COMPILED BY ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Jewish Performers Join
Concert For Pediatric AIDS
ewish singers Michael
Bolton (pictured) and
Randy Newman
appear on a new album, to
be released Feb. 16, which
will benefit the Pediatric
AIDS Foundation (PAF), a
nonprofit organization
that raises funds to help
children with AIDS.
"For Our Children: The
Concert" fea-
tures perfor-
mances of clas-
sic and original
children's songs
recorded live
last year in Los
Angeles. The
release of the
album will coin-
cide with a
home video pro-
gram and cable
broadcast of the
concert Feb. 16
on the Disney
Channel.
Included on
the album,
which is on the
Disney label,
are Michael
Bolton perform-
ing "You Are
My Sunshine" and Randy
Newman singing "I've
Been Working on the
Railroad." Also featured
are Paula Abdul, Kris
Kross, Patti LaBelle and
Bobby McFerrin.
"For Our Children: The
Concert" was inspired by
Disney's first Pediatric
AIDS Foundation benefit
eir
album, "For Our Child-
ren." The first record,
which featured Barbra
Streisand, Bette Midler
and Bob Dylan, among
others, already has raised
more than $3 million for
PAF.
Among those instrumen-
tal in getting the first
"For Our Children" off the
ground was
Detroit native
and record pro-
ducer Don Was
(David Weiss).
Artist and
publishing roy-
alties were
waived for both
projects.
The Pediatric
AIDS Found-
ation was es-
tablished in
1988 by Eliza-
beth Glaser,
wife of actor
Paul Michael
Glaser, the son
of Holocaust
survivors. Mrs.
Glaser was
diagnosed HIV
positive after a
blood transfusion. Her
daughter, Ariel, died of
AIDS in 1988.
Those wishing to make
a credit card donation to
PAF may call 1-800-488-
5000. Checks may be
mailed to the Pediatric
AIDS Foundation, 1311
Colorado Ave., Santa
Monica, Calif., 90404.
Thanks, George
G
et out your party
hats. George
Washingto n's
birthday is just around
the corner (Feb. 22), and
from his writings, it's
evident that the first
president had a deep
respect for the Jewish
people and Judaism.
In a 1777 message to
the Continental Army,
Washington advised his
troops to emulate the
"great army of the chil-
dren of Israel...that con-
tinued 40 years in their
different camps under
the guidance and regula-
tions of the wisest gener-
al that ever lived."
In his famous 1790 let
ter to the Hebrew
Congregation of Newport,
R.I., Washington praised
the government of the
United States "which to
bigotry gives no sanction,
to persecution no assis-
tance,"
This phrase was not
Washington's own. It was
written by Moses Mendes
Seixas, president of the
congregation, in a letter
presented to Washington
when he visited the syna-
gogue.
Who Moved
Bill Clinton?
B
ill Clinton never
could have made it
to the White House
without a certain Jew
from Oklahoma.
Larry Isaacs, 53, of
Tulsa, is a worker with
United Van Lines — and
the man who carted the
president's goods from
Little Rock, Ark., to
Washington, D.C.
Mr. Isaacs told the
Jerusalem Post the entire
job was completed in one
trip because the White
House already is fur-
nished. Among the items
the Clintons took with
them: Mrs. Clinton's desk,
books, clothing and the
Clintons' bedroom suite.
Food For Thought
aybe it's just coin-
cidence, but it
m seems Jewish law
and contemporary dieti-
tians have a lot in com-
mon.
Nutritionists with the
Center for Science in the
Public Interest, in
Washington, D.C., with
Johns Hopkins University
A Miracle
In Bnei Brak
T
el Aviv (JTA) — A
45-year-old Israeli
tried to commit sui-
cide late last month by
leaping from a pedestrian
footbridge onto a busy
highway during the height
of midday rush hour.
But the resident of Bnei
Brak, Israel's most reli-
gious town, forgot that
God was watching.
Leaping to what he
thought would be his
death, he landed on a
truckload of mattresses.
Suffering only minor
bruises, he was taken by
police to a nearby hospital
for observation.
Houdini Bible
Up For Sale
wann Galleries in
New York is set to
auction a magical col-
lection of items on Feb. 25.
The collection features
goods that belonged to
magician Harry Houdini
(born Erich Weiss), includ-
ing signed programs and
one of his escape milk
cans.
The Houdini family
Bible, bearing the signa-
ture of Houdini's father
and three by Houdini him-
self, also will be auc-
tioned. It is expected to
sell for about $12,000.
S
in Baltimore, and with the
American Dietetic
Association, among oth-
ers, recently compiled for
Child magazine a list of
the 10 best and 10 worst
foods.
Many of the 10 best are
Jewish staples, like sweet
potatoes (found in tzimmis
and cholent), which
Center for Science nutri-
tionist Jayne Hurley
labeled the best food, peri-
od.
Also on the list:
*That cholent staple,
beans, which can help
lower cholesterol, aid in
digestion and provide
numerous vitamins
*Skinless poultry (use it
for schnitzel)
*Fish (would Friday
night be Friday night
without gefilte fish?)
*Breakfast cereals like
Cheerios (Jewish and gen-
tile mothers swear by this
kosher delicacy to calm
cranky children)
Among the worst foods
— lots of treife treats, like
fast-food burgers, which
can have more than 61
grams of fat, and bacon
(even sugar-coated cereals
are better, nutritionists
say).
Of course, nutritionists
and Halachah don't
always concur. Dietitians
label as one of the worst
foods gourmet ice cream.
But if it has a heksher
(certificate of kashrut),
can it be all that bad?
Tu B'Shevat, Olive You
N
eed a date? Yes, you
do! That's because
Tu B'Shevat is
observed the 15th of
Shevat (this year, Feb. 5)
— when Jews everywhere
enjoy the delicious custom
of eating the seven tradi-
tional fruits of
the Land of
Israel: wheat,
barley, grapes,
figs, pomegran-
ates, olives and
dates (based on
Deuteronomy
8:8).
"Tu" is an
acronym form-
ed by the Hebrew letters
tet and vav, representing
the number 15.
According to Hillel, the
15th of Shevat marks the
beginning of the setting
aside of fruit from trees as
teruma and maaser, tithes
due the priests and the
poor. For this reason, Tu
B'Shevat came to be called
the New Year of the Trees.
In the past, some
Jewish communities cele-
brated the day by eating
15 different fruits; in
addition to the traditional
cultivated
fruits, they
dined
on
those
that
grew wild in
Israel, such
as apples, pis-
tachios and
almonds.
And
if
you're looking
for a really interesting
way to observe the day:
turn to the Kabbalists.
They devised a special
meal for Tu B'Shevat mod-
eled on the Passover
seder, complete with four
cups of wine.