{"id":7483,"date":"2014-09-12T00:14:14","date_gmt":"2014-09-12T07:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=7483"},"modified":"2014-09-10T22:02:23","modified_gmt":"2014-09-11T05:02:23","slug":"from-yeshivah-to-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2014\/09\/12\/from-yeshivah-to-tv\/","title":{"rendered":"From yeshivah to TV"},"content":{"rendered":"

Joshua Malina will help launch the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver\u2019s annual campaign on Sept. 21. (photo from Joshua Malina)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The title of his talk is How to Make it in Hollywood and Remain a Mensch. From the one minute and 20 second video he made to help the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver promote the Sept. 21 launch of this year\u2019s annual campaign, you can tell he knows that of which he speaks. Joshua Malina exudes menschlichkeit.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean the actor\u2019s a pushover. Follow him on Twitter and you\u2019ll see that he knows how to push back. He also has a wicked sense of humor, and not just in writing apparently \u2013 he has a reputation for being a prankster on set. He\u2019s currently co-starring in the hit show Scandal<\/em>, which may sound far removed from his yeshivah roots, but his character, David Rosen, has the clearest moral compass of the bunch. Not that it matters, of course, as actors, well, act, and Malina told the Jewish Independent<\/em> that he \u201cwas intent on becoming an actor from about age 8 onwards. Prior to that, baseball player, Good Humor man and rabbi were all options I considered.\u201d<\/p>\n

As to whether his athletic or sales skills would have been up to the challenge is unclear, but anyone who has read about Malina \u2013 or watched that minute-plus video \u2013 knows that he could have easily been a rabbi.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents\u2019 decision to send me to yeshivah from first through eighth grades was a major factor in establishing my Jewish identity,\u201d he told the Independent. \u201cAt Westchester Day School (in Mamaroneck, N.Y.), I acquired many of the skills that are helpful in living a substantive Jewish life. I studied Torah, learned about the holiday cycle, was taught to pray and to leyn, and so on. But, probably more crucially, I was taught there to consider the ethical decisions of everyday life. We were taught about tikkun olam<\/em>, the concept that it\u2019s every person\u2019s responsibility to help repair this imperfect world.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a middle child, with a sister who\u2019s two and a half years older than I, and a sister eight years younger,\u201d he continued. \u201cMy family has always been extremely close, and my parents helped us all forge strong Jewish identities by raising us in a home that valued and celebrated Jewish tradition.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cSeeing how others live and observe Judaism reminds me of the resiliency and creativity of our people. It\u2019s one of the reasons I get such pleasure from visiting different communities when I go out to speak.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cSo, I grew up in a Conservative household, attended an Orthodox shul, and spent eight years at an Orthodox day school. I ended up marrying a convert, and now my family attends a Reconstructionist synagogue, so you could say that I\u2019m the ultimate Jewish mutt. Rather than a liability, though, I\u2019d say that my exposure to a broad variety of Jewish experience has enhanced my own faith. Seeing how others live and observe Judaism reminds me of the resiliency and creativity of our people. It\u2019s one of the reasons I get such pleasure from visiting different communities when I go out to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malina now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their two children. In addition to Scandal, his ABC biography notes that, \u201cduring his hiatus, he filmed a role in writer\/director Warren Beatty\u2019s latest Howard Hughes feature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malina has had many career successes, in such television shows as The West Wing<\/em> and the acclaimed but short-lived Sports Night<\/em>. He has appeared in numerous other popular TV programs, as well as first-rate films, and was executive producer on Bravo\u2019s Celebrity Poker Showdown<\/em>, which \u201cbroke ratings records for the network.\u201d But there also have been some downs since he made his professional debut in Aaron Sorkin\u2019s A Few Good Men <\/em>on Broadway.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh yes, \u2018professional uncertainty,\u2019 I know it well,\u201d he said. \u201cI consider myself luckier than most who pursue a career in acting, but it has certainly been a rollercoaster. Work can be very hard to come by, and a job can disappear as quickly as it materialized. The emotional aspect I\u2019m pretty good with. I don\u2019t take rejection personally, and I understand that I may book one job for every 50 I\u2019m considered for. Also, my self-image is not wrapped up in my success as an actor. I am much more concerned about being a good father and husband than I am in being well-known, or anything like that. That said, I do have responsibilities. I need to put food on the table and a roof over my kids\u2019 heads. It is not always easy in this profession.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Malina isn\u2019t just concerned with putting a roof over his own family\u2019s heads.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to support a variety of organizations, but I am particularly fond of groups that take their inspiration from Judaism, and do good on behalf of everybody, regardless of religious affiliation,\u201d he said in response to a question about his charitable endeavors. \u201cJews are a wonderfully philanthropic community, and I like for the world to see that. Mazon \u2013 A Jewish Response to Hunger, is a nonprofit that addresses hunger issues in Israel and the U.S. They do terrific work, as does Bet Tzedek, which is a pro bono law firm in Los Angeles that takes its motivation from the Torah verse that states \u2018Justice, justice you shall pursue.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, I am also supportive of organizations that help Jews specifically, and that insure that we are a community that takes care of its own.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the causes Malina supports is the Creative Community for Peace.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe may not all share the same politics or the same opinion on the best path to peace in the Middle East,\u201d reads the About Us explanation on the group\u2019s website. \u201cBut we do agree that singling out Israel, the only democracy in the region, as a target of cultural boycotts while ignoring the now-recognized human rights issues of her neighbors will not further peace.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand the power that our music, our films, our television shows, and all arts have. They have the power to build bridges. Foster better understanding. Encourage dialogue. And hopefully lead toward greater mutual acceptance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among Creative Community for Peace\u2019s initiatives is an anti-boycott petition, headed \u201cDon\u2019t Let Israel\u2019s Detractors Politicize Art,\u201d and the statement \u201cCommitment to Peace and Justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe idiocy of accusing Israel \u2013 which attempts to minimize civilian casualties \u2013 of attempted genocide, while ignoring the words of Hamas\u2019 charter, which call for the extermination of every Jew, is maddening.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIt was a very easy decision for me to sign that statement,\u201d he told the Independent<\/em>. \u201cIt expressed grief for the loss of life among Israelis and Palestinians and, without explicitly referencing the Almodovar-Bardem-Cruz letter, it indirectly responded to its foolishness. The idiocy of accusing Israel \u2013 which attempts to minimize civilian casualties \u2013 of attempted genocide, while ignoring the words of Hamas\u2019 charter, which call for the extermination of every Jew, is maddening. One can only come to the conclusion that those engaging in this type of false accusation are either maliciously dishonest or out of touch with reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd please understand, I do not vilify everyone who is critical of Israel. I have criticisms of my own. But the vicious and intellectually dishonest nature of the double standard applied by many to the Gaza conflict requires a response. Hence, my signature on the letter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have heard from many as a result of my signing the statement. The vast majority has been quite positive, some of it\u2019s been very negative. But that\u2019s all right. I expected it, and I can take it. I\u2019m an actor; I have thick skin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tickets for the campaign launch Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m., at Chan Centre for the Performing Arts are $40 ($18 students), with group discounts available (Anna Vander Munnik, 604-257-5109 or amunnik@jewishvancouver.com<\/a>). For more information and to buy tickets, visit jewishvancouver.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joshua Malina will help launch the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver\u2019s annual campaign on Sept. 21. (photo from Joshua Malina) The title of his talk is How to Make it in Hollywood and Remain a Mensch. From the one minute and 20 second video he made to help the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver promote […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1915,4352,1914,1913],"class_list":["post-7483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-creative-community-for-peace","tag-jewish-federation-of-greater-vancouver","tag-joshua-malina","tag-scandal"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}