58 | SEPTEMBER 21 • 2023
BROADWAY V.
ANTISEMITISM, KOUFAX
STATUE AND MUCH MORE
Not long ago, I discovered
a PBS (New York) series,
and a program in that
series, that has received
virtually no attention in the
media. The series is House
Seats and the House Seats
program is Broadway
Responds to Anti-Semitism.
You can access, for free,
House Seats/Broadway
Responds on every PBS
app. There’s even a
transcript of the program
online (Google the title and
“transcript.”)
The Broadway Responds
program was filmed in
late June 2023. Three
Broadway “biggies” were
interviewed, on a stage,
before a live audience. The
biggies are actress Tovah
Feldshuh, 74, playwright
Alfred Uhry, 86, and lyricist/
playwright Bruce Sussman,
74.
They covered so much
ground, and so intelligently
that I can’t summarize much
of what they said. I urge
you to watch this hour-long
program.
Uhry is best known for
his Atlanta trilogy: Driving
Miss Daisy, Last Night at
Ballyhoo and Parade. All
three focus on Atlanta Jews
and antisemitism is a major
or minor theme in all three.
His German Jewish fam-
ily, Urhy said, settled in
Atlanta before the Civil War.
He explained that he was
hardly exposed to Judaism
growing up but had plenty
of exposure to antisemitism
— including the Klan.
Feldshuh and Sussman
grew up in the New York
area, but they, too, experi-
enced some antisemitism.
Last June, hit revivals of
the musicals Parade and
Funny Girl were running
on Broadway. Both have
recently closed. Feldshuh
played Fanny Brice’s moth-
er, Rose, in the Funny Girl
revival, and she noted that
she was the first “real Jew”
to play Rose. Uhry said that
when Parade premiered in
1998, it didn’t resonate as
much as today. It’s the story
of the lynching of an Atlanta
Jew (1915). In 1998, he said,
antisemitism was at a low
ebb. Not so today.
Sussman said that, by
coincidence, New York
theaters were “jammed”
with productions about
antisemitism. He was prin-
cipally referring to Parade,
Leopoldstadt and Harmony,
a musical.
Sussman wrote the script
for Harmony. He also wrote
the lyrics for the show’s
songs. (Barry Manilow
wrote the music). Harmony
is about a German, six-man
singing group (Jews and
non-Jews) that became very
popular in the 1920s. They
had big problems when the
Nazis took over in the ’30s.
(Harmony will move from
off-Broadway to Broadway
this November.)
The three guests also
took up the “hot” controver-
sy about casting non-Jews
as Jewish characters. They
expressed well-thought out,
but quite different opinions.
Almost all Jews know
that Sandy Koufax, now 87,
was a truly great baseball
pitcher, and most know that
he declined to pitch in the
first game of the 1965 World
Series because the game
fell on Yom Kippur. If you
are a big fan, or just want to
know more, here are three
“must-see” YouTube videos.
In 2022, a large statue of
Koufax was unveiled in front
of the L.A. Dodgers stadi-
um. Nearby is a statue of
the great Jackie Robinson,
Koufax’s teammate when
the Dodgers played in
Brooklyn. These are the
only statues in front of the
stadium, and one ceremony
speaker stated what most
know: One player was
black, the other Jewish.
The first video (30-min.) is
titled Dodger Legend Sandy
Koufax Backstage Dodgers
Season 9. It begins and
ends with excerpts of the
unveiling ceremony speech-
es. In the “middle” 15
minutes, a journalist walks
through a Dodger stadium
indoor corridor chock full of
Koufax pics and trophies.
He provides an excel-
lent Koufax bio and even
shows a film clip or two. He
includes the Yom Kippur
story.
You can see the whole
Koufax speech in a 10-min-
ute YouTube video titled
Sandy Koufax Gives
Gracious Speech at His
Statue Unveiling at Dodger
Stadium. Koufax provides
a mini-bio of his career. He
also thanks many, including
Jackie Robinson, his friend.
Koufax looks as good
as an 87-year-old man
can look. I think he hasn’t
gained a pound since he
retired after the 1966 base-
ball season. Koufax is a
soft-spoken, “classy” man
who has only done “good
things” (like coaching) since
he retired.
Most film or videotape
of Koufax pitching is in
black-and-white and grainy.
Here’s a treat: Back in the
1950s and ’60s, a company
made high-quality (color)
World Series films. These
30-minute films focused on
game “highlights” and were
originally shown in movie
theaters. Some are on a
YouTube channel called
“Sports History Channel.”
Search YouTube for 1965
World Series Highlights.
The late, great Vin Scully
narrates the 1965 series
film. The photography is
much, much better than
1960s TV broadcasts. This
film really captures Koufax’s
distinctive and “deadly”
pitching motion.
Koufax pitched well but
lost the second game of the
’65 series. He won the fifth
and seventh games. Koufax
didn’t give up a run in these
games. He pitched Game 7
with just two day’s rest.
CELEBRITY NEWS
NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST
ARTS&LIFE
NESHAMASHELI
Tovah
Feldshuh
LIZZIEMAC63
Alfred Uhry
MTI
Bruce Sussman