2023 The Year In Review

 As the calendar pages head Back To December,

Here are the events we will always remember.

Elon Musk did once again try

To become Bigger Than The Whole Sky,

But, as usually has been the case,

Look inside his head, you'll find a Blank Space.

This year there was a lot of Bad Blood

Between actors and producers, both should be called mud,

And those producers and writers who words make us smile,

But their stoppage has stopped. Late night is back in true Style.

The weather really gave us a Cruel Summer,

And the Yanks and Mets combined? One big bummer.

Dear Reader, we must say a prayer

For Israel and the innocent hostages there

As the Star of David flag is proudly unfurled

And the Jews ever search for A Place In This World.

Donald Trump,once America's Anti-Hero,

Has been knocked down to a giant zero.

But his election rhetoric he still will cough.

Hey, Don Baby, Shake It Off!

Ron deSantis, You Need To Calm Down

And let the Mouse be the Man in Orlando Town.

As you all know, 'Tis the Damn Season

To wish you the best, whatever the reason.

And Ms. Taylor Swift, a few words for you.

Glad you had a great year, but Look What You Made Me Do!

Steve

Two Things I Should Never Blog About

 There are two things I have been told I should never blog about, but this week I will:

Religion and Politics.

We' a ll get to Religion in a minute, sorry, Lord, but first...

I would not allow a canine-American to endure what this country, Heck, this whole world, has gone through in the past thirty days. Unless you've been living in a cave, (in which case, are you taking in boarders?) you've heard that the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hamas chose October 7, the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah, little more than a month ago as I write this, to deliberately attack the young attendees of a music festival in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv just for the crime of being Jewish. And all this while the House of Representatives bobs in the water like a ship without a captain until they name a MAGA-centric speaker in Mike Johnson of Louisiana. As the season of "Peace On Earth, Goodwill Towards All" grows ever closer,this blog, which stands with Israel, hopes that the terrorists will see the evil of the ways and that Israel and Palestine will continue to live and work in peace.

As for Religion,Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York,of which I am a proud member,has many exciting programs, one of which is  a Zoom course on"Women of Faith," and not only are we examining Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah and all those sheroes who followed in their footsteps,but also New Testament characters, such as one particular Saint Mary of Magdala, better known as Mary Magdalene. To make sure I don't sound like a world champion dork when I get the urge to ask questions either on camera or in chat,I'm currently binging a historical drama which has been lauded by the Christian community, but which also resonates with many Jewish viewers, myself included. I refer to THE CHOSEN, described by its creator and executive producer Dallas Jenkins as the first multi-arc portrayal of the life of Jesus Christ, or,as we Reform Jews call him, "Our boy the late great JC of Biblical fame." Jonathan Roumie doesn't play Jesus as a Superstar, or a Super-Salesman,   but as a Super-Rabbi,one well-versed in the ways of Torah, but willing to add his, or as they like to say on the show, His own special modifications, and he leads an impressive cast including Shahar Isaac as Simon Peter,Erick Avari as Nicodemus, and Elizabeth Tabish as the subject of this upcoming class, Mary Magdalene. Unlike other portrayals that cast Mary as the ultimate Fallen Woman, Elizabeth plays Mary as an ordinary woman who just makes a few BIIIIG mistakes, none the least of them being possessed by demons. (I HATE when that happens!) Assuming the name of Lilith, she falls in with the underworld until Our Boy JC rides to her rescue and she becomes an invaluable member of his group of followers.

THE CHOSEN is clearly up there with Zeferelli's 1970's miniseries JESUS OF NAZARETH (Full disclosure; Rabbi Albert Friedlander, an old friend of the family, was a historical advisor for Zeferelli's production.), a low-budget musical by a little-known composer named Andrew Lloyd Webber, and, believe it or not, Mel Brooks' HISTORY OF THE WORLD,PART 2, a hilarious mashup of the lives of Jesus and John Lennon, who claimed to be bigger than poor old Hey-Zeus,when it comes to a retelling of the New Testament in an entertaining manner. You may not totes agree with the message, but if you enjoyed the aforementioned entertainment entities, or just want to know either how the other half worships, choose THE CHOSEN which happens to be available on its own website, http://www.thechosen.tv, http://www.angel.com, Netflix,Tubi, Amazon Freevee,Fubo,Philo,Peacock,YouTube,YouTubeTV,Hulu,FOX Nation, Crackle, and your local The CW station. (WHEW!) No matter how you find it, find it, Worth the trip, and pardon my bad taste, but it WON'T make you cross. (Sorry, just couldn't resist!)

Until next time, shalom shalom. (Twice the peace, which, I believe we can ALL use!)

Steve

It Sure Looked Good On Parchment

 A baby is sent to a strange land by victims of a dying civilization to become a champion of good. A man possessed of incredible strength shirks his responsibility and dedicates himself to righting wrongs no matter what the odds. A princess uses her wits to take down one bad hombre and a femme fatale and becomes a shining example for her people and women everywhere. 

Scripture? Pop culture? If you guessed either the stories of A) Moses, B) Samson, and C) Esther or the stories of A) Superman, B) Spider-Man, and C) Wonder Woman, you're right. That's how much of an impact Scripture has on our culture, our politics, OUR LIVES. That's the general idea behind the Museum of the Bible, one of the top tourist attractions in Washington, DC,and one boasting the largest collections of Torahs and New Testament Bibles in the United States, a Broadway-quality auditorium equipped with the latest tech,(The musical on the writing of "Amazing Grace" had an out-of-town tryout there.)a Kosher cafe,a Nazarene village inspired by Colonial Williamsburg,even a ride through American history inspired by "Soarin' Over California" at Disneyland. Your Obedient Servant and his Dear Old Mom are scheduled to make Amtraks (A nod to the late, great Guardian of the Grammatical Galaxy, NBC News correspondent Edwin Newman.) to the aforementioned Washington,where the Union of Reform Judaism is holding its first in-person conference since the Pandemic. I thought it would be cool if I broadcast one of the Daily Sunset Services I conduct for GORGEOUS Congregation Emanu-El in the City of New York (Sunday-Thursday at 5:30 PM Eastern on http://emanuelnyc.org/broadcast and search emanuelnyc on Facebook Watch and YouTube,no purchase necessary,your mileage may vary.) live from the Museum (In the interest of fair,balanced, impartial journalism, here's a link to their site: http://www.museumofthebible.org .) with a sermon on the topic of Judaism's role in American history and a heads-up on upcoming Museum events with one of the "villagers", but our fearless leader Jonathan Slaff regretted to inform me it was financially,if not technologically (or so I thought) impossible. I still thought it was a great Museum (or,at least, idea for a Museum in the right hands. More on that in just a few.) and the idea of a self-produced TikTok  that I could send to the Rabbis and my fellow Emanu-El members kicked around in my head,but Mom had seen an article in the New York Times, not exactly the newspaper of choice for the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene,Lauren Bobert,Ron (deSanctimonious) deSantis,outgoing (And the quicker going out, the better!) Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy,or attempted President Tronald Dump ,(Thank you, Chris Christie, for calling him Donald DUCK, although I believe a word that rhymes with that, which I will refrain from using because I love my audience, is more appropriate.) laser-focusing on the Museum's connection to people who subscribe to that school of thought,particularly its founder Steven Greene, its principal sponsor Hobby Lobby (which Greene founded), and members of the board of directors including Dump-era Secretary of (Under)Education Betsy DeVos (Google her!) and expressly forbade me from visiting that particular institution. (Truth be told, given the reams of information available on that institution, anybody who really wants to visit that institution oughta visit another kind of institution, as in Bellevue.) I can't honestly say I blame her! True, a museum of the Bible  and its influence on the world is a noble idea and one worth supporting,buuuuuuuut as long as it's led by a consortium of legitimate governing bodies for the world's religions (INCLUDING the Muslim faith, to address a major criticism of the Museum) and not by a blustering battalion of blowhard buttheads who get their news from the alt-right press and obviously don't get the whole concept of "separation of Church and State". It has been said, the saddest words are "what might have been",but, in this instance, I'm happy what "might have been" never was! My feelings about this kinda crowd could be best summed up in a classic scene from Norman Lear's GOOD TIMES when a preacher who almost fleeced the Evans family was knocked off the air by technical difficulties and Florida (the incredible Esther Rolle) made a power fist and said, "RIGHT ON, LORD!"

For now, friends, the Blog is over. GO IN PEACE!

Steve

On The Road Again

 Greetings from beautiful Providence, Rhode Island, New England, Northeastern United States of North America, the Western Hemisphere, Earth Prime, the Milky Way Galaxy, the Multiverse, the Eye of God.

WHEW! Just got started and I'm ALREADY tired!

Now that the formalities are out of the way, I hope you guys are having a great Summer so far, (Although wherever you are right now, it's either too hot or, as it is here in the Northeast, too cold, and, to be honest, I think it's our bad. Whatever happened to the Goldilocks days. End of political commentary, for now.) I'm off to a great start here in Providence where I'm representing GORGEOUS Temple Emanu-El (And I'm comfortable in my masculinity, thank you.) at the Men of Reform Judaism's centennial convention, but before that, I have done A LOT of sightseeing. 

MONDAY, JUNE 19

After a three-hour ride from the brand spanking new Moniyhan Train Hall at Penn Station, I took a Lyft to the former Providence Biltmore, now rebranded Graduate Providence and targeted to the students, faculty, and alumni of Brown, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the University of Rhode Island. (Graduate has similar locations in other cities, for example, Roosevelt Island, a small town tucked away between Manhattan and Queens.) I was informed that I would not have a room for an hour. Hooray. All that work just for nothing. If I knew it was going to be like this, I would be just as happy to stay home and wait until just before the 4th of July and taken one of many Greyhounds to Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll and Pro Football Halls of Fame as I had originally intended. Disgruntled, I trudged over to 7-Eleven, then ate the tuna salad sammich I had just purchased at Kennedy Park, the site of their Intermodal Transportation Center, a rink in the winter and a soccer field in the summer, and a police station, which was apropos, because I thought the way the hotel had just treated me was a crime. I tried calling my contact in Providence, my old friend Naomi Marie diClemente Salvatore who I met when she was the newsreader, as they say in the UK, on the legendary Scott & Todd in the Morning show on the late, great 95.5 WPLJ (Visit stevesspecialblog.blogspot.com for "The Day The Power Died," a tribute to that radio legend.). I kept trying to call her and text her, but she never acknowledged. FINALLY, the hour passed, I got my room, and I made a CVS run (They started in Boston, but they currently operate out of Woonsocket, so I patronized the home industry, more or less.) for the essentials, such as utensils and the all-important toothbrush. (Remember earlier when I said I was disgruntled? I went to sleep, very gruntled, thank you.)

TUESDAY, JUNE 20

I visited the State House and,dodging a tribe of rugrats , took the self-guided tour and saw the House, Senate, State Library, and Salon, boasting a portrait of George Washington (Yep, THAT George Washington!) painted by Rhode Island native Gilbert Stuart. I also visited Providence Place, one of those malls that was cool in the 80s,now less so thanks to the pandemic, the economy, and, much as I adore Target and Amazon, those guys. Anywho, I used a nice, crisp 100-dollar bill Mom gave me as a birthday present at PP's Macy's to acquire a nice Polo by Ralph Lauren shirt which I will DEFINITELY wear when I officiate Emanu-El's Daily Sunset Services (Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 PM Eastern on http://emanuelnyc.org/broadcast and Facebook and YouTube. Just wanted to sneak in a quick plug!) in the weeks and months to come. STAY TUNED! That evening I returned to Prov Place, Showcase Cinemas to be exact, to see Ezra Miller as the Flash. His character may be the Fastest Man Alive, but he did little to save this crazy, confused, confusing mess of a movie. Although everybody was talking about Michael Keaton returning to the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne and Colombian-American Providence resident Sasha Calle as a Supergirl from an alternate reality, (and rightly so) the best thing about this otherwise mumbo jumbo movie was an all-too-short appearance from Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. (She can read the PHONE BOOK in character and still put on a great show!)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21

It was going to be either the Roger Williams Park Zoo or the Providence Public Library. The Library won, and I got a nice two-hour guided tour for the amazing low price of FREE! I saw their extensive collections of newspapers,  nautical memorablilia, art, and, oh, yeah, BOOKS. (Although I'm right in the middle of Red Sox country, I noticed that one of the books the staff recommended was on legendary Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.) BUUUUUT the BIG STORY turned out to be Naomi herself finally returning all my messages! We finally met at the hotel and we played catch up. She's been doing a lot of work with The Pro Show, a local lifestyle show (like HODA & JENNA or LIVE WITH KELLY& MARK) on CBS affiliate WPRI 12, her husband Bob has grown a successful CCTV security business, and her sons have grown up to be strong, strapping young men. Not too shabby! After we said Goodbye, I walked over to Federal Hill, kinda like Providence's answer to the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, and since I AM on a diet, I enjoyed a nice avocado salad at a funky little place called Julian's, before walking back to the hotel. Not too shabby!

Unfortunately, I can't end this blog without sending my thoughts and prayers (I know, the phrase is WOEFULLY overused, but hear me out.) to the tourists in the submersible visiting the Titanic and wishing them a safe and speedy return to dry land.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play? But seriously, folks, have a great day, and whether you're on vacation, daycation, or staycation, have a great summer!

Bye, Buckaroos!

Steve

The Holiday Spirit and WrestleMania

 Just when you thought you were ready to clean the wax from the menorah and put the artificial tree in the basement, here come the holidays again, this time, Easter and Passover,and again, tis the season to be helpful and give a little time to those less fortunate. This year I'm contributing by helping a few nonprofits recommended by New York Cares, who some of you may know from those tearjerking spots showing Miss Liberty cowering in a blizzard as veteran newscaster Chuck Scarborough reminds us, "New York Needs Coats." I always knew they were there,but when Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul officially kicked off the Partnership for New York City's WE ❤️ NYC campaign, on March 21, which is celebrating New York business ("WE ❤️ that NYC does more before 8 than Boston does all day," declares one of the many ads.),theatre,sports,food (including dollar pizza,for which you need two extra quarters),and especially,volunteers. I went to http://welovenyc.nyc and found some volunteer openings that were in my wheelhouse: serving food to seniors and the needy. This past Monday,I helped out at the Stanley Issacs Center, a housing project in the Yorkville section of Manhattan,and it made HELL'S KITCHEN (Gordon Ramsay's cook-off,not the West Side neighborhood where I'm working next week) and FX's THE BEAR seem like sleepy elevator music,and at the Salvation Army Astoria Corps in Queens,and although the attendance left something to be desired,it was nice showing the guests to their tables as my fellow volunteers (Unfortunately,none of them in those cool unis) handed them their food. Just like the winter holidays, Easter and Passover are more about sharing than matzos,eggs,or bunnies (NOT the girls at the Club!),and volunteering is the perfect way to share your love. Take it from me, you'll ❤️ it!

Not only is this the holiday season, it's also the time of year when World Wrestling Entertainment celebrates it's biggest and baddest grunt-and-groaners. I COULD talk about such fan faves as Alexa Bliss (Lexi Kaufman Cabrera), Charlotte Flair (Ashley Fliehr) and the twins formerly known as Bella (Nicole and Breanna Garcia), but the name I would like to drop is Abraham Josephine Reisman. I know what you're thinking: WHO? ONLY the author of the definitive biography of the Walt Disney/P.T. Barnum of sports entertainment, Vince McMahon," RINGMASTER,Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America",as well as a mutual friend of Rabbi Andy Kahn of Temple Emanu-El. Not only does this page turner trace the rags to riches story of a true American original (Even if he DID, spoiler alert, contribute to the success of a certain indicted pretender to the presidency), but it also examines how the WWE,like it or not,remade the world in its own image.(Case in point,at the aforementioned Emanu-El's 2021 Chanukah Party in Central Park,WWEish pyrotechnics shot up from the dance stage,much to the disgust of some of the other Rabbi's ) On a scale of pick it or kick it, this book is DEFINITELY a pick it! I pre-ordered it from Amazon last June, and I suggest you order it either from them or wherever you get your books, because it's bound to sell out faster than a WWE match at the Garden!

Chag Pesach Sameach!

Hoppy Easter!

Bye Buckaroos?

Steve

A Long-Range(r)ing Post

First of all, congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on winning Super Bowl LVII (Grumble,grumble.) and the Philadelphia Eagles on a job well-done. (Sob!) Also, Happy Presidents Day and,to our neighbours to the north, Happy Family Day,eh?

It's a good time to be a Ranger,and I don't mean at Yellowstone, although that particular show and it's spinoffs ARE going great guns! I refer to the New York Rangers, currently in third place in the NHL Metropolitan Division but very likely to zoom up to the top spot,and another team of good guys in brightly colored uniforms,the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Although they made their official debut in 1975 on Japanese TV as Go Ranger ("The Five Rangers"),they exploded onto the American scene twenty years ago this year,and show no signs of going away anytime soon. Not only are Nickelodeon and it's co-owned free streamer Pluto TV celebrating with such POWERful iterations as Space Patrol Delta, Operation: Overdrive and Dino Thunder, but also introducing the original (subtitled) Japanese series to American audiences. My favorite is Hurricane Rangers,the predecessor of Power Rangers Ninja Storm, with Time Ranger,or as statesiders know it, Power Rangers Time Force,coming in a close second. Some differences between the Japanese and American series may be interesting, (Hurricane Rangers begins with a warning:"Watch TV at a distance in a well-lit room!" When the American version was shown on Jetix,the successor to Fox Kids International,the warning was that the Power Rangers were fictional characters (Really?!?I had no idea!) played by professional actors and impressionable youngsters shouldn't attempt their moves themselves. Whatever keeps the little ankle biters safe!) or disgusting,  (The original Japanese predecessor of Dino Thunder shows a very racist and xenophobic portrayal of a Black baseball player which is acknowledged on this side of the International Date Line.) but the American Rangers series,for the most part,stick to the original Japanese concept while not alienating American and European viewers.

Some Rangers series in both canons have been either Morphinomenally good or powerfully bad,but,thanks to pop culture production house Shout! Factory , you can see the original five little Rangers and how they grew. Anytime is Morphin time for this limited time,and it won't cost you a dime. Just please don't karate chop your boss after the weekend!

LET'S GO  (POWER) RANGERS!

And may the Power protect you!

Steve

We Are Family

For many years, my Fourth Of July vacations took me to uniquely American landmarks such as Walt Disney World,Salem,MA, Williamsburg, VA,or the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. I had planned to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland,OH in 2018, but on October 27,2017, after the joy of Rosh Hashanah and solemnity of Yom Kippur had disappeared,the Tree of Life Synagogue and two other temples that shared the same building were invaded by a lone gunman who hated then-President Trump, but also espoused the Anti-Semitic, Anti-Immigrant,in short, ANTI-AMERICAN philosophy that had driven his supporters. Although I love rooting against Pittsburgh like any good New York sports fan, I have friends there and I admire their sense of community and brotherhood. I doubt that it's any coincidence that a preacher named Fred Rogers chose that particular city to expand his ministry of love to children's television (If Boston is the city where everybody knows your name, then Pittsburgh is the city where every kid and former kid knows the residents of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood of Make-Believe, and quite frankly, we can use more Mister Rogerses.) or that city has adopted Philadelphia soul belters Sister Sledge's "We Are Family,' originally played at Pittsburgh Pirates games at the request of star slugger Pops Stargell has become the unofficial city song of the Burgh Town. While reliving the shooting is not an easy prospect, HBO Max's cinema verite documentary "A Tree of Life" (TV-MA for Violence and Language) brings the memory of that tragic chapter in American Jewish history closer than ever. As this movie so beautifully illustrates, this massacre affected everybody, even the Muslim community. (One mustn't-miss highlight is "Healing Tones," an original composition by Hannibal Lokumbe performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra and featuring an awesome shofar solo, and i don't just mean that to sound cool. by shooting survivor Audrey Glickman.) We are indeed family, and we need to listen more often to God or our neighborhoods than to give Trump the satisfaction of reelection. Kudos to Shark Mark Cuban and actors Michael Keaton and Billy Porter for getting  this  movie off the ground and even Olivia herself, Mariska Hargitay,who gets a well-deserved, albeit too brief, shout-out in the credits. On a scale of "Skip It" to "Stream It," STREAM IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Oh, by the way, when I visited Tree Of Life's temporary headquarters on Pittsburgh's Fifth Avenue,

I told the cantor, who officiated the Sabbath service, everybody at Temple Emanu-El in New York was thinking of them, instead of a kind "Thank you" or "Shabbat Shalom," I got a gruff "WHO'S YOUR CANTOR?!?" For the record, it was Mo Glazman who,today,shares cantorial duties with Associate Cantor Sara Anderson and Cantor Emerita Lori Corrsin, I was more than a little taken aback  by his apparent Pittsburgh 'tude towards Noo Yawkers. Other than that, and the building security being limited to one freelance security agent and an attack dog, I had a beautiful time that evening.)

Shalom!

Steve