MAY 27 • 2021 | 41

FRIENDS REUNION 
The long-delayed Friends: 
The Reunion Special will 
start streaming on HBO 
Max on May 27 (can also 
be seen on June 24 on the 
“basic cable” TVLand chan-
nel). Friends, a mega-hit sit-
com about six young adults, 
premiered in 1995 and ran 
for 10 seasons. 
The Special is not a new 
Friends episode. It’s a 
one-hour unscripted event 
during which all six star 
cast members will remi-
nisce about the series. The 
“bonuses” are rare “behind-
the-scenes footage” and 
very brief appearances 
by 18 actors, actresses or 
musicians who had recur-
ring roles or guest shots on 
Friends. 
The main cast included 

David Schwimmer, now 54, 
as Ross, and Lisa Kudrow, 
now 57, as Phoebe. The 
others are Jennifer Aniston 
(Rachel), Courteney Cox 
(Monica, Ross’ sister), Matt 
LeBlanc (Joey) and Matthew 
Perry (Chandler). 
The “18 others” appearing 
on the special include Elliott 
Gould, 82, who played 
Ross and Monica’s Jewish 
father; Maggie (Jakobson) 
Wheeler, 59, who played 
Janice, Chandler’s on-and-
off Jewish girlfriend; and 
Larry Hankin, 83, who 
played Mr. Heckles, the 
annoying upstairs neighbor. 
Also appearing are series’ 
co-creators David Crane, 
63, and Marta Kauffman, 
64. Kauffman’s ex-husband 
Michael Skloff, 61, wrote 
the music for the Friends 
monster hit theme song, “I’ll 
Be There for You.” The lyrics 
were penned by Allee Willis 
(1947-2019). A top pop/funk 

songwriter, Willis was born 
and raised in Detroit. 
By the way, the Jewish 
media has “tracked” the 
(fictional) Jewish ties of 
Monica, Ross and Rachel 
for decades. Here’s the 
scorecard: Ross and 
Monica’s father is Jewish; 
their mother is not. In an 
early episode, we find out 
Monica had a bat mitzvah, 
so it appears that the sib-
lings were raised Jewish. 

After the bat mitzvah 
“reveal,” nothing “Jewish” 
is connected to Monica, but 
references to Ross’ Jewish 
background show up in sev-
eral episodes. The consen-
sus is that Rachel’s parents 
are Jewish, but her “clear” 
Jewish ties are limited to 
a cameo shot in which she 
wears a Magen David neck-
lace and, once, referring to 
her grandma as her “bub-
bie.” 

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

NBC

ARTS&LIFE

The cast of 
Friends

PIRKEI AVOT STUDY 
11 AM, MAY 28 
Adat Shalom Synagogue 
invites adults of all ages to 
join Rabbi Aaron Bergman 
for a weekly discussion on 
Zoom to explore one of 
the most beloved and wise 
books of our people, which 
was written long ago but is 

even more relevant today. 
The community is welcome. 
There is no charge. To RSVP 
and receive a Zoom link, 
contact Jodi Gross, jgross@
adatshalom.org. 

BIM BOM BABY
10-10:30 AM, MAY 28
Celebrate Shabbat on Zoom 
with Temple Shir Shalom’s 
rabbis. The program is 
geared to babies and 
children 0-6 years old. 
There is no charge; all are 
welcome. Information: Julie 
at julie@shirshalom.org or 
248-406-4255. 

A SUMMER OF 
TORAH STUDY
JUNE 1
Nishma is a summer 
program of the Jewish 
Theological Seminary Beit 

Midrash where students 
immerse themselves in 
Torah learning and cultivate 
skills to access classical 
Jewish sources: Talmud, 
Midrash, Halachah, Hebrew, 
and parshanut (Torah and its 
commentaries). The program 
is split into two four-week 
sessions. Students can 
participate in either session 
or both. Courses will be 
online. Contact nishma@jtsa.
edu.

JFS MEETING
4:30 PM, JUNE 1
Jewish Family Service will 
hold its annual meeting 
and community recognition 
event on Zoom. Register at 
jfsdetroit.org.

‘THE MODERN FACTORY’ 
7 PM, JUNE 2
The Albert Kahn Legacy 
Foundation will host a free 
virtual talk “Albert and Julius 
Kahn and the invention 
of the Modern Factory.” 
Michael G. Smith will bring to 
life the tale of two brothers 
who revolutionized modern 
day factories. Register at 
AlbertKahnLegacy.org. 

Compiled by Sy Manello/Editorial 

Assistant. Send items at least 14 days in 

advance to calendar@thejewishnews.

com.

ON THE GO
PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS

Rabbi 
Aaron Bergman