Filmmaker Michele Ohayon\’s career previously highlighted serious (and politically correct) subjects, such as oppressed Palestinians and homeless women. She won a 1997 Oscar nomination for \”Colors Straight Up,\” her profile of urban youth in the aftermath of the L.A. riots.
I became one of Wendy\’s regular I-should-be-writing-but-let\’s-meet-for-coffee-instead dates. It was a blast to help Wendy procrastinate. We shopped, gossiped and swore to get thin together. We went to each other\’s openings. I was her date for award ceremonies and multiple engagements where, in her words, \”I\’m speaking to the Jews.\”
Having never been to a Jewish prayer service before, the non-Jewish students wanted to see what it was like. The tradition fascinated many, and everyone could relate to the singing and dancing.
John F. Kennedy once said, \”When written in Chinese, the word \’crisis\’ is composed of two characters. One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.\”
Life is full of change — in fact, one of the only things we can predict and count on in life is that things won\’t stay the same. For many of us, this is exemplified in our work. Indeed, statistics suggest that most adults will experience five to 12 careers or job changes in a lifetime.
By now thousands of published articles, ranging from critical to hateful, have appeared about the famous Jack Abramoff — Orthodox Jew, former Washington super-lobbyist, product of an affluent Beverly Hills upbringing and future inmate of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He has pleaded guilty to mail fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy.
Oliner\’s personal turnabout resulted in studies, which still continue, at his Altruistic Personality and Prosocial Behavior Institute at Humboldt. From there, Oliner and his wife, Pearl, have interviewed more than 500 rescuers who risked everything to save others, while seeking no personal reward.
It\’s not surprising that my husband is the first in line at one of the earliest \”Kong\” press screenings. He\’s loved the giant simian since he first watched the 1933 classic film on TV when he was 7.
Were Spielberg another too-left Hollywood type who cavalierly flirted with the tough issues posed by \”Munich\” with no previous record of involvement or concern about Jewish matters, one might begin to fathom the nastiness of the attacks and the gratuitous personal barbs. But he comes to the movie with a distinguished, if not unparalleled, track record of achievement vis a vis the Jewish community, Israel and its image.
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