Let's Do Shabbat

With Hollywood's new acceptance of spirituality,
more young Orthodox Jews are active in the industry.

lower salaries and lesser titles for the
privilege of sticking to their religious
BEVERLY GRAY
convictions.
Special to The Jewish News
Both believe that their day of rest
makes them better, more productive
is late Friday afternoon. A room-
writers. Says Weiss, "They got more
ful of Hollywood deal-makers are
out of me than they would have got-
locked into negotiations over a
ten out of someone who didn't take
pending film project when one
Shabbos off, because my nesharna was
studio executive checks his watch and
refreshed."
curtly announces, "We close this deal in
To Orthodox Jews, the question of
the next five minutes because my man
scheduling makes some Hollywood jobs
is going home."
more feasible than others.
In those next five minutes, a deal is
Shimon Wincelberg's list of credits
hammered out and a high-ranking
includes "Gunsmoke" and "The Naked
Warner Bros. business affairs official
City," as well as two groundbreaking
rushes out the door in time for Shabbat
segments of "Have Gun Will Travel"
dinner.
about a Chasidic Jew in the Old West.
A generation ago, Hollywood Jews
He long ago bypassed opportunities
Ashley
Lazarus:
A
joy
and
not
a
were overwhelmingly secular in their
Rick Hess: Rising at Phoenix.
to
become
a TV producer because "if
burden.
personal lives. Common wisdom had it
the phone rang Friday night," he says,
that a show business career and religious
"I couldn't leave it unanswered."
observance simply didn't mix.
On a movie set, its virtually impossi-
These days, however, with
ble to find an observant Jew sitting in
Hollywood's new acceptance of spiritu-
the director's chair.
ality, there are a surprising number of
Writer-director Michael Tolkin, who
young Orthodox Jews among the
takes Judaism seriously but is not
industry's movers and shakers.
Orthodox, explains that directing is
Orthodox Jews write for Jay Leno
the circus master job. You've got to be
and Bill Cosby, hold front-office posi-
there seven days a week ... unless you've\
tions at Disney and Warner Bros., serve
funded the film yourself, so you can
as personal managers and compose film
shut down production on Shabbat and
scores.
holidays.
Rick Hess is head of production at
But one Orthodox Jew is proving
Phoenix Pictures. Though observant
that he can also direct. South African-
actors are still hard to find, Steven Hill
born Ashley Lazarus, a highly regarded
of "Law and Order" manages to meld a
director of commercials, is now branch-
long-running TV series with an
ing into dramatic productions for pub-
Orthodox lifestyle.
lic television.
David Steinberg, an observant pro-
His longtime producer, Laura
David Steinberg: Just one more
Shimon Wincelberg: No Friday
duction executive for Walt Disney
Wallace-Rhodes, maintains that it's easy
funky
L.A.
style
choice.
Feature Animation, believes that he's
night phone calls.
for Lazarus to remain observant because
not regarded as particularly unusual.
he's surrounded by key personnel who
"There are so many unique lifestyles in
the game that the Sabbath was going to
understand his religious requirements.
Particularly in television, they face
Southern California that I just fit right
be
an
issue.
"You're talking to a Catholic,"
schedules built around Friday-night tap-
Weiss' cheerful assurance that "I can
in," he said.
Wallace-Rhodes
says. "I know exactly
ings and Saturday story conferences.
work Christmas, Easter and the Super
At Disney, he works among anima-
whom I can order kosher food from,
David Sacks, a writer for "Third
Bowl" didn't sit well with producers,
tors who lean toward rainbow hair,
,_\
and from whom I can't, throughoutr-i
Rock From the Sun," had been in TV
who had been up front from the first
pierced body parts and tattoos. So his
the world."
for three years before he became
kippah looks like just one more funky
about their Saturday workload.
Wallace-Rhodes doesn't flinch at hav
observant. It nearly cost him a job,
For both Weiss and Sacks, the diffi-
L.A. style choice.
ing
to hopscotch around holidays wher
and "my then-agent told me that i
Despite a tolerant atmosphere, which
culties eventually were smoothed over,
scheduling
a shoot. "When you're treat
wasn't going to work in television
may extend to serving kosher food at
thanks, in part, to sympathetic writing
ed the way this man treats you, becausd
again.
partners able to take up the slack in
staff lunches, the Hollywood Orthodox
he is so spiritually aware, it becomes a
David Weiss, negotiating for a staff
sometimes have to make hard choices.
tlq.sir absence.
joy and not a burden," she says.
position on the show "Cybill," faced
Weiss and Sacks happily accepted
nervous
time
when
he
revealed
late
ill
is
education
editor
at
the
Beverly Gray

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Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles.

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1999

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