Making music for Malki

The management of the Rav Chen Cinema in the Talpiot Industrial Zone is hosting a special screening of Still Alice.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
Julianne Moore (photo credit: REUTERS)
Julianne Moore
(photo credit: REUTERS)
THIS WEEK’S Knesset election has in one way or another resonated in almost every sphere of the country’s activities. The annual Malki Foundation Rainbow of Music Benefit night at the Rebecca Crown Auditorium of the Jerusalem Theater this coming Wednesday is a sellout – despite the fact that there will be no preconcert cocktail reception in honor of political dignitaries. Last year, the guest of honor was former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard.
The Malki Foundation, established in memory of Malki Roth, who in her mid-teens was killed by a terrorist attack on a Jerusalem pizza parlor, provides practical and efficient programs that empower families from all sectors of Israeli society to provide home care for a special-needs child. One of Malki’s siblings – to whom Malki was exceptionally devoted – was born with multiple special needs, and parents Frimet and Arnold Roth decided the best way to honor Malki’s memory was to establish a foundation that would help people like her sister and their families.
Political dignitaries, in the aftermath of the election and the attempts to form a viable coalition, will be far too busy to attend a benefit concert – which is actually great for the audience, because they can enjoy the music without having to put up with the speeches.
AMONG THE benefits of joining the choir at Jerusalem’s Great Synagogue is that it occasionally goes on tour abroad and sings with some of the greatest cantors in the world. For that matter, some of those cantors often come to Jerusalem to sing at the Great Synagogue, so it’s a win-win situation for anyone lucky enough to be accepted to the choir. Moreover, some well-known Israeli cantors began their careers in the Great Synagogue choir.
A case in point is IDF chief cantor Shai Abramson, who continues to sing solo with the choir from time to time. Abramson is a secondgeneration cantor; his father, Ronny Abramson, was a cantor at the Great Synagogue and also managed the Israel Chamber Orchestra. Elli Jaffe, the choirmaster at the Great Synagogue and an internationally acclaimed conductor, probably the only conductor of world-famous orchestras whose white tzitziot are visible from under his black tailed frock coat, is currently looking for a singer with a bass voice; the applicant must be able to read music. Jaffe can be contacted at ellijaffe@gmail.com ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE is widely believed to be a form of mental deterioration that affects only older people. While older people may be more likely to be afflicted, there are many middle-aged and younger people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s – for which no cure has yet been found, although there are drugs which help to delay its effects. Not everyone recognizes the degenerative symptoms, but in fighting the disease, it is important for the public to be aware of what it is and what signs to look for.
Towards this end, the management of the Rav Chen Cinema in the Talpiot Industrial Zone is hosting a special screening of Still Alice, the story of Dr. Alice Howland, a 46-year-old renowned linguistics professor who starts to lose words. Diagnosed with earlyonset Alzheimer’s, she struggles to remain connected to the person she used to be. The struggle, the pain, the fear and the hope are shared by her family. The film stars Julianne Moore in the title role.
The screening will be held at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, with all proceeds going to Melabev, which provides special services for hundreds of senior citizens, including those with Alzheimer’s.
Tickets are NIS 500 for VIPs, NIS 300 for sponsors and NIS 100 for regular cinema patrons. Reservations: 073-796-3959.
ISRAEL HAS gone marathon-crazy. Now that the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem marathons are behind us, as well as the first halfmarathon in Efrat, runners who enjoy the challenge can circle Friday, March 27 on their calendars for the Zev Segal Half- Marathon in Gush Etzion. Runners have the choice of doing the 10K or 5K; there will also be a 10-km. bicycle race.