Aviva Kempner


Vive La Resistance, Encore!

By Aviva Kempner

Vive La Resistance, Encore!
The heroics of the French resistance have long intrigued movie buffs and filmmakers. Perhaps the most famous scene in cinema history is in “Casablanca,” when the tormented Ingrid Bergman bids adieu to Humphrey Bogart and chooses to escape with her resistance leader spouse.Read More

Washingtonians Kvell at Baseball Stadium’s Inauguration

By Aviva Kempner

Washingtonians Kvell at Baseball Stadium’s Inauguration
After more than three decades of playing the baseball equivalent of neglected stepchildren, Washingtonians finally have a state-of-the-art ball field to call their own. Nationals Park was inaugurated this past Sunday night with all the fanfare befitting a team headquartered in the nation’s capital.Read More

At a Ripe Age, Eli Wallach Plays Juicy Jewish Roles

By Aviva Kempner

Round-faced and sunburned, with wild, kinky hair and a Mexican accent, Eli Wallach was in an utter rage at the end of “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” Clint Eastwood’s character had nearly killed him, and as Eastwood trotted away on a horse, Wallach chased after him, bellowing curses.It has been 36 years since Wallach co-starredRead More

Finding AFL’s Gompers

By Aviva Kempner

I have lived in the nation’s capital for 30 years. Yet it was only this summer that I discovered Washington’s grand tribute to Samuel Gompers. Located in downtown Washington, the monument is positioned in Samuel Gompers Memorial Park on Massachusetts Avenue, a major artery, between 10th Street and 11th Street, N.W.When I conducted anRead More



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