T uesday, July 7, 2020. Issue 24.
Outdoor Fitness is now open!
Performing Arts
Songs of the Great Outdoors
Today I’d like to share some musical interpretations from three American musical icons to enjoy during our pandemic summer. Let them take you to the beautiful outdoors.
Fishing Blues
Taj Mahal (1993)
Mountain Greenery
Ella Fitzgerald (1959)
Walking the Dog
Rufus Thomas (1988)
with the Blues Brothers Band
Cultural Arts & Trips
VIRTUAL CLASS
Comic Oper-Ha-Ha-Ha with James Sokol
Take a break from the craziness and stress of our world with a journey into charming, funny, even downright hilarious operatic scenes.

Exploring Opera: 
Laughter is the Best Medicine
Thursday, July 16 1:00 to 3:00pm
via Zoom and FREE!

Opera is often stereotyped as full of high drama and tragedy (actually, all of that is caused by the singers backstage). In this class, video performance clips bring the excitement and beauty of opera into our class. I'll share some of my favorite comic moments. Laughter guaranteed!

This is a great class for both the opera newcomer and the long-time fan.

Thank you, Donors, for supporting this program.

Advance registration is required.
Adult Learning & Living
VIRTUAL PRESENTATION
The PG&E Missteps that Led to Bankruptcy
I am delighted to welcome back Oak Dowling for another insightful look at interesting legal issues.

Learning Unlimited: 
The Legal Cases Against PG&E
Tuesday, July 14 1:00 to 2:30pm
via Zoom

As we know, PG&E power lines were blamed for 2018's Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California's history. State investigators say it was just one of 1,900 fires sparked by the utility since 2014. 

Join retired lawyer Oak Dowling to understand the story of PG&E's missteps and why it ultimately filed for bankruptcy.   

Advance registration is required.
Jewish Peoplehood
PIVOT proudly brings you provocative and enlightening discussions with 
some of our favorite Jewish thought leaders.

This week, Joanne Greene asks: How can Jewish wisdom inform our response as we navigate a convergence of a global pandemic, the associated economic fallout, and the pain of racial inequality?

In a conversation with Ruben Arquilevich, Vice President for URJ Camps, Joanne asks these questions and more.

PIVOT with Ruben Arquilevich
Monday, July 20 at 7:00pm via Zoom
Free. Advanced registration required.

Ruben Arquilevich is Vice President for URJ Camps, NFTY, and Immersives. Throughout North America and Israel, he and his team have mobilized more than 20,000 teens, parents, young adults, and faculty to create a more just, compassionate, inclusive, and sustainable world.
Jewish Engagement
Bonjour to powerful women
Today we take a quick (okay, virtual) trip to France to meet two incredible Jewish women: Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur, age 45, and Francine Christophe, age 87.

Every Tuesday evening, tens of thousands of French Jews, Muslims, Christians, and non-believers tune in to Facebook Live to hear Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur explore the intersection of racism and anti-Semitism.

“Some people will use this moment to create a bubble of protection," said Horvilleur, "to close borders and embrace ideologies of contamination that demonize people. But what is the meaning of my life if confinement makes me blind to the other?”

She reminds listeners that racism goes back to biblical days. When Moses married an unnamed Black wife, his older sister, Miriam, gossiped about the woman’s race, and God struck her with leprosy. This story, Horvilleur said, shows how difficult it is to banish the ghosts that continue to haunt us.

“What do these ghosts have to teach us, and why are we so reluctant to let them go?”
As a young child, Francine Christophe was sent to several concentration camps. In this video, Christophe shares her powerful and touching story.
Early Childhood
How do I explain?
As our community enters new phases of reopening, this story will help young children understand the concept and importance of social distancing.
This story and image were developed by Tara Tuchel of  Autism Little Learners .   Her website is a timely online destination providing resources for families and educators.
Adult Learning & Living
VIRTUAL CLASSES
Free Zoom Training
Take a look at our Learning Zoom webpage for easy step-by-step manuals and registration for live online practice sessions.

Zoom classes require advance registration with a minimum of five registrants by 10:00am on the Friday morning of the program.
Thanks to our donors, these manuals and sessions are free!
Tikkun Marin Spotlight
Pen pal letters are on their way.
A thank-you to everyone in our community who participated in the JCC's pen pal letter-writing program with Drake Terrace. We hope to have an update once the seniors have received their mail. The letters will be delivered next week.

This program is part of Tikkun Marin, the Osher Marin JCC's community service initiative.
Entertainment
ENJOY
Wilder!
The Man. The Movies. Hollywood History.
Treat yourself to a Billy Wilder Film Festival. There are documentaries, television shows, and of course, the movies. He took on controversy, the Nazis, sexual politics, with biting indictments of society. He was also funny, witty, modern.

He was born in Sucha, a village in Galicia, now part of Poland. His parents were Austrian Jews. From an early age, he was interested in words and their meanings. Writing became a passion, and eventually he moved to bustling Vienna, becoming a journalist. He also wrote silent movies for UFA, the famed German movie studio.

Fleeing from the Nazis, Wilder found his way to New York, then Hollywood. He wrote hit movies, including my favorites: Ball of Fire (where else could Barbara Stanwyck get a character name like Sugarpuss O’Shea?) and Ninotchka . Though there were fortuitous collaborators like Raymond Chandler and Izzy Diamond, the real magic happened when Wilder became the director of his own scripts.

A good place to begin with the great Wilder is with a few documentaries available on YouTube or Amazon. Leonard Maltin’s The Legacy of Billy Wilder , Billy Wilder Speaks , NPR’s A Walk on the Wilder Side, or Nobody’s Perfect: The Making of Some Like it Hot— all entertaining and informational.

But if you really want to understand his brilliance, watch his movies. Here are my favorites:
Double Indemnity
(1944) Available on Prime-Video Amazon.com.
It was Wilder’s favorite of his films. He told me in an interview years later that he believes that it is the only film he got perfect! The story of an evil temptress (Barbara Stanwyck) and an insurance salesman who loves her (Fred MacMurray) is one of the best film noirs of all time.
Ace in the Hole
(1951) Available on Prime-Video Amazon.com.
A personal favorite, based on a true story of a ruthless reporter (Kirk Douglas) who kills for a good story and stardom. Sometimes called The Big Carnival , this one was too hip for the house, but eventually found its way to cult appreciation. When I teach my course on Journalism in Film, we begin with this one.
Sunset Boulevard
(1950) Available on Prime-Video Amazon.com.
This film was almost censured by the ruling forces in Hollywood, considered too radical a look at how the film business can destroy a life. Gloria Swanson should have won the Oscar as Norma Desmond, a faded movie queen desperately wanting a comeback. This is an insider’s view of moviemaking and how easy it is to be forgotten.
Stalag 17 , The Apartment , and many other dramas with comedic undertones make Wilder an example of a director who could go from hardboiled thrillers to romances to daffy comedies. It doesn’t get much funnier than one of his masterpieces: Some Like it Hot (1959). Two musicians on the make see a 1920’s gangland murder, escaping the mob by traveling with a female band. Like most of Wilder’s work, it is a classic. So was Billy Wilder.
DON'T FORGET...
Make your reservation by July 12!
Marin Cheesemakers Present
A Terrific Tasting: "Cheese, Please!"

Meet three fantastic award-winning Marin County cheesemakers, and learn about their family-owned businesses and impressive sustainability practices—while enjoying their fresh local cheeses, and all from the comfort of your home!

Sunday, July 26 at 3:00pm
via Zoom

Email James Sokol at jsokol@marinjcc.org
with questions.
Expect Issue 25 on Tuesday, July 14.