forks started bending and cards were
flying to the roof. So I called the man-
ager over and said, ‘Look what this kid
is doing!’ She said she would talk to the
owner. The next day the telephone rang
at home and Oz got his first offer to
perform — once a week, getting paid,
plus tips [at the restaurant].”
Sam Pearlman’s pride could not have
been more palpable had he shared his
story in person.
JEWISH HERITAGE
While Oz Pearlman, 34, has made a
career out of his sleight-of-hand prow-
ess, he makes no illusion about his
passion for his Jewish heritage. As a
self-described “middle-of-the-road,
conservative Jewish person,” Oz was
enthusiastic about his commitment
to his faith. “I follow the traditions of
Judaism. I love everything about it,”
adding for good measure that he “will
eat a good bagel and lox.” And despite
being only 3 when his parents moved
from Israel to the States (Sam was an
engineer and mother, Devora, a Hebrew
teacher), Oz still holds his birthplace
close to his heart, telling me he’s “a big
proponent of Israel.”
When the conversation turned to
his world away from the spotlight,
it became abundantly clear that
Pearlman’s life seems to be on the same
trajectory as his successful entertain-
ment career. He met his Canadian-born
wife of four years, Elisa, on JDate. The
online dating site was equally smitten;
so much so that they used a photo of
the happy couple on their global home
page for about a year.
If they ever use that photo again,
they’ll have to make one small adjust-
ment; Oz and Elisa are expecting their
first child. He, of course, told me from
the moment he looked at the ultrasound
technician’s face, he knew it was a boy.
I’m not too concerned that being a
first-time dad will wear Oz out anytime
too soon. I learned during our conver-
sation that this is a man, who, when not
Sam Pearlman teaches his young son,
Oz, the only card trick he knows.
hitting the road to perform, is hitting
the road to run. He runs and runs, and
then runs some more. Pearlman is an
ultra-marathoner. He’s competed in
several events of more than 100 miles,
running nonstop. His longest race to
date was 153 miles. I know he’s a men-
talist, but what was he thinking?! He
explained that he treats running like he
treats his career: “I’m always happy, but
I’m always driven for more.”
I know if I entered a 153-mile run-
ning race, I’d be driven, too … 152
miles by car.
It’s quite fitting that Oz Pearlman’s
appearance at the Berman will benefit
the B’nai B’rith Great Lakes Region
College Scholarship Fund. Oz has
always taken his education seriously.
How many people do you know who
have scored a perfect 800 on the math
portion of the S.A.T. test? He took the
exam in 1998 while attending North
Farmington High School. He was then
accepted to the University of Michigan,
where his degree would lead to a suc-
cessful career on Wall Street, prior to
his becoming a full-time entertainer.
Of course, money to pay for a higher
education doesn’t just “magically”
appear. Well, in most cases anyway. Oz
did tell me that he took side jobs as a
mentalist to help pay his tuition. But
for those facing today’s high costs, the
Michigan Region B’nai B’rith College
Scholarship Program provides a local
resource for students in our community
looking for financial assistance with ris-
ing college tuitions.
Now, if you could read my mind,
you’d know that I’m thinking I’d love
to see you at 7 p.m. at the Berman
this Sunday night, Sept. 18, to give Oz
Pearlman a well-deserved and memo-
rable homecoming. I just hope after
I perform, Oz doesn’t make me disap-
pear.
*
Beethoven String Quartet Cycle
Takács Quartet
“They are not for you, but for a later age!” So wrote Ludwig van
Beethoven about his Op. 59 quartets, which will be performed in only
four cities worldwide as part of a complete Beethoven string quartet
cycle by the Takács Quartet. In Ann Arbor, the complete cycle will be
performed over six concerts (three weekends) in the 2016-17 UMS
season. Composed against the turbulent backdrop of the Napoleonic
Wars and their aftermath, this radical music is as invigorating now as
MX[EWJSVMXWƪVWXTIVJSVQIVWERHEYHMIRGIW
Six concerts in Ann Arbor’s Rackham Auditorium:
Saturday, October 8 // 8 pm
Sunday, October 9 // 4 pm
Saturday, January 21 // 8 pm
Sunday, January 22 //4 pm
Saturday, March 25 // 8 pm
Sunday, March 26 //4 pm
Visit ums.org for program details.
details
To order tickets, visit the Berman
box office inside the Jewish
Community Center in West
Bloomfield, call (248) 661-1900
or go online at www.theberman.
org. For VIP tickets that include a
special “Meet & Greet” afterglow,
call David Lubin at (248) 252-2606
or Rick Sherline at (248) 613-5400.
For information on the College
Scholarship Program and spon-
sorship opportunities, contact
B’nai B’rith Great Lakes Region at
(248) 646-3100 or at greatlakes@
bnaibrith.org.
Tickets are on sale now.
Purchase tickets to a single performance or subscribe to all six
concerts at ums.org.
I N D I V I D UA L P E R FO R M A N C E
PRESENTING SPONSORS
M E D I A PA R T N E R S
WGTE 91.3 FM and WRCJ 90.9 FM
Ilene H. Forsyth Chamber Arts
Endowment Fund and Helmut F.
and Candis J. Stern Chamber Arts
Endowment Fund
ums.org
734.764.2538
2115510
September 15 • 2016
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