ROSH HASHANAH PARODY — Matt Rissien is at it again, putting together another one of his Jewish holiday video parodies. This one is called “Honey I’m Good (Apples and Honey are Good)” to the tune of Andy Grammer’s “Honey I’m Good.” If you haven’t had a chance to view it yet, go to YouTube and search for Matt Rissien. You’ll be able to see the newest video as well as all his other Jewish holiday favorites.
PROGRAM OF THE YEAR — Congregation Beth Shalom received the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City’s 2015 Program of the Year Award for Rimon: Family-Friendly Worship. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}The Program of the Year selection committee was very impressed by the work that Beth Shalom is doing and they wanted to recognize the congregation’s efforts to encourage others to develop programs that are creative and make an impact on our community. The Program of the Year Award recognition was part of the Jewish Federation’s Annual Meeting, which was held on Thursday, Sept. 3.
PLAZA ART FAIR — At least one Jewish artist will be featured at the Plaza Art Fair, Sept. 25-27. Saint Louis jewelry artist Randi Chervitz will debut a new look in her handmade Uncommon Threads Jewelry at the Plaza Art Fair, and then a few weeks later at the Summit Art Festival in downtown Lee’s Summit from Oct. 9-11. She says the new work, in bronze, is an exciting addition to the silver and high karat gold material in which her designs have appeared since 1991.
Says Chervitz, “Originally I planned to recreate some of my most popular silver designs in bronze, giving a hip, new look at a more accessible price point. But the bronze solders up so fast, I found I could add new elements with ease. The result is an entirely new line of work!”
Old fans of Uncommon Threads will not be disappointed, however. The design aesthetic for which the artist is known — patterned surfaces and structural designs — is unmistakably present in this new work. Some bronze pieces feature the hand-crocheted fine wire for which Chervitz’s work is known, and she has no plans to abandon working in silver and gold, standards in the metalsmith’s toolbox.
OBAMA AND NETANYAHU TO MEET IN NOVEMBER (JTA) — President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly will meet Nov. 9 in Washington, D.C.
The date of the meeting was reported Sunday by the Israeli daily Israel Hayom.
Netanyahu is scheduled to arrive in Washington on Nov. 8 to attend the Jewish Federations of North America’s annual conference.
Last week, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he could not confirm such a meeting.
“We’ve made clear that consultation between U.S. and Israeli officials is something that has been ongoing. And the president reaffirmed in his telephone call with Prime Minister Netanyahu a couple of months ago that the security cooperation between our two countries would continue,” Earnest said.
He continued: “We have not yet received from the Israelis an interest in detailed discussions about deepening that security cooperation relationship, but we stand ready to have it when the Israelis are.”
On Sept. 10, in his annual pre-High Holidays call to U.S. rabbis, Obama said that he was ready to meet with Netanyahu during the United Nations’ General Assembly opening session, which starts next week and runs through Oct. 6. Netanyahu until now has rebuffed such overtures because of his disagreement with the U.S. leader over the Iran nuclear deal.{/mprestriction}