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Ofer
Hebrew	עֹפֶר, עופר
Founded	1950
Founded by	Indian and Iranian immigrants
Council	Hof HaCarmel
Region	Carmel
Affiliation	Moshavim Movement
Coordinates	32°37′21.72″N 34°58′56.28″E / 32.6227°N 34.9823°E / 32.6227; 34.9823Coordinates: 32°37′21.72″N 34°58′56.28″E / 32.6227°N 34.9823°E / 32.6227; 34.9823
Ofer

Ofer (Hebrew: עֹפֶר‎‎, lit. Fawn) is a moshav in northern Israel. Located south of Haifa, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof HaCarmel Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 402.

The moshav was founded in 1950 by immigrants from India and Iran. Its name is derived from Ayn Ghazal (lit. Deer Spring), the depopulated Arab village on whose land it was built. Agricultural income is derived from raising cattle, sheep and chickens growing vegetables and flowers, and tourism.

Yu Dafu
Born	(1896-12-07)December 7, 1896 Fuyang, Zhejiang, China
Died	September 17, 1945(1945-09-17) (aged 48)
Occupation	Short Story writer and Poet

Yu Dafu (simplified Chinese: 郁达夫; traditional Chinese: 郁達夫; pinyin: Yù Dáfū; Wade–Giles: Yu Ta-fu) (December 7, 1896—September 17, 1945). Born in Fuyang, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, was a modern Chinese short story writer and poet.

Early years[link]

Yu Dafu's father died when he was three, leaving the family poverty-stricken and destitute. He received a number of scholarships through the Chinese government and went on to receive a traditional Chinese education in Hangzhou. Chronologically he studied in Jiangxing-Fu Middle School (before he came to Hangzhou), Hangzhou-Fu Middle School, Yuying Academy^[1] (育英学堂, formerly of Zhejiang University).

In 1912, he entered Hangchow University (later its major part merged into Zhejiang University) preparatory through examination. He was there only for a short period before he was expelled for participation in a student strike.^[2]

He then moved to Japan, where he studied economics at the Tokyo Imperial University between 1913 and 1922, where he met other Chinese intellectuals (namely, Guo Moruo, Zhang Ziping and Tian Han). Together, in 1921 they founded the Chuangzao she 創造社 ("Creation Society"), which promoted vernacular and modern literature. One of his earlier works Chenlun 沉淪, also his most famous, published in Japan in 1921. The work had gained immense popularity in China, shocking the world of Chinese literature with its frank dealing with sex, as well as grievances directed at the incompetence of Chinese government at the time.

In 1922, he returned to China as a literary celebrity and worked as the editor of Creation Quarterly, editing journals and writing short stories. In 1923, after an attack of tuberculosis, Yu Dafu directed his attention to the welfare of the masses.

In 1927, he worked as an editor of the Hongshui literary magazine. He later came in conflict with the Communist Party of China and fled back to Japan.

Second Sino-Japanese war[link]

After the start of the Second Sino-Japanese war, he returned to China and worked as a writer of anti-Japanese propaganda in Hangzhou, and later in Zhejiang. From 1938 to 1942, he worked as a literary editor for the newspaper Sin Chew Jit Poh in Singapore.

In 1942 when the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Singapore, he was forced to flee to Sumatra. Known under a different identity, he settled there among other overseas Chinese and began a brewery business with the help of the locals. Later he was forced to help the Japanese military police as an interpreter when it was discovered that he was one of the few "locals" in the area who could speak Japanese.

In 1945, he was arrested by the Kempeitai when his true identity was finally discovered. It is believed that he was executed by the Japanese shortly after the surrender of Japan.

Works[link]

• Chenlun 沉淪 "Sinking" (1921)
• Riji jiuzhong 日記九種 “Nine Diaries” (1927)
• Guoqu 過去 “The Past" (1927)
• his first novel?? (1928) (moderately successful)
• his second novel?? (1932)
• Chuben 出奔 "Flight" (1935)

His most popular work, breaking all Chinese sales records, was Jih-chi chiu-chung "Nine Diaries", which detailed his affair with the writer Wang Ying-hsin. The most critically acclaimed work is Kuo-ch'u or "The Past", written in 1927.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

• Encyclopædia Britannica 2005 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, article- "Yü Ta-fu"

External links[link]

• Works by Yu Dafu at Project Gutenberg

Sammy Ofer KBE (born Samuel Herskovich, 22 February 1922 – 3 June 2011^[2]) was a businessman, shipping tycoon and one of the wealthiest people in Israel, although most of his time he spent abroad, and managed his businesses from Monte Carlo in Monaco. A member of the Ofer family, the annual Forbes magazine's list of The World's Billionaires estimated in 2011 his fortune, together with his brother Yuli's, to be $10.3 billion, ranked him in 2011 as the 79th in wealthiest people in the world, and the wealthiest man in Israel.^[3]

Life and career[link]

Born in 1922 in Romania, in 1924 Ofer's family immigrated to Mandatory Palestine. The family lived in Haifa. After Ofer finished elementary school, he started working as delivery boy for a shipping company.

With the start of the World War II he enlisted in the Royal Navy and during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War served in the Israeli Sea Corps. After finishing his military service, he became a shipping agent with the Eastern Conglomerate, and by 1950 had bought his first ship. Since then, he has expanded in the shipping business.^[4]

Ofer's assets, which are partly in his exclusive ownership and partly owned together with his brother Yuli, consist of one of the largest private shipping companies in the world, with total value of almost £2 billion.^[5] This includes the companies ZIM, Royal Caribbean International, Israel Corporation, Israel Chemicals, Oil Refineries Ltd, Bank Mizrahi-Tfahot, and Tower Semiconductor.

On 3 June 2011, Ofer died in his house in Tel Aviv at the age of 89.^[6] Alon Uziel, a Tel Aviv resident living across of the cemetery where Ofer was buried, was accused of dancing in his balcony during the wake, to protest against the state giving national property to the Ofer Brothers Group unlawfully [1] [2].

Personal life[link]

Ofer has two sons, Eyal and Idan, who manage different branches of the family businesses.

On 10 November 2008 he was made an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in recognition of his involvement with maritime heritage in the United Kingdom.^[7]

Philanthropy[link]

On 27 March 2008, Ofer donated £20 million to London's National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, as part of a £35 million programme of expansion.^[5] Ofer donated £3.3 million to help complete the restoration of the Cutty Sark by 2010. ^[5]

In 2007, Sammy Ofer donated $25 million to the Rambam Health Care Campus, in Haifa, Israel. This contribution was earmarked for two main purposes: $17,000,000 for the 2000-bed fortified underground hospital and $7,000,000 to renovate the existing departments of Surgery, Urology, and ENT.

Awards[link]

On 10 June 2010, at the Rambam Summit, Prof. Rafi Beyar, Director of Rambam Health Care Campus, honored Sammy Ofer with the Rambam Award 2010.

References[link]

Jimmy Cobb
Photo by Tom Beetz
Background information
Born	(1929-01-20) January 20, 1929 (age 83) Washington, D.C., USA
Genres	Jazz
Instruments	drums
Years active	1950–present
Website	Myspace.com/theofficialjimmycobb

Jimmy Wilbur Cobb (born January 20, 1929 in Washington, D.C.^[1]) is an American jazz drummer.

Probably his most famous work is on Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (1959), considered by many to be the quintessential jazz record.^[2][3] As of 2012^[update], Cobb is the last surviving player from the session. He also played on other famous Davis albums, including Sketches of Spain, Someday My Prince Will Come, Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall, In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete, and briefly on Porgy and Bess and Sorcerer.

He has worked extensively with a wide range of artists, including Dinah Washington, Pearl Bailey, Clark Terry, Cannonball Adderley, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Wynton Kelly, Stan Getz, Wes Montgomery, Gil Evans, Miles Davis, Paul Chambers, Kenny Burrell, J. J. Johnson, Sonny Stitt, Nat Adderley, Hank Jones, Ron Carter, George Coleman, Fathead Newman, Geri Allen, Earl Bostic, Leo Parker, Charlie Rouse, Ernie Royal, Philly Joe Jones, Bobby Timmons, Walter Booker, Jerome Richardson, Keter Betts, Jimmy Cleveland, Sam Jones, Red Garland, Joe Henderson, Eddie Gomez, Bill Evans, Stefan Karlsson, Jeremy Steig, Richard Wyands, Peter Bernstein, Richie Cole, Nancy Wilson, Ricky Ford, David Amram, and many more.

As of 2011^[update], Cobb leads the Jimmy Cobb "So What" Band, a tribute to 50 years of Kind of Blue and the music of Miles Davis.

• Where Would You Like To See Jimmy Cobb Perform Next? - Vote Now and Jimmy Cobb May be Performing in Your Area Soon!

Awards[link]

In June 2008, Jimmy Cobb was the recipient of the Don Redman Heritage award. On October 17, 2008, Cobb was one of six artists to receive the 2009 National Endowment for the Arts NEA Jazz Masters award.

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

• Marsalis Music Honors Series: Jimmy Cobb (Marsalis/Rounder, 2006)

As sideman[link]

With Cannonball Adderley

• Sophisticated Swing (EmArcy, 1956)
• Cannonball Enroute (EmArcy, 1957)
• Cannonball's Sharpshooters (EmArcy, 1958)
• Jump for Joy (EmArcy, 1958)
• Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago (Mercury, 1959)
• Cannonball Takes Charge (Riverside, 1959)

With Nat Adderley

• That's Right! (Riverside, 1960)

With Toshiko Akiyoshi (Vee-Jay, 1964)

• Toshiko Mariano and her Big Band

With Lorez Alexandria

• Alexandria the Great (Impulse!, 1964)
• More of the Great Lorez Alexandria (Impulse!, 1964)

With John Coltrane

• Standard Coltrane (Prestige, 1958)
• Stardust (Prestige, 1958)
• Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane (Prestige, 1958)
• Bahia (Prestige, 1958)
• Giant Steps on "Naima" only (Atlantic, 1959)
• Coltrane Jazz (Atlantic, 1959)

With Miles Davis

• Porgy and Bess (Columbia, 1958)
• 1958 Miles (Columbia, 1958)
• Jazz at the Plaza (Columbia, 1958)
• Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959)
• Sketches of Spain (Columbia, 1960)
• Someday My Prince Will Come (Columbia, 1961)
• In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete (Columbia, 1961)
• Miles & Monk at Newport (Columbia, 1963)

With Kenny Dorham

• Blue Spring (Riverside, 1959)

With Curtis Fuller

• Soul Trombone (Impulse!, 1961)

With Paul Gonsalves

• Gettin' Together (Jazzland, 1960)

With Joe Henderson

• Four (Verve, 1968)
• Straight, No Chaser (Verve, 1968)

With John Hendricks

• Freddie Freeloader (Denon, 1990)

With Wynton Kelly

• Kelly Blue (Riverside, 1959)
• Wynton Kelly! (Vee-Jay, 1961)
• Someday My Prince Will Come (Vee-Jay, 1961)
• Comin' in the Back Door (Verve, 1963)
• It's All Right! (Verve, 1964)
• Undiluted (Verve, 1965)
• Blues on Purpose (Xanadu, 1965)
• Full View (Riverside, 1967)
• Last Trio Session (Delmark, 1968)

With Hubert Laws

• The Laws of Jazz (Atlantic, 1964)

With Pat Martino

• Desperado (Prestige, 1970)

With Wes Montgomery

• Full House (Riverside, 1962)
• Boss Guitar (Riverside, 1963)
• Guitar on the Go (Riverside, 1963)
• The Alternative Wes Montgomery (Riverside, 1963)
• Smokin' at the Half Note (Verve, 1965)
• Smokin' Guitar (Verve, 1965)
• Willow Weep for Me (Verve, 1969)

With Art Pepper

• Gettin' Together (Contemporary, 1960)

With Sonny Red

• Out of the Blue (Blue Note, 1960)

With Shirley Scott

• For Members Only (Impulse!, 1963)
• On a Clear Day (Impulse!, 1966)

With Wayne Shorter

• Introducing Wayne Shorter (Vee-Jay, 1959)

With Bobby Timmons

• This Here is Bobby Timmons (Riveside, 1960)
• Easy Does It (Riverside, 1961)
• From the Bottom (Riverside, 1964)
• The Soul Man! (Prestige, 1966)
• Got to Get It! (Milestone, 1967)

With Sarah Vaughan

• Live in Japan (Mainstream, 1975)
• Ronnie Scott's Presents Sarah Vaughan Live (Pye, 1977)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jimmy Cobb - Legendary Jazz Drummer - includes full discography
• Join Jimmy Cobb on Twitter
• Join Jimmy Cobb on FaceBook
• Myspace - The Official Jimmy Cobb
• Jimmy Cobb Music
• Drummerworld.com Page
• Jazz Icon Jimmy Cobb
• Jimmy Cobb interview at allaboutjazz.com

Zehava Ben
Background information
Birth name	Zehava Ben
Born	(1968-11-08) November 8, 1968 (age 43) Be'er Sheva, Israel
Genres	Mizrahi

Zehava Ben (Hebrew: זהבה בן‎, born November 8, 1968) is one of the most popular Israeli female vocalists in the Mizrahi music genre; the Middle Eastern-style of singing rising from Israel's Mizrahi Jewish population, dominating Israeli music in the 1990s and popular ever since.

Early life[link]

Zehava was born Zehava Benisty in Beer-Sheva, the capital city of the Negev in Southern Israel, to a Moroccan Jewish family. She was born in "Shikun Dalet" (D Neighborhood) a poverty, crime and drug infested neighborhood.

Zehava is very proud of her Moroccan heritage, and most of her music is quite distinctive of that, singing both in Hebrew and Arabic. She has appeared in many music festivals outside Israel, namely in Sweden and France.

Music career[link]

Zehava became familiar in Israel in 1990, when the title track of a film she took part in, called "Tipat Mazal" (A Bit Of Luck), became a hit throughout Israel, primarily among Israel's Mizrahi Jews (Jews of Middle Eastern and North African backgrounds) and Arab Israelis.

Despite her music being banned in some Arab countries due to a boycott on products of Israeli origin, Zehava is also popular throughout the Arab world as an Arabic-language singer. Among her repertoire are re-makes of traditional Arabic hits, including "Enta Omri" (You Are My Life) by legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum.

Zehava appeared in the 1996 election campaign for 'Meretz' (left wing civil rights movement), singing the famous "Shir LaShalom" (Song For Peace).

One of her famous songs, "Ma Yihye" (What Will Be) from 1994, was featured in the Buddha Bar collection.

After 9/11 Ben and Etti Ankri, David D'Or, Arkady Duchin, and other Israeli singers recorded the title song "Yesh Od Tikvah" ("Our Hope Endures"), for which D'Or wrote the music and lyrics, on the CD Yesh Od Tikvah/You've Got a Friend.^[1][2] The CD, released by Hed Arzi in 2002, benefitted Israeli terror victims, with all proceeds going to "NATAL": the "Israel Trauma Center for Victims of Terror and War".^[3]

In 2005, Zehava Ben entered a song contest to represent Israel in the Eurovision song contest with the song "Peace And Love" (sung in Hebrew, Arabic and English). She reached second place to winner Shiri Maymon (another Jewish Israeli of Moroccan heritage).

Records and Discography[link]

• 1999: Best of Zehava Ben
• 2000: Arabic Songs
• 2000: Crying Rain
• 2000: Stop the World
• 2000: What Kind of World
• 2000: White Stork
• 2000: Super Gold
• 2001: Coming Home
• 2001: Real King
• 2001: To Be Human
• 2002: Melech Amiti (A Real King)
• 2003: Beit Avi
• 2003: Laroz Variations
• 2003: My Father's House
• 2003: looking forward
• 2003: to be a man
• 2004: zehava ben
• 2005: sings Arabic vol.1
• 2005: sings Arabic vol.2
• 2005: children songs
• 2006: the best of zehava ben
• 2008: going with the light
• 2009:the best of the best
• 2010:nights at home

See also[link]

• Kdam Eurovision
• Mizrahi Music

External links[link]

• Zehava Ben Official Web Site – Zehava Ben's Official Web Site.

References[link]