Arts & Culture

THE JEWISH LIGHT Bette Midler Shines As An and on that night. His parents, he and doesn’t make any sense at all.” Arts & Culture Angry Jew In HBO’s‘ says, “were very good liberals and also deeply curious. And they Mandy Patinkin blows shofar in TV tribute to Ruth Bader GinsCoastal Elites’ emphasized real engagement in life.” burg’s dying wish Rudnick, who has written other Trump quoted as saying that Jews By Curt Schleier screenplays, plays, and novels, says are ‘only in it for themselves’ where it says religion, I don’t put he is “grateful for that great Jewish NYC health department warns of down Jewish. I put down the New comic tradition, a way of speaking ‘significant concern’ about COVIDYork Times.” that’s wry and skeptical and loving, 19 rise in largely Orthodox neighTo clarify, the print edition. all at the same time, which is nuts borhoods ì “Reading the Times online is like having sex with a robot. It’s cleaner and faster, but you can tell the dif- RIDGEWOOD PREPARATORY

Bette Midler stars in "Coastal Elite." (HBO) ference. New York Times online is for gentiles,” Nessler says. SCHOOL (JTA) — HBO debuts playwright The other characters are Mark Paul Rudnick’s “socially distanced Hesterman (played by Jewish actor satire” film “Coastal Elites” on Sat- Dan Levy), a gay actor auditioning OPEN HOUSE DAILY urday — and the star of the show is Bette Midler, whose Jewish characto play the first gay super hero in a big movie; Callie Josephson (Isa PK-12 ter symbolizes the divide between Rae), a wealthy black woman who America’s liberal cities and its heartland. went to private school with Ivanka Trump; Clarissa Montgomery Call 504.835.2545

The film is built on five remotely (Sarah Paulson), a woman who or email rps@ridgewoodprep.com filmed monologues from characters based in either New York or Los creates meditation videos; and Sharynn Tarrows (Kaitlyn Dever), for appointment Angeles during the COVID-19 pan- a nurse from Wyoming who comes demic. to New York to help during the Knowledge • Discipline • Wisdom

Midler plays Miriam Nessler, a pandemic. retired New York City school teacher who may be the quintessential coastal elite. And one who is Besides the very funny jokes, at at the center of “Coastal Elites” is a sense of wariness, an unease 201 Pasadena Avenue • Metairie, LA 70001 www.ridgewoodprep.com unapologetically Jewish, who also because after all this time, after all gets arrested for taking a red Make the news, there is a national divide America Great Again hat off of a over something where there should pedestrian on the street and running be unity. away with it. Rudnick noticed about a year ago

“He’s wearing jeans and a wind- that “everybody I knew on every breaker, and the hat — the red hat. side of the political divide was in a You know the one. The MAGA hat. permanent state of anger and heart In New York City, two blocks from break over the future of the counthe Public Theater,” Nessler says of try.” “Coastal Elites” is the result of the hat-wearer. “It’s like me going that feeling. to Nebraska, wearing a yarmulke, He was raised in a Jewish housewaving a rainbow flag while read- hold, attended Hebrew school, had a ing a book!” bar mitzvah, but it was primarily

Despite her words, Nessler “cultural Jewish. We’d focus on the doesn’t quite look down at the rest Jewish traditions education and culof the country. But the truth is that ture and civic responsibility.” At she is by self-definition “a liberal dinner the family would discuss Jewish woman. On the census, what was in the Times that morning