We hope this newsletter finds you well, pleasantly productive, amused, and happy.

We're thrilled to report that our preschool programs have been open for nearly two months and by all accounts our young students are enjoying their playmates, developing essential social skills, and are being introduced to a variety of fun, skill-building projects in the care of creative, attentive educators.

We are also pleased to report that thanks to rigorous cleaning, mask wearing, and carefully maintained learning pods/cohort groups, we remain healthy!

If the little ones in your home are restless, please re-consider the JCC Preschool for an enriching, values-based education. We still have a few spots open for your 4-5 year olds and are now accepting applications for January 2021 for all preschoolers.

Contact tlai@marinjcc.org to schedule your tour.

Amsterdam, Cincinnati & Morocco  

No Small Matter is the first feature documentary to explore the most overlooked, underestimated, and powerful force for change in America today: early childhood education. Through poignant stories and surprising humor, the film lays out the overwhelming evidence for the importance of the first five years, and reveals how our failure to act on that evidence has resulted in an everyday crisis for American families, and a slow-motion catastrophe for the country. 

No Small Matter

October 27 

Please click here to register for the virtual screening.

In addition to the screening, we are thrilled to have Greg Jacobs, writer and co-diirector of the film, join our Sheva Center Leadership Institute fellows for a discussion and Q&A.  The Sheva Center Leadership Institute is in its 2^nd year and we couldn’t be more proud of the Fellows and their growth. We would love to have you join us in webinar mode to listen in on the discussion.

If you are interested in joining us, this conversation will take place on Wednesday October 28^th at 2pm ET. 

Please click here to register.

Advance registration required. Zoom classes require a minimum of five registrants by 10:00am on the morning of the program.

Select Physical Therapy offers comprehensive physical therapy services on site at the JCC. They treat patients experiencing pain, weakness, and disorders related to joints, muscles, and nerves. Treatments include strengthening, neuromuscular re-education, aquatic therapy, and manual therapy techniques.

Cost: FREE

Melvin Kominsky was born June 28, 1926. His start as a standup comic led the way to television, with writing on Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows and creating Get Smart. As he developed into a filmmaker, he began with his own favorite film: The Twelve Chairs. This 1970 parody also showed us Brooks the composer, with the lyrics and music for “Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst.” Check out Brooks singing this song himself on YouTube.

Brooks was a child of the movies, as well as Broadway. He told me that when he heard Ethel Merman sing to the back of the house when he was a kid, a determination to enter the world of showbiz was born. Then he melded it with a great love of cinema. A satire on movie westerns was created, shocking studio executives, who didn’t want it released. After trying it out on a very limited basis, Blazing Saddles (1974) gave me one of my favorite moments in a movie theatre. People were literally falling off their chairs with laughter and surprise. The film also includes a great Mel Brooks song: “I’m Tired," sung by Lili von Shtupp. A perfect parody, we celebrate Marlene Dietrich in Destry Rides Again, in love with an unlikely sheriff and singing a highly suggestive song. Blazing Saddles could never be made today, but fun to view with an open-minded group during our challenging times.

Like all good filmmakers, Brooks can hit and he can occasionally miss. But even with the latter, there are moments to savor. In History of the World Part One (1981) there are two segments worth YouTubing. The Inquisition and The French Revolution are perfect for a respite from the news.

Many of us consider the 1967 The Producers a true comedy classic. Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder as a has-been Broadway producer and timid accountant decide to stage the worst play ever written. Later this brilliant film was made into a Broadway musical, winning more Tony Awards than any play before it. Unfortunately, during the making of the 2005 movie of the musical, Brooks’ beloved wife Anne Bancroft was sick and eventually died, leaving Brooks without his muse. The film version is not perfect, but the musical numbers are remarkable.

Many are not aware that Brooks produced fine dramas, working as a literate, serious filmmaker. 1980’s The Elephant Man (he did not take a credit in case people were to expect laughs), 84 Charing Cross Road (1987), 1986 The Fly are among his films where according to cast and crew, he was hands on. Brooks has always been famous for dialogue, music selections, casting and detail to set design.

As one would expect, there are good documentaries and books available on Brooks. Two films I would recommend: the 2018 HBO Special Mel Brooks Unwrapped and 2013 American Masters Special, Mel Brooks Will Make a Noise.

From the perfection of Young Frankenstein to the comic celebration to all things Hitchcock (High Anxiety) to a rare and wonderful remake of To Be or Not to Be, this is an artist easy to take for granted, but never to forget.