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Center Of The World
PBS's Jerusalem delivers history
without controversy.
Michael Fox
Special to the Jewish News
T
he most surprising aspect of the
engaging two-hour PBS docu-
mentary Jerusalem: Center of the
World is how it sidesteps controversy.
Even a viewer with only a superficial
awareness of the Middle East has to
wonder going in how American public
television would confront the combustible
triumvirate of religion, power and land.
One can only conclude from producer-
director Andrew Goldberg's decision to
condense the last 150 years into the final
five minutes of screen time that avoiding
political hot buttons was an explicit goal.
It's a bit unfair, actually, to mock the
program's evasion of the messy present; for
it's clear from the outset, and from the trav-
elogue format, that there is no urgent public
affairs agenda propelling host Ray Suarez
(of The Newshour with Jim Lehrer) and
company forward. This is simply a lucid,
generous-to-all rendering of history for its
own sake, filtered through three religions
yet wrested free of the emotion and dogma
that colors most views of the Holy City.
Jerusalem airs 9-11 p.m. Wednesday, April
1, on Detroit Public Television-Channel 56.
Conceived and presented as a chrono-
logical view that draws on extant biblical
studies, archaeological analysis and his-
torical research, the well-paced program
evinces a universal point of view. It shifts
from Judaism to Christianity to Islam as
Jerusalem successively shifted to the fore-
front of each religion over four millennia.
It has a surprisingly relaxed tone, exem-
plified by Suarez's white chinos and inter-
views conducted outdoors in the open air
rather in the experts' stuffy offices or librar-
ies. The documentary also embraces occa-
sional moments of lightness with cameos
by Indiana Jones, Mark Twain and (perhaps
less amusingly) the Queen of Sheba.
Jerusalem: Center of the World begins
with Abraham, the first monotheist (and
first mega-church preacher, as one historian
describes him). The already-sacred spot
where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac, Mt.
Moriah, soon became the city of Jerusalem.
The next key figure (after Moses) was
the warrior-king David who, seeking
to unite the 12 tribes, took Jerusalem,
made it the capital and drew up plans to
build an edifice to house the Ark of the
Covenant. It was left to Solomon to carry
out the job, and his Temple stood for more
than 400 years until the Babylonians con-
quered Judah, and King Nebuchadnezzar
destroyed it along with Jerusalem.
It was Herod who rebuilt the Temple, on
a vast mount. When Jesus, an iconoclastic
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Jew, came to
Jerusalem, he
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was hailed as
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the Messiah by
his followers
(although the
A medieval map shows Jerusalem at the center of the world.
belief that he
was the son of
God was not a
the penniless princes!'
Jewish concept).
Goldberg (the filmmaker behind PBS's
After the destruction of the Second
2007 documentary Anti-Semitism in the
Temple in 70 C.E. by the Romans, and the
end of the revolt three years later at Masada, 21st Century) moves crisply through the
shifting sand dunes, avoiding the dry
Jews were expelled from Jerusalem. This
pedantry
of arcane history. But no one will
tragedy inspired the Amidah, the three-
mistake
Jerusalem
for adventurous film-
times-a-day prayer asking God to rebuild
making or, for that matter, a road map to
Jerusalem and restore David's throne.
resolving current tensions.
No Jews lived in Jerusalem for the next
The closest the documentary comes to
500 hundred years, until the Muslims
editorializing
of any kind is a lingering
gained control of the city and allowed 70
shot,
in
the
waning
moments, of the sepa-
Jewish families to move in. The Crusades
ration
barrier
in
the
sun-baked landscape.
brought the Christian army to Jerusalem
After
two
hours
and
4,000
years, we're left
for a bloody battle that ended with the
to
ponder
if
it
will
last
as
long
as the walls
massacre of the defeated Muslims along
Saladin
erected
around
the
Old
City or the
with the comparatively small group of
Temple
built
by
Herod.
❑
Jewish inhabitants.
Over the ensuing centuries, Jews trick-
led back into Jerusalem, although it can't
Jerusalem: Center of the World
be said that the chosen people prospered.
airs 9-11 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, on
They were supported by Jews in the dias-
Detroit Public Television-Channel 56.
pora, who considered them "the guardians
of the synagogue, the poorest of the poor,
Jews
Nate Bloom
Special to the Jewish News
See Sammy Run
In 2001, Ben Stiller had a film
studio pay $2 million for the rights
to What Makes Sammy Run?, Budd
Schulberg's great
1941 novel about
Sammy Glick, a hus-
tling young man who
turns his back on
his Jewish heritage
and unscrupulously
climbs to the top in
Hollywood. However,
Budd
Schulberg, now 94,
Schulberg
despairs that Stiller
will ever make the film. So, for now,
the only film we have of Sammy is
a movie-length 1959 TV production
that was recently rediscovered and
just came out on DVD. The late Larry
Blyden plays the title role.
C18
March 26 m 2009
his co-starring role as the
for Raab, who is observant.
Broadway Bound
older son in the surprise
Meanwhile,
veteran
If you happen to hit New York City
indie hit The Squid and
Marc
Broadway actor
this spring, here are some Broadway
Whale, directed and written
co-stars
as
the
boss
Kudisch
shows with a Jewish connection.
Noah Baumbach.
by
in a new musical version
The comedy of manners God of
of
the
hit
1980
film
9
to
5,
Carnage, already a big hit in Paris
TV Notes
opening April 7.
and London, about two sophisticated
Most didn't know it, but it
couples who meet to discuss a play-
Jesse
was
"Jew vs. Jew" when
New
Flicks
ground fight between their children in
Eisenb erg
comedian
Jon Stewart
Monsters
v.
Aliens,
an
ani-
a conversation that quickly becomes
recently
took
on
CNBC
stock analyst
mated
film
featuring
the
voices
of
heated and irrational, features a stel-
Jim
Cramer.
Jeffrey
and
Seth
Rogen,
Paul
Rudd
lar cast that includes Hope Davis,
Little noticed was the fact that
Tambor (Arrested Development)
James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden
Sen.
John McCain's daughter Meghan
opens
March
27.
and Michigan's own Jeff Daniels. The
called
conservative news commenta-
Scheduled
to
open
April
3
is
(Art),
a
playwright is Yasmina Reza
tor
Ann
Coulter "anti-Semitic" in an
about
a
col-
Adventureland,
French Jew of Iranian Jewish
interview
with CBS.
lege
student
who
has
to
face
and Hungarian Jewish ances-
She
told
Harry Smith, "I have a
old
problems
when
a
troubled
try.
friend
that's
Jewish — [Coulter) made
young
man
from
his
past
The
The current revival of
anti-Semitic
comments.
It's hard
arrives
on
campus
and
begins
Phantom of the Opera co-
to
defend
that."
In
2007,
Coulter
to
insinuate
himself
into
his
Marni
Raab,
who
can
stars
Donny
told
Jewish
talk-show
host
life.
really sing, in the lead female
Deutsch that "Jews were unperfect-
It stars Jesse Eisenberg,
role of Christine. This is the
ed Christians." -1]
Marni R aab
25, probably best known for
first Broadway starring role