Defending ‘Grace’
In response to the persnickety review of our documentary Grace by Judith Mahoney Pasternak (WIN, fall 2010), I leave her to her opinions, but want to correct some of her inaccuracies.
First, a documentary can certainly be a tribute to someone—many, many have been. And, in turn, a tribute can be in the form of a documentary. What was her problem here?
Next, the film is very focused: It is carefully organized by themes, revealing Grace’s childhood, family, and Jewish Bronx roots; next, her early entry into writing and politics; the early influences on her own writing, and then how she conveyed her concept of truthful writing to her students; her gradual expansion into world politics for peace; finally, her influential place in the world of literature and politics. Perhaps Ms. Pasternak was simply not paying attention … was unfocused.
This film is not the bio-pic that Ms. Pasternak evidently expects from documentaries. It does show Grace’s first husband, Jess Paley, with Grace and then with their first child in their early years of marriage; it is obvious to the audience that he is Grace’s husband. As for Grace’s daughter, Nora, there is an entire photo montage of Grace with Nora and Nora’s children—also a moving remembrance as Nora recites a poem of Grace’s—where both Nora and the poem are identified. Not a bio-pic after all, the film concentrates on Grace as a great American writer with a powerful influence on writers young and old, and on her crusading political legacy. lt speaks directly to creative writing, American literature, and women’s studies courses, and to the varied public library audiences. The film aims to bring Grace and her work to these wide audiences, and it is doing extremely well, loved by students, educators, and the general public.
Sonya Friedman
Producer/co-director
Four Corners Productions
New York, NY
Pro-Palestine Prejudice?
Maybe I am missing something, but many of your articles (past and present) give me the impression that anything Palestinians (or Muslims) do is entirely justified, while nothing the accursed Jews do is acceptable. Doesn’t that appear to you (as it does to me) to indicate prejudice?
Leonard B. Burkhardt
Niles, IL
Dear Mr. Burkhardt,
The opinions expressed in this magazine have always been about the actions of the State of Israel, not about Jews. Certainly individuals of all nationalities and religions are capable of harm and violence against others, and equally of caring and peacefulness. We don’t believe we have printed anything that would justify Palestinian violence. However, we here at WRL and WIN are very concerned about the systematic violence carried out against the people of Palestine by the Israeli government in the form of military occupation, the blockade of Gaza, and illegal settlements in the West Bank. Please see Rebecca Vilkomerson’s article in this issue describing Jewish Voice for Peace’s nonviolent campaign to defund corporations that are profiting from the destruction of Palestinian homes and lives. Ultimately, we in the antiwar movement must accept nothing less than peace with justice for all peoples, regardless of race or religion.
WIN Publications Committee
