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An exhibit for chocolate lovers at
the Henry Ford Museum

Solid Chocolate

"There are surprising Jewish connec-
tions with chocolate, including Jews in
the early chocolate trade and early Jewish
chocolate makers:' according to the
Web site jews_onthechocolatetrail.org.
"Because the discovery of chocolate and
the Spanish Inquisition, along with the
expulsion of Jews from Spain and later
from Portugal, coincided, the Jewish con-
nection to chocolate in the early days was
primarily through conversos in Portugal,
France, Holland, the Caribbean and North
America. Later on, Jews engaged in candy
making as well:"
Those who love chocolate in all its forms
will learn a whole lot more about all things
chocolate in "Chocolate: The Exhibition;'
the Henry Ford Museum's summer exhibit

running through
Sept. 7.
Organized by the
Field Museum in
Chicago and blend-
ing interactive dis-
plays, artifacts and
familiar pop culture
icons, "Chocolate"
immerses visitors in
the natural history and American innova-
tions of this delectable delicacy, from the
Mayans' discovery of the cacao seed to the
American development and marketing of
the tasty treat we know and enjoy today.
The exhibit is free with membership or
admission to Henry Ford Museum.
Upcoming special events include
Chocolate Buzz: A Tasting Experience
with "Doc Choc" (July 10), an educa-
tional opportunity to learn more about
chocolate's history, science, myths, fads
and quirks with the Food Network's Dr.
Patrick Fields, Ph.D.; and a Chocolate
Artistry Demonstration with artist Jean L.
Zaun (Aug. 9), whose chocolate paintings
grace the homes of Sharon Osborne and Al
Roker.
The Henry Ford Museum is open 9:30
a.m.-5 p.m. every day. Admission is $14
adults, $13 seniors and $10 youths; mem-
bers and children 4 and under are free. For
more information, call (313) 982-6001 or
go to www.thehenryford.org.

Musical Notes

On May 1, 2007,
Canadian rock group
Rush released Snakes
and Arrows, its 18th
full-length studio
album. The group's lead
vocalist, bassist and key-
boardist, Geddy Lee, joins his band mates
in a stop at Joe Louis Arena, part of the
band's Snakes & Arrows World Tour, 7:30
p.m. Tuesday, June 10.
Lee, 57, was born Gary Lee Weinrib in
Toronto. The son of Polish Holocaust survi-
vors, his stage name "Geddy" was inspired
by his mother's heavily accented pronunci-
ation of his given first name, Gary. Tickets
are $42.50-$99.50. (248) 645-6666.
"Judaism has been a bedrock influence
on Wendy Waldman's songwriting since
her career began in the early '70s:' writes
Scott Benarde in Stars of David: Rock 'n'
Roll's Jewish Stories. "Though Judaism itself
is never specifically mentioned, the pillars
of the religion — tikkun olam, tzedakah,
carrying out mitzvot, observing the Golden
Rule, as well as Talmud-like dilemmas —
are frequent topics in her tunes." Although
not religious, "we had a profound sense
of Jewislmess," the California-bred singer-
songwriter has said.
The composer of hits for Maria Maldaur,

Vanessa Williams and the Dirt Band,
among others, Waldman was among the
first women to produce music in the coun-
try-music field. Her newest endeavor is
a band called the Refugees, formed with
fellow singer-songwriters Deborah Holland
and Cindy Bullens. The Refugees appear 8
p.m. Thursday, June 12, at the Ark in Ann
Arbor. The women each will perform her
own songs, accompanied by the other two
on guitars, bass, melodica, keyboards, per-
cussion, mandolin and harmonica. Tickets
are $20. (734) 761-4151 or www.theark.org.
Also at the Ark, performing 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 14, is often-compared-to-
Dylan folk troubadour Dan Bern, whose
direct, often amusing songs alternate
between documenting the zeitgeist and
writing about the personal concerns with
which we all grapple. After his appearance
at the Ark, Bern is off to the Windy City
to headline the Chicago Jewish Festival on
June 15. Tickets to his Ark concert are $15.
(763) 761-1451 or www.theark.org .
Soprano sax man Kenny G headlines the
10th annual WVMV-FM (98.7) Smooth
JazzFest 9-10:30 p.m. Saturday, June 14.
Running June 13-15 on the green of the
Southfield Civic Center, 26000 Evergreen
Road, the jazz fest also hosts Jewish per-
formers pianist Jeff Lorber and guitarist
Jeff Golub, who with Gerald Albright, Peter
White and Jessy J comprise Guitars and
Saxes. The group takes the stage 9 10 p.m.

-

FYI: For Arts 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.

Nate Bloom
Special to the Jewish News

43 Hair Commando

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(111)

C4

The big "Jewish" movie of the
summer, You Don't Mess with the
Zohan, opens Friday,
June 6, in area the-

aters.

The comedy,
written by Adam
Sandler, Robert
Smigel ("Triumph
the Insult Comic
Dog") and Judd
Adam Sandler
Apatow (Knocked
as Zohan
Up), stars Sandler
as Zohan, a top-tier
Israeli commando and ex-Mossad
agent who fakes his own death to
pursue his dream: becoming a hair-
stylist in New York. Sandler, 43, must
have really worked out to credibly
play an Israeli commando; in the
film's trailers, he looks more "buff"
than ever.

June 5 • 2008

There likely will be a bit of contro-
versy over this film – both Israelis
and Arabs are satirized – but
most reports say the film's main fo-
cus is on nonpolitical comedy. There
was a big casting call in Israel, and a
lot of Israeli Jewish actors, as well as
some Israeli Arab actors, won parts.
The Israeli Arab actors, the New York
Times reports, were hesitant to audi-
tion because of Sandler's reputation
as a strong supporter of Israel.
Playing small roles in the Israel-
based scenes are pretty Israeli
actresses Moran Atlas and Roni
Meron. Joining them is Donna
Feldman (Michal), a very hot
California model who speaks flu-
ent Hebrew because her parents are
from Israel.
American Jewish actors in the
movie include Shelley Berman (as
Zohan's father), Rob Schneider (play-
ing an Arab "sleeper cell" terrorist/
cab driver) and Lainie Kazan (as Gail,
a client on whom Zohan practices his

craft). Canadian actress Emmanuelle
Chriqui (Entourage), who is the
daughter of Moroccan Jews, plays a
Palestinian-American who owns the
salon in which Zohan works; unaware
of his past, she falls in love with him.

No Tattoos

Harrison Ford, 65, rarely talks about
his Jewish background without being
asked a direct question about it.
But when a British reporter
recently inquired
why he got a
small earring, as
opposed to a tat-
too, Ford replied,
"No, I couldn't [get
a tattoo] because
then I wouldn't be
able to be buried
Harrison Ford
in the Jewish cem-
etery. I'm half Jewish. My mother.
And that's the half that makes you
Jewish. But I don't want a tattoo
anyway."

Then, when asked what character-
istics Ford inherited from his parents,
the actor said, "My father's work
ethic and my mother's insecurities.
My father was Irish, and my mother
was Jewish. The only thing that held
the family together is that they were
both Democrats, so I was raised
Democrat. It was a great upbringing."
It sounds like Ford, who isn't reli-
gious, may be serious about being
buried in a Jewish cemetery. But he's
wrong about Jewish cemetery burial.
Rabbis from every wing of Judaism
say the same thing about this sub-
ject: A Jew shouldn't get a tattoo, but
Jewish religious law does not bar the
Jewish cemetery burial of the tat-
tooed.
A prominent Orthodox rabbi notes
that this widespread misconception
probably arose from the fact that a
small minority of Jewish burial soci-
eties won't bury tattooed persons
in their group plot within a larger
Jewish cemetery.