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Jewish Journal

Connect. Inform. Inspire.

April 28, 2010

Picks and Clicks for April 29-May 7, 2010

Leave a Comment / Picks and Clicks, What's Happening /

THU | APRIL 29

(LECTURE)
Consuls general of the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungry and Polandaddress “Anti-Semitism in EuropeToday,” discussing causes, consequen-ces and solutions. Thu. 7-9 p.m. $25(advance), $36 (door). Temple Emanuel, Weinberg Auditorium, 8844 Burton Way, Beverly Hills. (310) 277-4438. brownpapertickets.com/event/105054.

SAT | MAY 1

(ART)
“Celebrating the Persian Legacy” features the artwork of six Persian Jewish artists from Los Angeles, New York and Palm Springs. Sat. Through May 20. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. USC Hillel Gallery, 3300 S. Hoover St., Los Angeles. (213) 747-9135. uschillel.org.

(BOOKS)
“Selected Shorts,” the long-running stage and public radio series, features actors Leonard Nimoy (“Star Trek”) and Edward Asner (“Up”), along with other performers, reading classic and new short fiction on topics around themes of home. Sat. 3 and 7 p.m. Sun. 3 p.m. $15 (students, seniors), $20 (general). Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 440-7300. getty.edu.

(MUSIC)
Master violinist Itzhak Perlman performs with pianist Rohan de Silva at the Ventura Music Festival. Sat. 8 p.m. Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard. (805) 648-3146. venturamusicfestival.org.

(SHABBAT)
Birthright Israel NEXT holds Havdalah services and a photography hike around Lake Hollywood. Dinner will be served. Sat. 4-7 p.m. Free. Lake Hollywood Park, 3005 Lake Hollywood Drive, Los Angeles. (323) 330-9568. birthrightisrael.com.

SUN | MAY 2

(BOOKS)
Writer Lori Gottlieb (“Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough”) delivers the keynote for Hadassah Southern California’s Northern Area boutique and luncheon. Sun. 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $75. Sheraton Universal Hotel, 333 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City. (818) 343-9317. southerncalifornia.hadassah.org.

(LAG B’OMER)
Head to the beach for a Lag B’Omer Bonfire Bash. Partygoers are encouraged to bring musical instruments for a jam session. Barbecued food and drinks available for purchase. Sun. 6 p.m. Free. Dockweiler Beach, 12001 Vista del Mar, Playa del Rey. (310) 277-5544. jconnectla.org.

(Music)
Rabbi Hagay Batzri and The Yuval Ron Ensemble perform a concert of stories and songs, “From Spain to Jerusalem.” Sun. 7:30 p.m. $26 (general seating), $45 (VIP seating). Kahal Joseph Congregation, 10505 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 474-0559. kahaljoseph.org.

(COMMUNITY)
Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the birth of Theodore Herzl, a celebration takes place commemorating the naming of “Herzl Way,” a street adjacent to Temple Emanuel. Sun. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Temple Emanuel, 8844 Burton Way, Beverly Hills (free event shuttle parking at the Beverly Center). (310) 276-9776. tebh.org.

THU | MAY 6

(FILM)
Filmmaker J. Michael Hagopian screens and discusses “The River Ran Red,” his 2008 documentary on the Armenian Genocide. Taner Akçam, a Turkish historian, former political prisoner and author of “A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility,” also lectures. Thu. 7 p.m. Free. Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 788-6000. vbs.org.

(ISRAEL)
Multiple speakers address “Israel: Lessons of the Past, Promises for the Future,” including Journal contributor David Suissa, who discusses “Israel: The Missing Debates,” and CAMERA Regional Director Talia Shulman Gold on “Media, the Power of Words, and the Global Defamation of Israel.” Thu. 6:30 p.m. Free. West Hollywood location provided upon RSVP. (310) 855-9606. camera.org.

FRI | MAY 7

(MUSIC)
Ring Festival L.A.’s “On Wings of Song: The Music and Soul of Felix Mendelssohn” celebrates the bicentennial of German Jewish composer Felix Mendelssohn’s birth with a lecture on his life by pianist and professor Neal Brostoff. A staged reading of scenes from writer Jacqueline Bassan’s “Mendelssohn! On Wings of Song” follows, examining the rivalry fueled by religious differences between Mendelssohn and composer Richard Wagner. Brostoff, mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin and L.A. Philharmonic violinist Mark Kashper and cellist Barry Gold perform select works by Mendelssohn. Rabbi Edward Feinstein leads Shabbat services. Fri. 8 p.m. Free. Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. (818) 788-6000. vbs.org.

Picks and Clicks for April 29-May 7, 2010 Read More »

A Festival Torah to Go

Leave a Comment / Community /

JConnectLA, a grass-roots organization that holds events for Jewish students and young professionals, has launched the Festival Torah Project.

The project aims to raise $50,000 to $60,000 for the purchase of a Torah that can be brought to the country’s biggest music festivals, like Coachella and Langerado, where JConnectLA hosts Shabbat services in a tent for festival-goers.

“People are used to buying a Torah for a stationary place, [like] a temple or synagogue,” said Rabbi Yonah Bookstein, director of JConnectLA. “But we live in a world where people are moving — especially young people — and not fixed in a specific location. This Torah will be equipped to travel.”

JConnectLA announced the Festival Torah Project during the week of Yom HaShoah, the holiday for Holocaust remembrance. Donors have been dedicating parashahs and books that will appear in the festival Torah to deceased family members or loved ones who perished during the Holocaust.

In addition to a high-quality Torah, JConnectLA hopes to purchase accessories that reflect the artistic and alternative nature of the organization, such as a tie-dyed mantel, and the ark will be a “custom, weather- proof travel case,” Bookstein said, made by people who build cases for transporting musical instruments.

It was a random festival-goer who participated in JConnectLA’s Shabbat tent during a Phish festival last October who suggested the idea for the festival Torah, Bookstein said. Noting a worn miniature Torah that JConnectLA had borrowed and brought along, the festival-goer suggested to Bookstein that JConnectLA purchase its own Torah.

“We want this Torah to be such a spiritual creation that it will be an inspiration to just be around,” Bookstein said.

A Festival Torah to Go Read More »

Obituaries April 30-May 6, 2010

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Amnon Barness died Dec. 12 at 85. He is survived by his wife, Caren; children, Rena, Dalia, Daniel and Jordan; and nine grandchildren.

Alan Cohen died Jan. 20 at 72. He is survived by his sister, Barbara Meyers. Sholom Chapels

Mae Fidelman died Jan. 16 at 91. She is survived by her son, Martin; sister, Molly Bornstein; and three grandchildren.

Sam Fleischer died Jan. 24 at 97. He is survived by his daughter, Esther (Ken) Shapiro; and many grandchildren. Sholom Chapels

Rhoda Fox died Feb. 6 at 83. She is survived by her husband, Ray; sons, David (Isabelle) and Daniel (Anne); and two grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Davene Ginsburg died Feb. 1 at 73. She is survived by her husband, Irving; daughter, Karen Nusbaum; stepdaughter, Shani (David Gazek); stepson, David; two grandchildren; sister, Loretta (Allen ) Bloomfield; one niece; and one nephew; preceded in death by her son, Douglas Nusabum. Mount Sinai

Leon H. Jacobs died Feb. 2 at 92. He is survived by his son, Norman. Mount Sinai

Ruth Joseph died Feb. 4 at 94. She is survived by her husband, Jack; sons, Alan (Patricia), Lee and Barry (Felipe); two grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Mount Sinai

Leonard Harry Kushner died Feb.4 at 88. He is survived by his wife, Muriel; and sons, Michael (Marleen) and Mark (Debbie). Mount Sinai

Linda I. Kilmnick died Feb. 6 at 65. She is survived by her husband, Philip; sons, Glen (Michelle) and Marc; and two granddaughters. Mount Sinai

Roy Kreitzman died Jan. 21 at 76. He is survived by his wife, Simona; daughters, Lori Summers, Deneen, Marsha (David) Epstein and Jackie; sons, Jeff (Griselda) and Danny (Tammy); and 12 grandchildren. Sholom Chapels

Martin Lerner died Jan. 25 at 88. He is survived by his wife, Selma; and son, Geoffrey. Sholom Chapels

Leah Lichtiger died Jan. 25 at 85. She is survived by her son, Beni (Diana) Warshawsky; many grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren. Sholom Chapels

Mildred Mallerman died Jan. 30 at 89. She is survived by her daughter, Nina (Larry) Cousens; sister, Lyla Reichman; two grandchildren; and one nephew. Sholom Chapels

Ned D. Miller died Jan. 31 at 73. He is survived by his wife, Lori G.; daughters, Pamela, Michelle (Yorick), Dayna (Richard) Bliss, Kimberly (Lewis) Hall and Kirstin (Mark) Moore; sons, Todd (Carol) and Adam (Mimi) Goldstone; eight nieces and nephews; 10 grandchildren; sister, Penny; and brother, Joel (Judy). Chevra Kadisha

Claire Plaskoff died Feb. 1 at 80. She is survived by her sons, Bart (Cynthia), Matthew (Karry) and Josh (Robyn); seven grandchildren; and sister, Natalie Gars. Mount Sinai

Meta E. Pollack died Feb. 1 at 89. She is survived by her son, Gerald (Judy) Ryckman; sister, Erika (Norman) Robinson; and niece. Mount Sinai

Michael Irwin Robyn died Jan. 27 at 70. He is survived by his wife, Abby; daughters, Anna Mann and Sarah. Sholom Chapels

Faye Rosen died Jan. 30 at 97. She is survived by her sons, Harvey (Donna) and David (Khristeena). Mount Sinai

Seymour Rothkopf died Jan. 31 at 88. He is survived by his wife, Betty; daughters, Phyllis (J. Michael) Hennigan and Susan (Jeffrey Taxier) Kop; son, James (Genevive); six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Joan Rubin died Jan. 28 at 81. She is survived by her daughters, Diane Weiss and Susan. Sholom Chapels

Karl S. Schulman died Jan. 29 at 77. He is survived by his wife, Linda; daughters, Lisa, Wendy and Mona; stepchildren, Audra, Matthew and Jason; and sister, Susan Gluse. Sholom Chapels

Judy Stearn died Feb. 4 at 59. She is survived by her husband, Michael; daughter, Mindy; and brothers, Murray and David Deckelbaum. Mount Sinai

Joey Toledo died Jan. 17 at 50. He is survived by his mother, Michal Halevi; sisters, F. Iliana Marchant and Julie McIntyre; brothers, William Jay Barr II and Eliud; aunt, Mercedes; and ex-wife, Melanie Bass. Mount Sinai

Martha Tanchester died Jan. 27 at 94. She is survived by her daughter, Gail (Jerry) Freilich; son, Gary; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Mina Taub died Feb. 1 at 91. She is survived by her daughter, Ros (Norm) Markiewicz; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Sholom Chapels

Leslie Wohl died Feb. 4 at 86. He is survived by his wife, Lucienne; and sister, Margo (Herbert) Guiness. Mount Sinai

Sylvia Zaft died Jan. 27 at 82. She is survived by her husband, Abe; daughter, Michelle (Ben) Fakhroo; one granddaughter; sister-in-law, Frances Stanley; and many cousins and friends. Home of Peace

The Jewish Journal publishes obituary notices free of charge.

Please send an e-mail in the above format with the name, age and survivors of the deceased to {encode=”obits@jewishjournal.com” title=”obits@jewishjournal.com”}.

Obituaries April 30-May 6, 2010 Read More »

Barbara Z. Scolnick dies at 65

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Barbara Z. Scolnick, loving wife, mother, sister and “gaga” to eight beautiful grandchildren, died peacefully in her Westwood home on April 25 after a 19-month battle with brain cancer. She was 65 years old.

Scolnick was born in the small farming town of London, Ohio. After graduating from Ohio State University, she traveled with her young family across the country to start a new life in Palos Verdes. She was an active volunteer at Congregation Ner Tamid, Chadwick School and Hospice, but she found her true calling when she began working in the accessories department of Nordstrom. She went on to become Nordstrom’s top personal shopper, eventually doing the same at Saks and Barneys. She always knew what to wear and how to wear it; she dressed numerous people for their simchas — from bat mitzvahs to the Oscars — instilling them with confidence and pride.

Scolnick was the go-to person for information about the best places to eat and shop all over the world — she even kept a journal called “Barbara’s Guide to Gaining Weight and Losing Money.” She was surrounded by a large network of loving friends, and in 1992 she met her beshert, Morton Scolnick. Together they enjoyed traveling the world, Shabbat pool parties with their grandchildren, shidduchim (matchmaking) and supporting numerous causes, including Stop Cancer, Wellness, The Jewish Federation and AIPAC.

Barbara is survived by her husband, Morton Scolnick; children, Jeff (Debby) Zwelling and Rabbi Sherre (Dr. Jeff) Hirsch; stepdaughters, Michelle (Mark) Belchetz and Laina (Jon) Eskin; grandchildren Emet, Eden, Alia and Levi Hirsch, Zachary and Lilah Zwelling, Sam and Marlee Belchetz; and siblings, Sophie Brill, Marvin (Patty) Dworkin and Marlene (Bill) Schwartz.

Barbara Z. Scolnick dies at 65 Read More »

Biking Jewish L.A.

Leave a Comment / Circuit, Community /

Boys from YULA yeshiva high school took a 25-mile bike tour of Jewish Los Angeles with their teacher, Rabbi Eliyahu Stewart, a grandfather who rides his bike 50 to 60 miles a week. The December ride took the group of ninth-, 10th- and 11th-graders through West Adams, Boyle Heights and old neighborhoods around USC.

Stewart believes that he met his objective for the tour, which was “to be able to give my students a sense of what came before them in terms of the Jewish community of L.A. as well as expose them to some really interesting parts of the city.”

The boys saw the original locations of many current institutions that have since moved west, such as Beth Jacob Congregation and Sinai Temple, as well as former mikvehs and the Breed Street Shul.

Biking Jewish L.A. Read More »

Etta Israel Center Lauds Volunteers

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The Etta Israel Center honored three young volunteers for their work in helping students with special needs. The Jan. 9 gala at the California Science Center recognized Esther Levine, Daniel Schwartz and Rita Miller Statman for the time they’ve put in as one-on-one counselors at camp, weekend retreats and holiday programming for children and young adults with special needs.

Schwartz, who has cerebral palsy, has been both a client and volunteer at Etta Israel and is currently enrolled in the Pathway Program at UCLA Extension, a two-year certificate program for students with developmental disabilities. Last year, Schwartz received the Safeway Community Hero award for his work at Etta Israel, volunteering at the Roxbury Park Senior Center and serving as president of a local chapter of Best Buddies, a community that helps people with intellectual disabilities.

Etta Israel has inclusion programs and self-contained classrooms at Jewish schools for children with educational and developmental special needs; three residential homes for adults in the Valley; summer camps and other recreational activities staffed mostly by teen volunteers and a support program aimed at the Iranian Jewish community.

Etta Israel Center Lauds Volunteers Read More »

Hillel 818 Salutes Educators

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Hillel 818 held its ninth annual dinner celebration at Valley Beth Shalom on Jan. 28, honoring professors Donald Bleich, Zev Garber and Rita R. Werner with Distinguished Educator Awards. The dinner centerpieces, filled with needed school supplies, were donated to Community Build, an organization that helps at-risk youth. Hillel 818 represents more than 8,000 Jewish students at Pierce and Los Angeles Valley colleges and CSUN.

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Young Jews Rally for Haiti

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Inspired by Israel’s response to the earthquake disaster in Haiti, Jews for Judaism Young Professionals and the Barak Raviv Foundation partnered for a Feb. 17 fundraiser at h.wood in Hollywood. More than 200 people attended the event, which doubled as a birthday party for Barak Raviv and raised $3,600 to support Jewish relief efforts in Haiti through the Orthodox Union and the Joint Distribution Committee.

Young Jews Rally for Haiti Read More »