APRIL 29 • 2021 | 41
thing the collection contains
— prayer books, rabbinic
texts, Biblical texts, person-
al letters, commercial lists,
compositions by people like
Maimonides, Judah Halevi
poetry, marriage documents
and exercises for children
learning how to write.”
All the documents remain
in their original languages,
whether Hebrew, Aramaic,
Arabic or Judeo-Arabic for
scholars to translate.
“
A major point [in the
collection] was the great
acculturation of the Jewish
community in the Arab-
Muslim community of medi-
eval Cairo,” said Kraemer,
who has spoken many times
at local synagogues and the
University of Michigan.
“Jews spoke Arabic, lived
in ways very similar to
their neighbors and were
very much involved with
the lives of their neighbors
but [remained] powerful-
ly Jewish. [The Geniza] is
about people living together
in ways that are often quite
unexpected.”
Other documentaries
being showcased this year
include Mrs. G, which tells
about the woman who
designed and established a
booming swimwear busi-
ness; Hollywood’s Second
World War, which reveals
how successful European-
born directors returned to
Europe and risked their lives
to make films about U.S.
Army triumphs, such as the
liberation of Dachau; and
Maverick Modigliani, which
chronicles the life of the
Jewish Italian artist.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
“I remember talking to a
Michigan audience as a nice
experience with everything
very well organized, and I
love Forgiveness because I
love comedies,” said Shafran,
who has been a producer
with his own company,
Firma Films, for 15 years and
has overseen 10 feature mov-
ies, TV series and shorts.
“This comedy is warm and
funny, and it has a meaning
that says although someone
or something is harming you,
you need to try and find a
place to forgive. I hope that
people will see this film, laugh
and cry, and think about how
forgiveness is a great thing.
”
Other festival comedies
include Kiss Me Kosher, which
is about lovers who don’t
seem meant for each other,
and If You See My Mother,
which is about a young doc-
tor who talks to his mom
after her death while starting
a romance mom likely would
not approve of.
Remaining films delve into
relationships, wildlife adven-
ture, Holocaust drama, mys-
tery and other topics that draw
audiences to plotlines in varied
contexts of Judaism.
While the documentary
On Broadway features big-
name stars talking about
stage creativity and business,
Israeli singer-actress Shiri
Maimon, who has starred
on Broadway, can be seen in
Forgiveness. She is particu-
larly familiar to a Michigan
audience who watched her
remote musical appearance
in a recent Temple Israel
program.
details
The Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival runs
May 2-23. $5 per film per viewer
available in a 24-hour time frame. For a full listing
of films, associated programming, sponsorship and
festival passes, go to culturalarts.jccdet.org/filmfest.
(248) 609-3303.
CHIMPS, LOONEY TUNES,
LATE NIGHT, KIDS’ GEMS
The HBO special, The
Human Chimp, pre-
mieres on April 29. In
1964, Univ. of Oklahoma
psychologist Maurice K.
Temerlin (1924-1988) and
his wife, Jane Whitbeck
Temerlin, adopted a young
chimpanzee whom they
named Lucy and raised as a
human child. At first, things
went well. However, by the
time a young grad student,
Janis Carter, was hired
(1976) by the Temerlins, the
experiment had turned sour.
Lucy was considered unpre-
dictable and dangerous.
The Temerlins told Carter to
just feed Lucy and clean up
after her. The next year, they
asked Carter to accompany
them, and Lucy, to a facility
in Africa where chimps were
trained to go back into the
wild. Carter was supposed to
be in Africa for a few days,
but stayed for a decade, try-
ing to help Lucy and some
other chimps.
Carter, now 70, was exten-
sively interviewed by the
filmmaker. The Hollywood
Reporter, which highly
praised the film, does note
that Maurice did express
regrets about how he raised
Lucy without contact with
other chimps.
On a much lighter note,
on April 29, HBO will begin
streaming new Looney
Tunes cartoons. The 10-epi-
sode season follows critically
acclaimed new Looney
Tunes cartoon releases on
HBO in 2019 and 2020. I sus-
pect that Jeff Bergman, who
voices Elmer Fudd and other
characters, is Jewish, but it’s
unconfirmed. However, Bob
Bergen, 57, who voices
Porky Pig, is definitely
Jewish. In a 2014 interview,
he discussed his one-man
show, describing it as “the
story of a nice Jewish boy
who wanted to be Porky.” In
the same interview, he relat-
ed how, at age 14, he bluffed
his way into a Hollywood
studio and met his idol, Mel
Blanc, who originated the
Porky voice. Bergen, a three-
time Emmy nominee, is a top
voice actor. He has been the
voice of Porky, in cartoons
and ads, since 1990.
The Story of Late Night is
a six-part original CNN series
(starts Sunday, May 2). It’s
about the history of late-night
talk shows. For whatever
reason, there has never
been a Jewish host of a “big
ratings” late-night talk show.
However, Chelsea Handler,
46, who had a “2nd tier” talk
show, appears in the series.
Also appearing is Lorne
Michaels, 76, the creator
of SNL and the producer
of Late Night (now hosted
by Seth Meyers, who isn’t
Jewish, but his wife is, and
they were wed in a Jewish
ceremony.)
The second season of
the revival of the popular
’60s series, Kids Say the
Darndest Things, will begin
on CBS on Wednesday, May
5, at 8 p.m. Host Tiffany
Haddish, 41, has the ability
to coax “real” and often
funny comments from the
kids. The show also features
clips from the original series,
which starred Art Linkletter.
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MOVIE 2 CAST REVEAL VIA WIKIPEDIA
ARTS&LIFE
Tiffany Haddish