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“The Jewish Americans,” PBS Special Documents 350 Years of Jews in America,
January 9, 16, 23
Rabbi Irwin Kula, Film Consultant
and Interview Subject,
Featured in the New York Times
Beginning on January 9, PBS
stations around the country will air an unprecedented 3-part series on
Wednesday nights from 9-11 pm on 350 years of Jewish-American history. From
the first settlement in the 17th century to today, it explores the early
experience of Jews’ immigration to America, preserving their identity
through the many eras of acceptance, achievement, severe discrimination, and
ultimately their contribution to the larger social and cultural fabric.
“This is a story about Americans who are Jews, not about Judaism,” said
Rabbi Irwin Kula, a consultant on the series and interview subject in the
third episode. “The film celebrates the unprecedented freedom Jews have
enjoyed in America, not through the lens of victims, but through their
constant adaptation to life in a free and pluralist society.”
Featured in an article in the January 6, 2008
New York Times, Rabbi
Kula is quoted for his reflections on this topic in the concluding moments
of the film. “You cannot be who you are simply as a reaction to someone’s
hate. Anti-Semitism is simply not culturally accepted in America. That’s the
first place we’ve ever lived in history like that. He adds: When they hate
you, it is really easy to know who you are. You’re the person they hate.
When they actually don’t hate you, you have to decide who you are.”
Directed and written by David Grubin, the series was produced by JTN
Productions, Mr. Grubin, and WETA and WNET, the Washington, D.C., and New
York public television stations. It features interviews with many leading
Jewish figures including Tony Kushner, Carl Reiner, and Supreme Court
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Check your TV listing for more on “The Jewish
Americans.”
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