SERIES: ONLY IN AMERICA: 350 Years of the American Jewish Experience

Summary:

ONLY IN AMERICA tells the 350-year story of American Jews in six one-hour programs and two specials. The series will appeal to all listeners, to everyone whose family immigrated to America ? yesterday or 400 years ago. These sound-rich programs are artfully mixed using archival sound, oral history clips, interviews, narration, music (sacred, popular and novelty songs,) and historical documents read by leading actors including John Lithgow, Jerry Stiller and Zero Mostel. Jon Stewart and Mel Brooks reflect on being Jewish.

Website:

http://www.onlyinamerica.info (for listeners). http://onlyinamerica.info/stations (for stations).

Additional Credits and Funding:

Executive Producer and Narrator: Larry Josephson. Produced by Larry Josephson, Sarah Elzas and Sara Porath
Recording Engineers: Bill Siegmund and Robert Auld
Postproduction: David Rapkin and Robert Auld
Historical Consultant: Dr. Jonathan Sarna, Brandeis University
Resident Radio Doctor: Marty Goldensohn
Script Consultant: Paul Fischer
Researchers: Sarah Kramer, Adam Goodkind, Frannie Carr, Elinoar Astrinsky, Rosa Goldensohn, Maisie Tivnan, Rae Lyn Grogan and Diana Green.

Funded by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Arts, Saul and Stanley Zabar, Edwin A. Goodman, Harvey & Thelma Reisman, The John L. Loeb, Jr. Foundation, the law firm of Fross, Zelnick, Lehrman & Zissu, and one anonymous donor.

Tones:

Engaging, Informational, Personal

Language:

English

Description:

ONLY IN AMERICA tells the story of American Jews. 350 years ago, in September, 1654, twenty-three impoverished Jews landed in New Amsterdam. Governor Peter Stuyvesant did not want them, calling them ?blasphemers of the name of Christ.? They refused to leave.

Thus began an unprecedented chapter in the history of the Jewish people. American Exceptionalism---the unprecedented mix of freedom and economic opportunity promised by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights---gave Jews eventual acceptance and prosperity that was impossible in Europe.

The original 23 Jews have grown to 6 million today. Only 2 percent of the population, American Jews can be found at the highest levels of government, academia, business, politics and entertainment.
 
There is a dark side of the story. American Jews experienced antisemitism----sometimes overt and vicious, at other times under the surface----that kept most Jews out of elite schools, corporate jobs, and restricted clubs and neighborhoods. After World War II antisemitism gradually declined, and symbolically ended when Al Gore picked Joe Lieberman to run for Vice-President.

America is a nation of immigrants. The American Jewish Experience is a paradigm for all immigrants, past and present. Latinos, Asians and Muslims now face similar prejudice and restrictions. Today?s anti-immigrant rhetoric is eerily familiar to the 1920?s, when Congress closed the door to non-Anglo Saxons.

ONLY IN AMERICA will appeal to all audiences, to everyone whose family immigrated to America --- yesterday or 400 years ago.

Readers include John Lithgow, Jerry Stiller, Zero Mostel, Isaiah Sheffer, Barbara Rosenblat, Fritz Weaver and Philip Roth. Plus clips from Jon Stewart and Mel Brooks about being Jewish. Brooks tells tales of his experience with antisemitism in the Army, and defends ?The Producers."

The series also includes two specials, "NEVER AGAIN! A Holocaust Memorial featuring Elie Wiesel" and "A Conversation with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg." Details on the specials can be found in separate PRX entries for those specials.

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