36 | JULY 29 • 2021 

BACK TO THE PAST, AGAIN; 
MR. 4 BILLION VIEWS
The 2019 film Framing 
DeLorean had a short the-
ater run and then found 
a home (2020) on Netflix, 
where it is still streaming 
(also now on Hulu). The 
film had some documen-
tary-style material mixed in 
with many dramatic reenact-
ments of critical moments in 
DeLorean’s life. Alec Baldwin 
played DeLorean and Josh 
Charles, now 49, played Bill 
Collins, the engineer who 
designed the DeLorean car. 
Also dramatized was Howard 
Weitzman (1942-2021), the 
skilled attorney who suc-
cessfully defended (1984-85) 
DeLorean on charges of 
cocaine trafficking.

Netflix augments its 
DeLorean library with the 
release, on July 30, of a 
three-part documentary it has 
titled Myth & Mogul: John 
DeLorean. Myth and Mogul is 
a BBC documentary that 
ran in the U.K. last February 
under the title DeLorean: 
Back to the Future. The U.K. 
title, of course, references 
the use of a DeLorean car 
in the hit film — and the film 
is the only reason why peo-
ple under 40 even know 
DeLorean’s name.
The BBC series, which 
got good reviews, aims to 
be a psychological study of 
DeLorean. The interviews 
include those who knew 
DeLorean “way back when” 
(DeLorean was born and 
raised in Detroit and long 
worked for GM in greater 
Detroit). Weitzman and Collins 
are prominent figures in the 
BBC documentary.

The Sound with Mark 
Ronson is a six-part Apple 
TV+ interview series that 
premieres on July 30. 
Each week, Ronson and 
his guest(s) will discuss 
revolutionary music/sound 
technology and its effect on 
the artistry of current music. 
The guests include Paul 
McCartney, Questlove, Dave 
Grohl, and the two surviv-

ing members of the Beastie 
Boys, Adam Horovitz, 54, 
AKA Ad-Rock, and Mike 
Diamond, 55, AKA Mike D.
Ronson was born in the 
U.K. He moved to the States 
when he was 8, following 
his parents’ divorce. Ronson, 
who was a bar mitzvah, is a 
top producer and songwriter. 
He’s won seven Grammys, a 
Golden Globe and an Oscar. 
The last two for co-writing the 
monster hit “Shallow” for A 
Star is Born. His most notable 
Grammy was for co-writing 
and producing “Uptown 
Funk.” The video for the song 
has received 4 billion(!) views 
on YouTube.
Ronson was once engaged 
to Rashida Jones, 45, and 
was married (2011-2018) 
to Joséphine de La Baume, 
36, a French actress. He’s 
currently engaged to actress 
Grace Gummer, Meryl 
Streep’s daughter. 

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

ARTS&LIFE

JENNIFER SU, WIKIPEDIA

Mark 
Ronson

W

hat would motivate 
a successful corpo-
rate lawyer to trade 
in his comfortable 
life in America for 
three weeks every 
year to volunteer 
on an Israeli mili-
tary base? 
Mark Werner, an 
ardent American 
Zionist, sought a 
personal way to show support 
for Israel. 
His new book, A Passion for 

Israel: Adventures of a Sar-El 
Volunteer, is based on journals 
he kept during 14 volunteer 
Sar-El stints on Israeli military 
bases from 2006 to 2019.
It tells the story of a volunteer 
experience that has enriched the 
author’s life, and it also provides 
a roadmap for others to show 
their support for Israel.
Sar-El is an Israeli organi-
zation that enables thousands 
of volunteers from all over 
the world to work in a civilian 
capacity on Israeli military 

bases.
Werner describes what life 
is like on Israeli army bases for 
volunteers, starting with his 
own experiences — from work-
ing through a desert sandstorm, 
to dealing with a scorpion in 
his bunk, to taking refuge in a 
bomb shelter during a Hamas 
missile attack. 
Through simple activities 

— from packing kitbags and 
medical supplies for the sol-
diers to filling sandbags and 
assembling tank antennas — 
the volunteers work hard to 
make their contributions to the 
defense of Israel. 
While working side-by-side 
with Israeli soldiers, a camara-
derie develops between the vol-
unteers and soldiers, and that 
camaraderie is the reward for 
their service.
Our local Sar-El/VFI 
(Volunteers for Israel) Team is 
available to speak to groups and 
individuals about the program, 
including the new VFI PLUS 
programs, which are scheduled 
to reopen this fall. 
Email michgan@vfi-usa. org, 
visit vfi-usa.org or call Carol 
Kent or Ed Kohl at (248) 420-
3729 for more information. 

Mark 
Werner

Book Review: 
A Passion for Israel: 
Adventures of a
Sar-El Volunteer 

ED KOHL SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

BOOKS

