JEWISH INTEREST
Federation Star
April 2021
CNN changes, Punky fest, Shatner flick and two documentaries Stars of David By Nate Bloom, Stars of David Contributing Columnist
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ditor’s Note: Persons in bold are deemed by Nate Bloom to be Jewish for the purpose of this column. Persons identified as Jewish have at least one Jewish parent and were not raised in a faith other than Judaism — and do not identify with a faith other than Judaism as an adult. Converts to Judaism, of course, are also identified as Jewish. On April 1, Jake Tapper will assume the title of CNN’s “lead political anchor.” This title has long been held by Wolf Blitzer, 74. Also on April 1, Blitzer’s daily CNN program, “The Situation Room,” will be reduced from two hours to one. “The Lead with Jake Tapper” will expand to two hours. Meanwhile, Tapper has already begun to share his Sunday program, “The State of the Union,” with correspondent Dana Bash, 49. They host on alternate weeks. All three have strong Jewish backgrounds. Blitzer is the son of Auschwitz survivors and became fluent in Hebrew while working for the Jerusalem Post. Tapper is a Jewish Day School grad. His mother, like his (only) wife, are Jewsby-Choice and he was married by his brother’s wife, a Conservative rabbi. Bash’s mother has a master’s degree in Jewish studies. She was formerly married to Jeremy Bash, the son of a Conservative rabbi, and CNN correspondent John King, 59, who converted to Judaism before marrying Bash. It occurred to me that if “SNL” ever revives “Hanukkah Harry” (see YouTube), a fantasy character who brings presents to Jewish kids, Harry could name his reindeer “Bash, Blitzer and Tapper.” Just sounds right somehow. After years of relative obscurity, Soleil Moon Frye, 43, is back. A 10-episode reboot of “Punky Brewster,” the popular ’80s sitcom, is now streaming on the Peacock channel. In the original, Punky (Frye) was a warm and funny 7-year-old who was abandoned by her parents. Luckily, she met a kind old man who eventually became her legal foster parent. In the new version, Izzy, a young girl who is suffering in the foster system, is taken in by (the adult) Punky (Frye, again). In 1998, Frye wed TV producer Jason Goldberg, now 48, in a traditional Jewish ceremony and they had four children. Sadly, they separated last year. But Goldberg is the producer of Frye’s new documentary, “kid 90.” Back in the ’90s, a teenage Frye always carried a video camera and amassed tons of footage (many shots of famous teens). Those videos provide a focus for (director) Frye and about a
dozen actors, about her age, to talk about fame, sex, drugs, aging and the unique problems of young female actors (now streaming on Hulu). If Frye is an “oldie” star, then William Shatner, 89, is an ancient one. But his star still burns bright and his trek goes on. His latest film, “Senior Moment,” opened in theaters and on demand on March 26. Shatner stars as Victor, a retired NASA test pilot whose license gets taken away after he's found speeding in his vintage Porsche convertible with his best friend (Christopher Lloyd of “Back to the Future” fame). Victor’s life changes as he finds himself trying to get around by riding the bus, spurring his meeting with the beautiful free spirit, Caroline, (played by Jean Smart, 69, a star of “Designing Women”). Victor and Caroline have very different lifestyles and, Smart says, they have to “negotiate their romance.” But, she adds, they [end up] filling each other’s gaps.” On April 2, Hulu will begin streaming a new documentary, “WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn.” WeWork is an office-sharing company that attracted massive investment and then nearly financially collapsed in 2019. The company is currently valued less than the money that investors poured into it. The co-founder and former CEO of WeWork is Adam Neumann, 41. For a time, he seemed like a Jewish role model: born in Israel and a veteran of the Israeli navy, he permanently settled in the States around 2000. This handsome and charismatic guy is a religious Jew, has a smart Jewish wife (who is a first cousin of Gwyneth Paltrow), and together, they have five kids. WeWork wasn’t quite a scam, but it was way “oversold.” Fortunately, for Neumann, most of its debt was held by a Japanese bank that felt they had too much invested to let WeWork fail. They “forced” Neumann out in 2019, but he walked away with a $1.7 billion severance package. The documentary was directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jed Rothstein, 47. (Apple TV+ has separately “greenlighted” a dramatic limited TV series about the WeWork crash. Anne Hathaway will play Rebekah, Adam’s wife, and Jared Leto plays Adam.) Do check out the PBS documentary “Hemingway” (about Ernest, of course). The first of three parts airs on April 5. The filmmakers are Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, 58.
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OF GREATER NAPLES
Annual Meeting
POWER OF COMMUNITY CELEBRATION
TUESDAY APRIL 13
7:00 PM TO 8:15 PM ONLINE VIA ZOOM
Join us to honor, celebrate, and thank you for contributing to the Annual Community Campaign, and to elect and congratulate incoming Federation Board Members and Officers.
Presenting: THE STAND UP FOR JUSTICE AWARDS
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Special Guest:
COMEDIAN RABBI MICHAEL “ZIGGY” DANZIGER As a hilarious and versatile performer and comedy writer, Michael has performed in clubs, at colleges, congregations, and for organizations all over. His (sometimes) smart comedy is always a hit. He is a past "Funniest Person in Memphis" winner and the reigning "Funniest Jew in the Deep South." (Seriously. There was a contest.) He has taught comedy workshops for several schools and organizations and his original material appears in Alpha Books' The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jokes (Again... seriously). Michael is a rabbi's kid, a rabbi's husband, a dad of three little rabbis' kids, and a member of the clergy team at Isaac M. Wise Temple in Cincinnati, Ohio. He's a better dancer than you'd expect, and a much, much worse housekeeper.
to register for this free event visit
www.jewishnaples.org
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