PAGE 14A
HERITAGE FLORIDA JEWISH NEWS, FEBRUARY 9, 2018
the
great-grandmother
the new
Bea Slater in front of some ads in which she is featured.
By Elaine Durbach
WHIPPANY, N.J. (New Jer-
sey Jewish News via JTA)--If
Bea Slater had ever been a
shrinking violet, her sudden
celebrity might be uncom-
fortable. At 90, the great-
grandmother has her image
plastered on billboards and
bus shelters up and down
Manhattan and in Brooklyn.
There's even one on the roof
above Junior's, the famous
cheesecake place.
Along with three other
women nearly as old as she,
she has become the face of
JDate, the Jewish matchmak-
ing site. They're not poster
girls for senior dating. Rather,
JDate is promoting their im-
ages to suggest that it is "yen-
tas" like them who are work-
ing out the site's algorithms to
find that perfect match. One
ad, featuring Slater hard at
work on a laptop, reads "Her
dreidel game is filthy. But her
code is clean." (Translation:
She's a great dreidel player,
and even better at writing
computer code.)
The "Powered by Yentas"
concept came from copy-
writer and standup comedian
David Roth, who produced
the campaign with Hogarth
Worldwide for JDate's parent
company, Spark Networks
SE. Roth said grandmothers
have labored forever to ensure
that young Jews meet and
procreate in order to sustain
the tribe.
"Bea was an instant star,"
he said. "She has one of the
most expressive and comedic
faces I've ever seen. We had an
embarrassment of riches--so
many funny photos of Bea
to choose from. She was hi-
larious on set and an absolute
delight to work with."
Slater, not a coder though
a savvy computer-literate so-
cial media user, is taking her
celebrity status in stride, lov-
ing every aspect and eager for
more. Chatting in her home in
Springfield, New Jersey, where
she has lived for 65 years, she
talked more readily about her
family (two sons, Mitch and
Jeff Slater; a daughter, Diane
Bedrin; four grandchildren;
and six great-grandchildren),
but was content to answer
questions about how she is
enjoying her newfound fame.
"When my picture is up in
the subway, then I'll really be
a star," she said.
Though she has never mod-
eled professionally--and the
last time she did any acting
was in eighth grade--posing
came easily. Slater, who grew
up in West Philadelphia, was
a much-pictured daughter of
a photographer. She became
a photographer herself when
she grew up, at least until she
turned her focus to raising
her kids. Almost every wall
in her home is adorned with
family photos, assembled
and collaged by her father
and, after he passed away, by
her husband Jack, who died
in 2009.
In November, a friend
mentioned to her son Mitch
that JDate was trying to find
older women for a marketing
campaign. He told his older
brother, Jeff, a marketing
executive, who initially dis-
missed the idea, sure their
mom wouldn't be up for it.
But the younger brother, a
financial adviser, called back
Jeff within minutes to let him
know that not only did he
decide to broach the subject
with their mother, but Bea had
agreed on the spot.
"I said, 'You never
know '" which happens to
be her response to virtually
every question.
It's a principle she applies
to herself as well as those
around her. A few years ago,
Slater persuaded her grand-
daughter Fanny Slater to
enter TV personality and
celebrity cook Rachael Ray's
"Great American Cookbook
Competition." Siater was in
the audience when Fanny was
named the winner, and in Feb-
ruary, both grandmother and
granddaughterwill appear on
"The Best Thing I Ever Ate,"a
show on the Cooking Channel.
A few months ago Mitch,
who has awide circle of friends
in showbiz, including Bruce
Springsteen and his cohort,
arranged for his mother to
introduce Steve Van Zandt (of
the Boss's E Street Band) and
his band, Little Steven and the
Disciples of Soul, at a concert
on Staten Island. She admit-
ted to being nervous standing
alone in the spotlight (with
the protective Mitch hovering
nearby).
"I didn't want to disappoint
Steve," she recalled. Later, to
her astonishment, Slater was
mobbed by fans who wanted
to take selfies with her.
Slater was chosen by the
Donna Grossman Casting
Agency. Speaking for Gross-
man and her team, Paul
Bernstein said they auditioned
approximately 40 women,
though many more applied.
They were looking for "au-
thentic Jewish grandmoth-
ers in their late 80s to 90s,"
Bernstein said, and Slater and
her co-stars stood out because
of "their heart, their humor,
style. They all had their own
chutzpah and heimishe feel."
The photographs for JDate
were taken by Randal Ford,
a sought-after commercial
photographer.
Some 60 years ago, Slater
and her husband helped
co-found their synagogue,
Temple Shaarey Shalom, the
Reform congregation near
her home. It was a big part of
their and their children's lives.
Going on without Jack was a
challenge, Bea acknowledged,
and many of her friends are
gone, too, or not as youthful
as she is. Still, she attends the
temple's Renaissance Club,
drives (though not at night)
and keeps up an active social
life. And now she's audition-
ing for other advertising
campaigns.
Asked what Jack would
make of her celebrity, Slater
laughed.
"He'd have said, 'Do you
know what you're getting
yourself into?' He was much
more conservative than me,"
she said.
As for using JDate herself,
she is adamant that she has
"absolutely no interest in
meeting anyone. I'd never find
anyone as good as what I had."
But like so many Jewish
grandmothers, Slater is eager
to help others find love.
"There should be more
money next time, though,"
she added, with exactly the
kind of twinkle in her eyes
that got her the JDate gig in
the first place.
From page 1A
For Litzman, the Olympics
serve as a way to reach more
people and expand Chabad's
work in the country.
"It's a great pleasure,"
he said. "This is something
that we have been waiting
for. It's a great opportu-
nity for us to expand our
services and to grow and
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to learn how to be able to
host many people."
Until the Chabad house
opened in 2008, the only
Jewish services were at the
U.S. Army base in the capital,
according to a website for ex-
pats. Today, the Chabad house
serves as a resource not only
to Jews but non-Jews as well.
"There are many Koreans
coming here on a daily basis.
They want to learn about
Judaism, to buy kosher food,
ask questions, [receive] guid-
ance," Litzman said. "We
invite them to come when-
ever they want during the
weekdays."
Non-Jewish South Koreans
havevarious reasons for want-
ing to learn about Judaism,
he said.
"Some are just astonished
by the fact that we have so
many enemies and we still
survive and we thrive,"
Litzman said, "and others
are thinking about the fact
that many Jews are successful
and in monetary areas they
are trying to figure out how
to do it."
Others, he added, want
to learn about the Torah or
Talmud, or come because they
love Israel or have had posi-
tive experiences with Jewish
people.
South Koreans who want
to learn about Hebrew and
Israel have another place to
go as well: the Israel Culture
Center in Seoul. The venue
teaches Hebrew and pro-
motes Israeli culture, some-
times holding events with the
Israeli Embassy. Founded in
2000, some 3,000 students
have studied Hebrew--both
modern and biblical--at the
center, a representative told
JTA in an email. The center
also has a Jewish studies
library that is open to the
public.
"Israel Culture Center will
continuously work hard to be
a place where Israel's unique
culture is introduced to Ko-
reans and significant friend-
ship is being birthed between
Koreans and Israelis," the
representative said.
South Koreans' fascination
with Judaism has been widely
documented.
"Each Korean family has at
least one copy of the Talmud,"
the country's then-ambas-
sador to Israel, Young-sam
Ma, told an Israeli TV host in
2011. "Korean mothers want
to know how so many Jewish
people became geniuses."
(A New Yorker reporter who
followed up on the claim sug-
gested that he meant a one-
volume popularization of the
vast, multi-volume compen-
dium of Jewish law and lore,
and, indeed, found it at most
of the bookstores he visited.)
Many South Koreans have
a positive view of Israel. Some
800 South Koreans live in the
Jewish state, with many more
going there to study Hebrew
and the Bible. Most of these
enthusiasts are drawn to
Israel because of their reli-
gious beliefs as evangelical
Christians. Christianity is
the largest organized religion
in South Korea, with nearly
30 percent of the population
identifying as Christians.
Unlike many Chabad emis-
saries, Litzman said he and
his family do not have to deal
with safety concerns and anti-
Semitism.
"We feel blessed to be in
such a country that there is
admiration to Jews and espe-
cially to Israel," he said, "and
in general Korea is a very safe
country."
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From page 1A
an adult title, "A Knitter's
Home Companion."
Pam Jenoff is the author of
several novels, including the
international bestseller "The
Kommandant's Girl," which
also earned her a Quill Award
nomination.
Paul Goldberg is the au-
thor of "The Yid" and two
books on the Soviet human
rights movement, and has co-
authored (with Otis Brawley)
the book "How We Do Harm."
He is the editor and publisher
of The Cancer Letter, a publi-
cation focused on the business
and politics of cancer.
Justin Loeber is a self-
made entrepreneur with
a true American spirit, an
SVP, Executive Marketing
and publicity director at
Judith Regan's imprint,
ReganMedia/HarperCollins.
Loeber has spearheaded
publicity campaigns for a ton
of bold face names: Michael
Jordan, Lawrence Taylor,
Cindy Crawford, Olympia
Dukakis, Tommy Lee, Pamela
Anderson, Anthony Bour-
dain, Ewan McGregor, Gloria
Allred, Marlo Thomas, Wanda
Sykes, LeRoy Neiman, Blair
Underwood, Jon Gruden,
Leon Uris, Celia Cruz, Bill
Blass, and Dr. Andrew Weil,
Promoted key health and
wellness programs at The
Kripalu Center for Yoga &
Health, the largest retreat
center in North America. He
was also instrumental in bro-
kering book deals for many,
including John Leguizamo's
Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, and
All the Rest of My Hollywood
Friends (Ecco) and Kenny
Loggins' Footloose (Quarto).
The day will feature the
four Jewish authors in three
time slots: PJ Library chil-
dren's book author, Michelle
Edwards (11:15 a.m.--12:15
p.m). This is a free event
featuring kid-friendly story
time; a panel discussion
with award-winning fiction
authors Pam Jenoff and Paul
Goldberg (1 p.m.--2 p.m.),
who will give a behind-the-
scenes look into a few of their
best sellers and a look into
the lives of an author; and
a discussion with self-man-
agement expert and veteran
publisher Justin Loeber (2
p.m.--3 p.m.), who's recent
book, "Get out of Your Own
Way Guide to Life," helps
readers to overcome personal
obstacles, fear and stereo-
types and reach their goals.
General admission tickets
are $10 per talk (open seating),
with aVIP reserved seating in
the first two rows ticket op-
tion of $30 for all three talks.
Package price of $15 for two
sessions.
Tickets can be purchased
at www.orlandojcc.org/book-
fest. Any media questions can
be directed to Leah Sandier,
Cultural Arts coordinator
for The Roth Family JCC of
Greater Orlando.
There will be complimen-
tary babysitting at the JCC for
children ages 2-12; advanced
registration is required and
is done at the time of ticket
purchase.
