Topics include: 30 Rock, Mr. President, television.
Segment originally aired Jan. 28, 2012 on the “Dave’s Gone By” radio program hosted by Dave Lefkowitz.
Note: Interview segments extracted from “Dave’s Gone By” may have music and other elements removed for timing and media re-posting considerations. For the full interview with all elements, please visit the audio of the complete original broadcast.
All content (c)2012 TotalTheater Productions.
More information on Dave’s Gone By: http://www.davesgoneby.com
RABBI SOL SOLOMON’S RABBINICAL REFLECTION #35 (1 22/2012): Gay Tel Aviv
Shalom Dammit! This is Rabbi Sol Solomon with a Rabbinical Reflection for the week of January 22nd, 2012.
It is rare for the traditionally downtrodden and fearful Jewish people to have a gay old time. But if they want an old gay time, guess where they should go? Not Christopher Street, not Miami, not Madrid – believe it or not the answer is Tel Aviv.
In a worldwide survey by GayCities.com, Tel Aviv, Israel, was voted the best gay travel destination of 2011. Unfortunately, 2011 is over, so…they kind of missed the boat on promoting it, but still – what a feather in the beret for Israel as a place of tolerance, empathy and, one imagines, musical theater.
Now, I’m sure not all Jews are thrilled about this. The Orthodox Rabbinate is probably wringing their beards over the moral destruction of the holy land whenever two men wanna hold hands and cross pukels. But the rest of us know: live and let live. Just like New York, Tel Aviv has a giant annual Pride Parade, where, just like New York, all the Jews on the sidewalk are too short and can’t see anything. 61 percent – higher than anywhere else in the world – 61 percent of the Israeli population supports gay marriage. As the joke goes, why should straight people be the only ones allowed to be miserable? Gay people even serve openly in the Israeli armed forces. This is not surprising, since a soldier never leaves his buddies’ behind.
But seriously, Israel takes a lot of lumps from Palestinian apologists, self-hating Jewish liberals, anti-Semites and people who look for any excuse to question why America supports Yisroel with money and military hardware. Here is your partial answer: Do you think Syria would make the gay cities list? How about Lebanon? Saudi Arabia? Iran? The so-called new Egypt?
Try being a homosexual in any one of these places and see where it gets you. I’ll tell you where it gets you: pummeled with stones and hanging from a tent with your shmeckel cut off. Granted, some homosexuals may enjoy this, but most would not. Most would prefer the freedom to be what they wanna be in Tel Aviv.
Now, I myself am not gay, but some of my best friends take it up the Hitler hole. And just as Israel itself is a sanctuary for Jews just in case, someday, nowhere else in the world will accept and protect them. Perhaps Tel Aviv can stand as that place for people of the GLBTQAFRZN13Y persuasion. And maybe Haifa will one day be a refuge for the retarded, and quadriplegics will romp in Ramat Gan, and stutterers will hold conventions in Petach Tikvah. Let Israel be the foreign legion: the place where good people with the odds against them can thrive and be winners.
May Tel Aviv stand as a lesson, a goal, a model of how life could be for all of us. Open, free, supportive, and decorated fabulously.
This has been a Rabbinical Reflection from Rabbi Sol Solomon, Temple Sons of Bitches.
Segment originally aired Jan. 21, 2012 on the “Dave’s Gone By” radio program hosted by Dave Lefkowitz.
Note: Interview segments extracted from “Dave’s Gone By” may have music and other elements removed for timing and media re-posting considerations. For the full interview with all elements, please visit the audio of the complete original broadcast.
All content (c)2012 TotalTheater Productions.
More information on Dave’s Gone By: http://www.davesgoneby.com
Segment originally aired Jan. 21, 2012 on the “Dave’s Gone By” radio program hosted by Dave Lefkowitz.
Note: Interview segments extracted from “Dave’s Gone By” may have music and other elements removed for timing and media re-posting considerations. For the full interview with all elements, please visit the audio of the complete original broadcast.
All content (c)2012 TotalTheater Productions.
More information on Dave’s Gone By: http://www.davesgoneby.com
Dave Lefkowitz interviews actor and dancer George Chakiris
Topics include: West Side Story.
Segment originally aired Jan. 21, 2012 on the “Dave’s Gone By” radio program hosted by Dave Lefkowitz.
Note: Interview segments extracted from “Dave’s Gone By” may have music and other elements removed for timing and media re-posting considerations. For the full interview with all elements, please visit the audio of the complete original broadcast.
All content (c)2012 TotalTheater Productions.
More information on Dave’s Gone By: http://www.davesgoneby.com
click above for episode #373 (audio only)Click above to listen to the episode (audio only).
Here is the 373rd episode of the long-running radio show/podcast, Dave’s Gone By, which aired on UNC Radio, Jan. 21, 2012. Info: davesgoneby.com.
Featuring: Dave chats with Oscar-winning actor George Chakiris. Also: Inside Broadway, Saturday Segue (Dave’s faves), Bob Dylan – Sooner & Later (Dave’s faves) and Dave celebrates his upcoming birthday by chatting with his aunt, Esther Brower, and his oldest friend, Ozer Teitelbaum. Plus: Rabbi Sol Solomon’s Rabbinical Reflection on gay Tel Aviv.
Host: Dave Lefkowitz
Guests: actor George Chakiris, Ozer Teitelbaum, Esther Brower
00:00:01 DAVE GOES IN 00:14:00 SATURDAY SEGUE – Dave’s Faves 00:31:00 GUEST: Ozer Teitelbaum 00:58:30 GUEST: George Chakiris 01:43:30 Sponsors 01:48:00 Inside Broadway: news 01:58:00 BOB DYLAN – Sooner & Later: Dave’s Faves 02:20:30 Weather 02:22:00 GUEST: Esther Brower 00:53:30 Rabbi Sol Solomon’s Rabbinical Reflection #35: Gay Tel Aviv 03:01:30 Friends 03:05:00 DAVE GOES OUT
Jan. 21, 2012 Playlist: “Sway” (00:14:30; The Rolling Stones). “Scattered” (00:18:30; Neil Young). “Coming Up Close” (00:22:30; `Til Tuesday). “Old Friends” (00:54:30; Simon & Garfunkel). “What I Did for Love” (00:57:30; George Chakiris). “America” (01:36:30; “West Side Story,” film soundtrack). “In Search of Peter Pan” (01:52:00; Kate Bush). “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” (01:59:30), “Seven Days” (02:04:00), “She’s Your Lover Now” (02:08:00) & “One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) (02:14:00; Bob Dylan). “Families” (02:50:00; Lou Reed). “Willie and the Hand Jive” (02:58:00; Johnny Otis). “Don’t Cry” (03:08:30; Etta James).
George ChakirisOzer TeitelbaumEsther Browergay Tel Aviv
Rabbi Sol Solomon interviews author Rabbi Rami Shapiro
Topics include: spirituality, Judaism.
Segment originally aired Jan. 14, 2012 on the “Dave’s Gone By” radio program hosted by Dave Lefkowitz.
Note: Interview segments extracted from “Dave’s Gone By” may have music and other elements removed for timing and media re-posting considerations. For the full interview with all elements, please visit the audio of the complete original broadcast.
All content (c)2012 TotalTheater Productions.
More information on Dave’s Gone By: http://www.davesgoneby.com More information on Rabbi Sol Solomon: http://www.shalomdammit.com
Rabbi Sol Solomon interviews actor and singer Gary Morris
Topics include: Shlomo Carlebach, country music, Soul Doctor.
Segment originally aired Jan. 14, 2012 on the “Dave’s Gone By” radio program hosted by Dave Lefkowitz.
Note: Interview segments extracted from “Dave’s Gone By” may have music and other elements removed for timing and media re-posting considerations. For the full interview with all elements, please visit the audio of the complete original broadcast.
Complete Original Broadcast: http://www.totaltheater.com/?q=node/4420
All content (c)2012 TotalTheater Productions.
More information on Dave’s Gone By: http://www.davesgoneby.com
More information on Rabbi Sol Solomon: http://www.shalomdammit.com
click above for episode #372 (audio only)Click above to listen to the episode (audio only).
Here is the 372nd episode of the long-running radio show/podcast, Dave’s Gone By, which aired on UNC Radio Jan. 14, 2012. Info: Davesgoneby.com.
Featuring: Rabbi Sol Solomon chats with actor-musician Gary Morris (Soul Doctor) and Rabbi Rami Shapiro. Plus: Inside Broadway (news), Bob Dylan – Sooner & Later (King), and Rabbi Sol Solomon’s Rabbinical Reflection on Mitt Romney.
Host: Dave Lefkowitz Guests: Rabbi Rami Shapiro, actor-singer Gary Morris
00:00:01 DAVE GOES IN 00:13:00 SATURDAY SEGUE 00:40:00 GUEST: Rabbi Sol Solomon interviews Gary Morris 01:24:00 Sponsors 01:30:00 GUEST: Rabbi Sol Solomon interviews Rabbi Rami Shapiro 02:16:00 Weather 02:17:30 Inside Broadway – news 02:33:00 Rabbi Sol Solomon’s Rabbinical Reflection on Mitt Romney 02:41:30 BOB DYLAN – Sooner & Later: King 03:05:00 DAVE GOES OUT
Jan. 14, 2012 Playlist: “Gettin’ Up Early” (00:14:00; Anne Hills). “Margaret vs. Pauline” (00:18:00; Neko Case). “Sleeping Annaleah” (00:21:00; Nick Cave). “Let Me Down Slow” (24:00; The Rolling Stones). “Slung-Lo” (00:28:00; Erin McKeown). “If You Were Mine” (00:31:00), “Wind Beneath My Wings” (00:40:00), “Bring Him Home” (00:56:00) & “Don’t Touch Me” (01:16:00; Gary Morris). “Rachmono” (01:05:33) & “Hashmi’ini” (03:09:30; Shlomo Carlebach). “Ancient of Days” (Van Morrison; 02:10:00). “Robert Mitchum” (02:29:00; Naked Boys Singing, off-Broadway cast). “They Killed Him” (02:44:00), “Too Much of Nothing” (real basement tapes version 2; 02:48:00), “Arthur McBride” (02:50:30) & “Walls of Red Wing” (02:57:00; Bob Dylan).
Gary MorrisGary MorrisRami ShapiroRami ShapiroShlomo CarlebachDylan goes TalmudicMitt Romney
Shalom Dammit! This is Rabbi Sol Solomon with a Rabbinical Reflection for the week of December 18th, 2011.
What do you do when a man who represents so many wrong things gets one thing incredibly, magnificently right?
That is the question facing voters following Newt Gingrich’s performance in the G.O.P. debates last week. Asked about his unwavering support for Israel, the presidential candidate made clear that Israel is a friend, and that the Arabs are no friend to Israel.
He reminded the world that, quote, “every day, rockets are fired into Israel” – something people forget when they bitch about Israel’s aggressiveness or targeting of Hezbollah.
Gingrich also said the magic words, “It’s fundamentally time for somebody to stand up and say, `enough lying about the middle east,’” unquote. Considering that every other liberal is a Palestinian apologist, and every news program bends over backwards to make it look like Israel and Hamas are two sides of the same coin, it’s a pleasure to hear somebody say, “No, Israel is a legitimate homeland, the Arabs invented Palestinia just to have a grudge.”
Naturally, the media jumped on Gingrich saying, “well, of course there’s a Palestine, and of course some Arabs lived there.” And the Arabs jumped on him for saying they’re terrorists. Talk about the pot calling the camel black.
And just to seal the deal of Newt being a mensch on this, he also reminded the world that Hamas and the Palestinians still refuse to recognize Israel as a place on the map. Which means if you’re in Jordan, and you wanna take a dip in the Mediterranean, you’d better take a pretty goddamn long jump.
Now, Mitt Romney admonished Gingrich for stirring the pot, for inciting the Arabs with his words. But Mitt, if the Arabs are so peaceful and non-violent, why are you terrified of what they might do?
Just to be clear, Romney and the other candidates also affirmed their support for Israel. They ganged up on Gingrich, but it’s not like he’s the only one saying rah-rah Jewish homeland. Does this mean the Republicans are pandering to the Jewish vote? Sure! And more power to them! Pander pander pander! Makes a nice change from us having to go to Obama and grovel sometimes. Not all the time – he’s a friend – but sometimes.
Politicians on both sides pander to every special interest group, from oil frackers to casino builders, so if Republicans wanna make nice-nice to the only democracy in the middle east, I’m down with that. And if Newt Gingrich is the only one with the stones to really tell it like it is, that should be taken into consideration.
Alas for him, we also have to take into consideration that Newt is anti-gay, anti-art funding, and not exactly a fan of separating church from state. Last week he called my house. Well, not him, some kind of automatic tape recorder. It called my house to lambaste Obama and decry the way America has gone downhill under his stewardship. So I heard the usual Republican shpiel about taxes, and too much government and taking America back. But Newt also tossed in the word “secular.” In a negative way. We must rescue America from the godless blue staters and their secular ways.
Well, “sec” on this, Newt. America may be one nation under God, but it ain’t for you to say which God that is. For me, it’s HaShem. For you it’s the bearded guy. For the Chinese, it’s a bunch of dead ancestors. Which must be pretty confusing for a Chinese kid wondering which god to ask for a bike for Christmas. “Is it great-great-grandma Chong? No, she only gives musical instruments. What about Uncle Gao from the Tang Dynasty? No he’s the one who pays you when your teeth fall out. Crap, I know I’ll get another sweater, I know it!”
But I digress. Let’s give a qualified cheer to Newt Gingrich. I can’t say he has my vote, but he has my gratitude for pushing past the platitudes with the fortitude and certitude of his attitude. Keep at it, dude.
This has been a Rabbinical Reflection from Rabbi Sol Solomon, Temple Sons of Bitches.
