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May 2009By Rochelle Eisenberg
“The Simpsons” Take On Israel
They’re already worldly travelers, having been abroad to France, Japan and Australia. Yet, for the first time, America’s favorite animated family will take on the Holy Land.
According to a number of media sources, the Simpsons will be visiting Israel during the upcoming season. Their visit will unite the Christians, Jews and Muslims in a way they never dreamed possible.
Now in its 21st year, “The Simpsons” have tackled Jewish themes in previous episodes. Krusty the Clown, whose real name is Herschel Shmoikel Pinkus Yerucham Krustofski, is the son of the town’s Orthodox rabbi. Jewish fans have also created online projects including The Homer Calendar, which counts the Omer, the days between Passover and Shavuot.
Coming to Town
Comedian Sandy Marks, who has been performing stand-up comedy for the past 11 years will be appearing at Magooby’s Joke House tonight and for two shows tomorrow evening.
This Jewish comedian has appeared in a number of comedy festivals, including HBO’s summer festival “Comedy in the Park.” He was also seen on the CBS television show “King of Queens.”
Currently, Marks is working on his first screenplay, “Seven Happy Couples,” starring Elijah Wood.
For ticket information, go to magoobys.com.
Thirty Seconds With Dori Zvili
I am a 1994 graduate of Owings Mills High School who received a B.S. degree in sociology from Towson University. I graduated from the Jewish Community Center Association’s teen fellows program and am the current Camp Milldale director.
Favorites:
Movie: “Big Fat Greek Wedding”
Book: I’m a Harry Potter fanatic
Activity: salsa dancing
Television show: all reality dancing shows
Jewish Holiday: Chanukah
What only my close friends know about me: I still watch cartoons.
In my fridge you’ll find: fruit and cheese
A perfect Sunday would be: Zumba, shopping and hanging out with family and friends
Best advice my mother ever gave me: Be myself and have more confidence.
Dining with… Ann Rubin
When Ann Rubin cooks, she often turns to one of her two favorite cookbooks: “Kosher by Design Short on Time: Fabulous Food Faster,” by Susie Fishbein and “The Kosher Palette: Easy and Elegant Modern Kosher Cooking” by Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy. “I don’t worry if I make it for the first time. Any dish I make from these cookbooks turns out,” she says.
This mother of three — Elana, 10, and twins Tamara and Benny, 6 — is married to Avi, a Johns Hopkins University professor. The family likes to enjoy a traditional Shabbat dinner on Friday evenings and Rubin tries to make simple meals that her whole family will eat.
One of her favorite Shabbat dinners is this orange chicken that she found in “Kosher by Design.” She usually serves it with roasted potatoes or rice and a green vegetable, such as broccoli or edamame.
Orange Chicken
French-fried orzo recipe
On The Bookshelves
Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities and Occasional Moments of Grace By Ayelet Waldman
Doubleday, hardcover, 2009, 224 pages, $24.95
In her mother’s day, author Ayelet Waldman says there were good mothers, neglectful mothers and great mothers. Today, there are only bad mothers.
In 18 essays, this Jewish girl from New Jersey, who is married to author Michael Chabon, writes about that bad mother in a sometimes hilarious and, at other times, serious manner. She covers such topics as competitive parents, the Bad Mother police, the work-family dynamic and how the feminist agenda affected her own marriage.
Just in time for Mother’s Day, “Bad Mother” reflects the anxieties of modern mothers and the impossible dilemmas they face. If you discipline, your kids will end up on the shrink’s couch. If they run wild, they’ll be into drugs by seventh grade she suggests women give themselves a break.