Posts Tagged ‘DAVID’

More than a year ago, when DAVID Magazine was just getting launched, then-editor Martin Stein asked if I’d be interested in writing a story about gay Jews in Las Vegas. That was it. There was no specific angle or approach suggested, just “gay Jews.” I was intrigued by the offer, and ideas bounced around between us via email for a few months before I actually was able to schedule in the assigned story, which at that point was slated for the December 2010 issue. I did my research, my interviews, and by the time I turned in the finished article in October, two things happened: 1. The magazine was transitioning to a new editor, and 2. The story had been rescheduled for the following June. So last month, I had to go back, re-interview some subjects, talk with new ones, and update the story concurrently. And now, finally, after a year of development, my 2,500-word cover story on being gay and Jewish in Las Vegas has hit the pages of DAVID. You can see a small Flash preview here, or pick up a free copy somewhere out there in Vegasland.

I learned a lot about both the state of the local Jewish community and how homosexuality is viewed from Judaism’s various disciplines. While everyone’s experience in the article is different, there did seem to be an overall feeling of “live and let live” among the Jewish people in regards to the sexuality of fellow Jews, and even some of the Conservative shuls and families seem far more accepting than respective Christian denominations. Interestingly, in Israel, where you’d expect there to be the most religious scrutiny, the divisions and stigma often surrounding homosexuality here in the United States seem to be non-existant, at least in the experiences relayed to me second hand.

Anyway, if you can find a copy, it might be worth a read. I mean, I did spend a year writing it!

A few months ago, a new magazine rose out of the Las Vegas desert like … um … I’m not sure I actually have a simile here. Anyway, DAVID Magazine launched in May (or April? One of those.), bringing to Southern Nevada a new, monthly, glossy city magazine. The thing that makes this one distinctive? It’s kinda sorta slanted toward the Jewish community. But it does it in a sneaky way that wouldn’t have you even blink. The features and ads are diverse. The quality is top-notch. And the magazine hires sexy-ass writers like me.

I was asked to write a story about a local Jewish musician. Off the top of my head, one came to mind immediately: Hal Savar, who leads the cover band Acoustic Soul. I wrote about Savar before, for the Las Vegas Weekly, but this would be a much longer feature, and I actually had a lot of material unused from my first interview with Savar. He and I met up again at a Starbucks to talk more specifically about his Jewish upbringing, which I didn’t expect played into his music so much, but it does! Kinda interesting. You should read the story.

DAVID is available for free at a bunch of places in Vegas, including Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc. There’s no online version of the stories, but I did do a really poor scan of my story if you’re interested. Click below!