Tag Archives: American Jews

Jew of the Week: Melvin Calvin

Happy Tu B’Shvat!

Melvin Calvin – A Plant’s Best Friend

Melvin Calvin (1911 – 1997) One of the greatest biochemists of the last century, this man mapped the entire chemical process of photosynthesis. He won the Nobel Prize for this in 1961. Of course, the mechanism bears his name: the Calvin Cycle. Since today is the holiday of Tu B’Shvat (the “New Year of Trees”), it is appropriate to feature Melvin Calvin. After all, he is known as the one who revealed their age-old secret: photosynthesis. (Also, we had Hans Krebs a few weeks ago, and it would be unfair to feature the Krebs Cycle and not the Calvin Cycle).

Words of the Week

Because each life form, even fruit, is entrusted to a specific angel. By saying a blessing over a fruit, we empower that angel to reproduce more of that fruit. One who refrains from partaking of a fruit deprives the world of the spiritual influence that the blessing would have provided.
– Chemdat Yamim (from the Tu B’Shvat Seder)

Jew of the Week: Scarlett Johansson

The Most Successful Actress of All Time

Scarlett Ingrid Johansson (b. 1984) The daughter of a Danish architect father and a Jewish producer mother from the Bronx, she was named ‘Sexiest Woman Alive’ in 2006. Actor, model, singer, a Global Ambassador for Oxfam and a critic of the media’s obsession with body image. Her most notable film role was alongside fellow Jewish actress Natalie Portman in The Other Boleyn Girl, and most recently in Iron Man 2, alongside fellow (half) Jewish actor Robert Downey Jr.

UPDATE [2018]: Since first writing about Scarlett Johansson nearly a decade ago (she was one of the very first Jews of the Week!), her fame and success has grown tremendously. She has become one of Hollywood’s highest-paid stars, and in 2017 officially became the highest-grossing actress of all time, with her movies having earned over $3.6 billion. Some of that is owed to her popular role as the Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Johansson is also an active and generous philanthropist, and a proud supporter of Israel. Among the many organizations she supports are Stand Up to Cancer, Too Many Women, Oxfam, and USA Harvest. In 2012, she was honoured with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Words of the Week

Life and death are in the hands of the tongue.
– King Solomon (Proverbs 18:21)

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Jews of the Week: Berlin, Marks & Cahn

Christmas Music Legends

Berlin

Israel “Irving” Berlin (1888-1989): Considered the greatest song-writer in history, he composed 1,500 songs (!), including the famous “White Christmas”. He also wrote “God Bless America” – the second anthem of the United States.

Johnny Marks (1909-1985): Christmas-song-extraordinaire, this Jew wrote “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, “A Holly Jolly Christmas”, and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”.

Sammy Cahn (1913-1993): Winner of FOUR Oscars, he wrote most of Frank Sinatra’s hits, as well as the Christmas-great “Let It Snow”.

Cahn

Marks

Words of the Week

You think you’ve got time, but you don’t. You think you have an alternative solution, but you don’t. You think you’re stronger than the Palestinians, but you’re not.
– French President Nikolas Sarkozy, to Israeli PM Netanyahu in June 2009, as revealed by recent WikiLeaks cable.