TV exec: Media ‘finally getting it right’ when it comes to Jewish women

On a recent episode of ABC's hit show "Grey's Anatomy," Dr. Cristina Yang, a Korean American who identifies as Jewish, refuses to treat a white supremacist, noting that her Jewish stepfather's parents died in a concentration camp.

Then there's Charlotte York, the prim and proper romantic of the "Sex and the City" foursome who converts to Judaism after falling in love with her Jewish divorce attorney, Harry Goldenblatt.

And who can forget Debra Messing's portrayal of Grace Adler, the Jewish interior designer whose neurotic nature and relationship mishaps made for comedic fodder on NBC's "Will & Grace."

These characters, among others, give Olivia Cohen-Cutler, ABC's senior vice president of broadcast standards and practices and head of the MorningStar Commission, a sense that the media are finally getting Jewish women right.

"What we see as success is not the same as what old-world Jewish women should be — that everything should be positive," she said. "We have a different version of success, and it's important that we reach out in a very human way to show we have the same concerns, strengths and weaknesses."

Cohen-Cutler will be the featured speaker 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15 at "Women and Ethnicity in the Media." The event, which is free and open to the public, takes place at Stanford University's Taube Center for Jewish Studies.

The MorningStar Comm-ission, founded by Hadassah, the national women's Zionist organization, is made up of Hollywood heavy hitters working to foster a positive and diverse image of Jewish women in the media.

Cohen-Cutler's role at ABC is similar to her volunteer work for the commission.

"My charter is not just to protect the image, but to ensure all different races, genders, sexualities and religions are appropriately portrayed on our air," she said. "I see all of it and the potential for creating a more equitable and truthful portrayal of all cultures."

Cohen-Cutler's appearance is one of many activities happening at the Taube Center for Jewish Studies. Conferences, endowed lectures, workshops and speaking engagements related to the center's initiatives — Jewish art and gender, race and ethnicity — are offered throughout the year.

"Questions about gender and ethnicity in the media are asked a lot, but not always from the perspective of the Jewish community," said Vered Shemtov, the center's co-director. "We hope that our audience will be exposed to the issues of Jewish women, both gender and ethnicity, when it comes to Judaism in the media."




"Women and Ethnicity in the Media" starts 4 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 15 at Stanford University's Taube Center for Jewish Studies, Building 460, Terrace Room, Stanford. Information: (650) 725-0577.