6 | AUGUST 31 • 2023 guest column Oppenheimer, Golda, Barbie ... and Me T hree movies this sum- mer bear the names of iconic 20th-century Jews: Oppenheimer, Golda and Barbie. All three movies speak to both the vulnerabilities and the strengths of the Jewish People, call- ing us especially at this time of year in service to each other and to humanity. The movie Oppenheimer sug- gests that the motivation of the Jewish scientists at the core of the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb was just as much a response to the existential crisis facing European Jewry as it was to protect the United States. In addition to showing the scientists’ later ethical conflicts with nuclear weaponry, the film suggests that the “soft power” of Jewish edu- cational success coupled with the closeness of the Jewish people significantly furthered the “hard power” (weapons and soldiers) that helped the U.S. to win World War II. Likewise facing the possibility of Jewish destruction, Golda depicts the difficult choices Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir confronted during 1973’s Yom Kippur War, including the last-resort possibility of Israel using the (aforemen- tioned) atomic bomb against the invading armies who nearly over- ran the Jewish State. Among other reasons for Israel’s ultimate victory, Golda suggests that America finally came to Israel’s aid with “hard power” because of — again — the “soft power” of Jewish relation- ships: the prime minister appealed directly to the Jewishness of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger who ultimately secured military aid for Israel, despite America’s greater interests in protecting its own access to Arab oil. In obvious ways, Barbie stands apart from Oppenheimer and Golda with its messages of female empowerment and self-realization, along with its gentle call for the protection of human rights and dignity. Barbie also reminds us of Jews’ entrepreneurial success in America — Mattel was founded by Jews, including Barbie’s creator Ruth Handler — both as a reac- tion to American antisemitism and as a testament to the freedoms life in the U.S. offers Jews. What we see clearly in Barbie, however, is that when the non-Jewish world ensures the safety of Jews and the doors to liberalism are opened for our people, then we rise to the forefront of the fight to extend the values of individual freedom and equality of opportunity to all. Jewish safety and freedom make the world better for all people. In looking back today at the vulnerabilities and strengths of the Jewish people in the 20th century, we see parallels to our own times: rising antisemitism in America and the ongoing threats against Israel of annihilation by Iran and its proxies, balanced against the profound success of Jews in American business, entertainment and government, and the incred- ible accomplishments of the Israeli Rabbi Aaron Starr PURELY COMMENTARY 1942 - 2023 Covering and Connecting Jewish Detroit Every Week To make a donation to the DETROIT JEWISH NEWS FOUNDATION go to the website www.djnfoundation.org The Detroit Jewish News (USPS 275-520) is published every Thursday at 32255 Northwestern Highway, #205, Farmington Hills, Michigan. Periodical postage paid at Southfield, Michigan, and additional mailing offices. 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