From Stage To Screen: The Jewish Contribution To American Music, Television & Cinema
Get ready for an exciting exploration of Jewish contributions to American entertainment with CSP's 23rd annual scholar in residence series featuring Prof. Howard Lupovitch - a distinguished scholar of Jewish history and Director of the Cohn-Haddow Center for Judaic Studies at Wayne State University. "From Stage to Screen: The Jewish Contribution to American Music, Television and Cinema" is a unique and comprehensive look at the ways in which Jewish individuals and traditions have shaped and influenced American music, television, and cinema. Divided into three subthemes, the series covers "There’s No Business like Show Business: The Jewish Musical Tradition in America", exploring the impact of Jewish musicians and composers on American music; "Jews on the Small Screen," which examines the representation of Jews on television; and "Jews on the Silver Screen," which explores the role of Jewish filmmakers, actors, and characters in American cinema. Prof. Lupovitch's expertise in Jewish history and his passion for exploring the intersection of Judaism and popular culture make him the ideal scholar in residence for this year's exciting program. Don't miss out on this fascinating journey through the world of Jewish contributions to American entertainment!
SUNDAY SERIES
January 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2024
Jews on the Small Screen
10:00-11:00 AM PST/1:00-2:00 PM EST/20:00-21:00 Israel Time
This series delves deep into the ever-evolving portrayal of Jewish identity, both its challenges and triumphs, in the medium of American television. From the early endeavors to introduce Jewish culture to mainstream audiences and the complex legacy of antisemitism in post-World War II America to the power of humor in shaping Jewish narratives and the transformation of Jewish female characters beyond traditional stereotypes, these sessions weave together a tapestry of cultural understanding.
Sunday January 7, 2024
From Absent to Invisible: Mainstreaming Jews on Television
I. Explaining Jews, Explaining Judaism
II. Bridget and Bernie
III. Everyone knows what a Bris is
IV. Feeling Jewish
Sunday January 14, 2024
Criminalizing Antisemitism
I. The Shoah in Post-War American Culture
II. Anti-Semitism as Social Discrimination
III. “Soft” Racism
Sunday January 21, 2024
Laughing at Jews, Laughing with Jews
I. Antisemitic, Philosemitic, Allosemitic
II. Die Yiddishe Mama
III. Seinfeld's Rabbi
Sunday January 28, 2024
Beyond the Yiddishe Mama
I. Rhoda Morganstern: the Stereotype who wasn’t
II. Fran Fine: the “JAP” with a Heart of Gold
III. Rachel Menkin: Jewish Self-Confidence
IV. Ziva David: Israeli Strength, Jewish Power
TUESDAY SERIES
January 9, 16, 23 & 30 and Feb. 6, 13, 20 & 27
Jews on the Silver Screen
10:00-11:00 AM PST/1:00-2:00 PM EST/20:00-21:00 Israel Time
Over eight enlightening weeks, we delve into the tapestry of Jewish representation, both overt and subtle, in Hollywood's history. From the pioneering Jewish visionaries who shaped global cinema to the enduring fascination with biblical narratives and the layers they hold, we uncover the intersections of culture and storytelling. We also confront and deconstruct stereotypes through the lens of Jewish gangsters and explore how cinema has exposed and healed societal ills. As we transition to adaptations of literature and the works of renowned directors like Steven Spielberg, we question the Jewish elements that lie beneath the surface. At the end of the series, we spotlight the roles of Jewish women in the industry and explore both the visible and invisible aspects of Jewishness in film, from unspoken identities to bold declarations.
Tuesday January 9, 2024
Entrepreneurs with a Vision
I. Jews a Motion Pictures: a Global Perspective
II. Immigrants and Emigres
III. Directors as Social Activists: Leo Hurvitz and George Cukor
Tuesday January 16, 2024
The “Heston Effect”: Bible Stories for a Hollywood Audience
I. The American Obsession with the Hebrew Bible
II. Biblical Melodrama: Samson and Delilah and Solomon and Sheba
III. From Heston’s Moses to Prince of Egypt
IV. Ben-Hur: Christian and Jewish Layers
Tuesday January 23, 2024
Unmaking/Remaking Stereotypes: Jewish Gangsters as Heroes and Villains
I. Hyman Rothstein (aka Meyer Lansky) and The Godfather
II. Tough Jews in Once Upon a Time in America
III. Bugsy Siegal as Jewish Anti-Hero
Tuesday January 30, 2024
Exposing and Healing the Ills of Society
I. Gentlemen's Agreement: How Jewish is too Jewish?
II. The Last Angry Man: The Challenge of Being Principled
III. School Ties: David Green and Elite Society
IV. Erik Lehnsherr (aka Magneto) and the Imperfectability of Humanity
Tuesday February 6, 2024
Dumbing Down Literature: The Chosen as Novel and Movie
I. Potok’s Jewish New York
II. Explaining Hasidic Spirituality
III. Rod Steiger’s Rebbe
Tuesday February 13, 2024
Spielberg before Schindler: How Jewish?
I. ET: A Story of Exile and Return?
II. The Twilight Zone: A Jewish View of Aging
III. The Lost Ark and the Battle between Good and Evil
Tuesday February 20, 2024
Jewish Women in Movies
I. Marjorie Morningstar
II. Izzy Grossman and the Escape from Delancey Street
III. Woody Allen's Jewish Mothers
IV. Baby Houseman and the World of the Catskills
Tuesday February 27, 2024
Visible and Invisible Jewishness
I. What's Up Doc: Barbara Streisand’s Unstated Jewishness
II. Avalon and the Melting Pot
III. Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller: Masters of Chutzpah
IV. Cher Horowitz -- Jewish American Princess
THURSDAY SERIES
January 4, 11, 18, 25 & February 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
“There’s No Business like Show Business”
The Jewish Musical Tradition in America
12:30-1:30 PM PST/3:30--4:30 PM EST/22:30-23:30 Israel Time
Join us on this melodic exploration of a rich and diverse tradition that has not only reflected the Jewish-American experience but has also left an indelible mark on the nation's musical history. From the early Yiddish roots of Jewish immigrants to the groundbreaking compositions of Aaron Copland, the influence of Jews in the Jazz Revolution, and their role in shaping the landscape of Broadway and Rock & Roll, this series celebrates the enduring impact of Jewish musical traditions on American culture. With sessions dedicated to iconic figures like Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, and Bob Dylan, as well as the transformative power of artists like Debbie Friedman, we explore how these artists navigated their Jewish identities within the evolving American musical tapestry.
Thursday January 4, 2024
Jewish Immigrants and Their Yiddish Musical Roots
I. What is Jewish Music?
II. Transplanting the Shtetl
III. Tomashevsky and the Jewish Hamlet
IV. The March of the Suffragettes
Thursday January 11, 2024
"The Loudest Voice:" Irving Berlin and the Gershwins
I. Becoming American
II. Yiddish in Blackface
III. Can Christmas Music be Jewish?
Thursday January 18, 2024
Aaron Copland: Out of the Melting Pot
I. Jewish, American, and European Roots
II. Ambivalent Memories: The Vitebsk Trio
III. Celebrating Lincoln
Thursday January 25, 2024
Jews and the Jazz Revolution
I. Jews and African-Americans
II. Jolson and The Jazz Singer
III. Jews playing Jazz
Thursday February 1, 2024
Making Broadway Sing: Jews and Musical Theater
I. Yiddish Forbears: Child or Stepchild?
II. The Jewish Divas: Fanny Brice and Sophie Tucker
III. The Business of Broadway
Thursday February 8, 2024
Leonard Bernstein: A Genius Born of Multiple Musical Traditions
I. Bernstein and Jewish Boston
II. Fusing Musical Traditions
III. Jeremiah and the Kaddish: Jewish Symphonies?
Thursday February 15, 2024Morris Levy, Motown, and the Birth of Rock & Roll
I. Childhood in Harlem
II. “Rock & Roll”
III. Bernie Essman – Motown in the Motor City
Thursday February 22, 2024
Jews and the Folk Music Revival
I. Re-Discovering Roots
II. Music as Activism
III. Robert Zimmerman/Bob Dylan's Dual Odyssey
Thursday February 29, 2024
American Nusach: Debbie Friedman and the Great American Jewish Sing-along
I. Summer Camp and the New American Judaism
II. The Sacred and the Secular
III. Celebrating the New Jewish Woman