Academy Award Movie Night

 

 

 

RODEF SHALOM SISTERHOOD MOVIE NIGHT SERIES OPENS WITH AN ACADEMY AWARD WINNING FILM
“West Bank Story “ the 2006 Academy Award winner for best short live action film will be shown Sunday, October 21^st at 7:30 pm.

“Anti Semites-They’re Everywhere! “ is the theme of this year’s Rodef Shalom Sisterhood Movie Night series. The committee selected several interesting and heartwarming films for the series that portray antipathy for the Jews from the usual suspects . They will be shown on three Sunday nights: October 21^st, January 13, 2008, and April 13, 2008.
The first Movie Night on Sunday October 21st at 7:30 pm in Levy Hall, a large comfortable theater space ideal for showing films, will feature two films. The first movie,

“West Bank Story”,

 

is a 22-minute film that won an academy award in 2006 for the best short live action film. It also won 25 other prestigious awards and played in film festivals around the US, Israel and Europe. Made by American filmmaker Ari Sandel for a film seminar at the University of Southern California, it is a musical comedy that uses the West Side Story theme and music to spoof the rivalry between Arab and Israeli falafel stands on Israel’s West Bank. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan praised the film and wrote that “West Bank Story …( was) expertly made and impressive down to the finger snapping of the rival gangs.”

The second film is a full length (106 minutes) film festival favorite,

” Monsieur Batignole”.

 

Filmed in France in 2002 with very high quality English subtitles, it is a true story of a Jewish child who becomes separated from his parents during a Nazi round up of French Jews. He returns to his apartment to find it occupied by the downstairs gentile neighbors. The story is a tension-filled drama told with charm and humor as Monsieur Batignole, a French butcher who has very little love for his Jewish neighbors, becomes heroic as he hides the Jewish child and then helps him to escape from France. Monsieur Batignole was the very popular festival opener at last spring’s Pittsburgh Jewish-Israeli Film Festival. Movie Night at Rodef Shalom is open to the community and there is no charge. Light refreshments will follow after both films have been shown. For more information contact Rodef Shalom Congregation at 412-621-6566.

Marla Perlman

Party Animals

John Wilson Quintet

Bus Stop at Fifth and Aiken, Monday, September 17, 9:22am. What a gorgeous day. If this weather’s a result of global warming, bring it on! My 71D bus, packed to the gunwales with riders, rumbles by. Taking the hint, I elect to walk the mile or so to Bellefield Hall. After class I scoot over to the Student Union for the Fall Fling. It’s a not-to-be-missed opportunity to relax and mingle with old Osher friends and meet new ones.

I’m standing there minding my own business, talking to Yousseff Ragheb, when behind me someone says, “Don’t believe a word he says.” It’s Rick Taylor. Geez, you’d think Yousseff could figure that out about me without Rick’s help. I remember reading some of his short stories in a Shifren writing class. Boy, I’d love to have Rick contribute something to the blog.

I find a seat at a table with the Burke’s. Last week I’d nearly tripped over Dave when I backed into him while attempting a Tai Chi exercise. Unruffled, he righted me and smiled when I proffered a “Whoops, sorry.” Dave and wife Marilyn are longtime Pitt Alumni Association members. That’s them talking to Vivian Lawsky–blue top, black pants, back to the camera.

Yeah, lots of new faces here, and a generous sprinkling of instructors, too. It’s good to visit with George Shames again.  George is on the mend after a recent operation.  His recently published novel, “The Company of Truth,” is reviewed by Jane Fraser, President, The Stuttering Foundation, as “a good read and a truthful portrayal of the human and clinical challenges of those who stutter.”

The quintet is playing a Charlie Parker bop anthem. Excellent. Handling the tenor chores is John’s worthy colleague, Jim Guerra. Jim took over as chair of the Jazz Department at Duquesne when John retired.

The food is plentiful and tasty, the room’s festive ambiance percolates with spirited conversation, and bubbles with smiles and laughter. My kinda party.

Thanks Bernie.

Len Z

P.S. If you spot yourself, let us know which pic via email:

rulen.2@gmail.com

and we’ll send it to you as an email attachment.

The First Fall Open House

Tuesday, July 24th.

As is my wont, I showed up late. I’d volunteered to help out with the first Fall Open House at the McCarl Center on the fourth floor of the Cathedral. The event ran like a well-oiled machine, without much help from me (maybe that’s why).

Course Information Dispensary

I did manage to touch base with some of my fellow volunteers, several of whom have travel on their minds. Jutta Vance is back from a biking holiday in Switzerland and visiting with relatives in Germany. Ruthe Karlin is going on a month-long trip to Japan to immerse herself that country’s art treasures. Ginny Eskridge plans on giving a Brown Bag talk about her adventures traveling with Elder Hostel.

Gail Eiben and Ginny Eskridge

Others have been busy doing their thing here in the Burgh. I talked to Gail Eiben, whose path I hadn’t crossed since the end of spring term. Gail tells me she’s been conducting tours of the Nationality Rooms. I remarked to Vivian Lawski about how much I enjoyed her writing in the Osher Newsletter. Her member interviews are a highlight, and she did an interesting Q&A with Dr. Carol Baker in the latest issue. The interview also included Carol’s helpful checklist for use in preparation for a visit to a doctor.

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Judi Bobenage covers all the bases in her OLLI program explanation

And John Rose was on hand to compare and contrast OLLI courses with auditing courses. In the picture, above, he’s sitting in the left rear of the room. John graduated from Penn with a degree in business in 1950. Upon retiring in 1985, he decided to add structure to his retirement by learning things that he hadn’t had time for up to that point, what with serving in World War II, his career and raising a family. John spent the ensuing years auditing an astounding 58 non-credit undergraduate courses at Pitt–equivalent to the credit requirement for one and one-half college degrees. So far as John knows, his record has yet to be broken. But he now prefers taking OLLI classes rather than auditing courses. “When I started, I was taking courses with people my childrens’ age. Then later, I was taking courses with people my grandchildrens’ age. Now, I’ve got seven grandchildren, and I think it’s time to draw the line,” he said as listeners chuckled. “But seriously,” he continued, “I think this program here at Pitt is the best deal since 1945, when we veterans came back from World War II and they said, ‘How’d you like a free college education?’ I can’t say enough about the value of this program.”

Neither can we, John. Neither can we.

Len Zapler

PodCamp Pittsburgh2 Is Coming

Psst. Have I got a deal for you! A free offer–no strings attached. Wanna learn about blogging, podcasting and other new forms of electronic media? Do yourself a favor and attend Podcamp Pittsburgh 2*, a so-called ‘un’-conference to be held Saturday and Sunday, August 18th and 19th at the Pittsburgh Art Institute, 420 Boulevard of the Allies, Downtown, from 9am to 3pm. You can attend either day or both.

When I went to the first podcamp last April, as well as classes on blogging and podcasting, there were classes on videoblogs, web video, social networking (you tube, myspace, etc.) and new media monetization (making money). Importantly, time periods are set aside where neophytes can spend one-on-one facetime with media experts in these fields. More importantly, it’s all free, including the advice.

Oh, and there’s free refreshments. We’re talking bagels, pastries and coffee for breakfast; plenty of bottled water, soda, munchies, sandwiches, pizza for lunch. If you run into Mark Gup, or Perry Bergman or Myra Carbonell–ask them about it–they were there too.

I’m going back, and not only for the free pizza.

Len Zapler

*Go to podcastpittsburgh for the complete scoop.

City Person Goes to the Farm

Yesterday afternoon a group from OLLI took a tour of Harvest Valley Farms. This was a real learning experience for me. Being very much a city person (Chicago, New York) my most intimate experience with farming came in a car driving from Chicago to where ever. You can’t escape those farms in the Midwest. And they are boring to look at. How many cornstalks or soy plants bring excitement to a moving car. So yesterday’s visit was a revelation for me, and probably many others.

Flowers and lots of great looking vegetables are grown in greenhouses or what were referred to as ‘high tunnels.’ Nearby fields had rows of plants coming up through holes in plastic sheeting with hay covering the furrows between the rows. Irrigation is done using tape and a drip method. I don’t remember all of the information we were given on the tour. What impressed me most about the people who run the farm was their ingenuity, willingness to research and try new methods of both production and marketing, and their understanding of the longterm need to educate people about the benefits of supporting local agriculture.

Controlling brush growing along a creek is done with this very efficient mowing machine.

Ruthe Karlin