December 15, 2010

Recently, I was invited to a dinner party at a friend’s home along with many guests. I sat down beside a woman I’d never met. I introduced myself, and she asked, “So what do you do?”

I wasn’t quite sure how to answer. I could have provided a number of responses that were completely true, but none told the whole story. I could have said: ‘I’m a stay-at-home mom’ (or a ‘full-time mom’). Or ‘I teach’ (since I teach one course in the fall at the American Jewish University. Or ‘I’m a writer’ (but my book hadn’t been accepted for publication). Or ‘I’m a rabbi’ (but I wasn’t working in a congregational capacity). Or ‘I’m a student’ – since I’m working on a Ph.D. (albeit slowly, when the kids are in school)…

How should I choose between these possible responses? Should I pick the one that sounded most respectable? Or should I pick the one that was closest to my heart?

Before having my second child, the answer to this question would have been automatic. “I’m a rabbi of a congregation.” I could answer without a moment’s pause, and the response was well-respected. But now, I wondered: why was answering such a simple question so hard?

In this week’s Torah portion, Jacob’s sons faced a similar dilemma. Their occupation was straightforward: they were shepherds in Canaan. But then they came to Egypt during a famine and were reunited with their brother Joseph, who was a vizier in Egypt. When Joseph prepared to introduce his family to the Pharaoh, he warned them that shepherds were held in low esteem in Egypt. He told his brothers: When Pharaoh asks you what you do, tell him that you’re “breeders of livestock,” which was held in higher regard.

Nevertheless, when the brothers were introduced to Pharaoh, and as expected, Pharaoh asked: “What do you do?” the brothers responded, ‘We your servants have always been shepherds, from our youth until now, as were also our fathers.” The brothers answered honestly without hesitation. They were proud of their profession, regardless of what others (even those in power) might think.

A few days after the dinner party, my daughter provided me the real answer to the woman’s question. One day in the back seat of the car, Hannah said: “I’m a mitzvah-girl.” When I inquired further, I discovered that this concept was one she was taught in preschool. In Jewish tradition, a mitzvah is a commandment. When a child in the class did something good (such as helping a friend) the teachers encouraged them by singing a song, which said that the child “is a mitzvah-girl” or “mitzvah-boy.”

Reflecting on Hannah’s statement, I realized that all the activities I do have one thing in common. Teaching and studying Torah, raising a family, and helping others are all mitzvoth (commandments). I’m a mitzvah-girl. That’s what I’ve always been and what I’ll always be.

The brothers’ simple answer to Pharaoh bespeaks a deeper truth. Whatever our job titles may be, our job description is the same. We are all shepherds of each others’ souls.

“The King’s Speech”—which today snagged seven Golden Globe Awards nominations, the most of any contending film – is the brainchild of British screenwriter and nominee David Seidler, whose flight from the Nazis and Jewish family trauma partly inspired the movie.  Other frontrunners include the Mark Zuckerberg-Facebook saga “The Social Network,” tied with “The Fighter” with six nods; and Darren Aronofsky’s lushly photographed, intense ballet drama, “Black Swan,” with four nominations.

Kevin Spacey, who plays disgraced Orthodox former lobbyist Jack Abramoff in “Casino Jack,” is up for best actor in a musical or comedy, as is Paul Giamatti of “Barney’s Version,” based on a novel by Canadian-Jewish author Mordecai Richler.  Meanwhile, Jesse Eisenberg (Zuckerberg in “The Social Network”) will compete in the dramatic category with performers such as “127 Hours’” James Franco, who recently spoke to the Journal about combining his film work with doctoral studies in English at Yale and even his desire to become bar mitzvah.

On the TV side, nods went to shows such as “Glee,” “30 Rock,” “Mad Men,” “Boardwalk Empire,” “Hung” and “Modern Family.”

“The King’s Speech,” which is nominated for best picture and best screenplay, and is considered a frontrunner for the Oscars – tells of how England’s King George VI, a severe stutterer, overcame his crippling debilitation with the help of an unorthodox speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush, nominated for best supporting actor).

In a Journal interview with Arts & Entertainment Editor Naomi Pfefferman, the 73-year-old Seidler described how he fled the Blitz with his family just before the age of 3, arriving in New York a stutterer due to the turmoil.  But wartime radio broadcasts by England’s King George VI — who himself overcame stuttering— gave Seidler hope.  “He was a childhood hero of mine,” the screenwriter explained.

The accolades lavished upon the film have thrilled Seidler, whose previous efforts have been more modest endeavors in television and film.  In fact the movie’s brilliant premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival “was one of those magical moments,” Seidler said.  “It was a big theater – at least 2,000 people – and when the film ended 2,000 people rose to their feet.  It was pretty overwhelming.  I was just suddenly struck very forcefully that my voice had truly been heard; stutterers often feel that no one wants to hear them speak.  Then they turned the spotlight on and there I was with mucus coming out of my nose and tears pouring down.” 

Seidler believes viewers relate to the film because “It’s not just about being a king or a stutterer.  It’s about any kind of marginalization.  And when we’re talking about marginalization from society,” he added, “this is something that certainly resonates with the Jewish community.” 

In another interview with The Journal, Eisenberg, ever the meticulous artist, recounted how he prepared for the role of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg:  “I read everything I could about him, and watched every video.”  Did Eisenberg like his controversial character?  “Very much so,” he said, “because I spent six months, 14 hours a day thinking about him, and so I developed a great affection, as you do with any role you play that you like.  You develop a great affection for the character and it really takes up a special emotional place.” 

The film’s other nominees include screenwriter Aaron Sorkin; Andrew Garfield in the best supporting actor category for his portrayal of Zuckerberg’s best friend and Facebook co-founder, Eduardo Saverin; and director David Fincher.

Another competitor is director Aronofky, whose “Black Swan” spotlights a dancer’s descent into madness under horrific pressure to achieve artistic perfection. Those who remember Aronofsky’s Jewish characters in the Kabalistic thriller “Pi” and “Requiem for a Dream” may perceive some Tribal dynamics in “Black Swan,” whose four female actresses – including nominees Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis – hail from Jewish backgrounds. “What Aronofsky serves up, whether intentional or not, is an uncommonly well-wrought portrait of the classic push-pull of Jewish mothers and daughters: You’re perfect, but not perfect enough,” Tablet noted. “Their relationship curdles under the pressure of smothering closeness, but that doesn’t make it any less engrossing, just more complex: Nina might routinely hit “ignore” when her cell phone flashes “Mom” on caller ID, but when she finds out she will be the next Swan Queen, the first thing she does is lock herself in a bathroom stall to call home and report the news: “He picked me, Mommy!”

Also of interest to Journal readers: Radu Mihaileanu’s “The Concert” is up for best foreign film for its tale of a celebrated conductor of the Bolshoi Orchestra, Andrei Filipov, who was ostracized for refusing to fire his Jewish friends. Melanie Laurent, who played the vengeful Jewess of “Inglourious Basterds” stars as an enigmatic French violinist.

The 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards will be broadcast nationwide live on NBC, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011 from 5:00-8:00 (PST)/8:00-11:00 (EST) from the Beverly Hilton Hotel.