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Newsletter : 9fax0506.txt
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>JN May 6, 1999, Vol. 7, No. 85
PA Postpones Statehood Until July
By IsraelWire
The PLO Authority decided to postpone its decision regarding Palestinian statehood until July. Senior PA officials explained they realize it would be prudent to wait until the clearing of the fog being created by the Israeli elections, and the July date is based on the premise there will be a June 1 runoff election for prime minister.
Lt. Giardello Doesn't Skip His Prayers
By IsraelWire
Yaphet Kotto portrays Lt. Al "Gee" Giardello in the TV series
"Homicide: Life on The Street." In an interview with HaTzofe, Kotto
talked about growing up as a black Jew in Harlem, the difficulties
of being black and Jewish, what was said on the set of "Homicide:
Life on The Street " when he refused to work on Rosh Hashanah and
Yom Kippur, and why Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu invited him
to visit Israel.
Kotto jokingly calls himself the worst nightmare of a prejudiced
American: both black and Jewish, and proud of it. He was born in
1937 in New York, and has fought all his life for survival as a Jew
and a black. Kotto has been an actor for over 20 years and his
autobiography, "Royalty" will be published in June.
He says his father, Avraham, an observant Jew, was the crown prince
of Cameroon who immigrated to America and became a businessman.
Kotto's mother converted to Judaism before marrying Avraham.
According to Kotto, Judaism was in the family's blood for many
generations.
Yaphet Kotto grew up in an America that segregated blacks from
whites. Kotto, as a little black boy with a large yarmulke, was
easy prey to the white Catholic Irish kids in the Bronx
neighborhood where he went to school. In his neighborhood, the
Baptist black children beat him for being Jewish. Kotto says he was
a skinny kid who always was running away from someone who wanted
to hit him. Even his name, Yaphet, set him apart. His father
supplemented his Jewish education at home.
Kotto, at a Bronx public school, caught the acting bug after
performing in a high school play. His aunt had a dancing school,
where he learned to dance, and where he met people in show
business.
Kotto says his father was not happy with his decision to become an
actor. He credits his father's strength of dedication to religious
observance as the influence for his being a Jew who keeps kosher
and observes the commandments. Kotto says his religious observance
is a matter between himself and his Creator, and that, since his
becoming a celebrity, he avoids the media circus that occurs when
he goes to synagogues to pray. He was recently married in a Jewish
ceremony.
Kotto is bothered by the fact that most Jews are non-observant and
have no knowledge of the religion's basics. He says that throughout
history, when the Jews move away from the Torah, they receive
horrible blows. He says that people remember to pray only when they
have troubles. Kotto stated that the biggest problem Jews have
today is that they have forgotten that Judaism means constant
study.
Kotto's father spoke Hebrew, but Kotto's attempts to learn Hebrew
before his Bar Mitzvah were not very successful. Kotto says that
his father was a big Kabalist, with strange and special powers. He
could tell people he had never met before personal things about
themselves. Both Jews and non-Jews, blacks and whites came to him
for advice.
Kotto says that when he was growing up he only knew black Jews, and
was shocked to discover that there are also white Jews. His family
came to Cameroon from Egypt, and before Egypt, from Israel. They
were African Jews for many generations. Kotto's great-grandfather
and grandfather were kings of Cameroon and also observant Jews.
According to Kotto, there are many Jewish tribes in southern and
western Africa, and east to Ethiopia. In Cameroon there was a
long tradition of Jewish royalty. Kotto explained that the 11
million-strong Ibo tribe's customs are similar to Ethiopian Jews.
Kotto also pointed out that there are 250,000 black Jews in
America, who are Jews, and not "Black Hebrews." Kotto believes that
with time and patience, white Jews will learn to accept all the
black Jews.
He says he was in Israel when he acted in the film "Entebbe,"
portraying Idi Amin, who he resembles. And Netanyahu was a
technical advisor for the film who told Kotto that when he visits
Israel, he should call him.
Kotto was surprised to hear that "Homicide" is a leading TV show in Israel. He said that to be a black in a leading roll in a drama is a big accomplishment in American TV. Kotto enjoys the fact that his TV character is black and half-Italian.
Kotto keeps kosher on the set, and has taught the staff not to
schedule filming on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Kotto even gave
up attending the NAACP's award ceremony because it was on Rosh
Hashanah.
About the Middle East peace initiative. Kotto says that there is no
one to have a dialogue with, and that Israel should be very careful
if anyone says that they want to make peace, to check if what they
really want is to take away your heritage, your property, and your
family. He says he believes in peace, but not at any price, and
that where there is hate, there is no room for peace.
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