the Jewish bserver www.jewishobservernashville.org Vol. 80 No. 5 • May 2015 12 Iyyar-13 Sivan 5775 Nashville crowd remembers Israel’s fallen and celebrates its independence By CHARLES BERNSEN atching as about 230 people gath- ered on April 23 for a somber remem- brance of Israel’s fallen soldiers and Wterrors victims followed immediately by a joyful celebration of the 67th anniversary of the Jewish’ state’s birth, Rabbi Saul Strosberg couldn’t help but marvel. After all, it has been only eight years since the Nashville Jewish community started observing Yom Hazikaron, the Israeli equivalent of Memorial Day. Organized by several Israelis living in Nashville, including the late Miriam Halachmi, that first, brief ceremony was held in his office at Congregation Sherith For the third year, members of the community who have helped build relations between Nashville and Israel were given the honor of lighting Israel. About 20 people attended. torches at the annual celebration of Israel’s independence. Photos by Rick Malkin Now here he was in a crowd that of three fallen Israelis – a soldier killed in Catering and music by three Israeli Defense Martha and Alan Segal, who made filled the Gordon Jewish Community combat, a military pilot who died in a Force veterans who are members of the their first ever visits to Israel this spring Center auditorium to mark Yom training accident and a civilian murdered musical troupe Halehaka (The Band). on a congregational mission. Hazikaron and then Yom Ha’atzmaut, the in a terror attack. Their stories were pre- For the third year, the highlight of • Rabbi Mark Schiftan of The Temple Israeli independence day. sented by three Nashville teenagers par- the Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration was a accompanied by Dr. Stewart Perlman, “It’s wonderful – and remarkable,” ticipating this year in the Get Connected ceremony – modeled after one in Israel who also made his first trip to Israel this Rabbi Strosberg observed. program – Riley Fobare, Gal Courvi and that takes place each year on Mount year on a congregational mission. Sponsored by the Jewish Federation Silas Gelman. Herzl – in which members of the commu- • Leslie Kirby, representing Rabbis Laurie of Nashville and Middle Tennessee and A Havdalah prayer and a reading of nity were given the honor of lighting one and Flip Rice, Micah President organized by community shlichah (Israeli Ecclesiastes 34 (“To everything there is a of 12 torches in recognition of their Marjean Coddon and members of emissary) Liron Finkelstein, the event season and a time for every purpose … a efforts to build and strengthen ties Congregation Micah who made their began with a Yom Hazikaron observance time to mourn and a time to dance”) between Nashville and Israel. first visits to Israel last year. that included traditional prayers, poems, marked the transition from the solemn This year’s torch lighters were: • Libby and Moshe Werthan, who recent- songs and scriptural readings led by local observance of Yom Hazikaron to the jubi- • Rabbi Joshua Kullock of West End ly moved back to Nashville after having clergy and youth group members. lant celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, which Synagogue accompanied by two cou- lived for 27 years in Israel, where they The highlight was the remembrance included an Israeli-style meal by Sova ples, Ellen and Steve Potash and Continued on page 6 Fed mission intended to raise support for Israel among Nashville mainline Christian clergy By CHARLES BERNSEN But she is also fully aware that her line Christian denominations by focusing the mission is intended to “enhance trip from May 27-June 4 with eight other both on the Jewish people’s view of Israel Israel advocacy and support for the State s she prepares to embark mainline Christian pastors and leaders of as their homeland as well as the security of Israel in the mainline Christian com- on her first visit to Israel, Nashville’s Jewish community will be issues it faces. The mission is being munity here in Nashville.” Rev. Judy Cummings more than spiritual in nature. organized by the Jewish Federation’s In addition to site visits and meet- of Nashville’s New Underwritten with a New Initiatives Community Relations Committee in ings, the trip will include the unique Covenant Christian grant from the Jewish Federation of cooperation with The Temple. opportunity for the clergy participants in Church is excited about Nashville and Middle Tennessee, the Among those accompanying the engage in text study at one of Israel’s most A“going to the Holy Land and seeing the trip’s primary purpose is to strengthen clergy will be Federation Executive prestigious centers of Jewish learning, the Bible I preach and teach come to life.” support for the Jewish state among main- Director Mark S. Freedman, who said Continued on page 3 A Publication of the Be Counted! Federation Nashville Letters and emails have gone out to those families randomly honors women stands selected to participate in a survey of the local Jewish population. philanthropists, against hate If you are among those who have received them, please follow page 4 page 14 the instructions about how to complete the survey confidential- ly, either online or by telephone. In making your voice heard, you will be contributing to the quality of Jewish life in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Related column on Page 4 WWW.JEWISHNASHVILLE.ORG Stage version of “Old Jews Telling Jokes” coming to Nashville in May By CHARLES BERNSEN Nashville run at Zanies, 2025 Eighth and Kholos says it’s “hard to tell whether Ave. S. everything amuses him or depresses id you hear the one about Performances are scheduled on him.” Debbi (Elizabeth Turner, Tobias the beggar who May 2, 3, 9 and 10 at 2 p.m. and on May Turner’s wife), 30ish, is attractive and a approached a Jewish 4, 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 bit ditsy but no pushover. mother and told her he (plus two-item minimum from the Another thing unique to the stage hadn’t eaten in three days. menu) To purchase tickets visit version of OJTJ is the inclusion of music. “Force yourself,” she [email protected] or call The actors participate in several musical Dreplied. (615) 269-0221. numbers, including opening and closing That Jewish mother joke is typical Like its online parent, the theatri- songs plus several special material songs of the one-liners in the stage adaptation cal version of OJTJ offers a non-stop in between. of the internet phenomenon, “Old Jews patter of traditional Jewish humor – “So while it’s not a traditional musi- Telling Jokes,” which has an 8-day run some of it profane and politically incor- cal, music happens throughout with the in Nashville this month at Zanies rect – complete with all its stereotypes The cast of Old Jews Telling Jokes – Tobias entire cast generally participating in all Comedy Club. and Yiddish accents. Turner (from left), Elizabeth Turner, Perry of the numbers and in fact, in one song, OJTJ began in 2009 as a web video “From vaudeville, through the Poston, Francine Berk and Adam Horn. Photo the audience is invited to join in,” says series by Sam Hoffman that featured reign of Sophie Tucker and Belle Barth, by Michael Herman Kholos. dozens of amateurs, all over 60, telling through Lenny Bruce and Mel Brooks, so. According to Kholos, Morty is “as Kholos is fascinated with the kind of jokes that ranged from a few seconds to a Jews have had some salty things to say, sunny as an old Jew can get, and he borsht-belt humor characteristic of OJTJ. minute or so. Hoffman parlayed the site’s in Yiddish and in English, and the old probably knows every one-liner in com- It infuses his original musical “Purim,” success – it has drawn millions of discrete Jews are keeping that saltiness alive,” edy history.” which debuted at West End Synagogue in viewers – into a book and DVD. The said Judith Klass, lecturer in Jewish Nathan (played by Adam Horn of 2014 and was revised for a performance website even sells OJTJ tee shirts, balls studies and English at Vanderbilt Nashville, a regular in Kholos produc- earlier this year at The Gordon Jewish caps and aprons. University, where she teaches a course tions) is about the same age, though Community Center. (He also wrote “A The latest OJTJ iteration is the on Jewish humor. Kholos says he “probably looked 60 Stoop on Orchard Street,” a musical that stage adaptation by Peter Gethers and The stage version of OJTJ diverges when he was 40.” (“My wife likes to talk tells the story early 20th century Jewish David Okrent, which is more comedy from its online version in several impor- to me during sex,” Nathan tells the audi- immigrants to New York, which pre- revue than plotted play. It opened in tant ways. First it features just five joke ence at one point. “She calls me up and miered in 2002 at the GJCC and later New York off Broadway in 2012 and has tellers, all professional actors who play says, ‘Nathan, I'm having sex!’”) had run off Broadway in New York.) been performed in Chicago, Boston, identifiable characters, each with his or Bunny (played by Francine Berk, Kholos said he’s hoping the stage Philadelphia and a number of other her own jokes and short monologues. another Nashville actor who appears fre- version of OJTJ will be well received in cities. Nashville’s Jay Kholos, who pro- What’s more, a couple of the characters quently in Kholos productions), is 60- Nashville by non-Jews as well as Jews.