It's Time To Protest
Hallmark Entertainment

E

Christmas toast," and for Sadie's
ave you seen Hallmark's
mother, who fears the local cop as she
Christmas classic, "Mrs.
feared
Cossacks in Europe and who
Santa Claus"?
needs
to
get over the fear by perhaps
The TV musical, first
marrying
the officer in an interfaith
shown in 1996, glorifies intermarriage
union of her own.
and suggests that all civil lib-
So why am I getting worked
erties in America, including
up about an almost 2-year-
the lighting of Shabbat can-
old
Christmas program in
dles, are the result of Christ-
the
summer?
Because Hall-
mas parties.
mark
has
already
shown this
It pairs off a Jewish suf-
vulgar
piece
of
work
twice,
fragette with an ambitious
two
years
in
a
row
(almost
Italian immigrant, who joins
unheard of for a Hallmark
in a catchy tune, among oth-
Hall of Fame offering) and
ers, which may become the
plans
to make it a perennial
interdating and intermarriage
RABBI ELLIOT
children's
Christmas classic.
theme song, "Like pickled
B. GE RTEL
So
I
am
urging
you to
herring and vanilla ice cream
Spec ial to
protest
to
Hallmark
and
... we don't go together at all
The Jew ish News Hallmark Entertainment
... Like a bowl of borscht and
now, months before this
pizza pie ... opposites attract."
ugly
fare
is
repeated.
Here is the ultimate musical education
It
is
only
fair to tell you, much
number to tell Jewish youngsters that
to
my
shame,
that
our national syna-
they don't have to seek their happiness
gogue
organizations
are of no help
— spiritual and matrimonial — in
whatsoever
and
have
no real interest,
their scared covenant with God.
even
in
such
a
blatant
media blitz
This scenario gives tremendous
against
Jewish
values
and
sensibilities
nachos (delight) to Mrs. Santa Claus,
by
the
combined
corporate
might of
alias Mrs. North, played with aplomb
CBS and Hallmark. Representatives of
by Angela Lansbury, who brings the
the Union of American Hebrew Con-
requisite condescension to Jews to the
gregations,
United Synagogue of Con-
role, obviously not recognizing the full
servative
Judaism
and Union of
implications of her assignment.
Orthodox
Jewish
Congregations
told
Mrs. Santa Claus buys two tickets
me
that
the
issue
is
too
narrow
or
too
to the policemen's Christmas party for
general
or
too
early
in
the
season
to
be
Sadie the suffragette so that Sadie can
raised.
be the first "Jewish girl to make a
Now, I know that the subject of
Rabbi Gertel is spiritual leader at
intermarriage is a sensitive one. There
Congregation Rodfei Zedek in Chicago.
are intermarried couples, many of

them, who have found a home in tra-
ditional as well as liberal congregations
and are rightly cherished for their
commitment to raising children as
Jews and for a Jewish partner's dedica-
tion to the synagogue. I remain a fer-
vent believer in keruv, or outreach, in
such situations even though I would
not officiate at a mixed marriage.
But Hallmark's wholesale (or rather
retail and lucrative) advocacy of an
outmoded and offensive "melting pot"
ideology, and that company's blatant
romanticization of interfaith marriage
and "the American way," should con-
cern anyone who cares about the
future of Judaism and about genuine
American pluralism, including all of
our religious movements and Jewish
organizations.
Particularly disturbing about this
production is its projection of current
accommodation of mixed marriage
upon the past, for given the social and
economic realities of the time, a Jewish
woman who intermarried around the
turn of the century ostracized herself
from the Jewish community, including
parents and siblings, and most likely
raised the children in the husband's
faith, if in any faith at all.
Often, intermarriage meant aposta-
sy from Judaism. The number of Jews
who intermarried at that time was very
small. Jewish children today need to
understand that crucial fact. To project
back a larger statistic of mixed mar-
riages and the bitter (but by no means
assured) statistic of raising children as
Jews today under such circumstances is

to ignore the precarious conditions of
Jewish life now as then.
Had our grandmothers done as
immigrants what Sadie and her moth-
er are bent on doing, and encouraged
to do so in "Mrs. Santa Claus," and to
the tune of catchy music and lyrics, Ix(
would not be Jews today with the
remotest interest in reading a Jewish
publication.
Hallmark has every right to pro-
duce "Mrs. Santa Claus" and to
ket it as a video. But we as American
Jews have every right to protest the
wholesale (or retail) marketing of con-
cepts and falsehoods that are destruc-
tive to our faith and that mislead our
children.
Hallmark has just announced a
major effort to get Jewish business
through bar and bat mitzvah and con-
firmation and other cards and projects`.
Now, at the beginning of this new
Hallmark marketing enterprise, is the
time for concerned Jews to make their
concerns known.
Please write to Mr. Irvine 0. Hock-
aday Jr., President and Chief Executive
Officer of Hallmark Cards Inc., 2502
McGee, P.O. Box 419580, Kansas
City, MO 64141. Also send a copy to/
Mr. Rob Halmi Jr., President and
Chief Executive Officer, Hallmark
Entertainment Inc., 1325 Avenue of
the Americas, 21st Floor, New York,
NY 10019.

to a museum? If the
urge arises, why not
visit the Detroit
Institute of Arts, the
newly renovated
Opera House or
Orchestra Hall or the
Fox Theatre (the
largest-grossing venue
in North America)
— it's a lot easier
than moving to
Chicago.
Looking for
nightlife? You may
Greektown; one of Detroit's entertainment attractions.
not be able to take a
taxi, but is Chicago's
selection all that dif-
as well — you might just have to get
ferent
from
the
combined offerings
into your car and drive to it.
of
Royal
Oak,
Pontiac,
Ferndale,
Chicago's institutions certainly
Rivertown,
Hamtramck
or Greek-
exceed Detroit. But how often does
town?
As
for
diverse
ethnic
commu-
the average young adult actually go

nities, history, interesting architec-
ture ... Detroit has all that, too, not
.to mention great parks, shopping,
professional sports teams and restau-
rants.
The Jewish community also pro-
vides numerous resources for young
adults — bar nights, rekindling Shab-
bat programs, singles travel (including
Israel), team sports and more. More-
over, within the national and interna-
tional Jewish community, Detroit
stands out in terms of its leadership
and fund-raising power.
In short, Detroit has much to offer
anyone and, with the exciting new
development going on downtown —\
(read a Detroit paper for a change), it's
just going to get better.
To quote our city's new slogan, "It's
a great time in Detroit." It could be
even better if your young readers

❑

This article first appeared in the June 17
issue of the National Jewish Post and
Opinion.

LETTERS

Now is a critical time for Detroit
and its Jewish community; we desper-
ately need to retain our young people
to provide for future generations of
talented, creative and energetic lead-
ers. The last thing Detroit, or its Jew-
ish community, needs right now is
additional propaganda aimed at incit-
ing more of our young and talented
professionals to move to Chicago or
any other city.
I commend the author on her
extensive research into the numerous
resources (social and religious) avail-
able to young Jews in Chicago. Hav-
ing visited Chicago on numerous
occasions, I must admit it does have
incredible institutions, nightlife and
diverse ethnic communities.
What seems to have been ignored,
however, is that Detroit, including its
Jewish community, has much to offer

7/31
1998

32 Detroit Jewish News

