Viewers differ on whether TV offers balanced picture
RANDI BAROCAS
Staff Writer
While there is no question as to whether there are Jewish characters and Jewish themes addressed on television these days - there are many - the viewing Jewish public has differing opinions about how these characters and themes are presented.
Elaine Hirsch, coordinator for the Bureau of Jewish Education Resource Center in Phoenix, does not think Jews are fairly and accurately represented on television.
"What used to be Jewish humor has taken a different form to the point now where it is knocking Judaism," Hirsch said. "Many of these marginally affiliated Jews (in the television industry) are making fun of Judaism as opposed to themselves as human beings."
But because "not all Jews are affiliated and married to other Jews," notes Jonathan Pearl, co-founder of the Jewish Televimages Resource Center in Queens, N.Y., "television is fairly representative of the Jewish population."
Pearl and his wife, Judy, founded JTRC in 1986 to explore, evaluate and enhance popular television's Jewish themes and characters. A result of their efforts is the annual Jewish Televimages Awards, which are presented to television writers, producers and directors who have portrayed Jewish characters and themes in fair, accurate and often educational on-screen situations.
Pearl said that in instances where Jews are portrayed in a negative or stereotypical light, the Jewish community has a legitimate complaint - but only if the scenes are in excess. "Why does there seem to be some deep-seated fear among some writers and members of the community about having (a stereotypical or negative Jewish) character on television? I'm not (afraid of that)," Pearl said. "But I do think if all depictions of Jews on television were bad, then we would have a problem."
Joel Breshin, Phoenix regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said most of the problems he has encountered with the negative portrayal of Jews on TV have occurred with programs on local public-access stations.
"People ... bring in tapes of anything and have it shown," Breshin charged.
At one time, Louis Farakhan and four other anti-Semitic participants were appearing regularly on a local public-access channel and sharing their anti-Semitic views, Breshin said. He acknowedged that he hasn't seen any of those programs for a few years though.
Despite Breshin's opinion that public-access television "in all the years that I have been working, has been the biggest culprit (of showing negative images of Jews)," for the most part, he said he has been comfortable with what he's seen on television.
"While there are a fair amount of Jews who work in the industry, we need more who have a fair amount of commitment to the issues we care about," Breshin added.
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