In the Jewish Tradition, a Coming-of-Age Ceremony for Each Household Pet
In the local honors category, temple Beth Shir Sholom of Santa Monica received a brief mention in the Wall Street Journal for its coming-of-age ceremonies for puppies approaching doghood.
Bark mitzvahs, they’re called.
I phoned Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels to learn more, and he told me that cats have also been attendees, and, in at least one case, so has an iguana.
“We do it as a lark,” Comess-Daniels said. “But some people who bring their animals are very serious.”
The group events are held in the parking lot, not inside the temple, for obvious reasons.
Beth Shir Sholom doesn’t have another animal celebration scheduled until early next year, by which time, it is hoped, some new critters will have joined the congregation.
That also will give pet owners plenty of time to rehearse the featured animal prayer, which is sung to the tune of “Sabbath Prayer” from “Fiddler on the Roof”:
May our God protect and defend you/May God always shield you from fleas/Wear your license proudly/ I promise I will pay your fees.
City on the move: Wow, they’re really in a hurry in Fountain Valley.
Trina Williams noticed in the city’s newsletter that its April 10 Easter egg hunt will be over almost as soon as it has begun (see accompanying).
“I guess this is where the phrase ‘hop to it’ came from,” commented Williams.
Location, location, location? Keith Johnson of Studio City saw a listing that sounded like something out of a horror movie (see accompanying).
Food for thought: Cris Abella of Montebello spotted a menu item that she figures would be ideal for the governor (see accompanying).
Talk about a prodigy: A grammatically challenged job ad came to the attention of H.M. Huff of Paso Robles, who wonders how much experience a 3-year-old instructor could have accumulated (see accompanying). But, apparently, that’s all the experience they’re looking for.
That’s a wrap (for your job): As I wrote, www.laradio.com website is running a series in which broadcast personalities recall their firings.
Former L.A. TV newsman Leo McElroy wrote here that his own axings “were all pretty routine -- numerous but routine. But the best one I know of was Dick Carlson at KABC-TV.
“We had a ‘wardrobe consultant’ who was fixing us all up with new duds in ‘our colors,’ grabbing us at odd times to be measured. One day Carlson caught the consultant and said he was sorry he hadn’t been around, but that today would be a good day to get measured.
“The consultant asked his name (major insult) and checked his clipboard, then told Dick that he’d been told not to bother doing his measurements. Dick went to check with the boss, and was told, in effect, ‘Oh, yes ... we’re letting you go.’
“Which made Carlson the only guy ever ‘fired’ by a wardrobe consultant.”
McElroy added that Carlson was later appointed head of Voice of America, an impressive job, “but without the free wardrobe.”
miscelLAny: Lew Reck points out that those weren’t typos in the program for the Pac-10 basketball tournament at Staples. Stanford’s Rob Little, despite his name, is 6-feet-10 and weighs 265. And Oregon’s Matt Short is 7 feet.
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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012, and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.