The Forward50 just came out. It’s an annual list of Jews who have been notable or have had a great impact in the past year.
We’ve chosen them because they are doing and saying things that are making a difference in the way American Jews, for better or worse, view the world and themselves. Not all these people have put their energies into the traditional frameworks of Jewish community life, but they all have embodied the spirit of Jewish action as it is emerging in America, and all of them have left a mark.
And who do we see on the list this year? Who is there in the same company as Lyn Schusterman, Sheldon Adelson, Michael Bloomberg, Alan Dershowitz, Norman Podhoretz, George Soros, Ruth Messinger, Regina Spektor, Michael Chabon and Diane von Furstenberg etc.? Why none other than Sephardic DJ promoter wunderkind Erez Safar, aka D.J. Handler. Does ROI120 have an eye for talent or what? From my perspective it’s nice to gaze over at Erez and see a fellow Sephardic dude sticking out in a sea whiteness. But forget that – the dude is a force of nature and it’s heartwarming to see him get some more recognition.
Now visit his baby Shemspeed.com or check out the upcoming Sephardic Music Festival in NYC and wonder how it is possible that this ball of creative energy does all that he does without any financial support from the Jewish community. Mazal Tov Handler! Best regards to the Mrs.
Helloooo Lyn, Charles, Michael, Sheldon and all the rest of you guys. Send this boy a check. The world needs more DJ Handler.
