Marlo & Phil. Viola Davis & Julius Tennon. Arlene & Alan Alda. HRC. isabel Wilkerson. Woody Guthrie classic in Yiddish. Blacks & Jews. Biko. Vaccination elites.
LETTY COTTIN POGREBIN NEWSLETTER #103 MARCH 8, 2021
One year and more than a half million fatalities later, we're still trying to adjust to the new normal; learn how to socially distance without becoming anti-social or isolates, how to stay connected to our friendship networks without turning into Zoom Zombies, how to absorb the extent of Covid's tragic impact on so many lives while not succumbing to despair or hopelessness. During these months, I've tried to balance reality and relief-from-reality by offering you humor, memes, cultural recommendations, news items, and activist suggestions. Warm thanks to those subscribers who've added their contributions to the mix. I welcome ideas from all of you, however quirky, partisan, or self-referential. Don't be modest.
PODCASTS
* Today is the debut of 'Double Date with Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue,' the podcast based on their bestselling book, What Makes a Marriage Last. Marlo and Phil fell in love on live TV and celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary last May. Now, you can eavesdrop on their intimate conversations with celebrated couples in long-term unions. Today's episode focuses on actors Viola Davis and Julius Tennon. Viola says "The best part about our marriage is We're the fun!" She says she prayed for exactly the kind of man she wanted and 3-1/2 weeks later she met Julius who met all her criteria. He says, "My mom always told me to respect women." No wonder they've been married for 20 years! Available wherever you get your podcasts.
* Speaking of long marriages, Arlene & Alan Alda, who've been wed for more than 60 years, will be reading their work and interviewing each other tonight at 7. Says Alan, "I wonder what I'll find out about her."
MUSIC
* Uplifting to the max: The new music video "Biko" from Playing for Change showcases musicians from around the world: Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, Wadsworth, NV; Yo Yo Ma, Boston, MA; Jason Tamba, Kinshasa, Congo; Tushar Lall, Mumbai, India; Angélique Kidjo, Paris, France; The Cape Town Ensemble, Gugulethu, South Africa; Peter Gabriel, Wilshire, UK; Cristina Pato, Galicia, Spain; TaikoProject, Little Tokyo, CA; Meshell Ndegeocello, Hudson, NY; Sebastian Robertson, LA, CA; Dynamic Music Collective, LA, CA; Silk Road, Brooklyn, NY
* A warm bath in nostalgia. "This Land is Your Land, here sung in Yiddish," was composed by Woody Guthrie, bard of the people (above in March 1943 with his guitar, labelled "This machine kills fascists.") Updated by The Forward, the music video, which features an international group of Yiddish singers and klezmer musicians, was produced by punk-klezmer musician Daniel Kahn.
BLACKS & JEWS -- AND BLACK JEWS
* Nearly 200 U.S. music & film celebrities & executives join the Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance. See their mission statement and upcoming events here. Aaron Bay-Schuck, co-chair and CEO of Warner Records says “The black & Jewish communities, who have a long history of supporting & working together, are so much stronger when we stand together in the fight against hate. This Alliance will elevate voices in the entertainment community that can help the public to better understand the causes, manifestations & effects of racism & antisemitism, ensuring that our industry is doing its part to be a voice for hope, unity & healing.”
FILM
* Barnard's Athena Film Festival focuses this year on themes like “Women in STEM” and “Dismantling White Supremacy.” RSVP here for conversations about the films, including, "Disability Access & Visibility in Film & Television (Mar.18); "Deconstructing Whiteness," (Mar. 23); Black Feminist Future" (Mar. 25);
COVID BULLETIN
* The confusion around who qualifies and how and where to get the vaccine (and stories about the slime balls who jumped the line) has created a new elite -- the vaccinated classes. If you're among the lucky ones who've had both shots, you'll be thrilled by this news from the Centers for Disease Control: "Fully vaccinated Americans can spend time together indoors and unmasked." Dinner party, anyone?
POLITICS, sort of
* Like Bernie Sanders' mittens, there's been no let up on Ted Cruz since his Cancun fiasco. Someone sent me former Sen. Al Franken roasting Cruz in 2017, which includes Sen. Amy Klobuchar's joke about the "poop cruise." (Carnival Line's cruise ship stuck for weeks in the ocean.)
WOMEN & GIRLS
* Happy International Women's Day. Please celebrate IWD and Women's History Month by donating to the Ms. Foundation for Women (Full disclosure: I'm a Founding Mother of the Foundation, along with Gloria Steinem, Marlo Thomas, and Pat Carbine, above; and hugely proud of MFW's 50 years of support of grass roots groups working to enhance the lives of women & girls, now centering on women and girls of color)
* Another way to mark International Women's Day. Watch "Pissed Off: The Fight for Gender Equity in Politics & Sports." NPR's Susan Stamberg moderates a panel with Christine Brennan, USA sports columnist & CNN commentator; Sharon Pratt, former DC Mayor & Founding Director of the Institute of Politics Policy & History, & Aviva Kempner, filmmaker & DC Statehood advocate. (below)The program kicks off with a 3-min preview of Kempner’s upcoming documentary "Pissed Off," which details the crusade for potty parity on Capitol Hill, & the new initiative, SEW: Sports Equality for Women. Tonight at 7 PM. Register here.
* Abigail Pogrebin will interview Hillary Clinton as part of The Streicker Center’s “Women Inspiring Women” series. Thurs, March 11, 11:30 a.m. EST, 10:30 a.m. CST, 8:30 a.m. PST Online, Free. And as part of her JCC of Manhattan series, 'What Everyone’s Talking About," Abby will be in conversation with Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson (above) March 17, 8:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. CST, 5:00 p.m. PST
ISRAEL/ PALESTINE
Just opened in Tel Aviv: Visit Israel's newest museum virtually. ANU: The Museum of the Jewish People.
* The controversy around Michael Che's recent Saturday Night Live joke about Israel's alleged failure to vaccinate Palestinian-Israeli citizens arouses some to charge blood libel and demand an apology from Che and SNL,Others argue that not everything is antiSemitic and we'd better stop calling wolf or else, when real predators sink their teeth into our necks, our cries for help will be ignored. See Haaretz op-ed by Joshua Shanes, "No, 'Saturday Night Live' Isn't Inciting the Mass Murder of Jews" & column by Anshel Pfeffer "Stop feeding the antiSemitism outrage merchants."
* The IHRA definition of antiSemitism is pretty straightforward and to my mind unassailable. The problem lies in its application, especially on campuses, where it's been used to to silence dissent and squelch criticism of the Netanyahu government's policies in the West Bank and its treatment of Palestinians whose lives Israel controls. Check out two illuminating JTA stories about the controversy: Why people are fighting about the definition. And why the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations endorsed it.
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* Pre-Passover story: When David Ben Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister, came to the U.S. to ask for America's support, then Secy of State John Foster Dulles challenged him:
"Tell me, Prime Minister, who is your new state supposed to represent? Jews from Poland, or those from Yemen, Romania, Morocco, Iraq, Russia or possibly Brazil? After thousands of years of exile can you honestly talk about one nation, one culture? A unique legacy? A single Jewish tradition?"
Ben Gurion replied, "About 300 years ago, the Mayflower left England with the first settlers who arrived in what would become the great democratic superpower known as the United States of America. Do me a favor, go out in the street and ask 10 American kids:
1. what was the name of the Mayflower captain?
2. how long did the trip last?
3. what were the passengers eating?
4. describe the navigation conditions during the trip?
I'm sure you'll agree there's a good chance you won't get answers to those questions.
"On the other hand, more than 3000 years ago, the Jews left the land of Egypt. As you travel the world, Mr. Secretary, I challenge you to ask 10 Jewish children in different countries to answer these questions:
1. what was the name of the leader who led the Jews out of Egypt?
2. how long did it take them before they arrived in the land of Israel?
3. what were they eating during the desert crossing?
4. what happened when they found themselves facing the sea?
"Once you get their answers, I invite you to reconsider the question you just asked me!"
JUST FOR LAUGHS (thanks Sybil)
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