaged to bemarried to a terrific woman, and the wedding date is set for thisJune. I am to be his best man. Joe, who is 38 and marrying for thefirst time, had a terrible time committing to one person. Now that hehas done it, he is looking for any “kosher” exit, and he seems tohave found it on the Internet.

Joe tells me that he has fallen in love with awoman from Indonesia, a woman he has never even met. He has not toldhis fiancée and plans to go through with the wedding whilecontinuing his online romance. Joe sees his online romance as”fantasy” and doesn’t understand how it could get in the way of a”real” marriage. He also believes that it is possible to love twowomen at once.

I think Joe is nuts, morally wrong and invitingtrouble down the line. I’ve tried to talk some sense into him, buthe’s unreachable. Do you have any suggestions? Should I tell hisfiancée what he’s up to?

Concerned Roommate

Dear Roommate,

You say that you have already tried to talk to Joeand cannot reach him, so, now, it is time to take a step backward andlook at the big picture.

Joe has whatever problems he has regardingcommitment. He has nonetheless chosen to marry, and, in so doing,brings another person into his tangled web. Because he thinks foolingaround on the net is kosher, he doesn’t believe that he is hurtinganyone. His fiancée has decided to marry him and is, thus far,incapable or unwilling to see this part of him.

If you tell his fiancée about hisdalliance, you will probably lose your friend because cheaters do notlike to be exposed. And since he is capable of deceit, he is alsocapable of lying to his fiancée. In other words, if you tellher, be ready for the messenger rather than the guilty party to behanged and the wedding to go on as planned.

Consider a second option: Why not refuse to be inthe wedding and tell him precisely why? That way, the message isaimed at only one target — Joe’s conscience. If you miss, you miss,but at least by refusing to participate, you will not have condonedwhat you consider to be wrong.

While it is endlessly fascinating to observe howfar a person will go to avoid commitment, you must remember that itis his life — and hers. They will have to live it together,discovering what they must. In the meantime, if you have decided totell his fiancée, start combing the “roommate wanted” ads –posthaste.

Man vs. Menagerie

Dear Deborah,

I am seeing a lovely woman for the first timesince I was widowed three years ago. She is elegant, pretty andclever, and I would like to tie the knot with her, except for oneproblem. She has dogs and cats and birds — lots of them. I don’tmuch care for animals and find the messes, smells and demandspointless. Is it wrong to ask my lady to give up her animals?

Gentleman

Dear Gentleman,

Of course, it is not wrong to ask. It is, however,foolish to expect a positive response. This woman has pets becauseshe enjoys caring for them. Have a frank discussion with her todetermine if there is any possible compromise. Perhaps she would bewilling to limit them to a part of the home or keep them out of thebedroom.

And, remember, an old dog can learn a new trick ortwo — such as adjusting to a new situation with flexibility andhumor.

Truth for Elders

Dear Deborah,

I am 78 years old and felt a kinship with that oldlady who forgets parts of her recipes (“Cooking Up Regrets,” Feb. 6).I pray that my children will never stoop to telling me lies about mybehavior. If her children really love her, let them visit her andmake cookies together, perhaps reminding her with humor about theingredients.

It just seems like a terrible waste for an87-year-old to go to all that trouble and expense of baking and thenmailing those (awful) cookies to her grandchildren. And then all thedeception of the family to play the game of “cover up.”

For me, meaning in life is honest relationshipswith my family. To lie to an 87-year-old would be to treat her like achild instead of a wise elder. A failing memory does not meansenility. The fact that her “feelings are hurt” means that she isaware of a problem.

The kindest things her family could do would be tobe honest and spend a little more time with her. That is what shereally wants — contact with her family. Sending her sweet, dishonestnotes is easier than visiting with her.

The respect she deserves is for her children to betruthful in a nonjudgmental, loving manner. At least, that is what Iwould want, and I would bet that you would prefer that aswell.

Prefers Honesty

Dear Prefers Honesty,

I appreciate your thoughtful alternative totelling white lies in order to preserve an elderly parent’s sense ofpurpose and dignity. You are, of course, absolutely correct. Manyfrenetically busy turn-of-millennium adult children wouldn’t evenconsider the notion of spending more time with one’s parents orgrandparents and helping with the cooking. We barely have time tostop at our favorite kosher takeout restaurant on the way home, letalone hang out at Granny’s, measuring flour and sugar and rolling outcookie dough.

So I suppose my solution was the sweetened andcondensed, Evelyn Wood version of “Honor thy mother andfather.”

Your solution is nobler, kinder and, of course,more honest. I hope that readers will seriously weigh the value ofspending more time and being patient and honest with their elderlyloved ones. *

Deborah Berger-Reiss is a West Los Angelespsychotherapist.

All rights reserved by author

All letters to DearDeborah require a name, address andtelephone number for purposes of verification. Names will, of course,be withheld upon request. Our readers should know that when names areused in a letter, they are fictitious.

Dear Deborah welcomes your letters. Responses canbe given only in the newspaper. Send letters to Deborah Berger-Reiss,1800 S. Robertson Blvd., Ste. 927, Los Angeles, CA 90035. You canalso send E-mail: deborahb@primenet.com


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Taking the Freeway to Love

Leave a Comment / Old Stories, Singles /

The 405 Jewish Singles circuit bringstogether men and women from nine synagogues along the rush-hourartery

By Ruth Stroud, Staff Writer

 

Single and stuck in evening rush-hour traffic onthe 405 Freeway on the last Friday of the month? Instead of leaningon the horn and screaming at the driver in the next lane, you mightconsider pulling over and dropping in at one of nine Reform andConservative synagogues that have joined the new 405 Jewish SinglesShabbat services circuit.

Rabbi Gary Davidson

Participating shuls are scattered from FountainValley at the southern extreme to Westchester in the north. RabbiGary Davidson of Temple Beth Shalom in Long Beach, a 35-year-oldbachelor, helped kick off the effort, along with Rabbi Michael Bealsof B’nai Tikvah Congregation in Westchester.

Davidson had attended rotating singles services inBoston before moving to Southern California and accepting his firstrabbinical position. Once here, he found that there was scant singlessynagogue programming which didn’t require driving into thecity.

Separately, Beals had been thinking of startingsomething similar. He had met his wife, Elissa, five years ago atsuch an event hosted by major conservative synagogues in Los Angeles.”I thought if it worked for the big synagogues, how about our smallsynagogues located in the South Bay, Long Beach and northern OrangeCounty.”

After an initial meeting, nine rabbis agreed toform their own rotating services for Jewish singles, ages 22 to45.

Forty people were expected at the first event, atB’nai Tikvah on Jan. 30; 90 showed up. The sushi ran out at thekiddush/cocktail mixer after services, but everyone apparently had agood time — even one septuagenarian who had misread the upper agelimit.

Davidson, who was ordained two years ago, admitsthat there is a bit of self-interest in his eagerness to initiate thesingles Shabbats; he hopes to meet his beshert at one of them. Ofcourse, it will have to be at his own shul, since he is too busyleading services on Fridays to travel elsewhere on the 405. Davidson,6-foot-6, will be hard to miss, wherever he is. His specificationsfor a wife? “Someone who’s as lovely on the inside as she is on theoutside.”

The next 405 Singles services will be on Feb. 27,at 8 p.m., at Temple Israel, 3538 E. Third Street, in Long Beach. Forinformation, call (562) 434-0996.

Other participating synagogues include:Congregation Tifereth Jacob in Manhattan Beach; Temple Beth El in SanPedro; Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Fountain Valley; Temple BethZion-Sinai in Lakewood; Temple Beth David in Westminster; and TempleMenorah in Redondo Beach.

 

 

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Film School in Two Days

Leave a Comment / Community, Old Stories /

Film School in Two Days

In one weekend instead of four years, Dov S-S Simensteaches future Hollywood hyphenators how to make their movies anddeals

By William Yelles, Calendar Editor

Dov S-S Simens teaches students the basics offilmmaking and marketing at his weekend seminar, below.

Chances are, like most people, you’ve got an ideafor a blockbuster motion picture playing in your head. The troubleis, you don’t even know how to buy film. That’s where Dov S-S Simenssteps in.

“Ideas are like cancer,” he says during another ofhis sold-out seminars at a Hollywood soundstage. They will keepeating away at you unless you act on them.”Only beginners who nevercome close to beginning keep masturbating on ideas.”

The blunt outlook and in-your-face language isexactly what aspiring film hyphenators have come here for. Simens’film-school crash course crams in everything he thinks his studentswill need to know about movie and deal making, distilling four yearsworth of most training programs into a single weekend.

It is an offering of the Hollywood Film Institute,which Simens founded six years ago, after his no-nonsense approach tohow to make a feature film won him fans at seminars from New York toHawaii. Then, teaching was only a part-time gig, in between lineproducer duties for the master of schlock-on-a-budget, Roger Corman.”I stumbled into it, first as a business,” he says. “Then I realizedhow much I love teaching, and that there was nobody with streetexperience doing it.”

Among Simens’ experiences before moving toHollywood 15 years ago was his service as an officer in the GreenBerets during the height of the Vietnam War. “It prepared me how tobe assertive, aggressive, how to go for it.”

Alumni of his Industry assertiveness traininginclude a who’s who of independent cinema: Quentin Tarantino, SpikeLee, Ed Burns of “Brothers McMullen” fame, Kevin Smith (“Clerks,””Chasing Amy”), Robert Rodriguez, and Mark Archer, producer of lastyear’s indie favorite, “In the Company of Men,” just to name afew.

Day 1 of the seminar consists of how to actuallymake the movie, from buying the film stock through shooting andediting, to a final print. Simens teaches that this can be done in nomore than 38 steps, each stage requiring a check to be written. “I’mtalking to you about making films, but doing it from the Jewish pointof view: writing checks,” he says, tongue firmly in cheek.

But, first, he must teach his students that Mr.Hotshot Executive isn’t waiting for them to rescue his studio. “Weare not a filmmaking industry, but a film-marketing industry,” heinstructs, noting that advertising and promotion usually cost two tofive times as much as a film’s actual production.

Nine hours later, he has taught everything fromdolly manufacturers to the five most important types of productioninsurance. Bright and early the next morning, everyone will

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A One Woman Show With a Vengeance

Leave a Comment / Entertainment, Old Stories /

Debbie Allen and Stephen Smith in “Harriet’sReturn.”
Harriet Tubman, the fugitive-slave andabolitionist, was a kind of African-American Mata Hari. During theCivil War, she frequently conducted scouting parties and raids behindthe Confederate lines and was one of the North’s most effectivespies. Before that, she had become the chief flagman of theUnderground Railroad, personally responsible for freeing over 300slaves and spiriting them into either the North or Canada. When shewas 23, her white master forced her to marry a fellow slave namedJohn Tubman. He was unfaithful to her; his only real claim to famebeing that his name attached itself to his exceptional wife for alltime. A visionary in the literal sense of the word, much of Tubman’slife was dictated by visions she claimed to receive from God. Shecould neither read nor write but her street smarts were prodigiousand her skill in avoiding arrest, astounding. Guided only by theNorth Star, she made her escape from slavery in 1849 and, throughinnumerable exploits which would be high melodrama were they nothistorical facts, became one of the more enduring legends in blackhistory.

Debbie Allen, the endless hyphenate(producer-director-choreographer-dancer- actress-singer) whoincarnates Tubman in “Harriet’s Return” now at The Geffen Playhouse,is something of an icon in her own right. A tough, sassy, fearlessand ambitious Texan, one can easily see her upholding the rule Tubmanimposed on slaves being ferried from the south to the north; namely,that anyone contemplating surrender would be summarily shot. Amongher other accomplishments, Allen, after a gestation period of 19years, produced the Steven Spielberg film “Amistad.”Allen’s grit andstick-to-it-iveness is almost a mirror image of Tubman’s and,according to gossip, she’s just as ornery.

Using a quartet of dancer-actors to illustrate herstory, Allen has created a kind of new theatrical form: a one womanshow with appendages. Virtually all the dialogue of the charactersinteracting with Tubman are played out by Harrriet, her “chorus”providing masks, mime and kinetic illustrations as required. This is,you might say, a one woman show with a vengeance, the vengeance beingthat the other performers, visibly talented and obviously capable,are reduced to being merely the chain on Allen’s shackle. Allenherself plays the roles of husband, parents, politicians,slave-drivers and fellow abolitionists — all dramatis personae inHarriet Tubman’s precarious and colorful life.

It may well be the most chameleon performance everseen in Los Angeles, couched in the drawling argot of the Southernblack and shuttling between modesty, mysticism, defiance and guile.Karen Jones Meadow’s free-wheeling script leaps across the mainevents of Tubman’s life as if they were stones gushing between a wildriver stream. We get flashes from Tubman’s life but being a solitarycharacter flanked by performers who are merely repercussions of thoseevents, we tend to lose both context and historicalperspective.

The greatest conflict in Tubman’s life appears tobe the demons which both taunt her and goad her on to ever moredaring acts. But the lack of opposition — the developing emnity ofboth southern whites and blacks and the vast American majority whocould never countenance the independence of what they took to be anignorant, fugitive-slave — makes the character seem to be operatingin a vacuum. If you are familiar with the details of The UndergroundRailway, the history of John Brown’s rebellion and the assistanceprovided by Quakers such as Thomas Garrett and friends like SarahHopkins Bradford (who helped Tubman write her memoir “Scenes from theLife of Harriet Tubman”), the play’s shorthand may be enough for you.But if you’re out of that loop, Meadows’ play does little to etch inthe social and political context in which Tubman stood out sodramatically.

After the first half of the show, one has got theflavor of Allen’s peripatetic take on Tubman’s interior life. By thetime the second half rolls around, it is no longer enough for thejumping-jack style to sustain our interest. One longs to experiencethe antagonism of the outside world which both defines Tubman andinspired her most courageous feats. One longs, in fact, for dramaticdevelopment rather than biographical tidbits and, being denied that,the more sympathetic part of the audience takes refuge in admirationfor the eponymous heroine while the others begin to deplore both thelack of tension and the absence of a corroborating socialmilieu.

At the end of the evening, Allen, ostensiblyaddressing a national association of “colored women” breaks theillusion she has carefully built up around her character and dealsimprovisationally with the Geffen audience made up, incongruously, ofmiddle-aged, affluent Jewish subscribers. This, like so much of theevening, amusingly puts dents into the imaginary fourth wall, butalso seems to acknowledge the fact that the privacy of thecharacterization has been too remorseless and something overtlytheatrical is required. The instinct is sound although the choice,rather gauche. What was really needed — a thrust of counteractivefigures from Tubman’s world — was impossible to have, given the soloform of the play. In a story that seems to cry out for clear-cutantagonists and human interplay, one is given only a subjectiveanalysis of one character’s journey from slavery to freedom.

Debbie Allen has a real knack for sniffing outdramatic episodes from black history and turning them into toughdramas. Tubman’s story, like the incidents in “Amistad,” is brimmingwith cinematic potential. But it’s the kind of story that seems todemand a socially-detailed, even panoramic canvas rather than theextended soliloquy offered in “Harriet’s Return.”

Charles Marowitz, a regular contributor for In

Theater magazine, writes fromMalibu.

All rights reserved by author

 

 

 

Questioning Judaism, FindingOneself

By Tom Tugend, Contributing Editor

Actress Hildy Brooks
In her one-woman show, “When the RabbiLied,” Hildy Brooks starts out as a wisecracking substitute teacher,drafted at the last second to teach a class on “SpiritualJudaism.”

It is an unpromising beginning, but when Brooksturns serious, the play takes on a deeper hue as she probes for herJewish roots and spiritual identity.

Her transforma-tion is both internal and external,with Brooks’ dress code changing from short skirt and fashionablecoiffure to modest long skirt and head scarf.

In her new persona, Brooks, or Sippy in the play,retains some of her earlier sassiness, but it is now directed toquestioning the received wisdom in a Torah class, much to theannoyance of her fellow students and the rabbi.

In Sippy’s view, Judaism has evolved through aconstant confrontation between traditionalists and such innovators asHillel, Maimonides and the Baal Shem Tov.

Nothing too heretical about that, but when Sippytried to cast Jesus as a Jewish radical who might have contributed tothe faith of his birth had he not been rejected, she herself isexcommunicated from the class.

Her fellow students, who are more interested inknowing how long after eating a hamburger they have
to wait to enjoya milk shake (the answer is six hours), or how to avoid matzoconstipation during Passover, heave a sigh of relief.

Most moving is Sippy’s own reconciliation with herdead father, a Talmud scholar who never understood his rebelliousdaughter, and the contrasting warm, earthy relationship with hernon-Jewish husband.

Brooks is a fine actress, who appropriatelylearned the ritual and spirit of the frum lifestyle while researchingher role as the Chassidic rabbi’s wife in “The Chosen.”

“When the Rabbi Lied,” written by Brooks anddirected by Manu Tupou, runs Thursdays to Sundays, through March 15,at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in West Hollywood. Forinformation, call (213) 650-7777.

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