THE Arts & Entertainment ISSUE
Daniel Libeskind Breaking Ground PAgE 24
The other Seinfeld PAgE 30
Be Your Own Artist Page 10
Issue 158 Oct 2008
2008 Toronto international film festival PAgE 16
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Dear Readers, Welcome to our Arts & Entertainment issue. Over the last few months, our team has had the pleasure of chatting with some of the most interesting, established, emerging and provocative artists of our time. Our Editor-in-Chief flew to New York to interview famed architect Daniel Libeskind about life, music, his passion for architecture and winning the bid to rebuild on Ground Zero – page 24. And, with every interview inside our pages, you get a real sense about each individual and how they, in their own way, will leave their mark. The Arts & Entertainment issue also chats with a painter, an actress, a comedian, a musician and an adult entertainer. TJM was also present at the 33rd annual Toronto International Film Festival. From the films to the festivities to a tour of the Bell Lightbox led by Artistic Director (former TIFF co-director) Noah Cowan along with the Reitman family, see pages 17, 18 for our coverage. And for those of you who’d like to hone your creative side, go ahead – Be Your Own Artist! See page 10. The editorial team thoroughly enjoyed working on this issue while meeting compelling and charismatic individuals. We hope you enjoy it as well! As always, TJM is your magazine. Keep sending in your comments. We love hearing from you! The Editorial Staff – The Jewish Magazine editor@TheJewishMagazine.com
Letters From our Readers: Dear Editor: Perhaps if Mrs. Babes, Laura Stern Goldsilver, would put less emphasis on the ‘Babe’ and a little more effort on her ‘Jewish Wife’ essence... she might read Shira Schwartz’s article in your same issue. Perhaps therein she might realize that her take on a traditional Rosh Hashana family dinner is more ‘Purimesque’ (a masquerade) than ‘Rosh Hashana.’ I would think too that perhaps her mother might also take note that a traditional ‘Yom Tov’ meal would NOT include stuffed turkey and Broccoli CHEESE Casserole in the same menu. Turkey, as all poultry, is classified as meat in any traditional Jewish home...and cheese is a dairy product...and traditional homes DO NOT mix meat and dairy. You want your kosher style family dinner...do what you wish in the privacy of your home but please do NOT insult your readership by describing a major Jewish transgression of mixing milk and meat as a ‘traditional Jewish Yom Tov meal.’ You have done a grave disservice to those who do not know any better and who might follow suit, and you have insulted those of us who do know better. Janice Lebow Toronto, Ontario
Founder & Publisher: Simon Sher Editor In Chief: Helen Hatzis Editor: Sam Title Creative Director: Ori Sher Jr. Copy Editor: Miriam Cross Advertising: Elie Malka, Jordana Smiley Editorial: Ilan Mester Contributors: Orly Borovitch, Cara Edell, Jeremy Freed, Cassie Beth Friedman, Rena Godfrey, Helen Hatzis, Elayne Laken, Ilan Mester, Sarah Pearson, Shira Schwartz, Tracey Erin Smith
Features:
16 Toronto International Film Festival
Cover :
24 Breaking Ground: DANIEL LIBESKIND
Cover photo courtesy of Studio Libeskind
Columns / Articles:
8 Editor’s Pick 10 Gift Guide 12 J’Walkin’ 14 Frum Fatale 18 Actress: Shirly Brener 22 Musician: Peaches 29 Burning Bush 30 Entertainer: The Other Seinfeld 33 City Guide 34 Events in the City 36 Artist: Ariel Freiberg 38 Andpop: A new twist on entertainment 42 Montreal Mensch 43 Horascope 46 Jew or No Jew
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Paul Bronfman
In our line of work, we have the pleasure of meeting some of the most interesting people in the community - some more unique than others, but definitely interesting. They’re the type of personality that you feel compelled to share with friends and family during dinner or drinks. Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to make the acquaintance of such individuals that I will introduce to you on a monthly basis. In their own way, they have made a unique mark on society, making life more interesting. Enjoy! Helen Hatzis.
I
See you next month for another interesting edition to Editor’s Pick. Feel free to send ideas to editor@thejewishmagazine.com.
‘d like to introduce Paul Bronfman. Hailing from one of Canada’s legendary blue-chip families, he has carved out a stellar career in the entertainment industry. “I have always followed my heart and had amazing people in my life who mentored me along the way,” shared Bronfman. His foray into the entertainment business began in the mid 70’s, working with bands such as Supertramp and April Wine. However, by the late 70’s, he transitioned into the film and television industry. And, within a decade, he would not only solidify top executive positions at Astral Media Inc. (then known as Astral Bellevue Pathe), but he would create Comweb Corporation, an integrated entertainment firm dedicated to providing expert production services, studio facilities and equipment to the film and television industry. Today, Comweb Corporation, in addition to its holdings in Comweb Group Inc., is the second largest voting shareholder of Astral Media, one of Canada’s prominent media companies. But as Bronfman would attest, it was a difficult road that required tremendous risk. “There is a stigma to being a Bronfman and things didn’t just happen overnight, we had to remortgage our house to make it work. I almost lost everything. However these are the risks you take when you’re younger,” shared Bronfman. His passion and risk tactics also led him to build and manage Canada’s first Hollywoodesque studio complex, North Shore Studios in Vancouver, in partnership with revered writer/ producer Stephen J. Cannell. The studio was once home to the critically acclaimed television series The X-Files. Not one to rest on his laurels, Bronfman’s Comweb would acquire William F. White (WFW), a world leader in providing state-of-the-art camera and lighting equipment to major motion picture producers with offices across Canada. His focus in the production world led to the creation of Protocol Entertainment in 1993. This endeavour would become known for TV hit Goosebumps. The company was later sold in 2005. Bronfman has also directed his energy into nurturing and developing new talent in Canada’s film and TV industry via The Comweb Group Fund. The mandate of the fund is to sponsor and support industry initiatives such as the Toronto International Film Festival, the Vancouver International Film Festival, Ryerson University and Variety – The Children’s Charity, to name just a few. “In this industry, they are our future and future clients so it our responsibility to take care of them,” shared Bronfman. Bronfman’s dedication to the development of Canada’s film and television industry is one of passion and zest. “Canada possesses some of the most talented young producers who will be making a difference in our industry.”
Not just reserving his energy for film-related initiatives, Bronfman is highly active in the community, contributing to a number of charities close to his heart (including the Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies). He also serves on the Board of Governors of Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto and Variety – The Children’s Charity where he was recognized for his tremendous accomplishments and contributions. Combined with his extraordinary achievements in the philanthropic and business world, Bronfman has been dealing with a chronic condition. Originally misdiagnosed with cancer of the spine in the eighties, it was not until 1995 that he was diagnosed with progressive multiple sclerosis. Not one to give in, Bronfman’s condition has not affected how he conducts his day-to-day business and personal life. “It affects my walking, that’s all,” he says. A Superman of sorts in size, stature and bravado, Bronfman works out five days a week, and it’s business as usual. His risk-taking has naturally carried into his personal life. At the time of my telephone conversation with Bronfman, he revealed that he had recently returned from a brief trip to Israel to undergo a radical new stem cell therapy treatment only available at Hadassah Medical Center in Israel. “The strides in medicine and research in Israel is remarkable. I had the opportunity to be the first person to undergo this new procedure and I took it,” shared Bronfman. And despite having returned just days before our scheduled interview, combined with jetlag and his recovery from a daunting and exhausting procedure, he was remarkably accommodating and welcoming – a quality that he prominently displays in his daily business acumen. “I have an open door policy at the office. In fact, our space is outfitted with windows, so there are no walls omitting communication.” Today, Bronfman continues to make waves in the entertainment industry as an active partner in Filmport. This stateof-the-art world-class film and television production facility in Toronto includes 260,000 square feet of production facilities, seven stages and the world’s largest sound Mega-Stage at 45,900 square feet. “I love what I do,” shared Bronfman. And when asked if he could offer advice to newcomers in the business he offered the following: “Delve in and learn the business from the ground up. Take the time and become an intern. It’s important to find good people to work with who will nurture you. Don’t focus on the money, focus on your passion and the money will follow in time. Do what you love!” One to practice what he preaches, this Bronfman presses on, not allowing anything to break his stride.
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B E YO U R O W N A R T I S T !
Old School Writing
Writers Edition 2008 – George Bernard Shaw; $1,135 at Mont Blanc Boutiques, www.MontBlanc.com for store locations. Why we love it – Any writer out there will agree that writing is an art. This hand-crafted fountain pen features an 18kt gold nib and the signature of George Bernard Shaw on the cover.
Picture Perfect
Canon EOS 50D Digital SLR camera; approximately $1,449.99 at electronic retail stores. Why we love it – Even in situations with poor lighting, this camera automatically adjusts based on the brightness of the subject.
By Ilan Mester & Cassie Beth Friedman
BE YOUR OWN ARTIST! After reading about the many artistic individuals seen throughout this issue, we hope that you’ll be inspired to develop your own artistic side. Here’s a guide to help you!
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Fendi Paint-Your-Own Artist Baguette; approximately $1,300 at eLuxury.com Why we love it – Could there be a more perfect fit for this theme? Your dream of a personalized Fendi has come true! Even though eLuxury only ships to the U.S., you can always ship it to Bubbie’s house in Florida.
Art Of Beauty
Mineralize Sheersheen Poweder/Loose from M.A.C; $24 at M.A.C boutiques. Why we love it –This product will keep your skin glowing and minimize the appearance of flaws on the skin, perfect for any makeup artist.
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Beginnings TaDoodles Scribble & Sing Art Station
Now toddlers can be artists! This starter kits from Crayola helps children over 18 months learn about colours while making a masterpiece. It is available at various toy and art stores for children, with a suggested retail price of $29.99 Why we love it – This art station is interactive and engaging, with bright lights and music. It also just came out this fall, so it’s a brand new way to learn!
Artistic Learning Centre
Crayola’s Dry Erase Activity Centre; approximately $12.99 at Staples. Why we love it – The Dry Erase Activity Centre combines learning activities with fun games. Let your kids learn while they express their creativity. Templates include: alphabet practice, number practice, games and more.
Get Inspired
1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die; $27.72 on Amazon.ca. Why we love it – This book features everything from Ancient Egyptian frescoes to the Renaissance masters. Get inspired and learn from the pros before you create!
Art In Bulk
The Big-Ass Book of Crafts; $17.16 on Amazon.ca. Why we love it - This book guides you step by step through 150 projects, including pop-art inspired iPod cases, and is written by top designer Mark Montano.
The Art Of Drilling
Black & Decker Self Levelling Laser with 3-in-1 Stud Finder; $59.95 at Home Depot. Why we love it - The laser ensures you will always drill into something solid, and everyone who’s done work around the house will agree finding the right spot to drill is an art!
Art In A Box
Simon Schama’s The Power of Art DVD; $46.99 on Amazon.ca. Why we love it – If you already appreciate art, this is the DVD for you, and if you don’t, Simon Schama will guide you through a world of history and art with a collection of hour-long films on eight seminal artists.
Little Hands, Big Talent
The Little Hands Big Fun Craft Book; $11.66 on Amazon.ca. Why we love it – Let your kids have fun with art with this book designed for children aged two to six. The book offers directions for fun activities at home, outdoors, and even around the world!
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J-Walkin’ By Jeremy Freed
J’Walkin’ and unabashed comedian Aaron Berg shoot the sh*t What do you get when you give an ex stripper/roid user the mic at a comedy night? Photo courtesy of Aaron Berg
But Aaron Berg is not like most other comedians – because of his size, but more because of his story: The year he spent working as a stripper, doing drugs, and otherwise behaving in a manner unbecoming of a nice Jewish boy from North York. His experiences in the world of steroids, male escorts and exotic dancing are the centerpiece of his comedy routine, which is, needless to say, absolutely hilarious. As it turns out, the trouble started in high school. “I didn’t fit in,” he says, puffing on a Cuban cigar between sips of a mint chocolate chip frappuccino. And because Berg does everything he does with such enthusiasm, this amounted to five high schools and finally, after he was arrested for breaking into cars, a choice between boarding school and military academy. Berg chose boarding school. Things went well for him after that. While attending university in New Brunswick, he got his act together, studied philosophy, wrote the LSATs and thought about going to law school. He became a body builder instead. “I’d broken up with a girl,” says Berg, “and it was a very adolescent urge, I think, like ‘If I get really buff she’ll be sorry she lost me….’” Six months later, Berg had put on 40 pounds of muscle and was competing as a body builder. His strict workout regimen helped, and so did the steroids. After moving back home to Toronto, Berg decided on a whim to take up stripping. “It was an easy transition,” he says. “It was between that and bouncing at a bar. Because those are both things you can do as a side effect of being in shape. You get laid. And you get money. That was my priority at the time. It was a cool job.”
“So, you want to know where the trouble started?” asks Aaron Berg. “Yes,” I agree, that’s exactly what I want to know. It’s a warm weekday afternoon and Berg and I are sitting on a bench at Harbourfront, watching the couples and families stroll by. He’s dressed as he normally is, in cargo pants and running shoes, a tight t-shirt barely containing his immense, tattooed arms. This is probably the first thing most people notice about Berg, who at 5’7” looks almost as broad as he is tall. Stocky is one way to put it. Ripped is another. This is one thing that sets him apart among comedians, who rarely look as though they spend much time pumping iron.
Berg’s stories from the year he spent dancing his way around Toronto-area strip clubs, as anyone who’s seen his act will attest, are plentiful. There were his co-workers, guys with names like Hot Chocolate and Heart Attack and Johnny Thor. There were the customers. There were the strippers he dated, one of whom left him “for some Latino drug dealer named Carlos who had a Lamborghini.” The money was good, most of the time. “Some nights were great, some nights were horrible. I could make three or four hundred dollars some nights and others I’d make, like, eight bucks.” Looking back on it, Berg sees this period of nine or ten months as one of the most important in his life. “I keep trying creatively to get back to a moment like that, because I was so out of my comfort zone.” Overall, he sees the steroids as the catalyst that put him on course. “It was a good idea insofar as I wouldn’t have lived that part of my life if I hadn’t done steroids. I got great material out of it.” Berg eventually found his way into standup comedy, and the material found its way into his routine. In typical fashion, Berg treats standup like bodybuilding. “I just went hardcore at it and did a thousand shows in my first three years,” he says. Berg still does his routine just about every day, pretty much anywhere they’ll let him. “It’s therapeutic for me,” he says. “If I go more than a few days without doing it I feel weird.” His next project is a one-man show called Dirty Jew, which is a combination of his stripper anecdotes mixed in with historical critiques on anti-semitism and stories about his fiancée converting to Judaism. “The name should turn a few heads, I think,” he says. The show will premiere in Toronto next year and if it goes well, he plans to take it to New York. “I hear there are some Jewish people down there,” he says.
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FRUMFATALE By Shira Schwartz
IN SEARCH OF ‘GOOD’ THEATRE IN THE FRUM WORLD From un-tznius costumes to the laws of shomer negiah, the theatre world doesn’t exactly align with orthodox Jewish values. Frum Fatale explores a solution.
A
s a law-abiding citizen of both Jewish and Theatre societies, I have found it difficult over the past several years to pursue challenging theatre-related projects while maintaining a religious state. Forget for a minute the most basic road blocks (Friday night shows, un-tznius costumes, the laws of shomer negiah prohibiting male-female contact, etc.); on a deeper level, it’s very difficult to engage in the contemporary secular arts, of which the mission statement is often to insult and offend, while still staying true to Torah values. In fact, from within the über-liberal, très hipster, post-postmodern artistic community of Toronto (whose mind is so open its brains are practically falling out), it seems virtually impossible.
done: saying “no” in improvisation exercises, requesting that an actor play an emotion “better” rather than clarifying and heightening the character’s objective, etc. In another class, the instructor made a similar faux pas, using her facilitation of a warm-up as an excuse to give a mussar-shmooze – needless to say, a big artistic no-no. I absolutely do not blame the orthodox community, however, for this artistic dry spell. It’s really not their fault – how are they supposed to know how to play the game when no one has taught them the rules? Sadly, no one is teaching orthodox Jewish people the art of creating good art. I’ve come to the conclusion that the best way to improve the relationship between the liberal arts and the frum world is to increase and advance levels of education of the arts within orthodox Jewish institutions. In other words, trained, professional theatre-artists and educators should be facilitating workshops in orthodox Jewish schools. The problem, though, is that most chareidi schools are hesitant to hire these “artsy-types” – and rightly so. My own experience has made me all too aware of the profanity and crassness that exist in the arts world. As a firm believer in artistic censorship (when appropriate), I respect this concern. Which means that before the theatre world can inform its religious counterpart it has to turn inward and improve its own pedagogical methods. Fine-arts
“blame I absolutely do not the orthodox
After my undergrad I traveled to Israel to learn in seminary and also, in part, to gauge the religious Jewish theatre scene. I figured the best way to reconcile theatre and Judaism was to fuse the two -- perhaps chareidi Jerusalem was exploding with talented, professional theatre-artists! Unfortunately, in my experience, this was not the case. The few frum, English-speaking theatre centres and workshops that do exist in Jerusalem (at least, the ones I visited) lacked basic levels of professionalism, theatre etiquette, and artistic sensibility required of such establishments. In one workshop, it was clear that the facilitator either had no professional actor training or just simply wasn’t applying it, as she transgressed a number of basic ‘theatre laws’ – things that are just not
community, however, for this artistic dry spell. It’s really not their fault – how are they supposed to know how to play the game when no one has taught them the rules?
14 www.TheJewishMagazine.com October 2008 - 5769 in real years...
”
schools need to develop courses and workshops designated to arts education within the religious educational system. I mean, there are currently similar streams of courses designed for other minority communities – under-developed communities, deaf communities, special needs communities, world religions, etc. – so why are religious communities lagging behind? The reason this tension hasn’t been dealt with earlier is certainly not because we don’t care (a popular misconception about orthodox communities is that they reject the liberal arts on religious grounds, or rather that they simply ‘can’t be bothered’ – both utter myths in most cases). It’s just that we’re formulating the wrong questions. For so long we’ve asked if art exists in the frum world, and the answer is simple: of course it does. The real question, though, is if good art exists, or can exist, in the frum world. And the answer to this depends on us.
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Splashes of red, overcast skies and swanky celebrities Our own Helen Hatzis reveled in the parties, films, and glamour of the 33rd Toronto International Film Festival. With red carpets adding colour to overcast skies, coiffed celebrities and indie filmmakers flocked to the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. And with every year, the allure of our 33-year-old festival deepens. As acclaimed producer Daniel Iron stated,
“There is a vibrancy to Toronto during the festival. It is equally an economically viable festival as it is renowned…there are really two festivals happening, the Hollywood aspect and the indie market. Both help create the appeal of what this festival, now in its thirty-third year, has become: a must-go-to event for established and emerging filmmakers.” This year, I took a different approach to the festival and attended more functions than films. As such, I quickly discovered that one is supported by the other. For every film, there was a party of some kind. From the Telefilm gathering to the Canadian Film Centre’s annual BBQ to the ETalk party (formerly the Schmooze) to InStyle magazine’s soiree, and from Bruce MacDonald celebrating the premiere of his film Pontypool to emerging director Rob Heydon’s party celebrating the making of his upcoming film Esctasy, one could party hop night after night. Keeping up with the TIFF social scene is as complicated and tiring as deciding what films to view from as many as 300 films screening over the 10 day span. Luckily, I stuck to films and co-productions from Israel and took the opportunity to chat with two Jewish directors and their short films. Animated documentary Waltz with from Ari Folman is a seminal entry into the canon of war films. Told from the very personal point of view of Folman himself, it is a ferociously honest exploration of the reliability of memory and the long-term impacts of violence on young soldiers. (Jane Schoettle)
Bashir
Waltz with Bashir
Unmistaken Child
is from Israeliborn director Nati Baratz. The outstanding new documentary chronicles a former disciple’s search for his reincarnated Tibetan master. Visually stunning, emotionally gripping and shot over the course of four years, Unmistaken Child follows a sacred quest through the eyes of a remarkable attendant. (Jane Schoettle)
Unmistaken Child
Adam
Resurrected:
It’s not every day you see a magic realist film maudit concerning the Holocaust. But the unexpected is what Paul Schrader has consistently delivered over his extraordinary career. As a screenwriter and director, he is the confirmed master of the anti-hero, men caught in solipsistic traps that push them into despair, madness and often violence. (Noah Cowan)
Award-winning Israeli filmmaker Amos Kollek returns to the territory of his renowned trilogy (Sue, Fiona and Bridget) with Restless, a provocative film about a man’s struggle to survive as he searches for redemption in New York City. (Dimitri Eipides) 16 www.TheJewishMagazine.com October 2008 - 5769 in real years...
$9.99
is like a dream international co-production: a script written and directed by two of Israel’s most talented young artists (Tatia Rosenthal, Etgar Keret) and the voices of an extraordinary cast of Australian actors, including Geoffrey Rush, Anthony LaPaglia, Ben Mendelson and Barry Otto. The result of this globe-spanning artistic collaboration is a gently surreal universe that will provoke, inspire and even comfort those lucky enough to experience it. (Jane Schoettle)
Having fled from Iraq to Canada in 1970 to avoid persecution, Canadian filmmaker Joe Balass and his mother Valentine now share their memories of the once-thriving Jewish community in Baghdad. Balass combines archival images, home movies and family photographs to capture a complex visual memoir of a place and time that no longer exist in his short film Baghdad Twist. (KM) “For me, Baghdad
Twist tells a few different stories. In particular I wanted the film to give viewers a sense of womens’ emancipation. I think my mother’s story is symbolic of the transformation
Adam Resurrected
Baghdad Twist
in the last century of many women from having to be cloistered and quiet into one in which they became active decision makers, visible on the streets of Iraq (and in many other parts of the Middle East and Arab world). I want Baghdad Twist to stand in contrast to the situation that we see today where women are forced back into covering up and hiding. It’s a reminder of how we have gone backwards and not forwards in terms of the emancipation. This is one of the main reasons I focused on my mother and not my father,” said Joe Balass. Belonging, a short film by Canadian filmmaker Elizabeth Lazebnik, is about two women
who share a house, a child and a life filled with belongings that they have jointly brought to their relationship. Jennifer is a Jewish midwife and Alex a Mexican artist; both are navigating the complex world of relationships, cultural differences and motherhood. (KM)
“I was inspired by a photograph from Peter Menzel’s book Material World, A Global Family Portrait, who on his travels would meet with average families and ask them to bring their belongings from within their home outside and he would photograph them. He wasn’t doing it for the purposes of seeing what these average families from around the world would bring out…more so to see what was important to them and visually, it was striking. So while living in Toronto, I thought I would tell a story in the same light and the result was Belonging,” said Elizabeth Lazebnik.
Killing Kasztner peels back layers of history, deepening our understanding of World War II, Israel’s fledgling years and the contemporary gatekeepers
of memory. In one poignant scene, survivors of “Kasztner’s train” confront the head of Yad Vashem to ask why the Israeli Holocaust museum has overlooked the man who saved them. In the face of such neglect, this film helps bring Kasztner’s memory back to life. Director Gaylen Ross examines this story as it plays out today, when passions can still run high among those touched by Kasztner’s life. (Thom Powers)
Belonging director Elizabeth Lazebnik
$9.99
One’s social life during TIFF could amass a worthy contact list if the level of schmoozing is high. Game on! This journalist had the pleasure of meeting – or as they say, ‘rubbing shoulders’ with – the movers and shakers and some of the most creative minds in the industry today. The platform (said parties) allowed for one to engage in conversation with practically anyone, such as Geoffrey Rush and George Clooney. With bottomless bevies and endless hors d’oeuvres, there was enough fuel to get through the ten long days and nights. Aside from the parties and films, I also had the opportunity to tour the Bell Lightbox site with Artistic Director Noah Cowan. Ivan Reitman, his wife and sisters tagged along to witness the progress. Currently under construction at the corner of King and John Street on Reitman Square, it will be the world’s leading destination for film lovers. This five story cultural institution will include five cinemas, three galleries, three learning studios, a student and scholar centre, a display space, the staff offices of the Toronto International Film Festival Group, a café-restaurant, a lounge and a two-storey atrium.
Bell Lighthbox January 8, 2008
Architect Bruce Kuwabara stated, “The design creates a city of film – a framework for human action and imagination – for the intersection of tangible realm of architecture and the ephemeral realm of film.” The scheduled completion of the Bell Lightbox is 2010. See you in 2009 for another fun-filled TIFF season! www.TheJewishMagazine.com October 2008 - 5769 in real years... 17
Photos courtesy of sharp & associates pr
Shirly Brener: actress on the rise
By Cara Edell
Israeli born American actress Shirly Brener has a lot up her sleeve. With her pedigree, she is destined for success. She’s already a household name in Israel, but now it’s her time to take Hollywood by storm. Born in Haifa and raised in London and Los Angeles, Shirly Brener is a rising film star. Often compared to a young Michelle Pfeiffer or Meg Ryan, this blue-eyed blonde is as talented as she is stunning. Brener’s most recent role is a Russian prostitute suspected of murder in Jon Avnet’s Righteous Kill, a cop drama out in theatres in which she co-stars alongside Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. She also collaborates with Val Kilmer and Sharon Stone in the upcoming Streets of Blood, set in Louisiana postHurricane Katrina. In 2009, she can be seen with Lindsay Lohan in Labor Pains, the story of a woman who pretends to be pregnant to avoid being fired from her job. Continues on page 20
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Continuation from page 18
Ambition comes naturally to Brener, who’s biologically destined to shine. Following in the footsteps of her famous ancestors, the 34-year-old has success in her genes (her grandfather was a shipping tycoon and her grandmother is the niece of Chaim Weizmann, the first president of Israel). As the daughter of swimming sensation Danny Brener, “the Mark Spitz of Israel,” and actress Smadar Dishon, Brener says she’s blessed to have such inspiring roots. “My family was always in the press,” she says. “I grew up in the spotlight with overachieving parents, which made me set higher personal goals. I hear so many stories about dysfunctional families – the mom is an alcoholic, the dad is abusive – and I’m so fortunate and lucky for my upbringing.” Brener’s acting career began at age two, when she shot commercials for Merci Chocolate in France and Germany. She later made appearances in Israeli films such as Mr. Leon and the Israeli Academy Award winner Mr. Baum. At age 15, she was accepted into the prestigious performing arts department of Beverly Hills High School and continued to pursue her love of the stage in local community and college theatre. Brener’s breakthrough role came opposite Henry Thomas in the 1997 comedy Hijacking Hollywood, which has since opened doors for over 20 projects in the United States and abroad. Her feature credits include Employee of the Month (Jessica Simpson, Dane Cook), Mercenary for Justice (Steven Segal), Blind Horizon (Val Kilmer) and The Grey Zone, in which Brener plays a Jewish inmate alongside Mira Sorvino in Auschwitz. Brener has also been cast in numerous television shows in Israel, all during her three-year stay in the country a decade ago. Originally intending the trip to be a short visit, she was invited to be part of the popular nighttime drama Ramat Aviv Gimmel (comparable to The O.C.), and could not refuse the offer. Since the series was a hit off the bat, Brener became an overnight celebrity – a guest on every late-night talk show and the face on many magazine covers. While shooting, she was chosen to host Israeli MTV’s Singled Out (Carmen Electra and Jenny McCarthy had the same gig in the U.S.) and to do ad campaigns for Burger King, Planet Hollywood and Honda.
“My family was always in the press. I grew up in the spotlight with overachieving parents, which made me set higher personal goals.”
“Things happen so quickly in Israel,” she says. “There are only a few major television networks, so I had a fan base right away. Once I had a good amount of experience, I moved back to L.A., knowing I had an established name value.” Acting is just one of many passions for Brener, who’s shown equal interest in film production as a business venture. After wrapping her first two projects, psychological suspense thriller Session (starring Steven Bauer) and a short entitled Shoot (starring Jonathan Silverman), she went on to produce and star in the indie flick Unraveled. Brener also has two documentaries under her belt – one about her father, the sports figure, and the other about her husband, artist Bruce Rubenstein – both of which she produced, directed, wrote, shot and co-edited. She is now in the midst of moulding her production company, Brener Films, which is set to launch in early 2009. Despite her hectic schedule, Brener is never too busy for personal commitments, especially her husband and daughter Mila. Already a
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Ford model at three years old, Mila has been in ads and editorials for Fit Pregnancy, JC Penny, Self magazine, Disney and Women’s Wear Daily. Husband Bruce is an accomplished painter whose art is included in the collections of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wolfgang Puck and Mark Wahlberg. His murals decorate Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre, home of the Academy Awards, and he helped renovate and restore the Henry Fonda Theatre. In her downtime, Brener writes about the loves of her life in a monthly column in Shavua Israeli (Israeli Week), entitled “Café Latte with Shirly Brener.” She also composes poetry in Hebrew and English, which she hopes to publish in the future. Recognized behind the scenes for her giving nature, Brener is a philanthropist who volunteers and supports causes such as Narconon (a charity providing drug and alcohol treatment), Gan Hayeled (a nursery school), Yad BeYad (a charity giving homes to victimized children in Israel) and The Haifa Foundation (a non-profit organization improving life for Haifa residents). In whatever downtime is left over, Brener is an avid athlete and adventurous sports enthusiast who practices Bikram Yoga weekly and enjoys water skiing, windsurfing, hiking, tennis and, of course, regular workouts. She is also fond of traveling to exotic destinations (Africa, Greece, Bulgaria and Jamaica), as well as frequenting art exhibitions and museums around the globe. At home in L.A., Brener can often be found in her kitchen, whipping up creative recipes and compiling ideas for a cookbook she’d like to publish. She considers herself a gourmet chef, maybe even a future restaurant owner. “I try to be well balanced,” she says. “I think that people who only play the Hollywood game are self-involved and lead a very dull life. Acting is just one thing that floats my boat. I’m a very versatile person.”
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Photo courtesy of Merrill Nisker
Getting Into Peaches
Once you meet Peaches (aka Merrill Nisker), you never forget her.
A By Rena Godfrey
twinkling hot pink sequined brassiere, the sweet smell of marijuana in the air, and the crowd wildly screaming “F--k the pain away” as a blow-up penis bounces onstage. If you’ve ever been
to see Peaches in concert, these images will ring true, and if you haven’t, you have no idea what you’re missing. Peaches wasn’t always Peaches, yet her rise to fame as one of the pioneers of electroclash is equally as riveting as the forever-young looking 41-year-old herself.
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I had the pleasure of knowing Peaches (a.k.a. Merrill Nisker) in the late 70’s, when she was a tweener, absolutely adorable, and the comedian in her family. I was best friends with her older sister, and Merrill was best friends with my little sister. Many a good time was spent in the Nisker household. Her parents were very cool people, serving up amazing conversations and great snacks in their warm and open home. I was pleased as punch to learn that Merrill started getting hooked on music after hanging out at my house, singing along with my piano-playing brother. What an honour! Merrill taught herself to play guitar, and claims that she “can play many instruments, but not very well.” This lack of formal training certainly has not held her back.
As I followed Merrill’s career over the years, it all makes perfect sense how this electroclash phenomenon emerged, yet Merrill confesses that she had no plan or agenda. “It all just happened. I took old school sounds, mixed it in a machine and taped it.” Although at times she’s added dancers and a backup band as part of her entourage, Merrill’s music machine, the Rolland mc-505, is at the centre of her music. How many kids can say that they had “Peaches” at their fifth birthday party? Well, mine can! In the early 90’s, Merrill taught music for Associated Hebrew Schools in Toronto and entertained children at their birthday parties with her guitar and theatrical antics. At the same time, Merrill was exploring and experimenting with her own music; she was also in the band The Shit and in 1995 produced her first album, Fancypants Hoodlum. The “Peaches” persona emerged, pushing her into fame with her unusual, sexually-centered, gender-questioning and thought-provoking music. She has produced three albums, Teaches of Peaches, Father Fucker, and Impeach My Bush, and has just completed her fourth album, which is yet to be named.
I smiled with pseudo-sister pride as Merrill told me about her work; she has played with the likes of Elastica, Björk, Marilyn Manson and the Queens of the Stone Age. Even Merrill’s former roommate, indie singer-songwriter Feist (a.k.a. Leslie Feist), got in on her act as Bitch Lap Lap, a sock puppet. Merrill has done remixes for many musicians including Yoko Ono and the B52’s, and has guest appearances on albums by artists such as Iggy Pop and Pink. She’s also doing a huge spring/summer DJ tour across Europe this
“I’ve always stuck to my guns and trusted myself, making my own album and inventing my own way.” year. When asked about her favourite artists, she listed Diamada Galas, Iggy Pop, Nina Simone,
Grace Jones, Bowie and Prince. Merrill has a huge following all over the world – even Madonna can boast to having a signed pair of Peaches’ bikini bottoms. Merrill now lives in Berlin with her longtime boyfriend, Connie, who runs several underground music clubs in the Berlin area. Merrill is most proud of an art exhibit called “Peach Pit, a Fan Base,” which is a cave covered in human hair, constructed out of over three hundred articles of clothing thrown on stage during her shows. This art exhibit was installed at the Biennale de Montreal, 2007. Merrill hopes to be involved in more artistic projects in the future. Merrill’s secret to success: “I’ve always stuck to my guns and trusted myself, making my own album and inventing my own way.” The best part about doing this interview was recognizing that, underneath it all, Peaches is the highly original Merrill Nisker: unaffected, sweet, extremely bright and articulate. Always questioning, pushing the boundaries, forever evolving…a true artist. www.peachesrocks.com
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In conversation with Daniel Libeskind By Helen Hatzis
On September 17th, I had the opportunity to meet with Daniel Libeskind at his studio in New York, located a few blocks from Ground Zero. In 2003, Libeskindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s project proposal was selected over 1000 entries to be built in memory of the September 11, 2001 tragedy. 24 www.TheJewishMagazine.com October 2008 - 5769 in real years...
Born in Poland in 1946, Libeskind has become an architectural icon for his profound and multidisciplinary approach to his work. He is responsible for a number of projects that include: Jewish Museums in Berlin, San Francisco and Denmark, The Crystal at the Royal Ontario Museum, a War Museum, commercial developments, arts and culture centres, residential and theatre (to name a few). An artist, a father and a devoted husband, Libeskind is breaking ground to leave an indelible mark for future generations.
(c) SDL
(c) Michael Klinkhamer Photography
Originally coming from a respected musical background, as a virtuoso performer (accordion), why did you decide to no longer pursue music? I now play music in architecture because when you are a virtuosos performer you play in high class venues, and once you have reached that stage, you can’t be an amateur playing to yourself. But I think my musical passion didn’t stop. It continues in what I do as an architect. I’m interested in the acoustics of buildings, the composition of musical harmony in spaces. The way I conceive architecture to me is that it is close to music. Drawings are like musical notations. So the analogy of architecture is beyond just proportions, which is an ancient analogy – architecture is a very musical profession. It’s called frozen music but it is actually living music. You have made a tremendous mark in the world of architecture. At what point in your life did you make the realization that this is what you wanted to do? Was there an individual (mentor) who helped you come to this decision?
Not so early on, really. I was interested in mathematics and sciences, I love to draw and build things and so I guess it was perhaps when I first started university. But even then I thought I would do the arts. I encountered some incredible people in my education; John Hejduk (University of Copenhagen), Peter Eisenman and Richard Meier are some of the great architects and yes, that is when I realized it. The truth is, with architecture you can do anything because there are many disciplines in it, from theatre, sculpture, arts, philosophy, poetry, astronomy and so forth. When you take on a project…where does the inspiration come from? You have to find it. You have to be open to something that happens to you. Of course when you undertake a project, you have to look at it objectively and do the all the research, but that’s not the inspiration. The inspiration has to come from some encounter with the site, some encounter with the central idea of a building that needs to be addressed exactly in that place and that is not something that you can order. It either happens to you, or if it doesn’t, you produce very bad buildings (laughs). And if you are not
inspired, you should not do a building. It is quite apparent in your designs that you are a remarkable observer. You have said that architecture is a language. Looking at your span of work, what message are you hoping to convey to the public through your designs? It is! What you do should open a new horizon, a new encounter, an experience. It’s not just about abstract objects – it offers a new experience, and that experience is not only a physical experience (of course it is), but an experience of the spirit. An encounter of many things that are wondrous. And I think that’s what a building should do – it should inspire, it should be a creative entity that makes your blood rush, and not always confirming your feelings, your biases, but often challenging them in ways that are not expected. That’s what I think a good building is. As a child of Holocaust survivors, your list of designs include a number of Jewish museums. How does it feel to have been granted the opportunity to create museums for the Jewish community? Continues on page 26
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Continued from page 25
It is a great responsibility, you know, to speak on behalf of those who have no voices but are a part of our community. So building a Jewish museum, whether it is in Berlin or San Francisco, is something very important because for a very long time, there was no expression of Jewish identity when it came to Jewish history. How do you show something that has a message to it, that is beyond the tragedy, a positive and inspiring way to look at the world today? And I think each museum – I have been involved in a number of museums – have their different problems, different aspects. The Jewish Museum is about contemporary art, not about the Holocaust. It’s about the celebration of Jewish life in America and in the world, so that is a very different program from the Berlin museum, which
is projects I research in libraries and archives and think of what to do because they are so intertwined with my own life in every sense but emotionally in terms of what they meant. How did you feel when your project was selected? I was thrilled and I understood the responsibility that would ensue to navigate the labyrinth of difficulties, because the project is wrought with politics, with emotions, and it is not an easy project that you can make some drawings and say now I’m done. It’s a project that you have to continuously stay involved in and it’s a difficult project but it is one that I believe in, because I place tremendous importance in both sites.
“You have to be able to take a risk, you have to have a spiritual pact. it’s not just about getting jobs.” deals with the very tragic personal story, but it is important. And what is important is that others have come and not just Jewish people. Jewish people know the story. It is needed not just for them, but for others, so that tragedies will never repeat themselves and they can learn something about the world and what is going on today, to take that knowledge and become aware and to do something. How strange, bizarre and perplexing that the day the Berlin Jewish Museum was opened to the public, the tragedy of September 11, 2001 occurred. Everything is somehow connected in history events. There is a disconnect when visiting Ground Zero – it looks like a construction site with no visual recognition that that tragedy occurred. Well, it is coming back to life. And it’s strange, when I was young, I used to go to school here and the Twin Towers were being built at that time and it is very similar to how it looks now. It is strange and it is almost dreamlike that the site looks like that again! Except what is being constructed is certainly not the two towers. It is a very different idea of New York, a very different way of commemorating that event but also creating something inspiring and symbolic for our time. And whether it is the Jewish Museum in Berlin or whether it’s Ground Zero, there
Your work will leave a lasting impression on people because of the nature of your projects – from war museums to Holocaust remembrance to Ground Zero. Did you consciously set out to work on these types of projects or did it just happen organically? When I built the Imperial War Museum, it deals with ongoing conflicts in the world and not just for entertainment and of course for whatever reason, I have been involved in many of those projects. And it is not like I applied for those jobs – you have to be selected – yet with Ground Zero, where thousands entered their drawings, for some reason I was selected. What took you so long to start designing? Well, my wife calls me a late bloomer [laughing]. Architecture isn’t really what most people think it is – it isn’t about just building buildings. It is a cultural discipline. It is part of the humanistic art, not just engineering and not just the sciences, but literature and poetry; it’s what you call the liberal arts. Architecture is the matrix, the source of our society, and unless you can really delve into that world, you are just a technician making competent glossy buildings. But the truth is, I admire those who were not just architects. They did many other things before becoming an architect, and that is true in the Renaissance, when you take great architects like Michelangelo
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or Bernini. They were not just builders; they were writers, they were poets, they were thinkers, and I think that is the traditional architect. Speaking to our college-age demographic (enrolled in architectural studies), what advice would you offer them? You have to be willing to challenge the prevailing wisdom. I was just a theorist, but I challenged the many orthodoxies of what architecture was doing at the time. I was lucky to be selected for projects as a result of that. You have to be able to take a risk, you have to have a spiritual pact. It’s not just about getting jobs. I’m not one to give advice to people but I think you have to take the freedom you have and the responsibilities to the ethics and the social aspect of what you are doing, and to not conform to the guiding formulas of the prevailing wisdom. Can you comment on the remarkable foundation of your marriage to Nina? What a lucky guy I am. She is not just my wife but my partner. We share the same values, the same notion. And she comes from another kind of world. We share so many things that bind us together. She is not an architect but we collaborate and work together. If I was alone, I might have given up long ago. Is there a project you aspire to work on? You know, I would love to do a synagogue. That’s true! That would be interesting! Architect: what does that mean to you? Someone who builds the stage for life. Someone who grounds reality – reality is permanently shifting. When we watch the media and we look at what’s happening in the world, we think that everything is changing but architecture provides stability. It is something that grounds us in the world, something that gives us stability. Architecture show us permanence. That is why we admire buildings across time, across cultures, because we have the feeling of communicating the stories of that time. Everything is architecture. What’s with your black boots? It was coincidental many years ago. I was in Berlin and I was going to speak in Montana. And no one believed that I would go to Montana – New York, Chicago yes, but not Montana. So I bought these boots at the spur of the moment and I have never gotten out of them. It suits my day! They are kind of meant to walk in a direction without any ambiguity.
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The Burning Bush By Tracey Erin Smith
What Would Your Life Look Like On Stage? Burning Bush gives you the stage, you take it from there.
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or the last five years I have been teaching a workshop that helps people take stories from their own lives and transform them into a solo performance piece. I call my workshop Soul-OTheatre®.
I spell it Soul-o to convey two things: the performance is a solo act which allows you to share a bit of your soul on stage. In my class you are given the chance to relay your story in a creative way so that others may bear witness to your heroic journey, whatever it may be. You could choose to write about the time you were busted by the police in junior high, your first J-Date at Bagel World, or when you visited your father in the hospital for the last time. The event itself doesn’t matter; what is important is the impact it had on your life and how you tell it. Participants have said it is one of the bravest and most exhilarating things they’ve ever done. As a teacher, I watch new students I’ve never met before transform from strangers into threedimensional human beings with unique stories and voices. I am always surprised and moved by what can come out of seemingly ‘average people’ (and by the way, no such thing!). I love teaching this class. I think of the process as ‘theatrical-alchemy’ because it can transform a real life experience into a polished performance. Because you are the actor, writer, director and star of your own life story, you have poetic license to describe or act out your life-changing event any way you want. You can play the ukulele, sing, knit, write poetry or imitate one of your relatives. Any talent you have, you are encouraged to use. In telling their stories, some students have played a range of different characters, others have played their own grandmothers in the first
person over a cup of tea, others have found the humour in difficult situations and shown how far they have come since the event. One man wrote an original song as a tribute to his wife, and one of my favourites was at a Jewish retreat in New Hampshire where a woman dressed up as a ‘New Age Parenting Guru,’ wearing a white sheet
“
Because you are the actor, writer, director and star of your own life story, you have poetic license to describe or act out your life-changing event any way you want.
”
fastened with huge child-proof safety pins into a toga and a diaper on her head as a turban. In her piece she addressed the audience as if they were attendees at a spiritual parenting conference and unveiled the secrets of how to meditate to the tune of Sharon Lois and Bram’s ‘Skidamarink a dink a dink, skidamarink a doo.’ The crowd, especially the new parents, loved it.
less likely to want to judge someone we have felt compassion for and in whom we can see ourselves. Through telling our stories we share our struggles, accomplishments, hurts, dreams, fears and loves. In modern society these are mostly kept to ourselves or maybe shared with an intimate. When we bear witness to others’ pain, and joy, we start to know that we are not alone in our struggles. This is one of the most healing things for individuals and their communities. Together we also make the celebrating of our life-journeys that much more rich. How incredible that we live in a time and a place where we are free to tell our stories and to open our hearts to the stories of others. We are all teachers. We are all life long students. And there is so much hard won wisdom to be shared. What have you lived through? What have you learned? What would your life look like on stage?
For more information on courses taught by Tracey Erin Smith visit: www.theburningbush.ca
In the process of developing the pieces we also investigate the plots and characters of classic stories. We use these stories to help us along with the narrative. We see what story is most similar to what you are living now or have lived through in the past. For example, “When have you felt like Jonah trapped in the belly of the whale or like the ugly duckling in your family?” Or suppose you’ve just received the Ten Commandments from G-d and you want to share them with your buddies, but no one will listen to you because they’re all partying and dancing on a golden calf. Could happen! I make the bold statement that personal storytelling can save the world. That is because when we hear someone else’s stories, they become more human to us. And we are far
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The Other Seinfeld This Seinfeld has also made his mark in the entertainment business. By Cara Edell
Photos courtesy of Teravision
He may be Jerry Seinfeld's second cousin, but this New York native isn't in the funny business. He is, however, in the entertainment industry, and by definition, he's also a male performer.
K
nown by fans as “Spyder Jonez” and member of punk band Biohazard, Evan Seinfeld is a porn star and heavy metal vocalist. Born in 1967 to Jewish parents Ira and Lois, Seinfeld still identifies with the religion, but has “always coloured outside the lines.” Growing up in Brooklyn, Seinfeld’s father was a Hebrew school teacher and head counsellor at a summer camp. His family celebrated the holidays and belonged to a Reform synagogue, where Seinfeld was Bar Mitzvahed. Though his upbringing was traditional, Seinfeld’s ambitions were not, and from an early age he craved escape from his lacklustre life. “I loved the rabbi, but I didn’t really like the people at my temple. They were a bunch of yentas, for lack of a better word. Everyone was all up in everybody’s business and the common thread between the Jews was complaining,” he says. Seinfeld needed an escape, and for him that diversion was music. “My parents never really supported any of my career choices,” he says. “When I told them I wanted to be a rock star in my teenage years, they kind of laughed at me. But when I started touring around the world, 5 million albums later, they began to have faith.” For 20 years, Seinfeld was branded the lead singer and bassist of Biohazard, although the gig is not his only claim to fame. He’s notorious for producing, directing and acting in adult films, having gained on-screen experience in television. Before making movies, Seinfeld portrayed Jaz Hoyt in the HBO prison drama Oz – leader of the biker gang and ally of the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist racist group. He had several nude scenes in the series, which often focused on his penis. “When I first appeared on Oz, I was cursing and I was naked, and my parents were like, ‘Why couldn’t you be on a nice show like your cousin Jerry?’” he says (noting that Jerry refuses to meet him). “They’re the typical Jewish parents who, when you’d come home with a 99 percent on your English test, would ask, ‘What happened to the other point?’” In certain episodes of the series, Seinfeld’s Star of David tattoo is visible on his stomach.
He says about 75 percent of his body is inked, but the Jewish symbol is one of his most meaningful markings. Seinfeld got the tattoo in 1992 after visiting Dachau, the Nazi concentration camp, and sees it as a historical reminder. Being on Oz for almost six years got Seinfeld noticed by his current wife, Linda Ann Hopkins, known professionally as Tera Patrick, one of the world’s most popular female porn stars. Back in the ‘90s, Patrick was a fan of the show, saw Seinfeld run naked across the screen, and contacted him “in hopes of getting married,” he says. During the taping of Oz, Seinfeld lived in New York, dividing his attention between his series, his album and his young son. Patrick was in L.A., and given that he couldn’t fly out to meet her, Seinfeld started a long-distance relationship and fell in love over the phone. In 2004, Seinfeld married Patrick in Las Vegas, where they were attending the AVN Awards show (the Oscars of porn). Seinfeld says his transition to the adult film industry was in support of his wife, who switched from soft to hardcore porn in 2000. Because of her loyalty to
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Seinfeld, Patrick initially only wanted to have sex with her husband in her movies, and since he didn’t want to hold her up, Seinfeld agreed to star alongside her. At first they shot scenes together, and then with other women, but in 2006, for the first time in over three years, Patrick performed in a production with two other male actors. In the same film, Seinfeld performed with porn star Lanny Barbie, having gotten approval from Patrick. “My wife and I are monogamous in our private lives,” he says. “We’re very much in love. Being an adult film actor gives me the latitude to be able to have my cake and eat it too – to have a beautiful wife who connects with me spiritually and physically and to be able to have sex with other girls with no strings attached. It would never occur to me to meet some girl on the street and ask her for her number. My wife knows what I do on camera and we have our own ground rules, and it works for us.” Seinfeld has performed with Patrick in seven films under the name Spyder Jonez, including Reign of Tera, Teradise Island, Tera, Tera, Tera
and Desperate. In the final scene of Reign of Tera, Seinfeld is the sole male in an orgy featuring 10 Asian porn stars. He says he’s never starred in a film that he hasn’t also produced or directed, and doesn’t know what it’s like to be talent for hire. Aside from the sex, freedom and independence of his job, it’s the money that turns him on. “Porn is the only profitable part of the entertainment industry that’s not controlled by corporate America. It’s the wild west of films. Corporate America is afraid to attach themselves to it because of the ramifications. God knows in America we have violence, drugs, wars, but God forbid we see someone’s boobs – then we’re all going to hell.”
" My parents never really supported any of my career choices. When I told them I wanted to be a rock star in my teenage years, they kind of laughed at me. But when I started touring around the world, 5 million albums later, they began to have faith." The stigma attached to porn is what originally concerned Seinfeld’s parents, but he says with age “they’ve mellowed out a bit.” He credits his wife for being the glue between him and his folks, holding their relationship together when he’s not able. Though Patrick isn’t Jewish (she’s half Christian, half Buddhist), she loves his family and culture so much that she considers herself “Jewish by injection.” Relating to Seinfeld’s parents, who now reside in Florida for most of the year, has gained Patrick brownie points. When Seinfeld and his buddies go on weekend “guy excursions,” she hangs out with his parents in their retirement community. Patrick fits right in with the bubbies and zaidies, going for early-bird specials, shopping at flea markets and playing shuffle board. Thanks to Patrick’s interest in Judaism, Seinfeld continues to maintain certain traditions, yet puts his own twist on the customs. “As a Jew who eats Chinese food on Christmas every year, I always felt that life should be like a menu – you pick and choose what you desire,” he says. “To be Jewish is to be creative.” With that philosophy, Seinfeld celebrates “Fake Chanukah” on Black Friday every year after Thanksgiving. He and his relatives gather at his Long Island home to commemorate the holiday before his parents jet to Florida for the winter months. Alias aside, Seinfeld says he’s “just a regular guy” trying to be the best son, father and husband he can. Compared to his comedian cousin Jerry, he may seem like a rebel, but if you ask his aunts and uncles, “Jerry’s the real piece of crap!” For more info on Evan and Tera: terapatrick.com, rockstarpimp.com and www.myspace.com/thespyderz
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October 4 & 5
October 22 – 26
October 29
Explore the vibrant art community in the city from sunset to sunrise. Born in Paris, France in 2003, these all night exhibitions, installations, performances and discoveries were such a success that the idea was exported to cities across the world including Rome, Brussels, Madrid, and Tel Aviv. Free event. 416.338.0338 www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca
Canada’s most acclaimed International Environmental Film and Video festival showcasing compelling documentaries, animation, dramatic features, shorts, and experimental works. Planet in Focus promotes the use of film and video to frame and explore social and ecological focal points, and as a catalyst for awareness, discussion and action. 416.531.1769 www.planetinfocus.org
For the past 84 years, Canadian HadassahWIZO’s muchanticipated annual shopping extravaganza has attracted thousands of shoppers from Toronto’s multicultural communities with the opportunity to hunt for bargains, enjoy ethnic food and participate in a unique city wide event. Exhibition Place Hall B. 416.630.8373 http://wizo3.zedsolutions.com/bazaar.aspx
Scotiabank Nuit Blanche
October 11-25 Bella Tuscany
New works of art by four Canadian artists – Jan Davidson, Roxana Sato, Dawn Angela Seely, and Sandra Iafrate – who have spent this past September traveling the Tuscan countryside to capture its beauty in paintings will be unveiled at this Scollard Street Gallery exhibition. Come and enjoy a visual journey of Tuscany captured on canvas through the eyes of these talented artists! Opening reception Oct. 11 6:30-9 pm, artists in attendance. 647.436.9784, www. scollardstreetgallery.com
October 17 - 27 Toronto AfterDark Film Festival
This critically acclaimed film festival features new horror, sci-fi, fantasy, action, animated and cult films from around the world, including a number of award-winning features and shorts. Last year, the festival was attended by over 6,500 enthusiastic film fans and over 100 members of press and industry. This year’s third annual event expands to eight nights of cinematic mayhem. Price: $12. www.torontoafterdark.com
October 19 Zombie Walk
Calling all zombies with a hunger for human brains! The sixth annual zombie walk takes place on the evening of October 19th, starting off at Queen’s Park. The zombie walk occurs when the living dead rise from their graves and roam the streets of Toronto, looking for human brains. So get out your fake blood and extra limbs and make sure you come hungry. Free event. www.torontozombiewalk.ca
Planet In Focus
Hadassah Bazaar
October 23
Until October 29
In support of Mount Sinai Hospital’s Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre, this is a rare opportunity to view some of Toronto’s most prestigious collections of art and antiques. Please help us “open the door” to a cure for breast cancer. Sponsored by Mount Sinai Hospital. The event will take place at the Four Seasons Hotel. 416. 586.4800 x4681 www.behindcloseddoorsmsh.ca
More than 90 pairs of shoes, boots and moccasins will showcase the designs, methods of creation and beautiful patterns of decoration by Aboriginal peoples of North America, at the Bata Shoe Museum. The exhibition will feature a vast array of 19th century moccasins, with several examples from the 18th and 20th centuries as well. $4-$12. 416.979.7799 www.batashoemuseum.ca
October 26
Nov 5
Mount Sinai Hospital’s “Behind Closed Doors”
Lenny Kravitz
After releasing his first studio album in four years - It’s Time for a Love Revolution - Lenny Kravitz has embarked on the Love Revolution Tour. He’ll be rocking the ACC with an upcoming Toronto stop. The singer/ songwriter/guitarist blends funk, soul and jazz together with his latest offering and has recently completed the “Get on the Bus with The Love Revolution Tour.” It’s Time for a Love Revolution debuted at the #4 spot on the Billboard chart in February. Price: $39.50-$79.50. (416) 870-8000 www.lennykravitz.com
Bonnie Stern: Friday Night Suppers
Bonnie’s newest cookbook focuses on Friday night suppers that bring the warmth of family, friends and food together. Treat yourself to a special “Shabbat on Wednesday” complete with tastings, hosted by Rabbi Elyse Goldstein and Bonnie Stern. $36 by pre-registration only. 416.636.1880 ext. 385 for further details. The event is sponsored by Kolel: The Adult Centre For Liberal Jewish Learning. www.kolel.org
November 10
Greenstein & Co.’s Auction House
October 26
Israel Film Festival Charity Fundraiser
Beauty, Identity, Pride
Women in Motion is proud to present the award-winning Israeli film, NOODLE, on October 26th at 3:30pm at the Sheppard Grande. All proceeds go to One Family Fund, an organization that supports victims of terror in Israel. $25 General Admission. wim.boxoffice@gmail.com or 416-650-9696
Devoted entirely to antique and artisan Judaica (some dating back to the 18th century, and originating from all over the world), this auction features more than 100 ceremonial objects including menorahs, Kiddush cups, silver torah ornaments, spice boxes, paintings and much more. Starts 5:30 pm at Radisson Martinique Hotel (New York, NY), but for those unable to attend the auction, pre-sale bidding and phone bidding will be offered. www.jgreenstein.com
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TJM’S events in the city
photos courtesy of Reena Foundation
photo courtesy of Women’s Auxiliary of the Baycrest Foundation
Were you here?
TJM staffers were out and about covering exciting events all over the city.
(l-r) Body Brains Beauty speaker Patricia Lovett-Reid, co-chair Charlotte Tessis, moderator Linda Frum, co-chair Martine Moubazaz, Women's Auxiliary president Joanne Nisker, and speaker Sue Johanson.
(l-r) Tali Nizic, Duchess of York, Gary Sim, Spencer Simon, Heather Goose, Dayna Bleeman and Jody Steinhauer
WHO? WHAT?
Reena Foundation - Ladies High Tea with The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson
Body, Brains & Beauty
WHERE? WHEN? “Getting healthy, wealthy and wild” was the theme of the second annual Body, Brains and Beauty forum, presented by the Women’s Auxiliary of the Baycrest Foundation and sponsored by Rexall/Pharma Plus.
On Thursday, September 18, 2008 at the Windsor Arms Hotel, approximately 200 women gathered to have tea and scones with The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson.
The fundraiser, held on Wednesday September 17, 2008 at Adath Israel Synagogue, featured three guest speakers – Sue Johanson, former host of the Sunday Night Sex Show; Patricia Lovett-Reid, senior vice president of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.; and Dr. Joey Shulman, nutrition and weight-loss expert – and was moderated by Linda Frum, renowned author and columnist for the National Post. In an attempt to formally address a bunch of informal topics that women discuss on a daily basis, the event was both educational and entertaining.
Since 1973, the Reena Foundation, along with their dedicated volunteers, have committed to improving the quality of life of individuals with developmental disabilities. And since opening their first group home in 1975, Reena has provided the sector with skilled and compassionate leadership. It has developed pioneering programs that create and maintain an environment that respects and promotes dignity, individuality, independence and freedom of choice.
Attendees learned the “secret to authentic success” through Lovett-Reid’s personal finance pep-talk, discovered Shulman’s tips for healthy living and found pleasure participating in Johanson’s orgasmic crash-course. Lunch was preceded by “Stretch and Kvetch”, a workout led by Edna Levitt of 50+ Fitness, who helped the ladies tone their arms and abs through a series of indoor exercises.
QUOTE? “For shopaholics of the group, boutiques were set up in the lobby, with vendors selling jewellery, purses, picture frames and clothing items. Most delightful was a booth showcasing “The H’Art of Baycrest,” where hand-crafted pieces created by residents could be purchased. Ceramic mezuzah covers, matzah boxes, vases, bead necklaces and holiday cards were on display, adding a touch of warmth to the occasion. Door prizes were an added bonus, ranging from restaurant gift certificates to magazine subscriptions to tickets for a television taping. Most definitely an example of girl power, the venture was a success worth repeating for many years to come!” shared Cara Edell.
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Complimenting their mandate was their featured guest speaker Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York. The Duchess has worked tirelessly to promote and educate the masses with her mission to provide aid to forgotten children around the world. In her address, she informed the guests of the inhumane treatment of individuals living with disabilities and in crisis. In 1993, she founded Children in Crisis. Its mission is to provide aid to forgotten children around the world. It was evident that the Duchess was impressed with the Reena Foundation and plans to share their remarkable cutting edge programming with organizations worldwide.
QUOTE? “I want to share the Reena introductory video we just viewed with the hospice in Romania that ties children to their bed for twelve hours a day. Reena Foundation has demonstrated that if given the time and understanding, individuals with developmental disabilities can lead a wonderful life, and for that, I thank you Reena Foundation for your outstanding work!” Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York.
photos courtesy of Liam O’Neill
Or here? The Koffler Family
WHO? WHAT?
Living Legacy Endowment Fund CoChairs – Four Women, Four Passions, One Cause…Helping Humanity On Monday, September 22, 2008 at the home of Marsha and Michael Lax, the Living Legacy Endowment Fund Co-Chairs, Clara Cooper and Hinda Silber, along with Mount Sinai Hospital President & CEO Joesph Mapa and Mount Sinai Hospital Auxiliary President Carole Grafstein and 140 guests and guest performer Michael Burgess, gathered to honour the four Koffler women: Marvelle, Theo, Tiana and Anna for their remarkable philanthropic endeavours.
Marvelle Koffler addressing guests
WHERE? WHEN?
Their combined volunteerism has resulted in devoting immeasurable time and effort to organizations such as: TSO women’s committee, Weizmann Institute of Science, UJA Federation (Women’s division), breast health awareness and care, arts and education, Crohn’s and Colitis awareness, Baycrest Hospital, State of Israel Bonds, Simon Wiesenthal Centre and peace advocacy and awareness in conflict and post conflict communities (Middle East and Africa) to name a few. The Living Legacy Endowment Fund is a timeless gift that keeps on giving. It provides financial stability for an organization which makes long-range planning possible and protects an organization in the years when other revenue is reduced. Only the income from the invested funds is used for specific Hospital-related projects and critical needs. This year, the income generated, approximately $450,000, will benefit the Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre.
The Koffler women: (l-r) Tiana Koffler Boyman, Anna Koffler, Marvelle Koffler, Theo Koffler
The Auxiliary’s Living Legacy was created to help provide The Best Medicine for generations to come.
QUOTE? “Working together in service of humanity,” as described by Theo Koffler, “is the essence that motivates the spirit of philanthropy of the Koffler women.” All four women have followed diverse paths in bettering the world, Israel and Toronto. Their lives and their passions weave an intricate path of accomplishments in helping organizations and individuals reach their fullest potential.
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Ariel Freiberg: Emerging young artist From Israel to Florence, this artist has found her inspiration. By Cassie Beth Friedman
K
eep your eyes peeled for a bold and daring artist that might be moving to Toronto. Ariel Freiberg paints risqué human portraits in Boston, where she has lived since university, but is considering coming north. “I love that Toronto is such an international city,” said Freiberg. “I’ve been there a few times and am coming to visit in a few months.” Freiberg added that the decision to move to Canada will depend on both herself and her husband. “If I do come I want to teach art and set up a studio.” Freiberg has loved art since she was a young child, but became more focused in college. Though she decided to pursue an art career while studying at Boston University, Freiberg remembers her first inspiration from a trip to Italy when she was 12. She was at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence when Botticelli’s Primavera painting caught her eye. “It was the first painting that really inspired me. I knew then that I had to use my art to convey a message,” she said. Another country that guided her interest in the craft is Israel, where Freiberg spent much of her youth. Her mother is Israeli, so they took many trips to the homeland to see family. She felt a strong connection to the land there and one of her favourite parts of those visits was seeing art galleries in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. “Visiting art museums when I travelled had a strong influence on my desire to be an artist,” she said. Freiberg’s work has certainly grown since those childhood trips. In high school Freiberg tried various types of art, but preferred painting. “It spoke to me deeply and was the best way I could express myself,” she said.
She continued to study the craft at Boston University and worked with British artist John Walker, who taught her to have a free spirit in the studio and be willing to take risks. After graduating at 24, Freiberg started painting portraits for work. But rather than rely on her own eye, Freiberg first took pictures of her clients and listened to their ideas. “The secret to creating an interesting portrait is exaggerating the characteristics that stand out in your mind,” she said.
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Photographs helped her focus on those traits and speaking to her clients ensured they would be happy. Over time, Freiberg’s portraits got racier. One summer, about four years ago, she realized the limitations of her more religious attitudes. She worked with new models and sought the extreme – sexuality – to make her work seem more real. Her work still focuses on female ideas and femininity, but is now more suggestive. The insight for her work comes from her daily life; simple things like shoe stores, meeting new people and other artists inspire her. Freiberg also appreciates those who helped her by giving back as a teacher at Boston College. “I like watching people discover something new,” she said. “Some students are using the materials for the first time. They’re pretty scared, but it’s nice to see them grow more confident.” Freiberg is more interested in connecting with others than becoming famous for her work. She hopes to dig deep within herself to create work that really impacts people, rather than attract critics. “Essentially art is a pretty isolating experience,” said Freiberg. “It comes from somewhere down inside of you.” Freiberg digs deep to create something that is real, and in the end she hopes her artwork will make others happy.
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Photo by Helen Hatzis
strategic partnerships” up the pipeline – which the two will not reveal as this article goes to print (a radio deal in the works is all they’ll say) – the staff at Andpop.com work around the clock chasing actors and musicians both domestically and south of the border to get the latest “it” celebrity interviews and fodder for their blogs, which are often more current and revealing than many provided by Canada’s national media outlets, such as MuchMusic and MTV Canada. Until now, the largest syndication deal the two have garnered has been with Fuelcast, a media syndication company that produces news and entertainment sound bites to consumers as they pump their gas in Esso Stations across the GTA.
“From the start, we were able to break news that some of the major media outlets would only post the next day because we never slept.”
Local Thornhillers offer a new twist on entertainment From an after school hobby to garnering deals with major players, Andpop.com is one of Canada’s hottest growing entertainment outlets. By Orly Borovitch
W
e know you probably wait till the little orange line is completely flat on the empty gauge to do it, with exorbitant gas prices breaking records these days, but if you’ve refueled in the past few years at an Esso Station, you’ve likely guzzled your celebrity dish at the same time from the TV screens above the pumps. When Andpop.com founders Adam Gonshor, 25 and Mike Levine, 25 – Thornhillers From Birth (TBH) – designed a website laden with music- and technology-related articles seven years ago while still in high school, little did they know they’d be signing syndication deals with the likes of Yahoo! Canada, AOL, and Fuelcast for their articles, only a few short years later. The website, which they designed out of their childhood bedrooms, was conceived as a means of plumping up their portfolios to get into Ryerson University. The site is now Canada’s most visited independent entertainment website, featuring a constantly updated mélange of celebrity interviews and gossip tailored for a hip hop and urban demographic.
While these two high school buddies from Thornhill may look like two guys you went to Hebrew school with, they are the unassuming founders of www.andpop.com, Canada’s “mostread privately held entertainment site and reaches 4 million readers monthly,” according to reportonbusiness.com. “From the start, we were able to break news that some of the major media outlets would only post the next day because we never slept,” says Levine, sipping his cappuccino at a local Starbucks with his business partner, Robert Ostfield. Ostfield, 22, who met the Andpop creators at a Jewish frat party (AEPi) and later took the reigns from Gonshor when he ventured off into other journalistic projects, joined the Andpop team a couple years after its inception. But andpop.com, which might have begun as a means to an end, has actually evolved into a corporate success virtually overnight. With a handful of significant syndication deals already in play, and another few more “major
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The two agree that it is their persistence and strong work ethic – which they greatly attribute to their Jewish roots – that has definitely paved the path to their success. “We noticed about two years into it that record labels and agents were starting to notice us and let us access the artists more,” says Levine. Ostfield, who brings his business acumen to the table and focuses on the growth and development of the company, adds that “If we were in LA or NY, it would be a lot harder for us to get interviews with Puff Daddy and The Kooks, but here we’re filling editorial content that is void in Canada.” Creating “something from nothing” is a phenomenon Levine says he has patterned after his grandparents, with whom he says he relates more than with his parents since they made a life for themselves here in Canada after moving from Europe with virtually no belongings or wealth. “The Jewish mentality is to work hard and we did. When Adam and I started Andpop.com in my house, we started with nothing,” Levine reminisces. But the two are definitely not shrinking violets. They are proud of their accomplishments and say that they pioneered free video performances and interviews on their website before the word YouTube was ever part of our vernacular. Perks and quirks of the job? “Yeah, there are quite a few,” says Ostfield. Celebrity brushes with Matt Damon, Carrie Underwood, the Olsen twins, Heidi Montag of MTV’s The Hills, Estelle, The Tokyo Police Club and hanging out with Hilary Duff when she’s in town may be fun, but the prize for the most uncomfortable interview might as well go to Paulie Shore who was being interviewed by one of their own female reporters at the HMV at Yonge and Dundas, when he tried to pick up another reporter by gnawing at her knuckles. Okay, so maybe it’s not all that glamorous.
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Montreal Mensch
To contact Montreal Mensch with anything on your mind, email her at MontrealMensch@TheJewishMagazine.com
By Sarah Pearson
Long live theatre! From the Tarragon in Toronto to the inauguration of the Segal Centre for Performing Arts in Montreal, our own Montreal Mensch professes her love for the arts.
I
n the four years I lived in Toronto, I became enamoured with the city’s thriving theatre scene. Hitting the PWYC Sunday matinées at the Tarragon was a regular habit of mine, and I stalked the Soulpepper rush-ticket lines like a hawk. I grew used to recognizing the actors onstage from Road To Avonlea episodes or “Part of our Heritage” commercials, or munching on my Sushi On Bloor lunch specials alongside Stratford superstars. That’s just the kind of city Toronto is for theatre: current and very cool.
That’s why the recent official inauguration of the Segal Centre for Performing Arts is so big a deal for performing artists in this city. Renovations have been underway for over a year to prepare the new-and-improved performance space at the Saidye Bronfman Centre in Montreal. The official ribbon-cutting took place this past August, and with it, the start of a new fresh page in the world of English theatre for the city. Not only an improved performance space but new internships, apprenticeships and training programs have made the Saidye Bronfman Centre a lighthouse of culture for this town.
It’s not like a Montrealer to sing the praises of the Big Smoke, but I’m one of those rare Montrealers who actually likes Toronto. It was a bit of a shock when I returned to my hometown after finishing university to discover (or, at least, be unpleasantly reminded) that what Montreal gains in cheap eats and uber-cool live music, it lacks in English theatre.
Us Anglo Montrealers have typically always had two main theatres. One is the Centaur Theatre, our Old-Montreal mainstage for professional English drama; the other is the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts. The Saidye is a privately-run centre promoting visual and performing arts, and includes studio space, performance space, and until recently, studio courses in visual arts and drama. Tucked in the heart of a very Jewish neighbourhood, on the same block as the Jewish Library and the Holocaust museum, the centre is very much rooted in the cultural background of its namesake. Growing up, I’ve always associated the Saidye with being a “Jewish” centre. And sure enough, their annual lineups typically include Jewish-themed plays, playwrights and the much sought-after Yiddish theatre. But it’s only upon my return to the city two years ago, as I’ve explored in desperation different outlets for seeing live drama, that I’ve begun to appreciate
Classical and indie-rock musicians can make comfortable livings in this town. English-speaking theatre actors, typically, can not. Though there is a vibrant and supportive independent community theatre scene here, centred mainly around Fringe theatre alumni who haunt the cheap studio spaces for their DIY productions, there’s a noticeable lack of professional, world-class English theatre. Makes sense, when you think about it, since this is after all a French city.
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what a cultural powerhouse this centre is for the entire English-Montreal community. The Leanor and Alvin Segal Centre for the Performing Arts is the recently-renovated arts space in the Saidye building, boasting a new mandate for the Saidye: to focus primarily on performing arts. In the past, the Saidye has divided its focus between theatre and visual arts. Now, not only is the centre putting on an annual 6-play season on their mainstage, but more attention has been given to performing arts education. Starting this fall, they have been offering teen and adult courses in music, acting, clowning, and circus arts. A brand-new professional training program for technical theatre starting this fall is helping aspiring technicians gain experience in a unionized, professional environment. All this outreach for a privately-funded organization is unique; quite often, arts centres turn to community outreach and education as a way of qualifying for more government grants. I was wrong in assuming that the Saidye is a Jewish-community space alone. Yes, listening to Côte-St-Luc Bubbies compare notes on their grandsons’ Bar Mitzvah parties may indeed be what you’d expect on an intermission bathroom trip. But Bubbies aren’t the only season subscribers (though they are probably the loudest), and the centre certainly does not exist for Jewish patrons alone. It’s a philanthropic cultural hub serving the entire community, reaching out, as it should, to better the world through art.
For personal astrological consultations with ELI7, email eli7@writeme.com
ARIES (March 21 - April 19) Everything seems to be running smoothly for you, but don’t get too comfortable. While good things are happening, you can never be too prepared for the unexpected. In effect, the unexpected is around the corner but you can circumvent it by exercising modesty and an air of aloofness.
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22) The Sun is your sign and all your senses are in tune. Seize this opportunity to make a conscious decision about what you want to achieve over the next year and the steps you need to get there. Celebrate today and then tomorrow, take step number one.
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20) There are productive ways to channel an abundance of sexual energy besides the obvious. While your hormones are running rampant for unexplained reasons, you stand to find more fulfillment in spiritual endeavors rather than superficial play
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21) To fight or to love? That is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the heart to fight for what you believe in or love everything you have is a question only you can answer. Yes, some things are worth fighting for, but at what expense of the things you love?
GEMINI (May 21 - June 21) You see both sides of the coin as crystal clear. Now the challenge is to choose which side you’re on. You can sit forever and debate the pros and cons but if you wait for too long, neither option will be right and you’ll be back to square one – finding a new coin.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21) There are times when you feel the world is so huge you can escape anywhere and start fresh. Now is not that time. Well, sort of. You feel like you could escape but deep down you know that in order for your problems to go away, you have to settle them where you are first.
CANCER (June 22 - July 22) It’s hard to tell what other people have on their agendas but even more difficult to figure out what’s on your own. You hover between a number of important decisions and form strategies based on what how you think others will react. Between the 19th and 21st things will become clearer.
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19) You have friends in high and low places. This gives you perspective since you see how much you’ve achieved and how far you still have to go. Don’t discount those beneath you though, because all it takes is someone like you to pull them up so that someone like you can be pulled up by others in return.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18) Big changes are on the horizon. The plans have been in the works for a while and as you get closer to the big change day, you experience a new level of anxiety and anticipation. It’s natural to want everything to be perfect, but how much of your sanity will you sacrifice?
LEO (July 23 - August 22) Others think you’ve disappeared, but that’s only because you’ve been spending a lot of time by yourself these days. Now it’s time to go socialize. It will feel like your birthday all over again with all the attention because your friends feel like they haven’t seen you in forever.
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22) You’ve had plenty of opportunities thrown at you lately and while you feel like you’ve made the best decisions, you’re still hankering on the question ‘what if I chose the other option?’ Well, you didn’t, so embrace where you are and forget yesterday.
PISCES ( February 19 - March 20) It’s never too late to start saving your money or managing it better. Any financial plans you start putting in order now will stand to benefit you tremendously later. Though it seems petty, remember that every dollar counts and you’ll be thankful for it later.
ELI7 has been following the movement of stars and planets ever since she can remember. She has studied Western astrology, the Chinese zodiac and the Mayan calendar for over ten years and has a firm grasp on the movement of the cosmos. Having consulted people one on one for many years, she finally has found a home with The Jewish Magazine, ready to counsel you with your planetary alignments.
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Happy New Year!
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Information compiled By TJM Staff
DavidBowie
CourtneyLove
Born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947, Bowie is an English musician, actor, producer, arranger, and audio engineer. Active in five decades of rock music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is regarded as an influential innovator, particularly for his work through the 1970s.
Courtney Michelle Love (born Courtney Michelle Harrison on July 9, 1964) is an American rock musician and Golden Globe-nominated actress. Love is best known as lead singer, songwriter and lyricist for the alternative rock band Hole and for her two-year marriage to late Nirvana lead singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain.
David Robert Jones was born in Brixton, London, to a father from Tadcaster in Yorkshire and a Jewish mother. Bowie’s interest in music sparked at the age of nine, when his father brought home a collection of American 45s. Bowie’s enthusiasm for players like Charles Mingus and John Coltrane led his mother to give him a plastic saxophone for Christmas in 1959.
Courtney Michelle Harrison was born in San Francisco, California to a family of Irish and Jewish descent. She regards herself as “a nice Jewish girl.” Love’s biological family broke up soon after her birth, and she spent a troubled childhood with her mother, who married and divorced three times, and temporarily settled in many hippie communes in Oregon.
Graduating to a real instrument, he formed his first band in 1962, the Konrads. He then played with various blues/beat groups. Although he released an album and numerous singles earlier, David Bowie first caught the eye and ear of the public in the autumn of 1969, when his space-age mini-melodrama “Space Oddity” reached the top five of the UK singles chart. After a three-year period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era as flamboyant, androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust. In 1975, Bowie achieved his first major American crossover success with the number-one single “Fame” and the hit album Young Americans. After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie found success with hit 1980 single “Ashes to Ashes” and its parent album, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps); the 1981 UK chart-topper “Under Pressure,” with Queen; and his most profitable project, 1983 album Let’s Dance. In the BBC’s 2002 poll of the 100 Greatest Britons, Bowie ranked 29. Throughout his career he has sold an estimated 196 million albums, and ranks among the ten best-selling acts in UK pop history. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 39th on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Love began her professional music career with a brief stint as the lead singer of Faith No More. In 1987 she moved to L.A. with fellow musician Kat Bjelland, beginning a period in which Love would form bands with Bjelland only to be ousted by her from each. The pair first formed a band in L.A. with Jennifer Finch called Sugar Baby Doll. In 1989, she taught herself to play guitar and set out to form her own band. Eric Erlandson responded to her ad in Flipside and the two cofounded Hole, playing their first gig in November 1989 and releasing singles on independent label Sympathy for the Record Industry. The band’s debut album Pretty on the Inside was released in early 1991 and was produced by Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and Don Fleming of the band Gumball. It sold well for an independent release and received ecstatic reviews. Love met Kurt Cobain on January 12, 1990, in Portland, Oregon’s Satyricon club before fame hit. They were married on February 24, 1992. Six months later, their daughter was born. On April 8, 1994, four days before the release of Hole’s album Live Through This, Kurt Cobain’s body was found in his Seattle, Washington home, killed by a self-inflicted shotgun wound to his head.
Even though Bowie celebrates Christmas, there’s no denying his Jewish roots, therefore Bowie is a…
Fortunately to some, unfortunately to others, there’s no denying Courtney Love is…
JEW
JEWISH
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