Open Mic Day at ‘The Shul’ in Bal Harbour!
5 April 2011
Sunday, was our last official day of interviews in South Florida.
Jerry Levine started our day at The Shul, describing filming the Rebbe for 'Windows to the Soul' in 1992.
Thanks to Rabbi Lipskar and Rabbi Shea Rubinstein, we used the main sanctuary at the famous ‘The Shul’ in Bal Harbour, Florida for an ‘Open Mic Day’. We interviewed eight people in total throughout the day!
Our day started at 7:30 am at The Shul, debating whether to use the main sanctuary or the smaller daily shul. The problem with the main sanctuary was the many big windows that shine light into the room, posing a big problem for interviews because you can’t control the light. The issue with using the smaller shul was that people are used to davening there on Sunday morning and we would get a lot of disturbances in the first half of the day. We ended up using the main sanctuary and Yankee Teitelbaum, our cameraman, worked his magic to make sure we got a great frame.
After about a two and a half hour interview, Rabbi Yoikel Weiss, the Karastirer Rebbe's son, walks out of the main sanctuary at The Shul. Rabbi Weiss reminisced about the days that he lived in Crown Heights in the early years of the Rebbe's nesius (leadership).
Our schedule was as follows:
9am: Jerry Levine – a renowned journalist and film maker. Jerry talked about his memories filming the Rebbe up-close for the documentary ‘Windows to the Soul’ and behind-the-scenes stories with the Rebbe surrounding Chanukah Live.
10am: Marc Sheridan – a business man from Bal Harbour who talked about his many encounters with the Rebbe. One that stands out is that when they were making plans to build the beautiful building now called ‘The Shul’ there was a debate whether they should take the ‘build and they will come’ approach or wait until all the funds were secured. The Rebbe told Sheridan, a member of the building committee, to take the same approach as with one’s personal house: take a mortgage and build right away!
11:30am: Rabbi Avremel Friedman – a shliach from Coral Springs, Florda who made the trek out to Bal Harbour special for the interview. He told us about his memories of being a child in Crown Heights and how one year, the Rebbe took interest in a group of children on Yom Kippur.
12:30pm: Rabbi Dovid Golowinsky – a Lubavitcher chosid from Miami Beach. He told us about his days learning in 770. One story that he told over is that he needed to have an important eye surgery and he went into yechidus and the Rebbe told him to hold off the surgery. The doctors were shocked at his refusal to take the surgery, but to their surprise a few months later, the surgery was indeed, not needed at all.
At the end of a long day (notice there is very little sunlight), Mrs. Helene Aragon tells us of her miracle child as a result from a brocha from the Rebbe.
2:30pm: Sam Laufer – a member of community of Miami Beach who told over his stories with the Rebbe.
3:30pm: Chaim Murdoch – also a member of the community of Miami Beach. He was supposed to come later, but came earlier because one of our interviewees couldn’t make it. Thanks Reb Chaim!
5:00pm: Reb Yoikel Gross – the Karastirer Rebbe’s son. Reb Yoikel told us of his beautiful memories of living in Crown Heights in the 1950s, such as the Frierdiker Rebbe’s funeral and the Rebbe leading the activities there, the Rebbe’s Pesach Sedarim, the Rebbe buying milk and a newspaper for his mother, Rebbetzin Chana and the visits to her, and how every year the Rebbe would send cake to his mother on Erev Yom Kippur and matzah on Erev Pesach.
It was truly a ride down history lane listening to these stories as if they happened yesterday!
7:45pm: Helene Aragon – a lady living in Miami. She told us about her miracle child that was as a result from a brocha from the Rebbe.
We ended the day at about 9:00pm and headed home….
Rabbi Dovid Golowinsky tells us a personal story with the Rebbe, where the Rebbe told him to hold off from having critical surgery on his eye.
Rabbi Avremel Friedman of Coral Springs made the trek in to do an interview with us on Open Mic Sunday at The Shul of Bal Harbour.
Here Marc Sheridan, a businessman who davens at The Shul, describes how the Rebbe told him to take the "Build and they will come" approach instead of waiting until all the money is needed to build 'The Shul' in Bal Harbour.
When doing interviews, usually we move furniture around to get the perfect shot, but at The Shul's main sanctuary, we had a some difficulties because the chairs are set to the ground and can't be moved. Yankee T figured it out though!
No need to prep Jerry Levine into giving descriptive answers. He is the ultimate interviewer himself!
During a small break, Mendy Alevsky was pleasantly surprised to meet a few old friends from his hometown Cleveland who happened to walk into The Shul during the day.
Just before his interview, Sam Laufer and Mendy Alevsky pose for the camera.
Notice how we made sure that the interviewee sat underneath the low ceiling to shield out as much light as possible.
Sunday, was our last official day of interviews in South Florida.
Jerry Levine started our day at The Shul, describing filming the Rebbe for 'Windows to the Soul' in 1992.
Thanks to Rabbi Lipskar and Rabbi Shea Rubinstein, we used the main sanctuary at the famous ‘The Shul’ in Bal Harbour, Florida for an ‘Open Mic Day’. We interviewed eight people in total throughout the day!
Our day started at 7:30 am at The Shul, debating whether to use the main sanctuary or the smaller daily shul. The problem with the main sanctuary was the many big windows that shine light into the room, posing a big problem for interviews because you can’t control the light. The issue with using the smaller shul was that people are used to davening there on Sunday morning and we would get a lot of disturbances in the first half of the day. We ended up using the main sanctuary and Yankee Teitelbaum, our cameraman, worked his magic to make sure we got a great frame.
After about a two and a half hour interview, Rabbi Yoikel Weiss, the Karastirer Rebbe's son, walks out of the main sanctuary at The Shul. Rabbi Weiss reminisced about the days that he lived in Crown Heights in the early years of the Rebbe's nesius (leadership).
Our schedule was as follows:
9am: Jerry Levine – a renowned journalist and film maker. Jerry talked about his memories filming the Rebbe up-close for the documentary ‘Windows to the Soul’ and behind-the-scenes stories with the Rebbe surrounding Chanukah Live.
10am: Marc Sheridan – a business man from Bal Harbour who talked about his many encounters with the Rebbe. One that stands out is that when they were making plans to build the beautiful building now called ‘The Shul’ there was a debate whether they should take the ‘build and they will come’ approach or wait until all the funds were secured. The Rebbe told Sheridan, a member of the building committee, to take the same approach as with one’s personal house: take a mortgage and build right away!
11:30am: Rabbi Avremel Friedman – a shliach from Coral Springs, Florda who made the trek out to Bal Harbour special for the interview. He told us about his memories of being a child in Crown Heights and how one year, the Rebbe took interest in a group of children on Yom Kippur.
12:30pm: Rabbi Dovid Golowinsky – a Lubavitcher chosid from Miami Beach. He told us about his days learning in 770. One story that he told over is that he needed to have an important eye surgery and he went into yechidus and the Rebbe told him to hold off the surgery. The doctors were shocked at his refusal to take the surgery, but to their surprise a few months later, the surgery was indeed, not needed at all.
At the end of a long day (notice there is very little sunlight), Mrs. Helene Aragon tells us of her miracle child as a result from a brocha from the Rebbe.
2:30pm: Sam Laufer – a member of community of Miami Beach who told over his stories with the Rebbe.
3:30pm: Chaim Murdoch – also a member of the community of Miami Beach. He was supposed to come later, but came earlier because one of our interviewees couldn’t make it. Thanks Reb Chaim!
5:00pm: Reb Yoikel Gross – the Karastirer Rebbe’s son. Reb Yoikel told us of his beautiful memories of living in Crown Heights in the 1950s, such as the Frierdiker Rebbe’s funeral and the Rebbe leading the activities there, the Rebbe’s Pesach Sedarim, the Rebbe buying milk and a newspaper for his mother, Rebbetzin Chana and the visits to her, and how every year the Rebbe would send cake to his mother on Erev Yom Kippur and matzah on Erev Pesach.
It was truly a ride down history lane listening to these stories as if they happened yesterday!
7:45pm: Helene Aragon – a lady living in Miami. She told us about her miracle child that was as a result from a brocha from the Rebbe.
We ended the day at about 9:00pm and headed home….
Rabbi Dovid Golowinsky tells us a personal story with the Rebbe, where the Rebbe told him to hold off from having critical surgery on his eye.
Rabbi Avremel Friedman of Coral Springs made the trek in to do an interview with us on Open Mic Sunday at The Shul of Bal Harbour.
Here Marc Sheridan, a businessman who davens at The Shul, describes how the Rebbe told him to take the "Build and they will come" approach instead of waiting until all the money is needed to build 'The Shul' in Bal Harbour.
When doing interviews, usually we move furniture around to get the perfect shot, but at The Shul's main sanctuary, we had a some difficulties because the chairs are set to the ground and can't be moved. Yankee T figured it out though!
No need to prep Jerry Levine into giving descriptive answers. He is the ultimate interviewer himself!
During a small break, Mendy Alevsky was pleasantly surprised to meet a few old friends from his hometown Cleveland who happened to walk into The Shul during the day.
Just before his interview, Sam Laufer and Mendy Alevsky pose for the camera.
Notice how we made sure that the interviewee sat underneath the low ceiling to shield out as much light as possible.
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