Starting Anew

By Gabriela Geselowitz
Hunter College
KOC Co-Editor

In a class this semester about Jews and Cinema, I recently saw The Jazz Singer (with Al Jolson) for the first time. The 1927 movie is famous for being the first film with synchronized sound, but the plot itself is remarkable for an early motion picture. The son of Jewish immigrants (Jakie/Jack in the original film,) in New York is expected to join his family’s cantorial dynasty, but he instead pursues his dreams of stardom on Broadway. This story has been referenced, remade, and parodied countless time in American cultural history (I even saw part of the remake with Neil Diamond, but the Simpsons’ episode "Like Father, Like Clown" is far better). But no matter the adaptation, the dramatic climax almost always takes place at Yom Kippur. The father becomes too sick to sing Kol Nidre for the congregation, and his son must take his place, despite conflicts with his secular music career.

Although Kol Nidre can be the central moment of a cantor’s, this story could have easily used a different ritual. A Jewish young man could be forced to lead the family seder, or a rabbi’s son could be asked to deliver a fundraising sermon, or a mohel’s son could have had an urgent bris to perform. Why does Kol Nidre seem especially significant?

When Jack sings Kol Nidre, he is annulling the vows of the assembled congregation, himself included. Although he does not regret his decision to become secular, his decisions have alienated him from his family. Jack sings in his synagogue largely out of a sense of duty, but he may also be doing teshuvah (repenting) for the conflict he caused in his home and the way of life he abandoned. In the 1927 film, he has forced the postponement of his Broadway premiere just so he can be at shul. He had obligations in his life both as an Orthodox Jew and in show business that he has compromised, but with Kol Nidre the time has come to begin anew.

The Jazz Singer should not remind me of Conservative Judaism. In truth, the 1927 film intends to argue for assimilation. After all, the old generation dies, and Jakie Rabinowitz becomes Jack Robin, Broadway Star. There seem to be two extremes: Old World Orthodoxy and a complete rejection of religion. But the Kol Nidre scene shows that for the first time, perhaps the freedom to live secularly as an American Jew does not necessitate a complete abandonment of faith. Through Jack, we learn that we can live our lives as both Jews and members of the secular world. Kol Nidre wipes clean the slate, and Jack’s strict Orthodox upbringing as well as his secular self-exile are annulled. It is not just a new year for Jack, but a new life, and he can now find a balance between the Old World and the New.

So Shanah Tovah, KOACH! May you all find the right balance for you this year.

[Posted 9/28/11]