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Danny Raskin
Continued from preceding page
Micah in Wyncote, Pa. outside
of Philadelphia, who does it
part time.
Rabbi Alper made a debut at
"Going Bananas," a popular
comedy club there, with things
like, "A woman whose husband
had just died called, asking,
`Rabbi, how long after the fun-
eral can I start dating?' Sud-
denly my other phone rang.
`Wait a minute,' I said. 'Thank
you,' she said, and hung up."
The rib-tickling rabbi .. .
("Maybe next time, I'll offer the
audience some Passover songs.
You know the ones I'm talking
about, don't you? `Afikomen
around the mountain when she
comes . . . ) has already been
booked for six engagements in
the Philadelphia area . . . with
groups and organizations fast
to sign him after he vowed
audiences and Going Bananas
co-owner Barney Eeiss at the
"1986 Jewish Comic of the
Year" Contest . . . Alper
finished third of 13 finalists.
He was an assistant rabbi in
Buffalo . . . poor Buffalo, the
butt of some funny Alper jokes
. . . Like the one where he went
Here are two great values on two great meals. First, our complete prime rib
dinner, featuring a 6 oz. slice of tender, juicy prime rib, soup or salad, and a big
baked potato is only $5.95. Second, we're offering that same meal, plus a big
serving of succulent crab legs for only $2 more. Either way, it's a lot to eat and a
lot to like, for a very little price. Come to jojos before this offer walks away.
Southfield
29069 Greenfield Rd.
559-8587
60 Friday, March 6, 1987
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
to the local synagogue to hold
services during a storm and got
snowed in, giving new mean-
ing, he said, to the line, "And I
shall dwell in the house of the
Lord forever."
Some people there linger on
the irregularity of a rabbi also
being a comic ... But it's not so
unusual, said Alper in the
Philadelphia Jewish Exponent
. . . "Both are opportunities to
serve people, whether you
make them laugh or help with
some difficult moments."
Alper acknowledged that
there may be some who think a
rabbi's only place is at the
bimah.. . . "There are probably
people who would raise an
eyebrow at a rabbi doing com-
edy. But let them see what I do.
I would like them to hear the
reactions of Jewish and gentile
audiences. Both come away
feeling, 'Here's another exam-
ple of a rabbi who can be warm,
humorous and fun.' . . . It
lends an added dimension of
humanity to the rabbinate, he
said.
"In Talmud, Rabbah, before
his lessons, would always tell a
joke and relax his students.
What I am doing is not a new
idea."
Israeli Film Sparks
Knesset Controversy
MICHAEL ELKIN
Special to The Jewish News
N
ew York — Avanti
Popolo, Rafi Bukaee's
film about an Israeli
platoon meeting up with two
ragtag Egyptian soldiers at the
end of the Six-Day War, has
been involved in a skirmish or
two of its own. The Israeli film
has caused some consternation
in the Knesset, where it has
been derided as an unwar-
ranted entry to represent the
nation in the Academy Awards
race.
The guns are now muffled.
The film didn't get an Oscar
nomination.
But that is now history. As
happy as he is that the film got
as far as it has, Bukaee was not
always so sure of his film's suc-
cess. "I didn't make any pre-
views available for anyone," he
says. "I was very scared be-
cause of the story and the way I
told it."
The story focuses on a rela-
tionship between the Israelis
and Egyptian soldiers. The
title comes from an Italian
fighting song, meaning "For-
ward the People." (The Egyp-
tians are portrayed by two Is-
raeli Christian Arabs.)
The way he told it? It is a
story depicted in very human
terms. No one wears white or
black hats.
"I didn't know how people
would accept it," says Bukaee.
Its screening here at the Israel
Film festival last year stem-
med those fears. "The audience
went crazy."
Bukaee has been crazy about
film all his life. "My parents
own a little cinema in Israel;
I'm a cinema freak," he says.
But film wasn't his first
career choice — law was. "I
studied law at Tel Aviv Uni-
versity, then dropped out after
some weeks. Then I started
taking film courses there."
He learned enough to make
his first feature. Funds were in
such short supply during the
Avanti Popolo shoot, he relied
on friends from the army and
the -movies as the actors.
All lived together in a com-
mune environment, often eat-
ing at area kibbutzim to save
money. Kastel Communica-
tions Ltd. came to the film's fi-
nancial rescue and is serving
as its distributor.
For those who wonder why
Bukaee chose the Six-Day War
as a backdrop, he explains it
was an easy choice. "I wanted
to make a plot that would talk
to everybody — a universal
story," which he thinks the
Six-Day War offered. "I did not
want a provocative story. I
didn't want the film to start a
big quarrel in the Middle
East."
No argument which films
have influenced him most. "I
have a big affection for Ameri-
can films," he says, citing Wit-
ness and Frizzes Honor as in-
spirations.
Bukaee is now inspired to do
other films. But for now, he
will be happy if audiences come
home after seeing his film
thinking about its subject. For
all his film's humor, Bukaee
wants moviegoers to realize
that war is no laughing matter.
Play Festival
Due March 20
Avon Players Community
Theater had been chosen as the
host for the Community Thea-
ter Association of Michigan's
play festival to be held March
20-22.
The winner of this state fes-
tival attends the regional fes-
tival, to be held March 28-29 in
Peoria, Ill.
Parks Benefit
The Oakland Parks Founda-
tion will benefit from a per-
formance of Evita at 8 p.m.
March 14 at the Birmingham
Theater. For tax deductible
tickets, call the foundation,
335-2771.