Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 61, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 10, 2007 Page: 3 of 24
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TJP V67-19, 05-10-07 p01-04 5/8/07 8:19 PM Page 3
-e
May 10,2007
In Our 61st Year
Texas Jewish Post
Youth
Gambling on great sound
Teen band 'Luck of the
Draw' earns finalist spot in
young musicians' contest
By Deb Silverthorn
It was more than luck, but
talent, drive and a great sound that
brought two young Jewish musi-
cians and two fellow bandmates to
the finalist stage in the Texas 10
Under 20 music contest last
month.
The foursome of "Luck of the
Draw" — Benji Gershon, Andrew
Greene, Matt Pepe and Andy
Thurston — wowed the crowd and
judges at the Dallas International
Guitar Festival on April 22.
With more than 200 bands
entered in the contest, being in the
top 10 was a great accomplishment
for the musicians whose connec-
tion grew after a meeting between
Gershon and Greene at the 2006
JCC Talent Show.
!!I heard Andrew playing with
another band and thought our
sounds would mesh," said lead
vocalist Gershon.
They recruited Pepe and
Thurston from school connections
and the band was born.
"In the few short months we've
been together we've made some
great music, played some good
shows and I think we've come a
long way. I'm going to miss the
band after this summer."
Gershon, who will attend Cali-
fornia State University Northridge
after graduating from Yavneh
Academy, and Greene, the gui-
tarist, who will attend Quinnipiac
University after graduating from
Richardson High School, both
plan to study music production
and business.
Pepe, the bassist and a senior in
the Arts Magnet program at
Richardson High School, plans to
study at the University of Okla-
homa. Drummer Thurston is a
junior at Richardson High School.
"Luck of the Draw" placed first
in the Richardson Battle of the
Bands and second in the Battle of
the Bands sponsored by The Door
in Deep Ellum.
The band played "fun runs" for
Richardson High and Brentfield
Elementary Schools; they play at
private parties and will be onstage
at the Wildflower Festival on May
20 at 1:30 p.m.
"Music is a great way to reach
out and express myself. There's
also a connection with the audi-
"Luck of the Draw" band members (l-r) Matt Pepe, Benji Gershon, Andy Thurston
and Andrew Greene were finalists in the Texas 10 Under 20 contest sponsored
by the Texas Music Project.
ence; even if it's just one person
who I know 'gets it,' that is unlike
any other action or words," said
Gershon, the son of Raquel and
Rabbi William Gershon, of Con-
gregation Shearith Israel.
Gershon, who started music
lessons at age 11, and previously
played with the band "Slightly
Auf," credits his talents to his
family — including his
singer/musician mother, an aunt
who is a cantor, and his grandfa-
ther, a rabbi "with a very cantorial
voice."
Gershon is a member of BBYO,
USY and Yavneh's Music
Ensemble.
"I love expressing myself and my
talent and I definitely love per-
forming," said Greene, the son of
Debbie and Ron Greene, who also
attends Congregation Shearith
Israel, and a music student since
age 5.
Greene, formerly a member of
the bands "EBK" and "BioSun-
shine," was also a member of
BBYO and is a counselor at Greene
Family Camp, which he also
attended as a camper. "I was sur-
prised to find our band, as new as
we are, in the same league with
some of the other participants but
it was great. We've really had some
positive feedback and success in
just a short time period. I just wish
we had more time together before
going off to school."
To contact "Luck of the Draw," call
(972) 375-1491 or e-mail
benjiger@aol.com.
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JOURNEY
continued from page 1
the United States and Israel on
Mother's Day, and mails tribute
cards to donors' mothers, sisters and
friends.
Last fall, when design work began
for the 2007 cards, project manager
Alexis Bock reached out to Rotenberg,
who felt a natural connection to JWI.
She agreed to the printing of
"Composition in Cadmium" on the
cover of this year's Flower Project
cards.
"I think it's a very worthy cause;
abuse is such a horrible thing," Roten-
berg said. "I imagine it's very personal,
so I could in no way speak to it. What
happened to me is not the same as
what abused women are going
through. But I wish the survivors so
much love and empathy."
Rotenberg understands what it
means to be a survivor: that starting
over — after a loss, after abuse — is
both a great challenge and a profound
inspiration.
"I had a show called 'New Begin-
nings,"' she said of her successful
gallery exhibition in 2005.
"I started to paint about things that
were happening to me then—like my
children and flowers coming up. lust
painting again at all was a new begin-
ning because I'd stopped for a while
after 9/11."
The vibrant palette and theme of
growth in "Composition in Cad-
mium" complemented perfectly an
effort to help withered spirits start
afresh.
Not surprisingly, where life is seen
blooming — on a gallery wall, in a
shelter common room — hope fol-
lows. JWI receives letters of gratitude
by the dozen from shelter directors
each year.
"Even though you may never know
the women we serve here," one wrote
last year, "you still give them assurance
that tomorrow will be a better day.
Rest assured they are grateful that
someone is thinking about them."
But for every survivor subsisting in
a shelter who is uplifted by a Flower
Project bouquet, too many other
women are still in harm's way —
either with their abusers or en route
to escape. A holiday for them feels not
much different than any other day.
JWI works to give them a lifetime of
Mother's Days that are special days
instead of another 24 hours to
endure.
Most of us cannot fathom the
strength a woman needs to start her
life completely over. People look at
JWI's philanthropy and programs
and they see valor. But the real badge
of honor belongs to the women who
endure horrific circumstances and
still manage to survive, then escape,
then rebuild and ultimately thrive.
Judi Rotenberg also understands
the hard-fought battle of reclaiming
one's life.
"Terrible things happen but I
believe in God, and putting a smile
on your face when you can, and
trying to find the positive things and
work toward them," she said. "The
lesson I can offer to any survivor
who's struggling—through abuse or
something else — is to put one foot
in front of another and just be out
there, so that something good can
happen to you."
For information on the
Judi Rotenberg gallery, visit
www.judirotenberg.com. To partici-
pate in the Mother's Day Flower
Project, visit www.jwi.org.
Danielle Cantor is design and com-
munications manager at Jewish
Women International.
ADVERTORIAL
PLANO HAIR STYLIST'S CHARISMA
ATTRACTS JEWISH CLIENTS
By Marvin Migdol
"Shabbat Shalom!" is how many clients are
greeted at Sara's Salon at Plaza Park Salons in
Piano.
Although Sara Baker was born in the Middle East
and is not Jewish, a high percentage of her clients
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What causes the interesting phenomenon?
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let me, I'll create a contemporary, flattering new
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"Sara is a true artist," Sandra Dickter, a customer,
stated. "She has a great knack for mixing colors,
Photo by Marv Migdol
keeps up with the
latest trends and she
recognizes that one
'size' doesn't fit all.
I've told my friends
and all have been
pleased with her
services and quality
products, even if they
previously went to
the same stylist for
many years."
"My husband, Ruben, gets his haircuts there and he
agrees, she's a great listener. My mom, Fay,
frequently brings in photos of appealing hairstyles,
sometimes snapped off a TV screen, and Sara does
a fantastic job in copying them," Sandra added.
Sara said that no product line is right for every-
one but she has a special partiality to Redken.
Sara has been a stylist for 19 years and also
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"My main passion is helping people to look
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Call (972) 964-1117.
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Wisch, Rene. Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 61, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 10, 2007, newspaper, May 10, 2007; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth188144/m1/3/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .