Monthly Archives: March 2012

Jew of the Week: Léon Blum

Prime Minister of France

Leon Blum, Three-Time Prime Minister of France

Few can claim having lived a rollercoaster life like that of Andre Léon Blum (1872-1950). In his youth, he was inspired to join France’s socialist community while studying at the Sarbonne and living through the infamous Dreyfus affair. Writing for a popular journal and rising through the ranks, he became a well-known champion for the little guy. It eventually won him the role of prime minister of France – no less than three times! This, in an era of open Jew-hatred. In fact, before becoming PM he was dragged out of his car and nearly beaten to death by a royalist anti-Semite band known as the Camelots du Roi. When Blum was elected, an opposition leader had this to say: “Your coming to power is undoubtedly a historic event. For the first time this old Gallo-Roman country will be governed by a Jew. I dare say out loud what the country is thinking, deep inside: it is preferable for this country to be led by a man whose origins belong to his soil… than by a cunning Talmudist.” With the start of World War II, Blum chose bravely not to flee and stayed in his country. He was arrested and imprisoned, first in Vichy, then in Germany. At his trial in 1942, he argued so eloquently that it embarrassed the entire Nazi regime and the Germans called off the trial! Unfortunately it did not save him from the concentration camps. Blum suffered first in Buchenwald, then in Dachau. He only survived thanks to local authorities who disobeyed orders to kill him. Incredibly, after surviving all of these ordeals, he became prime minister of France yet again after the war. A wonderful writer, Blum penned many gems about life: “When a woman is twenty, a child deforms her; when she is thirty, he preserves her; and when forty, he makes her young again.”

 

Words of the Week

Light attracts. Where a lantern is placed, those who seek light gather around.
– Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn of Lubavitch (1880-1950)

Jews of the Week: The Three Stooges

Larry, Curly and Moe

The Three Stooges. From Left: Larry, Curly and Moe

Of all the comedy acts ever produced, few can claim the wild popularity and success of the Three Stooges. The act began in 1925 as “Ted Healy and His Stooges”, with the first film produced in 1930. But it only catapulted to success after 1934, when the cast was solidified as the famous “Larry, Curly and Moe” trio. Moses “Moe” Horowitz (1897-1975) and Jerome Lester “Curly” Horowitz (1903-1952) were brothers born to Jewish-Lithuanian immigrants in Brooklyn. Despite his on-screen debacles, Moses was actually a child prodigy who had a photographic memory. His brother Curly (whose birth name was Yehuda Lev) was initially a well-known ballroom dancer and singer. They had a third brother Shmuel “Shemp” Horowitz (1895-1955) who was also part of the original act, and later returned after Curly died of a stroke in 1952. Meanwhile, Louis “Larry” Feinberg (1902-1975) was a Jewish-Russian comic and violinist from Philadelphia (who was once a professional boxer!) Together, Larry, Curly and Moe revolutionized farce and slapstick humour, and film comedians today owe a great deal to these pioneers. The Three Stooges starred in 220 films, at one point under contract to release 8 films every year because of their incredible popularity. They also appeared in four TV spin-offs, and between 1959 and 1966 recorded popular music albums. In the 1980s, a Three Stooges video game was created. It was so successful that the game was reintroduced in 2002 for GameBoy and in 2004 for PlayStation. Episodes of the Three Stooges continue to re-run around the world (and are particularly popular in East Asia). A new “The Three Stooges” movie is currently in production, reportedly starring Jim Carrey.

 

Words of the Week

When the mind is occupied… there is no room for stupid and vain thoughts devoid of substance.
– The Lubavitcher Rebbe in Hayom Yom, Cheshvan 16

Jew of the Week: Howard Schultz

Starbucks

Howard Schultz, Mr. Starbucks

Howard Schultz was born to a poor Jewish-German family in Brooklyn. A phenomenal athlete, he paid his way through higher education on sports scholarships. After working as a salesperson for Xerox, he became the general manager of Swedish coffee machine maker Hammarplast. In this role, he paid a visit to one of the company’s clients – a tiny café in Seattle called Starbucks. Having traveled through Italy and seen the importance of café-socials in Italian society, Schultz was inspired to create the same for America. Unfortunately the three Starbucks founders (two of whom are fellow Jews Gordon Bowker and Zev Siegl) didn’t share his vision. So in 1985 Howard Schultz started his own café called Il Giornale. Hugely successful, by 1988 Schultz was able to buy out the original Starbucks and adopted it as his own brand name! Schultz quickly became a billionaire, went on to own the Seattle Supersonics basketball team, wrote two books, and received multiple awards, including one from Aish HaTorah for his Israel advocacy work. Today, Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse in the world, with 19,435 locations in 58 countries. The company continues to run under the direction of Schultz, and has become well-known for its humanitarianism: their Ethos brand raises money for water development projects, while Product Red delivers AIDS medication to Africa. The Starbucks Foundation works to develop youth literacy and leadership, sponsoring volunteer work and providing millions of dollars in grants every year.

 

Words of the Week

Leave Israel alone, for even if they are not themselves prophets, they are still the children of prophets.

The very first Starbucks in Seattle, 1971

– Hillel