jews d

in
the

Jewish Contributions to Humanity

# in a series

Jews Who
Put Hollywood
On the Map.

Jeff Dreifus, a student rabbi
interning with The Well, leads a
discussion.

A Jewish Lens

The Well explores opioid addiction.

JASON RUBENFIRE SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

T

he opiate crisis in America
has reached epidemic stan-
dards. According to the
CDC, overdose deaths claimed
approximately 64,000 American
lives in 2016, with the numbers
showing few signs of falling. No
corner of America or any one
particular culture or nationality is
shielded from the epidemic.
Recently, The Well hosted
“Addicted: Opiates and Jewish
Wisdom” to explore a Judaic
answer to this crisis.
The event began with Josh
Roberts talking about his struggles
and recovery from opiate addic-
tion. Roberts grew up in West
Bloomfield and had what he called
a normal childhood, surrounded
by family and friends. As a young
adult, he participated in occa-
sional drug and alcohol use out of
what he called “a need to fit in.”
While he was in law school,
Robert’s mother was diagnosed
with ovarian cancer. It was
through her treatment that he
says he was first exposed to opiate
painkillers.
“Being high quickly became
more important than anything ... I
did OK in law school, but I started
to compromise the morals and val-
ues I grew up with,” Roberts told
the crowd of about 50 at the Office
Coffee Shop in Royal Oak. He even-
tually spiraled into lying, stealing
and other behaviors that furthered
his addiction. “I didn’t do them to
hurt people in my life; I didn’t do it
out of malice. I did it because I had
a disease that was out of control.”
After his mother died, Roberts’
recovery blossomed when he
joined the Judaic treatment center
Beit T’Shuvah in Los Angeles. In
his recovery, he has always strived
to combine the Judaic teachings of

his youth and heritage with typical
tenants of Alcoholics/Narcotics
Anonymous (AA/NA) rehabilita-
tion. Roberts stresses you don’t
need to belong to any religion at
all to follow the principles; you
just need to “realize you’re not the
center of the universe,” that there’s
something bigger than you out
there.
“It isn’t necessarily about being
‘struck by God,’” Roberts says. “The
spiritual experience is one of edu-
cation, living my life, [and finding]
new emotions, new ideas and a
new attitude, all based on spiritual
principles.”
As his rehabilitation has pro-
gressed, he now is working to help
others by telling his story and
sharing his own uniquely Jewish
take on rehabilitation.

JEWISH TRADITIONS

Following his speech, participants
split into groups to talk about dis-
cussion questions that used Jewish
texts as well as traditional texts
from other religions and tenets of
recovery. This sparked lively dis-
cussion and debate.
The event concluded with a
panel discussion on opioid addic-
tion led by Stephanie Steinberg,
managing editor of SEEN maga-
zine. Panelists were Dr. Shawn
Achtman, a local doctor special-
izing in physical medicine and
rehabilitation; Dr. Elise Gilbert
Aronowitz, a licensed pharma-
cist with extensive experience
working with opioid issues; and
retired Judge Edward Sosnick, the
first presiding judge of Oakland
County’s Juvenile Drug Court.
Sosnick and Roberts agreed that
people need to be educated that
addiction is not a moral weakness
but a disease. Sosnick stressed that

CARL LAEMMLE (1867-1939).
b. Laupheim, Germany. d. Los Angeles, California.
He founded Universal Studios.
One of Hollywood’s early pioneers, Laemmle was
one of the fathers of Universal Studios, now one of
Hollywood’s “Bix Six.” Born in Germany, Laemmle im-
migrated to Chicago in 1884, eventually settling into a
comfortable life in Wisconsin as a bookkeeper for a
clothing company. He didn’t get his start in entertainment until he was 39, in 1906,
when he returned to Chicago and purchased a chain of “nickelodeon theatres.” He
established the Laemmle Film Service, moved to New York, and began producing his
own films, breaking the custom of not giving screen credits to the performers. In 1912,
Laemmle and eight other movie producers formed the Universal Film Manufacturing
Company, with Laemmle serving as president. Laemmle, who moved Universal to Los
Angeles, worked furiously in the 1930s to help get many Jews out of Germany—rela-
tives, friends and strangers alike. He pledged jobs and financial assistance to over
100 immigrants, and sparred with the German government and U.S. State Department
directly and indirectly helping save more than 300 Jews. Laemmle died three weeks
after Hitler invaded Poland.

MARCUS LOEW (1870-1927).

b. New York, New York. d. Glen Cove, New York.
He founded Loews and MGM.

Considered the most important man in the film industry when
he died young, Marcus Loew formed both Loews Theaters and
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). The son of Austrian-German
immigrants, Loew left school at nine to work, pursuing some
personal business opportunities and declaring bankruptcy in
his teens. His business ventures brought him in contact with
Adolph Zukor, with whom he operated penny arcades. Loew
eventually graduated into the nickelodeon theatre business, and
then opened his own vaudeville and movie theaters, becoming
the leading movie theater owner in New York by 1920. Loews
Theatres became ubiquitous throughout American cities. With
Loew’s purchase of Metro Pictures Corporation and a major interest in Goldwyn Pic-
ture Corporation, Loew soon created MGM, which became one of Hollywood’s largest
film studios. Loews Theatres, meanwhile, was America’s oldest theater chain until it
merged with AMC Theatres in 2006.

JACK WARNER (1892-1978).

b. London, Canada. d. Los Angeles, California.
He founded Warner Bros.
The founder of Warner Bros. Pictures with brothers Harry,
Albert and Sam, Jack Warner had one of the longest careers of
any of Hollywood’s original studio moguls. The Warner broth-
ers pursued small film ventures beginning in the first decade
of the 20th century, operating movie theatres in mining towns
in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The Warners moved into movie
production, opening the first Warner Bros. studio in 1918 on
Sunset Boulevard. Warner Bros. became known for making some of the nation’s
most popular dramas, and acquired some of the town’s biggest stars, including
Bette Davis. Warner was ardently anti-Nazi, and received ire from isolationists for
producing anti-Nazi projects before America’s involvement in World War II. Warner’s
prolific production record continued even after he left Warner, independently produc-
ing both My Fair Lady and Camelot.

Original Research by Walter L. Field Sponsored by Irwin S. Field Written by Jared Sichel

continued on page 18

jn

July 19 • 2018

17

