Tag Archives: Israelis

Jew of the Week: Frank Dux

The Real Van Damme

Frank Dux – the one who inspired the movie which inspired a generation

Born to Holocaust survivors in Toronto, Frank Dux (b. 1956) started studying martial arts at an early age. Moving to California, he caught the eye of such warrior greats as Senzo Tanaka and Bruce Lee. These connections bought him an invitation to the Kumite, a secret once-in-five-years fighting mega event. Because the Kumite’s existence has never been confirmed, Dux’s story is an incredibly controversial one. Regardless, his story was dramatized in the movie Bloodsport, which happened to be the first film to star a certain Jean-Claude Van Damme, who subsequently rose to action movie super-stardom. Interestingly, most of Van Damme’s films have been produced by an Israeli: Moshe Diamant. When asked about this, the Muscles from Brussels replied: “It’s destiny. Israelis like to take chances. I’m a Belgian guy with an accent, and they took a chance with me.”

Words of the Week

Our sages have said, “Sleep is one sixtieth of death” (Talmud, Brachot 57b). If sleep is a form of death, then death is a form of sleep – a temporary withdrawal of vitality for the sake of reawakening to a higher quality of life.
– The Lubavitcher Rebbe

Jew of the Week: Haim Saban

Haim Saban & the Power Rangers

Haim Saban – entertaining kids since 1975

Haim Saban (b. 1944) was born in Egypt. His family fled to Israel along with much of the Egyptian-Jewish community due to the 1956 Sinai War. After serving in the Israeli army, Saban formed a band called Ha’Arayot (the Lions), which gained fame across Europe. Building on this success, he started a record company in France in 1975, which went on to become the most successful of its time, selling over 18 million records. Saban then turned his attention to the TV industry and is noted for introducing Japanese Anime to European audiences. In 1988, Haim formed Saban Entertainment, producing such classics as the original X-Men TV series, and brought Dragon Ball Z and Digimon to the Western world. Perhaps most notably, Saban created the Power Rangers. In 2001, he sold much of his media empire to Disney, which remains the largest cash transaction by an individual in Hollywood history. He is worth over $3 billion and currently runs an investment group called Saban Capital. BusinessWeek lists him as one of the 50 greatest philanthropists in the world.

Words of the Week

Don’t tell God how big your problems are, tell your problems how big God is.
– Bumper Sticker

From the Torah

“You shall surely open your hand…” – Deuteronomy 15:8.
It is one of the 613 commandments to give charity to the needy. Even a poor person must give charity to one needier than they.

Jew of the Week: Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons, Family Jew

Chaim Witz, aka Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons (b. 1949) Born Chaim Witz in Haifa, Israel to Hungarian Holocaust survivors, he emigrated with his mother to New York when he was 8 years old. Witz attended Yeshiva Torah V’Daat in Brooklyn. Later, he took up his mother’s maiden name and was known as Eugene Klein. After having played in several bands, he formed a new one called Kiss, a Hungarian translation of his last name, which means “small”. Due to their love of Purim, the band has become famous for their flamboyant costumes and make-up. Simmons has since starred in multiple films and TV shows, has published 5 books and several science fiction magazines (he is a fan of the genre). On a recent visit to Israel, he said “I’m Israeli. I’m a stranger in America. I’m an outsider”.

Chaim Witz, aka the Demon

Words of the Week

One whom people are pleased with, G-d is pleased with him; but one whom people are not pleased with, G-d is not pleased with him
– Pirkei Avot 3:10