June 11, 2007 | 2:06 pm

Riffing on RebbeSoul

Posted by Dikla Kadosh

The following conversation took place between 1:30 and 2:04 p.m. on Monday, June 11, 2007. This is a real dialogue, minimally edited to prevent lawsuits, hate mail, community protests and Brad’s divorce (aka The God Blogger).

danielle: dikla k?

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June 9, 2007 | 2:04 pm

Rita rocks the Gindi

Posted by Dikla Kadosh

Rita was spectacular. She was elegant and warm and spirited. Her powerful, rich voice almost burst through the walls of the Gindi Auditorium at the American Jewish University on Tuesday.

“I’m not used to doing such small shows,” said the Israeli superstar, who performed in front of 100, 000 people during a month-long concert series in Israel this past summer. “I feel like I’m in my living room.” The auditorium’s capacity is 500 and according to Gady Levy, the organizer of the event, 490 tickets were sold. As huge as Rita is and as loyal as her fans are, the show didn’t sell out probably because the tickets were $100-$150. The steep prices made the audience what it was: a slightly older, affluent core of true fans who knew every word to every song she sang. They not only sang along, they danced in the aisles, called out requests, reached out to touch her as she strolled through the auditorium, and stood clapping and roaring for several minutes begging for more even after Rita and her 8-piece ensemble concluded their encore. The adoration was palpable.

This was my first Rita concert. I am familiar with some of her songs and I absolutely love her voice, but to be honest I almost felt like I didn’t deserve to be there. I sang along to only one song - I barely knew the rest. And I didn’t even know she was Persian. Sitting next to Shoshana Cohen (she works at the Jewish Journal and got us the tickets) who teared up when Rita sang “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav” and in back of a man who threw his arms into the air in sheer excitement throughout the night, I felt too tame, too calm to be amongst such loyal and emotionally attached Ritaites.

I did join the crowd at the foot of the stage and I marveled at her beauty and radiant energy. She sang in Hebrew, English, Persian and Italian. She danced all over the stage. She told stories and even read a note someone from the audience handed her. At the VIP reception after the show, she hugged fans, posed for countless photos, spoke to people and seemed genuine about it all. I was impressed by her un-divaness. She wore jeans the first half of the show, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail and a touch of makeup. During the second half, the strap of the tight black evening gown she changed into snapped and she kept singing and dancing as if nothing happened.

Rita, calling “Mushi, mush-mush,” beckoned her 15-year-old daughter Meshi onto the stage to sing Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable” and for that moment turned into an ordinary mother - protective, supportive, proud.

But on stage, Rita is anything but ordinary.

Click below to hear Rita’s divine voice:

http://www.hrmusic.com/ra/ritaone%20-%20Track%2003.mp3

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June 6, 2007 | 10:56 pm

Federation’s young leaders party on the Sunset Strip

Posted by Danielle Berrin

It is a rare occasion when one is invited to see the interior of a sprawling estate on Sunset Boulevard, but The Jewish Federation has friends in coveted places, and they certainly know how to induce the young folk into joining up: encourage a philanthropic couple, Beverly and Herb Gelfand, to host 150 or so young professionals at their mansion in Beverly Hills, stage a bar in the parlour and a bar by the pool, toss in some crudites with stuffed mushrooms and there you have it - the future Jewish leaders of America.

Indeed, the evening was socially splendid, and as the influx of guests ascended the entryway, it became obvious that it wasn’t merely young people who craved a peek inside. The evening proved that the Jewish network is in tact - I left with a whole stack of business cards that will probably find their way to the bottom of my undergarment drawer. Still, any sensible Angeleno wants to party like Paris Hilton, but what was really happening here? Boozing and schmoozing? Certainly. Conversations about American politics or the latest spat in the Knesset? Perhaps. Strategizing support for Darfur victims and planning visits to the infirm? I can’t say I heard much of that.

Sandwiched between a real-estate finance broker and a Hollywood producer, I learned that a Jew from England, a Jew from Miami and a Jew from Iran all shared an ancestral name-change for protection under persecution. Truth is, this was not the venue for rallying to the cause. Rather, it was a place for cultivating a sense of place; here are your contemporaries, these are the stories you share, this is who you can be someday… 

It was branded a “summer bash” from the beginning - mixing and mingling in seductive surroundings are virtually compulsory. After all, between spawning successful careers and fostering good works in the community, we hip youngsters deserve a night to don designer drapery. The goal, it seems, is that a touch of glitz will beget a taste for giving, because bounty is most fun when it’s shared. And maybe it’s true, sipping cocktails beneath a Sargent painting will inspire the aspiring to become concerned and responsible civic leaders like the glamorous, generous Gelfands.

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June 5, 2007 | 1:03 pm

Israel in the Gardens

Posted by Dikla Kadosh

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June 5, 2007 | 9:10 am

Return to Shabbat with Nashuva’s musical uplift

Posted by Danielle Berrin

Set inside the barn-like atmosphere of Westwood Hills Church, an unlikely venue for a Sabbath celebration, a 12-part band is flanked by an understated but engaging leader and a spiritually hungry crowd packs the wooden pews. This is how Nashuva celebrates Shabbat. By any standard this is an unusual circumstance for a holy Jewish observance, but the ostensibly diverse crowd, from a mixed-age congregation to a multi-ethnic band, signals an openness to revelation and an awareness of purpose that infuses every prayer and inspires every song.
 
Throughout the service, all eyes are on Rabbi Naomi Levy, standing center stage and singing from the soul, her pure voice accompanied by the rocking beats of an eclectic entourage.  With ingenuity, she introduces her sermon on the week’s Torah portion by asking the audience their thoughts, “What if Gd made all your decisions for you – how would you feel?” And in their earnestness the crowd offers their answers, “relieved,” calls a woman from the back, “rebellious,” cries a pimple-faced teen to my left, “angry,” shouts a bald man in a white sweater.  “Yes! We feel all of those things, but why?” interjects the Rabbi, before telling the tale of the Jews wandering through the desert, their souls parched, much like the Jews of Los Angeles searching for meaning in their busy lives.

As generously as Gd sent manna from the heavens to encapsulate any incarnation of appetite, Rabbi Naomi and her band invite the community “to return” (as the Hebrew word “Nashuva” implies); to nourish their souls in release, to stand and sing away the chaos of life and welcome the blessing of Shabbat – a day for rest and reflection, for pleasures, for renewal and repair; the kind of Sabbath we imagine coming home to, where intimacy, warmth and acceptance mean we are always welcome, to return.

Greet the Sabbath bride with Nashuva the 1st Friday of each month. 6:45pm. Westwood Hills Congregational Church, 1989 Westwood Blvd., Westwood.

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June 4, 2007 | 12:29 pm

The Calendar Girls debut!

Posted by Dikla Kadosh

Welcome and Bruchim Habayim to the Jewish Journal’s “Calendar Girls” blog!

We are going to be your indispensable guide to the vivacious L.A. Jewish scene, scouting hip concerts,  provocative film and art exhibits, cultural festivals and the latest to hit the lecture circuit. We’ll be there to tell you what’s alive and kickin’ and what’s struggling for air.

Every week, we’ll venture into the community to scope out an event (or two) that we listed in The Jewish Journal print calendar and then report back to you with commentary, photos and videos.

We want you to join us as well! Look under “Previews” to see where The Calendar Girls will be next - and come along…

Looking forward to meeting you all!

The Calendar Girls

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