October's People
By: Gad Nahshon
Ron Lauder and Joseph Ciechanover, chairman of the Board of Directors of El Al Israel Airlines and the only Israeli in NASDAQ's Advisory Board were appointed as new members of Hillel's International Board of Governors.
The Board of Governors, chaired by Edgar M. Bronfman, provides counsel and guidance to Hillel, the organization dedicated to meeting the spiritual, cultural and social needs of some 500,000 Jewish college students on campuses throughout the world.
Hillel is dedicated to building strong Jewish identity, while nurturing intellectual and spiritual growth in a pluralistic community, thus positioning Hillel as a leader in building a stronger Jewish people and stronger Jewish future.
A Russian concert in Merkin Hall in New York City was successful and contributed to the musical life of the Big Apple.
In a single New York performance, here is a one-time only opportunity for western audiences to hear the two foremost Russian virtuosos on the 3 and 4 stringed domra, a Russian fold instrument of the lute family. Tsygankov and Volskaya, compared to Casals and Heifetz on their instruments, appeared together on stage for the first time.
As winners of numerous international competitions, Tsygankov, the "Master of all Domra Masters," and Volskaya, the "Paganini of the Domra," have toured all over the world. Their CD's are distributed internationally.
The concert program included Russian, Ukrainian, and Jewish fold music, some classical and contemporary music, plus an occasional American folk piece by popular demand. The Russian Carnival Ensemble, which includes balalaikas, also performed.
The performers are well known celebrities. Tamara Volskaya is an international domra and mandolin virtuoso. The media lover her. Her performance was defined as "electrifying." Her husband, Anatoli Trofimov, accompanied her on the bayan. Both received unanimous international acclaim.
Alexander Tsygankov is one of the most outstanding virtuoso performers on the ancient Russian instrument called the forma. Tsygankov is the leading composer for domra as well as being one of the most prolific. His works have opened up new possibilities for the instrument and have set the standard for domra technique.
The ensemble: Tsygankov (domra), Inna Shevchenko (piano) and Eugueni Tsygankov (balalaiko), was centered around the brilliant artistry of Alexander Tsygankov, whose repertoire includes a classical program, Russian traditional pieces and works showing jazz and international influences.
"Apples from the Desert" is a new collection of 12 stories which were written by the acclaimed Israeli female writer, Savyon Liebrecht. She was born in Germany in 1948. Her parents are Holocaust survivors who made Aliyah when Liebrecht was a child.
"Apples" was published by the Feminist Press at the city university of New York. The stories present to the American reader, a social panorama of Israel's various segments of its multi-ethnic society: Israelis, Ashkenazi-Israelis, as well as Palestinians. Most of these stories were published in Hebrew from 1980-1997.
The famous Grace Paley and Israeli poetress, Professor Lili Rattok, wrote the introduction to this illumination fiction.
Meeting recently with Conference of Presidents leaders, President of Romania Emil Constantinescu reported on new developments he has supported in Romania that will, for the first time, allow public access to material pertaining to the Holocaust in the Romanian national archives. President Constantinescu, who has forthrightly denounced anti-Semitism and apologized publicly for Romanian collaboration with the Nazis, also stressed the need to educate the younger generation in Romania about their nation's recent history. President Constantinescu emphasized that immediate and firm action must be taken whenever and wherever extremism and anti-Semitism threaten to reemerge.
Architect James Stewart Polshek, widely known for designing projects for major cultural, educational, scientific, and governmental institutions, was honored by his peers at a State of Israel Bonds tastimonial luncheon recently at The St. Regis.
Mr. Polshek, who is former dean of Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, was presented with the Israel 50th Anniversary Award by Israel Bonds' Architects, Designers and Builders Division.
Gene McGovern of Crow/Jones Construction Co. was the general chairman of the event. Patrick J. Donaghy of Structure Tone and Leonard Koven of Atkinson Koven Feinberg Engineers were luncheon chairmen. Marvin A. Mass of Cosentini Associates was the executive committee chairman.
The guest speaker was Lt. Col. Gil •lan (Ret.), former senior briefing officer for the Israel Defense Forces.
CUNY and J.C.R.C. celebrated Israel's 50th Anniversary (June 2, 1998) at the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center. Among the participants were: CUNY Board of Trustees chairwoman Anne A. Paolucci, j.c.r.c.'s president Martin S. Begun, j.c.r.c. executive vice president Michael S. Miller, Ambassador Shmuel Siso, Daniel Kutner, Israel's Consul for Academic Affairs, and many others.
The city university has many special events in its various network of colleges in which Israel's birth was celebrated.
In the penthouse, the speakers spoke about the linkages between c.u.n.y. and Israel and about Israel's contribution to democracy. The hundreds of participants were entertained by "Yovelim", a singing group whose musical director and composer is Hanna Levy.
3000 people came to Central Park in June in order to celebrate Israel's 50 year anniversary. In this open air event which was organized by the Cantor Assembly, and Rafi Gamzou, Israel's Consul for Cultural Affairs in North-America, the guests had a chance to listen to Israel's great national singers, such as Yaffa Yarkoni, and Yehoram Gaon.
Many others contributed to this successful event including Pete Seeger, who in the past was known to express pro-Arab political views. He was a leader of the American Radical Left.
Alan Menken, the composer known for the music for The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and other films, was honored for his contributions to contemporary music at a gala benefit marking the 50th anniversary of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion's School of Sacred Music, the professional training center for Reform cantors. Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman, HUC-JIR President, recently presented Menken with the School's highest award in music, the Kol Zimrah (Voice of Song) award. Almost 500 guests attended the benefit at Manhattan's Hotel Pierre, and HUC-JIR raised $500,000 for scholarships for cantorial students.
In presenting the award, Rabbi Zimmerman cited Menken's success as a composer: eight Academy Awards and Grammy and Golden Globe awards for film and musical theater composition. Menken has also written an oratorio, King David, which draws on his Jewish heritage. Menken is the descendent of two distinguished Reform rabbis, his great-grandfather, Rabbi Irving F. Reichert (Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, 1921) and his great-uncle, Rabbi Victor E. Reichert (HUC-JIR, 1926).
Menken cited the importance of his Jewish upbringing and home on his musical journey and noted "When I compose, I often feel that another force is guiding my hand."
The gala dinner included musical performances by the School of Sacred Music Ensemble. The Ensemble sang a medley of songs from Menken's oeuvre, including some of his playful film songs and selections from the majestic and stately King David oratorio. The student cantors also sand Jewish songs drawn from the renowned Eduard Birnbaum collection, located at HUC-JIR's Klau Library in Cincinnati. The Birnbaum collection is the world's largest (90,000) and most important collection of 18th and 19th century European Jewish music and archival material.
Avner Greif, a professor at Stamford University, is among the twenty-nine MacArthur Fellows of 1998.
Greif, a graduate of Tel-Aviv University, 43, developed a pioneer "Game Theory." The Foundation works in secrecy exposing those creative persons who quietly contribute to improve our human condition.
Greif, author of the masterpiece: "Genoa and the Maghribi Travelers: Historical and Comparative Institutional Analysis," is by now a new member of a special chosen elite group in America.
Dr. William L. Shulman, Director of the Holocaust Resource Center and Archives at Queensborough Community College, was just re-elected President of the Association of Holocaust Organizations (AHO).
Dr. Shulman was elected to a sixth two-year term as president during the AHO's 13th annual international convention, held in Skokie, Illinois. The AHO comprises more than 100 Holocaust centers and museums around the world, including those based in the United States and Canada, Israel, the United Kingdom, Australia, Russia, Ukraine and Japan. The main office is housed at Queensborough Community College (QCC) in Bayside.
Some 400 cantors from around the world visited Ellis Island to pay musical homage to its historic role as the gateway to freedom and democracy for millions of immigrants. They performed in a special concert over there.
The concert, titled "Songs of the Immigrant Experience," is sponsored by the Cantors Assembly - the largest cantorial body in the world - meeting in New York City in celebration of its 50th anniversary.
Sixteen members of the Cantors Assembly offered a retrospective of diverse musical traditions from the various European countries of origin of the vast majority of American Jews. The program will also feature a salute to the Statue of Liberty and a memorial to those who could not emigrate - the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust.
Michael R. Stoler of New York City has been named first vice-president of American ORT. He continues to serve, together with Larry M. Kadis of Cleveland, as co-chairman of the American ORT National Campaign Cabinet. Stoler is a member of the board of directors of American ORT and serves on the executive and presidential steering committees. He is president of the Accountants and Bankers Chapter of American ORT, in addition to being co-chairman of the Finance & Investment Chapter, and a member of the executive board of the Real Estate Chapter. He is also a member of the board of Bramson ORT Technical Institute in Forest Hills, NY. In January, Stoler was named American ORT "Man of the Year."
"As co-chairman of the American ORT National Campaign, Michael has done a yeoman's job reaching out into the business, finance and investment communities to broaden awareness of ORT and increase support for its important mission," said Paul Borman, President of American ORT.
"It is regrettable that there are still people in Israel who do not realize that a "constitutional shift" has taken place in Israel in which the Court has undertaken to exercise judicial review of statutes, the president of the Israel Supreme Court, Justice Aharon Barak, said.
"Many and good people still continue to think in terms of formal democracy only in which majority rule is the only criterion. In their eyes, judicial review over the constitutionality of a statute looks like an infringement of democracy itself," said Barak, who was speaking at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's annual convocation on Mount Scopus for the awarding of honorary doctorates and prizes. Barak was one of ten academic and public figures who received honorary degrees presented by the University's president, Prof. Menachem Magidor, and its rector, Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson.
He is an idol in Japan. He is an "asset" to many admirers in twenty other countries. He has gained international fame. Even in little Israel, a new tribe of admirers are looking to get more tips from him. Why? His book or "bible" to almost 3 million people over the world was translated, recently, into Hebrew by the Keter Publishing House.
Ray Josephs, 82, is the author of a best-seller entitled: "How to Gain An Extra Hour Every Day." The book was born as early as 1955. Since that time, Ray Josephs has published new editions of this book. 500 tips which will help you to plan your time effectively.
Ray Josephs has lived life to the fullest. He became an expert on saving time. For example, he writes in his book: "Teach yourself to do two or three things at once." Josephs preached: "Time has no value unless it is used."
I met Ray Josephs in his classy apartment in the U.N. Plaza Building. He is a happy man. Married 57 years to Hanny, a professional world traveller, an author of 9 books such as "Argentine Diary," and 700 articles.
He has also owned for 25 years, his prestigious International Public Relations Company.
Kedumim is one of Israel's leading professional personnel recruitment services, and Tefen serves as its headquarters. Elaine Levitt established the company in 1985 after many years of experience managing employment agencies in the United States. Now, with a staff of 30 counselors and eight offices throughout the country, Kedumim boasts a client base that includes many of Israel's largest corporations.
Kedumim has achieved a nationwide reputation for its personalized service and the manner in which it responds both to the specific needs of employers and of job-seekers. The company is especially known for the recruitment and placement of management and high-tech personnel. Certified, highly trained counselors work closely with client companies to find the best-qualified and most suitable candidates, taking into account both skills and personality in finding the right people for each working environment.
Levitt believes that Kedumim's grounding at Tefen has been a great influence on its success. "After twelve years in Tefen," she says, "we never cease to be inspired to excellence by our surroundings."
Kedumim Personnel Ltd.
P.O. Box 5
Tefen, 24959 Israel
Tel: 972 4 987 2117
Fax: 972 4 987 2093
kedumim@netvision.net.il
Return to People ArchivesBack to Top
