PBS specials examine modern role of Jewish traditionThree specials examining the role of Jewish values and tradition in modern American life will be presented this month on local PBS station KAET-TV (Channel 8).Premiering at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, "Dr. Laura Schlessinger: The Ten Commandments, What's in It for Me?" looks at the ancient rules for living and how they are as vital today as they were thousands of years ago. The special is based on Schlessinger's latest book with the same name, written with Rabbi Stewart Vogel. On the TV show, Schlessinger uses humor and provocative advice to explain how the wisdom of the Bible provides direction for people of all ages. She notes that many people rationalize or fail to examine decisions that could have a long-term impact on their lives. The program was taped before an audience at the SNET Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, Conn., and Schlessinger answers questions from the audience during the show, in the style of her popular radio program. At 12:55 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, Channel 8 presents "Another Mitzvah," which uses vintage film footage, family photos and the history of individual experiences to the explore the ways American Jews understand and value their heritage. Comedian Alan King, impressionist Marilyn Michaels, author Erica Jong and many others share their stories. According to KAET, "Another Mitzvah" illuminates many facets of the Jewish-American legacy, including humor reflecting the spirit of the Jewish mind, music revealing the depths of the Jewish soul, and what Jong describes in the program as "the joyousness of our heritage." Beginning at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25, the station will air "A Life Apart: Hassidism in America." Makers of the 90-minute documentary entered the Hassidic communities of Brooklyn, N.Y., to obtain a rare glimpse of this spiritual society, its history and its reality. Narrated by Sarah Jessica Parker and Leonard Nimoy, the program examines how the Hassidim managed to establish themselves in America and maintain their way of life. It tells the dramatic story of the creation of post-Holocaust communities in the U.S., explores tensions and confusions experienced by the Hassidim when they first arrived here after World War II, and looks at decisions they had to make in order to uphold a strict observance of Jewish ritual and law. The documentary also includes comments from outside observers who speak on tensions that still exist between Hassids and the world outside their community. 
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