Best Bets Jews In The News A Tina Sivorinov-sky is an interesting woman — she has carved out successful careers as a writer on figure skating and as a romance novelist under the name "Alina Adams." She's a contributing editor to International Figure Skating Federation magazine and is donating the profits from her 2003 novel, Murder on Ice, to the Israeli Skating Federation. Just before the 2002 Olympics, Alina revealed that Russian skater Irina Slutskaya, who went on to win the silver medal, was Jewish on her father's side. She also provided the Jewish details about gold-medalist Sarah Hughes' background. (Sarah is Jewish on her mother's side.) Thanks to Alina, another "Jew on ice' story has come to light, as revealed in the November issue of International Figure Skating Federation magazine. Oksana Baia 26, the 1994 Olympic figure skat- ing gold medalist, is Jewish on her mother's side. Oksana,- herself, did not know this until recently Born in Dnipropetrovsl, Ukraine, Oksana was the only child of parents who divorced when she was 2. Her father faded out of her life, leaving her mother and her grandparents to raise Oksana. When Oksana was 10, her grandparents died; three years later, her mother died of ovarian cancer. Soon after, Ok.sana's coach abandoned her immigrating to Canada. Oksana, whose athletic abilities had been noticed by the Ukrainian Skating Federation when she was a small child, won her first competition at age 7. She stunned the world by winning her gold medal at 16. She placed in the top six at the World Professional Championships in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000, when she took some time off to focus on other ven- tures, including a clothing line. She has recently returned to skating. Meanwhile, Oksana has become engaged to Gene Sunik, a Russian Jew who settled in the New York area with his family when he was 5 years old. Gene is in the garment business and works with Oksana on her clothing line. It was Gene's Jewish background that prompted Oksana to make contact with her long-estranged father to find out about her family's roots. Oksana recently traveled to Ukraine and met with her father and pater- Oksana Baiul, right, and fiance nal grandmother. Gene Sunik They told her that her mother and maternal grandmother were Jewish. (Oksana's trip home will be covered in a segment of ABC's 20/20 later this season.) Both Oskana and her fiancé's family were very happy about this news, and the skater is now quite interested in exploring her Jewish heritage. — Nate Bloom, editor, wwwjewhoo.com 12/12 2003 84 along with vocals from accordionist Shayla Fink — whom Down Beat maga- zine referred to as "a Yiddish-speaking composite of Edith Piaf and Marianne Faithfull." Finjan stirs polka, gypsy music, Greek sounds and jazz into the klezmer mix. $13'.50. (734) 761-1451. Classical Notes Cantor David Montefiore of Temple Beth El will be the guest soloist with the Zamir Chorale of Metropolitan Detroit 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, at the Jewish Community Center in Oak Park. The concert, focusing on the American- Jewish music experience, will be con- ducted by Benjamin Cohen of Ann DANCE FEVER GAIL ZIMMERMAN Arbor and will feature Alice Parker's An Michigan Classic Ballet Company per- Arts &Entertain/nen/ American Kedusha, Kurt Weill's Kiddush Editor forms the Nutcracker Ballet, featuring and Street Scene, Leonard Bernstein's many young, local aspiring dancers, 11 a.m. Simchu Nah and West Side Story, and and 3:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13- Lee Hoiby's Lady of the Harbor, based on the 14, at Mercy Auditorium, 29300 W. 11 Mile Road, in poems of Emma Lazarus. Free and open to the Farmington Hills. Adult, $18/seniors and children to public. (248) 967-4030. age 12, $14/group tickets, $12. (248) 334-6964. Chamber Music Society of Detroit hosts acclaimed pianist Emanuel Ax, the Jewish, Polish-born pianist and multiple Grammy winner who came to promi- LAUGH LINES nence in 1974 when he won the first Bill Cosby's comedy pays Arthur Rubinstein International Piano respect to the traditions of great Competition in Tel Aviv, 8 p.m. Saturday, American humorists like Will Dec. 13, at Seligman Performing Arts Rogers, W.C. Fields and even Center in Beverly Hills. He'll perform Groucho Marx. The legendary works by Debussy, Rameau, Ravel and comedian takes the stage 5 and 8 Chopin. $30-$67. (248) 855-6070. p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at Wharton Center in East Lansing. $27.50-$47.50. (517) 432-2000. POP/ROCK/JAZZ/FOLK The Ark in Ann Arbor presents Finjan, a six-piece klezmer band from Winnipeg, Canada, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. Now in its 18th year, the band hails from Winnipeg's heavily Eastern European North End, and includes clarinet, saxophone, accordion, violin, guitar or mandolin, and double bass, THE BIG SCREEN Klezmer band Finjan performs Sunday at The Ark. `Nobody's Gilgur SUSAN ZWEIG Special to the Jewish News f you've got to be saddled with a gilgul — that is, have somebody's soul from a past life pass into you to resolve issues from his or her time on Earth — it's only fair that you, too, should gain something from the exchange. Nobody's Gilgul, Lois' Roisman's comedic study of these metaphysical particulars hav- ing its world premiere at the Jewish Ensemble Theatre, offers an exceedingly pleasant experience, thanks in equal parts to the cadence of Roisman's writing and the deftness of JET's production. Lily Gilbert (Robin Lewis-Bedz) is a feisty young corporate attorney, seemingly heartless in her prac- tice but actually without a soul, inadvertently passed over when the powers-that-be handed our that invaluable inner ether. Meanwhile, Lily's great- - The Detroit Film Theatre at the DIA celebrates the centenary of the birth of esteemed Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu, renowned for his intimate por- great-great, great aunt Eva Rochel (Meredith Manners) has been making a case in heaven to vindicate her untimely death by Cossacks some 200 years ago by finally bearing a child with the husband also lost by their tNA hateful hands. A scene from ',Nobody's Gilgul." Why not pop into Lily for a bit and work things out for the both of them? Between mending that oversight about Lily's soul and giving Eva a second chance on Earth, a triumvi- rate of rebbes above the clouds debate the finer tal- mudic points of the mishegas that ensues below. FYI: For Arts and Entertainment related events that you wish to have considered for Out & About, please send the item, with a detailed description of the event, times, dates, place, ticket prices and publishable phone number, to: Gail Zimmerman, JN Out & About. The Jewish News, 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034; fax us at (248) 304-8885: or e-mail to gzimmerman@thejewishnews.com Notice must be received at least three weeks before the scheduled event. Photos are appreciated but cannot be returned. All events and dates listed in the Out & About column are subject to change.