Documentary Series

Below is the only official information about the proposed documentary series based on Pepper, Silk & Ivory and Sugar in the Tea, two books I coauthored with Rabbi Marvin Tokayer. The only authorized 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity associated with this documentary series is the Center for New American Media (information listed below).

About the Sugar in the Tea (working title) documentary series:

Intolerance is on the rise. Hate speech pervades our world. The need to address anti-Semitism and xenophobia is urgent.

Given the current climate of racial and religious intolerance, Stephen Segaller, head of programming for WNET-TV (PBS in New York), expressed his desire to broadcast a three-part documentary series based on the stories in my books (coauthored by Rabbi Marvin Tokayer) Pepper, Silk & Ivory: Amazing Stories about Jews and the Far East (2014, reviews attached) and Sugar in the Tea: Amazing Stories about Jews and the Far East (to be published). It is perhaps little known that for centuries, the Far East, so important to the world both economically and politically, has been a haven for cross-cultural understanding, a place where Jews and Asians lived harmoniously whenever circumstances brought the two groups together.

Good film and television start with great stories, especially when those stories are inspiring, captivating, comical, and/or compassionate and, even better, when the stories are true and leave people exclaiming, “Who knew!”

We have the powerful stories and the network in place, but first we must secure funding: $835,000 for each hour. The series will be distributed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, and, equally important, to libraries, community centers, museums, schools, and universities.

Just a few story examples:

Wolf Ladejinsky was an agricultural guru to the Asian people whose work and lives improved greatly when he shared his knowledge. When Agricultural Secretary Ezra Taft Benson, a blatant anti-Semite, fired Ladejinsky and damaged his reputation with lies, the Asian people came to Ladejinsky’s defense so fiercely that President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his administration struggled to contain the damage. Ladejinsky’s work on land reform and irrigation from the 1940s through the 1960s was evident in Korea, Nepal, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and South Vietnam and earned him the title of “Mr. Land Reform.” His work in Taiwan was known as the “Taiwan Miracle.” Ladejinsky’s tireless work in Asia was fueled by his wish for all people to live with dignity.

Joseph Trumpeldor was a Jew in the Russian army. In 1905, after the Russo-Japanese War, Trumpeldor’s unit became POWs at Camp Hamadera, under the direction of Kumabe San, in Japan. Trumpeldor was surprised that he did not encounter any anti-Semitism from the Japanese. His mother was alienated from Judaism and, in fact, considered being Jewish a misfortune. “Why should we suffer for a meaningless belief which contributes nothing to life and only hinders?” she asked. Trumpeldor, however, did not agree with her. Despite the many ways the Japanese guards and this Jewish Russian could have treated each other badly based on stereotypical beliefs, they learned to respect and help each other in big and small ways and over time bonded completely.

In 1936, the Anjuman Islam Foundation wanted to establish a school for Muslim girls in Pakistan, an idea that was unheard of at the time. Annie Samson was a Jewish woman with exceptional training in pedagogy in search of employment and, against all odds and amid much controversy, in 1939 Samson was recruited to become the first principal of this school which was to serve as a model for the future. The school, which started with only four Muslim girls, today boasts more than 5,000 Muslim girls, and every year “Annie Samson Day” is celebrated with the awarding of prizes to students.

Our desire is to share the little-known, true, compelling stories of Jews and Asians so that this part of history will never be forgotten and will serve as a hopeful, important, and timely reminder that people of different races, religions, and cultures can contribute to and benefit from each other and leave the world a better place than they found it, just as Jews and Asians have done for centuries.

We have raised $150,000 and would be grateful for your help to make all or part of the documentary series a reality. For corporate sponsors, having your name viewed and your message heard by people on millions of television sets and other devices worldwide provides unparalleled advertising for a fraction of the cost of traditional paid advertising, whether through your advertising/marketing or corporate philanthropy budgets. The result will be increased sales revenues and enhanced brand images. Affluent PBS consumers will develop loyalty to your company which will gain name recognition as being socially responsible.

For a tax deduction, United States donors should make their checks payable to the Center for New American Media, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. All other donors should make their checks payable to Sugar Tea Media LLC. All checks should be mailed to Sugar Tea Media LLC, c/o 545 West 110th Street, #11B, New York, New York 10025. Of course, all underwriters will be fully acknowledged.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the documentary further, please see my contact information below.

Thank you.

Ellen Rodman, Ph.D.
info@ellenrodmanphd.com