'#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/author\/akiva-fein\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=apiTC0VzZTUa8xYZV.7Sgs4VSoLqz4v9acl_ppOFaGA-1746511379-1.0.1.1-sCNJSVtQEfmLY_H_7i8ZCDvj5zAz.TJfigUBNd3pr1I" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page and forces beyond our understanding… These are just a few of the wonderous concepts that legendary producer Irwin Allen brought to life in his seminal work in movies and television Anyone who loves sci-fi will know how critical his works are to the genre and how forward-thinking his popular ’60s series really are it’s the perfect time to reimagine the Irwin Allen Universe for a modern age and director Akiva Goldsman are collaborating to reimagine Irwin Allen’s classic series: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea with Derek Thielges serving as co-producer Legendary Television is no stranger to adapting beloved works for the screen and acting as a steward for properties that mean a great deal to their fans Between its live-action Monsterverse series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Apple TV+) anime series Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft (Netflix) and the Emmy-winning Drops of God (Apple TV+)—it’s clear Legendary Television knows how to revitalize and evolve familiar worlds into new Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks. We’re delighted you're perusing our site for all your nerdy news We'd wholeheartedly appreciate you enabling ads to keep this content free After unlocking hyperspace in Star Wars Outlaws Deciding which planet in Star Wars Outlaws to go to first is quite the decision You’ve finally unlocked Hyperspace and can jump around the galaxy but you’re faced with a choice; go to Kimiji Once you unlock the ability to jump between worlds and leave Toshara behind you can head to your first planet - but which option should you choose No doubt you’re looking for the best place to go to first in Star Wars Outlaws Here’s everything you need to know about making the right choice The best planet to go to first in Star Wars Outlaws is Akiva - ND-5 suggests that when it's time to chose and the game lightly steers you that way overall.  Ultimately it's not a hugely important choice, as there's nothing stopping you from going to all of them one after the other. Several missions at this point will jump between systems and it doesn't change anything in the story. But, if you want to pick a planet to focus on first in Star Wars Outlaws with a wealth of easy to find resources and merchants The story that takes place there also feels more appropriate at the beginning of your journey than at the end.  Joel FraneySocial Links NavigationGuides WriterJoel Franey is a writer podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook they should probably add another just to be safe Site developed by     Copyright © Yedioth Internet Akiva and Chava Hart and their six children converted to Judaism on Nov Then the married couple got married again in a Jewish ceremony When LaDerryl Hart went to Israel as a dancer touring with rapper Missy Elliot he had no inkling that 13 years later he would become an Orthodox Jew and take the name Akiva Nachman who changed her name from Danielle to Chava Emunah he would create the “House of Lev,” a multi-platform online presence detailing the story of their family’s conversion to Judaism The couple has been Jewish for less than a month This quote about antisemitism hits the nail on the head. @HouseofLev (From Professor Michael Curtis of Rutgers University) pic.twitter.com/2BMRlq4uqw murdering 1,200 and taking more than 230 captive prompting a war that has brought hundreds of thousands to protest the Jewish state around the world The horror in Israel only cemented their desire to convert “We are running faster than ever now, running to join our people,” Akiva said on a video entitled “We are standing with Israel,” that he and Chava posted to YouTube The Harts (“heart” in Hebrew is “lev”) and their six children — ages 6 months to 15 —  converted on Nov 5 after immersing in a mikvah near their Southern California congregation It was the final step on a five-year journey toward Judaism the last two spent in conversion classes and living observant lives had a ceremonial drawing of a drop of blood to represent brit milah also celebrated their Jewish wedding at their synagogue the Orthodox Beth Jacob Congregation of Irvine Going to shul every morning to pray in a minyan, keeping strictly kosher and adhering to all the laws that come with being a fully observant Jew is a long way from dancing backup for Stevie Wonder at the 2005 Super Bowl halftime show. You can also see Akiva dance in a Gnarls Barkley-Cee Lo Green music video with Justin Timberlake He says he traveled to 150 countries during his dance career is the dancer wearing and orange shirt and pants what they’ve given up feels insignificant compared with the lives they now lead “The structure in Judaism made a lot of sense to us,” said Chava who describes herself as a stay-at-home mom and a content creator She previously worked as a makeup artist for television and film in Hollywood including gigs with the BET network and an ad campaign for Cover Girl Neither she or Akiva has entirely given up on their earlier careers parts of which they know are incompatible with Orthodox Jewish observance which requires modesty in dress and a day of rest on Shabbat as well as many holidays on which they may not work But Chava said she plans to create shades of makeup for Jews of color which comply with Jewish laws prohibiting blending and smearing on Shabbat Akiva said he plans to write and perform music for Jewish audiences they record their videos in a studio in their garage Their days are long; Akiva is up by 5:30 each morning to get to synagogue for morning minyan, followed by a Talmud class and then, an hour alone, talking to God. It’s a practice called hitbodedut, first written about by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov after whom Akiva adopted his new middle name “To be able to carve out an hour a day to spend with Hashem getting the three eldest children off to school — an Orthodox day school and soon a Jewish preschool for their 3-year-old — and taking care of the youngest ones at home The Breslov philosophy has influenced the deeply spiritual couple, who put out their first video about their journey toward Judaism a year ago. They have since posted dozens of others in which they document their Jewish firsts  — wrapping tefillin Akiva and Betzalel’s counting in their Orthodox minyan They also offer their own takes on Jewish experience from marriage to their children’s handling of the conversion process (which mostly went very well Their teenagers — 14-year-old Betzalel and 15-year-old Leah — came to Judaism on their own as they watched their parents explore and begin to observe Jewish law said he would not have agreed to the conversion of Akiva and Chava “Conversion is not meant to divide families,” said Ciner have questioned the couple for documenting their Jewish journey on social media Akiva said he generally deletes negative comments and blocks those users While they are now primarily supported by Akiva’s job at a video production company that specializes in real estate the couple also derive income from selling branded T-shirts and sweatshirts on their website and from sponsorships with Jewish companies that make the head wraps and skirts Chava now wears and the tallit and tefillin bags that Akiva and Betzalel use They also get paid for speaking engagements at Chabads and other synagogues Ciner said the Harts social media presence “did not give me pause.” They were well into the conversion process “before the whole social media thing exploded,” the rabbi said noting that they had already moved from Los Angeles to Irvine to be close to the synagogue and put their kids into Jewish school “It was clear that social media was not driving their process in any way.” Akiva said he and Chava built the House of Lev cautiously and sought rabbinic approbation “We didn’t want to do content if it would put a halt on our conversion process,” Akiva said told them their social media was helping others to find Judaism as did the three-rabbi court that approved their conversion Akiva in a Detroit neighborhood he calls “the hood.” His family is close-knit and churchgoing and some of his relatives still live on the street he grew up on though she described her mother as “a lapsed Catholic” who prayed privately her mother married — but then divorced — a Jewish man The couple met in 2006 outside a Detroit dance club and married the next year in a Christian ceremony and regularly attended a nondenominational church After several years they moved to the Los Angeles area to work in entertainment — Akiva as a dancer and choreographer The couple’s journey toward Judaism began five years ago when one of Akiva’s cousins told him that he believes African Americans are “the real children of Israel.”  Akiva says he didn’t buy it, but the remark “sent me down a rabbit hole online.” He first saw videos from a group of Hebrew Israelites whose teachings he found “militant antisemitic and very aggressive.” (The term “Hebrew Israelites” refers to a wide spectrum of groups many of which eschew such teachings.) But much of what Akiva saw “turned me off because it was racist,” he said Then he came across videos and interviews with Nissim Black the Orthodox rapper and Black convert to Judaism “I wanted to know that there are other Jews who look like us. We’d never seen any Jews of color,” said Akiva. Then, through Instagram, he met Yehudah Pryce a social worker and a formerly incarcerated Black man who converted to Judaism Pryce connected the Harts to a California Jewish community where they found themselves comfortable and eventually joined Asked if they had encountered racism among Jews Akiva said only in online comments posted to their YouTube and Instagram pages They have been warmly welcomed by their Jewish community  “The thing that surprised us the most is how wonderful and beautiful the majority of Jewish community is compared to what you see in the media,” said Akiva who said he used to work delivering food and thought that people in Jewish neighborhoods were giving him funny looks He had once thought of Jews as controlling “I got that from the way the media portrays Jewish people,” he said  “Now we’ll see black hat Jews and realize that they’re just focused Now she is teaching head-wrapping techniques to observant Jewish women and as a pair, the Harts are raising money for Israel Defense Forces and speaking out in support of Israel, as on their latest sponsored video with a menorah manufacturer Just in time for the family’s first Hanukkah as Jews I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward American Jews need independent news they can trust At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S rising antisemitism and polarized discourse This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up Copyright © 2025 The Forward Association Shulem (Dovale Glickman) with Dvoraleh and Akiva (Michael Aloni) A love triangle and multiple broken engagements A lot is happening in season three of “Shtisel,” the beloved Israeli show which follows the Shtisels the plot lines in the newest season of “Shtisel,” which will begin streaming on Netflix on March 25 seem more at home in a soap opera than a slow its emotion and its deeply human characters Much has been written about how what makes “Shtisel” special is its ability to depict the Haredi world without criticizing its rules and lifestyle making its characters relatable despite their strange clothing or the prayers they mutter over their food The newest season takes on issues that would be compelling regardless of community or custom; in fact tackling controversial topics such as abortion mental health and the divide between Ashkenazim and Mizrahim This is all in addition to the more familiar themes of grief “Shtisel” is less about its twists and turns and more about its characters but it is nevertheless difficult to talk about without revealing at least a few spoilers — read on at your own risk is arguing with his wife Libbi about selling his paintings; they desperately need the money When a wealthy buyer acquires several of the paintings going to her house and demanding his wife back — at which point we realize that Libbi is dead unable to separate his memory of his wife from his paintings of her Racheli (Danielle Kertesz) and Akiva (Michael Aloni) Courtesy of Yes Studios Processing this loss defines Akiva this season; he loves his daughter and his grief makes it difficult for him to move on with his life Romantic tension between Akiva and his paintings’ buyer but he won’t let himself imagine a life that does not revolve around mourning Libbi His struggle causes him to move back in with his father allowing the show to return to its central tension — the juxtaposition of dreamer Akiva against his father’s staunchly black-and-white view of the world Shulem’s stubborn inability to confront his own pride and loneliness makes me want to simultaneously scream and cry; he reminds me of my own dad His refusal to admit he is ever wrong makes me want to smash things — yet the scenes of him sitting alone at the iconic tiny kitchen table are unbearably poignant even if it’s his own fault that he’s pushed everyone away Ruchami (Shira Haas) and Hanina (Yoav Rothman) Akiva and Shulem are still the heart of the show but other characters get equal screen time this season have been married for years since they eloped in season two and they shine with the sweetest and most devoted relationship of the family Yet the pair keep secrets from each other as they struggle with Ruchami’s desperation for a child and difficulties with pregnancy Watching them navigate their love and their needs in light of their devotion to Torah Giti (Neta Raskin) and Lippe (Zohar Strauss) By Vered Adir Gitte and Lippe keep butting heads over Gitti’s desperation to be a normal and to leave Lippe’s past flouting of the rules behind them while Lippe continues to forge his own path This results in a meta storyline in which Lippe works on a set for a TV show about Haredim in which they glue peyot and beards onto their actors — much as “Shtisel” presumably does their son Yosele enters the matchmaking scene and Gitte and Lippe debate their own understandings of marriage by proxy through the conflicting advice they give their son gets a moment in the spotlight with his wife Tovi a delightful exchange that showcases Tovi’s canny ability to maneuver within the norms of the Haredi world without giving up her own needs or agency As the characters have grown up and become independent and there’s a bit too much going on at times Some plots are left to languish for an episode or more at a time Yet this slowness is also the show’s strength allowing the rhythms of the characters’ world to fully envelop the viewer Mira Fox is a reporter at the Forward. Get in touch at [email protected] or on Twitter @miraefox Mira Fox is a reporter at the Forward. Get in touch at [email protected] or on Twitter @miraefox.[email protected]@miraefox Simon Rocker 1 min readAkiva has retained its position at the top of the state-aided Jewish primary school table according to the first figures published by the Department for Education since pre-lockdown in 2019 The Progressive school in Finchley had the highest proportion of pupils who achieved the expected national standards in reading writing and maths in their Sats test this year Brodetsky Primary in Leeds was the other Jewish school with 90 per cent The vast majority of Jewish schools scored above the national percentage in England of 60 per cent Over a third of children at Akiva — 37 per cent — achieved the higher level compared to a national average of eight per cent Its overall average reading score of 113 placed it joint 25th in the country out of more than 22,000 primaries and its maths score of 112 joint 28th A strictly Orthodox boys school in Manchester was rated “well above average” by the Department for Education in all three areas of reading Six schools were rated “well above average” for two out of three areas - Akiva Schools Our weekly email is chockful of interesting and relevant insights into Jewish history A moving photo and the menorah that bears testimony to the eternal Jewish nation she lived in the northern Germany city of Kiel where her husband Akiva served as rabbi for the city’s 600 Jews Parks and buildings now sported signs reading “Entrance to Jews Forbidden” and the Nazis had just opened up a headquarters right across the street from her apartment An ugly swastika now obscured the view from her window When Hanukkah came and Rachel placed her family’s menorah in their window she was greeted once again by the sight of that swastika flag she snapped a photo - and when the pictures came back from the developers That was the Posner family’s last Hanukkah in Kiel Rabbi Posner wrote an angry letter to the local newspaper complaining about Jews being banned from public spaces and the local Nazi leader demanded to debate him in public - or else Sensing just how dangerous it was becoming to live as Jews Rachel and Akiva encouraged the city’s Jews to flee The back of the photo: Judea will live forever Although Rabbi Posner was offered a job as a rabbi by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook explaining that he couldn’t lead a community in Israel while his long-time community was still back in Germany Rachel and he lit their same family menorah each year as their three daughters grew up and later as they watched their nine grandchildren grow Both the menorah and the picture of it that Rachel snapped in 1932 “were part of the family’s history but nobody ever made a big deal about it” explained Yehuda Mansbach but instead of facing a Nazi headquarters it looks out over his yard in Beit Shemesh he lights it with his wife and eight children The menorah left their house briefly in 2009 when Rachel and Akiva’s great grandson Akiva Mansbach was a soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces and brought the menorah to his base for his fellow soldiers to use grandson of Holocaust survivor Rabbi Akiva Posner lighting his grandfather’s menorah at Yad Vashem Yad Vashem asked the family if they could display it as part of an exhibit on Hanukkah menorahs and the Holocaust - not realizing that it was still in use “When people from the museum approached me and asked if they could use the menorah in the exposition we light it every year!” explained Akiva Mansbach The museum and the family worked out a compromise: Yad Vashem could display the menorah but would return it to its family to be used over Hanukkah Each Hanukkah as the descendants of Rachel and Akiva Posner kindle the Hanukkah lights in their homes in Israel they recall their great grandmother’s powerful words but which have sustained their family and the Jewish people through the ages: no matter what befalls us: “Judea will live forever.” The family never had a desire to go back to Germany the place where their relatives had been persecuted or had been murdered in the Holocaust But that changed this year after the mayor of Kiel invited them to visit an exhibition about their family’s history — and their iconic photo The Posner descendants decided to come to Germany Organized by the German Friends of Yad Vashem 90 years since her family fled Germany with the menorah to be lit for the first time in the country since the family escaped the menorah was lit on the second night of Hanukkah on a windowsill at Berlin’s grand Bellevue Palace the official residence of the German president Tears here! How we need to remember that hate may abide for a time, but Judea (and love) will live forever! Happy Hanukkah! Thank you for signing up for the aish.com free newsletter. Upon arrival, guests including Victor Cruz, Meek Mill, Emily Ratajkowski, Duckie Thot, A$AP Ferg, Anitta, Zac Efron, Tobey Maguire, Jasmine Tookes, Juan David Borrero, Luka Sabbat, Riley Montana, Maxwell Osborne, and Yasmin Wijnaldum were welcomed into the out of this world experience with a glass of Armand De Brignac Ace of Spades Champagne. Surrounded by 180-degree views of the Manhattan skyline, the dancefloor was dressed with shimmering chandeliers and space-themed neon signs.  Of course, Lil Nas X was spotted sporting a very Harry Potter ensemble with a wand in hand. Nearby, Victor Cruz wearing his best Rick James fit, sipped on cocktails prepared with D’Usse and Red Bull. On the DJ decks, Daniel Chetrit, Jus Ske, and Hank Korsan spun upbeat tracks that kept the night alive until early morning. The Entergalactic-evening wouldn’t be complete without a special surprise, which Cudi served up by performing live for the buzzy crowd before closing. For Cudi and Akiva, it’s clear that the sky isn’t the limit.  Madison McGaw/BFA.com2/9Renell Medrano and A$AP Ferg Madison McGaw/BFA.com4/9Saquon Barkley and Luka Sabbat 2016Save this storySaveSave this storySaveIf you like to party and are attractive enough to fog a mirror chances are you've been to 1 OAK or Up&Down Or maybe you've been to one of his pop-up clubs in Miami or any other town where the DiCaprios and Rihannas of the world go to spill Moët and vibe out on banquettes “What separates me from others in my business is that I know how to put the right people together,” Akiva says “You can go to a club that has the same DJ Madonna and Rihanna party at Up&Down in New York copious amounts of top-shelf booze—all those things are important to Akiva's lucrative business But the thing that really matters is his relationships and if Akiva's iPhone address book were ever compromised it'd probably put half the entertainment industry's A-list on blast Because the most important part of being nightlife's great conductor is being its best relationship manager a covey of Kardashians—and all the attendant egos—under one roof If you don't exactly have a Rolodex to rival Harvey Weinstein's you might be wondering how all this applies to you that means not treating A-listers like cash cows “I'm not just going after the money and the bottle service,” he says “Some clubs will let 15 uncool guys buy a table next to Jay Z I'd rather give that table away to some skater kids for no money.” Akiva's birthday party at 1 OAK Los Angeles So is that the greatest nightlife commodity Everyone goes out at night to either get laid or find their future husband or wife.” And when you see Akiva in the wild bouncing around downtown Manhattan or Art Basel Miami or wherever he has a force field of long-legged models orbiting him (Akiva after dark is basically a walking 1Oak pop-up.) And that’s when our interview gets interrupted by a phone call it’s Naomi Campbell,” Akiva says in a professional voice Love you.” And then he finishes his thought as if the whole thing is normal creating a cool mix and making folks stand in line for it is the family business “My father and uncle had clothing stores in the south Bronx in the 80’s,” Richie says “They were famous for having lines down the block for the latest sneakers watching Biz Markie giving autographs and buying sneakers Merging worlds—putting the cool art kids next to the models next to Kanye—is normal to Akiva too he grew up on “four sides of the fence.” He was a prep-school kid who did graffiti and hip-hop with friends from some of the wealthiest families in NYC as well as some of the poorest Akiva was once signed to Prince’s label as a rapper and later created a cult T-shirt company that was written up in Vogue he was on the cover of New York magazine just for being a cool-ass kid who threw the best parties trying to get Beyoncé on your snapchat or collecting enough liquid courage to actually speak to the 6’-2” bombshell next to you know that you didn’t just get in by chance Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Mervyn Peake’s book series gets script-to-series commitment at pay cable network Showtime has given a script-to-series commitment to “Gormenghast,” based on Mervyn Peake’s book series The adaptation will be executive produced by Akiva Goldsman and “American Gods” author Neil Gaiman The books center on the inhabitants of the city-sized castle Gormenghast Its denizens are only vaguely aware of how or why the castle came to be but over the course of the series the powers that have held the castle in place are challenged and the ensuing disruptions reveal its fantastical secrets “Being Human” creator Toby Whithouse will serve as executive producer and showrunner and David Stern will serve as executive producers Showtime will co-produce the series with Fremantle which also is a producer on Gaiman’s “American Gods” adaptation for Starz The book series initially was made up of three novels — “Titus Groan,” “Gormenghast” and “Titus Alone” — all published betweeen 1946 and 1959 “Titus Awakes,” was in the works by Peake before his death in 1968 His widow finished the book and it was released in 2009 The series had previously been adapted as a four-episode miniseries in 2000 on the BBC that starred Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Christopher Lee students are often recognized for academic excellence or sports achievements But the season also marks the celebration of the Rose Ruderman Scholar Awards which celebrate something more expansive: These $1,000 scholarships recognize Jewish day school students who demonstrate kindness and respect for their families The awards acknowledge the students’ contributions to propagating the spirit of chesed (lovingkindness) and honor the memory of Rose Ruderman, z”l, who died in 1994. The 16th annual ceremony took place on Wednesday, May 22, with remarks from Ruderman’s granddaughter, Sharon Shapiro, trustee and community liaison for the Ruderman Family Foundation CJP executive vice president for philanthropy Jennifer Weinstock and the heads of each recognized Jewish school “We typically see people being valued for their high academic achievements there is one more important quality that we’re acknowledging this afternoon and it encompasses the kind of person that we should aspire to be The Rose Ruderman Scholar Award recognizes what’s really important: being a kind person and having a strong moral compass to go above and beyond and helping others,” Shapiro told the crowd “During challenging times like those we have experienced the need for helping each other has become even more important It is by helping with compassion that we make a significant and lasting impression in the lives of others,” she added “Yehudis Aldrich has a real passion for chesed providing them with assistance and companionship She is there for families in the community who need help and support She is there for students who need something extra She is there for her school as a Mishmeres leader and production head injecting the atmosphere with warmth and ruach “Maimonides School is proud to nominate Avi Berlove for the Rose Ruderman Award Avi is a young man who dedicates himself not only to his learning but also to his community In his various leadership and chesed roles as someone who starts tzedakah initiatives and as a volunteer with the elderly and with those less fortunate Avi exemplifies the values for which Rose Ruderman z”l stood We are very proud to present such a special award to such a special young man.” “We are proud that Akiva Feuerstein is the Mesivta Rose Ruderman Scholar this year Akiva is a stellar student with a deep understanding of learning The chesed that he does for his rabbis and fellow students uplifts the whole Mesivta We are proud to bestow him with this honor.” He is blessed with a beautiful voice and enjoys organizing concerts and talent shows He sincerely enjoys hosting friends and guests for Shabbat meals You can be sure that when his class takes a test Yehonatan will still be working after everyone else handed in their work He shleps the laundry up and down the steps and also takes good care of his younger siblings He is sensitive to animals and is in charge of feeding the fish and taking care of the aquarium at home Yehonatan has a beautiful voice and likes to organize family concerts and talent shows starring none other than himself he enthusiastically shares divrei Torah with family and guests at his shabbat table.” “Ben is respectful and compassionate toward elderly people He spends a lot of time with his elderly neighbor and has even written his essays about these experiences Ben is our ‘small spokesperson.’ His charisma and ability to express himself make him consistently chosen for interviews about school and community projects and I believe he has a very bright future,’ says his English teacher popular among his friends and dearly loved by his teachers,’ another teacher adds.”  Whether it is supporting classmates or thinking of special programming movie nights and any other chance to volunteer: they are all in Libby’s wheelhouse “Dassi Halpern is a kindhearted young woman who is sensitive to the needs and feelings of those in her school community and beyond She happily offers to volunteer to assist with younger students’ activities and with programs within the school As part of the Khal Tiferes Yosef synagogue community she involves herself in shul events and programming She acts with modesty and is a role model for all those who know her.” “Akiva Whiteman is a young man who has embodied the definition of mensch in every sense of the word devoted to spiritual growth and a leader of his peers Akiva is engaged in a wide variety of programs including president of the YOY Yachad Club He is a great friend and mentor to all those around him and genuinely concerns himself with the well-being of others It is for these reasons that Akiva was selected as Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael’s recipient of the Rose Ruderman Award.” Adds leading supplier in Israel for laser cutting 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Resonetics announced today that it has acquired STI Laser Industries nitinol shape setting and electropolishing and cleanroom assembly and packaging for the medical device industry In addition to servicing the prolific startup community in Israel STI has developed a global business with extensive customer relationships in the U.S. STI has grown rapidly by identifying unmet customer needs and responding aggressively with customized solutions "Israel is recognized around the world as an important medical device center and we are very excited to gain access to these customers with STI Tovy's entrepreneurial spirit and the strong management team he assembled have created an impressive business serving the structural heart neurovascular and minimally invasive surgery markets The acquisition also broadens Resonetics' nitinol processing capabilities an important capability to serve our growing interventional business," said Tom Burns "I am very proud of the position STI has built in the industry over the past 20 years," remarked Tovy Sivan we can offer our customers a broader set of manufacturing capabilities with the resources necessary to support best-in-class prototyping and high-volume production options in Israel We are uniquely positioned to service a growing list of industry leaders and I look forward to continuing to build this business with Tom STI is doubling the size of its operations in Or Akiva Building 2 is under construction and will open in early 2020 to increase the Israel operation to 60,000 sq to accommodate the company's growth and new manufacturing capabilities Do not sell or share my personal information: By FremantleMedia North America, which brought American Gods to television, has acquired the rights to another adaptation project with Neil Gaiman: Gormenghast darkly humorous series about the inhabitants of Castle Gormenghast first-look agreement with FMNA in 2017) and Akiva Goldsman will serve as non-writing executive producers helming the adaptation of the five books in Peake’s series 77th Earl and reluctant heir to Gormenghast Castle Though he stands to inherit miles of rambling stone and mortar that make up the castle and its kingdom it is only when charismatic kitchen boy Steerpike begins to climb the ranks of the castle that Titus desires to protect his birthright “What follows,” the press release promises “is an extended fight to the death for Gormenghast itself.” “There is nothing in literature like Mervyn Peake’s remarkable Gormenghast novels,” said Neil Gaiman in the official announcement from FMNA and they take us to an ancient castle as big as a city with heroes and villains and people larger than life that are impossible to forget There is a reason why there were two trilogies that lovers of the fantasy genre embraced in the Sixties: Lord of the Rings It’s an honor to have been given the opportunity to help shepherd Peake’s brilliant and singular vision to the screen.” Other EPs include Barry Spikings, whose career as a producer includes The Man Who Fell to Earth and Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, among other films; and David A. Stern, the current EP on Howards End, the adaptation of E.M. Forster’s novel. Per Deadline’s article it sounds as if FMNA’s next move is to meet with potential showrunners “Luminaries like Mervyn Peake and my old friend Neil Gaiman are more than good company to keep,” Goldsman said “I am grateful to Barry Spikings for the will to help us bring the sprawling glory of Gormenghast to a modern audience.” The last time Gormenghast was on television was a 2000 miniseries adaptation from the BBC starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Steerpike It covered the plot of only the first two novels “We are tremendously excited by the prospect of seeing the Gormenghast books realized for television,” Fabian Peake son of Mervyn and executor of the Peake estate “This venture presents a unique opportunity to explore the imagination of a multi-faceted artist.” In addition to his EP duties on American Gods Gaiman is also the showrunner for the forthcoming miniseries adaptation of his and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens premiering on the BBC and Amazon Video in 2019 I did like the original BBC version — especially Christopher Lee as Flay and Richard Griffiths as Swelter — but I look forward to a new adaptation as well Tor.com seems to have a real mental block about mentioning previous adaptations 3: The article does mention the previous adaptation The previous adaptation had a (mostly) great cast (Christopher Lee Richard Griffiths… Spike Milligan even!) but the direction left a lot to be desired I’m only aware of three with a fourth put together from notes by his widow man i thought Gaiman was stepping down from TV adaptations for a while Good Omens seemed to take a lot out of him according to his Twitter feed I’ve been needing a motivation to read the Gormenghast series; my copy of Titus Groan has been sitting on my shelf for a long while now The Reactor newsletter is the best way to catch up on the world of science fiction For compliance with applicable privacy laws: Akiva Schick and Aliza Chase were in New York City—and the engagement ring was in Columbus But that didn’t deter Akiva from popping the question which he did in one of the city’s parks with a blade of grass fashioned into a ring.  It was the first in a long series of adjustments the couple would have to make for their wedding They were engaged and married within the pandemic’s pre-vaccine confines juggling their aspirations and dreams for the big day with the reality of the situation But careful planning—led by Aliza’s mother, Leslie Chase, and Rooted Together planner Courtney Heibel—ensured the celebration not only continued The couple also benefited from Aliza’s sister which gave them some insight into what throwing a wedding in the midst of a pandemic would be like But in addition to planning around a global health crisis—which was no small feat—the couple faced another unexpected hurdle: Six weeks before their Oct they decided to find a new venue when the owner of their original location pleaded guilty for tax evasion and the future of the venue felt uncertain Luckily, Aliza’s parents found an alternative—and she and Akiva agreed to the new space More: One Family, Three Weddings: How the Chase Family Got Through Three Nuptials and a Pandemic “It ended up being beautiful and absolutely perfect,” Aliza says of the new venue having relied on her parents’ visit to the venue.  there were plenty of rules to follow and precautions to take particularly when it came to Jewish tradition which calls for  plenty of dancing But the couple’s friends and family ensured the celebration could continue. Although not everyone could attend because of the pared-down guest list or travel restrictions those who could celebrate with the couple made sure the day was memorable.  Those who couldn’t make it but still wanted to participate provided video clips that played at the reception And, as part of the Jewish shtick custom attendees told jokes and performed short skits about the couple during the reception.  really cathartic and wonderful to be surrounded by people,” Akiva says “Sometimes you go to a wedding because you have a social obligation to go But we knew that every single person who was at the wedding was there because it was really important to them to be there We felt really loved and cared for by every person who was there.” Ceremony and reception: Bryn Du Mansion  Photographer: Derk’s Works Photography  Caterer and cake: Catering  by Chani  Florist: Dalay Ket Event Design  and Lasting Impressions Event Rental  Videography: Columbus Wedding Videos  Livestreaming: Josh Staley Productions  Photo booth: The Columbus Photo Booth Co.  Stationery: Minted.com and Nutis Visual Communications Group  Transportation: The BEAT and Mid Ohio Golf Car  Rehearsal dinner and accommodations: Cherry Valley Hotel  Bride’s attire: Casablanca gown from Dublin Bridal  Wedding party’s attire: Various  Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty This article was published more than 3 years ago Grow is a wholly original show about a pair of Amish sisters who get mixed up in the legalized pot industry and its mirror black market.Dahlia Katz/Grand Theatre Keep up to date with the weekly Nestruck on Theatre newsletter. Sign up today The cannabis sector may be mostly a bust for Canadian stock-market investors but a new marijuana-themed musical that opened at the Grand Theatre in London last week and is aiming for a commercial run strikes me as potentially delivering excellent returns for those backing it a wholly original show about a pair of Amish sisters who get mixed up in the legalized pot industry and its mirror black market It’s fresh and funny with enough beautiful ballads and soaring anthems from the up-and-coming songwriting team known as Colleen and Akiva to give audiences the warm fuzzies I should make absolutely clear that Grow is not a stoner comedy – a niche genre that to someone like me who doesn’t know his indica from his sativa composer Colleen Dauncey and lyricist Akiva Romer-Segal are working well within the traditional musical-comedy framework with this fish-out-of-water tale Hannah (Arinea Hermans) and Ruth (Jenny Weisz) are 19-year-old Amish twins – and as per a rite of passage known as rumspringa they are allowed to leave their segregated community in rural Ontario and check out the modern world before choosing whether to be baptized and stay for good who has a suitor named Samuel (Izad Etemadi) very eager to get married and start a family surprises her father by deciding to take the opportunity to go to Toronto and visit her estranged uncle In accordance with her late mother’s wishes she can only do so if she brings along Ruth (Jenny Weisz) an odd duck and excellent gardener who sings to flowers and is only very reluctantly convinced to accompany her sister Ruth’s fears are justified the moment the twins arrive in Toronto when they are unable to locate their uncle Grow seems ready to go public with just minimal polishing.Dahlia Katz/Grand Theatre Hannah and Ruth instead encounter a rather scuzzy-looking pot dealer named Skor (Adam Sanders) who has recently fallen on hard financial times His poorly sourced street weed is having trouble competing with the quality of kush to be found at a newly legal cannabis shop called Bliss run by the entrepreneur Alexis (Masini McDermott) When Skor learns of Ruth’s prowess with plants he offers the sisters a place to stay – and entices them to work in his basement grow-op with a spiel about marijuana’s medicinal properties and a screed about family farms being crushed by corporate agriculture however – the legalization of marijuana they’ve heard about does not apply to his business it all makes sense within the internal logic of musical comedy There is plenty of theatrical history informing the show from the classical plots involving naive small-town twins you’ll find in Plautus or Shakespeare to more contemporary satirical fare like Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s The Book of Mormon You might detect nods to Little Shop of Horrors and Candide too – but unlike Dauncey and Romer-Segal’s previous musical this one never seems derivative or done-before What makes Grow work so delightfully are its surprises like the unlikely relationship between Ruth and Skor that blossoms in a lovely first-act song called Grow and deepens in a second-act scorcher called The One I Choose These two emerge from their character-part cocoons to become swoon-worthy romantic leads with the help of the sweet and strange performances of Weisz and Sanders know we live in a Wicked world now – and so they are smart to never let the relationship between the sisters get too far out of focus as Hannah gets involved in her own dopey shenanigans It’s always tricky to pull off representation of a religious community in a comedy – but I found the playwright Murray and lyricist Romer-Segal struck just the right level of irreverence Hannah’s suitor who never strays from his religions and way of life goes on one of the show’s best journeys from ridiculous to lovable Etemadi’s scene-stealing performance climaxes with a song about how the Amish never “take the easy way out” that is one of the show’s hilarious high points Grow’s urban creators have more trouble figuring out how to depict Toronto on stage The traditional musical comedy demands a chorus of villagers or townspeople but where do you find that sense of community in a multicultural city that’s a mosaic it’s not the song Troubles that currently establishes the location Director Dennis Garnhum’s production relies on Jamie Nesbitt’s projections of Toronto stores and landmarks to set the scene but he doesn’t seem to have figured out what exactly the open stage is meant to represent in that moment – a park Designer Bretta Gerecke’s costumes also seem indecisive -and Murray’s writing briefly betrays its pantomime roots in its blurry depiction of Skor’s customers I’ve seen a number of new musicals on commercial stages in Toronto and on Broadway that had much bigger problems which has had its budget at the not-for-profit Grand enhanced by $450,000 raised by Come From Away producer Michael Rubinoff seems ready to go public with just minimal polishing Sign up for The Globe’s arts and lifestyle newsletters for more news Report an editorial error Report a technical issue Editorial code of conduct Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following Kelly Nestruck is the television critic for The Globe and Mail In 2018, Nestruck broke one of Canada’s major #MeToo stories - reporting on four actresses who launched civil suits against a founder of a Toronto theatre company Nestruck worked in arts and entertainment journalism at The Guardian (in London He grew up shuttling back and forth between Montreal and Winnipeg - both great cities for arts and culture Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. 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For more information on our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines and our Terms and Conditions This article was published more than 5 years ago Playwrights Colleen Dauncey and Akiva Romer-Segal on stage at the Max Bell Theatre in Calgary Canadian theatre is betting big money on Colleen and Akiva first-name way producers and directors refer to Colleen Dauncey and Akiva Romer-Segal Toronto-based composer and lyricist team who are about to burst into the mainstream with a pair of costly musicals opening this season and competing to be Canada’s next Come From Away “Colleen and Akiva have such a delicious ying-yang chemistry,” says Stafford Arima where the team’s long-in-development show with writer Kent Staines opened in a production with a budget that tops $1.2-million this week “Colleen shoots from the hip with a playful energy and Akiva has a Zen-like aura that brings gravitas to his space This balanced dualism comes to life within their writing.” which tells the story of Canadian Marc Hall’s famous fight to take his boyfriend to high-school prom in 2002 has been previously seen at the Segal Centre in Montreal (under the title Prom Queen) – but this new enlarged version is described as “destined for Broadway” and helmed by an American director as it’s been augmented by an unspecified amount of “enhancement money” raised from investors by producer Mary Young Leckie who’s been clear about her desire for the show to have a commercial future The other big-budget Dauncey and Romer-Segal production in the works is Grow a musical comedy written with Matt Murray about a pair of Amish sisters who become embroiled in the marijuana business during a break from their community (This is inspired by an actual Amish rite of passage known as Rumspringa – and an earlier self-produced version of the show was jauntily called Rumspringa Break!) Presented in concert to an audience full of American producers at the influential Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals in Connecticut this month Grow will open in a full $1.1-million mainstage production at the Grand Theatre in London About $500,000 of that comes from a group of investors corralled by lead producer Michael Rubinoff the head of Sheridan College’s Canadian Music Theatre Project – the semi-educational new-musical incubator where Come From Away got its start and both Grow and The Louder We Get have been workshopped Grow’s director and artistic director of the Grand this privately raised enhancement money – a practice long common at American regional theatres for instance those in Seattle and San Diego where Come From Away was developed on its way to Broadway – is necessary to launch a new musical with commercial potential It allows for things normally outside a Canadian not-for-profit theatre’s budget such as orchestrations a musical supervisor and a musical director (as well as flying in potential producers) Says Garnhum: “Premiering a new musical is probably the most expensive thing you can do." If that puts a lot of pressure on Dauncey and Romer-Segal the two don’t sound particularly stressed out by premiering two major musicals only a few months apart they’re delighted that this confluence of productions has actually allowed them to finally quit their day jobs and focus only on their artistic work the Theatre Calgary production of The Louder We Get isn’t about whether it will make them (and those investing in their work) money in the future – but about friends and family in their hometown finally seeing what they’ve been toiling on often in self-produced low-budget production at Fringe-like festivals in Toronto where we’re pouring our hearts and souls into these shows,” Dauncey says in a Skype interview during a break from rehearsal in Connecticut you would hit – like we don’t own houses and we don’t have kids Dauncey and Romer-Segal met at Henry Wise Wood High School in southwest Calgary when they sat down next to each other during auditions for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat Although Romer-Segal was in Grade 11 and Dauncey was in Grade 10 they were starring opposite each other as Seymour and Audrey in a school production Little Shop of Horrors – and they would go into a little side room with a piano and share their own individual efforts at writing songs with one another several years before The Drowsy Chaperone became the first Canadian-created musical not to financially flop on Broadway in 2006 and well before Come From Away grossed US$169-million (and counting) in New York alone Romer-Segal went off to get a degree in technical theatre production at Toronto’s Ryerson University and Dauncey earned an international business degree at the University of Calgary And as Romer-Segal begin to move in musical-theatre circles in Toronto in online chats about the lively scene in Toronto which centred on the Musical Stage Company (then called Acting Up Stage) and cabarets at a bar called Statler’s (recently closed owing to rising rent) After seeing the talented actor Sara Farb (then an up-and-comer; now a Stratford Festival veteran acting on Broadway in the Harry Potter plays) perform one night in 2008 Romer-Segal went up to her on a whim and told her: “I’d like to write a song for you.” Farb agreed to take a look at whatever he came up with a song had to be written: Romer-Segal got online with his old friend Dauncey then honing her French-language skills in Quebec City After Dauncey visited Toronto to hear their song sung The two are indeed artistically ying and yang: Dauncey is new-school composer who can write a pop anthem as hooky as anything by Dear Evan Hansen’s Benj Pasek and Justin Paul or Waitress’s Sara Bareilles Romer-Segal harkens back to headier or more old-school purveyors of the craft like Stephen Sondheim The result is that you can hear one of their songs just once – and somehow it sticks in your head The Louder We Get is a project they were set up on: Producer Leckie and Staines asked them to pitch songs after an introduction by Musical Stage Company’s artistic director Mitchell Marcus It was the perfect show for them – a high-school musical set during the time period that they were actually in high school and about a national news story that took place when they were teenagers that as a story of a queer teenager fighting to take his partner to prom The Louder We Get’s premise might be too similar to a recent musical that just played on Broadway The Prom (co-written by The Drowsy Chaperone’s Bob Martin and currently being adapted into a film for Netflix by Ryan Murphy) the American director of The Louder We Get the teen-focused show is a story of young people taking control of their own world that resonates in a wider way He sees Hall as a predecessor of the climate activist Greta Thunberg student-survivors fighting for gun control “It is not just another coming out story – it’s a story about [how] you too can be a hero The question of how a Broadway-sized Canadian musical could make its investment back if it never actually plays on Broadway is an open one Canadian theatres seem willing to take the risk on sizing up Dauncey and Romer-Segal’s shows – and are not catering to foreign markets by watering down the Canadianness of their material Grow was originally set in the United States until Garnhum encouraged its writers to move the action of the show to Canada amidst the legalization of marijuana to make it a more relevant show Down at the Goodspeed Festival of New Musical Dauncey and Romer-Segal found themselves inundated by questions from curious Americans on the subject “If anything I think it’s something to differentiate us from the large pool of writers and shows happening in the States,” Romer-Segal says Adds Dauncey: “I think that the Canadian-ness actually helps us internationally." 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