Pearlstone

Richard L. Pearlstone, member of a philanthropic family that has left its imprint on the artistic, educational and religious life of Baltimore, was honored here recently for accepting chairmanship of the world's largest Jewish fund-raising effort.At the annual meeting of Baltimore's Jewish Federation at Center Stage June 16, Mr. Pearlstone received tributes for his record of service to Jewish interests in the United States and abroad. He was installed in New York on May 24 as national chairman of the United Jewish Appeal.

A group that salvages Holocaust-era Torahs from Europe and sells them to congregations in the United States has agreed to stop promoting dramatic rescue stories unless it can document them, according to an agreement with Maryland authorities sparked by complaints about the group's practices. An investigation into the operations of Save a Torah of Rockville followed a Washington Post Magazine article that raised questions about stories told by Rabbi Menachem Youlus, the group's leader.

Baltimoreans have so many public treasures that are on the verge of being lost that we don't always stop and marvel when a cultural resource is actually saved. That's the case with Pearlstone Park, a sculpture park near the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall that represents one of the most significant works of environmental art by an acclaimed New York sculptor, Scott Burton. For most of the past two decades, this park was so poorly maintained that visitors couldn't appreciate it, if they ever came to see it at all. This fall, with little fanfare, it has been restored to the point where visitors can once again see what the artist designed and use it the way he intended.

Every spring, Susan Schnerb and her husband leave New York City for a food-centric week in, of all places, Reisterstown. The couple swears the meals are so delicious and so modern at the Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center, they almost forget it's Passover, which begins Wednesday night - a beloved Jewish holiday but, with its ban on things like leavened bread, cake and pasta, not one widely praised for haute cuisine. "You always hear, 'It's Passover, and I can't have this and I can't have that,' " says Schnerb, a Baltimore native.

The Associated Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore announced last night that its 1994 campaign has raised $22,566,000 -- the most ever through the annual collection of funds for Jewish educational, development and charitable projects here and abroad.The record total was announced at the annual meeting of what its supporters usually refer to as "the Associated."The meeting, held at Center Stage, began with a reception for contributors and included a tribute to Baltimore's Pearlstone family, major benefactors of the theater on Calvert Street among other local cultural institutions.

Theater Racism on stage Go see Trouble in Mind, starring E. Faye Butler in the 1955 Alice Childress play that looks at the pervasiveness of racism in the world of theater and beyond, and in the mid-1950s and beyond. The 8 p.m. show is at Center Stage's Pearlstone Theater, 700 N. Calvert St. Tickets are $10-$60. Call 410-332-0033 or go to centerstage.org.

Center Stage's new upstairs theater is still in the dusty construction phase, but theatergoers can get a sneak preview of the facility at two open houses, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m to 7:30 p.m. Monday.At open houses -- billed as "Seat Yourself" -- potential subscribers can select their own seat locations in the downstairs theater, recently named in honor of Richard Pearlstone, his wife Esther and his late mother, Peggy Meyerhoff Pearlstone. Available seats will be identified by color-coded markings, and Center Stage staff will be present to assist in selection.

Some of Baltimore's best amateur boxers will compete tonight against their counterparts from Washington, New Jersey and Philadelphia at the Upton Boxing Center, 1901 Pennsylvania Ave., in what has been dubbed "Baltimore's Boxing Bash." The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will feature Upton's 2006 Boxer of the Year, Angelo Ward. Admission is $10 for adults; $5 for children under 12. Information: 410-396-7900. Baltimore: Education Forums are set in CEO search The Baltimore school board will hold four community forums next week to gather public input as it conducts a search for a permanent chief executive officer.

"Those Were the Days," an English-Yiddish musical revue, will be presented at Center Stage's Pearlstone Theater from June 4 to 16. Compiled by Zalmen Mlotek and Moishe Rosenfeld, the show played a 19-week run at New York's Edison Theatre earlier this season.The first act takes place in the European shtetl, or small Jewish community, and the second in an American music hall, according to Philadelphia-based producer Moe Septee. The revue features five actors and a five-piece klezmer band. Dialogue is in English with songs in English and Yiddish.

Prominent theologians will participate in a discussion of "the interfaith encounter" at 8 p.m. tomorrow at Beth Tfiloh Congregation, 3300 Old Court Road, Pikesville.The Rev. Martin E. Marty, a University of Chicago professor called "the most influential interpreter of religion in the U.S." by Time magazine, and Rabbi Eugene B. Borowitz, who teaches at Hebrew Union College in New York, will take part in a program entitled "From Disputation to Dialogue: Stories of the Interfaith Encounter."The event is sponsored by the Institute for Christian-Jewish Studies, a local interfaith coalition of lay and religious leaders, and the Jack Pearlstone Institute for Living Judaism, an endowment of the Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.

Baltimoreans have so many public treasures that are on the verge of being lost that we don't always stop and marvel when a cultural resource is actually saved. That's the case with Pearlstone Park, a sculpture park near the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall that represents one of the most significant works of environmental art by an acclaimed New York sculptor, Scott Burton. For most of the past two decades, this park was so poorly maintained that visitors couldn't appreciate it, if they ever came to see it at all. This fall, with little fanfare, it has been restored to the point where visitors can once again see what the artist designed and use it the way he intended.

In a Reisterstown field, a circular garden connects nature with the months of the Jewish calendar and ties agriculture to Jewish heritage. The Gan Luach Zman, or calendar garden, is one example of how a Jewish retreat center in Baltimore County is marrying sustainable farming principles with the traditional practices described in Jewish texts to teach children and adults about Jewish culture and the environment. The Kayam farm at the Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center in Reisterstown strives to reunite Jews with their agrarian roots while drawing connections between people and the planet, social justice and stewardship.

Why is this vacation different from all others? Passover commemorates the Israelites' escape from slavery, but for some Jews, the weeklong holiday has come to mean toil they would just as soon leave behind. Instead of cleansing their houses of all leavened grains, unpacking dishes reserved for Passover and cooking traditional meals at home, an increasing number choose to pack their bags and spend the holiday at hotels, international resorts and on Caribbean cruises. This week, about 150 people are relaxing at the Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center in Reisterstown, the third time conference staff have offered a Passover program.

Theater Racism on stage Go see Trouble in Mind, starring E. Faye Butler in the 1955 Alice Childress play that looks at the pervasiveness of racism in the world of theater and beyond, and in the mid-1950s and beyond. The 8 p.m. show is at Center Stage's Pearlstone Theater, 700 N. Calvert St. Tickets are $10-$60. Call 410-332-0033 or go to centerstage.org.

Some of Baltimore's best amateur boxers will compete tonight against their counterparts from Washington, New Jersey and Philadelphia at the Upton Boxing Center, 1901 Pennsylvania Ave., in what has been dubbed "Baltimore's Boxing Bash." The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will feature Upton's 2006 Boxer of the Year, Angelo Ward. Admission is $10 for adults; $5 for children under 12. Information: 410-396-7900. Baltimore: Education Forums are set in CEO search The Baltimore school board will hold four community forums next week to gather public input as it conducts a search for a permanent chief executive officer.

After a two-season hiatus, the Maryland Stage Company - the professional company in residence at the University of Maryland Baltimore County - is back performing for its home audience. Director Xerxes Mehta's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare's comedy about the amorous adventures of humans and fairies, begins performances at Center Stage's Pearlstone Theater Tuesday. The cast is headed by Wendy Salkind in the double roles of Hippolyta and Titania, Scott Sedar as Oberon and Theseus, Bill Largess as Egeus and Peter Quince, and Dan Manning as Bottom.

Why is this vacation different from all others? Passover commemorates the Israelites' escape from slavery, but for some Jews, the weeklong holiday has come to mean toil they would just as soon leave behind. Instead of cleansing their houses of all leavened grains, unpacking dishes reserved for Passover and cooking traditional meals at home, an increasing number choose to pack their bags and spend the holiday at hotels, international resorts and on Caribbean cruises. This week, about 150 people are relaxing at the Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center in Reisterstown, the third time conference staff have offered a Passover program.

In a Reisterstown field, a circular garden connects nature with the months of the Jewish calendar and ties agriculture to Jewish heritage. The Gan Luach Zman, or calendar garden, is one example of how a Jewish retreat center in Baltimore County is marrying sustainable farming principles with the traditional practices described in Jewish texts to teach children and adults about Jewish culture and the environment. The Kayam farm at the Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center in Reisterstown strives to reunite Jews with their agrarian roots while drawing connections between people and the planet, social justice and stewardship.

This night at the theater was a little different from most. The show in Center Stage's Pearlstone Theater wasn't a play, but the first annual Community Leadership Awards Ceremony and Black Tie Gala. More than 200 guests gathered at the Leaders for the New Millennium event to honor some of Baltimore's minority leaders for their accomplishments. The congratulations got an early start at a pre-awards reception in the theater mezzanine as guests mingled with some of the evening's honorees and nibbled on hors d'oeuvres like crab balls and barbecued shrimp.

'Evita'``Evita,'' the pop opera that tells the epic story of the rise and fall of Eva Peron, wife of Argentine dictator Juan Peron, stops at the Mechanic Theatre, 25 Hopkins Plaza, Tuesday through Jan. 24, during its 20th anniversary pre-Broadway tour. This tale of glamour, power and greed features new set and costume designs. Show times through Jan. 17 are 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday; starting Jan. 19, times are 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday.