Metro
Jewish Detroit
Local TV documentary to showcase "Our Jewish American Story."
Carolyn Krieger-Cohen
Special to the Jewish News
K
eith Famie vividly remembers
the moment his ailing father,
suffering from Alzheimer's dis-
ease, took his last breath four years ago.
Standing at his father's bedside, Famie,
a well known local chef, CBS Survivor:
The Australian Outback contestant and
Food Network host turned documentary
film producer, was at once struck by the
startling yet simple finality of his father's
life and profoundly dismayed that he had
never turned his video camera toward his
dad and said, "Tell me about your child-
hood, your life, your disappointments,
your dreams:'
Famie's personal regrets soon played
a pivotal role in his professional life,
propelling him to dust off a backburner
film project that his company, Visionalist
Entertainment Productions in Wixom,
had begun developing years before. From
his various vantage points both in front
of and behind the camera, Famie was
fascinated by the stories he had heard,
the ways of life he had observed and the
cultural customs he had witnessed on his
world travels.
It occurred to him that Metro Detroit,
with its large immigrant population and
diverse mix of nationalities, lifestyles and
religions, was ripe with storytelling oppor-
tunities that could preserve the memories
of elders who built their lives here as well
as educate, enlighten and build bridges of
acceptance and understanding between
people young and old.
In two short years, Famie has turned his
initial vision into a critically acclaimed,
Emmy-award winning, highly rated series
of hourlong documentaries that air corn-
mercial free on WXYZ-TV under the
themed umbrella, "Our Story Of."
Jewish Connection
Famie and his business partner, journalist
Chris Kassel, in conjunction with co-exec-
utive producers Toni Wisne Sabina and
Steve Sabina of Epoch Restaurant Group
who have supported and helped fund the
project from the start, have completed
four documentaries: Our Italian Story, Our
Polish Story, Our Greek Story, and Our Arab
American Story, all shown on Channel 7
in Detroit in prime time during 2006 and
2007.
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February 28 • 2008
Famie is now busy at work on his fifth,
and most ambitious, documentary to date,
Our Jewish American Story.
Being produced on the heels of the PBS
documentary series The Jewish Americans,
and tentatively scheduled to debut in
December 2008, the film in Famie's focus
is decidedly local. His goal is to capture
the extraordinary history, cultural tradi-
tions, societal contributions and enduring
legacy of Metro Detroit's Jewish corn-
munity. While Our Jewish American Story
ents and their own families faced in their
early years.
With personal guidance from Robert
Aronson, CEO of the Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit; Arthur Horwitz,
Detroit Jewish News publisher; author and
archivist Sid Bolkosky of Oak Park, rabbis,
community boosters as well as the indi-
viduals he is encountering every day in
his research, Famie has been crisscrossing
the community, discovering all that makes
Judaism and the Jewish culture so unique.
Leo Goldberg, 94, of Livonia reminisces
Holocaust survivor Rose Guttman, 80,
with a photograph of his late father,
Israel Goldberg.
of West Bloomfield is interviewed by
and Famie's previous four documentaries
are created specifically for local audiences,
they possess a distinctly national look and
feel.
"We're delighted to be entering into the
third year of our partnership with Keith
Famie," says Marla Drutz, the Southfield-
based WXYZ-TV director of program-
ming and special projects. "We were
struck from the very beginning with the
production quality and robust content of
these shows. The feedback we've received
on each of the four programs we've aired
has been inspiring, and we look forward
to broadcasting the next installment, Our
Jewish American Story."
"The Detroit Jewish community has
a rich, 100-year tradition of cultural,
business and social involvement, not to
mention a communal presence known
around the world," Aronson said. "We look
forward to having Our Jewish American
Story shared with the community in Metro
Detroit."
Famie has learned the meaning of tze-
dakah from sixth-graders at the annual
At The Core
Much like an explorer seeking to uncover
buried treasures in unfamiliar territory,
Famie is a man on a mission. He has
begun excavating both legendary and pre-
viously private tales of hope and hardship,
faith and friendship, triumph and tragedy
from intimate conversations with Jewish
elders whose eyes still mist when recalling
the obstacles and opportunities their par-
Keith Famie.
Become A Sponsor
For more information on becoming
a sponsor of Our Jewish American
Story, contact Keith Famie at
www.ourstoryof.com .
Penny Harvest event at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek Southfield and celebrated
the joy of Chanukah with hundreds
of congregants at Temple Beth El in
Bloomfield Township as well as with a
local family, the close-knit Goldberg clan,
whose members range in age from 1 to 94.
There will be no host in the documenta-
ry; Our Jewish American Story will be told
by members of the community, such as
Rose Guttman of West Bloomfield, whose
parents perished at Auschwitz while she,
at age 15, was put to work at the German
concentration camp.
"The Detroit Jewish experience, espe-
cially over the past 100 years, is remark-
able and inspiring:' says Horwitz. "It is a
story of caring for the needy, absorbing
and resettling refugees from World War
II and emigres from the former Soviet
Union, and setting a global example of
leadership and support for the creation
and strengthening of the State of Israel.
"I believe Our Jewish American Story
will provide meaningful information and
insights about Jewish Detroit to a large
prime-time audience on WXYZ-TV, and
also serve as an important resource and
inspiration for those involved in stren
ening the future of our community:'
Local philanthropic and communal lead-
er Joel Tauber of West Bloomfield agrees.
"I am pleased and excited that an
Share Your Story
Producer Keith Famie is looking for
interesting individuals and compelling
stories to share in his upcoming docu-
mentary about the Metro Detroit Jewish
community. If you have an idea, or know
someone who would like to retrace
their family's footsteps or reunite with
a friend or family member in Eastern
Europe, contact him through the Web
site www.ourstoryof.com .
Producer Keith Famie films
thousands of shoes at Majdanek
concentration camp in Poland.