“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.” 

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

IMDB

JUNE 10 • 2021 | 43

