DAVID by Max Friedland

www.davidlv.com MARCH 2012

AS GOOD AS GOLDA TOVAH FELDSHUH’S BROADWAY HIT A TOUR DE FORCE

“EL CALL” BARCELONA THE STORY OF THE JEWS OF CATALAN

SUMMER CAMP SPECIAL PROVIDING AN EXPERIENCE FOR THE CHALLENGED

TAKE YOUR SEATS IT’S FINALLY CURTAINS UP AT THE SMITH CENTER

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“I W S THERE.” Join us for The Smith Center’s Opening Celebration and be part of a legacy that will last for generations. Throughout the month of March, we invite you to experience everything this new heart of the arts has to offer, from phenomenal music and dance performances to our Community Open House. This is our stage. This is our moment. We hope you will join us for it.

COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE – Sunday, March 18, 2012 – FREE TO THE PUBLIC Spend the day in beautiful Symphony Park as The Smith Center presents live entertainment as well as showcasing art from around our community. Visitors will also enjoy tours of The Smith Center.

OPENING CELEBRATION PERFORMANCES Béla Fleck and the Flecktones Reynolds Hall Monday, March 12, 2012 - 7:30pm

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Reynolds Hall Tuesday, March 20, 2012 - 7:30pm & Wednesday, March 21, 2012 - 7:30pm

Michael Feinstein - The Sinatra Project

Straight No Chaser

Reynolds Hall

Thursday, March 15, 2012 - 7:30pm

Sunday, March 25, 2012 - 7:00pm

The Canadian Tenors

Savion Glover’s Bare Soundz

Reynolds Hall

Saturday, March 17, 2012 - 7:30pm

Tuesday, March 27, 2012 - 7:30pm

SFJAZZ Collective: Music of Stevie Wonder Cabaret Jazz Saturday, March 17, 2012 - 7:00pm & 10:00pm & Sunday, March 18, 2012 - 2:00pm

TheSmithCenter.com I 702.749.2000 361 Symphony Park Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89106

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Las Vegas Design Center is home to the city’s most comprehensive selection of home furnishings and interior design resources. LOCATED AT WORLD MARKET CENTER LAS VEGAS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 10AM TO 5PM AND SATURDAY, 10AM TO 3PM COMPLIMENTARY VALET PARKING · LVDESIGNCENTER.COM

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March

46 20

pulse

live

think

grill

14 explore The month’s event listings to help plan your day or your stay 18 devour Where to find some of the best eats, drinks and foodie happenings in the Valley 20 desire Sin City abounds in worldclass shopping ... these are a few of our favorite things 22 discover Hot spots to go, cool things to do, hip people to see—the Entertainment Capital of the World, need we say more 23 mingle Snapshots of the latest, greatest Vegas events

28 speak Local humorist, Corey Levitan dives into the Vegas improv underground. 32 believe The story of the Jewish Holiday Purim as depicted in illuminated versions of the Book of Esther. 36 know Tovah Feldshuh, star of stage and screen. She brings her one-woman Broadway production of Golda’s Balcony to the Smith Center on April 1.

42 The Sephardim A brief history of the Jews of Barcelona and Northern Spain and the discovery of the oldest Synagogue in Europe. 46 Mojave Masterpiece The Smith Center’s arrival marks a very special moment in the history of Sin City . 52 Summer’s Special Smiles There are a number of wonderful Summer Camps that cater to the needs of kids with special needs .

58 Paul Schiffman Head of School, Adelson Education Campus The month’s spotlight on someone of interest

on the cover The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Photograph by Andrew Eccles, dancer Yanick Lebrun.

Copyright 2012 by JewishINK LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. DAVID MAGAZINE is protected as a trademark in the United States. Subscribers: If the Postal Service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we are under no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year. The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited or contributed manuscripts, photographs, artwork or advertisements. Submissions will not be returned unless arranged for in writing. DAVID MAGAZINE is a monthly publication. All information regarding editorial content or property for sale is deemed reliable. No representation is made as to the accuracy hereof and is printed subject to errors and omissions.

DAVID ADAR/NISSAN 5772

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2004 Tony Award® Nomination Best Actress

GOLDA’S BALCONY I APRIL 1, 2012 AT 5PM For tickets, please visit TheSmithCenter.com or call 702.749.2000.

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Publisher/Editor Associate Publisher

Max Friedland

max@davidlv.com editor@davidlv.com

Joanne Friedland joanne@davidlv.com

EDITORIALllllllll

Editorial Assistant

Jeremy Leopold a

Copy Editor Contributing Writers

Brianna Soloski

brianna@davidlv.com

Pat Teague Marisa Finetti Jaq Greenspon Corey Levitan Pat Teague Lynn Wexler-Margolies

ART & PHOTOGRAPHY

Art Director/ Photographer

Steven Wilson

Contributing Photographers

Andrew Eccles

steve@davidlv.com

Geri Kodey

ADVERTISING & MARKETING

Advertising Director

Joanne Friedland joanne@davidlv.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS 702-254-2223 | subscribe@davidlv.com

Volume 02 Number 11 www.davidlv.com DAVID Magazine is published 12 times a year.

To advertise in DAVID Magazine, call 702-254-2223 or email ads@davidlv.com To subscribe to DAVID Magazine, call 702.254-2223 or email subscibe@davidlv.com

DAVID Magazine sets high standards to ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable manner. This copy of DAVID Magazine was printed by American Web in Denver, Colo., on paper from well-managed forests which meet EPA guidelines that recommend use of recovered fibers for coated papers. Inks used contain a blend of soy base. Our printer meets or exceeds all federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act standards and is a certified member of both the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. When you are done with this issue, please pass it on to a friend or recycle it.

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contributors

Marisa Finetti is a local writer, marketing professional and blogger. The Tokyoborn Finetti has called Las Vegas home since 2005. She has written for such publications as Spirit and Las Vegas and Nevada magazines and has a healthy-living blog at bestbewell.com. When she’s not writing, Finetti enjoys family time with her husband and two boys.

Jaq Greenspon is a noted local journalist, screenwriter and author with credits on The New Adventures of Robin Hood and Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also is a literary and movie critic, has taught and written about fi lmmaking but is most proud of his role in the fi lm, Lotto Love. A Vegas resident for most of his life, his native language is Hebrew, but he doesn’t speak it anymore.

Corey Levitan is a local journalist who was laid off four months before the Nevada Press Association named his “Fear and Loafing” series the Best Local Column of 2011. He is now a freelance writer, a new dad and a pauper. With unexpected time on his hands he has become a three-time NASCAR champion, an avid shrunken head collector and is now in training to become the first eunuch in space.

Pat Teague has been a practicing journalist, manager and editor for international and regional wire services, and has worked for several metropolitan daily newspapers. He also has worked for one of the world’s largest corporations and was one of five Southern Californians in the Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists honored in 2000 for career achievement.

Lynn WexlerMargolies has been a feature writer and contributor for magazines and newspapers, locally and nationally, for over 20 years. She writes a monthly online column entitled Manners in the News, which comments on the behavior of politicians, celebrities and others thrust in the public arena. She is the Founder and President of Perfectly Poised, a school of manners that teaches social, personal and business etiquette to young people. She is a former TV Reporter and News Anchor. Of her many accomplishments, she is most proud of her three outstanding teenaged children.

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Inspired by the greatest live music clubs in the world, from Dizzy’s to Feinstein’s, Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center is a new, elegant yet easygoing club where you can grab a bite, lift a glass and be entertained by the finest musicians from around the country. Featuring two stories of intimate seating and a stage overlooking the city, it’s the kind of place Vegas has been waiting for. A place where live music can truly come alive.

TICKETS STARTING AT $35 SFJAZZ Collective: Music of Stevie Wonder March 17, 2012 – 7:00pm & 10:00pm March 18, 2012 – 2:00pm

Andrea Marcovicci: Marcovicci Sings Movies April 13, 2012 – 8:30pm April 14, 2012 – 7:00pm & 9:30pm

Branford Marsalis March 31, 2012 7:30pm and 10:00pm

Suzanne Vega and Duncan Sheik April 15, 2012 – 8:30pm April 16, 2012 – 7:00pm & 9:30pm

Clint Holmes First weekend of every month, beginning April 2012

Joey DeFrancesco Trio April 20, 2012 – 8:30pm April 21, 2012 – 7:00pm & 9:30pm

For full lineup, visit TheSmithCenter.com I 702.749.2000

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feedback To the Editor, We want to express our appreciation for the beautiful photography by Steven Wilson and the fine article by Lynn WexlerMargolies. Her write up of our interview, done for the story “Someone to Hold” in the February issue of DAVID was perfect. All us residents believe that her description of life here at Las Ventanas is the best that we have seen to date. It was a pleasure to meet Lynn and feel she “said it all”. We have contacted Steven to thank him for his excellent photography and for the original of our picture, which we promptly framed.

g Handlints, all eveneddings, ,w caterinngdraising, fu s, birthdasyarys r e iv n n a re. and mo

Thank you, Mary Huxtable and Bob Collins Las Vegas

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TO ALL SUBSCRIBER’S TO THE SMITH CENTER For Catering Call 702-327-5074 or email desiree@OriginIndiaRestaurant.com 4480 Paradise Road, #1200 | Across from the Hard Rock Hotel 702.73-INDIA (4-6342) | www.originindiarestaurant.com

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I’m an active senior who relocated to Las Vegas five years ago from New Jersey. They said the dry, desert air would be good for my respiratory health and, hell, the state taxes have been pretty good for my material wealth! It has been a pleasure watching your magazine grow over the past few months into a first-rate 3:56 PM publication. DAVID isn’t just a source of entertainment but a source of healthy debate and conversation in our household. The publisher’s note in the February issue was particularly inspiring. In all of the mitzvot and rabbinical debates and whatever other mishegas we Jews torture ourselves with, it is important to remember that the basis of Judaism is LOVE! For me love is my beautiful wife and my children and my darling grandchildren! Mazal Tov on your elegant magazine and wonderful words. Marty Sun City, Las Vegas

We want to hear from you! Compliments and complaints are welcome, but only if we get them. Send them to the editor at editor@davidlv.com with “Letter to Editor” in the subject line or mail them to DAVID, 1930 Village Center Circle, No. 3-459, Las Vegas, NV 89134 10

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from the publisher The Smith Center sits on land downtown, in the company of other recent architectural arrivals. As I write, this art deco edifice is a gift still unwrapped, teasing passers-by. Workers are rushing around and the landscaping is being spruced up. Like some avant-garde jazz riff, a cacophony of saws and Steinways adds itself to the general hubbub. Last night my wife and I attended the final Masterworks concert of the Las Vegas Philharmonic at the Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall on the UNLV campus. The evening started with a degree of nostalgia. This was the last concert in that facility: The philharmonic, you see, is moving to new digs. Fond farewells and gifts were exchanged before David Itkin raised his baton. “We have been practicing at the Smith for some time,” Itkin casually says before he starts conducting. “It is going to be one hell of a concert hall.” Gasps and cheers pierce the auditorium. I sit still, nudge the wife, say something like, “That’s not fair.” We at DAVID have been working long hours on our story titled “Mojave Masterpiece.” It is meant to introduce the project to you, our readers. Lynn Wexler- Margolies has done yeoman’s work on the piece and has had unprecedented access to all the machers (big shots). Steve Wilson, DAVID’s art director, has visited with the Smith staff and spent hours poring over construction photographs. Due to the understandable desire of those at the Center to keep the surprise until opening, we were not permitted any interior shots. Even camera phones were to be turned off. What you see is what you get. Adding to our frustration with the situation is that you’ll be reading this when the Smith is already open to the public. We even Googled ninja photographers. The administration must have gotten to them as well, as none — not even the most intrepid — were willing to take on the assignment. Yet the bass player in the philharmonic has seen it all. Drats! Maybe we can hide a camera in his fiddle. Don’t get me wrong, we are thrilled to be focusing on the opening and are proud to have its star attractions featured in our publication. DAVID is co-sponsoring with the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas, Jewish Repertory Theater of Nevada and Smith Center a night of magic. On April 1, for one night only, Vegas will have the pleasure of viewing a performance of a lifetime. Tovah Feldshuh brings her one-woman Broadway hit “Golda’s Balcony” to Sin City. For those of you who have still have not secured seating, don’t delay. It is sure to bring a full house. Titchadesh is the salutation Jews give to something new. I know of no better excuse.

Max Friedland max@davidlv.com MARCH 2012 DAVID

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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s March 17, St Patricks Day and we are all Irish, at least for this one day. Nothing says this better than Green Bagels. Get your Moishe Murphy on at the Bagel Cafe, N. Buffalo Drive, 702-255-3444, thebagelcafelv.com MARCH 2012 DAVID

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eXplore L A S

V E G A S

Korn. 8 p.m., $49-$79. Pearl at the Palms, 4321 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-9427777. palms.com First Friday. 6 p.m., free. Various downtown locations. For more information, visit firstfridaylasvegas.com Garth Brooks. Through March 3, $225. Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas, 3121 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-770-8000. wynnlasvegas.com

3.3

Celine Dion. Through March 18, 7:30 p.m., $55-$250. The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-7317110. caesarspalace.com Norm Crosby. Through March 4, 7:30 p.m., $15.95. Suncoast Showroom at The Suncoast, 9090 Alta Drive, Las Vegas. 702-636-7111. suncoastcasino.com American Roller Skating Derby. 7 p.m., $5-$33. Dallas Events Center at Texas Station, 2101 Texas Star Lane, Las Vegas. 702631-1000. texasstation.com

3.4

Midbar Kodesh Purim Carnival. 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., costs vary. Midbar Kodesh Temple, 1940 Paseo Verde Parkway, Henderson. 702-454-4848. midbarkodesh.org 1st Annual Jewish Music Festival, feat. Hadag Nahash. 6 p.m., $5$100. Temple Beth Sholom, 10700 Havenwood Lane, Las Vegas. 702-434-6505. bethsholomlv.com

SFJazz Collective: Music of Stevie Wonder. Through March 18, 7 & 10 p.m. & 2 p.m., $39-$69. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park, Las Vegas. 702-982-7805. thesmithcenter.com

3.1

Mama’s Fabric, feat. the art of John Broussard. Through May 5, Weds.-Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. & Sat. 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m., free. West Las Vegas Arts Center Gallery, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-229-1012. artslasvegas.org Scotch Pairing Dinner. 6 p.m., $80. STRIPSTEAK at Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-632-7414. mandalaybay.com Spring Las Vegas Restaurant Week. Through March 4, $20.10-$50.10. Various locations. For more information, visit helpoutdineoutlv.org

3.2

Turtle Island Quartet. 7 p.m., $10-$15. Historic 5th Street School, 401 S. Fourth Street, Las Vegas. 702-229-3515. artslasvegas.org Seven Guitars. Through March 11, March 2-3 & March 8-10 8 p.m. & March 4 & 11 2 p.m., $10-$30. Judy Bayley Theater at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas. 702-8952787. pac.unlv.edu Memoir Writing Class. Fridays through March 23, free. Barbara Greenspun Womenscare Center of Excellence, 100 N. Green Valley Parkway, Henderson. 702-9405423. lifestoriesnevada.org

3.5

An evening with author Tim Dorsey. 7 p.m., free. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3459. lvccld.org

3.6

Tuesday Afternoons at The Bijou. Tues. through March 27, 1 p.m., free. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3459. lvccld.org Vegas Valley Book Festival Mixer. 10:30 a.m., free. Centennial Hills Library, 6711 N. Buffalo Drive, Las Vegas. 702-5076107. vegasvalleybookfestival.org America’s Story Through Art: America Transforming 1860-1918. 11 a.m., free. Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, 888. W Bonneville, Las Vegas. 702-483-6023. keepmemoryalive.org

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3.10

Strip Search 6. 7:30-11 p.m., $150. For more information or to register, call the JCC at 702-794-0090 or visit jccsn.org The Scintas. Through March 11, 7:30 p.m., $29.95. Suncoast Showroom at The Suncoast, 9090 Alta Drive, Las Vegas. 702-636-7111. suncoastcasino.com Joe Nichols. 8 p.m., $30. Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, 5111 Boulder Highway, Las Vegas. 702-450-8300. samstownlv.com The Vanguard University Guitar Ensemble in Concert. 2 p.m., free. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3459. lvccld.org

Hadag Nahash 3.4

3.7

Western Athletic Conference Basketball Championship. Through March 10, 11 a.m., $50-$300. Orleans Arena, 4500 W. Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas. 702284-7777. orleansarena.com

Temple Beth Sholom’s Purim Megilla Reading. 6 p.m., free. Temple Beth Sholom, 10700 Havenwood Lane, Las Vegas. 702-4346505. bethsholomlv.com

3.8

Rodney Carrington. Through March 14, 8 p.m., $79.99. Hollywood Theatre at MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-891-1111. mgmgrand.com Q&A with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 7 p.m., free. Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, 5111 Boulder Highway, Las Vegas. 702-450-8300. samstownlv.com

Saturday Movie Matinee: Real Steel. 2 p.m., free. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3459. lvccld.org Kwak Ballet Company. 2 p.m., $10. Charleston Heights Art Center, 800 S. Brush St., Las Vegas. 702-229-6383. artslasvegas.org

3.11

Cremation or Burial: A Jewish View. 1 p.m., free. Kraft-Sussman Funeral Services, 3975 S. Durango Drive, Ste. 104, Las Vegas. 702-485-6500. kraftsussman.com Brandeis National Committee Book and Author Gala. $65. Rampart Hotel & Casino, 221 N. Rampart Blvd., Las Vegas. For more information or to register, contact Denise Needleman at dfneedleman@ gmail.com or Arlene Zonder at abzonder@ embarqmail.com

3.9

Bill Engvall. 8 p.m., $49. Treasure Island, 3300 Las Vegas Blvd. S, Las Vegas. 702-8947722. treasureisland.com Marshall Tucker Band. Through March 10, 8 p.m., $29.95. Orleans Showroom, 4500 W. Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-2847777. orleansarena.com

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VOICE: CCSD Juried Student Competition. Through April 27, free. College of Southern Nevada, 3200 E. Cheyenne Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-651-5483. csn.edu/pac VOICE: CCSD Salon de Refuses. Through April 27, free. College of Southern Nevada, 3200 E. Cheyenne Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-651-5483. csn.edu/pac

MAY YOU LIVE AS LONG AS YOU WANT, AND NEVER WANT AS LONG AS YOU LIVE. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

www.thebagelcafelv.com

Rodney Carrington 3.8

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IMAGINATION MOVERS. 7 p.m., $24-$59. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park, Las Vegas. 702-982-7805. thesmithcenter.com SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE: MARCUS FREED. Through March 18, times vary. Congregation Ner Tamid, 55 N. Valle Verde Drive, Henderson. 702-733-6292. lvnertamid.org STUDENT DANCE CONCERT. 7 p.m., $5$8. College of Southern Nevada, 3200 E. Cheyenne Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-651-5483. csn.edu/pac

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NEVADA CHAMBER SYMPHONY: ORQUESTRA FUTURA. 3 p.m., free. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3459. lvccld.org PIANO RECITAL. 2 p.m., $5-$8. College of Southern Nevada, 3200 E. Cheyenne Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-651-5483. csn.edu/pac

3.12

BELA FLECK & THE FLECKTONES. 7:30 p.m., $26-$79. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park, Las Vegas. 702-982-7805. thesmithcenter.com

3.13

SHALOM BABY: TINY IMPRESSIONS. 9 a.m., free. JCC of Southern Nevada, 9001 Hillpointe Road, Las Vegas. 702-732-0556. jewishlasvegas.com

SYLVIA. Through March 25, March 16-17 & March 22-24 8 p.m. & March 18 & 25 2 p.m., $35. Black Box Theater at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas. 702-895-2787. pac.unlv.edu DOWNTOWN CULTURAL SERIES: DRIFTWOOD FIRE. 12 p.m., free. Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse Jury Assembly Room, 333 Las Vegas Blvd., S., Las Vegas. 702229-3515.

3.17

THE CANADIAN TENORS. 7:30 p.m., $29$89. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park, Las Vegas. 702-982-7805. thesmithcenter.com SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE: MUSIC OF STEVIE WONDER. Through March 18, 7 & 10 p.m. & 2 p.m., $39-$69. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park, Las Vegas. 702-982-7805. thesmithcenter.com THE KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD BAND. Through March 18, 8 p.m., $29.95. Orleans Hotel & Casino, 4500 W. Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-284-7777. orleanscasino.com

3.14

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UNLV JAZZ CONCERT SERIES: UNLV JAZZ ENSEMBLE 1 & THE UNLV LATIN JAZZ ENSEMBLE. 7 p.m., free. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3459. lvccld.org

3.15

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN â&#x20AC;&#x201C; THE SINATRA PROJECT. 7:30 p.m., $26-$99. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park, Las Vegas. 702982-7805. thesmithcenter.com JFLV MAJOR GIFTS DINNER. 6 p.m., minimum gift of $7,500. For more information or to register, contact Dana Yavitz at 702-732-0556 or dana@ jewishlasvegas.com. BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL WORLD TOUR. 7 p.m., free. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3459. lvccld.org

Michael Feinstein 3.15

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W Bonneville, Las Vegas. 702-483-6023. keepmemoryalive.org

3.21

JNF Annual Breakfast. 8:30-10 a.m., $18. Temple Beth Sholom, 10700 Havenwood Lane, Las Vegas. 702-434-6505. jnf.org/ lvbreakfast

3.22

hookah lounge

3.24

Featuring Specialty Cocktails, Beer, Wine, Mixed Drinks, Hookahs and Food.

9th Annual Entertainer/Artist Hall of Fame. 6 p.m., $75. Judy Bayley Theater at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas. 702-895-2787. pac.unlv.edu

The Pink Floyd Experience 3.30

Rod Stewart. Through March 31, 7:30 p.m., $49-$250. The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-7317110. caesarspalace.com

Literature That Lives: An Afternoon With Walter Mason. 3 p.m., free. West Las Vegas Arts Center Gallery, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-229-4800. artslasvegas.org

Las Vegas Philharmonic: The Mini Series. 7:30 p.m., $75-$96. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park, Las Vegas. 702-9827805. thesmithcenter.com

Vegas Valley Book Festival: The Romance of Words. 9 p.m., free. Chapel of the Flowers, 1717 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-229-5431. vegasvalleybookfestival.org

3rd Annual Artfully Sweet Fundraiser to benefit Southern Nevada Children First. 12-3 p.m., $35/ person. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 702-487-5665. childrenfirst-nv.org

3.18

Jewish Federation’s Super Sunday. 9 a.m.-5:30, volunteers needed. Greenspun Media, 2370 Corporate Circle Drive, Henderson. 702-732-0556. jewishlasvegas. com/supersunday2012 Jewish Genealogy Society Meeting, with Crista Cowen of ancestry. com. 1 p.m., free. Sahara West Library, 9600 W. Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-528-4334. jgssn.org

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Yesterday Once More: Tribute to the Carpenters. Through March 25, 7:30 p.m., $15.95. Suncoast Showroom at The Suncoast, 9090 Alta Drive, Las Vegas. 702-636-7111. suncoastcasino.com Saturday Movie Matinee: Tower Heist. 2 p.m., free. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3459. lvccld.org

Simon Restaurant Post-St. Patrick’s Day Hangover Brunch. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., $39.50. Simon Restaurant at Palms, 4381 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-942-7777. palms.com

3.20

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Through March 21, 7:30 p.m., $39-$129. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park, Las Vegas. 702-982-7805. thesmithcenter.com

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Patron of the Arts: JCC Annual Fundraiser. For more information, call 702-794-0090 or visit jccsn.org America’s Story Through Art: America Enduring 1913-1945. 11 a.m., free. Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, 888.

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702.804.0293 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre 3.20

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Candlelighting Adar/Nissan 5772 FRI., MARCH 2, ADAR 8 Light candles at 5:19 p.m. SAT., MARCH 4, ADAR 9 Shabbat ends 6:16 p.m. WED., MARCH 7, ADAR 13 Fast of Esther Fast : 4:31 a.m. – 6:12 p.m. THURS., MARCH 8, ADAR 14 Purim FRI., MARCH 9, ADAR 15 Shushan Purim Light candles at 5:25 p.m. SAT., MARCH 10, ADAR 16 Shabbat ends 6:22 p.m. FRI., MARCH 16, ADAR 22 Light candles at 6:32 p.m. SAT., MARCH 17, ADAR 23 Blessing of the New Month Shabbat ends 7:28 p.m. FRI., MARCH 23, ADAR 29 Light candles at 6:38 p.m. SAT., MARCH 24, NISSAN 1 Rosh Chodesh Nissan Shabbat ends 7:35 p.m. FRI., MARCH 30, NISSAN 7 Light candles at 6:43 p.m. SAT., MARCH 31, NISSAN 8 Shabbat ends 7:41 p.m.

Canadian Tenors 3.17

3.25

STRAIGHT NO CHASER. 7 p.m., $24-$59. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park, Las Vegas. 702-982-7805. thesmithcenter.com TRIBEFEST. Through March 27, $450. The Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. For more information, visit tribefest.org

GARTH BROOKS. Through March 31, $225. Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas, 3121 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-770-8000. wynnlasvegas.com

HELEN J. STEWART: FIRST LADY OF LAS VEGAS & MISTRESS OF THE MORMON TRAIL. 2 p.m., free. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-5073459. lvccld.org MRS. NEVADA PAGEANT. 2 p.m. Crown Theatre at the Rio, 3700 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. For more information, call 489-8728.

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SAVION GLOVER BARE SOUNDZ. 7:30 p.m., $29-$89. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park, Las Vegas. 702-982-7805. thesmithcenter.com

3.29

NEVADA BALLET THEATRE PRESENTS “WORDS ON DANCE.” 7 p.m., $25-$75. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park, Las Vegas. 702-982-7805. thesmithcenter.com MICHAEL JORDAN CELEBRITY INVITATIONAL. Through April 1, times vary, $30$500. Shadow Creek Golf Course, 3 Shadow Creek Drive, North Las Vegas. 877-253-5847. mjcigolf.com

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GARTH BROOKS. Through March 31, 7:30 & 10:30 p.m., $225. Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-770-7000. wynnlasvegas.com THE PINK FLOYD EXPERIENCE. 8 p.m., $24$59. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park,

Las Vegas. 702-982-7805. thesmithcenter.com

Brandford Marsalis 3.31

3.31

BRANFORD MARSALIS. 7:30 & 10 p.m., $50$150. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park, Las Vegas. 702-982-7805. thesmithcenter.com UNLV JAZZ CONCERT SERIES. 2 p.m., free. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3459. lvccld.org

To submit your event information, email calendar@davidlv.com by the 15th of the month prior to the month in which the event is being held.

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devour Parsley Mediterranean Grill Effie and Ygal had an idea, “Let’s do it right”. Their new project, Parsley Mediterranean Grill, is designed to take rotisserie style shwarma cooking to the next level . It is a quick-service Mediterranean establishment that believes in everything being made to order. Their approach allows diners to create the dishes they want, whilst still placing an emphasis on the flavors inherent in quality Mediterranean faire. Located in Southeast Las Vegas, the restaurant is conveniently located to most areas of town. Open Mon.-Sun. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Parsley Mediterranean Grill, 6420 S. Pecos Road, Las Vegas. 702489-3189. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Parsley-MediterraneanGrill/239669469410402

Hamantaschen These triangular delights, filled with jelly are available year round but most especially during the festival of Purim. Supermarkets and bakeries that cater to the Jewish population are sure to stock their shelves with these snacks in a wide variety of filling flavors. DAVID recomends the mon (yiddish for poppy seed). Old evil Haman of Book of Esther notoriety had a thing for hats, particularly triangular shaped ones. In celebration of his downfall and the rescue of the Jews in ancient Babylon, his hat is eaten. They also can become a memorable parent/child activity as they are not that complicated to make. Google Hamantaschen recipes and heat up the oven!

The Dubliner @ Nine Fine Irishmen In keeping with the green, St. Patrick’s Day theme, DAVID Magazine has found The Dubliner, which will be served at Nine Fine Irishmen at New York New York during the month of March. 1 ¼ oz of Jameson 1 oz Apple Pucker 3 oz Apple Juice 1 oz Sweet & Sour Shake all ingredients in shaker, strain into Martini glass with green apple sugar on rim. Garnish with a cherry. Nine Fine Irishmen at New York New York, 3790 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-740-6463. nynyhotelcasino.com MARCH 2012 DAVID

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desire

Tivoli Treasures

While part of her appeal is her French lineage, Sophie la girafe is clutched by babies worldwide. Soft and adorable, Sophie stimulates baby’s senses and offers comfort. ($24). Kidville at Tivoli Village, 420 S. Rampart Blvd. #130, Las Vegas. 702-233-9253.

Colorblock continues to be a hot trend in accessories, like this versatile cowhide “Norma” handbag, designed and made in Paris by Kesslord, $360. Blue Noir at Tivoli Village, 410 S. Rampart Blvd. #175, Las Vegas. 702-478-5279

Local artist, Bobby Wheat capturs timeless images of Mother Nature. He describes Summer Blues, “The pier, extending on to what seems like infinity, as a figurative representation of how a perfect moment at the ocean can be. It often provides a window to the human heart.” Price varies depending on size, mounting/framing options. Bobby Wheat Photography at Tivoli Village, 400 S. Rampart Blvd. #175, Las Vegas. 702-569-7080.

The hot new luxury aviator sunglasses is the Beast I by Chrome Hearts. Featuring edgy floral crosses along its titanium frame, it’s the product of the latest optical technology, combined with artistic metallurgy. $1,600. Obika at Tivoli Village, 410 S. Rampart Blvd. #140, Las Vegas. 877-943-8988.

It’s the ultimate way to travel. The Snuggle Bug carrier by Pet Flys is a plush and cozy burrow bed, a bag, and a car seat. $140. The Dog House at Tivoli Village, 400 S. Rampart Blvd. #140, Las Vegas. 702-496-4006. 20

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David Barton unveils an eponymous Las Vegas gym that caters to those who want to look great. The 35,000-square-foot facility will be the brand’s ninth gym opening, since the first New York City gym opened in 1992. DavidBartonGym at Tivoli Village, 410 S. Rampart Blvd., #230, Las Vegas. Opening March 15.

Rumored to be featured at this year’s Academy Awards, the Panos Konidas scrolled bangle bracelet is inspired by the timeless, rich beauty of European cities. $765. Jeff White Custom Jewelry at Tivoli Village, 410 S. Rampart Blvd., #160, Las Vegas. 702-220-9099.

The 2012 Motor Trend SUV of the Year. Spirited and sophisticated, the Evoque’s innovative technology provides an engaging blend of dynamic and sporty handling. Starting at $43,995. Land Rover at Tivoli Village, 400 S. Rampart Blvd. #150, Las Vegas. 702-579-0400.

This four-stranded necklace inspired by the wild Southwest is available at Charming Charlie, the ultimate destination to find that final touch. $24.97. Charming Charlie at Tivoli Village, 400 S. Rampart Blvd., #120, Las Vegas. 702-233-1192.

Pandora’s Moments bracelet reminds you that life is not in the moments that pass, but in the moments you remember. Two-tone bracelet $395, sterling and 14K charm prices vary. Pandora at Tivoli Village, 410 S. Rampart Blvd. #190, Las Vegas. 702-750-0308.

MARCH 2012 DAVID

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discover Go Hike Red Rock The weather is perfect for getting outdoors and Red Rock Canyon, fresh from its winter snows, is the perfect place. Although the park is beautiful all year round, March and April are the best months for hiking and biking. The visitor’s center is a great starting point. Not only does it offer a history of the land, it provides information about the animals native to the Nevada desert. Classes and guided hikes for visitors are also provided. There are numerous trails, for beginning, intermediate, and advanced hikers, as well as picnic spots along the way for those wanting to enjoy nature’s beauty with a good Chardonnay. Red Rock Canyon, 1000 Scenic Loop Drive, Las Vegas. 702-515-5350. redrockcanyonlv.org

Spring Break Camp @JCC

Looking for something for your kids to do during spring break? The Jewish Community Center of Southern Nevada has just the solution: a two week spring break camp. Offering art, theater, sports, and Jewish education, camp is the perfect way for your kids to stay entertained during the school break. Running from April 2-5 and April 9-12, camp will be held at the JCC and offer a full day program (9 a.m.-4 p.m., with before and after care available). Contact the JCC to reserve your space now! JCC of Southern Nevada, 9001 Hillpointe Road, Las Vegas. 702-794-0090. jccsn.org

So Rabbi, ain’t Purim a Drag? For kids and adults alike, Purim is the Hebrew Halloween. A parade of diminutive King Achashverosh, Queen Esthers and Mordechais intersperced with every imaginable character from popular culture passes by. It’s the one time of year that even the Rabbis let their hair down. It is not only permitted but required to make a ruckas in the sanctury during services. To this end groggers are handed out and the faithful compete in noise making to drown out the very mention of the hated Haman’s name. After services, there usually is a Purim party with games and food and other kid-friendly attractions. Check your local Synagogue for times and details of Purim festivities 22

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mingle

Muhammad Ali and his wife Lonnie Ali

Larry King and Chazz Palminteri

KEEP MEMORY ALIVE, POWER OF LOVE GALA CELEBRATING MUHAMMAD ALIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 70TH BIRTHDAY

MGM Grand Gardens Arena Saturday, February 19 (left to right) Kris Kristofferson, Anthony Hopkins, Stella Arroye and Samuel L. Jackson

Cee Lo Green and Showgirls

David Copperfield

Photographs by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Stevie Wonder

(left to right) Chuck Mathewson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Larry Ruvo

(left to right) Rande Gerber, Cindy Crawford, Steffi Graff and Andre Agassi

John Legend

MARCH 2012 DAVID

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cosmopolitanconnections.com HOSTED BY YVETTE BROWN

Gold Lounge @ Aria

Wednesday, February 8

Photographs by Roger Bennett rogerbennettphotography.com

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Debra Gorov and Phyliss Friedman Christina Primack

Jewish community center of southern nevada: Where Art thou III Republic Kitchen and Bar, Henderson Thursday, February 2

Gary Schwartz

Michael Feder and Martin Kreloff

Melody Stein

Photographs by Tonya Harvey

(left to right) Lisa Daitch, Elliot and Sharon Karp

Rabbi Bradley Tecktiel and Dr Hugh Bassewitz

(left to right) Leslie Strasser-Murdock, Lisa Bienstock and Susan Tecktiel

(left to right) Franklin Stein, Devra Weiss, Dr, Avi Weiss and Melody Stein

MARCH 2012 DAVID

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(left to right) Lisa Henry, Betsi and David Steinberg Acapella Group, Mosaic

The Jewish Federation of las vegas, womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s philanthropy: United Tao Nightclub @ Venetian Wednesday, February 1 Photographs by Tonya Harvey & Norm Blinder PBTH.com

Dr Hugh Bassewitz and Lisa Daitch

(left to right) Maddie Stratton, Annemarie Feiler, H.L. Greenberg and Tammy Ofek

David and Barbara Silverberg

(left to right) Rachel Ventura, Heather DiChiaro and Ilana Vann

Leonard and Judy Stone

(left to right) Noa Jensch, Josh and Jessica Pianko

(left to right) Maggie Feldman, Ellen Schaner, Judy Stone, Guest and Jessica Sporn

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This antique silver scroll case comes out each year during the Jewish festival of Purim. In exquisite calligraphy it tells the story (megillah)of Esther and Mordechai, King Achashverosh and Haman. As it is read this year in Shul we are reminded that ultimately good always triumphs over evil. MARCH 2012 DAVID

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speak

Bad-Libbing Diving into the Vegas Improv Underground

eWayne McQueen Jr. crosses in front of the dark spot in back of the stage where I’m hiding from him. The improvisational performer takes a seat and repositions a second chair, motioning for me to join him in the spotlight. Straps and an electrified cap couldn’t make this chair any less appealing to me. This is my first time performing improv in public. I enrolled in classes at Improv Vegas when I was laid off from the newspaper last year, just to get out of my house and feel funny again. I never thought I’d take it as far as joining the members on stage during their weekly show at the Onyx Theatre. But, after eight months and some prodding by my new friends, here I am. So I sit in McQueen’s electric chair. My scene partner folds his arms and asks what qualifies me to live here, wherever we’re supposed to be. Fifty people await my response — including me. In my previous column, I performed for unsuspecting audiences as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lewis and Dolly Parton. I was a Chippendales dancer and a “Folies Bergere” showgirl. I puppeteered in “Avenue Q” and told jokes as Bobby Slayton’s opening comedian. But I prepared for all that. There is no preparing for this. In fact, not preparing is the terrifying key to it. Created by “Second City” founder Viola Spolin in the late ’50s, improv is spontaneous theater created by actors ad-libbing toward a hopefully comedic result. You must trust yourself to invent lines and body movements as they’re called for — even if, like me, one of the last people you can trust is yourself. “Wow,” I tell McQueen, who is waiting to hear my qualifications for residence. “This is one strict HOA.” Not bad. My first official improv chortles are earned, but my first stupid mistake is also made: celebrating them in the moment. There are still many more lines left to pull out of my ass, and you can’t search your ass when you’re in your head. “The idea is about reacting,” says Matt Donnelly, one of my Improv Vegas instructors. “You want to get out of the academic part of your brain and into the reflexive part of your brain, where martial arts is.” Donnelly, an intense and quiet man in his 30s, has publicly performed improv since he was a 16-year-old Red Bank, New Jerseyite. He worked the New York stages of the People’s Improv Theater and the Upright Citizens Brigade (co-founded by “Saturday Night Live’s” Amy Poehler) before relocating to Las Vegas in 2008. Currently a writer for the Discovery Channel series “Penn & Teller: Tell a Lie,” Donnelly is one of about 200 valley residents who

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regularly perform improv. Like most, he does it as a hobby rather than for the impossible dream of leaping onto “SNL.” “To do that, you’re probably going to live in New York, L.A. or Chicago,” Donnelly says. “But improv training has a lot of benefits for anyone.” In addition to emphasizing good teamwork, improv demands that hyperactive attention be paid to the now. You must know precisely where you are and what you are doing at all times, in addition to what your scene partners are saying with their mouths and doing with their bodies – all while maintaining eye contact and following the “plot” as it unfolds. “It makes you a better collaborator, a better cooperator and a better person,” Donnelly explains. The better person thing is what appealed to me. When strangers approach us on the street, my wife will frequently hear how lucky she is to live with me. “It must be a laugh a minute,” she is usually told. Of all the things that don’t help my marriage, this is up there with leaving the toilet seat up and farting on the couch. A high correlation exists, I believe, between how funny a writer’s work is and how much you’d rather drink bleach than spend the afternoon with him or her in real life. In fact, I would argue that a successful humor writer is the opposite of a successful human. In addition to how to craft words into the pithiest possible sentences, what we also learn is how to thoroughly cut everyone else off and reside inside our own important little heads for hours at a time. (We believe this doesn’t affect our behavior off the computer keyboard, and we are morons for believing this.) Back on stage, McQueen continues what I’ve previously declared to be our HOA interview. “Unfortunately, we’ve discovered something in your background,” he declares. Once again, I call on my reflexive brain. This time, however, it has more important things to do than answer. My reflexive brain, it turns out, is a huge flake. After three seconds of nothing but three seconds, my academic brain retakes control. It has come fully prepared, breaking the cardinal rule of improv, with a joke. In case of emergency, the Ku Klux Klan must somehow be mentioned. It will be hysterical. My academic brain swears it.

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“You mean that KKK thing I do in my spare time?” I ask McQueen. The scope of how much better McQueen is than I am is revealed by how deftly he spins the now-shocked audience back into laughter. “What?” he replies. “Letters? You must use numbers!” This is what’s known as a “callback.” An earlier scene starred cast member Tommy Todd as a “wizard of numbers,” who demanded to be addressed using only numerals. It was a funny scene, but medieval subject matter bores and confuses me, so I avoided it as you would Mel Gibson at a B’nai B’rith luncheon. Thanks to McQueen’s save, awesomeness ensues. The crowd emits a sound resembling canned ‘70s sitcom laughter. But we’re far from done here. Improviser Chaz Davis began her entrance as soon as she heard the KKK mentioned. She happens to be African-American, and sensed the opportunity to stir conflict. She now arrives between McQueen and me. McQueen cleverly introduces her as his daughter. This is a gift from the improv gods. It is my cue to spew my grand wizard character’s preposterous racism all over the theater. But I don’t make the connection between Davis and my KKK comment. I know you think I’m lying. I would. But, honestly, in the moment – with the lights searing, the crowd leering and my academic brain congratulating me for getting this far – I have no idea why Davis is standing over me, making scrunchy faces. Desperate for any kind of reaction, McQueen asks: “Do you like her?” I stare, visibly confused, and respond: “I guess.” Sweet euthanization comes thanks to the lighting guy, whose job it is to cut the power when he feels a scene is over. The audience claps anyway, since more than half of it comprises fellow improv performers who all had a first time, too. These are some of the nicest, most supportive people I have ever met in my life who don’t bill my medical insurance for therapy. “You were great,” Donnelly tells me, careful to note that “it takes years to do this.” Well, you can’t spell improv without improve, right? My reflexive brain came up with that ending. Improv Vegas stages a $10 show every Monday at 8 p.m. at the Onyx Theatre, 953. E. Sahara Ave. Improv classes are held before the shows at 6 p.m., and are free with show admission. — By Corey Levitan

MARCH 2012 DAVID

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believe

The Book of Esther An Illuminated Tale of Good and Evil

o how did this megillah (story) end up in DAVID Magazine? It was a chance encounter with Cindy Fox and her Judaica wonderland. More specifically, an encounter with two volumes of the Megillat Esther (Book of Esther), lovingly prepared for Cindy and her husband Marc as a wedding gift. Created by Cindyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father, Dr. Rachmel Cherner, these books are a testament to a parentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love. Rachmel and Aileen Cherner have been involved in art for many years, exploring a number of media. The evidence of their creativity is proudly displayed all over the house. The Fox family megillah follows exquisitely in the long tradition of illuminated manuscripts. An illuminated manuscript is a body of text 32

enhanced by decorative elements, fine calligraphy and illustrations. Originally, these manuscripts would have been decorated in silver and gold. But over the ages, and particularly in modern times, the artistic palette has been enhanced significantly. The earliest examples of illuminated manuscripts were created at the beginning of the Common Era. Museums are filled with examples executed during the time of the Holy Roman Empire by monks who had way too much time on their hands. These texts are of significant historical value because we can see a depiction of every-day life in their illustrations. This art form continued up to and through the Renaissance and proliferated with the invention of the printing press.

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Although there is just one version of the Megillat Esther, it is showcased in myriad ways, from the very simple to the very ornate. Richly illustrated versions are printed on parchment and require numerous steps from inception to completion. A kosher (religiously approved) megillah must be created by an artist skilled in drawing delicate elements. A scribe who specializes in Torah and tefillin (phylacteries) must do the writing. Because there is so much work involved in the creation of these illuminated Megillat Esther, few copies are produced. In 2006, the Book of Esther received a makeover in the form of a graphic novel. J.T. Waldman, who has been involved in the comic book world for many years, took the story and turned it into a tour de force of the idiom. From earliest times, Man chronicled his life through images, often drawn on cave walls. With the advent of language, we never lost our desire to communicate in images and the spoken and written word. It may not be a stretch to say these manuscripts are the ancient progenitors of our contemporary movie industry, illuminated words and images now projected through celluloid. So the existence of many movies chronicling the Book of Esther is no accident. To live a devout life, Jews are commanded to perform mitzvot, numbering a Herculean 613. In fact, a Jewish life can be defined by the progression of daily mitzvot performed. A mitzvah, or commandment, of high order is performed during the feast of Purim. The instruction is to listen to the reading of the story of Esther once on the eve of Purim and, secondly, during the day of Purim. People gather in synagogues and the cantor reads the Megillah aloud from a scroll and the congregation responds by creating an almighty ruckus with groggers each time the evil Haman’s name is mentioned. This is one time in the year that

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adults and children are encouraged to make noise in shul. What fun! So … what are we celebrating and why? Here is a synopsis: Our story begins after a six-month drinking fest put on by King Achashverosh (boozer). His queen, Vashti, refuses (not very smart) to comply with her husband’s demands that she disrobe and display herself for his men. This results in her removal. Achashverosh now needs a new, more compliant queen. This is where Esther, the woman for whom the megillah is named, comes into the tale. The king finds her most favorable (hot) and she becomes his new wife, although she does not reveal her Jewish faith. Not long thereafter, Haman (bad guy) is appointed to the position of prime minister. Mordechai (good guy), Esther’s relative and the man who sits at the palace gate, refuses to bow to him. This angers Haman, and when he finds out Mordechai is Jewish he immediately plans to kill all the Jews. King Achashverosh, clearly still under the influence, signs off on the plan. All the Babylonian Jews are rounded up. During Esther’s second banquet as queen, the plan is revealed in all its grisly detail, and our now repentant (and possibly sober) king orders Haman hanged on the gallows in the town square.

Illustrations from the Book of Esther created by Dr. Rachmel Cherner

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With Haman gone, Mordechai is appointed to a high court position and a national day of feasting is instituted. We all love stories with happy endings, don’t we? This festival is celebrated during the Hebrew month of Adar (Adar II during a leap year). Adding to the quirkiness of this Hebrew Halloween is the fact that everyone, including the rabbi, is costumed. An atmosphere of celebration allows the formality of regular life to melt away at least for this one day. Along with the reading of the Megillat Esther, many temples and/or religious schools create a Purim spiel, which is a modern spoof of the story of Queen Esther and King Achashverosh. These are usually funny and can be created from nearly any topic, from the Beatles to Harry Potter to Sesame Street. Kids play the roles, but often rabbis and cantors have been known to get involved. Baskets of goodies are given to friends (mishloach manot), charity to the poor (matanot la’evyonim), and a festive meal (se’udah)is enjoyed. Hamentaschen, a jellyfilled triangular cookie is also enjoyed. Its shape resembles the hated Haman’s hat; with each bite thereof they celebrate their triumph of good over evil.

Detail from a graphic novel treatment of the Megillat Esther by J T Waldman

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know

Simply Tovah Feldshuh brings her Golda’s Balcony to the Smith 36

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hat do you get when you cross a well-heeled, well-educated philosophy major at Sarah Lawrence College …with a Kievborn, Milwaukee-raised Zionist, renegade, socialist and idealist? Tovah Feldshuh, arms outstretched, in a tour de force performance as the indomitable Golda Meir in the critically acclaimed, one-woman show called Golda’s Balcony, opening for one night only April 1 at the brand new Smith Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Las Vegas. Feldshuh is a lioness of stage and screen …Golda was the lioness of Israel. Two extraordinary, accomplished and fiercely driven women whose paths have crossed in the incandescent, dramatic telling of Golda Meir’s complex and conflicted journey to becoming a formidable player in the creation of Israel, and the Jewish state’s fourth (and first female) prime minister, 1969-74. For Feldshuh it is perhaps the greatest and most memorable work in her extensive performance repertoire. For Golda it is most certainly the story of a lifetime, if not of the 20th century. Elie Wiesel called Feldshuh’s portrayal of Golda “brilliant!” In his memoirs, he wrote of Golda, “She is the magnificent mother of all of Israel!” I recently spoke with the Golda star at length by phone while she was between curtain calls in Philadelphia, reviving the role of the infamous Madame Rose in Gypsy at the Bristol Riverside Theatre.

Though tired, Feldshuh was effervescent and gracious, eager to share her excitement to perform in Las Vegas for the first time, before what inevitably will be a sold-out, enthusiastic and riveted crowd at the Smith Center’s Reynolds Hall. Born Terri Sue Feldshuh on Dec. 27, 1952, to a Jewish family in New York City, she was raised by accomplished parents in the affluent suburb of Scarsdale. Her younger brother David is a physician and Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright. She has been married to New York attorney Andrew Levy for 35 years. They have two children. Her life has been charmed. In her first stage role, Feldshuh billed herself as Terri Fairchild. She soon changed that to her Hebrew given name and surname, reversing a trend back then when many Jews in show business were choosing generic American names. In a 2010 interview with SunSentinel.com, she said: “I always felt proud of who I am. My parents named me after my great aunt. Calling myself Tovah Feldshuh has changed my life.” Feldshuh came to theatrical prominence in the 1970s in New York in the title role of the off-Broadway and Broadway productions of Yentl, followed by her role as Helena Slomova in the TV miniseries Holocaust, for which she earned her first Emmy nomination. With notable credits spanning more than 30 years, she has since earned four Tony nominations for best actress; four Drama Desk Awards MARCH 2012 DAVID

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(including one for Golda’s Balcony); four Outer Critics Circle Awards, the Obie, the Theatre World Award and the Lucille Lortel Award for best actress for Golda’s Balcony. In 2004, Golda’s Balcony became the longest-running one-woman show in Broadway history (493 performances at the Helen Hayes Theatre). Film audiences likely will remember Feldshuh from Fox Searchlight’s Kissing Jessica Stein, which earned her the Golden Satellite Award for best supporting actress; A Walk On The Moon with Diane Lane and Viggo Mortensen; Happy Accidents with Marisa Tomei; and The Corruptor with Mark Wahlberg. In television she co-starred opposite Tommy Lee Jones in The Amazing Howard Hughes; James Woods in Citizen Cohn; and Richard Dreyfuss in The Education Of Max Bickford. As defense attorney Danielle Melnick on TV’s Law & Order, she was nominated for her second Emmy. Throughout her extensive Broadway, television and film career, she has found the prize subordinate to the pathway. “Along the way I learned that it’s the process that’s invaluable. Results reflect the journey taken.” Most importantly, Feldshuh says she has learned how one can try, fail and try again …and that one can, and must, dare …evoking the woman whose legend and profundity she perpetuates each time she occupies center stage as Golda Meir. Donning a prosthetic nose, a fat suit, pendulous breasts, stockings that imitate varicose veins, and limping on a swollen leg to characterize Meir’s phlebitis, Feldshuh becomes the icon of Israel for 90 intense, amusing, instructive and insightful minutes. She takes the liberty of bearing the soul of this laudable political leader’s marriage, children, infidelities, travels, travails and triumphs. New York magazine’s John Simon writes, “It’s marvelous when an actor and a role that seem to be waiting for each other meet and embrace. Tovah Feldshuh’s acting fleshes, indeed souls Golda Meir out to munificent overflowing. Golda’s Balcony is the perfect merging of playwright, actress and character.” The play’s central theme focuses on Israel’s right to exist. It eavesdrops on the former Milwaukee schoolteacher at the start of the Yom Kippur War, agonizing over Israeli losses in a surprise attack by a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria, and pondering the option of nuclear retaliation. Meir asserts in the play, “I can understand why the Arabs want us dead, but do they expect us to cooperate?” For the play’s writer, William (The Miracle Worker and Two For The See Saw) Gibson, this was Meir’s life-and-death moment. Meir asks rhetorically, “What happens when idealism meets power? It kills.” According to Feldshuh, Meir never aspired to be prime minister. “She was simply a mother desperate for peace!” The nuclear option represented her last dire bid for survival against Arab attacks, one she did not relish invoking. Audiences experience Meir’s power and passion as she reckons with Henry Kissinger, Richard Nixon, Moshe Dyan and Ariel Sharon over this critical decision. Gibson conjectures that the bombs were loaded on Israeli planes, waiting for the prime minister’s command to annihilate Egypt and Syria. Kissinger and Nixon, convinced that Meir would carry out her threat, provided Israel with additional aircraft to defend itself with conventional weapons. Feldshuh commissioned Gibson, in particular, to write Golda’s story because of his excellent work in depicting Helen Keller. The actress since has acquired the rights to Golda’s Balcony, and hopes “to perform it around the world for another 25 years.” She dreams of performing it in Israel one day.

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The play’s title refers to the two “balconies” in Golda’s life, one at her Tel Aviv home, with a serene view of the sea; another in Dimona, the home of Israel’s nuclear reactor in the Negev, five levels underground. Golda spent a lot of time on a deck overlooking the facility. Feldshuh’s passion for the play comes partly from her great admiration for Golda, though she admits the leader had a lot of problems; it also stems from a desire for audiences to recognize the Jewish state’s role in the world, and how “Israel has been of great service to the freedom movement in the Middle East”; and partly from her shared belief with Meir that peace can be achieved there. “The play is, in large measure, a plea for peace,” she says. She has played Meir more than 700 times in the last eight years. Performing will always remain a true joy for her, but “no progress has been made toward peace, and the play is unfortunately still relevant.” She adds, “Israel exists whether one likes it or not. The Jewish people aren’t going anywhere.” And while she hopes “there will be a Palestinian state …they can’t be armed. They are still pledged to the destruction of Israel.” To play Meir, Feldshuh watched hours of footage of Israel’s former prime minister, and visited dozens of sites. “She started her life in Russia,” the actress reminds, “hiding under the staircase during pogroms so she wouldn’t be murdered.” “She was also a true socialist and walked the talk,” Feldshuh says. “Meir didn’t believe a janitor should get a lesser salary than she did when the janitor had 10 kids and she had two.” And Meir lived simply. “Her bedroom was smaller than some of the walk-in closets we have.” In 1921 she convinced her unenthusiastic husband to move with her from America to the Promised Land. The couple eventually separated, but never divorced, and Meir acknowledged extramarital affairs. The play vacillates from the immediate – until it’s too painful – to Golda’s recollections. “On stage, when I’m on the platform, I’m in the present,” Feldshuh says. “When I’m off, I’m in memory. The play’s director, Scott Schwartz, came up with that brilliant idea.” Meir was pulled apart by love of country and family. Idealism drove her to birth a nation. “And realities destroyed her personal life,” Feldshuh says. Meir resigned as prime minister a year after the 1973 war. She was 76. A chain smoker throughout her adult life, she died of cancer four years later in Jerusalem. No matter how many times Feldshuh performs Golda’s Balcony, she still gets excited. “I love Golda! And Golda loved Israel like it was her first-born ... and what she wouldn’t do for that baby. She was also funny and, thus, there is humor in the show.” And why not? Jews have long confronted their fears and assuaged psychic pain through laughter. Afterward, like Meir, they know it’s their responsibility to carry on. Life, after all, is the ultimate show … one that must always go on. — Lynn Wexler-Margolies

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The Sephardim A History of the Jews of Northern Spain

By Jaq Greenspon

trolling through the Barri Gotic in Barcelona, the old city, with buildings dating back to Roman times, it’s easy to imagine life as it was. If you look just above the street level shop signs, the medieval feeling permeates. You can almost feel sandals instead of sneakers as you walk over cobblestone streets, barely wide enough for a horse, let alone a modern-day BMW. The bustling sounds of La Rambla, the main tourist street, get fainter, retreat with every turn you make until you find yourself back in time, removed from the present day. Then you come across number 5 Carrer Marlet, the site of the Sinagoga Major de Barcelona, and you feel absolutely at one with the past — at least the good parts. “This place today is the oldest synagogue in all of Europe,” explains Elinor Shay, an Israeli immigrant who volunteers here. “General knowledge, before this place was opened the oldest one was in Prague, which was active from the 12th century. This place was active from the beginning of the 11th century.” It makes sense that there would be a synagogue here in Barcelona. After all, until 1391, the Jews represented about 20 percent of the population of Barcelona, most of them coming from nearby France, and were an important part of the culture and economy of the city. “The Jews couldn’t own lands so they had to come to the city to work,” says Victoria Tawil, a Mexican native who works part-time as an English guide to the Jewish Quarter. “In the city they were the doctors, they were the lawyers, they were the math people, they were the people that loaned money, also the alchemists, so the king protected them.” This all started many years before, though. In fact, there is historical evidence showing that when the first Christians arrived in Catalonia, there was already a Jewish presence here, with a great number coming from the original Diaspora of the first and second centuries. But not all were fleeing for their lives. Scholars say there must have been some conversions occurring among the upper classes of the Romans and Visigoths in the area, as well as immigrants from other Mediterranean communities. Written documents from the third and fourth centuries show the Church’s path of Jewish destruction was moving through the area, but these documents also prove the strength of the Jewish presence 42

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Barri Gotic, Barcelona, Spain

in the region. This gives historians a consistent timeline for a Jewish population in Catalan. It’s ironic that the same documents that trace our lineage provide proof of our calculated and methodical elimination. In the eighth century, when the varied kingdoms of what would become Spain were still divided, they were invaded by Muslim and Berber conquerors. The Jewish inhabitants still extant in the area welcomed these new rulers, assuming they would be better than the previous Christian Visigoths. They were right. Immediately following the victory, several communities on the Iberian Peninsula (presentday Spain and Portugal) were briefly placed under local Jewish rule, at least until the official government could be established. According to Rabbi Ken Spiro, “In the Muslim Spain, Jews found a symbiotic relationship emerging between them and the nonJewish world that surrounded them.” This relationship was so positive to both groups that the Jews continued to immigrate to the area; it became known as a golden age and the Jews as Sephardim (Spanish), from which approximately half the world’s current Jews are descended. During this time, the Jewish population worked closely with the Muslims, often translating classic texts into Arabic from Latin or Greek, and conversely, bringing the scientific and medical advances of the Arabic world to the greater populations of Europe by translating those texts into Hebrew and Latin. Jews were allowed a remarkable amount of autonomy as well, to pursue their own studies. This period saw the rise of the great Jewish physician Maimonides and philosophers including Abraham ibn Ezra and Bachya ibn Pakuda. This golden age lasted until the Christians retook the area in the late 10th century, attacking the Jews alongside and with the same ferocity imposed upon the Moors. Once they had succeeded in overthrowing the Muslims, however, the Christians realized the Jews represented a huge population, and a beneficial one at that, so they eventually came around to tolerating them. In Girona, a medium-sized town about 65 miles from Barcelona, this animosity only existed in the governmental regulations and not really at the street level. From the mid-12th century, the Jews of Girona’s Call (Jewish Quarter) built their synagogues as places for both religious and community life, and they shared these spaces with their Christian neighbors. While it might not have been as idyllic as the Golden Age a few hundred years earlier, it was still a pleasant existence. The Christian kings even went so far as to set up Jewish community councils, the Aljimas – also the name given Jewish communities of Catalonia themselves. They didn’t have to do this, because the Jews were considered servi Regis (property of the king) to begin with, but it made for a more peaceful community. These councils, with a governor presiding in the name of the king, created takkanot, rules based on Jewish law, to ensure order in their own neighborhoods. These Aljimas also were responsible for collecting the taxes, which were paid directly into the royal treasury. In Barcelona, at this time, the Jewish population was living in the Call in the midst of the Barri Gotic. According to Tawil, King James I (who was actually a supporter of the Jews) wanted to keep them “together in the same place, in the same area, in the same neighborhood, so he made all this part of the Gothic area [what is] today the Jewish Quarter. The Jewish Quarter was surrounded by a wall and had two entrances. It wasn’t because he wanted to lock them [up]. The Jews could go in and out whenever they wanted.” And yet he built a wall “to protect them. And to keep them together.” At the height of their time in Barcelona, there were five synagogues, all thriving and with full congregations. Shay agrees, noting, “It was MARCH 2012 DAVID

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Exhibit at the Jewish Myseum in Barcelona

a very open community, they never lived here in a ghetto, but here everything came to an end 100 years before the fall of Spain.” Things completely turned around in 1391 — specifically, Aug. 5 that year, when “all the Jewish communities were attacked by the people of Barcelona,” says Shay. “It’s very important to know it was part of the Inquisition of the pope.” A number of pieces of “tinder” had been stacked up against the Jews over time. But what provided the spark of ignition is anyone’s guess. It could have been the death of King John I in Cordova, a year earlier, while under the care of a Jewish physician. It could have been the derisive hate speech of Ferrand Martinez, confessor of Queen Leonora in Seville, who actively encouraged violence against the Jewish population there. According to Shay, “The people in the Church blamed the Jewish people for spreading disease, the black plague. If you take the tradition and for one minute put the religion on the side— washing hands is kosher, it’s hygiene. Less people [Jews] die. [It’s] very comfortable to say [the Jews] brought it here. So a lot of them got killed.” Throughout the year, starting in January 1391, there were riots and massacres throughout Spain, ultimately leading to two possible choices for survivors: convert or die. It’s estimated 200,000 Jews took the lesser of two evils. “It’s important to say as well,” Shay is quick to add, “that a lot of the Jewish people choose to be converted to keep their property. If not, automatically, the property would go to the king. Even the person, because it wasn’t legal anymore to be Jewish here.” So these people, who were called Conversos, Crypto-Jews or, in the worst case, Marranos (“It’s not a nice word. If you translate it into English 44

Entrance to the ancient synagogue in Barcelona

it’s something between dirty and pig,” Shay explains with disgust), would be whatever they had to be in public. But behind closed doors, they were still Jewish. For the next 100 years, animosity festered among the locals, not only against the Jews, but also, and more violently, against the Conversos. In March 1492, Isabella and Ferdinand, the Catholic monarchs, issued the Edict of Expulsion, sending all Jews, no matter their age, out of Spain by the last day of July of that year. And for the next 450 years or so, there were no openly Jewish families in Spain. “We know that the Jews started coming back in the 1920s,” Victoria Tawil explains. “Before that, between the Inquisition and the 1900s, Jews were not allowed to come to Spain. For 500 years Jews couldn’t come to Spain to live. But in [the] 1920s, they start to come back again — Jews from Morocco, Jews from Lebanon, Jews from Turkey, also.” It still wasn’t legal, but it wasn’t being stopped. After World War II, though, the laws changed and more Jews found refuge in Barcelona and Spain. And the population grew until today, when there are between 4,000 and 5,000 Jews in the city. It wasn’t until 1987 that someone finally discovered proof of a synagogue in the old Call, and like most things involving Jews in Spain, it was through old documents and tax records that the truth was revealed. Jaume Riera, a historian, found a tax book and followed the money. He was looking for the old synagogue and discovered “there were 76 Jewish houses that paid tax every month and the address,” says Shay, who knows these numbers by heart. “Sixteen businesses of Jews that paid tax every month. And

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Menorah from the ancient synagogue in Barcelona

then they had this place.” She’s referring to the Sinagoga Major, which still has the same address it did then, Marlet 5, and, like all houses of worship, didn’t have to pay taxes. “Unfortunately,” Shay continues wistfully, “nobody did anything with this information and to try keep this place as a historical place and, in 1996, this place almost turned to be a bar. Could be an awesome bar, but a bar!” Thankfully, that didn’t happen. Instead, Riera found Miguel Iaffa, who looked at the building and realized that, according to religious requirements, it should be facing the east, toward Jerusalem. This building did, forcing it into an odd configuration against the other buildings on the street. This was the place. Iaffa bought the building (saving it from its fate as a bar, although the thought of a He-Brew is kind of fun), and through the Associació Call de Barcelona began its restoration. It took six years but the synagogue was opened to the public in 2002. While it has hosted a wedding or two, even a recent bar mitzvah, the “Ancient Synagogue” doesn’t operate as a full-time house of worship; it keeps itself open instead as a destination for people looking for … something. “Lots of American Jews, Jews from South Africa, from England [come],” says Tawil. “They are looking for some Jewish thing in Barcelona. And also there’s people from Barcelona that come here, asking if we can tell them … they feel some kind of thing that tells them they are Jewish in some way. Or they have Jewish roots and they don’t know how to investigate, how to find out, because there’s no way.” It’s the old story: The Jews who managed to stay in Spain were forced to leave their Judaism behind to survive as Christians. And part of that

abandonment of their past was their names. “We know that plenty [of] Catalan Jews are still here, but they don’t know [that they are],” continues Tawil. “Or they know but they are not sure. There’s a book that says some of the last names from Crypto-Jews, Conversos, Jews that converted. Marranos. So maybe you can find out through that. Some people know from strange traditions that their family do, that maybe they light candles Friday night in the bathroom, or something like that.” Something like that. The traditions, that which Jews pride themselves on, have continued, hidden, through centuries. But now, at last, Barcelona’s Jewish heritage is finally coming back into the open. The large hill in Barcelona, where the Olympics were held in 1992, is Montjuic, literally “Jew Hill.” It was originally the site of the Jewish cemetery and the name has remained. Girona also has a Montjuic, as well as a Museu d’Historia Dels Jueus (Museum of Jewish History) that is in another renovated synagogue in the Call there. It may have taken awhile, but the Jewish population in Spain is growing. Barcelona itself boasts four synagogues, with more operating in the Catalonia area. Spain is slowly reclaiming its Jewish heritage. Tawil explains, “It’s not as open-minded as in Mexico. Because people here are not used to live with Jews and many, many people doesn’t know that there’s a Jewish community here.” But Tawil isn’t afraid, of anything. “It’s not that I’m shouting that I’m a Jew,” she says. “If they ask, I answer. Some people are surprised: ‘You are Jewish … ?’ It’s like, ‘You are the first Jew I know.’ It’s strange. It’s like … something happens when you say that, something changed. It’s different.” MARCH 2012 DAVID

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Detail of a Bell in the Carillion Tower

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Mojave Masterpiece New Art Deco Performing Arts Center Redefines Downtown Vegas By Lynn Wexler-Margolies • Photographs By Geri Kodey

mith Center President-CEO Myron Martin, the modest genius arguably behind this month’s opening of the world-class performing arts complex downtown, winced not long ago as his sophisticated East Coast friends teased him for being the arts and culture guy from Las Vegas. Guess who’s beaming now? Smith Center Board Chair Don Snyder, Martin’s complement in guiding the long-awaited center to fruition, says, “Other than the Hoover Dam, no project since has touched the community as broadly and deeply as this one.” He’s beaming, too! Snyder brought Martin, the former executive director of the Liberace Foundation and the UNLV Performing Arts Center, on board to help explore the viability of a game-changing cultural venue in Las Vegas.

Snyder, president of Boyd Gaming at the time, had been lured to his board post by Steve and Elaine Wynn at a community call to action meeting in 1994 to address the city’s cultural void. Eighteen years and $470 million later (made possible by an outstanding team, a supportive community and generous public and private donations), The Smith Center takes its bow. The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation donated $200 million to the project in honor of its Chair Fred W. Smith and his wife Mary, the second largest donation ever to the performing arts in the United States. “One of the first funding vehicles (for the Center) was the 2 percent tax on car rentals at McCarran Airport that the city imposed on visiting tourists,” Martin says. “After the Reynolds Foundation’s generous lead gift, the next groups to contribute were individuals, companies

MARCH 2012 DAVID

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and foundations here in Las Vegas. Fifty-seven of those contributed $1 million-plus each. We call them our ‘founders.’ Beyond that we have gifts from 1,000 donors, who contributed at all levels from $999,000 down. You add all that up and you get to $470 million.” Like the Hoover Dam, The Smith Center represents a watershed project for Las Vegas. Naysayers now aside, this magnificent center for the arts opens to a nearly sold-out season of blockbuster shows that hail from London’s West End to New York’s Broadway. From Wicked, to Mary Poppins, The Color Purple, Memphis and Million Dollar Quartet, Las Vegas audiences are in for a theatrical windfall. Other bookings include the jazz/bluegrass group Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, tap-dance guru Savion Glover, jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, humor writer David Sedaris and actress/comedian Lily Tomlin. Martin says the team’s goal was to open with 6,000 Broadway Las Vegas season-ticket subscribers. That tally has surpassed 10,000. “Some people don’t believe me when I tell them that. I attribute it to pent-up demand.” A cultural wasteland no more, Las Vegas now enjoys fifth row center orchestra seats to a world-class stage. And to her sobriquets as the Entertainment Capital of the World, Sin City and the place where secrets don’t follow you home, Vegas can add epicenter of culture in Nevada. In fact, The Smith Center offers Southern Nevada a chance to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any place in celebrating artistic excellence, education and culture. “And if all that seems a bit lofty,” Martin says, “remember (that) it took more than 120 years for Carnegie Hall to reach the status it has. And we’re still looking ahead to Day 1.” The nearly 380,000-square-foot, art deco-inspired architectural beauty not only will feature seasonal Broadway touring hits, it will accommodate national ballet companies, international symphonies, various genres of concerts, boutique theater productions, the best of cabaret jazz and comedy shows, the Lied Discovery Children’s Museum, and rooms where local and visiting school groups can learn about art and theater from pros. “It’s heartening to be able to do things that are educationally based. Before even opening our doors, we’ve succeeded in partnering with the Kennedy Center on K-through-12 programs, and the Wolf Trap Institute on pre-K programs. That’s unheard of,” Martin says. It’s enough to make you blink twice, pinch yourself or wonder wide-eyed like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz: “I’ve a feeling we’re not in Vegas anymore.” But you are. And the Smith Center transforms dream to reality. For Martin, it’s primarily about offering cultural and educational opportunities and enjoyment to the entire Las Vegas community. “This was not conceived as an extended tourist attraction for Strip visitors. Rather, it was envisioned as a vital force for artistic excellence, aimed at embracing and engaging our community and making Las Vegas a better place to live for everyone, not just the upper ech-

Reynolds Hall at the Smith Center

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elon. That’s what makes this endeavor so rewarding for me!” With ticket prices starting at $24 to $35, and not a bad seat in the house, a metaphorical fanfare for the common man is attainable. And Martin can’t wait for the day when Clark County school buses surround the Smith Center. After all, he says, “I was inspired to do what I’m doing by a fourth-grade field trip to a theater program. My daughter is in the fourth grade. I want her, and other children as well, to get excited, even inspired, just like I did.” Meanwhile, composer Aaron Copland’s 20th century masterwork, the real Fanfare for the Common Man, was chosen by The Smith Center to inspire Las Vegas artist Tim Bavington’s synthetic polymer painting that will dominate the second floor of the largest Center venue, Reynolds Hall. Both the theme and the hiring of a local artist reflect the Center’s own vision “as the new cultural heart of our community,” said Richard Johnson, vice president and chief financial officer of The Smith Center. “We’re building a world-class performing arts center for the people who live and work in Las Vegas.” The facility’s 5-acre parcel is central to the city’s 61-acre Symphony Park. It is fronted by a 2-acre grassy promenade for pedestrians, with staging for outdoor performances. Abutting the campus are the World Market Center and the Frank Gehry-designed Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Plans also call for a boutique hotel, a hotel/casino and numerous hospitality, retail and residential sites. “It stands over time to single-handedly change the economic face of Las Vegas,” Snyder says. The complex itself houses three magnificent, acoustically precise venues: Reynolds Hall, a 2,050-seat proscenium theater, with an orchestra pit for up to 100 musicians; cozy Boman Pavilion, a 258seat, cocktail-style jazz cabaret overlooking Symphony Park; and 200-seat Troesh Studio Theatre, suitable for rehearsals, children’s shows, community events and private gatherings. A tree-lined, grand scale, open-air foyer is meant to entice theatergoers into a central courtyard. Planters and comfortable benches invite guests to sit a spell before, during and after performances. “When guests enter the vestibule, I think they’ll marvel at the stone walls, beautiful Italian marble floors, exquisite deco-styled chandeliers and finely crafted stainless steel railings,” Martin says. A 170-foot tower, with 46 handcrafted bronze bells that collectively span four octaves, rises majestically from the northwest corner of the imposing edifice. The carillon tower is the symbol for the Smith Center’s logo, as it carries through the architecturally inspired theme of the Hoover Dam. A stainless steel crown tops the tower, reflecting Nevada’s official nickname, The Silver State. The tower’s nighttime glow will serve as a beacon on the downtown horizon for progress and community. The stunning outer façade is covered with 3-inch-thick Indiana limestone and features more of those stainless steel railings. As the sun sets on the face of The Smith Center, the limestone will be suffused in a sublime glow.

Art Deco Seat Detail

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Art Deco Wall Lamp

“We’re pleased that the Smith Center is a 100 percent (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified ‘green’ building, which is no small feat to accomplish in a facility of this magnitude, and with multipurpose functions,” Martin says. “For instance, LEED requirements include natural light, and that’s the last thing you want in a theater.” LEED consultation begins in the design phase, so materials are chosen and integrated in advance of construction. The Smith complex is built to last 200 years. “That’s a rarity in Vegas, where structures rise, fall and rise again within a span of 20 years,” Martin notes. “We won’t be around for it, but with the opening of the Center we are creating a legacy to be enjoyed for many generations to come.” David M. Schwarz Architects designed The Smith Center, and HKS Architects executed the design. According to Martin, Schwarz considered many aspects of the Las Vegas landscape and its history before settling on the 1930s art-deco design of the iconic Hoover Dam as the inspiration for the performing arts palace. By using 2,458 tons of Indiana limestone, and 4,000 tons of structural steel, he hoped to rekindle the spirit of the dam – the first great public works project to evoke Las Vegas to the world. For Schwarz, past and the present would merge to express future intentions. Both dam and Center were built amid epochal national downturns. Both projects provided jobs, boosted the Nevada economy and attracted people to Las Vegas, by presence and purpose. The Smith Center board agreed the dam-Center parallel provided the best, most powerful design theme for downtown’s instant icon. Acoustics are as essential to a performing arts center as design and execution. Sound integrity in this case was entrusted to the aptly named Akustiks, led by Paul Scarbrough. His design oversight, from flooring to lighting sconces, contributed to the sonic signatures of The Smith Center’s spaces. The Center’s design incorporated a sub-basement of concrete 36 inches thick to soak up ambient sound from the nearby Union Pacific tracks. For good measure, The Smith Center’s roof contains a 12-inch concrete slab with an air gap, buttressed by another 10 inches of interior sound-deadening material, to neutralize downtown noise. The much-anticipated Smith Center opening represents a psychological salve to a community suffering through an intractable housing crisis and high unemployment. Because the center was built by the community and for the community, it may offer substance and solace to those too long alienated by a transient population and the self-serving motives of some. Art, music, performance and education open minds and hearts, build cultural bridges, break down barriers and fill gaps of a fractured society. As Martin puts it, “I really believe we are doing what’s right and what’s best for the cultural, educational and economic well-being of the Las Vegas community.” If he’s right, The Smith Center will usher in an era of urbanism, fine arts, unity and economic growth to a town aching for change.

MARCH 2012 DAVID

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Summer’s Special Smiles Camps that Provide for the Needs of the Challenged By Pat Teague

ost parents would like to send their children to a summer camp. For some adults, getting a bored, whiny teen out of the even a few days is certainly part of the motivation for for house a stack of cash for camp. But so is giving a child a over forking real and metaphorical legs. stretch to chance an opportunity for adolescents and teens, s present Camp experience the Great Outdoors, to meet to adults, and some independence (and suffer homesickness), taste to new people, while enduring some new and peers with out it to tough res. It can be life-changing adventu ng humbli nally occasio d; and it’s practically a rite of involve e everyon about for just an progeny. Americ North many for passage needs? Are there camps for special has child your if what But she be in safe hands? Would there? it enjoy he her? Would particularly in a less limited, more bit a be may options The throughout the y, generall But, . Nevada like state s populou

continent there are scores, even hundreds, of places that offer fullblown camp experiences for special-needs children. And though it may take a bit of research and time to get to these out-of-the-way venues, not to mention the financial sacrifice involved, the effort is likely to pay handsome dividends for child and guardian. In northern Nevada, the nearest special-needs camp is across the border in Portola, Calif., about 45 minutes northwest of Reno. It’s called Camp Lotsafun [Reno office: (775) 827-3866; cell: (775) 223-6532; camp@camplotsafun.com]. The camp’s brochure promises recreational, therapeutic and educational opportunities for people with developmental disabilities, while providing so-called respite care for families. For adults, the respite may be from the stress of being a full-time caretaker; for a child, it may involve the sheer difficulty of seeing a special-needs sibling get most of the daily attention at home. Sixty percent of the Camp Lotsafun participants are diagnosed with autism; the rest consist of children with Down

MARCH 2012 DAVID

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syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, bipolar disorder, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury or other disabilities. Some participants have a secondary diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, sensory integration disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Jill Gabel, who spent 27 months with the Peace Corps in Azerbaijan and also worked in South Florida at one of Paul Newman’s Hole-in-the-Wall camps, is director of Camp Lotsafun. At Florida State University, she studied political science, sociology and criminology. She’s bright, articulate and effusive about her work, even if she came to it in a roundabout way. “You do learn a lot from just doing. …” Gabel says. “I think actually working with the (special-needs) population, and having a passion to do it, is huge. I would say the year and a half, and almost two years, that I’ve been with Camp Lotsafun, I’ve learned more than I could probably learn in class (in college). Because you’re actually, literally, hands-on working with the population. … There’s definitely no substitute for hands-on, being with campers. And since we do overnight camps, you’re literally with campers who need you 24/7,” she says. Gabel says the camp she runs near Portola is more suited, in terms of accessibility, to serving special-needs clients than similar facilities in Nevada. Though most of her campers are from the northern part of this state, there are exceptions. “Two campers that I know of do come from the Vegas area,” she said recently. “One, her mom literally buys her a plane ticket … from Las Vegas to Reno, and we arrange (for) someone to pick her up from the airport. And this camper’s also nonverbal, and she’s an older camper as well,” Gabel says, adding that the woman comes each year. “And then last year, we just had a family from Vegas find out 54

about us. And they literally drove to the campsite. They drove past Reno and actually to Portola. So the options (for someone getting to the camp) are: they could fly into Reno; they could take the bus; they could drive from Las Vegas to Reno; or they could just drive all the way up to camp. “We don’t actually specialize in a specific disability. So it’s kind of like every disability is present at our camp. We have people who are autistic, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injuries, intellectual disabilities, developmental delays, psychiatric disabilities and disorders, stuff like that. So, I mean our camp is filled with people who are high functioning, low functioning, nonverbal, verbal, mobile, non-mobile … so it’s an eclectic mix of disabilities. It’s a distinct environment … Another thing is that our campers range in age from 7 to our oldest camper, who is 64. … In our minds a lot of our campers do have cognitive disabilities, so being 18 doesn’t (necessarily) mean they can’t come to camp anymore. Also, we do offer scholarships available to families that demonstrate financial need. And that’s kind of different for each family. “We do fall, summer, spring and winter programs. So we’ll have a spring camp. It’s actually a spring leadership that we’re having coming up at the end of March. And what it’s going to be is people who are a little bit higher-functioning, with disabilities, that are going to be trained to be leaders at our summer camp, and come back as program staff. It’s a pilot program that we’re testing out.” “So the program has been in the state of Nevada for 32 years and it’s kind of developed a lot more in the past 10 or 15 years. For the first few years it was running, it was mostly just a summer program, and it was because of the lack of recreational opportunities available for people with disabilities. And it primarily focused on older people — people 30, 40 and up — because there are programs for kids with

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disabilities, but not so much for adults with disabilities. “The director before me decided that she wanted to make the program bigger and serve more people, because there’s quite a few people who have disabilities and don’t have opportunities.” As a result, says Gabel, there are now camps for every season. The price is $700, she says, but payment plans are available, and management will work with families that may have trouble footing the entire amount. Another venue that’s in California and also serves special-needs clients is the Tikvah (Hope) program at Camp Ramah in Ojai, a mountainclose community northwest of Los Angeles that has attracted dozens of celebrity and high-profile residents over the decades. Tikvah is part of the Camp Ramah program based in Encino, Calif., an adjunct of the larger nationwide Ramah camping program. The ramah.org website describes it this way: The Tikvah program at Camp Ramah is designed for Jewish adolescents, ages 11 to 18, with learning, emotional and developmental disabilities. The Tikvah campers, known as the Amitzim group at camp, are included in all the programs at Camp Ramah. All of the campers come to camp for the same reasons: to have fun, make friends and learn about Jewish things. They are included with their non-disabled peers throughout the day. During the academic hour, a teacher with special education training is able to provide self-contained education to those campers for whom it is more appropriate. According to its literature, “Tikvah campers are fortunate to have the opportunity to be involved in many special programs in camp. A buddy program pairs Tikvah campers with campers from our oldest group. Buddies learn about each other and work on special projects while making new friends. In addition, time is spent with the Madors (counselors in training) and the Lishma adult studies

program. Our programming is designed to increase independent living and self-help skills. “The counselor/camp ratio is greater in the Amitzim tents, to provide increased individual attention. Counselors in the Tikvah program have prior experiences as Ramah counselors, and receive an intensive special training during staff week. An adviser with experience in working with children with special needs is available at all times.” Camp Ohr Lanu is a weeklong camp for families who have children, ages 5-14, with special needs. The camp combines study, prayer and fun “into a program designed specifically for families who have children with special needs, and their siblings. Come to camp to experience support from other families, joy at spending time together, respite and learn all, while taking advantage of everything Ramah has to offer, including swimming, hiking, sports and climbing.” Elana Naftalin-Kelman (310-476-8571 or tikvah@ramah.org) is the Tikvah director. In the past, she has expressed the view that the Jewish community, in general, is “far behind where we should be on supporting kids with special needs.” She told the San Diego Jewish Journal that “day schools on the West Coast are not focusing as much on kids with special needs. More kids and more families are seeing the doors closed because of the special needs of their child.” She believes rabbis and education directors must think more broadly about the populations they serve. She says Camp Ramah offers the only camp west of the Mississippi River that runs for more than a week. Judy Rosenthal told the San Diego Jewish Journal she spent nine weeks every summer for 14 years teaching art at the camp in Ojai. She called Tikvah a “fabulous program” where each child is treated individually. She said the young charges give more than they take. MARCH 2012 DAVID

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“These special-needs kids seem to have a real love for Judaism,” she told the newspaper. “You see them leading the services, calling the pages (of the siddurim) out, whatever it might be.” Tom Fields-Meyer is a writer from Los Angeles who serves on the Ramah board of directors at Ojai. His wife is a Conservative rabbi, and his teenage son Ezra is autistic and has participated in the Tikvah program for five years. Fields-Meyer wrote an opinion piece for The Jewish Daily Forward, praising the Ojai operation. “Camp Ramah places children like Ezra among its top priorities,” Fields-Meyer wrote. “In the process, it teaches him and his peers — and many adults — a Jewish lesson as old as the Talmud: Ko Yisrael arevim zeh l’zeh. ‘All Israel is responsible for one another.’ We are all part of the same community.” And by some accounts, virtually every branch of Judaism now has camps with programs tailored for special-needs children. One of them is The Union for Reform Judaism’s Camp Newman, near Santa Rosa, in California’s Sonoma County, north of San Francisco. Its Neshama Program is for Jewish youth with autism spectrum disorders. According to its mission statement, the camp is dedicated to honoring “the unique characteristics of every camper and (providing) access to Reform Jewish camping by creating individualized accommodations and modifications that allow each camper to succeed.” For more information, call 415-392-7080, extension 11. Dozens of camps for special-needs children, or those with physical disabilities, are scattered around the United States. Easter Seals alone operates 140 sites nationwide. Call (800) 221-6827, or visit www.easter-seals.org. KidCamps.com claims 100 programs nationwide for children with physical limitations. Call (877) 242-9330 or visit www.kidscamps.com. An organization called campingunlimited.com provides listings of summer camps, travel 56

camps and art programs year-round in Northern California’s Santa Cruz Mountains for children and adults with disabilities. Kyle Petty, a retired NASCAR driver, co-founded Victory Junction camp in Randleman, N.C., with his wife Pattie and the late actor Paul Newman, who for many years was known for his racing prowess when not making movies. The free camp was founded in memory of the Pettys’ son Adam. Before his death in 2000, during a practice session for a NASCAR race, the younger Petty had expressed his hope to establish a camp some day for children with severe health issues. Since the North Carolina camp’s opening in 2004, Victory Junction reportedly has hosted more than 14,000 children. The camp is said to combine the charm of a Disney park with the capabilities of a modern hospital. The Pettys are still raising money for a second Victory Junction, this one on a 65-acre site east of the Kansas Speedway in Wyandotte County, Kan. They hope to have it open about a year from now. Gabel, the upbeat director of Reno-based Camp Lotsafun, says the special-needs campers she oversees are the real stars. She says many have outsized personalities, enjoy the challenges they confront and hardly flinch if a fellow camper suffers a seizure or other medical setback. “They just kind of go about their business,” she says. “Many have seen far worse to be fazed by a seizure”, says Gabel. “The campers are the ones who really do make the program as great as it is,” she adds. And when they’re up on stage performing or singing, and the crowd’s behind them, “their confidence goes through the roof.” For a complete listing of summer camps, please visit davidlv.com and click on the Community tab.

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grill Paul Schiffman Head of School, Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Educational Campus.

DAVID: Where do you hail from and what don’t we know about you? SCHIFFMAN: My family come from Rochester, New York. My dad was a commercial artist and I worked in his sign business, starting when I was ten years old, almost every day. As I result, to this day I cannot handle ladders. When I got older, I branched out to painting furniture and boxes. Now, my passion is to blow art glass and do torch work. I donate glass blowing lessons to the NPR auction once a year. I also donate many of my pieces to charity auctions. Do you know anyone who can use some glass? DAVID: How did you segue from art to education? SCHIFFMAN: I was in the wrong place at the right time. I was going to be accountant. I started out at an agricultural college, before transferring to Albany University. I ended up in education courses because I went to the wrong classroom during the first week of school. I taught for four years and then became a work-study coordinator. After completing my administrative degrees, I became a vice principal. I was also an assistant superintendent in New York State. I fell in love with independent education and had some of my most fulfilling years as Head of School at the Harley School in Rochester, NY. Suffragettes founded the school in 1917. After my time there, I tried to retire, but it wasn’t meant to be. DAVID: How did you end up at Adelson? SCHIFFMAN: A headhunter found me and wouldn’t take no for answer. He called three times before I finally agreed to come out to Las Vegas for an interview. I met with the interview committee – 16 to 18 people. I give credit to my wife for getting me into the Jewish world of education. My work here has been the most important that I’ve done. 58

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DAVID: Your contract was just renewed for five years. What’s your overall opinion of the first five years? SCHIFFMAN: My time here has exceeded my expectation. Beyond that, during my time here the school community has grown in an unprecedented fashion. We went from just over 100 students when I arrived to an enrolment of 508 students. We are currently in year 12 of a 20 year plan. I agreed to stay because the community needs stability. There is a lot of transience in Las Vegas especially in these challenging times so people come to me, wanting to know if I’d still be at the school. DAVID: What are some challenges you’ve faced? SCHIFFMAN: Education isn’t at the forefront in Las Vegas. We have great colleges and universities in the state, but do not have the university system necessary to make education a priority. DAVID: Is it important for people to have a Jewish education? What’s the difference between Jewish education and secular education? SCHIFFMAN: I think Jewish people need both. . It’s not just about learning Hebrew, which we start at 18 months. We are able to offer courses focusing on the morals, values, and ethos of the Jewish people. This at the very core of what our humanity needs and certainly required in the nurturing of young souls. We have non-Jewish students here who are comfortable with our approach. DAVID: Describe a typical day. SCHIFFMAN: There really isn’t a typical day. I wake up between 5 and 5:15. Every day is different. My wife and I get invited to many events. I believe that life is a wondrous journey and it is up to us to be open to what ever may come along. As a result every day is an adventure.

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