For Openers_

Jewry's Role in
Human Advancement

Going To The Dogs

SY MANELLO

Editorial Assistant

D

og is man's best friend — a
given.
However, this column
may put me in the dog-
house with many readers who will feel
that they have a bone to pick.
Knowing that, here goes.
/ Dogs are wonderful companions;
\ they are integral parts of many fami-
lies. My own son, daughter-in-law and
grandson love their dog. (Other than
feeling that they wasted a good "per-
son" name on a dog — Max — I love
him, too.) But let's get real, I growl;
they are animals.
Why then do I get so many irate
2 readers who are miffed because I edit
out the dogs from their milestone
announcements? Yes, I am sure that
the dog is as elated as the grandpar-
ents that a child is born into the fold.

PHRASEOLOGY

I'm positive that the dog, in all its
furry glory, did get the couple to the
point of getting engaged. I'm con-
vinced that in all its finery the family
dog made a Kodak moment as it
walked down the aisle at the wedding.
But the dog does not, as of now,
belong in our announcements.
Will the animals be hurt by the
omission? I do not doubt it, and I
apologize for the affront. But please
don't make that demand of me. I'm
trying to maintain a consistent tone,
doggone it!
By the way, I'm also disinterested
by parrots that can wish you a happy
birthday, fish that blow heart-shaped
bubbles on your anniversary and
snakes that ... well, you get the idea.

llowz By You

IT SAYS HERE THAT OUR RABBI IS
GIVING A LECTURE TONIGHT!

REALLY? I THINK WE SOUL!?

GO!

Jewish culture has been wedded to music and song since
earliest times. Within the temple of Jerusalem, the
psalms were sung by Levites to one of history's oldest
forms of musical notation. Many centuries later,
cantonal music and the melodies of folk musicians called
klezmorim flourished, but were played solely within
Jewish communities. This would change.
By the 19th Century, villagers departing the
ghettos—including those with musical gifts and ambition--
entered Europe's multiplying middle class which
developed a hearty appetite for musical entertainment.
The classical medium drew from the genius of Felix
Mendelssohn; others also of Jewish ancestry added their
talents to popular music of the day. Johann Strauss,
Giacomo Meyerbeer and Paul Dukas, in turn, were
flanked and followed by Jewish composers who also
contributed to great moments and innovations in Western
music's rich heritage.

JACQUES OFFENBACH
(1819-80) b. Cologne, Germany
He was
Composer/Conductor
variously called the "king" and the
"little Mozart" of the comic opera
and operetta, and a principal figure in
the theatrical genre he made his own.
His output of more than 100 stage productions helped lift
the operetta to its status as a unique musical form.
Offenbach's work eventually inspired a newcomer--the
musical comedy of today. His brilliance endures,
witnessed by his best-known lyric opera, The Tales of
Hoffmann, which still remains an international favorite.

(A taste of Hebrew,

Yiddish, or Ladino)

Shem zilch in dayn vaytn
haldz.
You should be ashamed to the
bottom of your throat.

But don't think that by swal-
lowing hard you'll make it go
away.

0

TIMC WE TOOK OUR
139
l'UPAISM MORE SERIOUSLY! STARTING
'11MIGHT IA. ATTEND LECTURES /IMP
COURSE'S AND WORKSHOPS AND...

14,0t4 120% OFF

Suggestions
For Taslich:

• For ordinary sins, use white bread.
• For exotic sins, use French bread.
• For particularly dark sins,
pumpernickel.
• For complex sins, multi grain.
• For twisted sins, pretzels.
• For tasteless sins, rice cakes.
• For sins of indecision, waffles.
•For sins committed
in haste, matzah.
• For sins committed in less
than 18 minutes,
Shmurah matzah.

/-

EVERYTHING AT HUPSOArS
TONIGHT ONL9!!

■

SALE

Do you have a "fiinny" observation, a humorous insight or an odd inci
dent from the news that you'd like to share? Please send it to Sy Monello,
27676 Franklin, Southfield, MI 48034.

ARNOLD SCHOENBERG
(1874-1951) b. Vienna, Austria
Composer It has been said that he
and his teacher, Gustav Mahler,
were the dominant musical
influences in Austria after Brahms.
At the turn of the century, the largely
self-taught composer revolutionized music with a 12-tone
system for organizing composition. By the time he
emigrated to the U.S. (1933), he had almost single-
handedly created a new classical form. The intellectually
challenging system structured dozens of his orchestral,
stage, choral and chamber works which are increasingly
performed and admired by concert goers.

JEROME KERN
(1885-1945) b. New York City
Composer Who could resist the
enchantment and delights of
Showboat or Roberta? Or humming
along with such ageless melodies as 1.
"01' Man River" and "Smoke Gets in
Your Eyes?' Apart from a lifetime repertoire of more
than 1,000 songs and dozens of stage shows and musical
scores for the films, Kern was the unquestioned father of
the modern American musical. Almost alone, he
transformed the operetta of his day into an original
theatrical event that has shaped the character of virtually
every Broadway and Hollywood musical produced since
Showboat.
-- Saul Stadtmauer

"What people on earth have contributed more to human
culture than the Jewish people?"
-- Pablo Casals, Cellist, Composer

COMMISSION FOR THE DISSEMINATION OF
JEWISH HISTORY
Harold Berry & Irwin S. Field, Co-chairmen
Harriet F. Siden, Secretary
Founders/Sponsors: Walter & Lea Field

9/19
1997

5

