High Holy Hollywood: Rabbis Turn to TV Writers for Sermon Advice
A rabbi walks into a bar. Ok, we admit. Our clever rabbi jokes pool is dry. We got nothin'. But we do have the High Holy Days Seminar, "the largest trans-denominational gathering of rabbis on the West Coast," says The Jewish Daily Forward.
The rabbi and rabbinical student mecca, organized and presented by the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, transpires every August and features two "enlightening and entertaining" keynote sermons, plus offers workshops on sermon enhancement.
This year, rabbis turned to Hollywood for inspiration.
Two rabbis - Rabbi Karen Fox of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple and Rabbi Jason Weiner - met with comedy writer Janet Leahy pre-High Holy Days 2011 seeking her input on their upcoming sermons. Collaborating in a rather Writers Room style, the trio tossed ideas back and forth, punching up the rabbis' pitches. Leahy has written for Fox's "The Simpsons."
Seminar Chair Rabbi Jon Hanish and the board's executive VP, Rabbi Mark Diamond, have taken their tools and reshaped this year's event.
“Rabbis want to be on the cutting edge,” said Hanish, adding that his USC film background has greatly honed his writing skills.
“My screenwriting classes taught me more about writing sermons than rabbinical school,” he said.
Tapping Leahy for jokes and drawing upon industry contacts, Hanish managed to assemble an impressive roster of star television writers for the Professional Writers Workshop that took place in conjunction with the seminar on August 16. Writers included "Leahy and colleague Lisa Albert, both writers for The AMC series “Mad Men”; Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning television writer/producer David M. Israel of Nickelodeon’s new series “How To Rock,” and Jason Katims (NBC’S “Parenthood” and “Friday Night Lights,” Fox’s “Boston Public”)."
“We are all working on something,” Hanish said jokingly at the beginning of the session before directing the writers and rabbis to break into working groups of two and three.
Rabbis consulted with the professional pemwomen and men on several aspects of their sermons, including adding a more personal touch without being offensive, crafting the perfect endings and practicing fresh writing.
“What makes writing fresh is finding specificity,” Waller, a veteran of ABC's "Desperate Housewives," told a rabbi, advising to sharpen generic terms “like it’s a real story.” “The character wears a certain necklace, or has a lisp.”
Reverend Cecil "Chip" Murray, the 82-year-old former pastor of L.A.’s First American Methodist Episcopal Church, offered a priceless piece of advice.
“If you hear the people snoring,” Murray declared, cupping a hand to his ear, “you’re violating the 11th Commandment!”
A rabbi walks into Hollywood. Nope, joke bank is still empty.
