BEAUTIFUL CREATURES KEBBLE: A TALE JUGGERNAUT ROLLS ON / 10 OF THE SORDID UNDERBELLY JPO’S SECOND SEASON OF SA’S CRIME LACKS IMAGINATION / 10 WORLD / 11 Subscribe to our FREE epaper - go to www.sajewishreport.co.za www.sajewishreport.co.za Friday, 29 April 2011 / 25 Nissan, 5771 Volume 15 Number 15 Auschwitz barmitzvah for Oscar-winner Lustig Rabbi Mark Blazer drapes a tallis around the shoulders of Hollywood producer Branko Lustig, producer of ‘Schindler’s List’, who will celebrate his bar mitzvah at Auschwitz on May 2. (DAVID SPRAGUE / UNIVERSAL STUDIOS) SEE PAGE 8 Dershowitz claims he was Lipskar Sefer Torah Marcia Parness - lifetime SAKS: Goldstone censored in CT / 3, 12 written on Masada / 6 service to Zionism / 4 shakes apologists / 9 YOUTH / 14 SPORT / 20 LETTERS / 12-13 CROSSWORD & BRIDGE / 16 COMMUNITY BUZZ / 7 WHAT’S ON / 16 2 SA JEWISH REPORT 29 April - 06 May 2011 SHABBAT TIMES PARSHA OF THE WEEK April 29/25 Nissan Yom Ha’atzmaut concert April 30/26 Nissan Kedoshim Serve G-d, not self is a celebration of joy Starts Ends 17:22 18:11 Johannesburg ROBYN SASSEN “Our production team for the last 25 years 17:50 18:41 Cape Town has always been me, Gavin and Oshy,” 17:06 17:56 Durban MUSICAL PRODUCER Linda Starkowitz Starkowitz adds. “When Bryan joined, it was 17:26 18:16 Bloemfontein explained the evolution of this year’s Yom like he’d always been there. 17:21 18:13 Port Elizabeth PARSHAT Ha’atzmaut concert. “I first saw Bryan “Coming into this fold has been extraordi- 17:14 18:05 East London Schimmel over 20 years ago in a show at the nary,” said Schimmel. “While Linda might KEDOSHIM Victory. He was in a tight white costume and have tapped on my shoulder at the gym, it Rabbi Gidon Fox he jumped right onto the piano.” was Gavin who initially skyped me and pre- Pretoria Hebrew Congregation Schimmel grins broadly. “It was a very sented me with the whole idea of getting strange Rodgers and Hammerstein show.” involved. I’ve always been on the periphery Published by The Bryan Schimmel memories of one of of the Jewish community.” S A Jewish Report (Pty) Ltd, GROWING UP in Johannesburg, there was one PO Box 84650, Greenside, 2034 creature that really “gave me the creeps”. It was Johannesburg’s best loved tenors, Oshy Added Tugendhaft: “When Linda got in Tel: (011) 023-8160 none other than the “Parktown Prawns”. I haven’t Tugendhaft, date earlier: “We were neigh- touch with me, I was struck by the original Fax: (086) 634-7935 seen them for quite some time, but the thought of bours in Klip Street, Observatory, Johan- dynamics of this concept. It was taking syn- Printed by Caxton Ltd them would send an involuntary shiver down my nesburg, in the 1970s. Bryan probably used to agogue music and giving it a different EDITOR - Geoff Sifrin spine. hear me singing in the bath. I used to hear dimension and it really whet my appetite. ” [email protected] I receive the same sensation whenever I see lob- him on the piano, from over the hedge.” “The idea,” Schimmel concurs, “was to Sub-Editor - Paul Maree ster, octopus or prawns (clearly related to their It was only last year this time that clean a Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration of all Ed Co-ordinator - Barry Bilewitz Schimmel and Tugendhaft collaborated for the mediocre parochial stuff that these kind [email protected] Parktown brethren). While I have never partaken the first time. And this was through of productions are heir to. Last year we suc- Senior Reporter - Rita Lewis of any of these, their look simply churns my stom- [email protected] ach. Starkowitz - who maintains she is psychic. ceeded in beginning to grow a brand. Last Sports Editor - Jack Milner The rabbis, however, did not view this as the “From the first time I saw him, I knew we year’s concert softened the most ardent of [email protected] ideal attitude to have when it comes to non-kosher would work together.” cynics. The walls of defence were breached. Books Editor - Gwen Podbrey products. The rabbis did not want us to view pork She grabbed an opportunity some years “This year we continue in the same vein. Arts Editor - Robyn Sassen as disgusting, seafood as repulsive and beef with a ago, at gym, at the risk of seeming like a Supported by backing singers and a 12-piece [email protected] cheese sauce as stomach churning. Rather, the crazed fan. The rest is Jewish musical history. orchestra, we will once again host Hananel Youth Editor - Alison Goldberg For 25 years, Starkowitz and - now Toronto- Edri, from Israel, and two of his country- [email protected] rabbis, based on a verse in this week’s parsha, Cape Town correspondent advise us that our view of non-kosher products based - Gavin Opert, have been producing men, Omri Rotbard and Omri Rosensweig: Moira Schneider: 021-794-4206 should elicit a sentiment which says that we would shows for the Jewish community. “I came current performers symbolising of Israeli Pretoria correspondent love to eat those foods, but, alas, what can we do? into it via genetics,” Linda says. A science youth and the future. In the face of the Israel Diane Wolfson: 082-707-9471 G-d has forbidden it for us Jews. graduate, she turned to musical production cultural boycotts, we want to show the world Manager: Distribution The Kotzker Rebbe, in trying to understand why as a creative outlet. we want Israeli talent here. Britt Landsman The overlap of this exciting level of profes- “The repertoire includes some of the high- [email protected] this should indeed be our attitude, points to some- sional skills and acumen with the committed lights from last year, which were so absolute- Sales Executives - (011) 023-8160 thing very sage. Yiddishkeit is not, nor should it Britt Landsman: 082-292-9520 ever be, simply about what I enjoy. True, one passion of that of the leadership of the SA ly fabulous, we simply have to have them Manuela Bernstein: 082-951-3838 should indeed live Yiddishkeit in a manner that Zionist Federation last year yielded some- again, and some new material, which has Murray Schoeman: 083-627-6670 makes it enjoyable for all concerned, but one must thing extraordinary, which the collaborators been arranged by me and Dan Selsick.” Freelance Sales Executive never allow one’s Jewish expression to simply be are all hard at work to equal. Starkowitz, who also designed the show’s Marlene Bilewitz: 083-475-0288 an expression of self, an expression of one’s own This year’s show, celebrating Israel’s 63rd audiovisual support adds: “There will be a Classified Sales birthday, correlates with the theme of this tribute to the Israel Defence Forces, and an [email protected] likes, dislikes and interests. For, such a Judaism is emotional appeal for the release of Gilad Design and layout in fact not a service of G-d, but a service of self. year’s SAZF conference, “Footsteps to the Frankie Matthysen Were a person to refrain from non-kosher prod- Future”. Shalit, which please G-d, we should be able Nicole Cook ucts simply because they didn’t appeal to them, With a repertoire that contains a healthy to cancel, on the night of the concert.” Website then when their “tastes” change, they would in quantity of medleys and several total sur- Schimmel concludes, citing his pro- www.sajewishreport.co.za fact eat non-kosher products. After all, how many prises, including some little trebles and gramme notes: “In this show, we bring Ilan Ossendryver moments, it “will leave everyone completely together the experienced who have left foot- IC-Creations of us share the same food aversions as we did [email protected] when we were children? shattered,” according to Schimmel. prints, with the young who make new ones.” Subscription enquiries Just think of the difficulty of getting children to “This is about a celebration of Israel, not a Avusa Publishing (Pty) Ltd eat healthy green vegetables. Yet, as they grow up, woe-is-us how dreadful things are. It’s about • “Footsteps to the Future” is at the Lyric, Tel: 0860-13-2652 their tastes mature and develop and products they how fabulous we are!” Ormonde, May 9, (011) 645-2531. BOARD OF DIRECTORS would not touch as children become staples in Howard Feldman (Chairman), Issie Kirsh their adult life. (Deputy Chairman), Stan Kaplan, Marlene Bethlehem, Russell Gaddin, The same could be true of any food aversion we Norman Lowenthal, Bertie may personally have - here today, gone tomorrow. The team: Lubner, Benjy Porter, Herby Were that to be our motivation for not eating non- (from left) Rosenberg, Howard kosher foods, then the time would in fact come Gavin Opert; Sackstein, Jason Valkin. when we would be able and willing to partake of Bryan such products. Schimmel; KASHRUT It is for this reason that the rabbis advise us to Linda The following symbols will appear on refrain from non-kosher food, not because it does advertisements and/or advertising fea- not appeal to us. Rather, our self-control should Starkowitz; tures to indicate whether or not they are and Oshy kosher. Where no Kashrut mark appears emanate from a commitment to G-d’s word which on an advert, the Jewish Report is eternal and which will hopefully see an eternal Tugendhaft. assumes no responsibility for the commitment to G-d’s Divine will.