December 21, 2011 | 10:07 am

This Menorah is a Gas

Posted by Dani Kollin

And it never runs out of oil!

My wife forwarded me this incredible image of a gas pump menorah. I decided to track down the artist, Jeffrey Schrier and get his take on the unusual creation:

My dad and uncle had a gas station and garage business together, Sol and Joe’s Service in Cleveland Heights.  Between the two families there were (are) six boys who as teens saving for college, all pumped gas for customers and helped to fuel and park in the garage, the enormous busses of their largest client, the Cleveland Hebrew Academy. I still recall pumping gas through the heavy aluminum gas pump nozzles gripped at hip height for a largely Jewish clientele often seen at Temple gatherings. In my childhood home there were two 1920’s torchier lamps handed down from my baube Anna.  They had tiers of greenish agate set into heavy, ornate metalwork for the bases. 

I felt so at home with making an assemblage menorah that expresses the transmission of memory and heritage from generation to generation (Dorv’dor), as I combined gas nozzles with an old, ornate lamp base.  The old lamp base I used was cast with three lions, easily interpreted as Lions of Judah. The fuel nozzles are of the kind used on kibbutz in the 1960’s to transfer fuel from large tanks on trucks to farm equipment. Covenant through brit milah was present in my thinking when I elected to use gas nozzles as a primary source material for a body of new works.  “Don’t let the lights go out they’ve lasted for so many years….”:  We are hugely concerned about wether the stores of oil that rest underground will be able to support our ever enlarging global needs, and so far, for nearly a century many of us have had the privilege of having our lives illuminated by the miracle of oil. How long will the oil last?  This assemblage fits with my compulsion for incorporating unusual materials into my work. Check out what I’ve been doing at www.wingsofwitness.org  and other ways I recycle for my art.

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December 20, 2011 | 12:11 pm

Rudolph’s First Cousin, Shlomo

Posted by Dani Kollin

In honor of the 1st day of Hanukkah, I present you with you Rudolph’s first cousin on his mother’s side, Shlomo.

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December 13, 2011 | 11:15 am

Doctor Who/Is A Jew?/Is An Atheist Hero?

Posted by Dani Kollin

Kippa's are Cool!

You may have noticed the larger than life billboards that started appearing last year in Los Angeles touting someone called, “The Doctor” standing in front of a British police call box. Welcome to the wild and wonderful world of Doctor Who, a British science fiction TV show produced by the BBC that’s been listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-running science fiction television show in the world. It was also deemed the “most successful” science fiction series of all time, in terms of its overall broadcast ratings, DVD and book sales, iTunes traffic, and tellingly enough, illegal downloads. The show’s about the time-travelling adventures of a being known as the Doctor who explores the universe in his sentient time machine called the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space). Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces down foes while righting wrongs, saving civilizations, and generally trying not to muck up timelines.

And now award-winning author Naomi Alderman, has been given the reins of the newest Doctor’s newest book. What I found compelling was that Naomi had been raised as an orthodox Jew and further, that her first novel, the Orange award winning and controversial “Disobedience,” depicted a rabbi’s daughter from North London who comes out as a lesbian. In short, there’s a rich history brewing in Naomi’s noggin and I, for one, wanted to get inside. What follows is a brief interview:

Q: In what way do you think the Doctor’s sussing of a mystery is Talmudic?

His method is obviously one of chevruta - he doesn’t need the companions to solve things, but he enjoys exploring through discussion.

Q: The Doctor never seems to deal with actual religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, etc) but rather faux “orders”.  Assuming this is done so as not offend, is it possible that the show is missing an opportunity to explore something seemingly fundamental to human nature?

Hmmm, interesting. In fact, there has been some portrayal of actual religion, including a positive portrayal of Buddhism in Planet of the Spiders. But I suspect that the answer is that the UK is a fundamentally not-very-religious country, and that Doctor Who accurately represents our suspicions and our non-confrontational but deep-rooted agnosticism. To go back in history and have the Doctor ‘prove’ that Moses, Jesus and Mohammed didn’t exist would clearly be offensive and far too confrontational for British people. But to have him meet the ‘prophet’ or ‘god’ of an imaginary civilization and find that they are either misguided or plain manipulative I think is a way of saying what - dare I say it? - most British people quietly think about religion: that it’s fine as long as it’s comforting, but shouldn’t be taken too seriously or followed blindly. The Doctor is an atheist hero.

Q: Who do you think the most influential doctor is and why?

I think the most influential Doctor to the show was probably Tom Baker. His era encompassed so many different genres and styles of writing; it was a real time of exploration.

Q: If you could make the TARDIS look like anything other than a police phonebox, what would it be?

I suppose it would be useful to reinstate the chameleon circuits. But having said that, I have been known to lose my own car in a car park or parked on the street, and this would only be more of a problem for me if I could make my car blend into the surrounding environment. So for practicality, I’d keep it as a police box. Or maybe something larger, and more picturesque. Maybe the Giant Wooden Elephant.

Q: Who do you think should be the first female Doctor?

I think I would like to see someone older, someone with gravitas. If Joan Hickson were still around, she would have made an amazing Doctor. Having said that, I’m not campaigning for the Doctor to be a woman. I think the structure of the show has always allowed for strong female characters like Rose, Donna, Leela or Sarah Jane, women who have their own motivations and don’t just follow the Doctor round being in love with him or tripping over and twisting their ankles.

Q: The Doctor always seems to demonstrate the curiosity of a child. How fundamental is that to his nature?

Heh. It’s true actually, even as far back as William Hartnell, he’s unable to resist a mystery or the chance for more knowledge. It’s a wonderfully optimistic and hopeful way of thinking about the world, that the one thing we will always be able to get is more knowledge - even if it’s accompanied by fear and pain.

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November 18, 2011 | 10:03 am

Darth’s Dark Side

Posted by Dani Kollin

I saw the pun on another image. Both the image and the phrasing of the pun were kind of awkward so I found a better picture and rewrote the line. Then I applied a little photoshop magic and voila - really bad Star Wars pun. Don’t hate me, I couldn’t help myself. 

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November 1, 2011 | 5:08 pm

Israeli’s Nobel Award in Chemistry Was Not-So Crystal Clear

Posted by Dani Kollin

Imagine waking up to find an extra eye on your face.  An extra eye, mind you, when absolutely everybody knows all humans are genetically programmed for just two of those suckers.  That, in essence, was what Professor Dan Shechtman, 70, a professor of materials science at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel discovered (no, not an eye, but equally as surprising).  In fact, Dr. Dan’s discovery was so implausible that the late Nobel-winning god of chemistry himself, Linus Pauling, argued vehemently that Dr. Shechtman’s data was patently absurd.

Ouch.

So nu? What exactly did Dr. Dan discover? In a word, matter. In more words, matter that absolutely everybody knew couldn’t exist. They’re called quasicrystals because well, they’re crystals all right but they ain’t your father’s crystals.  See, science had already accepted that atoms could only be packed one way – in regular but repeating patterns, defined by precise rules.  Dr. Dan blew that idea to smithereens when he discovered that they could also be packed together in a well-defined pattern that never repeats. 

Well, that put the scientific community into quite a snit. Finding new matter simply wasn’t done, don’t you know.  What will the neighbors say? Hide the dog! Spare the children! Cancel our synagogue membership!

It took years for Dr. Dan to convince people who should’ve known better. He even got kicked out of his own chemistry group for bringing embarrassment to the other members (the ultimate geek dis?).  Still, the good doctor persevered. After all, the stuff wasn’t going away, despite the fact that everybody knew it wasn’t supposed to be there. Today that matter that didn’t exist is used mainly in hardening steel to unheard of tensile strengths. But more important, Dr. Dan’s quasicrystal discovery has revolutionized our understanding of how atoms arrange themselves. In short, a scientific breakthrough that leaves the door open for previously unimagined material applications, the likes of which are only now being discovered.

So thank you, Dr. Dan. Your discovery may not have been accepted at first but the results of your tenacity and fortitude were finally made crystal clear. 

Dr. Dan Schectman Talks About His Award-Winning Discovery

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October 5, 2011 | 7:05 pm

Steve Jobs is Dead. Long Live Steve Jobs.

Posted by Dani Kollin

He is Apple.

He is Pixar.

He is iPhone, iPad, iPod, iMac and iTunes.

He is every font you see on every computer and smart device in the world.

He is failure redeemed.

He’ll be in the music you listen to, the apps you can’t live without and of course, the finger swipes on your smartphone – everyone’s smartphone.

He’ll be in the movies you have yet to watch, but are guaranteed to love because of their authenticity.

He’ll be in your disappointment when a device advertised to help, hinders instead.

He’ll be there when you finally decide not to let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own.

He’ll be there when you’re ready to put a dent in the universe.

Steve Jobs may have died today but fortunately for us he’ll be back tomorrow.

Steve Jobs is Dead. Long Live Steve Jobs.

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September 27, 2011 | 11:40 am

What Does Space Smell Like?

Posted by Dani Kollin

Astronaut Garrett Reisman on an EVA (Extra-Vehicular Activity). Otherwise known as a space walk.

This past Sunday I had the honor of interviewing Jewish Astronaut Garrett Reisman. He was attending the opening ceremony of the Ilan Ramon Day School. This wonderful question came up from one of my readers. Click here to listen to Garrett’s answer.

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September 26, 2011 | 1:25 am

The Re-launch of Ilan Ramon

Posted by Dani Kollin

Ilan Ramon photographed aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, January 26, 2003

On January 20th, 2003 the seven crewmembers of the ill-fated space shuttle Columbia woke up to the song, Hatishma Koli (Will you hear my voice?):

Will you hear my voice my far-away one
Will you hear my voice wherever you are
A voice calling with strength, crying in my blood.
Over time it sends a blessing

The song had been chosen by Rona Ramon, wife of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon.

Last night I heard that voice – only it was coming from Ilan.
Last night I watched in awe as one dignitary after another stood up to speak about Ilan’s ineffable drive to rise above his own remarkable achievements. The shuttle taking off into that crisp, blue sky on the morning of January 16th 2003 perfectly exemplified the holocaust survivor’s son who rose through the ranks of the Israeli Air Force to command with humility while striking with certainty. In 1981 Ilan planned, flew in and finished off Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor. A few years later this youngest member of that strike team was a Deputy Squadron Commander, then a Squadron Commander and finally at age 40, promoted to colonel and Head of the Israeli Air Force’s Weapons Development and Acquisitions Department.

Planet/land so big and has many roads
we meet for a moment, separate forever.
A man asks, but his legs fail,
He can never find that which he has lost.

In 1997 NASA asked Ilan to fly even higher.  A few months later he began his training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. A few years after that he found himself sitting upright in spaceship atop half a million gallons of hydrogen and oxygen about to blow through a thousand gallons per second as the space shuttle Columbia punched through the atmosphere into the dark recesses of space. Seventeen days later the Columbia disintegrated over Texas during reentry, 37 miles up and still traveling 18 times the speed of sound. A piece of foam would prove to be the eventual culprit that, having smashed into the wing on takeoff at an unearthly 500 miles per hour, ended the lives of Ilan Ramon and his six crewmembers.

The last of my days is already/so close perhaps
Already/so near is the day of goodbye tears.
I will wait for you until my life will end,
like Rachel’s wait for her lover.

Last night Ilan Ramon flew again.  A facility once known as the Heschel West Day School officially changed its name to the Ilan Ramon Day School. They chose Ilan for his heroism, his tenacity and his humility.  They chose someone their kids could look up to and their community could be proud of. But I suspect it was the other way around; that it was Ilan who chose them. After all, was it not Ilan who brought up a holocaust survivor’s miniature Torah scroll into space? Who took with him “Moon Landscape”, created by a 14-year-old Jewish boy, drawn during the child’s incarceration in the Theresienstadt ghetto? Who even though a secular Jew, observed Shabbat in space?  It was because Ilan believed – in the importance of being a role model to all Jews; in achieving his potential in order to help others achieve theirs; in reaching for the stars with one hand while extending to us his other.

Last night the community watched Ilan Ramon launch their school. Tomorrow, as hundreds of children pour into a building bearing his name, that same community will watch him launch their dreams.

Hatishma Koli – Will you hear my voice?

Our brave and beautiful Ilan – we are now assured to hear it for generations to come.

To learn more about the Ilan Ramon Day School follow this link: www.ilanramondayschool.com

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