On One Foot: Joshua Hammerman's Blog

Author of "Embracing Auschwitz" and "Mensch•Marks: Life Lessons of a Human Rabbi - Wisdom for Untethered Times." Winner of the Rockower Award, the highest honor in Jewish journalism and 2019 Religion News Association Award for Excellence in Commentary. Musings of a rabbi, journalist, father, husband, poodle-owner, Red Sox fan and self-proclaimed mensch, taken from essays, columns, sermons and thin air. Writes regularly in the New York Jewish Week and Times of Israel.

Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts

Friday, January 27, 2017

Shabbat-O-Gram for January 27

Shabbat-O-Gram

Cantor Fishman teaching the art of spiritual chant (niggun) to the TBE Discussion Group havurah last Sunday evening. For our entire winter album, click here

Shabbat Shalom

This evening, we bring in Shabbat and also enter the month of Shevat, a time to begin literally planting the seeds in anticipation of Spring. This week's to do list:

- Have you gotten your Temple Rock reservations in yet?

- Join us for services this evening, with guest musician Cantor Ellen Arad joining Cantor Fishman, Assaf Gleizner and myself.

- Join us tomorrow for our main service at 9:30, Shabbat School and Shababimbam, culminating in lunch for everyone!

An Oasis in the Sky

Carol King, James Taylor and the Drifters all knew what to do "when this ol' world starts a getting you down." They found comfort and calm "Up on the Roof." And now, so do I - in the most ironic places: a hospital. The new Stamford Hospital's upper floors are not entirely placid, and there's a good deal of sadness and pain in those rooms. But look out the window and see Stamford unfold before you - and then over at the Sound, and the New York skyline in the distance. The view of Manhattan was other-worldly yesterday afternoon - the photo above doesn't begin to capture how the cloud-directed rays of light from the late afternoon sun turned the miniature, distant skyline into what looked more like a gateway to heaven. There are also quiet rooms on those upper floors, meant for families and the occasionally hassled clergy, complete with a massage chair. So thank you to the new Stamford Hospital, and the oasis that can be found up-on-the-top-floors.

Recommended Reads

This week brought sad news of the passing of TV icon Mary Tyler Moore. Read how her shows turned the world on to fully imagined Jewish characters.

Big news from Israel this week: they are moving toward decriminalizing cannabis use.

On the other hand, the ultra-Orthodox Shas party has introduced a bill that would lead to the jailing of the Women of the Wall and others who try to pray at the Kotel in a manner not authorized by the ultra-Orthodox rabbinate. Read the Woman of the Wall's response and sign a petition for Prime Minister Netanyahu.

See also my latest Jewish Week column, "The Elephant in the Room" looks at the demise of Ringling Bros. Circus, which saw attendance decline once they succumbed to pressures brought on by animal rights groups over their treatment of elephants. Contrast this to the success of elephant-free Cirque du Soleil, which expanded to a Broadway musical this month. Ringling Bros.' demise is further proof that the power of the purse can prove decisive in asserting values of mutual respect, a reverence for innocence and an unconditional love for the most vulnerable among us. Even for the elephant in the room.

Four Oscar Contenders, One Overwhelming Moral Message

A couple of weeks ago, I announced my Jos-car nominations in this space, looking at the year's best films from a Jewish lens. I followed up with an analysis of "La La Land," a film often called escapist that is in truth aspirational and transcendent, much like Judaism itself.

Now let's take a look at four other acclaimed films that could not be more timely: "Moonlight," "Hidden Figures," "Loving," and "Fences."

The Academy Awards' diversity problem was somewhat alleviated, as six African American actors received nominations this week, and several films addressing institutional racism both past and present were recognized with major nominations.

In films like "Moonlight," "Hidden Figures," "Loving," and "Fences," we confront the significant social obstacles faced by a young gay African American coming of age in Miami, three extraordinarily qualified female scientists-of-color in 1960's Virginia, an interracial couple in 1960's Virginia (Virginia evidently, wasn't for Lovers until later) and a hall-of-fame caliber black baseball player from Pittsburgh (Virginia gets a reprieve here) who was denied a chance to fulfill his dreams.

In some cases, these protagonists prevail over the overwhelming odds, and in others, their tragic predicament overwhelms them. There is biblical precedent for this.

This week's Torah portion of Va-era funnels us through the experience of Israelite slaves struggling to surmount the burdens of unremitting servitude, which, in the words of the Ostrovtzer Rebbe, left the Israelites depressed, drained of their desire for hope and freedom. They were beaten down, body and soul. This early twentieth-century rebbe understood the ravages of suffering. He rejected nearly all of life's pleasures - and fasted for forty years. The Ten Plagues, seven of which are found in this portion, were intended to instill confidence, lifting the spirits of the Israelites every bit as much as they knocked the Egyptians down to size.

Racism has crushed the American spirit in a similar manner, rendering us numb and helpless as we grope to address a problem that just never seems to go away. Time never has been able to heal the searing pain from that wound. The pain exists on all sides. The wrongs can never totally be righted.

In this new era, where the KKK shows up to rally in support of the Attorney General nominee and the "Small-Caps kkk" is now being accepted in polite company, we need to remind ourselves that the rights gained by the Lovings and their contemporaries are fragile indeed.

At a time when proven facts are being portrayed as annoying nuisances and the Trump Administration is doubling down on the fraudulent claim of mass voter fraud, these Oscar nominees are proving to be a protective barrier for the American conscience, the only wall we really need to be constructing right now.

If an inquiry is needed into voting irregularities, as President Trump now suggests, then the investigator's eye should be focusing on voter suppression and the fraying Voting Rights Act, rather than on spreading falsehoods about undocumented immigrants.

For that landmark 1965 legislation is all that separates us from a return to the days of rampant discrimination. Take a look at this nearly impossible Louisiana literacy test from 1964, which prevented legions of minorities from being able to vote. Literacy tests, along with poll taxes and other forms of extra-legal intimidation, were used to deny voting rights to African Americans. A number of these tests can be found online.

I'll bet not even the whiz kids of "Hidden Figures" could have passed them. See how you do.

As Abraham Joshua Heschel pointed out in his landmark address to a conference on religion and race, we read in Genesis that God created different kinds of plants and different kinds of animals. But strikingly, the Creation account does not say that God created different kinds of human beings, of different colors and races; rather it proclaims that God created one single person. From a single human being all are descended, and all humans have been created in God's image.

The pervasive need to address racial discrimination may be an inconvenient truth to some, but, from a Jewish perspective, an overwhelming moral case can be made for vigilance. And it's a case that cannot be muddled by bogus investigations and "alternative facts." President Trump likely doesn't realize it, but the fight we are waging is for him and his children - and his grandchildren too.

Like our ancestors in Egypt, Americans and Jews have lots of emotional scars to overcome. But the schadenfreude of watching enemies succumb to vermin, frogs and cattle disease will not be nearly enough to save our national soul. There will be no true victory until all parties can dance together on the shores of the Red Sea.

This quartet of acclaimed films celebrates the indomitable spirit of wounded warriors of an interminable struggle. "Moonlight," "Hidden Figures," "Fences" and "Loving" leave us heartbroken but resolute. While none of these four movies may be "Best Picture" this year, they are all by far the most indispensable.

View and Share this on Times of Israel site

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Four Oscar Contenders, One Overwhelming Moral Message

JANUARY 26, 2017, 7:00 PM

A couple of weeks ago, I announced my Jos-car nominations in this space, looking at the year’s best films from a Jewish lens. I followed up with an analysis of “La La Land,” a film often called escapist that is in truth aspirational and transcendent, much like Judaism itself.

Now let’s take a look at four other acclaimed films that could not be more timely: “Moonlight,” “Hidden Figures,” “Loving,” and “Fences.”

The Academy Awards’ diversity problem was somewhat alleviated, as six African American actors received nominations this week, and several films addressing institutional racism both past and present were recognized with major nominations.

In films like “Moonlight,” “Hidden Figures,” “Loving,” and “Fences,” we confront the significant social obstacles faced by a young gay African American coming of age in Miami, three extraordinarily qualified female scientists-of-color in 1960’s Virginia, an interracial couple in 1960’s Virginia (Virginia evidently, wasn’t for Lovers until later) and a hall-of-fame caliber black baseball player from Pittsburgh (Virginia gets a reprieve here) who was denied a chance to fulfill his dreams.

In some cases, these protagonists prevail over the overwhelming odds, and in others, their tragic predicament overwhelms them. There is biblical precedent for this.

This week’s Torah portion of Va-era funnels us through the experience of Israelite slaves struggling to surmount the burdens of unremitting servitude, which, in the words of the Ostrovtzer Rebbe, left the Israelites depressed, drained of their desire for hope and freedom. They were beaten down, body and soul. This early 20th-century rebbe understood the ravages of suffering. He rejected nearly all of life’s pleasures – and fasted for forty years. The Ten Plagues, seven of which are found in this portion, were intended to instill confidence, lifting the spirits of the Israelites every bit as much as they knocked the Egyptians down to size.

In this new era, where the KKK shows up to rally in support of the Attorney General nominee and the “Small-Caps kkk” is now being accepted in polite company, we need to remind ourselves that the rights gained by the Lovings and their contemporaries are fragile indeed.

If an inquiry is needed into voting irregularities, as President Trump now suggests, then the investigator’s eye should be focusing on voter suppression and the fraying Voting Rights Act, rather than on spreading falsehoods about undocumented immigrants.

The pervasive need to address racial discrimination may be an inconvenient truth to some, but, from a Jewish perspective, an overwhelming moral case can be made for vigilance. And it’s a case that cannot be muddled by bogus investigations and “alternative facts.” President Trump likely doesn’t realize it, but the fight we are waging is for him and his children – and his grandchildren too.

This quartet of acclaimed films celebrates the indomitable spirit of wounded warriors of an interminable struggle. “Moonlight,” “Hidden Figures,” “Fences” and “Loving” leave us heartbroken but resolute. While none of these four movies may be “Best Picture” this year, they are all by far the most indispensable.

Jos-Car Nominations: "La La Land" and Chagall

Jos-Car Nominations: "La La Land" and Chagall

Last week I suggested that we look at this year's best movies from a Jewish lens. In my op-ed, "Do the Jews Control Hollywood? No, but..." featured here and trending on the Times of Israel site, I proposed a new award, the Jos-cars, to determine the year's top film from that Jewish perspective. This week, we look at "La La Land," a film whose composer is Jewish and the director is an honorary Jew. But that's just the beginning of the Jewish connection.

I was intrigued by this study of the art of Marc Chagall and how it relates to a movie where a couple in love is portrayed literally dancing on air, floating among the stars in the Griffith Observatory. Rabbi Jessica Brockman writes:

"While the world was engaged in war, Chagall found-with his wife Bella, whom he had married in 1915-the ability to float above the world's reality and portray a time of great love. This reality reflects in Chagall's painting The Birthday (1915), which shows him and his wife seemingly elevated by the love between them, able to float above the world's reality and experience a time of great love. This is in contrast to his painting, The Canopy (1912), a wedding scene painted during his time in Paris, where bride and groom are grounded under the huppah (Jewish wedding canopy)."

"La La Land" resonates as pure old fashioned Hollywood escapism, perfect for a time that many would classify as grim. While Judaism is very much grounded in reality and the incessant need to confront evil and promote justice, there is also an innate drive for transcendence, Shabbat is a perfect example - it's been called the Club Med of days, the antidote to civilization. On Shabbat we float above the muck and grime of our everyday reality.

Romantic love elevates us in the same way. We have many relationships in our lives, but suddenly, in a flash, one "takes off." Chagall was similarly elevated during a period of tremendous upheaval and personal displacement.

Judaism celebrates those relationships and those moments, which, far from being escapist, are in fact the bedrock foundations upon which our reality is based. After all, for Jews, the bedrockiest moment of all was/is the revelation at Mount Sinai, where, according to a midrash, (based on the verse in in Deuteronomy 4:11 stating that the people stood "under the mountain") the mountain itself floated above the heads of the Israelites. And even God - the foundation of all reality - hovers over the as-yet unformed void at the beginning of Creation. Before there are any words, before there is even light, there is the hovering of God, a divine dance the likes of which not even Gosling and Stone could emulate.

Our reality is in fact aspirational. We elevate instinctively. Some scientists have theorized that male moths are draw to flames because flames emit the wavelengths of light given off by female moths' luminescent pheromones. In other words, moths hover out of love. Similarly, in the midst of the darkness, we humans have the gumption to hover toward the light. In the midst of earthly despair, we adhere to what one might call "the audacity of hope."

So "La La Land" is not escapist in the least. Nor is Judaism.

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Do the Jews control Hollywood? No, but…

JANUARY 6, 2017, 10:27 PM

This Sunday’s Golden Globes brings us to the heart of the awards season. See the nominees here. So this is as good a time as any to reflect on some of the films that have come out recently. In between funerals, services and brisses, I’ve managed to have seen a number of good ones and feel a need to add one more category to the awards mix, one emphasizing the Jewish content of the film.

I call these the “Jos-car Nominations.” Combines my name with “Oscar.” Get it?

By “Jewish content,” I’m not necessarily pointing to the contribution of particular Members of the Tribe, as stars, producers, directors, writers or, for that matter, gaffers of any given film.

Incidentally, have you noticed just how many gaffers, grips and best boys are Jewish?

Neither have I.

The criteria for a Jos-car nomination is simple: the Jewish aspect of a film can include Jewish subject matter, Jewish values, or Jewish participation. With these criteria, you can find something “Jewish” in almost every film.

Every film? Jewish? This brings to mind the classic anti-Semitic claim that “the Jews own Hollywood.” Of course that is ridiculous, but not for the reason you might think.

If the claim is that Jews are significantly represented at all levels in the production and dissemination of culture, which includes movies, books, music, drama, journalism, dance, the visual arts and the humanities, my response is “guilty as charged.” Jews have been disproportionately involved in these areas for a number of reasons, including the traditional values of inquiry and curiosity (think “Four Questions”), and an age-old preoccupation with social change, justice and engagement with this world (as opposed to a preoccupation with the afterlife). Add to that our unique historical position at the margins of society and our trans-national mobility, which has enabled us to bridge cultures across the world.

The ridiculous part is the use of the world “the” in relation to “Jews,” as if to imply that Jews are a single, coherent, conspiratorial group. If only Jews were united enough to smoothly conspire to run a lemonade stand, much less an entire cultural industrial complex! Anyone who tries to lump all Jews into one unified group clearly doesn’t know Jews. And you know, that’s precisely the problem.

Those who subscribe to grand Jewish conspiracy theories are typically those who have the least familiarity with real live Jews. The ADL’s Global survey of 100 nations discovered that people living in countries with larger Jewish populations are less likely to hold anti-Semitic views than people living in countries with smaller Jewish populations. The same is true of places in America. It’s true with other groups too: familiarity reduces bigotry. In this case, absence makes the heart grow hateful.

But I will say this — proudly. The influence of Jewish values, those principles Jews have long held sacred, has been most profound on the American cultural scene. If you want to see what values I’m talking about, see my Mensch Marks listing, based on the character traits (middot) found in the Talmud (Pirke Avot 6:6)

These values, which are neither exclusively left nor right, but Jewish through and through, include humility, love and freedom and dignity. They clash markedly against the “values” of the “traditional” anti-Semite, who, as defined by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, tends to be xenophobic, anti-intellectual, populist, racist, brutish and, if unchecked, ultimately genocidal.

And here’s the rub — the part that drives anti-Semites absolutely bananas. The influence of popular culture, in the US and throughout most of the world, continues to be far, far more pervasive than that of any government or branch of government. When Chief Justice Roberts (who is decidedly not an anti-Semite) wrote about the “undeniable appeal” of arguments of social fairness and equality in the 2015 same-sex marriage case, he was speaking of the undeniable influence of TV programs like “American Family” and current films like “Loving,” whose impact on the culture continue to be profound.

So when anti-Semites say “The Jews control Hollywood,” or “The Jews control the media,” they are really cursing the fact that their agenda can never achieve the ultimate triumph they seek until the instruments of culture are co-opted. And, yes, I can proudly say that Jews are continuing to hold up our end of the bargain, not by owning Hollywood, or by propagating any particular agenda, but by driving haters crazy.

Which brings me to my Jos-car nominations for 2016.

My nominees for “most Jewish film,” in no particular order are:

1) Loving

2) Jackie

3) Denial

4) Arrival

5) Sand Storm (Israel’s best picture winner this year — a Bedouin version of “Gett”)

6) Moana

7) Lion

8) La-la-land

9) Moonlight

10) A Tale of Love and Darkness (Israeli)

I recommend them all — several are top Oscar contenders. I also left out a number of movies that I really liked (e.g. “Fences,”) that just couldn’t make the cut from my subjective Jewish perspective. I’d also have loved to include “Woman in Gold,” and “Gett,” but they aren’t recent enough. But hey, that’s why they make Top Ten Lists — to force some hard choices.

I’ll explain what I found to be “Jewish” about these films as the Oscars approach. In the meantime, I invite you to share which film you think is the best — and the most Jewish — film of 2016. Israeli films like “Sand Storm,” BTW, are now plentiful on Netflix. And I reserve the right to alter this list, whether because I see another film that should be there (haven’t seen “Miss Sloan” or “Hidden Figures” yet) or because you convince me that I left something worthy out.

Enjoy the Golden Globes!