Jewish Angst

For "O.C" producer, Jewish background is fertile ground

RICHARD ASINOF

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Providence, R.I.
f Jewish elders are serious about
reaching out to Jews between
the ages of 13-17, they might
consider hiring Josh Schwartz to
write a script for them.
Schwartz, 28, executive producer
that stands for
of The 0. C.
Orange County, Calif. — is the
youngest producer ever to have a
series on network television. He also
is one of the 50 most eligible bache-
lors in the United States, according
to People magazine — but maybe not
for long. Schwartz's girlfriend, who is
Jewish, just moved in with him.
"She's Jewish; her mom's Jewish
and her dad converted; one for our
team," Schwartz said with a laugh.
Schwartz spent Passover at his girl-
friend's parents' house, where he met
the extended family at the seder. "I
sang `Dayenu,' " he said.
But don't expect to hear Klezmer
music anytime soon on The O.C.
"We already have Peter Gallagher,"
the actor who portrays Sandy
Cohen, "playing the singing Jew on
the show," Schwartz said.
And don't expect many Jewish
community leaders to come running
to Schwartz, whose interfaith family
on the show, the Cohens, invent
"Chrismukkah" so they can celebrate
both holidays and reap the most
presents, without making anyone
feel guilty.
Like Seth Cohen, a quick-witted,
funny, sarcastic, self:proclaimed
"wise ass" on The 0. C., Schwartz is
filled with Jewish angst about life
and failure and love that he doesn't
mind expressing in public. In New
England vernacular, Schwartz is
"wicked" funny, but also charming
and gracious.
The character of Seth Cohen origi-
nally represented "my point of view of
the world and my experiences,"
Schwartz said. "Now the character has
become so much of Adam Brody," the
actor who plays Seth Cohen. "I've
passed the baton to him."
Is Seth Cohen ever too neurotic?
"Maybe for America, but not for

I

—

Josh Schwartz

me," Schwartz said. In his Ralph
Lauren shirt, blue jeans, Converse
All-Stars and sunglasses hanging
from his shirt, Schwartz projects a
boyish earnestness. He seems like a
21st century Woody Allen, with
much hipper taste in music and
hopefully with better morals.
Millions of young, mostly teenage
girls crowd around the TV screens on
Thursday nights, welcoming each
episode of The O.C. as an intoxicating
story of romance, heartbreak and
mixed-up families. Father-son, broth-
er-brother and mother-daughter
dynamics abound, as do witty, quick,
sarcastic remarks from Seth Cohen.
Alexandra, a 15-year-old fan from
Cranston, R.I., has a pizza party with
eight friends every time there's a big
episode. When her cell phone rings, it
plays the show's theme music.
For a computer literacy class in
high school, Alexandra created a
Powerpoint presentation about The
0. C., showing the characters' com-
plicated family tree.
For Alexandra, whose parents are
divorced — her father is Jewish, her
mother is not — part of the show's
attraction is the emotional intensity
of the characters. "It's interesting to
watch them," she said. "The person-
alities — what happens between the
characters, between the girls and the

.

guys — are very realistic."
For Schwartz, the emotional intensi-
ty of his high school experience still
reverberates for him. His breakthrough
script was about his senior year in
high school. Last month, he gave the
commencement address at his old
school in Providence. He divided the
world into those who compromise on
their dreams and those who are true to
themselves, often punctuating serious
statements with one-liners.
"If you're going to put yourself out
there, put the real you out there,"
Schwartz told the Wheeler School
graduating class. "It's your life; if you
don't want to go to med school, don't
go to med school. If you want to take
a year off before you go to college,
take a year off. You don't want to have
kids; then don't have kids — just don't
be related to my parents."
Schwartz said he draws a lot from
his Jewish background. "If you're
Jewish, that becomes a part of who
you are as a human being. You're
disappointed that you didn't have
better TV shows during the holidays,
and not being able to decorate your
tree or have a tree," he said.
At the University of Southern
California, Schwartz said he was a
member of a fraternity where he was
one of the only Jewish kids, if not
the only Jewish kid, for a couple of
years. You become acutely aware of
your identity."
Schwartz is realistic about the
expected lifetime of The O.C. "We
have a couple of years in us. We're so
connected to primarily a young audi-
ence; it's an audience that's obviously
fickle, and we're never going to want
to overstay our welcome," he said.
"But we've still got a couple of good
years left in us."
Schwartz ended his commence-
ment speech by urging the graduates
to believe in their dreams. "If it hap-
pened to me, it can happen to any-
one," he said.
Perhaps the head of the school,
Dan Miller, best summed up the
positive force surrounding Schwartz.
During Schwartz's visit to the
school, he kept hearing students
passing in the corridors, saying,
"May the Schwartz be with you." ❑

((

New Rabbi At Chai Center

Rabbi Boruch Cohen

Boruch Cohen is the new rabbi at the
Chai Center of Birmingham-Bloom-
field Hills, a small community syna-
gogue offering services every Shabbat
morning.
He, his wife, Ita Leah, and their six
children moved to Birmingham from
New Jersey earlier this month.
Rabbi Cohen's background includes
philosophy, creative writing and
Kabbalah coaching — in addition to
an interest in humor. For the past
seven years, he worked as the educa-
tional director for a Chabad outreach
satellite in northwestern New Jersey,
where he also ran a Kabbalah Club.
For information about the Chai
Center, call (248) 203-6721.

Learn Swing Dancing

Adat Shalom Synagogue is offering
free lessons in swing dancing. No
experience or partners are required.
The lessons will take place at 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 14, at the synagogue.
To respond, call Rabbi Rachel Shere
at (248) 851-5100, ext. 229, or e-
mail Young Adults of Adat Shalom
Chairman Jeff Klein at
bmwguy_mi@yahoo. corn.

6/30

2005

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