L’HITRAOT — We seem to be saying that a lot lately … until we see each other again. This time we are sending our best wishes to Rabbi Alexandria Shuval-Weiner, who is leaving The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah after seven years to head up her own congregation, Temple Beth Tikvah, in Roswell, Georgia. Tomorrow night, June 12, B’nai Jehudah is honoring Rabbi Shuval-Weiner with a vegan Bisseleh Nosh, Shabbat services and a vegan Oneg Shabbat following the service. It’s an opportunity for the community to stop by, wish her well and share a memory with her.
CHAMBER ORCHESTRA AND PARK UNIVERSITY TO COLLABORATE ON VIVALDI’S ‘FOUR SEASONS’ — The Kansas City Chamber Orchestra will join with four immensely talented violinists from the International Center for Music at Park University to conclude the 29th concert season with “Inspired Journeys: the Four Seasons” Friday, June 12, at 8 p.m. at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City, Missouri. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}Music Director Bruce Sorrell will conduct the concert and prelude the performance with a pre-concert talk at 7 p.m.
The concert features internationally acclaimed violinists David Radzynski and Cristian Fatu. The performance will also feature talented and award-winning students Maria Iodenich and Laura Gagnon. Both the alumni and student violinists are from the studio of Ben Sayevich, distinguished Lithuanian-Israeli violinist and professor of music at the International Center for Music, and a founding member of the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. Sayevich recorded the ‘Four Seasons’ with the orchestra in the 1990s, and was the concertmaster of the KCCO for 11 years.
In March Radzynski moved to Israel and became concertmaster of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
AMERICAN PHAROAH’S ORTHODOX JEWISH OWNER WALKS TO TRACK TO SEE TRIPLE CROWN VICTORY (JTA) — The Orthodox Jewish owner of American Pharoah walked to the track to see his horse claim the first Triple Crown in nearly four decades.
Owner Ahmed Zayat and his family slept in RVs on Friday night, June 5, and walked to Belmont Park in New York the next day in order to observe the Sabbath, The Associated Press reported.
Racing to victory in the Belmont Stakes, American Pharoah became the first horse to win the third leg of the Triple Crown for 3-year-olds following victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness since Affirmed in 1978.
“We all wanted it. We wanted it for the sport,” Zayat, of Teaneck, New Jersey, said after the race, according to AP.
American Pharoah’s jockey, Victor Espinoza, who is not Jewish, visited the Lubavitcher rebbe’s grave on June 4 in Cambria Heights, New York, in the borough of Queens, where he prayed and presumably asked for good luck for his colt.
Zayat, 52, who was born and grew up in Cairo, had watched horses he owns finish second in the Kentucky Derby three out of the past four years. In 2012, his horses finished second in each of the three Triple Crown races. Zayat owns 144 horses.{/mprestriction}