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Show strong comes from his later years, the days of old Satchmo with horn and white handkerchief, smiling before another raspy-voiced chorus of “Hello Dolly.” While that is a true image, there are others: the eminently stylish young man gazing in won- der at the instrumentof his magie; the remarkable musician whose brilliant solo on “West End Blues” still wins admirers 70years later; the little boy riding atop a junk cart in turn-of-the- century New Orleans, a tin horn athis lips. “Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Legacy,” now on display at the SACK Genre (ST Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, employs all of those images. The 150 let- ago, is the oldest Jewish edifice in Utah as regards continuous service. jden’s Brith Sholem Synagogue, constructed 75 years mall Synagogue Rich in Hebrew Law and Ogden Lore from czarist Russia and neighbor- CITYVIEW ned into an architect's office, er bungalow-sized houses, a jk. Suddenly the touring mger comes upon a low-roofed fle-story brick building the cof a small dwelling. This modétructure has an oversize Gre éomanesqueentry topped In arch and setoff by twin pil1 Lettering above its polished sden doors reads “Congrega- { Brith Sholem.” A small hze tablet left of the doorway ares visitors this small build- is listed on the register of the won’s historic structures. mall thoughit is, Brith Sholem fagogue is the oldest Jewish ice in Utah as regards contin- B service. Salt Lake City’s «-domed Temple B'nai Israel 1 vacated by its congregation decades ago and is now a com- tial structure. Congregation Ytefiore, a twin-domed build- resembling a mosque, is nowa ech. Both antedate the far (ler Ogden synagogue, but ir combined congregations {to the suburbs years ago. De# fire in 1989 (a blaze set by als), Brith Shoiemis still in i— and its restored interior tesit a little gem. aving set something of a re- d for persistence, the congrejon will gather in Herm Rubin norial Park behind the synane to celebrate on Aug. 25 at 3 } Sheltered bya huge Siberian «back of their red-brick synaie, members and guests will f down kosher hot dogs and gerts prepared by members of { synagogue. Those attending aild by hungry — thereis to be yrous folk dancing, Israeli fg, to tunes provided by a Imer band That is klezmer music? It’s incribable, being based, in part, folk tunes of old Russia, Po- PaaS JACK GOODMAN land, Hungary, Romania and New York's LowerEast Side Cindy Tachman, who guided this columnist through Brith Sho- lem’s modest building, parted shrubbery on the structure's southwest corner to reveal a cor- nerstone bearing the Hebrew calendar date of 5681. She pointed out that the big doings Aug. 21 occur in 5756 by the Torah meth- od of reckoning. She added that a Synagogue History Committee believes settlers of the Jewish faith came to Ogden before its first organized congregation be- gan worshiping as Ohab Shalom back in 1890. This seemslogical, since Jewish merchants who fled Salt Lake City to Corinne after an ouster from Brigham Young, haddrifted to Ogden when hopes for a “gentile” city faded. Corinne, known to some as “the burg on the Bear,” cost several shopkeepers- settlers their fortunes, so those who headed south to Ogden arrived broke. Nor did later immigrant set- tlers of Ogden,listed in a brief pamphlet authored by Ralph Benowitz,arrive in Utah’s secondlargest city with much cash when they came to seek their fortunes. “We don’t know whothose first families were,” Benowitz reports, but manyarrived in 1900 “when work was begun to build the cutoff over the north end of the Great Salt Lake.” As in Utah’s capital, most Ogden immigrants FaEscRcd Laeeet Tuesday August 13 SCHEDULED TO APPEAR Envoy * Brett Raymond Felicia Sorenson * Afterglow * Hilary Weeks Michael Dowdle * The Gibbons Family * John Bytheway Bryce Neubert * Michael McLean ALL SEATS ARE GENERAL ADMISSION $14.00 Children (under 11) $10.00 TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT: All Deseret Book Stores, Beehive Bookstores in Kaysville and Layton Jorgensen's Book & Gift in Roy and all Missionary Emporium Outlets {ho Ai The Capitol Theatre Box Office and Selected Albertson's ArtTix Outlets 801-355-ARTS For more information or group rates {of 20 or more) contact Valley Media 801-328-5330 RainbowCrafts 3216 South State ¢ 466-7: Fiskar Paper is J Edger 1i Scissors 40% Off Music Boxes 99° though some worked long and hard as peddlers. One of the earliest arrivals were the Kuhn brothers, who established a successful wholesale dry-goods business. Today, Kuhns are buried adjacent to Ogden’s y | hay nent rabbi since the late 1920s, Jewish cemetery. The Joseph and when its spiritual leader was a Rabbi Finkelstein. In the Depression years and thereafter, congregation members conducted ser- ing to Ralph Benowitz, “There were small clothing stores estab- years, Lillian Rubin madecertain William Benowitz families arrived in 1907 when, again accordlished to meet the needs of the railroad cutoff laborers.” Initial orthodox religious ser- vices wereheld in 1.0.0.F. Hall on Grant Avenue near 25th Street. Thoseintials mean “International Order of Odd Fellows.” When a building for a newly organized congregation (Brith Sholem) seemed indicated, it seemed logical to seeka site close to the Odd Fellows’ hospital hall and the 25th Street stores. By that time, such names as Kreines, Rosenberg, Oppman, Lutzker, Rubin, Smith, Kertz, Medoway and Greenband were represented in the city. Later arrivals were named Bruckner, Swartz, Saperstein, Diamond and Morrison. Marriages and wars brought changesin thelittle Brith Sholem congregation — which rarely numbered morethan 50 families. Hershel Saperstein found more opportunity for an attorney existed in Salt Lake. Evelyn Benowitz married Salt Laker Joseph Rosenblatt, while others of the Benowitz family sought new clothing-store opportunities in a Salt Lake mall. L.R. Samuels developed a major women’s-apparel store — but movedto Salt Lake and later to New York. World vices, with a rabbi or religious scholar “imported” for the New Year's high holy days. For many Ogden youngsters received Torah instruction required of every Or- thodox, Conservative or Reform youngster of the Jewish faith at age 13. The interior of the small brick building that houses Brith Sholem has already been described as a little gem. All evidence of the 1989 fire has vanished — reconstruction came about with membership labor and donated funds, including money from other Jewish communities plus a large sum from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Thelittle building has the requisite 12 win- dows — in this case of modern coloredglass,with four depicting the seasons. Others show the shofar or ram's horn, traditional candelabra, and even the parting of the Red Sea. The artist was Linda Zevoloff — whose task was doubly difficult, since no human likeness can be used in a synagogue. ‘Thereare thetraditionalraised Bina, where the Torahis read, an Eternal Light above the Ark, hardwood paneling, and benches for perhaps 75 worshipers If you can get yourself invited to see the little synagogue’s interi- or, do so. A visit is a lesson in Hebrew law and Ogden lore. And WarII brought Col. Nate Maser to town, after dutyat Hill Field Cindy Tachman and her hus- don't forget that klezmer music. band arrived from St. Louis, and ciated with The Salt Lake Trib- by nowthere are doctors, lawyers, Jack Goodman has been assoune as a staff or free-lance writer recuate engineers and ski-resort experts for 49 years. ing of Andy Razaf's “(WhatDid I Do to Be So) Black and Blue.” When Armstrong laments, “my other artifacts make for a rich only sin is in my skin,” you sense a It isa visit to the world and spirit of Louis Armstrong, who died 25 yearsa You come awaywith a renewed respect for this com- exhibit recalls his disgust during biographical portrait. plex and quintessential American performer. You begin to understand the are of his life, the impact. His musical contributions are so profound, so indisputable that Dizzy Gillespie, the trumpet giant of the be-bop generation, once said, “No him, no me.” His combination of showmanship,talent and personality made him a naturalfor stardom. But he became more than just another star. He became a cultural icon. touted as “the best 5-cent cigar on the market.” LeRoy Neiman’s splashyportraitis instantly recog- nizable. Whoelse could it be but “Pops,” the jazz “ambassador” known the world over? The love and admiration for Armstrong are obvious in this deeply felt exhibit. The curator, Marc Miller, spent two years pull- ing the show together for its 2%4year journey through America. Washingtonis its final stop. Albert Murray, the social critic and author, served as a consultant. His influence is seen in the introductory panel that places Armstrong alongside Pablo Picas- so and James Joyce as oneof the 20th century's greatest innovators. “Looking at Armstrong in this heroic, loving wayis done on purpose, because the whole handkerchief-waving, ‘tomming’ kind of caricature is all people knew about hi says Marquette Folley-Cooper, project director for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. “They don't know that he’s a revolutionary.” Armstrong's comments on race were rare. A hint of his inner world can be heard in his record- deep pain behind the words. The the 1957 attempt to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. “It's getting so bad a colored man hasn't got any country,” he says. “Do you dig me whenI say I have a right to blow my top over injustice?” ‘Those comments led some to call him irresponsible, a radical. Despite the slights, he never became embittered. “Hetranscendsthe negatives of race,” says Folley-Cooper. “He doesn't hold onto it. That's part of his greatness to us as human beings. He transcends the nega- tives of life, and every artist should dothat.” Philippe Halsman’s wide-angle shot looking down on Armstrong and his golden hornis oneof the exhibit's famous images. The photo ran on the cover of Life in 1966. There are also intimate, backstage shots by Weegee; Annie Leibovitz's photos taken three weeks before his death; works by Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden; and Armstrong's own collages. “That Happy Feeling” shows him in tuxedo and black bowtie, smiling for the camera, trumpetin hand. “Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Legacy” leaves you with that kind of image, the joyous musician in love with a life that took him from desperate poverty to international fame. Using the narrative flow of Armstrong'slife allows the exhibit to place the gray-haired Satchmo of 1965 in context with the innovator of 1925. “You can’t say he’s a handkerchief-wearing Negro,” says Folley-Cooper. “You can’t say he's just a revolutionary jazz artist who hit the field and then just kindof coasted the rest of his life. He’s not that simple. And that’s good for us. Life is not that simple.” espErcan,r 7:30 p.m. Abravanel Symphony Hall Hosted By Sharlene Wells Hawkes Adults: ing lands set up small shops, al- ae ‘ts that line it: modest homes, a Ying-company plant trans- in the congregation. One Jewish family once owned an interest in Snowbasin, where the 2002 winter Olympic ski races will be. Brith Sholem has lacked a perma- Neat CANMALE ~ t/a AVNOEMOLTEN aD e N By definition, an Overture comes at the beginning. KINGSBURYHALL In this case, it's the big finish. AUGUST 15-24 a rant Avenue in Ogden is a ted bag as regards the struc- ters, photographs, paintings, recordings, selections of sheet music, television and movie clips and Louis Armstrong's mix of showmanship,talent and personality made him a natural for stardom. ‘ Ourfinal concert of the summer once again features the music of Tchaikovsky. Hear “Little Russian Symphony” along with excerpts from “Swan Lake.” And, as has becometraditional, we wrap up the show and the season with the “IS!2 Overture.” complete with live cannon fire. Call $83:NOTE fortickets. It's hard 10 imagine the symphoayexding any other way. Robert Henderson, Conductor || Tickets - $11.50 & $19.50 rare i‘ tive FG ‘Tchaikovsky's Greatest Hits Saturday, August 24, 7:30 pm, Snowbird Friday, August 30, 8:00 pm, Abravane! Hall ow Saturday, August 31, 7:30 pm, Deer Valley Sponsors: Johnson & Higgins, Columbia of Utab and the Geoffrey Hughes toundation, JOSEPH SILVERSTEIN, Mut RECTOR |