A legacy of love and giving

At the funeral for Dr. Herman Blumenthal in 2007, his son, Fred, was singing the Eil Male Rachamim when he noticed a line that spoke to doing acts of charity in the memory of the departed. Not only did that line resonate with Fred Blumenthal, but “it was just about the time BSKI got a good piano,” he said, referring to his Richmond Heights synagogue, Brith Sholom Kneseth Israel. So Blumenthal put the line and the piano together and voila, a memorial concert in his father’s memory was born.

At 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24 the Third Annual Dr. Herman Blumenthal Memorial Concert to Benefit the Social Action Committee at BSKI will be performed at the temple at 1107 Linden Avenue. The concert, which costs $10, will feature the Meshor’rim quartet consisting of Blumenthal, Howard Granok, Jay O’Brien and Rabbi Mordecai Miller, vocalists Linda Blumenthal, Dan Brodsky, and Rachel Smith, and pianist Phyllis Hyken. Last year’s proceeds through the BSKI Social Action Committee went to benefit the Harvey Kornblum Food Pantry.

Blumenthal says this year’s edition should be extra special because his half-sister, Shana Blumenthal, is getting married the day before and guests are expected from as far away as Paris. But will they stay an extra day for the concert?

“They’d better,” Blumenthal joked.

Save the date

Just in time for Hanukkah, Diane Katzman will host an open house to benefit the Jewish Light at her University City design studio at 8505 Delmar Boulevard. Katzman is known for her unique custom jewelry and accessories that sell throughout the country, including Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Anthropologie. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 12 and 13, Katzman will offer 20 percent off purchases made at her studio and online (www.dianekatzman.com), with 20 percent going to benefit the Light. Look for more information about this special event in the newspaper in the weeks ahead, but mark your calendars and be ready to do some great, one-stop holiday shopping.

Not exactly Heaven’s Door,

but close

As souvenirs go, this one might be a little pricey. Then again, diehard fans – and there are legions of them out there – could decide $119,000 is worth it for this piece of history; specifically, the very building where 13-year-old Robert Zimmerman celebrated his bar mitzvah.

Zimmerman, as you probably know, grew up to be Bob Dylan. Minnesota’s Agudath Achim Synagogue . . . well, it stopped being used for worship nearly three decades ago. Current owners Brenda Shafer-Pellinen and her husband, Eric, told the Duluth News Tribune that they posted the building on Craigslist a few months ago and that she also has reached out to Dylan devotees on websites, including dylanradio.com.

Times they (were) a’changin by the 1980s when the property was converted into apartments; the Shafer-Pellinens bought it in 2001 hoping to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast but their plans never materialize. It is now being shown as a possible single-family home or duplex.

The former synagogue in downtown Hibbing, Minn. is a midway point in the almost two-mile loop of a walking tour of Dylan landmarks, and includes 14 points of interest from the town were Dylan lived before heading to Minneapolis. It includes hot spots such as his childhood home – where the garage is now decorated with a painted likeness of the cover of “Blood on the Tracks” – and Hibbing High School, where he graduated in 1959, according to the Duluth newspaper.

So what do you think, $119,000 for a piece of Dylan’s past? Or is the synagogue fated to be forgotten, kind of like a rolling stone?

Planning a trip to Israel?

Perhaps you might want to download a new iSrael iPhone and iPad application, which provides detailed information on sites, tours, accommodation and events in Israel. The free app features up-to-date information about travel to Israel, including mapped directions to heritage sites, nature reserves, leisure activities, archeological sites and museums. Users of the application may also build customized tours of Israel complete with photographs and multimedia.

The app will be regularly updated by the IsraeIi Ministry of Tourism, and users can also upload their own photographs and comments to Israel tourism social media forums, including Facebook (www.facebook.com/goisrael) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/israeltourism). To download the iSrael application in English or Hebrew, type “Israel tourism” in the apps search bar on an iPhone or iPad, or visit http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/israel-tourism/id393773314?mt=8.

This just in

Former “Baywatch” star Pamela Anderson will be a guest judge in the sixth season of Israel’s TV version of “Dancing with the Stars,” according to JTA. Anderson, 43, finished sixth when she competed last season in the American TV show. In addition to voting and offering the Israeli dancers feedback, the former model and Playboy cover girl reportedly will do some dancing, too. Anderson’s comments will be subtitled in Hebrew.