Jon Avnet

Jonathan Michael Avnet (born November 17, 1949), better known as Jon Avnet, is an American director, writer and producer.

Early life

Avnet was born in Brooklyn, the son of Joan Bertha (née Grossman) and Lester Francis Avnet, a corporate executive with Avnet (a Global distributor of IT & electronics). He attended Great Neck North High School in Great Neck, New York.

Career

Avnet directed his first movie, Fried Green Tomatoes, in 1991, followed by The War in 1994, with Elijah Wood in the lead and Kevin Costner in a supporting role as his father. He directed Up Close & Personal in 1996, which was loosely based on the life of Jessica Savitch. It was written by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne and starred Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer. Avnet addressed political issues with his fourth film Red Corner in 1997, a movie about the Chinese legal system, starring Richard Gere and Bai Ling. Because of Gere's presence and support for Tibet and the Dalai Lama, they could not film in China, and the settings had to be recreated in Southern California. Avnet, however, did film a few scenes in Beijing and also put in some footage of actual Chinese executions. Avnet was also the executive producer of the 2010 movie Black Swan.

Avnet

Avnet, Inc. is a Business-to-business technology distributor headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Electronics Supply & Manufacturing magazine reports that Avnet Inc., a Fortune 500 company, may be the world's largest franchised distributor of electronic components and subsystems. Avnet has more than 50 centers and locations in more than 34 countries.

History

In 1921, Charles Avnet, a 33-year-old Russian immigrant, began buying surplus radio parts and selling them to the public on the Radio Rows of United States port cities. In the mid-1920s, when factory-made radios began to replace radio parts, Avnet adjusted his distribution pipeline and began selling parts to manufacturers and dealers. During the Great Depression, Avnet shifted the focus from retailing to wholesaling.

In the mid-1920s to the early 1930s, Avnet diversified by branching out into car radio kits and automobile assembly kits. In World War II Avnet made antennas for the U.S. armed forces. His son, Lester Avnet, joined the business at that time.

Priestly sash

Hebrew Bible

The priestly sash or girdle (Hebrew avnet אַבְנֵט) was part of the ritual garments worn by the Jewish and priests of ancient Israel whenever they served in the Tabernacle or the Temple in Jerusalem.

The "sash" or "girdle" worn by the High Priest was of fine linen with "embroidered work" in blue, purple and scarlet (Exodus 28:39, 39:29); those worn by the priests were of white, twined linen. The sash should not be confused with the embroidered belt of the ephod. Like the other priestly vestments, the purpose of the sash was "for glory and for beauty" (Exodus 28:41). On the Day of Atonement the High Priest changed into special linen garments that included a sash of fine linen without any embroidery (Leviticus 16:4). These linen garments were worn only once, with new ones being made each year.

Rabbinical commentary

According to Rabbinical literature, Midrash and Maimonides, the sash was 32 cubits long and 2, 3 or 4 fingers wide. At this length, it would have to have been wound around the body several times. Theories differ as to how this was accomplished: some say it was wound around the waist only, while others say it was wound around the waist and over the shoulders, crossing over the heart. In any event, the ends would have been tied and allowed to hang down in front. According to the Talmud, the wearing of the sash atoned for "sins of the heart" (impure thoughts) on the part of the Children of Israel (B.Zevachim 88b).