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