“FROM A PRACTICAL POINT
OF VIEW, I DON’T HAVE
A FAVORITE BEACH.”
— RANDALL KAPLAN
“The needs of families
and the needs of couples will
almost always differ. Most
families will want food, bath-
rooms and showers, and they
also want to know if you can
swim at that beach. A couple
may want to know if a beach
has surfing, snorkeling or vol-
leyball.
”
Kaplan, 52, a University
of Michigan (U-M) psychol-
ogy graduate who earned
an advanced degree from
Northwestern University
Pritzker School of Law, has
been at the helm of different
kinds of businesses.
His resume includes
Akamai Technologies, a
computer initiative aimed at
making the internet fast and
secure; JUMP Investors, an
entrepreneurial investment
firm; Thrive Properties,
a real estate development
enterprise; and CollarCard, a
promotional products com-
pany.
Religious and community
grounding has come through
activities at Temple Beth El in
Bloomfield Township and the
Wilshire Boulevard Temple
in Los Angeles. Anchors to
Michigan include establishing
the U-M Julia Eder Dean’s
Scholarship, which honors his
grandmother, a “102½- year-
old” still in the Metro Detroit
area, and benefits students
who have lived in foster homes
as she did.
“I love the thought of going
to the beach,
” said Kaplan, also
diving into podcasts with “In
Search of Excellence,
” which
presents earthy interviews of
highly successful people. “I
love the sun, the outdoors, the
sand on my feet, the sound of
crashing waves on the ocean. I
like looking at the diversity of
people on the beach.
”
Details
Bliss: Beaches
is available on
Amazon.
An aerial photo
from the book
QUEEN BEES & BASEBALL
Opening June 11 in theaters
is Queen Bees, a drame-
dy. It stars Ellen Burstyn,
88, as a feisty senior who
temporarily moves into a
retirement home because
her home is being repaired.
She battles elderly female
bullies, makes a good friend
(Ann-Margret) and canoo-
dles with James Caan, 81.
The director is Michael
Lembeck, 72. His father,
Harvey Lembeck (1923-
1982), was a talented come-
dic actor (Sgt. Bilko). Michael,
a practicing Jew, began as
an actor. He had a big recur-
ring role (Max Hovath) on
the 1970s hit sit-com One
Day at a Time starring the
late Bonnie Franklin. He
has been a busy director
(mostly TV) since 1989. His
credits include directing 20
episodes of Friends. He won
an Emmy for one in 1996. His
wife, former actress Lorna
Patterson, 64, converted to
Judaism a few years after
their marriage and they have
two children. In 2009, she
received her cantorial ordi-
nation from the Academy
for Jewish Religion, a Los
Angeles seminary.
Most years, I give a run-
down of Jewish baseball
major leaguers early in this
season. However, the “major
league status” of an unusu-
ally large number of Jewish
players was uncertain in the
first month of the season.
This list was prepared with
the aid of Jewish Sports
Review magazine, a print
publication.
The players are Richard
Bleier, 33, relief pitcher,
Miami Marlins. He pitched
for the Israeli team in the
2013 World Baseball Classic.
Bleier broke into the majors
in 2015 (Yankees) and was
traded to Baltimore in 2017,
where he had an outstand-
ing season. However, he was
hampered by serious injuries
in 2018 and 2019 and was
traded to Miami in August
2020. He performed well in
the short 2020 season
Alex Bregman, 27, third
baseman, Houston Astros.
Bregman, who had a bar
mitzvah, broke into the
majors in 2016 and has been
a star player from the start.
He made the All-Star team in
2018 and 2019.
Max Fried, 27, starting
pitcher, Atlanta Braves. Fried,
who had a bar mitzvah, brief-
ly played for Atlanta in 2017
and returned for a great sea-
son in 2019 (17-6; great ERA).
Joc Pederson, 28, out-
fielder, Chicago Cubs. Like
Bleier, Pederson played
for Israel in the 2013 World
Baseball Classic. Pederson
played for the Dodgers until
this year. He’s known for
being a streaky power hitter
who hits a lot of home runs
and strikes out a lot.
Kevin Pillar, 31, outfielder,
NY Mets; Pillar, who had a
bar mitzvah, spent his first
seven seasons with Toronto.
He’s been with four teams in
the last three seasons.
Rowdy Tellez, 26, first
baseman/designated hitter,
Toronto Blue Jays. Tellez has
been with Toronto since his
rookie season (2018).
Special Note: Outfielder
Ryan Braun, 37, an MVP
award winner, is now a free
agent, “leaning toward retire-
ment.”
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