In the News

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, is so proud of her Jewish heritage that in 2005 she proposed setting aside one month each year for people to learn about the contributions of Jews to America.

Now, eight years after President George W. Bush proclaimed May Jewish American Heritage Month and following a proclamation by President Barack Obama, Wasserman Schultz held her second annual "Jammin' for JAHM" program.

Opening the program at Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Wasserman Schultz said: "The purpose of Jewish American Heritage Month is to promote understanding of the countless contributions that American Jews have made to the fabric of American life. From science and technology to education and entertainment, Jews have given so much to this country but so many people are unaware of that. And it's my hope that by providing the framework for the discussion of Jewish culture and contributions to our nation that we'll be able to reduce some of the ignorance that leads to anti-Semitism."

She added: "For generations, Jewish entertainers have made us laugh and moved us to tears through their creative work. They've also taught us important life lessons, and helped audiences ponder [themes of] bigotry, intolerance, perseverance and determination, honesty and forgiveness.

"As an audience, we often recognize the entertainers but often lose sight of what goes on behind the scenes — the directors, the producers, the writers, the composers whose vision is brought to life by the performers," Wasserman Schultz said.

She recognized Leonard Bernstein for bringing "Romeo and Juliet" into modern times in "West Side Story." The musical showed "how vulnerable life can be when prejudice and hatred prevail over love," Wasserman Schultz said.

Irving Berlin, she pointed out, wrote "God Bless America" in 1918 while serving in the U.S. Army at Camp Upton in New York but revived it during World War II as a peace song. "Now it is the unofficial anthem of the United States," she said.

Wasserman Schultz introduced Jon "Bowzer" Bauman, leader of the band Sha Na Na, which had a television show and was in the film "Grease," as the emcee for the evening.

"I am proud of the entire history and heritage in the Jewish American community," said Bauman, who lives in California. "What a wonderful history and heritage we really do have." He then introduced the evening's songs with brief biographies of their composers.

The Cypress Bay High School Jazz Band performed Richard Rogers' "My Funny Valentine," Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" and drummer Buddy Rich's "Groovin' Hard."

Other music in the show included George Gershwin's "Summertime" and Harvey Schmidt's "Time to Remember" from "The Fantastics." Both were played by the Florida Youth Orchestra.

The Fort Lauderdale Children's Theatre troupe sang a medley of Pink's (Alecia Beth Moore) and Adam Levine's songs called "Mashups," Stephen Sondheim's "Agony" from the musical "Into the Woods" and Stephen Schwartz's "What is This Feeling?" from "Wicked."

Bauman closed the show by putting on a white yarmulke and performing Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song." He also sang Sha Na Na's doo wop version of "Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite."

"It's a lovely evening, it's free and it's Jewish music which I enjoy," said Ellen Schiller, of Cooper City. Her husband Cliff said he just learned that Bowzer, from Sha Na Na, would be in the show. "I would have come for that," he said.