My World of Religion, Politics, Entertainment and Social Issues

  It continues to be a challenging time for symphony orchestras in the United States. In the latest instance, the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra is in a dire situation. Classical music has been a huge part of my life, including serving on boards. It is always a challenging balancing act, when on one hand, you want to present the very best possible performances possible, and on the other hand, tight budgeting can restrict what can be performed. For many U.S. orchestras, the European model of financing was standard, which was relying upon wealthy benefactors and corporate sponsors to carry much of the weight. Government grants were also common. However, those sources of income are drying up for many orchestras. To make matters worse, the Trump administration has on average been non-supportive of the performing arts. For any symphony orchestra, ticket sales account for approximately one-third of its income. With the tradition of wealthy benefactors, corporate sponsors and government...

  Having moved to North Carolina from New York 2-1/2 years ago, I continue to miss Perlo's Restaurant in East Rochester. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate my former high school classmate, Donna Perlo, upon the 25th anniversary of her highly successful restaurant. This photo was taken 5 years ago. From left to right are yours truly, Donna Perlo, and my wife Brenda.

  Brenda and I continue to stream many classical concerts on Carnegie Hall+ and medici.tv. As former musicians, we love to watch symphonic performances with many of the world's best orchestras and conductors. An early career ambition was becoming a symphony orchestra conductor. That never materialized. However, I continue to be inspired by many legendary conductors. One of these is the late Claudio Abbado. His conducting style was unique, in that he used his baton with the right hand, and used his left hand, much like a sculptor, to mold nuances in tempos, intensity and mood. Abbado also had a wonderful rapport with musicians, in that his orchestral contracts stipulated that he and orchestra members would have a 50/50 partnership in musical matters. Although I have spent a lot of time writing about political matters in recent years, my primary passion remains classical music. I have included an obituary for Claudio Abbado that was written following his passing in 2014. I co...

  Happy 71st Birthday to cellist extraordinaire Yo-Yo Ma. I will never forget his visit to Rochester, New York, where I lived at the time. He appeared as a soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. This photo was taken of Yo-Yo Ma with RPO cellists.

  Today is the third anniversary of the horrific attack on Israeli citizens. Questions remain as to whether or not the Netanyahu administration received advance warning that something of this magnitude was being planned. I have no doubt this will be a primary focus in Israeli elections and subsequent hearings. It was reasonable for Israel to respond to the October 7, 2023 attacks orchestrated by Hamas. For many Israelis, this was the final straw after many centuries of antsemetic actions, culminating in the death of six-million Jews during the Holocaust. The State of Israel was created as a safe haven for Jews who desired a homeland free of persecution. However, we are now faced with the uncomfortable issue of how far Israel went with its retaliation against Hamas, including the deaths of approximately 70,000 Palestinian civilians and massive infrastructure destruction. After all this, Hamas remains in control of Gaza territory. The safety of Jewish people continues to be a m...

  A.I. continues to be the leading topic of discussion on social media, outside of Donald Trump of course. I share concerns that this growing technology needs to be monitored. I am always cautious when posting photos related to news stories, to make sure they are authentic and not altered by A.I. tools. Just out of curiosity, I entered my name into an A.I. search engine, and discovered it had created a three-paragraph biography of me. To my surprise, it had produced highlights of my history correctly. Apparently, A.I. has the capability of doing quick condensing of all information that exists on any topic or person. A big matter of concern is the possibility of A.I. spinning out-of-control, outpacing the human capacity to alter its activity. It seems it would be a simple matter of clicking an off-switch or pulling a plug. However, it is much more complicated than that. I appreciate all the potential good uses of A.I. There simply needs to be safeguards to prevent a science ...

  I was delighted to learn that Bishop Johan Bonny of Antwerp has decided to ordain married men to the priesthood, beginning in 2028, despite anticipated push-back from the Vatican. This is due to the severe shortage of celibate priests in his diocese. This could be the impetus for change in the outdated rule of mandatory celibacy for priests that was implemented in 1139. Pope Leo can change the mandatory celibacy rule with the simple stroke of a pen. My hope is that he will consider this, since he has demonstrated an openness to reform in the Roman Catholic Church. Those who know me well are aware that I often describe myself as Judeo-Christian, having both Judaism and Catholicism in my background. I spent twenty years of my life working toward reform in the Catholic Church, including pushing for the ordination of women and married men. I was ordained a married priest by a married archbishop in 2006, which caused international headlines to my surprise. The Vatican ruled my ...