Federation Star - November 2019

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18A Federation Star November 2019 JEWISH INTEREST Velvel Pasternak, legendary Yiddish musicologist, passes By Arlene Stolnitz Earlier this summer, the world lost an icon of Eastern European Jewish music. Velvel Pasternak was an ethnomusicologist and musician who collected Jewish music from the world over with selections from Yemen, India, the Balkans, the United States and more. Known mainly for his interest in Hasidic music, he is credited for Arlene Stolnitz having written, transcribed and recorded hundreds of niggunim (traditional wordless melodies). At one time he even had a stint with Hollywood moguls who consulted him about Hasidic dress for a FULL SERVICE PRINTING & GRAPHIC DESIGN movie. According to his daughter Shira, he was the one who dressed Gene Wilder as a Hasidic rabbi in the movie The Frisco Kid. Pasternak was born in 1933 in Toronto to an Orthodox family. His parents had emigrated separately from small Polish towns. They, of course, wanted him to be a rabbi, but his interests led him toward his passion for music. He was a musical prodigy and taught himself to play piano on an instrument his mother bought for him. Later, he studied at Julliard and received a master’s degree in Music Education from Teachers College at Columbia University. I met up with him several years ago when I attended the North American Jewish Choral Festival, formerly held every summer in the Catskills. 239.592.9377 naplesenvelope1@aol.com 2052 J AND C BLVD. • NAPLES, FL 34109 Oceanfront Gated Estate with 4 Residences Organized by renowned choral conductor Matthew Lazar of Zamir fame, the prestigious festival is basically a “music camp” where singers, composers and conductors come for five days of intensive immersion in music workshops and singing of Jewish music. Jewish music publishers display and sell their music, and that is where I met Velvel Pasternak, a legend in his own right. He and his wife Goldie ran their company, Tara, out of their Cedarhurst, New York, basement. The music publishing company was named after their daughter Atara. It was a family affair with members of the family sorting, shrink wrapping, packing, shipping and doing whatever was necessary to run the business. And successful it has been, with over 150 volumes in print to date and distributed through the Hal Leonard Publishing Co. Understanding the changing technology “Vel,” as he was known, went digital with the company and has a website dedicated to the music he has preserved. Volumes with titles such as “The Best of Jewish Folksongs,” “The Great Jewish Sing-along,” “Melodies of Modzitz,” “Songs of Chassidim,” “Shabbat Songs” and “Passover Anthology” are just a sampling of the hundreds of songs he has transcribed and put into print and digital form. The Yiddish Book Center’s Wexler Oral History Project has a fascinating interview with Pasternak conducted in 2011 by Hankus Netsky in which Pasternak talks about his interest in the preservation of Jewish music and its importance. He recalls the difficulties of recording niggunim as sung by Hasidim as well as his reasons for writing and recording these songs. He describes his particular interest in the niggunim of the Modzitz Hasidic dynasty. The interview also includes details of how he began his career of recording, transcribing and then publishing original Jewish melodies. According to him, it began with the request for one song for a traditional wedding which he wrote in musical notation and sent to the family. It’s a fascinating narration by Pasternak himself, and the video shows the simple surroundings he worked in, right out of his Cedarhurst basement. Arlene Stolnitz, founder of the Sarasota Jewish Chorale, is a member of the Jewish Congregation of Venice. A retired educator from Rochester, New York, she has sung in choral groups for over 25 years and also sings in The Venice Chorale. Her interest in the preservation of Jewish music of all kinds has led to this series of articles on Jewish Folk Music in the Diaspora. ConneCt with your Jewish Community www.facebook.com/ JewishFederationofGreaterNaples facebook.com/jfedsrq RESPITE SPECIAL $185 ADULT DAY STAY $85 Four homes on approximately six acres: two main homes of 4,450 and 4,250 square feet, and two guest homes of 1,800 square feet each, all abutting a 40-acre mangrove preserve on Key Largo. Each home features a private elevator, gourmet kitchen, custom staircase, and captivating 180° ocean views. The private channel with nine-slip marina comes with submerged land rights. Two saltwater pools, a clubhouse, workshop and video security system complete this private waterfront paradise. Asking $9,900,000. 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JEWISH INTEREST Stars of David By Nate Bloom, Contributing Columnist Editor’s note: Persons in BOLD CAPS are deemed by Nate Bloom to be Jewish for the purpose of the column. Persons identified as Jewish have at least one Jewish parent and were not raised in a faith other than Judaism – and don’t identify with a faith other than Judaism as an adult. Converts to Judaism, of course, are also identified as Jewish. November 2019 Federation Star 19A t the Movies in November he Irishman, a Martin Scorsese film, opens in limited release on Friday, November 1. This expensive film found financing via Netflix or it wouldn’t have been made. Netflix financing means that if you don’t want to see it in theaters, and you are a Netflix subscriber, you only have to wait until Wednesday, November 27 to see it on Netflix’s streaming service. However, if you are a Scorsese fan, or a film lover in general, do go and see it while it is in theaters. This film has received 100% advance rave reviews from top critics. You have a rare opportunity, now, to see it on a really big screen and have a total cinematic experience. The Irishman tells the story of real-life Mafia hitman, Frank “The Irishman” Sheerhan. The screenplay is based on a biography published in 2004, a year after Sheerhan’s death. In the bio, Sheerhan said he was involved in JFK’s murder and the murder of Jimmy Hoffa. The film concentrates on the murder of Hoffa (played by Al Pacino). Robert De Niro, a frequent Scorsese actor, plays Sheerhan. HAR- VEY KEITEL, 80, who appeared in the first film that Scorsese made (1967) and many others since, has a big role as Mafia boss Angelo Bruno. The supporting cast includes JAKE HOFFMAN, 38 (DUSTIN’s son), as ALLAN DORFMAN (1923-1983), a close associate of Hoffa who turned the Teamster pension fund into a bank for the mob. Like Hoffa, he was “rubbed out” by the mob. Jo Jo Rabbit officially opened on Friday, October 18, but opens most places on Friday, November 1. This is a controversial film and you should read long reviews before seeing it. JoJo, a lonely boy in Nazi Germany, has Hitler as his imaginary friend. Jo Jo has grown up on Nazi propaganda and his imaginary friend is a wonderful guy. Then his world turns upside down when he discovers his mother (SCAR- LETT JOHANSSON, 34) is hiding a Jewish girl. JoJo has to reconcile his “friend” Hitler with the reality in his own home. The director and writer is Taika Waititi, a New Zealander who has made good movies in many genres. He’s long said his mother is Jewish, but that seems, based on new info I have, not to be exactly accurate. His mother had a Jewish father. I don’t know if she was raised Jewish. A Marriage Story, another Netflix film, opens in limited release on Wednesday, November 6 and begins streaming on Friday, December 6. Like The Irishman, it has received 100% good advance reviews from leading critics. Capsule plot: A stage director (Adam Driver) and an actress (Scarlett Johansson, again) struggle through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal and creative extremes. WALLACE SHAWN, 75, has a supporting role. The film was directed and written by NOAH BAUMBACH, 50. Frozen 2, a sequel to the animated musical mega-hit Frozen (2013), opens on Friday, November 22. Really, who cares about the plot? The whole original cast returns and they sing a lot. IDINA MENZEL, 48, returns as star character Elsa, and JOSH GAD, 38, a Florida native, returns as Olaf, a major character. Jews on the Gridiron The following players were on a National Football League (NFL) team roster as of September 20. All have at least one Jewish parent and were raised Jewish or secular. This item was written with the assistance of Jewish Sports Review magazine. JORDAN DANGERFIELD, 28, safety, Pittsburgh Steelers. After a season-ending injury in 2017, he was healthy all last year. Dangerfield is of Ethiopian Jewish background. My guess is that he is the only Ethiopian Jew in American professional sports; NATE EBNER, 30, New England Patriots. Ebner is an invaluable special teams player. He was injured in 2017, but returned strong in 2018; ANTHONY FIRKSER, 24, tight end, Tennessee Titans. He played basketball at the 2013 Maccabiah Games. He graduated from Harvard in 2017 with a mathematics degree. In 2018, he joined the Titans and in mid-season was promoted from the practice squad to the “regular” team; ALEXANDER “Ali” MARPET, 26, outside guard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2018, Marpet started all 16 games and was rewarded with a five-year, $55M contract extension; JOSH ROSEN, 22, quarterback, Miami Dolphins. Rosen had a rough rookie year (2018) with a lousy Arizona team and was traded during the off-season; and JULIAN EDEL- MAN, (star) receiver, New England Patriots. I cover Edelman’s complex Jewish background in a long article I wrote for the New Jersey Jewish Standard. Google “Julian Edelman” and the paper’s name and you’ll easily find it. Trust me, it’s a good and surprising read. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS THEY HELP MAKE THE FEDERATION STAR POSSIBLE Interested in Your Family’s History? Nate Bloom (see column above) has become a family history expert in 10 years of doing his celebrity column, and he has expert friends who can help when called on. Most family history experts charge $1,000 or more to do a full family-tree search. However, Bloom knows that most people want to start with a limited search of one family line. So here’s the deal: Write Bloom at nteibloom@aol.com and enclose a phone number. Nate will then contact you about starting a limited search. If that goes well, additional and more extensive searches are possible. The first search fee is no more than $100. No upfront cost. Also, several of this newspaper’s readers have asked Bloom to locate friends and family members from their past, and that’s worked out great for them. So contact him about this as well. Built for Living... Built for Life. Whatever you need, Kaye Lifestyle Homes can help bring your ideas to life. Our 30 years’ experience in the industry and unparalleled construction excellence have earned us the distinction as Builder of the Year by the Florida Home Builders Association... so, whether you need to renovate or build new, we want to help. Homes priced from the $300’s to $4M... Your Vision. Our Expertise. Olde Naples Charm The Bermuda Seagate Charm 239.434.KAYE www.KayeLifestyleHomes.com
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Federation Star - November 2019

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