Scene Around

So many celebrities ... not at all surprising...

Of course we've all heard of WOLF BLITZER, famed journalist on CNN television. Well, Wolf, whose middle name is Isaac, had a most exciting upbringing. He was born in Augsberg, allied-occupied Germany after WWII in 1948. His parents were both Polish Jewish refugees who survived the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Unfortunately, his grandparents, two uncles, and two aunts on his father's side did not survive.

Wolf was raised in Buffalo, New York. He is very well-educated from fine American colleges and even spent time abroad learning Hebrew in Jerusalem, Israel. Blitzer began his career in journalism in the early 70's in Tel Aviv. He than worked for the Jerusalem Post covering American politics until 1990. Wolf also worked for AIPAC focusing on Middle-East affairs. He is also an author. He has since been with CNN and very successful. Since the early 2,000's Blitzer has hosted "The Situation Room" on CNN. He will remain hosting documentaries and serving as principal anchor for major breaking news.

Another well-known television personality ...

I know you've all heard of "Judge Judy."

Well... not Judith Susan Blum... rather Judge JUDITH SHEINDLIN, wife of Judge JERRY SHEINDLIN, right?

Of course you know she is Jewish. (That's why she is sooooo smart!)

She is also a lawyer, author, arbitrator, etc.

For more than 25 seasons, she presided over her own top Nielsen-rated court show. She has received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy for her work.

Judy was born in Brooklyn (like me) to German-Jewish and Russian Jewish parents. She attended Madison H.S. and American University in Washington, D.C. She has two children of her own from her first marriage and three step children from her marriage to Judge JERRY SHEINDLIN.

(I personally love her show and try not to miss it each day. She tells it like she sees it. I respect her greatly. (Why not? She was born in Brooklyn like me!)

And still on the subject of Jews ...

KATE GARRY HUDSON, is the beautiful (like me...OH SHUT UP!) daughter of GOLDIE HAWN and BILL HUDSON. She has a brother, OLIVER HUDSON, and half brother, WYATT RUSSELL. Her maternal grandmother was a Hungarian Jew. She was raised Jewish.

Just recently, Kate and her brother, Oliver, were guests on the KELLY CLARKSON television show. She and her brother let the audience know of their podcast "Sibling Revelry." (Sounds interesting!)

An article of interest from the World Jewish Congress ...

"There are only 300 Jews in Kenya. The community is primarily concentrated in the capital city of Nairobi, with a small sect-the "Kasuku Gathundia" Jewish community residing in the Kenya highlands. The Kenya affiliate of the WJC is the Nairobi Hebrew Congregation.

Jews have lived in what is present day Kenya since the turn of the 19th century. In 1903, parts of the Kenya territory were offered to the Zionists by the British colonial secretary, Joseph Chamberlain, at the sixth-Zionist Congress. Despite support from Theodore Herzl, the suggestion elicited controversy within the international Zionist community, and was rejected at the Seventh Zionist Congress in 1905. Although Chamberlain's proposal never came to fruition, several Jewish families still immigrated to, and settled in, Kenya.

Jewish life in Kenya slowly began to grow, with the Nairobi Hebrew Congregation established in 1904 and the first synagogue built in 1913. In the aftermath of the Holocaust, Kenya saw a sizeable influx of Jewish immigration. When the British set up detention camps in Gilgil (northeast of Nairobi) for members of the I.Z.L. (Irgun) and Lehi Jewish underground organizations deported from Palestine in 1947, the Kenyan Jewish Community worked diligently to improve their living conditions.

The community continued to grow in the latter half of the 20th century. Today, the Jewish community in Kenya has a sizable expatriate community, largely from Israel, the United States, and South Africa."

World Jewish Congress letter...

"There is no doubt that 2021 was another exceptionally challenging year for global Jewry. And with the meteoric rise in anti-Semitic hatred and violence around the world continuing unabated, it is clear that working together is more essential than ever.

Please phone the World Jewish Congress at 212-894-4770 and find out how you can be of help. We must work to turn the tide against what has painfully become known as the "World's oldest hatred."

JCC Seniors on the Go ...

I heard from their head, BARBARA GOLDBERG, about upcoming events:

May 15th, Sunday, at noon. Movie and pizza. (Yum! Please take out the calories for me!)

Monday, May 23rd, – 1pm--GENTLE BEMOVED CLASS

May 30 – Memorial Day - JCC closed

The Roth Family JCC ...

Join The Roth Family Jewish Community Center to support its mission to nurture a unified Jewish community that transcends generations and neighborhoods. Join them for a BIG NIGHT OUT – an interactive golfing experience and event. The event takes place on Wednesday, May 25, at Top Golf Lake Mary. It is J BALL 2022 and takes place from 6-8:30 p.m.

There will be complimentary parking, golf, food stations, cash bar, etc. For further information, phone the Roth Family JCC at 407-645-5933

One for the road ...

Sadie wasn't feeling well, and she knew she should see a doctor. So she asked her friend Becky the name of the doctor she used. "His name is Feinstein," said Becky, "but you should know he's very expensive." "How expensive?" asked Sadie. "Well, it's $100 for the first visit and $30 for every visit after that." So Sadie went off to see Dr. Feinstein and when her turn came to be examined, she smiled brightly and said to the nurse, "Hi honey, here I am again!