Furthermore, Finkelstein said, "Jewish
identity is a stronger force than something
that can be challenged or hurt by people
falling in love with non-Jews."
Another celebrated Jewish writer and
producer, Marshall Herskovitz, offered
observations similar to Finkelstein's.
Herskovitz is a co-creator, along with
Edward Zwick, of "Thirtysomething," an
Emmy-award winning show on ABC. In an
interview the day his show won another 13
Emmy nominations, Herskovitz said he
was one of many people in Hollywood "a
little sick of the dissembling" by Jews in
the entertainment industry.
"Hollywood
was basically
created by
Jews, and
movies for 75
years have been
about Jews
without Jewish
names."
"Hollywood was basically created by
Jews, and movies for 75 years have been
about Jews without Jewish names," he
said. With that in view, he said he and his
partner had no question in their minds
when they created Michael Steadman, the
Jewish advertising copywriter who is the
central character of "Thirtysomething."
However, the creation of Michael's
wife was a different matter, Herskovitz
conceded.
"Obviously, to us, Michael was going to
be Jewish. The question of whether his
wife was going to be Jewish was another
matter," he said.
Herkovitz said he and Zwick, both of
whom are married to non-Jews, drew on
their own lives to decide. "Intermarriage
is a big problem for Jews. We know we're
contributing to that," he conceded.
As with "L.A. Law," "Thirtysomething"
is seen as focusing on real people, not
stereotyped characters. Instead of starting
with a one-dimensional character, such as
a "tough private investigator," the shows
are built around people the creators and
writers know.
With that in mind, they have attempted
to portray the religious or personal beliefs
of their characters in situations where such
matters might normally arise, such as wed-
dings and holidays.
Last winter, "Thirtysomething" featured
Michael's struggle over whether to enter
a synagogue at Chanukah. Jewish actor
Jack Gilford, who guest starred in the
show as a wise rabbi, received an Emmy
nomination for his role.
But "Thirtysomething" has gone one
step further than other shows by breaking
an unwritten quota and adding -a second
Jewish character to the show, Michael's
cousin Melissa. In a poignant episode last
year, Melissa was faced with the struggle
of whether to take over a clothing store run
by her strong-willed but ailing
grandmother.
Nonetheless "Thirtysomething" does
not stress- Jewish issues in every episode.
"The truth is, the instant it becomes a
Jewish show about Jews, it will not be
interesting," Herskovitz said. "We all have
a tendency to be narcissistic and Jews are
a small percentage of the people in the
country. Concerns about Jewish life only
go so far."
Herskovitz said he is proud of dealing
with Jewish themes. But he and Zwick
believe they must make the concerns
universal.
"The only way they will work is if gen-
tiles can relate to the characters as human
beings," Herskovitz said. "Our whole
theory behind the show is that the more
specific we are, the more universal we
become."
Even so, "Thirtysomething" has run into
some of the continuing skittishness about
portraying Jews • on television.
Executives at ABC television flinched
when they saw Michael Steadman don a
kipah in the opening scene of the show's
pilot episode, Herskovitz said.
"They said there was a question of turn-
ing off the audience," Herskovitz said.
"There is a longstanding fear in this town
that people in America are not interested
in Jews. They feel we must be careful and
circumspect."
Herskovitz eventually was able to ride
over the concerns of the executives with
the simplest of methods — the show's suc-
cess. "Thirtysomething" has won Emmy
awards and collected heaps of critical
praise since it began airing in 1987.
Despite recent advances, many in Holly-
wood would like to see more Jews on tele-
vision. Powell said doing so is important,
because 'what Hollywood shows is what
the world thinks is the way it is. It is
dangerous to try to hide reality of Jewish
life. What makes the U.S. work is that we
are different, not the same." 0
Allan D. Abbey is a reporter on the staff of the
Morristown, N.J. Daily Record. This article
was made possible by The Fund For
Journalism On Jewish Life, a project of the
CRB Foundation of Montreal, Canada.
Any views expressed are solely those of
the author.
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