Film critic to speak on Judaism
By Catherine Pillsbury
Staff Reporter

ABC-TV film critic Joel Siegel will share his insights and humor about his job and Jewish heritage tonight at the sixth annual Gates of Chai Lectureship in Contemporary Judaism at 8 p.m. in Ed Landreth Auditorium.

Siegel has been an entertainment editor for “Good Morning America” since 1981 and recently authored “Lessons for Dylan,” a legacy of his life and Jewish heritage for his son.

W. David Nelson, the Rosenthal assistant professor of Jewish studies at Brite, said Siegel’s lecture, titled “Being Jewish in America,” will focus on the history of Jewish involvement in the cinema, his identity as a Jew in Hollywood and his role as a father.

The lecture will include an audiovisual presentation, he said.

Siegel wrote the book after he was diagnosed with colon cancer and realized that he might not get to watch his son grow up, Nelson said.

The 15 members of the Gates of Chai community committee met to discuss whom to invite and chose Siegel because they thought he has an interesting story to tell, said Diane Cooper, director of development at Brite.

“Joel Siegel has broad appeal,” Nelson said. “He can speak to contemporary Judaism both in his personal experience and the involvement of Judaism and the history of film in America.”

Cooper said the purpose of having an annual speaker is to educate students and the public about the gifts of Judaism.

A turnout of 800 to 1,000 people is expected for the lecture, with guests coming from Austin, Houston and Lubbock to see Siegel, Cooper said.

The lecture was established by The Gates of Chai Inc., a local foundation, Cooper said. It was founded in memory of Larry Kornbleet and family members of Stanley and Marcia Kornbleet Kurtz, who perished in the Holocaust. Two brothers, Harold and Robert Ginsburg, also contributed funds in memory of their father, Marcus Ginsburg.

“The lectureship is designed to promote informed, dynamic public dialogue and education on issues of relevance to contemporary Judaism,” Cooper said. “It has helped with the greater understanding and has been a gift to Fort Worth, not just TCU.”

The lecture series is part of the Jewish studies program at Brite and has included such speakers as civil rights attorney Morris Dees, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel, Rabbi Kushner, author of “When Bad Things Happen to Good People,” and author Chaim Potok.

General admission tickets are still available at the door, $15 for general public, $10 for faculty and free for students with an ID.

Catherine Pillsbury