Jews Making News: Streisand, Samberg
Oh, Babs!
That’s Doctor Barbra Streisand, to you. On June 17, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem will recognize the celebrated entertainer and Israel supporter with her second honorary Ph.D.
Streisand helped establish the University’s Emanuel Streisand Building for Jewish Studies, named after her father. The ceremony – which will mark the first time Streisand has performed in the Jewish State – will take place in conjunction with the 90th birthday celebration of Israeli President Shimon Peres.
Also on the docket for her trip to the Holy Land are two other community concerts. And while it may not be a Ph.D., Streisand’s 2012 homecoming-turned-concert/film, “Back to Brooklyn” has been added to PBS’s primetime fall lineup (Nov. 29).
Born Barbara Joan Streisand (she later dropped the second “a” from her first name), she was the daughter of first-generation Americans, her grandparents hailing Poland and Russia. As a child, Streisand attended Jewish Orthodox Yeshiva of Brooklyn, where she gave her first public solo performance.
Samberg on the Beat
It was one year ago when it was announced that Andy Samberg was leaving “Saturday Night Live” (SNL), the show that launched him to fame. Now, the comic will appear alongside Andre Braugher (“Men of a Certain Age,” “Homicide: Life on the Street”) in a new, single-camera series, FOX’s new sitcom “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” which will premiere this September.
The plot of “Brooklyn” follows Jake Peralta (played by Samberg), a lackadaisical New York City detective who gets a new tightly-wound boss (Braugher) who expects his protégé to play by the rules and respect the badge.
This won’t be Samberg’s first gig since leaving SNL. He has since starred in “That’s My Boy,” “Celeste and Jesse Forever” and animated comedy film “Hotel Transylvania” and has much more coming out in 2013 – including the anticipated sequel of “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.”
Samberg was born as David Andrew Samberg in Berkley, Calif. to Marjorie Marrow and Joe Samberg. He also has two sisters, Johanna and Darrow. His grandfather, industrial psychologist and philanthropist Alfred Marrow, served as the executive chair of the American Jewish Congress.
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